Alisha Beverly

It's Priceless When...

2010-02-18T17:37:00.004-07:00

...I'm nursing Trey and he pulls off and gives me a big ol' grin with milk on the corner of his mouth.

...my little man is down for the night so me and my big man curl up in bed and watch a movie.

...the US Olympians are kicking butt at the 2010 Winter Olympics!

...we get a present unexpectantly and I get to enjoy a date with my hubby this weekend of a dinner and movie.

...my son goes down for his afternoon nap and I get to relax on the couch watching my favorite shows on the internet.

...It's my friend/neighbor's turn to cook dinner (meals swaps) and I don't have to lift a finger!

...my dad comes to town on business and takes time out of his busy schedule to love on his grandson.

...Trey cracks himself up and giggles for no apparent reason.

...my sister and brother in law live so close that we miss each other when we don't see each other for a few days and schedule a night together.

...we have a night together, home, no agenda, enjoying each other.

What's Been Going On...

2010-02-12T10:36:00.007-07:00

Wow! Has it really almost been a month since I posted? I thought I was doing so well. Shame on me!

This weather we have been having has been fantastic! It's making me antsy for spring/summer to get here. I can't wait to take Trey to parks, go on walks, and play with our neighbors outside! PLUS my parents are getting Trey a 'Little Tikes' playground for his 1st birthday so that will be TONS of fun! But let’s not talk about his FIRST birthday...

Since quitting to stay home with Trey and Steven starting our business, times have been tight. But I am continuously amazed at how God is providing. He has provided lots of little jobs for me to do such as photography, graphic and publication design, and some other things for the church. It has truly been a blessing! Not to mention those in our lives that always make sure we have what we need like our parents, my dear friend and neighbor, and friends from the church. God truly is watching out for us and reassuring us that me staying home with Trey is the right thing to do. I know I wouldn't trade any minute of it, not even if we had to live off Ramen Noodles!

Here's Trey playing with my pots and pans. I was cooking and left the drawer open for a minute and he pulled all of that stuff out by himself! At first I wasn't liking it, but then I realized it was keeping him occupied and it wasn't hurting anything, so who cares!

We took Trey to Monkey Business. We had never been and wanted to check it out. Steven took him down this massive slide. Isn't Trey's face hilarious?! I think he'll really like that place when he's a little older.

After the Dave Ramsey message series we did at Bridgepoint, Steven and I tried to find anything and everything we could sell to build a savings account. Sadly that included my piano. My grandma and parents bought this piano for me when I was like 7. I took lessons for nine years. I was never any good. I don't have a talent for it. I can sit down and play pretty much anything but not too well. I just never played my piano and we needed the money more. So with a heavy heart I sold it. The Lord provided exactly what we asked for it and it went to a great home, a little old lady who had such a love and passion for playing the piano. So the day they were coming to pick it up I sat down and played...and so did Trey. He really liked it. I wrote down the serial number, thinking maybe someday if I wanted it back, I may be able to track it down. Who knows!

My mom came and visited for a weekend. I always love when my parents come. They love Trey so much and spoil him (and us) rotten.

Trey LOVES to eat! He prefers veggies to fruit. But he really likes anything he can pick up and eat himself. This particular day we were eating chicken. He made a MESS!

He also LOVES the water! Especially his baths! My parents were awesome enough to buy him swimming lessons. So we go once a week. The instructor is mighty impressed by him. She says she’s not so sure if its a good thing or a bad thing he has no fear of the water!

And then of course the SUPERBOWL! I loved dressing him in his football jersey! We had some friends come over, we ate really good food, and we all had a great time.

So that pretty much sums up what we have been doing the last month. Trey turns 9 months old tomorrow, so I'll be taking and posting that photo session soon!

Rouding the Corner to 1 Year Old!

2010-01-16T10:48:00.006-07:00

Lately, it has really hit me how old my baby is getting. He is 8 months old! That means in four short months he is gong to be ONE YEAR OLD! What?! How did that happen? He is not a baby anymore. It's amazing how fast time goes. When I was pregnant, I remember thinking that it was taking FOREVER for him to get here. Time was going so slow. But now, time races by without me knowing. Before I know it he's going to be graduating. Ho hum.

I have also been thinking a lot about parenting lately. It seems like such a daunting task. There is so much I want to teach him, and I'm afraid I'll miss something. Even simple things like language. I'm afraid that I won't teach him soon enough or good enough. I want to give him that edge where when he starts school he'll be ahead of everyone else. I'm afraid that I'm not smart enough or organized enough or whatever to give him the best there is. I'm sure it doesn't help that my three year old next door neighbor is a GENIUS and has been that way since he was Trey's age! I know most kids aren't like that, but I wouldn't it be awesome if Trey was? I know that it has a lot to do with the child. I believe he is extremly gifted. But I also know it has a lot to do with parenting. His parents work with him constantly. Always introducing him to new things and making learning fun. I really hope I can provide that for my kids.

Anyway...on a not so serious note, here are some pictures I took of Trey in his cute Sunday outfit!

In Progress

2010-01-14T10:48:00.004-07:00

Okay, so as you can see I redid my blog template. It was time for a new look. I searched and serached for a new template I would like and just didn't find anything I really liked. So I settled for this one, but I'm still not thrilled.

So bear with me, I have a lot more I need to change.

Family Day!

2010-01-12T14:22:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Steven took the WHOLE day off! It was fabulous! He is supposed to take Sunday & Monday off but he almost always works Mondays. And Sundays just don't feel like a day off what with church taking up half the day. So I was super excited when he told me he wasn't working on Monday. So we packed up and headed to Givens Hot Springs.

Steven and I had been there about a year or so ago and we weren't hugely impressed. The day we went the water was really hot and the dressing rooms were filthy with ants, cobwebs and spiders all over the place. But this time was SOOO much better. I had called ahead to see what the temperature of the water was to make sure it wasn't going to be too hot for Trey. It was at a perfect 100 degrees. Just like warm bath water. And the dressing rooms were way cleaner with no bugs of any kind.

We had so much fun! If you haven't been there, I would recommend checking it out. It's a big indoor pool that goes from 1 foot to 10 feet. It has a basketball hoop with tons of balls and its hardly ever busy (although we've never been there on a Saturday). It was pricy for us, $7.00 for an adult. But well worth it. And not too far away, it took us 45 minutes to get there and we live in West Boise.

They were so nice and let us use this really cool float tube for Trey. It was perfect for him! I had never seen one like it. All I've seen are the old school plastic intertube looking ones. This one was like a big mesh raft that he could play with his toys on (see picture below). I loved it! He loved it! In fact, I loved it so much that I found one on eBay and bought it today!

Anyway...after we swam we came home and watched a movie, had dinner super early (5:30 pm as opposed to 7:00 pm because that's when Steven gets home) which was so nice, and then watched 'Chuck' later that night. It was a really fun family day. We don't get them very often, so I'm treasuring it!

Twins?

2010-01-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

I wanted to see if Trey looked like Steven when he was a baby so I had my Mother-in-law bring over some pictures of Steven as a baby. What do you think?

First Time with Santa

2009-12-21T10:50:00.005-07:00

I wanted to get Trey's picture taken with Santa, and I knew from years past that our mall has an awesome Santa. So off to the mall we went. Ha! $15 for one 5x7. I don't think so! I also asked if I could just take his picture with my own camera. I could, but it was about 20 feet away and way off to the side. I went home all disappointed. But then I saw a commercial for RC Willey! They were doing free photos of Santa. I was all over that! I expected the Santa to have a fake beard, fake hair, and a smelly suit. Not the case at all! He was the coolest Santa ever! And Trey LOVED him. Especially his beard. Poor Santa, Trey got a big handful and kept tugging. Santa was a great sport. They also had Mrs. Claus there who on the other hand looked NOTHING like Santa's wife. I was glad I could shoot her out of the photos. Although I did take one of her just so I could show you all the difference. Too funny.

Pie-O!

2009-12-18T10:48:00.003-07:00

Yup! This is me, Mrs. Home Maker! My first attempt at making pies, ALL BY MYSELF! I made them with my mom when I was little. And just recently I had her show me again. How come they look so much prettier when I make them with her? She didn't even help me last time, and they still turned out perfect! But when I make them without her at all, they don't turn out nearly as good. Hmmm, I guess I'll have to practice more. I made the pies for our Small Group Christmas party last night. Vanilla Cream & Cherry. Everyone said they tasted good, so I guess that's all that counts right?

I am enjoying being able to cook more now that I'm a stay at home mom. I NEVER meal planned or made cookies/bread/goodies. It's nice to be able to do that now. Of course there is a bad side to it all, the weight! Although, I won't have to worry about that until I'm done nursing. Nursing sheds the pounds like no other! I wish I could nurse for the rest of my life, I'd be able to eat whatever I wanted!

On another note, Trey is CRAWLING everywhere now! We can no longer keep stray items on the floor, they all find their way into his two hands and into his little mouth. But oh boy, it is all so much fun! He is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING now. I don't think it'll be too long before he walks. Steven's Uncle walked at 8 months. Can you imagine?! I don't think he'll walk that early, and I'm glad. I'm not ready for THAT yet!

Trey was being very naughty this morning while eating breakfast (he is not a big fan of fruits, he LOVES veggies, but I have to force him to eat his fruits, isn't that weird?) and I was thinking about how we are definitely all born with a sinful nature. It's amazing to think that by instinct even a 7 month old is sinful. What would it be like to live in the perfect world that God intended? Can't wait to find out someday.

Happenings

2009-12-08T17:52:00.007-07:00

Trey is almost 7 months old now. WOW! It's hard for me to fathom that I have a seven month old. He is at such a fun stage. There were a couple months there that my days were long and tiring. Trey is a SUPER active little boy so when he was unable to sit up and crawl it made him very mad. But now we are over that and I am purely enjoying him. He seems to be ahead of the curve in his physical abilities. I have a feeling he'll be walking in just a few shorts months.

Today was the first day he really understood 'no'. He tries to get into our dvd's all the time and today I looked at him and told him 'no' in a really loud stern face and he burst in to tears. Pretty heartbreaking and funny all at the same time. I had to do this a couple times but soon enough he understood. I'm sure we'll go through the whole thing tomorrow!

I sure am glad that God made babies to have thick skulls. Now that he can pull himself to standing he falls and bumps his head a lot! Poor little guy, if it weren't for God's perfect design, he'd be brain dead by now. Thank you Lord!

Here are his 6 month pictures that I took. Almost a month late, but at least they are posted!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-21T10:30:00.010-06:00

I was really looking forward to dressing Trey up and taking him to the pumpkin patch. We picked the perfect day. It was like 75 degrees outside, just beautiful! Trey did pretty good. He was more interested in eating the dirt and straw but we at least got a couple good smiles out of him. There were so many things to do at the pumpkin patch! It'll be so much fun when he is old enough to enjoy them all.

Trey's First Photo Session with Mommy!

2009-06-25T17:18:00.002-06:00

2009-06-08T13:15:00.002-06:00

Hello blogging world! Will I ever post on here regularly again?! I sure hope so! I will do my best!

We are finally settling in to life with our precious little boy. Some days are better than others. I weighed him last Tuesday and he was already 9 lbs 9 ozs! I will weigh him tomorrow and I bet he'll have gained another pound. Crazy! My little boy is becoming not so little anymore. Man that sure happens fast!

We were able to make it to church the past two weekends. That was sure nice! But wow! Who knew taking a newborn places would be so difficult?! I can't just 'run right in' anymore. I have to carefully plan my outings. And who knew my life would revolve around his feedings. That sure makes it difficult too. But we are getting the hang of things. Slowly but surely!

My goal this week is to have a little photography session for Trey. I will post those pictures as soon as I get them done. Wish me luck!

Trey Allen Beverly

2009-05-19T10:22:00.012-06:00

Trey Allen Beverly was born on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 5:57 pm.

He was 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long.

Right now he has light brown hair and dark blue eyes (which I think will turn hazel pretty soon).

He is one long and skinny little boy with the longest feet I have ever seen on a baby!

Were doing pretty good. It's been a whirlwind with lots of family and visitors which we have enjoyed but we are looking forward to things settling down a bit.

So here is what you all have been waiting for...

Idaho Statesman for Cheap!

2009-04-29T13:59:00.004-06:00

Any of you looking to snag the Idaho Statesman for Sunday coupons?!

I have been on the look out for a couple months now. If you go directly through the Statesman its $2.00 for a Sunday paper and I wasn't about to pay that when I could go to the dollar store down the street and buy it for $1.00. A pain, but well worth it.

Well, I just got back from Fred Meyer on Federal Way. There was a guy there selling the Idaho Statesman for pretty cheap.

$2.00 for all seven days
$1.50 for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays
And
$1.00 for Sunday and Holidays

And of course the paper is delivered right to your house. So I totally signed up for a year! Yeah!

The guy gave me his name and number and said that if anyone called him he would be happy to give them the same deal! His name is Brian Grimes and his number is 630-362-2445.

Happy couponing!

36 Weeks!

2009-04-25T13:40:00.000-06:00

A Small Update

2009-04-20T12:43:00.006-06:00

I know I haven't been great about writing on my blog. By the time I get home I'm just so tired and I swear my brain has partly shut down. But I'll have plenty of updates once the baby is born!

I'll be 37 weeks on Wednesday! My check-ups are going great. I've had a tiny bit of progress, but not much. I'm not expecting much progress. Really I'm counting on going over my due date so I know there is plenty of time. It's just a really, really, REALLY long wait!

My last day at work is May 1st. It will be sad to leave but I'm really looking forward to this next chapter in our lives. And let me tell you, it's really hard to still work when I have an end date. I feel like I should be at home making last minute touches to everything.

I can't wait to meet our little Trey!

Baby Shower

2009-04-06T09:11:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday was my baby shower and it was so much fun! My sister, Michelle, and best friend, Brittany, did a great job on everything! I know they worked very hard making sure it was the perfect shower for me and it was!

Thank you to all who came. You all made me feel so special and loved and I am so glad I will be bringing my children up around such Godly, loving, caring women.

And I think everyone has spoiled me plenty! I feel MUCH more prepared with the gifts I have received and after putting together the babies room this weekend I feel organized and settled. Now I just have to wait five more weeks to bring home our baby boy. Ohhhh, that's a long time to wait....

My sister was running around like crazy during the party but here are some pictures she was able to snap while she could.

Meet the New Me!

2009-03-24T11:37:00.003-06:00

We have the great privilege of having Courtney Toney as our new Administrative Assistant at Bridgepoint Church!

Courtney is 23, just got married to a fireman named Joe about a month ago, is a HUGE Chick-fil-A fan, plays a mean bass guitar, is a twin, is very energetic, is from the south, is a die hard coke drinker, loves Bridgepoint Church, is an awesome video editor, and will be a great addition to our staff!

I start training her on April 6th and my last day will be May 1st. I am so thrilled that God chose Courtney as my replacement. I think she'll do just an amazing job and I couldn't leave my job in better hands!

If you see her around church welcome her to the staff!

8 Weeks and Counting!

2009-03-18T11:10:00.003-06:00

I'm 32 weeks today! Eight more weeks until we get to meet our little baby Trey!

Everyone keeps telling us how fast its going by. But not for us! I swear time stands still sometimes. We are so excited to meet him that its just making time tick by slowly. I've never counted my life in weeks and days before...it makes everything go by slow!

Now that I'm in my eighth month I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. Sitting at a desk all day is hard, my back hurts and my legs start to swell. I try to remember to get up every hour and walk around a bit. But I get busy and forget. I'm starting to get braxton hicks contractions which don't hurt at all but when I get them I get very very out of breath so that's a bit annoying. I'm not sleeping much. I never thought sleeping only on one side would be such a hassle, but it certainly is. I'm waking up more and more and wake up earlier and earlier each morning and stay awake. I thought I was supposed to get all my rest BEFORE the baby comes. But its just not happening. I guess God is preparing me! And oh boy my little boy is an active little boy! Most days my right side is physically sore from all his kicks and jabs. I have nothing to compare it to, but I feel like he is more active than most. Is that sign of whats to come?!

But really, I can't complain. God has truly blessed me with a GREAT pregnancy! I had very little morning sickness, very little lack of energy, the baby has been very healthy and happy, I absolutely love the miracle of life growing inside me, and I have been surrounded by friends and family who are just super excited for us and have made everything so much easier. I could totally do the pregnancy thing three more times :)

I'm getting very anxious to set up the baby's room and get everything organized. We have the tiniest closet in our bedroom so Steven uses the closet in the guest bedroom/office which will be the baby's room. It was a bit of a disaster so I've spent the last few weeks cleaning it out and getting everything organized. We don't have an office space anymore or a guest bed but we'll make do. Steven's dad bought us a beautiful crib and we were able to get that set up last week. It's amazing how much space it takes up! I just can't wait to get the mattress and the bedding and some of the other decor up so it looks like a real baby's room. So fun! Just a week and a half until my baby shower. I'm super excited!

Here's me at 32 weeks!

Update...

2009-03-16T09:07:00.001-06:00

This is an update from my previous post...

Here is what the Army wrote about my brother receiving the medal...

'Specialist Christopher W Hutchison, United States Army, distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous achievement as a Medic for a Joint Task Force in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM on 14 November 2008. During this period, Specialist Hutchison remained exposed to heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire in order to ensure timely and effective care and evacuation of an injured casualty. With total disregard for his personal safety, Specialist Hutchison’s actions ultimately resulted in the survival of the casualty who would have otherwise died of his wounds and exposure to the elements. The distinctive accomplishments of Specialist Hutchison reflect great credit upon him, the United States Army, and the Department of Defense.'

Medal Ceremony

2009-03-13T13:18:00.006-06:00

My brother was presented with the Medal of Valor this last Friday. My parents were able to be there for the ceremony. I wish I could have gone, but I'll have to suffice with videos and pictures.

The local news station in Georgia did a piece on the ceremony. Click here to watch the video:

http://www.wtoc.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3520414&h1=1-75th%20Ranger%20Regiment%20are%20WTOC%27s%20Hometown%20Heroes&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=106867&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=85297134

My brother is shown quite often in line-up and then at the end he is seen getting one of his pins pinned on him and then you see my mom taking a picture and then my brother introducing my dad to his commander. It's pretty cool!

Below are some pictures my mom took...

I'm very proud of you Chris and wish I could have been there to support you. I love you!

Free Mommy Give-A-Ways!

2009-03-09T15:42:00.002-06:00

Check out this blog at: http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/ they are giving away some amazing products from http://gobabyidaho.blogspot.com/ . A really cute diaper bag, a nursing cover up, and a reversable infant car seat cover. All you have to do is leave a comment! I'm totally on to it!

Slumdog Millionarie

2009-03-02T09:03:00.006-07:00

Steven and I had a free ticket to Edwards (and we are trying to go to the movies as much as we can before the baby comes) so we went and watched Slumdog Millionaire last night. The movie is about this boy who grows up in the slums and eventually finds himself on India's 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' show. AMAZING movie! So moving and inspirational but I think the reason I liked it best is how much it reminded me of our time in the Philippines. The slums in India were so much like the slums in the Philippines. I can't stop thinking about it now. How much we would love to go back to the Philippines or even to India. My heart aches for the kids who have to live in such horrible conditions and I feel almost disgusted at myself for the things I have compared to them. If you have the chance to go see this movie, you won't regret it. I think it will be in the cheap theaters soon.

I wanted to post some pictures from our Philippines Missions Trip that reminded me of the movie and India.

Check Up & Ethics Autos

2009-02-09T17:01:00.005-07:00

Me at 26 Weeks!

We had a check-up this morning. I had to take that sugary drink for the diabetes test. That was a lot of sugar way too early in the morning. It made me a little sick. We listened to Trey's heartbeat and it was very strong. And he even gave us a good couple of kicks that we heard in the monitor too. That was cool! So I go in in another four weeks and then after that its every two. I can't believe next week I'll be in my third trimester. I feel like its going by so slow but on the other hand, the third tri already?! Wow!

We felt Trey hiccup yesterday for the first time. At first I was very confused what it was. It was very consistent but very light. And then I figured it out! Poor little guy he had them for about half an hour the first time. And then a few hours later he got them again. And this time Steven was home so he got to feel them too. Very cool! And then Trey got them again this morning for a few minutes after I took that sugary drink. It is the strangest but coolest feeling!

We went and registered at Babys-R-Us and Target on Saturday. That was all very overwhelming. I don't think it would have been quite as bad if I would have just registered in one place but I wanted to register as much as I could at Target because they are usually a little cheaper than Babys-R-Us. So I had to organize what I registered for where and both stores had different items. And I felt like I wasn't registering for enough, and then I felt like I was registering for too much. And then I felt like all I was registering for was the more expensive items which worries me. Whew! Who knew this would be so hard! Tonight I'm hoping to go back over what I registered for and add or delete anything I need to. I hope I feel a little more at ease after I do that.

On a side note...Steven has got his car dealership up and running! Ethics Autos! www.ethicsautos.com It's on the corner of Curtis and Fairview. We've done a lot to the building and everything looks so good! We don't have any cash flow to buy a bunch of cars to stock his lot with so he is mostly starting with consignments. And then once we get some cash we'll be able to buy some cars. We are both nervous starting on this new adventure but I'm very proud of him and the way he will be running his business. Business by the Book. God's Book. I truly believe people will appreciate his honesty and low prices. We appreciate all the prayers!

The Valor Medal

2009-01-30T14:20:00.003-07:00

The Valor Medal is a medal awarded to those who showed true acts of heroism and valorous actions under direct enemy fire.

This is the medal my brother, Chris, will be awarded on March 6th of this year. I can't share how exactly he earned it but he was able to tell me and it is truly amazing. He totally deserves it.

I am truly honored and proud of Chris and what he did to deserve this Medal of Valor.

Home at Last

2009-01-26T09:28:00.003-07:00

My brother is home! He is an Army Ranger and has been overseas for the last four months. Because he is an Army Ranger which is special operations we have been unable to know where he is or what he is doing. Which makes it very hard to talk about anything interesting with him. There are only so many times you can ask him how the weather or food over there is. In fact, we got word while he was over there that he received some sort of medal but we could not know why because then we would know what he was doing. It's all been very surreal and worrying.

But his wife got a call yesterday saying that her husband was coming home. So at 3:00 am this morning he was back in the U.S. safe and sound. I can just imagine the reunion between my brother and his wife, Carly. What a sweet time. And below is a picture that Carly snapped with her phone when my brother saw their daughter Nicole. Just breaks my heart.

I am so proud of my brother and the things he has done for our country. And I am also proud of Carly and Nicole for living without their husband and father for four months. It must be so hard.

I'm so glad you are back home safe Chris. I love you!

Get to the Point!

2009-01-23T15:56:00.002-07:00

Broadway Avenue Baptist Church is now known as Bridgepoint Church! I am super excited for this change! Our staff has been planning and prepping for this for the last five months! God has blessed this church tremendously in the past and I know He will continue to do so in the future.

Come to one of our weekend services this week: Saturday at 5:00 pm, Sunday at 8:30 am or Sunday at 10:30 am. It is the offical 'launch' of the new name and it's going to be awesome!

Blues and Greens and everything in Between!

2009-01-15T16:07:00.003-07:00

Yup, that's right! We're having a rough and tumble little boy and we couldn't be happier! Steven and I would have been happy with either but we really wanted a boy first. And the best news of all is that he is a very healthy baby boy!

The ultrasound was simply amazing! We were able to see everything from his brain and heart to his nose and feet. I loved being able to see him kicking me on the screen and get to feel it at the same time. And I loved seeing him yawn and stick his little tongue out. He is truly a miracle from the Lord and I feel truly honored and blessed to be caring him.

After the ultrasound my mom and sister and myself did some baby boy clothes shopping! My mom and sister totally spoiled me and bought a bunch of super adorable outfits. And my parents bought us the stroller/car-seat combo which I love! And then that night we went and celebrated with dinner at P.F. Changs. And the fun doesn't stop there, also this week I've received some cute baby boy clothes and some maternity clothes from some dear friends. I love all of it, thank you all so much!

We have four more months until we get to meet our little Trey and I am so ecstatic. They couldn't go by fast enough. Although I am enjoying being pregnant too, so maybe I can wait a little while :)

It's A...

2009-01-12T09:14:00.002-07:00

Home Team Christmas Party

2008-12-23T08:53:00.010-07:00

We had our Home Team/Small Group Christmas Party this last Saturday. We had so much fun! We had a holiday feast with a Tur-Duc-Hen (A hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey), fresh green beans, home made rolls, twice-baked baked potatoes, and tons and tons of yummy appetizers before hand.

After dinner we all made Gingerbread Houses. It was so much fun!

Andy and Brittany made a traditional gingerbread house which turned out super cute.

I love the fence made out of bones! (I think they got a snoppy kit).

Justin and Kristen made a log cabin complete with a bay window in the back.

Look how cute their wreath on the door is!

See the bay window in the back? Very clever!

Jake and Kristi made a gingerbread house with iciles hanging from the roof and a garage.

If you look closely their is a pebble rock path made out of chocolate rocks. Awesome!

My sister Michelle, and Drew got very creative and made a boxing ring with fighting gingerbread men!

They even have spectators sitting around the ring eating buttered popcorn!

They made a sign that says 'John 3:16'! Spiritual boxing!

Steven and I made a log cabin with a basketball hoop and a tire-swing in the front yard. We were planning on having an A-Frame roof, but it just would not hold up so we opted for a flat roof instead. My sister took a picture of Steven and I next to our completed house but for some reason its not on our camera anymore. My camera was acting funny around that time and it must have deleted that picture. That makes me so mad! So we only have this one of us, making our gingerbread house. What a bummer!

Steven did such a good job on the basketball hoop! And the tire-swing is off to the left. Pretty cool if I could say so myself! And those were all his ideas!

Santa even visited our house! He is on the roof next to the chimney. (If you notice our tire-swing fell down at this point and would NOT stand back up).

It was such a fun night and it was sad to see our creations go in the trash afterwards but none of us wanted to take them all the way home. That is why we have pictures! Thanks Andy and Brittany for hosting it at your house! I can't wait for next years party (by then we'll have a little baby crawling around)!

19 Weeks!!!

2008-12-17T16:19:00.004-07:00

I'm ninteen weeks today! I feel like I got bigger overnight and I'm loving every minute of it. Steven keeps staring at me and then says, 'You're HUGE!'

I think I've felt the baby move a few times. I can't be sure. But I think maybe. I can't wait until I know for sure.

We find out in a little over three weeks what we're having. I can't wait...I'm just counting down the days. Boy...or...Girl?

Broadway's 2008 Christmas Program

2008-12-15T14:07:00.008-07:00

Wow.

Double Wow.

Amazing!

Our church's Christmas Program, Simply Christmas, was absolutely amazing! Since I was the photographer I was able to sit through it three times and it never got boring. From the kids’ awesome dance moves, to the bands amazing rendition of 'Christmas Sarajevo' a Tran Siberian Orchestra song, to the dramas, to the very cool, very soulful songs that the choir performed, everything was incredible!

There were so many people who put hours and hours into creating the program, practicing, and executing three amazing shows. You all did such an amazing job and I thank you so much for all your hard work and sacrifice.

Steven and I were talking after, and I was saying how every year they manage to 'best' their last Christmas Program. But this years program was so amazing I just don't know how they'll be able to beat it for next year. Steven says they don't have to, they've reached such a level of perfection they just have to keep it at the same level. I agree but my hunch is they will still 'best' themselves in next years program.

Now for some pictures...I had a very difficult time this year taking decent pictures. There wasn't as much light on stage as years past and I don't use flash so it really proved a challenge for me. But I at least got some decent ones.

Baby Bump!

2008-12-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a little baby bump and totally excited about it!!!!

This is me at seventeen weeks.

Mom's Connection

2008-12-05T15:41:00.008-07:00

Since I'm expecting, I got to go to my first Mom's Connection Group this morning. It totally rocked! I truly loved every minute of it.

The Mom's Connection Group is for moms who are expecting to mom's who have young kids. It's run by our church. It lasts between an hour and an hour and a half but I could have stayed for five hours just soaking in all the information.

We were able to chat with each other before hand (and I got some fabulous advice about the belly band, thanks Andrea!), get some yummy snacks and then we all sat at tables. At the tables we were able to talk about some challenges and rewards of being a mom. Then they had four fabulous women there that have older kids and have been through most of the sturggles that young moms are going through right now. Everyone was able to ask them questions and get advice. I don't even have kids yet and I learned A LOT!

And even though we were talking about the struggles and problems with children, it made me even more excited to become a mom! It truly is a blessing from the Lord, struggles and all!

I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it and I can't wait until our next one. Thank you to all of you who put it on. It was awesome!

On to Christmas!

2008-12-02T16:25:00.003-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving!

We spent it with Steven's family in Arco. We ate lots of amazing food, played SPOONS, watched football, and laughed a lot! It was a wonderful time with family!

On Friday Steven and I made the one hour drive to Idaho Falls at 5:30 in the morning to do some Black Friday shopping! I was so proud of myself, I had everything mapped out. I had found this website, blackfriday.com where it has all the Black Friday ads online. So I was able to browse through all of them a week in advance and make a printable list of everything I wanted to get. So we stopped at Staples, Circuit City, Target, Best Buy, The Mall, Sportsman Warehouse, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Auto Zone. I was able to get just about everything on my list and we were finished within three hours! And we even had breakfast somewhere in there. I was so proud of myself at the good deals we got and I had lots of fun shopping with Steven. It was the highlight of our weekend!

Now my goal is to get our Christmas decorations up tonight. My plan was to put them up a week ago but we got really busy. And now I'm kinda dreading it. I usually love to decorate, but this year I just don't have the energy to pull everything out of our shed and pick and choose what goes up, and only for 30 days! I'm especially not looking forward to setting up the tree. What a hassle! But, I know I'll be happy once everything is up, I just need to bite the bullet and do it!

Tomorrow I'll be 17 weeks along! To my excitement, I'm starting to get a little noticeable baby bump! Now I just can't wait until I can start feeling the baby move and kick. Five more weeks until our next ultrasound!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T16:30:00.002-07:00

Steven and I are headed to Arco tonight to spend Thanksgiving with his family! I have been craving that wonderful Thanksgiving food for months. I can't wait to dive into it! And, I have cut out soda and sweets since finding out I was pregnant so I'm looking forward to splurging and eating some yummy desserts!

On Friday we are headed to Idaho Falls to do some BLACK FRIDAY shopping. I'm hoping to check off everything on our Christmas list! This will be the first year that Steven is coming with me. I'm so proud of him for getting up early for me. I love you babe!

We'll be back on Sunday night just in time for our Staff Christmas Party which I'm really looking forward to.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your day be filled with food, family, football, and lots of fun!

A little heartbeat...

2008-11-20T09:41:00.002-07:00

We had our second appointment yesterday. It wasn't a real fun one. Lots of tests. BUT we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. It was so cool! It's amazing that you can hear this tiny little heart through all of that stomach! It really is a true miracle!

The baby's heartbeat was very strong and pretty fast. Our doctor is convinced the baby is a girl. Now Steven's a little more convinced. But me, well I still have a gut feeling the baby is a boy. I guess there is a fifty/fifty chance huh?! But we will be happy with whatever miracle God gives us.

We had our second ultrasound scheduled for four weeks from today but we had to change it to the second when in January. Bummer! But we had to since it wouldn't make any sense for the cost of the ultrasound to go to our deductable in 2008 when 2008 is almost over. So we opted to wait and do it in 2009. That means I have to wait seven weeks! Man oh man! How am I going to wait that long?! I think it will help if I start feeling the baby move between now and then. But if not, it will be torture to wait!

Seven more weeks...seven more weeks...seven more weeks...

Byrne Family Portratis

2008-11-17T11:08:00.006-07:00

Brian & Ashley are friends of ours and they asked me to do their family portraits. Well, word got around and Brians parents wanted to jump in on it, as well as his brother, his sister, and his sisters boyfriend. So I did a little of everything. They were a really easy family to shoot and the fastest I've ever done and hope I get the chance to photograph them next year too. Thanks guys!

Moms, I need your help!

2008-11-12T11:24:00.004-07:00

To all you Mom's out there:

I put together a list of baby supplies that I think we need for the baby. However, I don't know if I'm missing anything or if I have things on the list that aren't necessary. So...I was hoping that you all could help me with that. I'll take all the advice I can get.

Also, specifically, what kind of bottles have you used that you think are the best? And since I'm planning on breast feeding, how many do I need to get? There are so many different kinds and designs out there so I really need some help.

This is mainly for when I register for baby stuff (once we find out the sex of the baby) and I want to make sure I'm prepared. Thank you for your help!

Equipment
Cradling bouncer with vibration and music
Activity Saucer
Jumper
Swing
Stroller and Car Seat combo
Pack and Play
Lightweight Umbrella Stroller
Bathing Tub

Misc.
Boppy
Diaper Bag
Baby Carrier
Shopping Cart Boppy Cover
Fold Up Changing Pads
Pacifiers
Baby Monitor
Receiving Blankets

Feeding
Bottle Drying Rack
Bottles
Electric Breast Pump
High Chair
Bibs
Burp Cloths

Furniture
Crib
Crib Mattress & Bedding
Glider Chair with Stool

Trunk or Treat 2008

2008-11-07T10:39:00.009-07:00

Trunk or Treat was awesome this year! We had the biggest crowd, the best activities and games, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! Steven and I help out every year. Steven is security and I'm the event photographer. And of course we dress up, that's part of the fun! Steven was a 'Chick Magnet' and I was 'Twister.' Here are some pictures of our full filled event...

We're Pregnant!

2008-11-03T11:49:00.005-07:00

We're pregnant! Both Steven and I are having a hard time wrapping our minds around the idea. Even after seeing the ultrasound we are still in disbelief. I don't think it will really sink in until I start getting big or when we go in for our next ultrasound (in six and a half weeks).

So...I've been asked a lot of questions over the past week so I thought I would answer them all here too.

Was it planned? Yes, it was planned. We had been trying since May. I had us both convinced it was going to take us at least a year to get pregnant. I guess more for my sake so I wouldn't get my hopes up. But boy I was wrong! It only took three months!

How far along are you? I'm twelve weeks and five days. Almost out of my first trimester!

Why did you wait so long to tell people? No one knew we were trying. We wanted to keep it a secret from everyone. So when I found out on October 7 I told Steven that night and no one else. We wanted to wait until our first ultrasound for two reasons: One, to be sure we were actually pregnant. And two, to put together the video from my last post (that's how we told people). But when we had our first ultrasound appointment two weeks ago, I had it calculated that I was seven weeks along. Well, when they measured the baby they found out I was eleven weeks along! We had skipped a whole month! So we thought we would be telling people when I was eight weeks along but it turns out i was twelve!

Are you going to find out the gender? Yes! For years I convinced myself I wasn't going to because everyone does nowadays and I thought it would be cool if it was a surprise. But, then I actually got pregnant and I knew there was no way myself or my family could go through the whole pregnancy without buying baby clothes! So, we are finding out. In six weeks! I can't wait! Both Steven and I feel like its a boy. Which means we'll probably have a girl! :)

When is your due date? May 13, 2009

How are you feeling? I'm feeling pretty good. There were two weeks straight that I threw up every morning but lately I've been feeling pretty good. By the time 5:00 pm rolls around I'm exhausted and my back hurts but after a good nights sleep I feel great again!

Do you have names picked out? We do. In fact we had them picked out when we were dating. If it's a boy: we like Trey. If it's a girl: we like Kaitlyn or Kara. We're keeping the middle names a secret though!

Will you continue working? I'll continue working until the baby is born. Or at least until a week or two before the due date (all depends on insurance). But once the baby is born I'll be home full time. I may do some part time work from home for the church or I might actually start my photography as a business. We'll play it by ear. So...yes it means the church will be looking for a new administrative assistant. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send them my way. 60% of what I do is graphic and publication design. The other 40% is normal administrative assistant duties. So we are looking for someone with Photshop experience.

If you think of me you can pray for my worries to ease. I'm finding myself constantly worrying about having a miscarriage. I know its all in God's hands but it's still very hard for me.

Thank you to all of you. You all have been so excited and supportive of us which makes this time so much more memorable in our lives! Thank you!

TURN UP YOUR VOLUME!

2008-10-28T13:57:00.002-06:00

Senior Portraits

2008-10-24T09:17:00.007-06:00

Back in September I did a wedding and my cousin's senior portraits all in one day. I'll never do that again! Here are some pictures from my cousin, Shauna's, senior portrait session.

Not Much Going On...

2008-10-20T16:43:00.003-06:00

Steven's finger is slowly healing. Thanks to everyone who has been concerned! I'm still rewrapping it every two days but by next week he'll hopefully have his stitches out and we won't have to deal with that anymore. I may have him wear a splint or something like that so he doesn't bend it while he's working and pop the wound back open. We'll see how it looks after the stitches are out.
My computer at work blew up. On Thursday the power popped off on it and it started smoking and smelling burnt. I took it in to our IT guys and it fried the mother board, so I get a new computer! Yeah! But it won't be in until tomorrow or Wednesday so in the mean time I'm floating between offices which is a lot of work surprisingly!
Looking forward to watching a couple of my favorite kids tonight! And one is only a couple weeks old. I love to snuggle newborns! Yeah!
Were headed to Idaho Falls & Arco again this weekend. Steven has to work on putting a Hydrogen Generator into his Dad's car. I promised myself after August and September that it would be Thanksgiving until we drove down again. But I'm looking forward to it. Especially the shopping and gabbing with my mom!

See...not much going on in our lives. I hope your Monday was fantastic and the weekend comes quickly!

Two Hours in the ER, Ten Stitches Later

2008-10-15T09:17:00.004-06:00

So Steven went to play basketball on Sunday with the guys from church, like he always does. He wasn't there more than fifteen minutes when I get a call from him saying he had hurt himself and they were headed to the ER.

So here is what happened: He was trying to get the ball away from his friend Brian...Steven swung his hand around and jammed his left index finger into Brian's elbow. He hyper-extended his finger and it popped the backside of his finger open. Steven said it didn't hurt, but he looked down and saw blood. He thought maybe he had scratched Brian or something but pretty soon he realized it was his blood (probably from the fact that it didn't stop bleeding). He looked down at his finger and saw the INSIDE of his finger. He showed Brian (Brian's a doctor) and Brian thought he could stitch it up right there so he ran to get a suture kit in his car. Another guy came over and looked at it and yelled to Brian, 'I can see the bone!' So Brian thought instead, to take Steven to the hospital.

So I met them there and got all checked in. Thankfully Brian works at St. Lukes so he knew all the good doctors and nurses and got us well taken care of. It was pretty funny, Steven had to explain how his injury happened about 30 times. No one would believe him. He had to explain it at least twice to each person. He even had to get a tetanus shot in case he actually cut his finger on something. Then he had to get an x-ray, thankfully no broken bones, just a bad sprain. And then they had to come and irrigate it out and make sure all the tendons were working properly. It was a real blessing that they were. They said that most of these injuries snap or cut the tendons, which requires hand surgery. But everything looked good so the doctor stitched him up with ten stitches and sent us on our way.

And Brian totally rocks! We don't have to go back to the ER like they wanted us to to check on it and get the stitches removed because Brian's gonna do that for us. That'll save a bunch of money! Thanks Brian!

Steven did really well through the whole ordeal. He has a very high pain tolerance and tells me that it just feels like he jammed his finger. But oh man, not me! I get so sick in hospitals, so bad that I about passout. I have to sit way far away from everything and I for sure couldn't look at his finger. Totally grosses me out! I have always been really bad in hospitals. So now his hand is all wrapped up and he can't bend his finger for two weeks. Which totally sucks because he works with his hands all day so its been pretty slow going.

So here are some pictures of the whole ordeal. The first two are with my camera on my phone. The other one is from this morning when I was changing his dressing, so the swelling has gone down a lot on his finger. You should have seen it before. It was HUGE! And a WARNING to all those with weak stomachs, there is a picture in there of his stitches that's nasty.

I've been Tagged!

2008-10-09T14:19:00.006-06:00

I was tagged by the lovely Jen. So here are 6 items you may have not known about myself.

My Grandma loved ketchup. In fact she loved it so much that she used to put it on her ice-cream...I know! Well the other thing she used to do is pile a plate full of fritos and a mound of ketchup on a plate. She would then dip the fritos in the ketchup and eat them. Just like salsa! Well I tried it when I was little (being a ketchup lover myself) and loved it. So I started doing it too. I haven't done it in a real long time, but the more and more I talk about it, the more and more I want a bag of fritos and a bottle of ketchup again!
I hate getting the dried-up toothpaste 'gunk' around the cap on my toothpaste tube. So when I load my toothbrush with a dab of toothpaste I swipe my finger across the cap eliminating any 'excess' toothpaste and then stick my finger in mouth. This does the trick and I never have to deal with that nasty gunk!
I know it may be weird to some of you ladies out there but I am more attached/emotional with Steven and I's 'dating' anniversary than our wedding anniversary. I guess its because we were together 3 and 1/2 years before we got married and we knew we were going to marry each other a couple months into our relationship. So it is more important to me the day we actually started dating compared to the day we became husband and wife. It may change in the future. But right now that's how it is.
I think pregnant women are one of God's most beautiful creations! There is something about the miracle of life growing inside a tummy that amazes me. I can't wait until that day comes for me!
I don't ever remember believing in Santa Claus. It wasn't because my parents didn't let us believe (my sister believed in him for years). It could have something to do with having an older brother, maybe he told me early on. Or maybe its because I was so smart and logical as a kid that I just didn't play in to all the hype. :) Who knows!
You won't hardly ever catch me on my computer at home. I'm on the computer ALL DAY at work and I can barely stand the sight of one when I get home. The only time I'm ever on is when I have to edit pictures. Other than that, I steer clear!

So now you know a little more about me. I tag...Amber, Kimberly, and Jessica.

Happy 26th Birthday Steven!

2008-10-08T11:40:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday babe! You are a godly man, a wonderful husband, a great friend, a strong leader and so much more. I feel so privelaged to be married to you. I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to share in many more with you! -Alisha

So not ready for winter...

2008-10-02T15:05:00.002-06:00

I usually love the fall. I love all the colors, I love the cooler weather, I love the decorations, I love the food, I usually love everything about it. However, this year it is just seeming to make me depressed.

I'm not ready for the cold, freezing temperatures! I'm not ready to have my car freezing in the mornings and have to scrape the windows. I'm not ready to wear pants all the time. I'm not ready to quite going for bike rides with my husband. I'm not ready for bad roads (which means bad drivers). I'm not ready for the trees to be dead and the grass look so ugly. I'm not ready to spend a fortune on Christmas. I'm not ready to count the days until spring again.

I'm just not ready...

Can I rest next week?

2008-09-19T16:17:00.002-06:00

We have been to Idaho Falls four weekends out of five.
We are headed to Ketchum to camp with my family this weekend.
We had a blast spending time with my brother, Chris, and his wife Carly. But even more fun snuggling with their baby girl, Nicole. I love being an aunt!
I am so behind in editing pictures. I have a wedding to do, a senior portrait session, our family session, and a few pictures of my niece. I'm waiting because all I have at home is Photoshop Elements and I'm upgrading to Photoshop CS2. I've been searching on Ebay none stop trying to find a good deal but haven't found a good enough deal yet.
Work has been insane getting ready for the Missions Conference as well as lots of meetings with the Pastoral Team.
We haven't had a free night to ourselves in I don't know how long. It's been filled with family, babysitting, Awana, Home Teams and what nots. I'm so ready for some veg time with my hubby.
Went to the doctor this week. I may have something wrong with my thyroid. I'm not worried. Just want to know either way.
I'm so ready to be a mom. When is it ever going to happen for me?
I have had so much drama with friends lately that I think I'm going to puke. The sad thing is that over half of the problems have been from unfaithful partners. Wow, how it reminds me how we live in such a sin cursed world and how ugly we are without the Lord.
If I pop another tire (I've had three out of the four pop within a month of each other) or something else goes wrong with our vehicles I'm going to drive them off a cliff.
Threw a pirate birthday party for my sister last week. It was a blast! I love the dollar store!
My neighbor Sue is due with their second any day now. They are having a girl and I'm so excited! I love their boy Bryce and I can't wait to meet Ella.

I promise I'll post pictures soon. Hopefully next week. After I breath...

Tristyn and her Dirty Hands

2008-09-08T15:49:00.007-06:00

I watched Tristyn, Aleana's baby girl, one evening while Mom and Grandma cleaned the church and enjoyed dinner with friends.

Aleana put her in the cutest outfit ever, so how could I resist snapping a few shots? She absolutely loved Steven's boat which is parked in the backyard and she thought it was so funny to get her hands all dirty. She is a total cutie!

Busy as a Bee

2008-09-04T16:19:00.002-06:00

I apologize for not keeping up with my blog. It has been an absolute ZOO around work and home. And tonight we are headed to Idaho Falls for me to photograph a wedding and then the following weekend I'm the maid of honor in a wedding AND my brother, his wife and baby are coming down for a week to visit before he deploys as an Army Ranger so I'll be with them for the following two weekends. So as you can see its not slowing down any time soon.
And at work its just crazy. I have a million items on my 'To Do' list and I swear everyday it keeps growing. But that's okay. I would rather be busy than not. It makes the time go by soooo much faster.

I'll post pictures and chat as soon as I can! Thanks for being patient!

2008 Staff Retreat

2008-08-25T10:27:00.009-06:00

Our staff always looks forward to our time in August when we all head up to McCall for three days of relaxing.

This was the first year Steven and I got to stay the entire time and this year was my favorite. With all the 'crap' that has been going on in our lives lately it was so nice to spend a few days with friends and not worry about the expenses.

Our days consisted of sleeping in, swimming in the lake, jet skiing, wake boarding (okay, I couldn't ever get up, but I tried!), knee boarding, and reading. Our nights were filled with yummy food (thanks Sharon!), watching the Olympics, chatting, playing Mario Cart on the Wii and a trip to 'IceCream Alley.'

Thank you to Eric & Cindi for opening up your beautiful cabins for us once again. It was just what Steven and I needed.

Beverly Family Reunion 2008

2008-08-18T10:38:00.005-06:00

We were so happy that we got to go to Redfish (Stanley, ID) for the family reunion this year. And we got to stay for a whole weekend! Even more exciting!

It was colder than usual up there. It rained and hailed on Friday and Saturday but Sunday was a perfect day. We had lots of wonderful food (thanks Aunt Jeanie) and even took a dip in the glacier lake (can you say FREEZING). It was great to catch up with all of Steven's family and even better to relax. We really needed it with all the stress in our life lately.

So here are some pictures from the weekend.

Beautiful Redfish Lake & McCall, Idaho

2008-08-08T08:44:00.004-06:00

After work today we head up to Redfish Lake. It's Steven's annual family reunion. We didn't think we were going to get to go this year but Steven's dad is helping us out so we do get to go. Yeah!

Its always nice to see his family and relax. His aunt is an amazing cook so we both eat way too much! But its half not our fault. She keeps bringing you more and more food even if you tell her no. So finally you have to practically get mad at her so she'll stop. Oh, I love it!

And then we'll leave Redfish on Sunday afternoon and drive up to McCall for my annual staff retreat. And once again, more good food! Sharon is cooking for us this year. I was telling Steven how excited I was to eat Sharon's cooking for three days. I love it! And of course we are renting jet skis and the boys are going golfing. It's going to be awesome!

(Old pictures of our staff retreat two years ago)

So that's where the Beverly's will be until next Wednesday afternoon. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Matt & Chelsea!

2008-07-30T08:42:00.016-06:00

Matt & Chelsea are getting married September 5th! My sister is one of her bridesmaids. And after they saw their engagment pictures they asked me to shoot their wedding too!

These two are just gorgeous people so they were very easy to take pictures of. It was really hard to choose my favorites so I included lots.

New Post Below

2008-07-25T08:38:00.001-06:00

Scroll past the Fish Pedicure post to a newer post. I wrote it a couple weeks ago and because of that it won't let me post it as newer than the other post.

Stupid Blooger!

Fish Pedicure?

2008-07-21T16:13:00.003-06:00

I got this article off of MSN. Read it and then let me know what you think. Would you get a fish pedicure?

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your feet in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.

Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., center, checks on the progress of KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, with Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., left, as they indulge in a fish pedicure treatment at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, Va.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the Washington D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.

But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if customers would like the idea.

"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "
Customers were quickly hooked.

Tracy Roberts, 33, heard about it on a local radio show. She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.

"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely," she said.

'Feels like your foot's asleep'

First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's asleep," she said.

The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.

Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.

Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.
"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.

Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.

"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.

Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.

Next up: full-body fish treatments?

In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.

Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.

State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the county health department — which does regulate pools — required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.

The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.

"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious," Ho said.

My 23rd Birthday!

2008-07-16T17:40:00.009-06:00

My Birthday was tons of fun this year! Ever since I went white water rafting last year I've wanted to go back. So I asked our friends if instead of presents we could all go do that. And everyone was on board!

Since we were going rafting on my birthday my best friend Brittany wanted to have cake and ice-cream the Thursday before for Home Teams. So we all went over to her parent’s house for some pool volleyball and good munchies. It was lots of fun. I think were going to have to have Home Teams over there again this summer! Thanks Brit for planning it all and getting everyone together. It was a blast! (Sorry I don't have any good pictures of this event. I can't really take pictures of me on my birthday and Steven didn't think about it until I finally told him to take some. So I only have a couple.)

Sunday was my actual birthday so we went to church as usual. My sister met us there and she brought me my own personal mini birthday cake and a chai tea latte from Starbucks! Yum! Thanks Shell that was so thoughtful of you! Then it was off to Jr. Church where they put me on top of a chair and sang Happy Birthday to me. Afterwards I was supposed to meet Steven at our car to head home and change for our rafting trip. When I came out I found my car totally decked out with streamers and balloons and candy and all sorts of stuff inside and out. Steven was sneaky and had done it all during 2nd service. It was so sweet and such a surprise! Thanks honey, you’re the best!

Then it was off to white water rafting! Since there were nine of us we had to split up in two rafts. So I went with Steven, Michelle, Jake and Kristi. And Justin, Kristen, Andy, and Brittany were in a raft. We had so much fun! We got to jump off a 25 foot cliff, play some games, and go down some pretty crazy rapids. That was the fun part. And then we all fell out. Not so fun.

We were coming up on the last rapid they call 'Seymour' which is a class IV rapid. Our guide was telling us that her last group all fell out because they didn't paddle hard enough so she gave us instructions on what to do and we were all set. Or so I thought.

So the first boat goes through the rapids with no problems. Great! Now it’s our turn. We start down it and were paddling really hard! I thought we were doing great. But then we come crashing down into what they call a 'hole' which basically sucks your raft down and keeps spinning it. It was all over after that.

Jake was the first one to fall out and for a split second I'm laughing thinking were going to have to pull him back in. But then Steven, Michelle, and me all fall out. Kristi is the only one left in the raft and the guide is yelling at her to stay in to help her with the boat. Meanwhile, Jake gets his leg caught between some rocks and is having trouble getting it out but thankfully he pry’s it loose and is able to maneuver to shore. Steven, Michelle and I weren’t so lucky.

We go raging down the river in these horrible rapids. All I can think is one: keep my head above water and two: where is my sister and is she okay. I’m trying to get a little bit of air in my lungs but the water is just crashing over my head non stop. I see Steven out of the corner of my eye and I knew he would be fine but I was worried about my sister, Michelle. So I spin around looking for her, my heart racing. She was right behind me struggling the same way I was. She then looses her paddle and I grab it thinking ‘save their precious equipment.’ Are you kidding me? Here I am practically drowning and I’m killing myself even more by trying to hold on to these two paddles.

After checking on my sister I couldn’t turn myself back around which means I have no idea where I’m going or what I’m running in to. I’m hitting rocks and waves every second and beginning to freak out more and more. Finally the rapids slow down and I see the first boat throwing the safety rope to Steven and Michelle. Unfortunately I was too far down and to the right to grab a hold too. So they get pulled to safety and here I am barely able to breath anymore. They finally paddle over to me and throw me the rope; with the only energy I had left I grabbed it. But before they could pull me in the boat I go down another set of rocks and rapids, just for kicks.

So they pull me in the boat and I just collapse totally exhausted, gasping for air and a stomach full of water. Pretty soon everyone on this raft is pointing out all these cuts and bruises all over my body. My left ankle was bleeding pretty badly; my other ankle had a huge bruise running down it. I had a big fat lip with a cut above it. A nasty cut on my chest and bruises and welts all over my butt, hips and knees. And then all at once they all started to hurt. It’s amazing, I had so much adrenaline pumping through my body that I didn’t feel anything while going down those rapids and had no memory of how they got there. The weird thing is that Steven and Michelle escaped with a bruise or two, but nothing compared to me.

Thankfully we were right by the end of our trip so we all pile back in to our boat (which had to be fished out from the ‘hole’) and just float the rest of the way down. After the whole ordeal we were all laughing about it but later on that night I started freaking out a little bit. If we hadn’t had life jackets or helmets on, I have no doubt one of us would have been severely injured or worse. I remember thinking in the rapids at one point ‘This is bad. I could drown.’ But thankfully I was just focused on getting out of the water and back in to the boat.

What really sucks about the whole thing is I had bought a disposable camera to take with us during the raft trip and of course I lost it during our ‘swim.’ I had lots of great pictures of us all in our rafts with funny little helmets on. And us jumping off the cliff and playing other games in our raft. So I am most thoroughly bummed about that. But thankfully I brought my other camera along and left it in the car so we were able to get some shots at the end.

After the rafting trip we all went and ate in Horseshoe Bend and then headed our separate ways. I was exhausted that night but couldn’t sleep due to how much pain my body was in. I’m in recovery though.

Overall we all had lots of fun and everyone is already talking about doing it again next year. However, I think it may take a little bit of coaxing to get me back in a raft again.

4th of July Fun in the Sun

2008-07-14T18:31:00.017-06:00

We had so much fun for Indepence Day! Thankfully I had it off, and it's Steven's regular day off so we got to spend it together and with our friends.

Our day started with getting to sleep in together. Since Steven works Saturday we never get to sleep in together so it was so nice! We slept until 10:00 am, it was awesome!

Then we floated the Boise River with Justin and Kristen (along with half of Boise). The water was absolutely freezing but it was nice since it was pretty hot outside.

We floated down to Ann Morrison, which is where they were having a 'big' fire work show later that night. Since we got there so early we got an amazing spot and set up for a little BBQ action! Then our friends Andy and Brittany met us there and we had yummy hamburgers and hotdogs. Us girls played a lot of UNO (something I never get to do since Steven hates card and board games).

Really it was all passing the time until we were ready to pick up my sister, Michelle, from the airport. She had been in Germany for six weeks which really isn't that long but it sure seemed forever! So, me, Kristen and Brittany all went to pick her up. She was so tired but so happy to be home and see all of us.

Now you would think flying all the way from Germany would make you want to go home and fall in bed, but not my sis! She loves the 4th of July so she was totally game on coming back with us for the fireworks. So we played another game of UNO and then snuggled in for the fireworks.

The fireworks were pretty cool, and we were right under them so that part was awesome but if you want to see some REAL fireworks go to Idaho Falls next year. They have the biggest firework show west of the missippi. That's where I grew up and because of that I am a spoiled brat when it comes to other firework shows. If you caught the grand finale of the Boise show, then you can have a good idea of what the entire show in Idaho Falls is. There are tons of fireworks going off all the time. The coolest shapes and colors. An hour show all timed to music and the grand finale will blow your socks off! Next year the 4th of July is on a Saturday which I have been waiting for since I left Idaho Falls five years ago. So I'll be able to drive down and see the best firework show west of the missippi!

So, it was a great relaxing day and it was so nice to spend it with the people I love!

Silver City

2008-07-12T21:07:00.013-06:00

Steven has been begging me for years to take him to a Ghost Town. We tried to go to one up by Stanley with my parents but they had the road closed due to fires. So after I heard about Silver City by Melba, Idaho I decided to surprise Steven and take him there.

It was pretty cool. Not as neat as the ones I remember going to when I was little, but it was still cool to be in a place that had so much history.

Playing Catch Up

2008-07-12T18:59:00.015-06:00

I know! I know! I haven't posted about the Philippines. It's coming...I promise! But for now, I need to play catch up with what has happened since.

It was good to get back to the States and see all my girls in Jr. Church. I have the 4th and 5th grade girls for the 10:30 am service. But we just promoted so I lost all my 5th graders (sigh) but gained new 4th graders. Well the girls were insanley hyper a couple weeks ago and we weren't getting ANYWHERE with our lesson. So, I set it aside and decided to direct their energy into something constructive...a model shoot!

They had soooo much fun! We did all sorts of poses all over the place. I showed them the pictures the following week and they loved them and kept asking if we could do it again. We will for sure!

We're Home!

2008-06-23T15:38:00.007-06:00

Well I figured I better post something since we've been home for five days now. But I'm only posting a couple pictures as I'm too tired (jetlag) to write anything quite yet and we just got really bad news about our car.

So here ya go...

We're Off!!!

2008-06-05T16:51:00.003-06:00

At 4:00 am tomorrow morning we will be at the Boise Airport...at 6:00 am we will be in the air and on our way to the Philippines...at 10:55 pm Saturday night we will officially be in Metro Manila, Philippines!!!

I'm a little nervous...stressed...and anixous...but more importantly I'm ready to see what God will do through us in the Philippines!

If you would like to hear how were doing on our trip just call the church at 336-7970 and dial ext 18. Keith will be calling and leaving messages every day or two.

Thank you for your prayers! See you all in two weeks!

My Sister's Time In Germany

2008-06-04T15:52:00.004-06:00

I wanted to post what my sister wrote about Germany on her blog. It is so funny! If you want to check out her other posts and pictures, you can check her out at www.michellehutchison.blogspot.com

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Here are some silly things about Germany:

Dogs are better behaved here than children. People bring their dogs everywhere! In the grocery store, in department stores, in restaurants. But if you decide to leave your pooch outside...don't worry. He'll wait patiently for you by the fire hydrant...without a leash! Meanwhile, children find no problem screaming on the bus right into your ear or wiggling so hard in their stroller that they squirm their way out.

Eggs are not refrigerated in the grocery store. That's right, they're just sitting on a shelf.

You can buy beer in SubWay.

They HAVE SubWay here...in the prettiest building you've ever seen.

You can buy 24 rolls of toilet paper for 1.50 Euro but gas is almost 8.00 Euro a gallon!

Cars can and WILL run over pedestrians.

Showing up late to something is grounds for being written out of a will.

They're not use to hot weather at all. On Monday it was 78 degrees by 10:00am and they sent the school children home.

They clap for a recital or performance for at least 5 straight minutes. I'm not exaggerating. My hands were raw when we were done.

Our Weekend:

2008-05-29T09:09:00.014-06:00

Friday night we went on a little 'date.' It was so nice to spend some time with my hubby! Pastor Jeff gave me a gift certificate to P.F. Chang’s for Administrative Professional’s Day so we went there for dinner. Everything was amazing as usual!

We had bought tickets to see Indiana Jones earlier that day but the movie didn’t start until 10:00 pm so after dinner we had two hours to kill! Well, half way through dinner Steven made the comment that our date was in celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary since it lands the day before we leave for the Philippines and we won’t be able to do anything. So, after dinner while I was wondering what to do to kill two hours, he grabbed me by the hand and said he had an idea.

He took me up to Tablerock (up near the cross). See, this is significant because this is where he asked me to marry him. But ‘our spot’ isn’t by the cross with the bench where EVERYONE goes. It’s a ways over from that. Which is a good thing because the cross area was really busy that night. So we sat and talked and watched the sun set. It was so nice!

Then we went and watched Indiana Jones! Both he and I love that series! Okay, who wouldn’t!? It was a good movie. Definitely worth watching. Now, there are some unbelievable moments (there are in every movie) but one in particular was just ridiculous! Swinging on trees with monkeys to catch up to everyone else, when he could have just ran. It was just dumb. And the actual storyline was too ‘alien’ for our taste. But all in all it was a really good movie. So our 4th wedding anniversary date was awesome!

Then Saturday night we found out that Steven didn’t have to work on Monday. We haven’t been able to go away in such a long time since he works every Saturday now. So, we decided real quick to make the journey to McCall Sunday night. I’m so glad we did! We relaxed, watched cable (okay, the discovery channel, history channel and the food channel). Swam for a couple hours. Slept in together (haven’t done that in forever)! Ate at the Trolley House (not impressed by their pizza), and the pancake house (yummy)! And went fishing a little bit. Everything was so green and beautiful!

The weekend was just what we needed to refresh, relax, and get ready for a crazy schedule for the next month!

The pictures below are at the Pancake House in McCall. They have a bunch of these cutouts, it was fun!

She's Flown the Coop!

2008-05-22T12:42:00.003-06:00

Well it's official, my baby sister, Michelle, is on her way to Germany! I dropped her off this morning. She'll be gone for 6 weeks. That may not seem like a long time to the rest of you, but it sure is to me! I'm so used to going out to lunch with her or spending time on Saturday's together, or seeing her and her boyfriend at Home Teams. It will be hard without her...but I'm totally excited for her!

She will be flying into San Francisco, then from there she'll be flying to London, and then Berlin. And then she'll take a train to her final destination, Liechnburg (I have no idea if that's right). She will be rooming with a local college guy. Yes! A guy! She had no control over that, and in Europe they don't think twice about rooming them with a member of the opposite sex. So that will make it very interesting. She'll be taking three classes, all German. I didn't realize how fluent she was in the German language until she had a whole conversation with someone at a party who was from Germany. She amazes me!

She is going to learn lots and get to see lots. I'm so excited for her and can't wait to see lots of pictures and hear all the details! I love you Michelle! Have Fun!!!

Philippines Update

2008-05-15T16:43:00.008-06:00

Well, we are 21 days from our short term missions trip to the Philippines. I went on Impact Asia's (the ministry in the Philippines we are helping) website this afternoon and I am pumped!

I wanted to share these stats and pictures with you...

In 2007 there were:

-37,936 kids who attended Impact Asia's Camps!

-13,185 of those kids received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior!

-3,578 were baptized!

-669 Signed up for their Bible College

Here are some pictures...

Senior Portrait Session with JD

2008-05-12T14:32:00.025-06:00

Here are a few pictures from photographing JD for his Senior Portraits (Okay, not a few. A lot. But it's hard to pick just a couple)...

Random Happenings

2008-05-09T13:16:00.012-06:00

Nothing too major going on. So I thought I would blog about the random thoughts in my head...

We don't have cable and have been fighting with those stupid rabbit ears for years now. We finally broke down an bought a roof antenna. Why didn't we do this sooner? It was only $95 for the whole package and our channels come in crystal clear! We even get channel 2 now!

Two days after we get back from the Philippines, my brother, his wife, and my niece are coming to visit. YEAH!!!!!! I couldn't be happier! They are coming in late Saturday night to Idaho Falls. So Steven and I were going to drive down Saturday after he gets off work at 8:00 pm and spend Sunday with them and then drive back Sunday night. This short trip due due to taking all of our vacation days for our missions trip. Bummer. But then my Mom called me this morning to say that there is a possibility that they will be flying in to Boise Friday night and I'll be driving them to Idaho Falls the next day. So that's good! Two days! But then that means that Steven will only get to see them Friday night. Ho hum...

My sister leaves in two weeks to study abroad in Germany! She'll be gone for six weeks! I am so excited for her and nervous for her all at the same time. I am also very proud. She is super smart and she can speak and understand German amazingly well! I will miss her!

My Home Team is having a big BBQ next Thursday. I'm so excited! And it's supposed to be 80 degrees that day. Whoa Hoo! We're having lots of great food and we're bringing footballs, frisbee's, vollyeballs, and lots of other fun outside games. It should be a great way to say goodbye to my sister and her boyfriend for the summer.

Awana is all done. I had a blast this year but I am so ready for the summer break. Usually I’m not this excited to take a break, but man, this year was just exhausting! And usually every summer I still help with the Wednesday night children’s program. But I’m not going to this year. I almost feel guilty for not helping. I know I can’t help with everything though and everyone needs a break sometime. Plus, I’ll still have my Jr. Church class every Sunday. I couldn’t give that up!

My Mom is coming down for the Beth Moore weekend next week. She booked us a hotel downtown. So it’ll just be girl time! Mom, Sis, and Me! I’m really looking forward to it! I hope we take tons of silly pictures and have hours of talking. I've never seen Beth Moore live so I can't wait!

Due to our crystal clear channels now, we were able to record The Office last night and watch it after our Home Team left. I love that show and it is sooooo nice to not have to watch it on our computer with it stopping every 30 seconds. Yeah!

Well, that's it! I have officially emptied my brain of all thoughts. I hope you all have a great weekend!

In Your Face

2008-05-02T08:45:00.027-06:00

It was Pie In Your Face Night in Awana on Wednesday. I love this part of the year. The kids get so excited when they finish their book and get to pick any of the leaders to throw a pie in their face. The totally deserve it! It's a lot of hard work and I'm so proud of all of them for finishing! I ended up getting eight pies in my face! Wow! I really wasn't expecting that many! At the end everyone else was done and I had three girls waiting in line to cream me. Well someone said, 'Do it all at once!' Thinking that that would help me, get it done quick. NOT THE CASE! They each had to find room to pie me. One got me on my side, right in the ear and down the neck! The other got me on the face and up into the hair, and the other got me on my other side right in my ponytail and ear. NICE!

Here are some pictures of the wild, messy night!

There's No God Huh?

2008-04-24T13:29:00.014-06:00

Galactic Merger

This is the sharpest image yet from the Hubble Space Telescope of the merging Antennae galaxies. As the two galaxies smash together, billions of stars are born, mostly in groups and clusters of stars. The brightest and most compact of these are called super star clusters.

Starburst Galaxy

This photo of the starburst galaxy, Messier 82 is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained. A galaxy remarkable for its webs of shredded clouds and flam-like plumes of flowing hydrogen blasting out from its central regions. Located 12 million light-years away, it is also called the 'Cigar Galaxy' because of the elongated elliptical shape produced by the tilt of its starry disk relative to our line of sight.

Stellar Spiral

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the spiral galaxy of the Messier 101. It is the largest and most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble.

Starry Night

This image bears a resemblance to the Vincent van Gogh work, 'Starry Night' complete with never-before-seen spirals of dust swirling across trillions of kilometers of interstellar space.

A Brilliant White

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope trained its eye on one of the universe's most stately and photogenic galaxies, the Sombrero galaxy. The image of the galaxy's hallmark brillant white, bulbous core is encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy.

Glowing Dust

This dramatic image offers a peek inside a cavern of rolling dust and gas where thousands of stars are forming. This image represents the sharpest view ever taken of this region, called the Orion Nebula.

Balooning Star

Eta Carinae was the site of a giant outburst observed from Earth about 150 years ago, when it became one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. The star survived the explosion, which produced two billowing clouds of gas and dust.

Eye of Heaven

This celestial object, with the scientific name MyCn18, looks like an eerie green eye staring out from two intersecting rings. But it's actually an intricately shaped hourglass nebula with a star at its center.

Stormy Weather

Temperature differences within interstellar clouds of gas and dust can result in structures reminiscent of Earth's tornadoes. Here are some twisters in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula.

Light Up the Night

Like lanterns in a cavern, scores of hot stars light up the gaseous walls of the nebula NGC 604. The nebula is a prime area of starbirth in an arm of the spiral galaxy M33.

Race to Robie Creek

2008-04-21T16:28:00.002-06:00

Our good friend, Justin, ran in the half marathon 'Race to Robie Creek' last Saturday. I guess its one of the toughest half marathon's in the northwest. It's a little over 13 miles and over half of it is straight uphill. I went and watched with his wife. Besides the freezing cold temps and the chill to your bone wind, it was a fun day.

This is a pretty crazy race. For some reason it has a Scottish theme to it. So everyone wears kilts or plaid shirts. There was a bag pipe band and a 'braveheart' lady on a horse. It was all pretty funny. But the thing that I just can't get passed was all the beer!

Along the thirteen mile run there are booths along the way for the runners to stop and grab a shot of liquor or shove down a mug of beer. ARE YOU INSANE?! During a marathon?! Who would be crazy enough to drink while you running thirteen miles UP HILL?!

Ummm...EVERYONE!!! At the finish line they had all the free beer you could drink too. I couldn't believe how many people were drinking after running that kind of a race. Give me water any day. I seriously don't know what those people were thinking. Well, yes I do, FREE! It was all free so get as much as you can, right? Gosh. I would like to see what they looked like the day after running all that way and drinking all that alcohol.

Anyway...overall Kristen and I had a fun time gabbing and people watching. She is very competitive and got a little frustrated that her husband could do it, and she didn't even try. So...she is pumped and ready to do it next year. She wants me to do it with her. Yeah right! I would die. I ran a 400 yard race in high school. That was plenty and too much all at the same time!!! I'll stick to running on treadmills and drinking my water thank you!

7 Weeks!!!

2008-04-18T16:02:00.002-06:00

We are seven weeks away from our missions trip to the philippines.

I'm getting so excited!

But I also keep thinking about the 15 hour plane ride. I get claustraphobic and 15 hours on a plane is starting to freak me out a little bit. The longest airplane ride I've been on is from Salt Lake to Washington D.C. Are the planes big? Am I going to freak out because I couldn't get off even if I wanted to? Will I be able to move around and stretch my legs? I don't really sleep on planes. Will I find enough stuff to keep me occupied?

All these questions plauge my thoughts. I try not to dwell on the idea because I know I'll really freak out when the time comes...but I can't help it!

My Top Three...

2008-04-16T16:43:00.007-06:00

My TOP THREE pet peeves...

1. People not paying me back. When you're on a budget. Every bit counts!

2. People asking 'Can you do me a favor?' Um, tell me what it is first, and then I'll tell you if I can help you out!

3. People leaving stuff on my desk without a note or explanation of who or what it is. I'm not a mind reader! I'll try my best to figure it out, but it would make life so much simplier if the person just left a note.

What are YOUR top three pet peeves?

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2008-04-11T15:35:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

Crock-Pot Issues

2008-04-11T14:29:00.005-06:00

To all the wives and mothers out there...

Does anyone else besides me have crock-pot burning food issues? I have this crock-pot...

I can put something in to cook for the '10 Hour' setting and in five to seven hours its done. By the time nine to ten hours roll around my food is usually burnt or very well done and dry.

I've tried coming home at lunch and fixing dinner and putting it in for the '10 Hour' mark. By the time I get home and am ready by 6:00 pm my food usually turns out fine. But...I don't want to fix dinner at lunch. And sometimes I can't come home for lunch. I want to fix it in the morning and forget it! And when it says 10 hours, it should cook for 10 hours!!!

What am I to do? Do you think mine is faulty? Should I fork over the $40 and buy a new one? Does this happen to anyone else? Does my crock-pot work just fine and its ME that's the problem?

Please help!

Two Months, Two Days...

2008-04-03T13:21:00.005-06:00

In two months and two days we head to the Philippines on a Missions Trip with our church. We are going with about 20 other people, most adults but some teenagers. We leave June 6th and get back June 18th.

Broadway has supported a missionary for years whose ministry is in the Philippines. He came and spoke a few years ago and I immediately felt drawn towards his ministry and the people of the Philippines. So I was super excited to hear that our church was planning a mission’s trip there. Steven and I jumped right on board!

It’s only two months away and I feel so unprepared. The only other time I’ve been out of the US before was a youth group missions trip to Mexico my senior year of high school. And the funny thing is I wasn’t nervous at all for that one. On staff we had a family who spoke Spanish and had lived in Spain (or Peru or somewhere) for years so they knew the Mexican culture. So they were able to prepare us on everything. We received notes and suggestions from the missionary in the Philippines but I still feel nervous and unprepared. Everything will be fine though, I just have to relax. The Lord is in control! He knows what I need and will provide it for me.

We will be in the city of Manila. It is the biggest city by far in that area. There are over 1.5 million people in the city and over 10.5 million people surrounding it. HOLY COW! I wonder if it will feel claustrophobic. It is an island. Hmmmm.

Well, I thought I would share some pictures I found on the internet so you can get a feel of where we are going. Thanks for your prayers!

My Sweet, Sweet Husband...

2008-03-31T08:46:00.003-06:00

Friday night I got home from work and was hanging out waiting for Steven to get home from hanging out with a friend. When he got home he came over to me and was hiding something in his coat. He pulled it out...it was season 2 of 'Friends'! Yeah! (My best friend and I have been trading off collecting all the Friends seasons. It all started when she got me season 9 for my birthday. She had never watched any episodes before so after I finished the season I gave it to her and she watched them. She got hooked! So then she bought season 10 and then I bought season 8, and so on and so forth. We've been trading off and been having a blast sharing 'our show' together. We only have seasons 3, 4, and 5 left to buy!) I was so excited because we just finished season 6 and we were both bummed we had no new shows to watch. What a sweetie! He knows just what I like!

I thought it was over, that was nice enough right?! Well he then reached in his coat pocket again and handed me a brochure. It was for a photography class and the money to go towards it! How cool is that?! I'm so excited! There are so many to choose from and I can't wait to start! And since he works on Saturdays and I usually have NOTHING to do, what a perfect opportunity! I teared up. How thoughtful of him!

Well I was a little confused because we really don't have the money for anything like that right now. It was CAR WARS a couple weeks ago which means he worked A LOT! Well usually on any normal Saturday his bosses do what are called 'Spiffs.' This is when you as a car salesman get say $20 for setting up an appointment with a potential customer to talk about buying a car. They don't actually have to purchase the car, you just have to meet with them about it. And the more appointments you make, the more $20 bills you make! Well I asked him if they got any 'Spiffs' during CAR WARS. He said no, which I thought was odd because it was their biggest event. But I didn't think much of it. Well it turns out that they did get $10 Spiffs and he was hiding it from me so he could surprise me with those gifts. Isn't he just the best?!

Thanks so much honey for my very thoughtful gifts for no reason. I love you so much!

My Family and Friends on Easter

2008-03-27T14:35:00.006-06:00

We had a great Easter! My Mom and Dad came in to town and my Mom made a wonderful Easter Lunch. We had our two good friends, Justin and Kristen over, and we had Steven's Mom so there were NINE of us total! Yikes! I don't even have that many plates (Thank you to whoever invented strong paper plates)! And we don't have enough room around the table or enough chairs. Thankfully I work at a place that is full of tables and chairs. Thanks Sharon for letting us borrow some! All in all it was awesome to get together, eat great food, enjoy each others company, and celebrate our risen Lord!

Ouch Charlie!

2008-03-24T15:48:00.002-06:00

You and Me

2008-03-19T09:33:00.005-06:00

I just realized I don't have many pictures of my husband and I. I'm going to need to change that. Maybe I'll coax my sister into taking some pictures for us. I'll have to teach her how to use my camera but it should work out. And then I'll take some of her and her man to make up for it! Yeah! Sounds like a great deal to me!

Yeeee-Haw!

2008-03-14T08:53:00.003-06:00

It was Western Night at Awana on Wednesday. I love our themed nights! I think really, most people love to dress up but are scared to. But that kid at heart wants to come out and play sometime! I love to dress up!

My Time Back East

2008-03-07T14:54:00.002-07:00

When I first saw my brother and Nicole in the airport!

When I first saw my sister-in-law and Nicole in the airport!

Right after my Mom saw her granddaughter for the first time!

The shops on River Street where we spent most of our time.

These boats were everywhere, we wanted to take a tour on one of them but they were expensive! They are pretty to look at!

There were all these cool street vendors and musicians along River Street. This guy was so cool to listen to. Nice jazz music. I love the south!!!

My brother getting his fortune from an old lady in a box.

Chris's fortune. I didn't read it. So I can't tell you if it came true or not. Bummer.

Look Mom! A dragonfly on my nose!

I wanna be a cowgirl baby!

We be priates! Arrrrrr!

Notice my 'parrot' face and my mom's 'pirate' face. Man. We should be actresses.

I love this picture of my Mom and me. If only she wasn't wearing the baby pack thing.

I don't know how anyone can keep those things on their head. They were huge!

Isn't she precious!

My Mom rocking out to Guitar Hero 3!

This was the first time I had played Guitar Hero and it was actually really fun. I can see how people could get addicted to it!

We visited the base where my brother will be stationed. He is an Army Ranger Air Borne Medic. Or something like that.

I miss her so much!

Fishy Kiss!

It doesn't look it, but it was so bright outside!

You could take tours of that lighthouse! They were open every day but Tuesday. Guess which day we went? Tuesday.

So cute!

I bought Nicole that 'I love Daddy' onesie. It's so cute. And on the butt it says 'And Daddy loves me!' Adorable!

One More Picture...

2008-03-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this picture. It's of Carly and Nicole. I love it!

My Beautiful Baby Niece!!!

2008-02-29T10:37:00.001-07:00

This is when I just saw Nicole for the first time in the airport.

My mom seeing her grandaughter for the first time.

My Mom, Me, and Nicole in the airport. Together at last!

All clean from my bath Daddy!

I love this picture. If only she would have had her head turned. She was just not interested in keeping her head turned towards the camera. Oh well. Her backside is still so cute!

Chris, Carly and Nicole Hutchison

Poor Nicole. The sun was just so bright!

I think this is my favorite picture! Look at those big beautiful blue eyes!

I'm Back!!!

2008-02-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Boise at midnight last night. Went to bed at 2:00 am. Have been up most of the week with a bad cough and late night feedings. I'm exhausted and don't feel good. I think I'll try and take a nap before Home Teams tonight.

I just wanted to share a couple pictures I took. I'll post more tomorrow or Saturday.

Savannah, Georiga Here I Come!!!

2008-02-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'll be MIA until next Thursday. I leave tomorrow to fly to Savannah, Georgia where I get to spend four glorious days with my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my beautiful niece, Nicole.

Nicole, I can’t wait to meet you for the first time and hold you in my arms and kiss your chubby little cheeks!

When I get back, I’ll have TONS of pictures to post. So just you wait…

My sisters a STAR!

2008-02-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

My sister is on the front page of Boise State's website! How cool is that?!!

You can catch her on it for another week. Go to http://www.boisestate.edu/

The picture is the 'Photo of the Week' at the bottom. She is the 'flapper' dressed one on the far right.

But after a week you can see her photo at http://www.boisestate.edu/news/photooftheweek.shtml Look for the 'Photo of the Week' of February 14th.

Our Valentines

2008-02-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Some of our Home Team got together for Valentines Day and all went to The Melting Pot. I absolutely LOVE The Melting Pot! If you have never been, save up your money and take your sweetheart there. It is totally worth it! (In fact, if anyone does go let me know because we had a $10 off coupon that we forgot to use!) I’ve been there once before, two years ago, so this was long over due!

We all got the ‘Dinner for Two’ which included a salad of your choice, a cheese fondue of your choice, a meat selection of your choice with a cooking broth/oil of your choice, and a desert fondue of your choice. Oh! Everything we had was amazing! Cheddar Cheese and Spinach and Artichoke Cheese Fondue with apples, veggies, bread and chips to dip in! Then a walnut and raspberry vinaigrette salad! And then all types of meats and seafood, potatoes, and veggies to cook in this so good broth! And then to top it all off three different types of dessert fondue: Smores, Flaming Turtle, and the Ying Yang! Oh!

We were all so stuffed afterwards but it was a good stuffed! The whole ordeal took almost three hours! What was awesome about it all was that they put us in this off-to-the-side enclosed room that was so nice! We had it all to ourselves and it was so much better than being in the crowded noisy restaurant. We all agreed that we have to do it again soon (soon meaning in another year)!

So, here are some pictures of our fabulous evening…

Church Bulletin Bloopers

2008-02-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Since I am in charge of the bulletin for our church I thought it would be funny to pass this along. Thankfully I don't think I have had any of these happen to me!

· The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

· The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."

· Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

· Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

· The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

· Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

· Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

· Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

· For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

· Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

· The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."

· Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

· At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

· Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

· Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

· Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

· The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

· Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

· The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

· This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

· Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

· The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

· Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

· The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

· Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.

· The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours".

My Mom got a Camera!

2008-02-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

My Mom finally broke down and bought herself a Canon Rebel xti! I am so excited for her! She is really into landscape photography and the camera she had was just not cutting it. After seeing how mine worked and some other friends of hers she just couldn't resist. Oh yeah...the new grand baby doesn't help the matter either! Who could resist taking a picture of her?!

I'm excited to share in our camera adventure Mom! Love you!

New Pictures of Nicole

2008-01-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

I had to post some more pictuers of my beautiful niece!

This is my favorite picture of her!

Yup! That's right! She's holding her own bottle!

Nicole in her Sunday bonnet!

Nicole and her Mommy, Carly!

4 to Spend Eternity in Heaven

2008-01-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

I lead a small group at Broadway's 10:30 am service. I absolutely love it! The kids are great, the worship is fun and I look forward to the relationships I get to build each week.

Well this week was extra, extra special! A girl in my class brought FIVE friends to church with her. (Thank you Lord for sleepovers!) Well one girl asked 'How do we know there really is a God?' and after I got done explaining that the rest of the visitors started asking questions. 'Is God a 'he' or a 'she'? 'What does God look like?' 'When did God come into existence?' 'How could God always be there, He had to have appeared somehow.' 'How was the first human being made?' 'What about evolution or the big bang theory?'

Ummmm, WOW! How can 4th and 5th graders be asking such deep questions? I began to see where this was going so we all went and sat in the corner and talked.

And then came the BIG stuff...'If someone believes in God but does lots of bad stuff, do they go to hell?' 'If someone is a pedophile (I'm not joking, they actually knew what that was) and accepts Jesus in their heart but still continues to do all that bad stuff will they still go to heaven?' 'Once saved, always saved?'

After answering these questions to the best of my ability it left an amazing opening into the gospel message. Four out of the Five visitors accepted Jesus into their heart!!!!! How awesome is that?!

I'm planning on following up with each one and getting them a Bible sometime this week. You can be praying for me about that.

Wow! What an exhilarating rush! God is so good!

I'm an Aunt!

2008-01-21T08:32:00.001-07:00

I would like to welcome to the world NICOLE MARIE HUTCISON. She was born Friday, January 18th and weighed in at 7lbs 10oz and 18in long!

Congratulations BIG BROTHER! You will make a remarkable Daddy!

I've known about this baby coming along since June but it really didn't hit home until I saw the first picture (thank goodness for camera phones!). I miss her so much and I haven't even met her. I'm dying to hold her and kiss her chubby little cheeks. I wasn't planning on making a trip to Georgia to see Mommy and Baby because there is no way to come up with $450! But THANK YOU LORD for providing me with some photography opportunities!! With two weddings I'll be able to pay for half of the ticket. So my Mom and I will be taking the trip in March. I can't wait!

To my sister-in-law, Carly, thank you for being such a good Mommy already! And thank you for being strong and going through the last stages of pregnancy and birth without Chris. I can't imagine how hard it must be for both of you to be apart during this time. And I can't wait until my brother gets to see his daughter for the first time!

So...to leave you with some pictures. Nicole has the classic 'Hutchison' cheeks that all three of us siblings all inherited. (Remember these were taken via camera phone, so not great quality, but amazingly good enough. I'll post real pictures as soon as I get them.)

Chubby Bunny Nicole

Nicole's First Outfit

Ready to go Home!

Nicole's First Car Ride

Plumley Photo Shoot

2008-01-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post pictures that I took of the Plumley family forever. So I'm finally getting around to it...

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2007-12-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Steven and I are leaving this afternoon to travel to Idaho Falls to spend Christmas with my family. So we did our Christmas yesterday. Since I'm saving up all my Christmas money to purchase a NEW lens for my camera...

I didn't get any presents from him, but I got a stockng! And he did really good filling my stocking this year! I got lots of stuff I wanted including some kitchen utensils and the movie RENT! But two things I look forward to getting in my stocking each year is...

Glass Bottled Coke and...

Sparkling Cider!

I don't know what it is, but there is something to drinking coke from a glass bottle. When I was in Mexico on a missions trip a few years ago it was sooo hot. And all around where we were working there were those little street venders that family's and their kids ran. I'll tell you, nothing tasted better in that dry hot place than an ice-cold Coke! Ever since then, I look for them everywhere and they normally only come out during Christmas time. So you can imagine my excitement when I find them in my stocking every year!

And as far as Sparkling Cider goes, I just love it! I hardly ever buy it because Steven's not that big of a fan and they come in such BIG bottles. But this year, Steven found these real cute little bottles and got me a bunch! Now I can drink one whenever I want!

Thanks for a great Christmas honey! I love you!

2007 Christmas Program

2007-12-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

I look forward to our church's Christmas Program every year. Doug, Jimi and Aubrey do such a good job. It really is very impressive.

To Doug, The Choir, and The Band, I have to say I was completely blown away by the last song, 'Go Tell it on the Mountain!' That was amazing. I was speechless. I was taking pictures so I couldn't, but all I wanted to do was stand up and start clapping. What an awesome number!

Thank you to all who made it such a huge success. Everyone had numerous practices and spent countless hours perfecting everything. Thank you! THANK YOU!

Some pictures to highlight the event:

And now here are some pictures I took of the kids after the program. They always look so cute in their Christmas Outfits!

The Best Christmas Movie Ever!

2007-12-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I love Christmas movies. Every year I make sure I watch Rudolph, Frosty, The Grinch, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and a few others. But my all time favorite movie that I watch throughout the year at least 10 times is...

If you haven't seen it...please go rent it...or borrow it from me. This movie is so funny! You'll love it.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite lines from the movie...

"Have you seen these toliets? They're GINORMOUS!!!"

"I thought we could make gingerbread houses and eat cookie dough and go ice-skating and maybe even hold hands."

"You like sugar, huh?" "Is there sugar in syrup?" "Yes." "Then YES!"

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups. Candy, candy cane, candy corn, and syrup."

"You have such a pretty face you should be on a Christmas card."

Black Friday

2007-11-26T14:00:00.001-07:00

I have never ventured out early during the famous Black Fridays. Mostly because I love my sleep and waking up before dawn just does not sounds like a happy time to me. My mom and I usually do go out but not until at least 9:30 am or 10:00 am. So this year that was our plan again. Get a good nights sleep and leave the house around 9:30 am. However...all that changed...

Our friends Morgan and Brian moved from Boise to Rigby (that's close to Idaho Falls for those of you north westerners) and we hardly ever get to see each other. So when she asked me to go shopping with her since I was in Idaho Falls for the weekend I couldn't pass up the chance. But she wanted to go at 5 in the morning! Excuse me!?! That would mean waking up at 4:00 am. I just don't do that. The earliest is 5:45 am to go work out and that’s rare and far in-between. But since my mom and me were going in the late morning the only time I could go with Morgan was the early morning. So I did it. I fought my better urge to stay in bed and I got up at 4:00 am!

We were meeting at the mall at 5:00 am but I wanted to hit Wal-Mart on my way over. I arrived there about 4:30 am and surprisingly it wasn't as crazy as I was imagining it to be. There were a lot of people huddled around the center displays like blenders, movies, TV’s, etc. I was wondering why everyone was just standing around. Turns out there were signs all over the displays that read 'Available at 5am.' That explains it! I looked at the clock; it was 4:45 am. I got out of there before the fists began to fly!

So I got to the mall right at about 4:50am and it took me awhile to find a parking spot. Once I did I made my way to the entrance. Um, HOLY LINE! Is getting to the mall right when they open at 5am worth standing in a line freezing in 10 degree weather? I guess it is, because we did it. We finally made our way into the mall and figured out that all the fuss was over free MP3 players that Old Navy was giving away. Note to self: Don't go into an entrance where a store is giving anything free away! Unless its a new car.

This was Morgan's first time to the Idaho Falls 'Grand Teton Mall.' She wasn't impressed but we still managed to each come out with at least three bags on each arm. We were done by 8:00 am! I was impressed with ourselves for finishing that quickly! I then ran to Best Buy (great movie deals) and Circuit City (I was in there for a total of three minutes before I got so claustaphobic and jetted out) and then headed home to meet my Mom for some more shopping.

Everywhere we went to was relativley sain. Everywhere but Kohl's. We could not beleive how l-o-n-g the line was. And that people were actually waiting in it! You've got to be kidding me! It almost wrapped around the entire store. No thank you! We walked in, and walked right back out.

We finally got done about 2:00 pm and I'll tell you, I was BEAT! I made my way to the couch and turned on some 'Man vs. Wild' and 'Rachel Ray' and about fell asleep. All and all it was a very tiring day but honestly it was lots of fun and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Thanks Morgan and Mom for being such great shopping partners!

Christmas Cheer

2007-11-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Right after Halloween is over (and sometimes before) the stores stock their shelves with Christmas wonders, the window displays in the mall are filled with snow and presents, we begin to see commericals on TV like the 7up red dot sliding down the chimney (Do you remember those? I loved those commericals.), we hear Christmas songs playing up above our heads in stores, and we begin to compile our Christmas wishes.

All of these things remind me that Christmas is coming! But beyond all those things, there is one reminder that is my favorite...

Starbucks Christmas Cup! I love it! They change it every year so there is always something new to look forward to. I don't know what it is about it that gives me warm fuzzies but it's my favorite!