Christmas

On Christmas Eve I only had to work half-a-day, so we had more time to do fun stuff before we left to go up to Utah. We both really wanted to see the Bellagio decorations before our Christmas dinner at Uncle Mike's house. They were really pretty.

On Christmas day we woke up, I went for a little run and Josh cooked us breakfast. We opened up our gifts and got our last minute things ready for our long drive up to Utah. We were supposed to leave the day after Christmas because of my work, but my bosses told me I didn't have to work so we decided to surprise our families and head up on Christmas day. We were worried that we would catch the snow storm on the way up, but we were lucky and had smooth sailing the entire drive! We arrived just in time for dinner at my house. It was great! After dinner and presents we went over to Josh's house to exchange gifts there. It was fun to be with family on Christmas day.

On Saturday we had breakfast at the Mills', went to a movie and then went out to dinner for Dave's birthday. He turned 50 this year!! After dinner we went over to Daron and Lisa's house for some food and games. It was fun to see all of our old friends from high school.


On Sunday we went and saw the lights at temple square. They are so beautiful! I was thinking about the difference between the decorations at the Bellagio and the decorations at the temple. They are completely different. One is focused on Santa, presents, and snowmen and the other is focused on our Savior. I thought that was kind of interesting to think about.

After the lights we went to Andrew and Elise's house and played the Wii! It was a lot of fun. Dave and Kirsten came and played with us. I was glad that they came.

It was a short vacation, and we didn't get to see everyone that we wanted to...Sorry Nick...but we did have a lot of fun!!

Freecation!

This weekend Josh and I went on a little one night vacation to Primm, NV. Primm is a very small town (it consists of three casinos/hotels, an outlet mall, a gas station, and a couple of fast food restaurants) on the Nevada/California border. It was a lot of fun! We stayed in Buffalo Bill's Hotel & Casino. Buffalo Bill's has a few rides, including a huge roller coaster called the Desperado. It is one of the biggest and fastest roller coasters in the US. Do you want to know what the coolest thing was about our vacation? It was all free!! There are a ton of perks for living in Las Vegas and one of them is free/discounts on a bunch of things! We got one night stay and 2 all day tickets to ride the rides for free!

Buffalo Bill's and the huge roller coaster going around the whole hotel & casino.What movie does this remind you of? We found it in the arcade!

It's Christmas Time!

All of our Christmas decorations are out of their boxes and hanging around the house, but it didn't feel even remotely close to being near Christmas until today. What happened today that made it feel like Christmas? It snowed!! I know....you don't believe that it snowed in Vegas! Me neither! Look at our cute little tree with all of our presents and our stockings hanging above our fireplace waiting for Santa to fill with all of his many goodies.

Here is Cowboy Santa!!

The "Moosealtoe" (Moose dung from Yellowstone) is hung up and getting a lot of use!

Every time it snows I can't resist trying to catch some in my mouth. It is fun!

I did the same thing this last March when I went up to Idaho for a wedding!!

Whoever says that dreams do not come true definitely was telling a lie! I never would have thought that we would get snow here in Vegas, but it happened! The mountains are a beautiful white. It is amazing!!

My School Made the News!!

Check this movie out.....pretty cool!! Doesn't my professor and classmate sound super smart? I could get their autographs for you guys if you want one.

S O S

STRESSED OUT STUDENTS (SOS)

It's that time of year again when students all over the world slowly disappear and fall into a black hole I like to call the library. My husband included. Only three more finals for him and then for the next month he is couch bound, sleeping in and Mr. Clean ( I love Mr. Clean, personally).

I love you Mills!! Good luck!

Good luck to everyone taking finals!! You can do it!

Ariel had this tag on her blog and I thought it was cool so Josh and I decided to give it a try...
Bold or highlight the things that you have done.

1. Started your own blog J&J
2.Slept under the stars J&J
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii J&J
5. Watched a meteor shower J&J
6. Given more than you can afford to charity J&J
7. Been to Disneyland J&J
8. Climbed a mountain J&J
9. Held a praying mantis Josh
10. Sang a solo Josh
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris Jay
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch Jay
15. Adopted a child (I adopted Josh)
16. Had food poisoning Jay
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (been there but it was closed for walking)
18. Grown your own vegetables Josh
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France Jay
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight J&J
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill J&J
24. Built a snow fort J&J
25. Held a lamb Josh
26. Gone skinny dipping J&J
27. Run a Marathon Jay
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice Jay
29. Seen a total eclipse J&J
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset J&J
31. Hit a home run Josh
32. Been on a cruise Josh
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person Jay
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors Jay
35. Seen an Amish community Jay
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person Jay
39. Gone rock climbing J&J
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David Jay
41. Sung karaoke J&J
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt J&J
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight J&J
46. Been transported in an ambulance Jay
47. Had your portrait painted Jay
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person Jay
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris Jay (not the top, again it was closed but I was there just bad timing..)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling Josh
52. Kissed in the rain J&J
53. Played in the mud J&J
54. Gone to a drive-in theater J&J
55. Been in a movie (home made movies and I have been on t.v-CNN) J&J
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen Jay
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching J&J
63. Got flowers for no reason Jay
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma J&J
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter J&J
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy J&J
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial Jay
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square Jay
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone Josh
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle Jay
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person J&J
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican Jay
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper Josh
85. Read the entire Bible Josh
86. Visited the White House Jay {not inside, though}
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating Josh
88. Had chickenpox J&J
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous J&J
92. Joined a book club Jay
93. Lost a loved one J&J
94. Had a baby (almost)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake Jay
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone J&J (but don't use it)
99. Been stung by a bee Josh
100. Walked the entire strip of Las Vegas J&J

Random Beauties of Hawaii!!

It was my very first time visiting Hawaii and I loved it. It is so green and beautiful, but I think the prettiest part of Hawaii was my beautiful wife Jay! Doesn't she look so good!! I love you Jay!!

Day 4 of Thanksgiving

Today was kind of rainy and windy and ruined our plans to go on a hike. We did get to see Sandy beach, Blow Hole, have a picnic, feed the birds, go shopping, see a movie, and eat at Bucca di Beppo. That restaurant is really good!! They have big portion sizes...just to let you know!! None of the pictures looked very cute on this day....so I didn't post them. Sorry!!

Overall, this trip was very fun!! It was fun to see my family, spend time with them during this holiday season, and check another state off our list of states to visit as a married couple!!

Day 3 of Thanksgiving

On Friday we spent half the day at Pearl Harbor enjoying the USS Arizona Memorial, going through the museum, and watching the Pearl Harbor movie (no...it is not the one with Ben Affleck!). It was and always is a very cool experience to "Remember Pearl Harbor" and learn about December 7, 1941, "the day that will live in infamy."

Here are a few pictures around the memorial. Enjoy!!

The second half of the day was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We went to the Luau and then to the show at the end of the night where all of the islands do their tribal dances. It was a lot of fun. At the Luau we got a mango smoothie in a pineapple. It was really good. I recommend it to anyone who goes there.

Day 2 of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day started off with a friendly game of Kickball...or so we thought. There are a few very competitive people in my family (including my husband)! The teams were chosen by Kelty. She drew the names from a hat, and randomly, no couples were on the same team. It was a very close game, but, my amazing husband and his team won the game!!

After the Kickball game we went to a really cool beach. We body surfed, boogie boarded, layed out, and oh, did I mention I almost died!! Kirsten showed us this cool place with a rock where the waves came up over the rock and you stood there as the waves splashed over you. It was really fun. Well, I guess we were not supposed to be over there because there were no lifeguards over there so everyone was yelling for us to get down. After one of the waves had passed I started to go, but before I could clear the rock another wave came and hit me and knocked me over. I was being carried out to sea by the pull of the current! Kirsten came out to help me up and she got knocked over also. She dropped her camera :( and both of us had to be helped by the lifeguard!! It was a pretty scary experience and I felt really bad that Kirsten lost her camera trying to save me.

Day 1 of Thanksgiving

On Wednesday morning we left rainy Las Vegas and embarked on our journey to the wonderful islands of Hawaii to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family!! It was Josh's first time going there so he was really excited.

Wednesday mostly consisted of flying...it does take 6 hours to get there. Josh was excited because he got to watch two movies on the plane. That kept him pretty busy. When we got there we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ put on by Brett, played some games, and enjoyed each others' company! The condo that we stayed in was amazing. This was the view from the back porch.

The Air Show

This is Josh with his new TOY!! Are any of you as scared as I am with Josh using a bazooka?

Today we went to the Air show at Nellis Airforce Base. Did you guys know that Nellis is home of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center? It also has the largest and most demanding advanced air-combat training mission in the world! Nellis doesn't just teach the crews how to fly, but instead, how to be the best combat aviators in the world!! Sounds totally like TOP GUN!! Josh kept wanting me to call him Maverik the whole time we were there! It was a lot of fun to see all of the planes, helicopters, parachute jumpers, and TOYS that they had!!


This is me next to a really big plane. In some of them you could go in and see all of the cool gadgets.


This was the Thunderbird Air Show. It was so cool!! In this picture the plane in front is flying right through the middle of the other four planes.

Here is a cool video of the Thunderbirds!!

It's A Baby! (Well, two!)

YEA! FOR BABIES!!

Well, this post is a little late and I apologize! On Halloween night I guess I missed a couple of phone calls from my brother Sean. I got, however, a text from my sister Steph saying "Congrats, you are an Aunt again for the third time." This lead me to believe that Stephanie was pregnant. NOT!! Ariel is!! She is due the middle of May! I am so excited for them! I am excited to be an Aunt again! I hope it's a boy. ;)

Also, last week Josh's cousin Adam adopted a beautiful baby girl. She is the smallest little baby and so well behaved. I have yet to hear her cry! She is perfect. I am so glade that they were finally able to adopt and start a family. We wish them the best! Cambria is lucky to have come into your lives.

Halloween!

The day started off with this... My boss. I lived through this...

And then I ended up here... in Glendale, NV.

I love Halloween. It means the arrival of fall (usually, except in Vegas where it is still in the 80's) and oncoming holiday fun! I had a great day. Costumes, food, and a haunted corn maze. Yes, I did get chased by a crazy chain saw man while Mandy and Josh ditched me! I ran straight and they crossed through the corn. I guess we all know who would die if we were in a scary movie. Thanks guys!

If I were a Vampire...

I know! I know! But I was curious...

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!
You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be
sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and
appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

My New BFF

My new BFF is Sarah Palin.

You see it all started with my little brother, Seth and the you tube video that I posted earlier on my blog. His video got posted on to the Republicans main web page and received a lot of views. He got invited to attend a rally out in Reno, NV but, at the last minute my dad and him decided to change plans and attend the rally in Las Vegas. They called me at 6:30 in the morning as I was walking to work and said "hey, what are you doing today?" "Well," I said, "I have to work, work some more, and then I have homework. Why? What's up?" They invited me to go to the rally with them so I decide to take an "extended" lunch. My boss told me I was allowed to go, but only because I was wearing my very manly, non-form fitting, bright orange Aztech shirt. He told me to go and make the company proud. So my family and I went to go see Sarah Palin do her thing! My friend Bonnie from high school was in town so I called her up to see where she was at. Turns out she had a friend that could get us in without waiting in a 3 mile line! We gladly accepted. Little did we know it wasn't just a friend that could get us in, but it was a friend that could get us on stage. Yes, that is right. I stood directly behind and to the left of Sarah. I found a YouTube video with me in it but I look like a man with a mustache because of the blur- but hey I will take it! After the speech I got to shake her hand, talk with her and get an autograph. Not a bad day when you consider what I had planned. Life is very unexpected and I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaDis1bVFig

I am not a very political person and would always rather keep my feelings to myself, but yesterday, I could not help getting caught up in the spirit of America! I love this land and our freedom! And I say Go Sarah Barracuda!!!