All Hallow's Eve

This year's Halloween was SOO much fun! Jess' sister Tammy threw another awesome party and it ended up being such a fun night!

Jess and I went as pirates... and Jess totally took the cake for having the better costume! Notice his missing leg in the picture below. He is quite creative!!

We played a bunch of fun games with other couples, like bobbing for apples and the donut race!Classic Halloween party games!

Jess's sister Tammy and hubby Mike as Fred & Wilma Flintstone

Jess's sister Karlee and her boyfriend Conner as sailors

Jess's sister Jill and her date as.... 80's aerobics girl and afro-man?!

I've never been good at the donut game... Jess had me beat at this by a long shot! But it's fun to play right?!

Jess getting ready to bob for apples!

Group picture! Thanks everyone for the fun night :)

Trials

Trials come in all different shapes and sizes but the one thing that all of us have in common in relation to trials is that we all have to experience them at some point or another in our lives. We all handle trials differently - some big and overwhelming, and some small and quite manageable. I have had my fair share of trials, believe you me, but nothing like the sweet Sullenger family has experienced. I have been following Patrick and Ashley's blog for a few months now and every time I read a new entry from Ashley, I am overwhelmed with tears and my testimony is strengthened. This young family lost their one year old little girl in a drowning accident this past July - and thankfully Ashley has blogged about her experiences and has willingly shared them with many strangers, myself included.

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/2010/09/answers.html


The link above is one of my favorite posts from Ashley. It's about trials and looking at them from a different point of view. No matter what you are going through, there is something good that can come from it. I truly believe this. Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers - not always in the time or way we want, but He answers them perfectly - the way He knows we need them answered... for us to grow.

I encourage each of you to read the link I shared, and if you are interested in following Patrick and Ashley's blog, I have added their blog button to my sidebar along the right-hand side towards the top.

The Miracle of Forgiveness

What a Christ-like man. I walk away in awe every time I watch this. I hope each of you take the time to view this video - it will change your whole perspective on life.

Summer slow-down!!

I feel like I have been procrastinating lately, and the reason I feel this way is because I am digging my heels in the ground as I see summer come to a close. I do not want summer to end, it seems like it just barely got here. So lately we have been trying to hurry and do all the summer activities we wanted to this year - in a few weeks worth of time.
The first weekend in August, we celebrated my 23rd birthday. Jess surprised me by taking me camping up by Causey Dam and we went canoeing, four-wheeling, and stayed in a really nice RV camper. It was so much fun! I hadn't been canoeing in YEARS and we had a nice time out on the water. We even brought our dog Harli along and let her ride in the canoe with us! That was an adventure for sure! She kept wanting to jump out of the canoe to swim and nearly tipped us over almost every time!

I had a little meltdown episode when we were canoeing and I had every reason to have a meltdown when you see two of these predators (see pic above) right along the banks of the dam as you are paddling merely along in your canoe. Jess and I were minding our own business, rowing and singing, (ok maybe not singing... but having fun) when all of a sudden we hear rattlers close by. We look to our left, and there are two RATTLESNAKES along the side of the dam, right by us! So Jess comes up with this BRILLIANT idea to paddle over next to them and get some close-up pictures! I was actually fine and dandy with that, as long as I stayed in the canoe and the snakes stayed on the rocks. Well, being the bright-minded boy that Jess is, he decides it would be a good idea to try and kill the snakes with the wooden paddle he had in his hand. Of course this idea made me freak out because that would mean we would be taking a chance at the snake NOT dieing and it quite possibly getting into our canoe while it was still alive! YIKES! Needless to say, I started paddling as fast as I could to get the heck out of there! But we did have some pretty cool pictures of these two snakes fighting to remember this special moment =)

We also saw some wildlife while on our camp out. One night there was a really bad rain storm and a baby moose came right up by our camper to drink some water. It was pretty exciting to see a moose that close up!

Jess and our crazy A.D.D. dog.

Then the 3rd night we were there, Jess' brother, his wife, and kids came up to play with us! I promised Steph I would add this picture on my blog...she is one of my very favorite people =)

On my actual birthday DAY, Jess took me to Park City to ride the zip line and go shopping at the outlet malls. He is so wonderful, he is my best friend and we always have so much fun together.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I am SOOO not ready for summer to leave us. I still have a few fun items to check off my list... so I better get off the computer and go enjoy the warm weather while it's still here!

Funny Monday's

Have a fun-filled week everyone!

Pioneer Trek

A few months ago, our Bishop asked Jess and I if we would be a Ma and Pa for the Stake Pioneer Trek, and even though we are young enough that we still look like we could be in Mutual - we said YES OF COURSE! It was weird at first because it seems like only yesterday I went on a trek as a young woman - but I had such a good time with my hubby and we got to practice our parenting skills on 8 little hool-i-gans!

The picture above is "our little family." We had four girls, four boys, and a little boy doll that was our baby on the trek. It was SUPER HOT outside, and the trek was up at Hardware Ranch in Logan, UT where there was hardly any shade and temps reaching 100*. We had a few "misfortunes" on the trek.... But that didn't stop our family from having the best time laughing and gaining stronger testimonies together. I had a really neat experience on the Women's Pull that made me appreciate the sacrifices the pioneers made on our behalf so that we can enjoy the blessings of the gospel and temples today.

Mile High City!

A few weeks ago, I had to travel to Denver for a training conference for my work. Somehow I talked Jess into tagging along with me, so we made the LONG 8-hour drive out there and made a little vacation out of it!

We did lots of sight-seeing and even went and did a session at the LDS temple in Denver.

On the way home from Denver, we took the long scenic route, which made our trip pretty fun! We went through Veil, CO; Grand Junction, CO; then down through Green River, UT; and made a stop in Manti to see our favorite temple and watch the Manti pageant with my cousins.

All in all - we had a great time together.... especially because the trip was FREE! =)

Motivation

"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, "Oh crap - she's up!"

Never forget who you are.

Funny Monday's

It's only Monday... and I'm ready for a Friday! Hope everyone has a great 4th of July this coming weekend!!

IF...

If I was a season... I'd be summer.

If I was a peice of furniture... I'd be a porch swing.

If I was a country... I'd be Scotland.

If I was a food... I'd be a raspberry.

If I was a flower... I'd be a daisy.

If I was a song... I'd be American Honey, by Lady A.

If I was an instrument... I'd be an acoustic guitar.

If I was a color... I'd be purple.

If I was a letter... I'd be a love letter.

If I was a book... I'd be The Time Traveler's Wife.

If I was a time of day... I'd be dusk.

If I was a drink... I'd be apple cider.

If I was a holiday... I'd be the 4th of July.

If I was a store... I'd be a consignment shop.

If I was a word... I'd be golden.

If I was a person... I'd be me.

If I could know the future... I'd want to see my posterity.

If you could be anything... what would you be?

Funny Monday's

This should help everyone to have a great week! Stay positive!

BUMMER SUMMER!

I really CANNOT wait for the warm weather to get here! It seems like as soon as I start to get excited about summer FINALLY being here, or right after I go wash my car, it pours rain! Summer is my most favoritest time of year... and I hope we get some sunny days our way SOON!!! I love summer because...

Rootbeer & Banana Popsicles

Drive-Inn movies

Taking Harli for walks

Swimming

Laying Out

Fireworks

Camping

Hiking

Boating

The smell of fresh cut grass

Leaving my windows open

Fresh tomatoes from our garden

Otter Pops

Dirt Bike rides with Jess

Corn on the cob... umm...

Wearing Shorts

4th of July

Roasting Marshmallows

Baseball Games

Wearing Flipflops

Driving with the windows down

Shopping for swimsuits

BBQ's

My birthday... of course!

Sunsets

Water fights

I wish I could have summer ALL YEAR LONG!

Funny Monday's!

Happy Funny Monday's! Have a great week!

"Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday."

My heart still skips a beat every time I see this handsome man... and today marks our two year wedding anniversary! My-oh-my how the days are flying - crazy how fast time goes!! I know that having Jess in my life is one of the greatest blessings I will ever receive and I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to be with Jess forever. Here's just a few reasons I am in love with Mr. Jess Dickson:
* He is the reason my heart smiles
* He plans for our future very wisely, yet he somehow still knows how to live in the moment
* He is so confident and positive about life
* Jess has always been very self-motivated and energetic
* I feel so safe with him
* Even if our conversations are only interesting to me - he still listens and shows that he cares because it is important to me
* He is the peacemaker in our home
* He can say something so simple that brings the biggest grin to my face
* The way our minds think alike so often - sometimes it freaks me out =)
* He is a gentleman to me - always opening doors for me and putting me first. I love how we always sit next to eachother at restaurants, instead of across from one another
* He is my BEST friend! I would rather be spending time with him over doing anything else in the world
* The way he makes up his own funny lyrics to songs on the radio
* How my hand fits right into his
* I love that after being together for six years now, I am growing more and more in love with him as the days pass

Happy 2 year Anniversary Lover.... thank you for your amazingness.... if that is even a word.

Scripture Power!

Funny Monday's!

Funny Monday's is BACK!!!!! Hope this brings a smile to your face =)

Vote for Ty Ty!

My nephew Titan has been entered into a baby contest by his mommy, and if they win, they get a year's supply of diapers, formula, etc. and a nursery from Babinski's! PLEASE PLEASE help my little sister out, and take just 2 minutes to stop by the link below and vote for Titan! Many of you may know, my sister is going through a very tough time right now, with some life-changing events and could really use these baby products!

http://www.971zht.com/pages/babyidol10/


After clicking on the link, click on the "VOTE NOW" button and if you don't want to scroll through all 700 entries, you can choose # 338 and enter your email address and submit. If you have a few extra minutes, the website counts one vote per email address. So if you have more than one email address, the more votes the better! THANK YOU EVERYONE IN ADVANCE!
... Don't you just want to smooch those little cheeks of his, goodness I love this little boy!

Long time - No see!

Wow! It's been awhile since I've been in the blogging world -but I'm here to update all my friends and family on what Jess and I have been up to over the last couple of months! We have been so busy - but thankfully, still managed to make time for one another aside from work, school, and all the other chores in life! During the cold months, we found plenty of time to do a few of our favorite things... snowshoeing and ice fishing of course!!!
Jess surprised me back in February (yes he did something for ME during his birthday month!) and took me snowshoeing. That wasn't the surprise part -duh - because I knew we were going. But I had packed a lunch together for us and so about half-way into our hike up the mountain we decided to stop and eat our lunches. Well Jess had brought along an extra backpack that I didn't think enough to ask him what was in it. So while we were eating the sandwiches and snacks that I had brought for us, Jess whips out his backpack full of cut-up fruit and chocolate, a thermos, and a pan to heat the chocolate up on - and we had a little fondue dessert up on the mountain; it was so thoughtful of him! He always has something new up his sleeve, I just love him!

(please try to contain your laughter from this awful picture of me, I know I look so stylin', but I had been riding in a car for ...um let's see... 6 hours straight... before this picture was taken)..
I'm not a big fan of winter (OK, I hate the winter) but this year I tried extra hard to find the beauty of the outdoors, even during the below zero temperatures. Jess and I took a trip down to my cousin Nate's house and went ice fishing with him and two of his boys - Ty and Graycen. It was a blast!!! We had to wake up at 3am to drive down to Nate's house (in Spanish Fork Canyon) and then drive another 3 hours to get to Fish Lake... but it was so worth it because we caught over 30 fish in our day trip down there!

This is Jess and my cousin's son Ty. These boys adore Jess!

Graycen caught more fish than anyone else there! NO joke - this kid would catch a fish, then put his line back into his fishing hole, and within 30 seconds or less, he would have another bite!

This was mine and Jess' catch for the day... not too shabby!

Then it was Jess' birthday on the 26th of February, he turned the big 2-5! I wanted to make it extra special since he was turning a quarter of a century old. I may have gone a little overboard on the whole present thing, but I don't care because we had a great weekend for his birthday. I had a present in each of these bags for him that spelled out HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Some of them were small little gifts like a homemade coupon for a free footrub from his sweet wifey, a DVD, or a hunting t-shirt. Then some of the other gifts were bigger and more exciting, like a night stay at the Alaskan Inn on the night of his b-day, two lower-bowl Jazz tickets for that weekend, and a couples massage.

For Christmas, I had given Jess front row tickets to see Brian Regan! On March 12, we were able to see him perform at Abravanel Hall in SLC. We had SOOO much fun together, we were laughing 'til our cheeks and stomachs hurt from laughing for almost two hours straight! We couldn't get a picture of him because they wouldn't allow cameras, but we both got to shake his hand afterward which was pretty cool!

Then - a few days later, we celebrated my little sister Matti's SWEET 16th birthday! I can't believe my baby sister is old enough to date and drive! It seems like I just barely got my license and that was almost 7 years ago, holy cow I'm gettin' old!!

The following weekend, McKinli, my mom and I were able to go to Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan in concert in Salt Lake. (Matti went to the concert too, but she had tickets with one of her friends). Kinli, me and my mom had 2nd row tickets and we had tons of fun together! We ate at Crown Burger beforehand and had so much fun dancing, singing along, and watching crazy drunk people during the concert! Such good memories were made =)

That's a wrap-up of what we've been up to lately. I'll try and be a bit more devoted to this blog. Only two more weeks of going to school 4 nights a week! So after that I may have a little more free time to update all of you on the going-on's of our lives... until then, enjoy the warm weather... summer is almost here and I can hardly wait!

The Blessings of the Temple

At a recent visit to the temple last week, I had some experiences that strengthened my testimony beyond description. I felt the impression to post this to my blog, for anyone who desires to go to the temple or hasn't been in awhile. Going to the temple has helped our small family bring the spirit of the Lord into our home and I am so grateful that we have the blessing of having a temple so close.

Dickson's at their finest

Here's the latest and greatest, Dickson family photos. Jess' cousin Natalie took these pictures for the whole fam right before Christmas. Here's a few and if you were wondering, yes Jess has a big family. Ten kids to be exact, plus spouses and 7 grandkids and 2 on the way.

the girls.

the boys.

Triple the Funny Monday's!

OK I know I have been THE WORST at posting my Funny Monday's the last few weeks, I promise I am working on that. In the meantime, here are 3 funny clips to get you through the remainder of the week. First two are of my sweet nephew Ty, he would make the noise only when someone would put their hand by his mouth - he is so funny! Off camera, he kept trying to figure out how to do it himself, he would put his hand up by his mouth and make the noise! He's one smart kid! Have a great week!!!

Isn't my nephew precious? I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! =) This video makes me miss him...

I'm posting this because I had a blonde moment last night while cooking. It's almost too embarrassing to admit. I was in a hurry to get dinner in the oven before Jess got home and I was making chicken enchiladas. Long story short, five minutes before I had to take the dish out of the oven, I realized I had forgotten to add an ingredient - the chicken! haha - made for a very interesting dinner last night, and a great memory of Jess and I laughing together that we can share =) Jess and I are going to see Brian Regan in March, FRONT ROW baby! Can't wait!

December in a Nutshell

Wow! Haven't been in the blogging world for awhile now! Sorry friends! December was a definite run around for the little Dickson family. We tried playing the 25 days of Christmas game last month... but it just didn't work out. It has been nice to spend so much time together lately being that I took a break from school for one semester to try and enjoy life for a breath or two... but I start back up to school on Feb. 3rd and I'll be tied down with that 4 nights a week, plus an online class! So my schedule will be booked! But don't worry - if you were hoping to book a photo shoot with me sometime in the near future - I have plenty of minutes and weekends I can squeeze time in for those - they are what make me tick! Here's our fun Christmas month in a hunch:

Every year for the past four years now, my sisters, my mom, and I have gone to the Forgotten Carols together. Last year McKinli and I had our hubby's tag along, but it has always been a favorite tradition of mine. Not to mention my mom gets us front row tickets every year! If you haven't been before - I totally recommend it! This play really gets you into the Christmas spirit and helps to remind you of the whole meaning behind Christmas.

(I know I have the weirdest look in this pic, I think Jess was stepping on my boots when this picture was snapped! ha!) Jess and I went to a Low-Dough Christmas show with our friends Jessica and Dan who invited us. It was at the Energy Solutions arena and Phil Vassar, Bomshel, and Bucky Covington entertained us for the night. We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!! Phil Vassar is a great entertainer, I'm not entirely a fan of Bucky Covington, but the Bomshel girls were amazing - they have got some serious talent! And did I mention we had 3rd row from the stage.... so dang fun!!!

Bomshel Ladies

Bucky (who looks like a lady. Seriously, for all you Bucky fans out there, he is one weird duck.)

And then there's the wonderful Phil Vassar! Even if you're not a country fan, I'm positive that every one of you knows one of his songs. He's written many songs for artists like Phil Collins and Tim McGraw. And yes - he is standing on top of his zebra-print piano - he was so fun to watch!

We also made Gingerbread houses with our good friends Brandon and Jen - two years now we've done this with them and it's so much fun with those two! (yes that is me WATCHING Jess make our house, he was very..... meticulous... about how we made the siding... I guess its a guy-thing)

We also went to lots of fun Christmas parties with our families but I failed to take pictures at all of them. We spent Christmas Eve with my mom and sisters, Christmas morning just the two of us, Christmas Day with Jess' family, and the day after Christmas with my dad's family. All in all - December treated us well. I got Jess some front row tickets to Brian Regan (comedian who I always post Funny Monday's from) and I took him on a fun little get-away the weekend after Christmas to Lava Hot Springs. Jess got me some fun excerise equipment (don't worry ladies, I asked him for it) and some Chaoco sandles! We hope everyone had a Happy Holiday season! BRING ON THE FUN MEMORIES in 2010!