an attitude of gratitude.

while i wait for my hubby to get home from work, i thought I'd express the gratitude that i have for all the wonderful blessings in my life.

BEAU. i am so thankful to have such a wonderful man as my eternal companion. he is the perfect guy for me. i knew if from the moment we met. i know that sounds SO cliche, but its true. he's the cheese to my macaroni. life just wouldn't be the same without him.

FAMILY. i have the most wonderful family ever put on this planet. not even kidding. that includes in-laws, aunt, uncle, cousins, everyone! they are all SO wonderful! my parents have taught me so much about life. the good, the bad, the tragic. i couldn't imagine not having them as parents. i was meant to be their daughter, there is not a doubt in my mind. scottie wottie is the absolute best little brother a girl could ask for. he is growing up into the most awesome little man ever! his sense of compassion and selflessness is amazing. i have never met someone that will drop anything to help his family as much as scott will. he is awesome and im glad that heavenly father decided to make him my baby brother. i wouldn't have it any other way.

THE GOSPEL. i feel like before i got married i kind of took the gospel for granted. ill admit it. but going through the temple and being sealed to beau has made me appreciate it so much. everything about it, tithing, temples, callings, EVERYTHING has been such a blessing in my life.

JOBS. i know that i complain about beau working out of town. but i truly am thankful for the wonderful job he has. knowing that we will never be without income is such a comfort in this economy. beau tells me stories about his grandpa and his brothers that started interstate rock, how they struggled with the company for so long, and now look what it has turned into, i am very thankful for their sacrifices for their children and grandchildren to have this wonderful company. i am also grateful that beau's job allows me to get into photography. i really love it! and thank you to all of you who have trusted me to take your pictures!

TECHNOLOGY. this may be lame and materialistic, but i am SO glad for modern technology!! cell phones, Internet, tv, cars, i love it all!

HEALTH. for the most part both of us are SO healthy! im so thankful that we dont have to worry about any big health problems!!

MY HOME. i love our little home! i know its not ours, but i really do love it here! we were SO blessed to get into such a wonderful place! (not so much wonderful neighbors, but hey, wudda ya do!?) and i also LOVE living in hurricane. i never thought i would hear those words pass my lips, but i do! i love that everyone knows everyone, that theres one high school, that you can drive 5 minutes and be 'in the middle of nowhere'. i am so thankful to still live so close to my family! it's such a blessing!

BUDDIES. i always thought that i would be friends with my high school friends FOREVER. no such luck. but i have mad the most AWESOME friends since i have gotten married! i know that people come into your life for a reason, and these girlies definitely have their reasons! i am SO thankful for them and the time i get to spend with them!

ADOPTION. i saved this one for last because i knew that by the time i finished writing it i wouldn't be able to see the screen. this i can honestly say has been the absolute #1 blessing in my entire life. i owe everything i am to it. without it, i wouldn't have the wonderful family i have. i am SO thankful to my birth mother for her sacrifice, she truly gave me the best life ever.

ill end here, but i hope everyone out there remembers to think about what they are thankful for this holiday. i know i will.

sweet baby kenna

My friend Lindsey had her second baby a few weeks ago (technically 10 days) and i got to see her today!! she is a DOLL! however she was not feeling the whole photo shoot idea! we got a few cute ones though!! see more here.

i made the comment to Linds that it just seemed like she was babysitting! it's so weird that were all grown up! im SO excited to do their family pictures next week!!

*if you havent noticed... my blog decided to screw its self up... so it's on the mend right now, sorry it looks like crap.*

fun fun weekend!! the breakdown...
went to TWILIGHT with the rest of the world. dawn and helaman came (no pics of them :( sorry) we really liked it, but we both personally thought the first movie was better, but this one was really good too!

on saturday i took pictures of our friends Heinz and Alecia, it was really fun! they are SO funny! we took them at Sunset Canyon Ranch (where Heinz's family lives) it is SO pretty down there!! see more here.
i have designed a few more christmas card samples! please dont mind the overload of my family pictures!
oh and i have to say i am now obsessed with these people. so good. beau is sick of them.

oh and good news! well for me at least! this wonderful man gets home on TUESDAY this week!! YAY!!! i am ECSTATIC!!

last week...

went and saw jaycee in willy wonka...

took family pictures...

took the shake's family pictures...

disovered this yummy stuff... and drank 100 cups of hot chocolate!

baby rocko, and dont forget mr. max

i got to meet and take pictures of this cute babe today! SOOO fun! and SOO baby hungry!

and of course i very much enjoyed playing with this little man!!

thanks for letting my invade lyndy! your boys are adorable!!!

:)

so, sorry for all of you that had to read my venting...ill make it up to you with a happy post! :)

i did a photography session with my cute friend Brandy, we did her senior pictures... and i love them! you can see more on my photography blog but here are a few of my FAVORITES!

on the subject of photography... i only have 3 days left in November for pictures! and 4 in December if you want the Christmas card special!

topic #2... why has no one told me about this stuff!? YUM! so long peanut butter and jelly, HELLO peanut butter and FLUFF!

i started my Christmas list. surprise surprise...

love this love this love this! want this want this want this! they are hymns that are redone in a modern way.

so cute, and ill need them someday right!?

i saw this book at barnes and noble with tere, i had just got done telling her how much i love those big coffee table books, and i saw this one! and pretty much fell in love! the pictures, the colors, it is such a beautiful book to look at!

ok so one more semi-sad point. beau has been working out of town for a year now. weird. im still not even used to it! i miss him. all. the. time. but its been a great blessing.

ps. thank you for all the wonderful comments and calls :) im lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. thank you again.

laying it all out.

im warning you, this is a pitty post, but you wont feel bad for me, because i have the most wonderful life, i shouldn't complain. ever. but its been one of those days. so hold on to your seats, im about to blow.

i love babies. anyone that knows me knows that i do. in fact, i get to watch my new little baby step-nephew on wednesday, and i am literally counting down the hours. but never ever in my life have i had such a hard time looking at them. and never ever in my life, have they made me cry. but i do. i bawl. usually during the week when im alone. it makes the hubby feel bad. i really shouldn't, we haven't even officially started to try (ok that was TMI) but i cant help it. i deliberately steer away from TLC because they have all those darn baby shows, but sometimes ill watch like 5 in a row. im lame i know. we have talked about when we are going to start trying, and we both feel really good about our decision, but that gosh darn month is coming slower and slower every day. sometimes i stop and think "my mom went through this for 5 years. i can take it a few more months." seriously what is wrong with me. beau is being so patient with me. he just holds me and tells me that it will be my turn soon. he's so great about it. he will just let me say what i need to say, hug, cry and move on. i know, tell me im dumb, tell me im pathetic, tell me i need to get a grip, there are people WAY worse off then me, and i know, i tell myself everyday, and i told you that you wouldnt feel bad for me. but i just had to get it all out. so until i get what i want... im going to try to live by this quote...
"Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size. Be happy today. Be happy now… one thing I know for certain: the time we have here goes by far too quickly. don’t waste any more time sitting on the bench watching life pass you by.” -Joseph B. Wirthlin”
so for today, i am going to enjoy my full nights of sleep, enjoy my girlie lunches 4 times a week, watch 3 hours of tv, work when i feel like it, play when i feel like it, have no worries, buy things for my hubby just because i want to, take a nap, do a craft, and be happy being where i am in my life. or at least ill try.

christmas cards

these are a couple samples christmas cards that will come with the photography package i am doing. if you want a session in november please let me know soon!

ps, dont mind the pictures, i just threw some in there

hello november.

well i guess i should probably finish out october before i start november, so here it goes...

my CUTE step sister had her baby on Halloween morning! welcome to the world baby rocko!!

Halloween was way fun! we had a party at Ramsey and Shaunie's. for the most part, everyone was a pretty good sport about dressing up! i was pleasantly surprised!

i had a hard time huggin on beau with that wig on! CREEPER!

after we hung out at their house, we went fourwheeling and had a fire. it was cold! but we had fun!

after that a few of us went over to Taco Bell and got those free tacos and then went to the park to eat, which didnt last long, because we were freezing!!

ok so onto November. i love this month so much! heres why.

-beau and i started dating in november, this year it will be 4 years!! no way!... yes way.

- i ♥♥♥ thanksgiving!!

-its getting COLD!

-november is national adoption month. but ill save that for another post.

-i get to put up my christmas tree this month!! Ü

ok so now that you know why i love november... new subject. to fill my days, i have taken on a new project. im going to be making family home evening kits to sell. they come with...

-an outline of the family home evening, a scripture, a song, a lesson, a game, and a dessert recipe. (all games/pictures are black and white and ready for you to color.)

they will be super cheap! like $2-$6 depending on how much printing/time it took to put together. i have 3 packets done so far, and lots more in the works. the ones i have done are: The Creation ($3), Prophets($3), and Fasting ($3). let me know if you are interested, or have any special requests!

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

so proud

beau got a deer! yay!

what a handsome hunter he is!

Brian (beaus dad) also got a deer the day before!

his step brother Gary also got a deer, a HUGE buck, but i dont have any pictures of it!

finally!

so i finally got a photography blog going! i put a shoot that i did this week on it, so go check it out and let me know what you think! oh and ps. if you want to do the $40 christmas photo special, please let me know! i have a few weekends in november open. if you need a reminder of what it is... go here.

if ya havent heard, it's the deer hunt. beau took this whole week off, its been pretty fun when he has been home! we went to lunch at Main Street Cafe in hurricane (YUM) and just lounged around! Last friday we went to Pine valley, and got quite a few little visitors!

i think at one point there were like 22 deer in the backyard!!

oh and if you havent tried these yet, GO BUY THEM! they are SO good!

hopefully another post will follow shortly, with pictures of beau and a deer. but until then, this is all ya get!

if its not one thing, its something else!

so one of my cute blog friends described her day as a 'blah' day. oh do i know how she feels! really, i have no big problems, but its just like my days arent great, they arent horrible, they are just blah. now im not talking about weekends, i love those! but monday through thursday afternoon, i could do without. mostly i just sit home, no more working at the tanning salon (long story) and im only at the nail salon 2 days a week (trust me if i had more appointments i would be there a LOT more!) but the rest of the time, i just sit, clean, sit, nap, and sit. i know exactly what you are thinking "why is she complaining?" and i agree, i shouldn't complain! i don't WANT to work, and i am grateful that beau's income can support us on its own, but really? having nothing to do all day, gets old, fast! i know that one day when i have NO time for myself, i will look back and read this, and kick myself in the butt for not enjoying this time, but until then, im bored.

on the up side, i have the BEST hubby ever. hands down. i cant even imagine my life without him. what other guy would get up with you in the middle of the night, rub icy hot on your back, and sleep on the couch so you can sleep on the recliner to get some relief from pain. he's the best, i really cant say enough good things about him. he is the most selfless person i have ever met in my life. thanks for being so awesome babe!

ps. we officially started our christmas shopping! yeah!

conference weekend

so to start off, i am doing a little additional special for this week only, $5 off ANYTHING... INCLUDING SPECIALS!! that mean, a full set of nail for $30, gel toes for $10, pedicure AND manicure for $20, and so on! but it's only this week, so let me know!

and now onto the weekend! beau up and left me again on friday to go hunting, so i had a girls night with my momma! it was fun to have a little girlie time! we watched this movie...
little tip... NEVER watch this movie!! it is SO depressing! neither of us cried, we just sat there and looked at each other! dont get me wrong, it was a VERY good movie, but SO sad.
so then... we watched this to cheer us up! ps. it worked!
Saturday afternoon beau got home and we (sorta) had Dawn and Helaman over for dinner, i made chicken tortilla soup and it was SO yummy!!
i got the recipe off of lip smacking meals, this was the recipe (with my alterations in red)
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
1 Large can green enchilada sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes (i used crushed because beau doenst like tomato chunks)
2 teas. chicken bullion granules (i just added some chicken broth)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans (i used kidney because i ♥ them)
1 can corn (i dumped in the liquid with it)
2 Large frozen chicken breasts (i baked these first*see how i did it below)
a couple forks full of nacho jalapenos (maybe like 10-15 jalapeno slices, it depends on how spicy you like it) (i didnt add these, they dont agree with the hubbsters)
1 teas. cumin
1 teas. oregano
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 teas. garlic (in the jar)
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add everything to crockpot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Serve with tortilla chips (or fry your own tortilla strips), cheese, CILANTRO (a must), sour cream, or whatever you like.
okay so i didnt slow cook this, well, at least not for very long! i wrapped my chicken in foil and baked it for about 30 min at 400ish. i sauteed the onion and garlic, then i added all the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot. once the chicken was cool enough to handle i shredded it and added it into the soup, and just let it heat through. i had sour cream and avocado along with the tortilla strips (you HAVE to have those!) in mine, beau just had the tortilla strips.

this soup was SOOO good! beau isnt a fan of soup and he loved it too! next time i will put jalapenos in, it was spicy the first time we had it, but the leftovers are really mild. seriously TRY this soup!!

Sunday we watched Conference, then started to head up to Kolob to get our fourwheeler and listen to the second session (a new tradition). well... we got about 1/3 way there, and beau realized he forgot the keys to the property! yay! so we headed home with intentions of heading right back up! that didnt happen. i fell asleep as soon as we got back, so we stayed home for awhile. we watched the first 1/2 of the second session and i have to say Elder Hollands talk was my absolute favorite! loved it!! half way through we headed BACK up the mountain. i was SO excited to take pictures of the fall leaves! but mu luck, my camera died after like 2 pictures, so these are with my point and shoot camera. bummer huh.

it was an interesting kolob trip to say the least. but i wont go into it.

the weekend was short, but way fun! i was glad for the time i got to spend with my hubby, even though it didnt seem like much! but i have a whole weekend and a half before the next hunt! you'd better bet im going to take advantage of it!!

falling for you...

i LOVE fall. it's always been my absolute favorite time of the year, and i am SO glad that it has finally arrived!! Beau and I actually 'officially' started dating in fall, this fall we will have been together FOUR years!! crazy huh! but i seriously love everything about fall, the colors, the smells, EVERYTHING! it means the holidays are coming, which means DECORATING! also...

im so excited to wear these... this one is from old navy... and it is calling my name!

i cant wait to start making soups! beau will only eat soup when its cold, so i have gone without for a long time! this is what im making on sunday (chicken tortilla soup) to kick off the cold weather!

im WAY excited to look at these... and take pictures!

im ECSTATIC to start burning these...

and to SNUGGLE up in these...i cant wait to drink THIS every morning... and to eat this at EVERYONES house...

and to listen to THIS! this is my very favorite christmas CD ever! it brings back so many good memories of when i was little. if you like country and are looking for a GREAT CD, buy this one!! and YES i listen to christmas music in the fall!

i love everything about fall, it just seems so nostalgic to me, so many traditions, so much family around, it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!

who doesnt want to save a little $$?

so i have a few little deals for you...

from the salon:

-For the next few weeks i will be doing full sets of gel nails for $35!!

-Thursday mornings, i am doing pedicures for $15

-Gel Toes are $15 for a few more weeks!

-Book a manicure, and upgrade to a SPA manicure for FREE!

Also, i am starting to dabble in photography, and it's about time to get those family pictures taken for Christmas cards!! so here's my deal...
-1 to 2 hour session

-1 location

-10-15 edited images on a disc

-2 fully designed Christmas cards to choose from ready to print and send out!

For $40!

let me know if you are interested!!!

QUICK update.

i have a little time to blog! beau has 'homework', so i thought id catch up on the latest happenings!

i dyed my hair! yet again! its super dark this time but i LOVE it! thanks tere!!

Wednesday was scotties birthday! he is such an awesome little brother! im so lucky! we went to dinner at Paulas and then had cake and ice cream, sad to say, i didnt get many pictures. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!

(he saw the receipt for his present, so he had to ACT surprised)

this is a BAD pictures of me, but you can see how dark my hair is!

we went to the BYU game on Saturday!! it was actually REALLY fun!! except for the fact we had to park FOREVER away, and i got blisters from walking.

we had this cute girl again on thursday night. she is SO smiley!! love her!

this is beau doing his 'homework'. i ♥ this guy so much. he works SO hard for us. his job has been such a blessing! *update on his work- he is still working down at lake mead monday-thursday, they are doing irrigation right now, but are almost done with that, and then will move to another spot down there. he has built up quite the crew! they have a lot of fun down there together for the most part (sometimes i think a little too much fun! ;)) but it's not all fun and games! they have gotten more done than anyone thought they would!! im so proud of my babe!

sad news :( our big screen TV went out, so we are down to this! bummer huh!

ok thats all i have time for!

just call me slacker.

i used to be so good at this! ill try to do better i promise! here's a little update....

my mom, my aunt and i went to a Keith Urban concert! it was SO fun! definitely one of the best concerts I've ever been to! we were pretty excited to be there!

a couple of weekends ago we had our niece overnight! it was SOO SOO fun!! she was a DOLL! she only woke up twice, at two and at seven. and beau was even a sweetheart and let me take a nap the next day! he is going to be such a great daddy!

another reason why i love my hubby! he has been playing games with me so much lately! i love them, but he's never been much of a fan, but he loves ME so he plays!the other night we hung out with Dawn and Helaman. we went shooting out in Laverkin, it was LOUD! and the guy next to us had a machine gun!? weird! we love hanging out with them!
scottie went to his first formal dance! homecoming! he is such a stud! you would never guess he is my LITTLE brother!?
im SO excited, we had bow seat tickets to the BYU game this weekend! im not a huge football fan, but i like to go to games! (to be 100% honest im really excited to SHOP!!)

now for updates with no pictures...

• my new job is going really good! i like being able to set my own hours and work around my schedule.
• we no longer think beau is lactose intolerant, now we aren't sure what it is!?

hopefully this updates anyone who cares!!

oops, i did it again.

i started another 365 project. i needed something to make me get my camera out and play with it as much as possible. hopefully this will help!

http://stratton365.blogspot.com/

a good end, to a sad day...

So addison left on his mission yesterday. it was hard. i thought i had cried all that i could cry on sunday night when he got set apart, and i was doing really good at the airport, until he hugged me, and i lost it! he has honestly been more like a brother than a cousin, and its going to be hard going not having him around! i didnt take many pictures at the airport, 1. the lighting was really really bad, and 2. he was sick of pictures, which was understandable! anyways heres a few...

the night he was set apart

addison's stake president read from D&C section 33 the night he got set apart, i loved that section and thought it fit this picture perfectly! sorry, i dont think you can enlarge it, but it says,

" 3. For behold, the field is white already to harvest; and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard."6. And even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice.
7. Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.
this picture makes my cry! these guys have been so close! pretty soon its going to be scotts turn!!

i cant believe add is on a mission. it came SO fast. im going to miss him a ton, but i am so proud of him! love you addy-poo!

okay so onto the happier part of the day!! Beau took me on a date night last night! it was SO much fun! we got snow cones, and then drove out to the place that he proposed (overlooking sand hallow) and we went for a fourwheeler ride, took pictures, and watched the sunset! all on a tuesday night!! just when i think we are boring married people, he takes me out to do stuff like this and i fall in love all over again! thanks for the great night babe! i love you!

the sunset was BEAUTIFUL!

ok so totally off the subject... my new favorite lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer, or anything, is veggie pizza!! oh yum! im pretty sure that everyone on the planet has eaten it, but just in case... heres my version!

press 1 can (i use 1/2 can if it's just me) of crescent rolls flat onto a cookie sheet and cook until golden brown and crisp. (like 11 minutesish) set it aside and let it cool. Mix 1/2 block of cream cheese with some (i have no idea how much, i just do it to taste!) dry ranch mix. chop whatever veggies you want, i like carrots, olives, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, and ham, but use whatever, ive put lots of variations on mine and i ALWAYS love it! one the crescent rolls have cooled spread cream cheese mixture on top and throw on your veggies! YUM YUM YUM!!!! i could eat this every day! and i use fat free crescent rolls and reduced fat cream cheese, so its pretty healthy!

fo-to-shop

ill tell you one thing.... having beau gone hunting sure does leave a lot of time for playing with photoshop! it's been a lot of fun!