Christmas in Utah

Billy and I had the opportunity to go home for Christmas! It was nothing short of completely wonderful. It was so great to see family again and be with everyone. We knew we missed family and Utah but we didn't realize exactly how much until we got there and had to leave again. Our trip consisted of spending time with family, going to Cafe Rio, In 'N Out, and La Frontera. I was lucky enough to fly out late on December 17th and return on December 31st. Billy could only get a few days off work due to a deadline they had to meet at work so he decided to fly out late on December 21st and had to go back on December 27th.

It was quite the ordeal getting Billy to Utah. His flight was booked for the 21st because his manager told him that she couldn't approve more than two days (aside from Christmas Eve and Christmas) off. Something then happened in his job and he got a different manager. About three days before he left his manager told him that if he wanted to take Monday (the 21st) off, he could. We were so excited!! If he could take Monday off, that meant that he could come on Friday night and spend the whole weekend there! Well, we tried to change his flight and it was $400 just to change it!! We were so mad! We decided not to do that. We thought that on Monday, he could go to the airport early and be on standby for an earlier flight. Long story short, no flights were available. He waited all day and it was completely absurd. Once he finally was boarding is original flight they scanned his ticket and the lady looked at him and said "You were on standby for an earlier flight, right?" Billy told her that he was but he left before he got on a flight. She then proceeded to tell him that his ticket showed that he boarded the earlier flight. How on earth can that happen when his ticket was never scanned?! Anyway, she then tells him that they gave away his seat on this flight!! She luckily worked her magic and got him on the flight but wow it was close! He finally got to Utah Monday night and got to spend the week there. Yay! Flying at Christmas time is nuts!!

I got to spend the first few days with my family before Billy got there and then Billy and I got to spend some time with his family as well once he got in town. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas afternoon with the Oslunds and Christmas morning and evening with my family. We were so mad because we never remembered our camera when we were at the Oslund's so we didn't have the chance to take one picture! All in all, We had a great time with the Oslunds and we both want to thank Russ, Peggy, & Pa for everything they did for us. They were so generous and we really enjoyed spending so much time with them. Here are some pictures of our trip.

My cute Dad!

We had an AWESOME murder mystery dinner with all of the adults in my family and this is all the girls.

This is all the boys minus Billy. :( He hadn't gotten in that night yet.

It was Billy's birthday on the 17th so when he got to Utah, we celebrated for a bit with my parents. Thanks for the present Mom and Dad... he LOVES it!!

This was taken at our family Christmas party we have every year. Santa made his long trek out and we had a wonderful time! This is Cor's fam.

Cade! He cracks me up! We were getting pretty rough while we were playing and I had to snap a quick picture when I saw his hair like this and his mouth stuffed with food!

Cute Garrett! Gotta love that stinkin smile! Garrett turned 2 while I was home and I got to help Marny with the party. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I don't have them on my computer yet. It was a tractor themed party and we had the best time! Garrett LOVES tractors and it was so fun to see him get excited about his tractor cake and presents. He's such a babe!

Cute Marn and me.

Phillip, Bub, and Billy at the family Christmas party.

This is when we went up to the Park City Olympic Park. This picture is priceless!

My two nieces and one nephew wanted to get in the bobsled for a picture. It was so fun!!

My Mom, Dad, and I all stayed in Park City practically all day. Then Cor and three of his kids joined us for the aerial skiers later in the evening. It had to have been 2 degrees outside. We were absolutely frozen so the girls and I decided to go check and see if the bathroom was warm and it sure was! We soaked our hands in warm water for a good five minutes! We had the best time up there! After this, we went to dinner and got pizza. It was, quite possibly, the best pizza I've ever eaten. Thanks Dad!!

My girls. :)

Cute Mom and Dad!

I LOVE this picture! It's my favorite one I took while I was home. My parents are babes. :)

Mom, Dad, and I all watched the high jumpers ski down the big jump in Park City for quite a while. It was insane! These guys have guts! I could never ski down that thing. It was awesome to watch the Olympic team practice. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking me up there with you, I'm so glad we went. It really was the funnest day.

And finally, on the night before I left, my mom and I spent a good hour or two making chapstick! She's a pro because she's done it so much with the Young Women but it was so much fun! We made a total of 38 and she let me take them all home with me! Thanks Mom for the funnest activity!!

I just want to thank my family for the most amazing trip. It was so much fun to spend time with them and be back home. I love Houston and living out of the state is a great experience but it was unbelievable to go back home and spend time with our families. There really is nothing like home. We had a wonderful Christmas with everyone. The spirit of Christmas is so much stronger for me in Utah, probably because of the snow, but I loved every minute of it. I was so sad Billy couldn't stay longer but I am extremely grateful for the time he did get there. It was wonderful to get to see so much of my parents. I have really missed being with them. There is nothing better in the world than having your whole family with you, all together. It was nothing short of incredible! Thanks again Mom and Dad for everything! I love you so much!!

Thanksgiving 2009

This year Billy and I decided to stay in Houston and make Thanksgiving dinner ourselves. It was quite the adventure! We invited Dustin and his family over and we all had a wonderful time. Billy and I spent most of Wednesday and all of Thursday cooking. We had turkey, yams, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, orange rolls, regular rolls, and different kinds of pie, and a whole lot more. Lets just say there was more food than was needed. As a 'Thank You' to all of the employees at my work, they gave everyone a free turkey so I didn't have to buy one. That was awesome! Billy and I had quite the time gutting the turkey and cooking it. The thermometer that came in the turkey was actually broken so we ended up cooking the turkey for 5 long hours when it was supposed to be done after 3 and a half hours. Luckily, the turkey wasn't dry at all and was extremely delicious. I had a really good time planning everything out but I was completely shocked at how much work actually goes into cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. I was exhausted after two days of nothing but cooking.

I set the table with a wrapped carameled apple, two pilgrim hats made from fudge cookies and peanut butter cups, and individually placed name tags.

The finished product... without the food.

The turkey before being put in the oven.

Billy gutting the turkey. We didn't know if one part of the neck should come out or not and this is when we were fiddling with it.

These are our really good friends, the Elders. Elder Bernfeld is on the far left and Elder Phelps is in the middle. They are both going to be returning back to Utah after their missions. We have these Elders in our home once a week and we really have become such good friends with them. They are both a riot and so fun to be around. We have the great opportunity to serve with them as ward missionaries so that makes it extra fun.

This is the best part of the post. I for sure know now that prayers are really answered. ;) Houston got SNOW!! I think the Lord knew that I was homesick so he sent some flurries my way. In downtown Houston there were places that got as much as 3 inches! It was hysterical to see this town when snow hits. They automatically panic and think everything needs to shut down. When I say everything, I mean everything. If you notice, the ground is wet, not masked with snow. As soon as the snow hit the ground in The Woodlands (where we live) it melted. School was cancelled. I found myself seriously wishing as a child in Utah that school would have been cancelled at even the threat of snow... It was a magnificent sight. Billy and I loved every minute of it!

BYU vs. Utah 2009

26 - 23 BYU. Way to be boys. We're proud to be cougars!

Three!

What significance does the number three have? Well... I'll tell you! I'm SO excited! My family is expecting THREE more grandbabies!!!! This will make a total of 13 for my family! My cute sister, Marny, is pregnant with a baby boy, due at the end of March. My sister-in-law Meggan is pregnant with a baby boy, due at the beginning of May. My other sister-in-law, Shannon, is pregnant, due at the beginning of June. CRAZY! I am so excited for these little babies, I can't even tell you! This will be my sister's 2nd boy and I couldn't be more excited! She's 24 weeks and barely has a baby bump. :) I'm so excited for you girls and can't wait to see the little ones when they get here!!

Baby Jed

Lucky for us, we get to enjoy an addition to the Oslund family! Billy's brother and family, had a baby boy on October 28th, 2009. He weighed 6 lbs 10 oz and is so cute! It's crazy for me because I've never held a baby this tiny! He's so little but so much fun to be with! He's so happy and just stares at you the whole time you hold him. I loved watching Billy hold his new nephew. It's always fun for me to see him like that. Dustin and family named him Jedediah Samuel Oslund. They'll be calling him Jed for short. So cute! Congrats Dustin and Tara! We're so excited for you and we love this little guy!

Sorry for the blurry picture. It was taken on Billy's iPhone because I left the camera at home. This is David, Jed, and Christopher. These two boys are extremely happy to have a baby brother and they love him so much!

My cute hubby holding baby Jed for the first time. What a stinkin cutie! Ü

Soon...

I want to go to Austin. Badly.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Yesterday I was home alone for about two and a half hours after work so I decided to make some homemade pumpkin bread. I was pretty nervous because I've never actually made real bread. Real bread meaning it uses yeast. I am a regular with banana nut bread or zucchini bread but those don't require yeast. Anyway, after a long, extremely messy, but fun hour or two, out pops my bread! Here is the finished result and I must add that it was incredibly delicious!

The swirl in the bread consists of brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Here is the recipe!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

1-1/2 cups warm water (120° to 130°)

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup canola oil2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup raisins (I omitted these)

FILLING:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar and yeast. Beat in the warm water, pumpkin, applesauce and oil just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a firm dough. Add raisins.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 18-in. x 9-in. rectangle; brush with butter to within 1/2 in. of edges. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal.

Place seam side down in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).