2 Year Anniversary

This past week flew by; I can't believe it is January 2011 already!!! We have had so many celebrations this month: Mikes birthday, Christmas Eve/Christmas, our anniversary, New Years Eve/Day . . . WOW! We have been on celebration overload, but it has been fun creating new memories.

We celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Monday the 27th. I can't believe two years ago we were standing outside in the cold weather getting our pictures taken; what a beautiful, memorable day that ways; it seems like forever ago. I am grateful for Mike and his thoughtfulness this anniversary in surprising me by planning the entire day and making it so special. He treated both of us to probably the best massages either of us have ever received. George, my masseuse, had his doctorate in acupressure and chiropractic work. He spent 15 years in Japan studying acupressure! This guy was brilliant not only at what he did but he also spoke 13 different languages. I was blessed to have him as my therapist because he was so knowledgeable about pregnancy; giving me so many good tips on carrying Beckham, helping him develop better, and having a good delivery. Him and his wife had tried for 14 years to have children before he learned about this massage technique that helped women become fertile. After he administered it to her she conceived sextuplets!! She delivered earlier last month and all six are still in the hospital getting the care they need before coming home. He was telling me how excited they were and how much he loved children and planned on having at least 20! I honestly don't know how the human body can hold six babies, it boggles my mind as I am carrying only one and there doesn't seem to be enough room for him. Needless to say, with all the useful tips I got on pregnancy, and the amazing aromatherapy/acupressure therapy he gave me, the day started out perfect.

Mike then took me to lunch at a Gluten Free Bakery/Cafe in Scottsdale, which again was so thoughtful because I have been TRYING to remain on a gluten free diet as much as I can. The food was actually really good! I had a ruben and Mike had a Philly Cheese Steak. After lunch we walked around the shops/mall in Scottsdale and bought Mike some jeans he wanted for Christmas from Urban Outfitters. Then he surprised me by checking us into a nice room with a huge jetted tub at a hotel in Scottsdale. We lazed around before getting ready to go out to a nice, romantic dinner at such an incredible restaurant in Scottsdale called Olive and Ivy. When my mom was here we walked past it, and I mentioned wanting to eat there simply because of the chic decor. Well, Mike made a mental note and took me there for dinner. We one of the best times dinning on some of the yummiest dishes. Here is just a blurb about the restaurant:

THE DISH...

Old World meets new at Olive & Ivy Restaurant & Marketplace, which blends the flavors and timeless elegance of the Mediterranean with contemporary California chic. Olive & Ivy brings a slice of a bustling Mediterranean neighborhood market to the Scottsdale Waterfront.

Olive & Ivy’s upscale casual restaurant showcases Fox Restaurant Concept’s trademark passion for craftsman cuisine. The menu celebrates the cooking techniques of the Mediterranean resulting in a menu that offers a fresh, updated selection of slow-cooked, flavor drenched Mediterranean classics.

I can't even describe how divine the appetizer we got was: Roasted Vegetable Crostini (toasted baguette with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Onions, Goat Cheese). Each bite was a burst of flavors in your mouth; it was seriously one of the best things Mike and I have ever tasted.

Then they served us this garlic with parmesan focaccia bread with the most amazing pesto dipping sauce I have ever had. Every bite melted in our mouths.

If that wasn't enough we dinned on two amazing entrees: Parmesan Risotto with Shrimp “Scampi”, Confit Tomatoes & Toasted Garlic, and Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Beets, Fingerling Potatoes & Horseradish Vinaigrette. The finale was dessert: Deep fried Fritters served on top of an orange cream sauce with fresh sliced oranges, and a side, single scoop, of Oreo Cheesecake Gelato with a butter cookie. Holy Manoly! Mike and I could have eaten 10 plates of those fritters!! The texture and the flavors of those hot buttery orange fritters were outstanding! How I LOVE good food! It was such a perfect way to end a perfect day!!

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better Mike surprised me with one of the most precious/thoughtful gifts I have received by someone. I melted in tears when I read the following inscription on a glass plaque he had made for me:

16 Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from^afollowing after thee: for whither thou goest, I will ^bgo; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy ^cpeople shall be my people, and thy God my ^dGod:

17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

He told me he came across this scripture one day and he realized that it was exactly how he felt about me: that he would never leave me, that he would go where I would go, that my God would be his God, and wherever I died and was buried there to would he buried. How beautiful and romantic is my precious husband!

It has been such a growing two years for both of us. We have learned so much about each other and from each other. What a blessing marriage is! I have learned that the easiest things in life are not the most satisfying. Marriage is fun and enjoyable but it is also hard work; and it is the accomplishment felt after making the hard work enjoyable that brings the greatest satisfaction in life. I love Mike so much and I am so grateful I have him by my side to walk through this life with. As I mentioned to him on our anniversary, he becomes my best friend more and more with each passing day; I can honestly say I love him more than I did the day I married him (something I didn't think possible).

There is so much more to write about this week. We have been learning so many things and have been proactive at entertaining things that bring us more satisfaction and have helped develop our characters and our marriage. Some examples: less TV, reading books together and on our own, getting involved in our community by signing up for service projects, having the missionaries over for dinner, Mike bearing his testimony in sacrament meeting today; having regular date night, keeping the romance alive and FUN in our marriage, cooking new and interesting dinners, staying up late in bed talking for hours—having the best conversations, keeping up our scripture study and prayers, communicating through hard things and misunderstandings, trying new restaurants and taking advantage of the things we have around us, etc. How much more beautiful and satisfying life is when you are filling it with GOOD things!

Speaking of another amazing restaurant, for New Years Day (I had been really sick most of the week and was finally feeling better so we decided to go out), we ate at another AMAZING restaurant suggested by Mike's good friend and his wife, the ones we went out to dinner with a few weeks ago, called Ninfa's. We have always said that Mexican food is Mexican food, no matter where you go it seems to be the same, but that all changed last night after feasting on the most amazing fish tacos and pork tacos ever! The chips and salsa were also scrumptious! The service was awesome, the atmosphere was chic and modern . . . this is definitely a place we will be going back to frequently. For New Years Eve I wasn't feeling good so Mike ordered pizza (he got a free one after donating blood) and I made my gluten-free pizza, and we drank our gingerales, watched such a great movie that made me appreciate my Dad more ("$5 a day"), and watched the ball drop in NYC.


I still can't believe Michelle and I embraced the cold and stood outside for 8 hours to watch the ball drop in Times Square one year—crazy! It was a nice, relaxing way to ring in the new year; there isn't anyone I would have honestly rather been with than Mike, Nika, and Beckham celebrating the new year! :)

Making New Years Day Breakfast: Scrumptious Ebelskivers! Thanks Lauri for our Christmas gift, Mike loves these!!

This weeks plans: Dr. appt. Tuesday, Mike leaves to Sacramento for 4 days to meet up with Jay to sell and train new guys. I am going to work on writing my book, finish making Beckham's pillows, shop for some much needed maternity wear, prepare a talk Mike and I are supposed to give in church, and who knows what else, I have so many projects that I can't wait to start!

Preserving the Serengeti

Right now I am on board with an organization trying to stop the building of a commercial highway through the northern part of the Serengeti—the only wild life park on earth untouched by commercialism, unaltered for millions of years. This highway is being built to increase the productivity/sales of cell phone batteries that are a commodity in Tanzania; bought in high amounts by the Chinese. The outcome of building this road going through the Northern part of the Serengeti (where the greatest migrations occur) is disastrous. Not only will hundreds of trucks going through this natural habitat, daily, put more animals in harms way, illegal poaching is surely to increase, allowing easier access to the animals.

The Frankfurt Zoological Society also made the statement:

"We sincerely believe that the road will have disastrous effects on the entire ecosystem. The northern parts of the Serengeti and the adjacent Masai Mara are critical for the wildebeest and zebra migration during the dry season, as it is the only permanent year-round water source for these herds. Recent calculations show that if wildebeest were to be cut off from these critical dry season areas, the population would likely decline from 1.3 million animals to about 200,000 (meaning a collapse to far less than a quarter of its current population and most likely the end of the great

migration)."

The petition is not to stop the building of the road, it is to reroute it south, going under and around the Serengeti.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.savetheserengeti.org/issues/stop-the-serengeti-highway/#ixzz19VrWwdRX

You can also become a member on facebook, and you can sign a petition to stop the building of the highway here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/stop_the_serengeti_highway

This petition will be sent to Tanzanian as well as American officials supporting the building of this highway.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment to get involved by either joining the watch, making a donation, or signing the petition. Let's remember that we have the obligation to take care of this beautiful world in which we live, which includes conserving the home of millions of animals and plant life that not only make this earth beautiful but help our ecosystem thrive.

Week O' Fun

This past week has been, needless to say, busy, busy, busy; I took a three hour nap today to finally catch up on some sleep :). I LOVE sleeping now that I am pregnant; I only wish I would MAKE myself take naps everyday but I always seem to keep myself to busy to nap.

Continuing with a previous post regarding last Saturday when my mom was in town:

We had Dave, Kimber, the kidos, and my mom over to our place and feasted on a scrumptious dinner before heading to Goodyear Baseball park to enjoy some local festivities.

They brought in 40 tons of snow. Only in AZ!

Make shift ice-skating rink

YUMMY Mister Softee Softserve

Sunday we went to church with Dave, Kimber, and mom at Dave and Kimbers ward and then we had a yummy roast beef dinner to celebrate Mike birthday. We ended the evening playing a game of dominos.

Mike felt EXTRA special as Kimber used her special china for this occasion :).




Playing games on the tramp





I did a back flip which was probably not the best idea!

Cracking the egg, poor Dave!

Monday was a Mikes 27th birthday and I tried to make him feel as special as possible on this wonderful day. He was treated to a yummy breakfast of carmel pecan sticky buns, scrambled eggs, brown sugared pecan bacon, and orange julius. After breakfast he got to open a few gifts: black dress pants, a black dress shirt, and two ties.

Then he was treated to a massage before we got ready to go get pedicures. I am glad we can enjoy such things together as pedicures—so fun! After our pedis he got to open another gift: a Christmas CD. In the afternoon we caught a matinee—"Unstoppable" with Denzel Washington.

I have to admit that I have never sweat so bad in a movie; it was packed with non-stop action. After the movie he got to open another gift: a new wallet (it was time for an upgrade from his high school wallet). We finished the evening with dinner at Cheesecake Factory and one more gift that was, for me, the gift of all gifts: a book I put together of letters he had written to his family over the course of two years of his life. These were priceless letters that have come to mean so much to him and many ways define who he is today. Being a writer I thought it was the best gift anyone could receive—a part of your own history bound in a book.

Tuesday mom came with Mike and I to our Dr. appt and was able to see the ultrasound of our little guy. It was incredible to see how much he has grown and how active he is. He gave a thumbs up to his dad, letting him know he's on track with his development and excited to come into our life. He was also sucking his thumb quite a bit. The Dr. reviewed the results with us: he is super healthy, although a bit underweight, 10oz at 1 week shy of 5 months, which the Dr. said was perfectly fine because we have to expect him to be a small little healthy guy like his mom and dad. We were so happy with the good news that he is on track, doing well, developing perfectly; I really couldn't ask for anything else.

After, mom and I went shopping for material for my little mans blanket and a few slings I wanted to make to carry him in. This project took longer than I thought so we didn't get around to sewing much.

Wednesday Mike and I took mom to Scottsdale. We walked around the ginormous mall (found my Christmas pjs) and then took the trolly on a tour of the town. Scottsdale is awesome! I love all the shopping, great restaurants, and activities they have. It is nice to live so close so we can enjoy everything it has to offer at our convenience. They have an artwalk every Thursday evening that we want to hit up one of these weeks. It is so nice to live in such nice weather and to have so many outdoor activities going on in the winter time, what a first for both of us, I LOVE it.

Wed. evening we met up with Dave and Kimber at Westgate, by our house, and had a really nice dinner at The Yard House. I devoured the yummiest burger I think I have ever had— a surf and turf burger with the best hamburger, lobster, grilled asparagus, and a tomato, swiss sauce. YUM!

Thursday mom and I got my little mans blanket done—oh my I can't even describe how much I am in love with these colors (red, gray, off-white) we decided on—so elegant! I am not into the whole baby material/decor. I wanted something modern, unique, and that fit Mike and I and our taste. It turned out better than I could have hoped! I am so excited to decorate his nursery, I have everything planned out; I want to start right now!

By the end of Thursday I was exhausted and feeling a bit under the weather, but that didn't stop us, we met up with Dave and Kimber and the kids for dinner at Rubios (first time I tried their fish tacos and I have to say I am in love), and then we drove to the Mesa Temple to see the beautiful Christmas lights and nativities.

It was so much fun having mom here; I miss her already. I am glad she has two kids to visit now in AZ; hopefully she gets to come visit more often :).