Bowling and blocking

This holiday season has been crazy. Over Christmas break, Jared, Jen and Tanner were here and on one of the days I had off, we met my whole family (that is, those who were in Utah) halfway and ate some yummy Pei Wei and went bowling! It was so much fun. We played boys against girls. The boys won ... but I am proud to say I beat Colby. By one point! It was great to get to know Tanner a little better ... what a cutie!
On New Years Day Colby's brother Seth and his wife Amanda flew in from South Carolina. Over the weekend we got to spend some quality Neville family time. When our planned hike didn't work out, we made the best of it - We watched movies, ate Cafe Rio, played Nertz and Apples to Apples, and I convinced them to craft (with my criquet which was a surprise for Christmas ... I love it mom!). It was a great weekend, and here are the results:I originally made these blocks as a housewarming gift for the NevillesAnikka's new last name ... as of this Thursday. Kerri's cute Valentine blocksSeth and Amanda's blocks!And, of course, Mckenna's blocks. We really love the bright papers!

It is so great to spend time with family and catch up with those we rarely get to see :) We missed the rest of the Jackson clan, but are excited to see them this summer. We are also excited for Anikka and Andrew to get married this thursday!

From the mouths of babes

Now that I work with kids, it seems that at least one thing every day makes me want to die laughing. Today I had one little girl on such a roll that I just HAD to write them down. Just so you get the picture, this girl is 4, with a halo of golden curls, big blue eyes, bright pink coverall snow pants, and about 100 pounds of attitude. When I correctly guessed her name (thanks to the office computer) she stared at me in shock and said “I’ve never even come to here before!” I replied that I was magic. Later on I had to remind her of my magical abilities and she stopped midsentence, her eyes widened with understanding and she replied,

“Oh Ya! You can see me... But Santa can see me more.”

Other quotes from her (that probably only I will find funny) include:

“Once you have the dentist toothpaste you can’t eat for like a zillion minutes. Like 5!”

“My brother is 11. And he could kill somebody”

“I have an anchor in my mouth!” (said with her tongue pushing against her front lower lip … she meant she had a canker)

Me after a comment about how her alligator toothbrush smelled like grapes: “Do you think all alligators smell like grapes?” Her: “No. They smell like poop.”

“I’m going to bite your butt!!!” (luckily she did not succeed;)

Anyway I hope some of those made you laugh, because for the full 2 hours she was in the office, she had me in stitches.

The Burning Beddy Buddy

My Beddy Buddy was a Christmas present, and came all the way from Germany. It is an fluffy little puppy that can be heated up in the microwave to keep you warm. Last night upon arrival in Logan my toes went numb and in an effort to warm them up I plopped him in the microwave. He caught fire. I screamed. Unfortunately I hadn't realized that he didn't originally come with the cute ribbon on his neck (I mean, who sells a microwavable puppy with a combustible ribbon?), and the metal combined with the microwave resulted in flames. In a twists of severe irony our fire alarm, which usually goes off with the steam from the shower did not even sputter. I had to put out the flames by blowing. After a few very distraught moments I decided to fix him up. Doing my surgeon father proud, I cut away the burned fur and "skin" and sewed him up. Now he is good as new ... besides the stitches and hair cut and the few singed furs that remain. Luckily, we now know what to name him. Smoky.

Living the High Life

On Saturday night, we got the opportunity of a lifetime - front row jazz tickets, centercourt! We love the Jazz so we were super excited about the game.It was amazing!!!!!!!!! My dad was given the tickets as a gift, as well as some on the 3rd row beneath the basket. We invited Colby's Dad to come along and we switched seats with Ry Becca and my parents at halftime. It was so great! The game was awesome - Go Jazz!. One of my favorite conversations from the night:

Colby:
"I could make Sports Center if I went and tackled a player right now"
Me:
"Which one would you pick?"
Colby:
" Well ... I might as well go for Kobe"
Me:
"Ya ... I'd love to see you try to tackle Odem"

These men are huge! I gained a whole new respect for how large they are. What amazing athletes!







We were so close to Deron, Boozer, and Kobe! I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!

I heart shopping

I LOVE to shop. It is genetic. It is also something I like to do whenever I am feeling down, stressed, or just grumpy. So, yesterday night I actually got Colby to come with me and we went shopping. YAY! He needed new jeans and so I left him to look them over, eventually coming back and picking out a few of my own selections (one of which was chosen ... boo ya!). I also needed new jeans, as my beloved Big Stars from Down East are getting holes in the behind. Poor Colby was mystified as to how girls shop ... yes I did have to try on every pair I found and then analyze how they looked. Color vs. back pockets, etc. He eventually plopped down in a chair and read a book, but he still came whenever I needed his opinion. And I found myself some new jeans! I love new jeans. And so does Colby! We've splurged for the next few months, but we are happy with said splurges!

I am also super stoked for the Timpview alumni game this friday. I am way out of shape, but I just love playing with my old team. State Champs 2007 what what! I'm also excited to wear my old jersey, nothing like that good old #15 :)

An update

on our lives!
These past couple weeks have been pretty crazy, but great. Here is an update on our lives:
Jane Anne:
I just started my new job at Small Smiles this week. I basically make crafts, color, and play chase with kids. It is surprisingly tiring, but I LOVE the people I work with. We went to a company Christmas dinner last night and had such a blast. I was told a few hours beforehand that I had to bring a homemade gift so I scurried around Michaels Craft store right after work, getting some things to make some "JOY" blocks with. I had to cut the letters myself, but it turned out great. In all honesty I wanted to keep it, but I ended up getting an adorable necklace and earrings, so I guess it was a good trade! I am NOT going to school this next semester, my job doesn't allow me to, but I will hopefully start and finish my independent study, now that my time is a bit more structured.
I have lost my keys. If you see them, please let me know because I'm STILL stressing about it haha. I also have a shorter Christmas break now with my job, which is kind of sad, but I guess it will give Colby and I some fun bonding time :)
Colby:
Colby is prepping for finals! Poor boy. Pretty soon though, he will be done and will have a good amount of free time in which he can play with me!We are both excited! Next semester, he will only have 3 classes (although 2 are killers, from the sound of it).
His big news as of late is that he has 2 med school interviews, from our top two schools! USSHUS? (the military one in DC) and Utah. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of more interview offers.
He is also busy being an amazing husband, and making sure I am always taken care of. We love to watch early seasons of Home Improvement and play Rumi Cube.

We both CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conquerers

We have officially conquered the cinderblock walls, with a drill bit from Lowes, and now our place feels much more like home. This is our shelf of Thanksgiving decorations! Most of them handmade. Speaking of handmade, on friday night Colby helped me paint our new Christmas blocks. It was so fun that he would craft with me!
We also conquered the dance floor, and by we, I mean Colby. I just tried (sometimes successfully) to keep up with him. It was our second military ball together, but this time he didn't have to drop me off at a motel after the dance! We had fun at Olive garden with some other cadets and then dancing to the big military band. It really was a blast. We missed a bit of the unpredictability of dating, but loved the fact we got to go home together and that we were able to really be our goofy selves on the dance floor. We also had fun laughing at the awkward Freshmen (if you think normal freshmen are awkward, you should see ROTC freshmen! Hilarious! Especially because they are so afraid of Colby). It was a great weekend. Notice the awesome pioneer painting in the background.