A Month of Love Day 25

Ha!  This picture is so old!  My BFF, Shari (Sharr-ee), and I have been friends for 11 or 12 (?) years  now.
It started when we went in the same group for the Sadie Hawkins dance our Senior year.
Then we both went up to Utah for school for a year.  Then we both moved backed down here and we were both bored out of our minds.  So we got together and had a bunch of fun over the years.  We through fun parties, made lots of friends, went on road trips, and made lots of really funny memories.   Then she got taken away by her husband.  But he was nice and still let us hang out a lot.  Finally I got married and now we have boys that are the same age and like to play at the park together.  It's been so nice to have such a great friend for so long.  She really is like a sister to me.

A Month of Love Day 22-24

Oh boy do I have some catching up to do!  Skip the pics for these 3 days.  Here's my list

Day 22: Chili Rellano Casserole.  It's the best.  I'll have to put up the recipe next month.  I got it from one of my friends Mom's.  She made it when I was staying at their house for a couple days during high school while my parents where out of town.  I was on swim team at the time and I was eating a ton.  I think I surprised them with how much of this I could eat.  You will definitely want to come back for the recipe.

Day 23: Paper, Marker, Tape, & Scissors!  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved these things.  I have a nice supply of my own now.  My parents still say, "just give Courtney some paper and she'll be busy all day."  I've made all sorts of creations with these throughout my life, from paper trophies and medals for our roller skating contests, to art gallery masterpieces (in my mind at least).  My mom used to call me her copy machine because I would make the same picture over and over and over.  Now I actually have a real copy machine!  Problem solved.  :)

Day 24: Young Women.  I am been so blessed to be with the Young Women at church for the past 4 years.  They are amazing.  I get blown away all of the time with their character, personalities, and accomplishments.  They are incredible!  I am so happy to be with them.

A Month of Love Day 21

My sister Amber.  She's the baby.  She's also welcoming a baby girl this summer.
Whenever we're together, people think we are twins.  It makes me feel good because I'm 4 1/2 years older.

A Month of Love Day 20

I love going to the zoo with this little guy.  Every time we go he notices different things.  It's so fun.

He has always loved the flamingos.  Every time.

We thought this giraffe looked cool spreading it's legs like that to nibble on the ground.

And can you believe it?  This little Grant's birthday is today.  And now he is 2 years old!  Whoa!

A Month of Love Day 19

I wish I had a better copy of this picture on my computer, but this will have to do for now.
All of Keith's siblings (and their spouses) are so great.
There's a great big bunch of us when we all get together and there's always a fun time to be had.

A Month of Love Day 18

My sister Ann.  She is still a newlywed.
She knows how to build guitars, from scratch.
And she knows how to make great chocolates, also from scratch. 

A Month of Love Day 17

Do you remember seedless watermelon's from many years ago (like 20 or so years ago)?  They weren't very sweet.
But they've improved them, and now they are amazing.  I love a good watermelon and not having to work around the seeds (not that it was that hard) is great!
I wish I could bite into this one right now!

A Month of Love Day 16

Keith's Dad.  This is where Grant's super baseball skills come from.

A Month of Love Day 15

Keith's Mom.  This lady is so full of energy, it's amazing.  Here she is with Grant blowing some snow.
Every time the snow would fly, Grant would laugh hysterically.

A Month of Love Day 14

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love having Gerbera Daisies in my garden.  They have so much personality.  When I look at them stretching their little faces upward towards me, I secretly expect them to talk.
Don't they look like they should?  Kind of like how Snap Dragons sing.
Anyway, here is the first Gerber Daisy to show it's face in my garden this year.  Isn't it lovely?

A Month of Love Day 13

Do you know how many flat irons I went through before I got this one?  At least 4 or 5.  Seriously.  What a joke!
They never lasted, and their performance failed in comparison.
I've had this same one now for almost 5 years and it works just as good as the day I took it out of the box.

A Month of Love Day 12

My grandparents (on my Dad's side).  They do things that most other people their age stopped doing a long time ago.  They still work in the temple.  They still go on road trips all over the country.  They still live in their 3 story house.  They have so much energy and love for life.  Even if they don't always feel like they have energy, they sure look it.  And I cannot forget to share that they are the best at singing Happy Birthday.  They harmonize together & sing like they're in a concert.  It's lovely.

A Month of Love Day 11

My Mom.  We have the same laugh.
In fact all of the women in our family have the same laugh, including my mom's sister and her daughters.
It's pretty cool.

A Month of Love Day 10

I love being at home.  I love how our home feels.  It's safe and happy, and I'm so glad we have it.

Here is our current home's before (well more like during) and after.  We bought this house and ripped it apart and redid almost everything in about a month.

The after pictures were taken a long time ago.  Lots of the decor we don't use any more.

It's fun to see how our home has evolved in just over 4 years.

Kitchen before (after we ripped everything out, including the low ceiling).

Kitchen after.

Eating area in kitchen, before.

Eating area after.

Laundry Room before.

Laundry Room after.

Family Room before.

Family Room after.

Master Shower before.  It was a garden tub.
We had to rip it out, redo the plumbing, and fill it in with cement to make it into a shower. 

Master Shower after.

Cutting baseboard.  I did all the baseboards and trim in the house.

The saddest picture ever.  This is after the paint sprayer went haywire and it exploded paint all over.  I ran to turn in off and I got covered.  This was the first time that I lost it during the remodel process.  Up until then I'd kept a great attitude and energy for what we were doing.  When this happened I just sat there and cried.  What had we started?!?!

A Month of Love Day 9

I love NAP TIME!  I typically plan my day around this wonderful event.  It's a guarantee of quiet, uninterrupted time by myself.  It's when I can catch up on house work, take my time to do my hair, work on a project, or take a nap myself.  Ahhhhhh.  I just started wondering though, how long will this nap thing with Grant last?  At what age did your kids stop taking naps?  That thought is horrible to me!

Grant + Happy because he took a good nap = One Happy Mom

A Month of Love Day 8

My Dad.  Father of 4. Grandfather of 6.  It's funny how as I get older I notice more of him in me.  I have his hands.  They're pretty big for a girl, and every time I look down at them I think, "Whoa, those are my dads hands!"

A Month of Love Day 7

I know I showed this picture recently, but here it is again.  The beach.  I love being at the beach.
I wish I could hop on over there right now.
I've only ever been to the beaches in southern California though.
I need to go on a beach trip, visiting all of the beaches along the west and east coasts.  That would be awesome!

A Month of Love Day 6

Fresh cut flowers in my kitchen.  These beauties were a great find at the grocery store.
I love looking at them and watching them change everyday.  These have opened up so big and still look amazing after almost a whole week.

A Month of Love Day 5

My brother.  He's the only boy in our family.  He put up with a lot of pestering from the girls when we were growing up.
He and his wife just welcomed baby #5!

A Month of Love Day 4

Delicious Strawberry Gelato from our favorite local place

A Month of Love Day 3

My Vitamix.  Best purchase ever!
I use this all of the time.  It never fails me.  I got it on our very first Valentine's Day as a married couple.  

A Month of Love Day 2

My sweet Grant.  I am so in love with this boy.  He's my little buddy... by my side all day, everyday.

A Month of Love

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's the first day of A Month of Love.  Each day I will post a brief explanation or just a picture of something I love (people, places, things...whatever).  

Day 1

Keith.  What a great husband and best friend!