BYU/UT

If you know me... you know I love to say I'm a Utah fan.

How could I help it? I grew up in Salt Lake, I went to the games, I did what my family did.

Then I went to BYU.

I still proclaimed myself a Ute fan (yes, I was on the BYU Lacrosse team)...

I'm talking about football here.

I cheered for the Utes at my house freshman year.

I wore red to the game in the student section my sophomore year.

I sat quietly when all Paul's friends came and watched the Utes win at our house last year.

And this year... Paul said I had to wear blue or else he was giving away my ticket.

I wore blue. (Actually grey- but it said BYU on it...)

BYU won.

I'm happy about it.

(I even rushed the field)... see Paul's blog.

I love football.

At least I don't have to have this inner turmoil when I watch the Colts play!!!

Gingerbread Extraordinaire

Paul and I traveled up to Idaho for our Thanksgiving break.

I was talking to Donna (Paul's mom) this morning about the cool Gingerbread houses my mom makes.

So now I am bragging to the whole blogging world about it!

Some details to notice...

Sucker windows

The lighting in the house and the fence

Candy cane porch pillars

And the amazing architecture

Go Mom! (Isn't she awesome?)

hair

I used to be a change-my-hair-aholic.

If you haven't noticed, the only thing that has changed about my hair in the last 3 years is 1/2 an inch it grows each month, and the occasional trim.

I've been trying to figure out why this happened, and when. I stopped dying it my Freshman year at BYU because I was sick of the hassle and expense. But I still cut it a few times that year (including a drastic 8 inch chop).

Then I knew I wanted to grow my hair out so when I got married it would be long, so I stopped cutting it.

But now I've been married for 16 months.

I guess I have gotten used to the lack of change. Plus I know Paul likes it long and my natural color and it makes me want to keep it that way.

I have been thinking about chopping it off again though, but I've kind of decided that when I have kids someday I'll probably want it short- so I might as well enjoy the long while no chubby little fingers are yanking on it.

Since this topic has been on my mind- I looked up a bunch of pics of the different hair my head has gone through. I couldn't find the reddish stages, or the super short stages of hair- but I think I got the blonde, super dark, and shorter lengths covered.

While Paul is studying for his evolution test... I blog about the evolution of my hair :)

Enjoy.

P.S. Sorry for the narcissism, as Paul would say.

Flannel... Finally

(Paul sporting his flannel/teaching "Singing in the Rain" to Mongolians)

A few months ago, Paul and I were on a very rare shopping outing.

We stopped by Abercrombie and Fitch where I tried on a flannel shirt and fell in love with it.

Paul had just bought a flannel for Mongolia which I stole on occassion (photo evidence below) and decided I needed one of my own.

The problem?

The pricetag.

$80 bucks for a shirt?

College student budgets just can't handle that.

But for the past four months Paul and I have both been looking everywhere for a flannel to match this one's awesomeness. No success.

We've both been checking on abercrombie's Website for it to go on clearance. No success.

...Until this morning...

After waking up from my strange Lake Powell/Harry Potter dream (yes, I dream about Lake Powell about 3 times a week), I got up to see if Susan was on TV for her big Thanksgiving Event (I didn't see you Susan, but the event looks awesome.) I was browsing the internet (for a new skirt, actually) when I decided to check if that flannel was on sale.

Yep. It was. I bought it immediately.

:)

Paul's flannel (which I am sporting on our trip to Midway)My long awaited flannel....

Merry Christmas to me :)

Leaf Day

Sunday was Leaf Day.

What is Leaf Day you ask?

Every year this tree in our backyard dumps the majority of its leaves all in one day.

Our family celebrates it.

This tree was a good friend growing up. There is an easy-to-climb up spot with perfect hand and footholes. Easiest with bare feet, though you have to bear the ache of sharp bark if you choose that route.

There are lots of big branches for a few friends or siblings to sit on and play on.

There are tall branches if you are feeling brave.

Best of all, there is a huge swing... a little off-balance... but really fun. Especially when my dad would give me an underdog and I thought I was going to touch the electric wires.

And every year, it takes the stage by dumping and dumping those leaves.

So we celebrate it.

We're going to miss Utah I think.

Aunt Stine

I love being an aunt.

This is a pretty new thing for me, but when I married Paul I inherited ten nieces and nephews. In the past 16 months... 4 more. So awesome.

I got to watch Mykita yesterday. Nothing like having a little baby snuggle up and fall asleep in your arms.

Last weekend we went trick-or-treating with the twins, Ian and Isaac and their little brother Luke. It made me feel pretty cool when they wanted to hold my hands the whole time.

(Paul was a Mongolian, I was a pig- but wish I would've been the Swine Flu. Meghan was a witch and Justin a cowboy.)

This week I will get to see nine of them when we see our newest niece, Jovi, be blessed.

This handsome nephew, Reuben, just turned ONE. He's been battling cancer and is a trooper. The happiest baby, really. We wish we could fly out to Pennsylvania all the time to see him and his family- but at least we did get to go once this past summer.

So thanks Paul's siblings for having kids that we love a lot.

I love being "Aunt Stine" :)

(Ellee couldn't say Christine, so she just took the last half of my name.. and sometimes called me Paul-stine.) It's pretty much caught on with the rest of the family too.