Melissa, Andy and the kids' Blog

I know sometimes I don't enjoy living in Utah during the winter, but it does have it's perks. This past weekend Andy and I went to Temple Square to see the lights and such. I love this nativity scene. It is a great reminder of why we have Christmas! It is because this world was blessed to have a Savior born to save us all. He was born in meek circumstances, but He truly has blessed us all. Christmas is a time to celebrate Christ, our Savior! I hope we still remember to seek as the shepherds and wisemen did. The amazing thing is that He still lives, and because of Him we can all live forever. It is also a time to spend with those you love! (Temple Square is a little packed, so sometimes you get pictures of people you don't know.) This picture is from my ward Christmas dinner.

So last weekend my boyfriend, Andy, finally got to take me shooting. (He was going to 2 weeks prior, but I decided to take a hospital trip instead.) We went with his brother (James) and 2 of his friends (Bret and Kara). I had a really good time. It was a little cool, but not too bad. Andy brought plenty of gourds and milk jugs full of water to use as targets. There were quite a few guns there, not that I could tell you what kind they were. I do know there was a shotgun and a handgun, but those weren't my favorite. (My pictures are totally out of order.) We set up tons of gourds and jugs out on the land. James brought an old stove to use for target practice, but we put it to some good use first. Here the guys are disks or whatever they are called. Kara is attacking the gourds. Andy is also using the stove. As you can tell, it was already in bad shape. Boys and their toys!!! However, I like my boy's toys! I did get one injury from the handgun, but it was only a broken ...

Last Saturday morning (Oct. 30th) around 8:15 a.m. I was driving around trying to find the church building where I was supposed to meet up with my stake for a stake service project. I couldn't find the right building (there were too many to choose from), so I decided to just go home. My abdomen was also starting to hurt a little, so I didn't feel too horrible about not finding the service project. On the drive home the pain got worse. At home I thought it would help to curl up in fetal position, but nothing helped and the pain got worse. I called my mom thinking I had a bladder infection or something. Then I called my boyfriend, Andy, because he is going to pharmacy school and is very knowledgeable about the body. He told me that I probably had an infection, so he was going to come over to take me to Insta Care. It took him a little while, and later he told me that he got a speeding ticket on the way over. (He doesn't normally speed.) He had to come help me off th...

Pumpkin carving is a fun activity to do with a boyfriend! I surprised my boyfriend, Andy, with a pumpkin when he came over. Andy was more than willing to let me dig out the pumpkin guts. He finally put his skills to use by outlining the picture. I was more than willing to let him do the rest of the work. He is concentrating really hard to carve the pumpkin. He did a fantastic job! Look at the wolf howling at the moon. I then started separating the seeds from the rest of the stuff. Then I rinsed them, put them on a baking sheet, salted them, and baked them. The seeds were yummy! It was a great date!

This last weekend I went to Oregon for Fall Break. My new niece, Mya, got blessed. My dad and Darlene came up of Friday. This was taken at Olive Garden. On Saturday my brother, Brian, and his family came down. Here is my happy little nephew, Liam. We all went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here I am with my sister, Trisha, and Mya. Mom and Bill also came out for the festivities. We got to watch some pumpkins shot out of some pumpkin launcher. Kiera, Ava, and Kael thought it was a little loud. Kael's birthday is coming soon, so I got him this little art set. He loved it! Kael is quite the artist! Here is Mya in her first white dress! Isn't she adorable? We took some family photos, but this was my favorite. My sister is my best friend! Below is Brian's family, Trisha's family, and myself. (I think I was talking.) Mommy and daughter! My little redheaded nephew, Liam. He is normally really happy, but he was sick and didn't sleep much. Grandpa ...

So I did buy mostly new furniture, but I bought this little desk at DI for $15. It had a few scratches, so I decided to add a little color. Here is the new and improved desk. I used colors that match my bedspread. I didn't even have to go shopping for paper...I already had plenty! I also decorated some letters for my new niece. You can actually spell 4 words with these 3 letters. I like this name the best! Here is a new frame that I decorated for myself. I have yet to put a picture in it, but maybe I'll wait until after my visit to Oregon. Then I could get a family picture in here with the 2 new babies from this year. It is so fun to decoupage! I actually find it kind of relaxing as well. If you ever want to come craft with me, just let me know!

So the other day I got to go horseback riding on a date with Andy. It was really fun. His parents happen to own 3 horses, but only 1 is really trained for people to ride. Basky is a pretty tame 17 year old, but she still didn't want to be ridden. She kept stomping her foot when Andy was putting the saddle on her. Too bad you can't see the cowboy boots that I'm rocking! I did get Basky to run a couple times, but only when she thought we were going to the trailer to take off her saddle. My behind did get bruised a little from that though. Andy hasn't ridden for years, but luckily for me he was willing to do it again. All I had to do was ask. We just walked around the pasture behind/on the side of Andy's house. I really love horses, so this was a real treat for me. It was also a beautiful day for a ride.