He did it again!!!

Until I met Matt, I didn't think anyone could ever pull off any kind of surprise for me before I'd figure it out...or at least PART of it...which was kind of a bummer since i LIKE surprises! BUT, then Matt came along! He has surprised me many times, and he did it again a couple nights ago.

I THOUGHT that my boss changed my work schedule for the day so that a co-worker could go to an appointment. It wasn't until I got home from work that the truth was revealed...matt had schemed ahead of time so that I could get off of work early for a whole evening of fun!

FIRST, I opened the front door to my HANDSOME man dressed in a new black button-up shirt (WOW! if you know matt, clothes don't matter that much to him...they are simply functional). So before i knew anything else about the night, I was bedazzled by this amazing looking man that was MY HUSBAND!!!

THEN, I saw behind him a transformed living room and smelled something in the air that HAD to be GOOD!! Matt had created the atmosphere and made a FABULOUS dinner!!!

NEXT, I dressed up a bit and we drove to Sacramento for the BIG surprise!
A JIM BRICKMAN concert! Jim is an amazing piano player! We used a couple of his songs in our wedding, and his music has also brought much rest to my brain and soul in times of unrest, anxiety and depression that I've faced. So this was a meaningful and amazing gift to me!
The concert was beautiful! More than anything, though, I felt so filled and blessed by my man who took so much of his own money, time and energy to show his love. I am thankful! Words can't express!!
Here's the capital from the top of the parking garage down the street from the theater.

THANK YOU MATT. I LOVE YOU.

Weekend with my SISTER!!!

Cindy came this last weekend!!! We had a fabulous time together! We went to the Folsom zoo...YES, Folsom has a zoo! It was small but fun! The animals have all been rescued from bad situations. My favorites as always were the tigers...and i really liked these birds! They are HUGE and live 60 or so years! AMAZING colors and fun to watch!

Of course I showed her around our new home town...to the lake, the Folsom Prison (yes, the one in the Johnny Cash song), the historic area, etc. We had a sister date at Mimi's restaurant, went in the hot tub, and she showed me and matt all kinds of pictures from her trip last summer through Greece, Turkey, etc. SO much fun!

I LOVE my sister and THROUGHLY enjoyed spending time with her. I'm so thankful for a sister who is a friend...to walk through life with, learn together, and keep growing as God leads us. Thanks for coming Cindy!!!

I was curious to find out if people would still think we look alike. In high school they all thought we were twins. Sure enough...co-workers, a waitress and people at church asked, "are you twins?" I LIKE looking like my sister! kinda fun!

Winter in Tahoe

When Alison and Alastair were here, we all, and DadO, drove up to Tahoe for a day! It's the second time I've been there but the first time I've seen it in winter...and I prefer winter! It's beautiful!

just curious

does anyone read this other than my mom? and a few other family members? i'm just curious who i'm posting to. :)

and whoever you are...please be praying for me as winter continues on. the rain and clouds are far less here than in portland(THANK GOD), but these last few weeks have really effected me emotionally since the sun hasn't shown itself in a while. I have S.A.D. and it is no fun. I'm SOOoooooo thankful that the sun DID come out for the last two days! It has helped more than you can imagine. I'm making lots of choices that help me stay healthy, but some days i just feel unusually low. Thank you for praying. Much Love.

Friends

spending time during the holidays with some of matt and alison's friends from high school days.

we got to see the OLSONS!!!

Last month the Olsons were on there way to Disneyland...so lucky us, we got to meet up for dinner and a great visit! These guys are family to me and i love and miss them so much! It was a huge blessing to get to hang out even for just a couple hours!

....more catch up stories and pictures to come soon! :)

Christmas Fun

A few memories from Christmas...

We decorated cookies with everyone at Matt's sis and bro-in-law's...and i thought matt's decorating skills were the best. Can you guess what this first one is?? answer at end of post! :)

this was my favorite!!! makes you wanna smile, huh!?

Christmas morning was beautiful outside! We had Matt's mom, dad, and other sister and bro-in-law, who were here from England, over for brunch!

My favorite part of the morning was sitting in the sun talking to my family who were enjoying their Christmas morning at my sister's apartment in Portland!

Cookin' up some fabulous eggs beni. and french toast! YUM!!! Good memories!

Cookie Answer: The Star Trek Enterprise flying over earth! oh yes, we are officially more Trekkie than ever! :) The Next Generation to be exact! :)