Christmas has come early at the Smith house!

Behold! After waiting a year and a half, I finally got my coveted Dyson vacuum!

It is everything I imagined it would be... I am a very happy girl right now.

I'm a grown-up now.

Lately there has been a reoccurring theme in my life and that is the realization that I am getting older and becoming a grown-up.
I always knew this day would come...
and I think I have been a grown-up for awhile now, but it just seems that recently more things have been bringing this fact to my attention. Such as:
- It snowed for the first time this year and so that means it was Hurley's first time out playing in the snow... well, it was all cute until he wanted back in and I realize that he had snow frozen to his leg fur (as seen in the picture). I kept looking around and hoping that there was someone else there who would sit there and free him from the snowballs adorning his legs, but nope, there was no one. I'm the grown-up now, so I worked the snow out of his fur.
- Jordan and I were given tickets to see the new Harry Potter movie this weekend, but it was a private showing that started at 12:30am! Despite the fact it was a really good movie, I totally fell asleep. If it had been 3-5 years earlier, that never would have happened!
- A teenage friend of mine was telling me how heavy it was to carry her books from class to class and I asked her why she doesn't use a backpack... I was quickly informed that backpacks aren't cool. Then it dawned on me that I didn't use a backpack when I was in High School, I knew they weren't cool - but it's been so long that I had totally forgotten!
- On Friday afternoon, I cleaned my oven. Only grown-ups clean their ovens!
- Jordan just bought me a Dyson Vacuum. I am more excited about that vacuum than you could ever imagine!!!
Despite the fact that sometimes being a grown-up makes me miss the carefree days of no responsibility, I would never go back. Life just seems to bring better cooler things the more grown-up you become (ie: college, marriage, careers, eventually kids, etc. So bring on grown-uphood, I am ready for it!

Reason #8,439 why I love my husband.... Thai-Giving!

Monday is Thanksgiving Day back home in Canada... I can just picture the scene now - my Mom is mashing the potatoes, Dad is carving the turkey, Alana is playing with Ava and Logan, Mom is telling Jeremy not to eat all the olives and pickles before Dinner... *sigh* I miss that.  But being the wonderful husband that he is, Jordan wouldn't let Canadian Thanksgiving pass-by without having a dinner for me.

But seeing how I don’t really like Turkey, well, I like Turkey, but only sometimes.  It’s just not something that I would ever choose to eat if there were other choices for me… anyhow, so Jordan decided to be super ambitious and make Thai food for our mini Thanksgiving celebration, thus making it Thai-Giving! 

Jordan did an amazing job; we had Drunken Noodles, Chicken Wraps with Peanut Sauce and Fried Rice!  For serious!  And it was really, REALLY good!  (and he made lots so we have leftovers to eat tomorrow too!  Nice!)  So this Thanksgiving, Thai-Giving, I want to let everyone know that I am so thankful for a loving husband who travels to 3 different grocery stores to find all the particular ingredients and then spends hours making me a delicious Thai-Giving dinner!

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We're alive...!

Hello everyone, sorry it's been so long since our last post... and to all those who thought that Jordan and I had died due to our lack of communication, we appreciate your concern - but we are very much alive. So if you didn't hear much from us, don't be offended, life got a little crazy near the end of the summer and after basically 2 months of working super hard, I kinda decided to just take a month off. And it was wonderful! But now we're back and ready for the rest of 2010!
Like I said, our summer was jammed packed; besides the usual taking care of the house and yard and summery type stuff, both of our jobs have been insanely busy and we also had some of our biggest orders ever for our side business - a few weddings that ordered over 1,000 items each! And then it was time for the Fair and being a man down with Tyson out on his mission meant that everyone had just a little bit extra to do this year. But the fair went great, it's been an awesome summer, and we are already gearing up for it to be a busy Fall - which will mostly be centered around the fact that Jordan and I have offered to chair and co-chair the annual Snake River Education Foundation's Halloween Carnival Fundraiser. And we expect everyone in the Blackfoot area who's reading this to attend!
Anyway, yes, we are alive, and if anyone has any costume ideas for what Jordan and I should be this Halloween, we would love to hear them!

Creamy Creations - The Fair Has Begun!

The burgers are cooking, the fries are frying, the cheesecakes are being dipped....

Come down and visit us at the Creamy Creations Booth at the Eastern Idaho State Fair!

Creamy Creations Countdown - Days to the State Fair!!

Days to the fair:
5, can count them on one hand...

Currently working on:
EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!! AND ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Current feelings:
Joanne - worried! Cause I'm pretty sure everyone around me is going crazy and may have to be admitted to the mental hospital before the fair actually starts....
Jordan - going cRaZy....!!!!!

See you all there!!

Creamy Creations Countdown - Days to the State Fair!

Days to the fair:
13

Currently working on:
Building really strong biceps... aka making caramel suckers. It takes a lot of stirring - for a really long time!
We're also getting everything ordered like ice cream, smoothie ingredients, and all that wonderful stuff we put on the hamburgers.

Current feelings:
Joanne - anxious, there's so much to do in 2 weeks, but at the same time I just wish it was here already!
Jordan - rushed, Running out of time. Hoping I am not forgetting anything....

See you all there!!

Why I love petting zoos.

Ok, so my parents came down to visit this weekend (which was awesome cause I was really missing them) and we took a trip to the Idaho Falls zoo where they have a petting zoo. This video basically sums up why I love petting zoos even though I am 25 years old... the one sheep is disgustingly hilarious!

Creamy Creations Countdown - Days to the State Fair!

Days to the fair:
31 - 1 month, ahhhhhhhhh!

Currently working on:
New flavors that can be mixed into ice cream and figuring out which brownies are the most popular and which ones we should bring this year.

Current feelings:
Joanne - cravings… for scone nuggets, fudge, kettle corn, a Big A burger, and a huge bowl of huckleberry ice cream!
Jordan - anticipation... for getting started, ordering supplies and setting up.

See you all there!!

The Raspberry Patch From Hell.

My in-laws have the biggest raspberry patch I have ever seen!  I’m not even kidding… it’s huge!  It’s so massive a small child could get lost in it without proper supervision… Ok, maybe I over-exaggerate a little, but still, it’s big.  Anyway, when the raspberries are ready to pick it becomes a full time job to keep up with them.  Luckily though, I already have a full time job, so those responsibilities fall on Jan and Kabel (and I truly feel bad for you two).  But seeing how during the summer Jordan and I enjoy having a bowl of fresh raspberries for breakfast, we have to venture down there to pick enough to last us the week.  Well this week, that task was squarely on my shoulders since Jordan went up to the cabin.  So I woke up early today (gotta get out there before the sun makes it too hot to pick), put on my rubber boots and bug spray, tied a bucket around my waist and I was ready to go!

I get out there and the patch is exploding with berries!  It was a pickers paradise!  I have to admit that I am a pretty good raspberry picker; I have nimble fingers that let me pull the berries off without crushing them but my hands are also big enough to hold onto a bunch before I have to put them in my bucket.  I’m not too tall so bending down to get the lower berries doesn’t suck too bad, but I’m tall enough that I can at least be spotted when I’m deep in the patch.  And also, being taller helps when you have to reach way into the patch – cause inevitably, there’s always going to be that absolutely perfect berry that you spot that is just barely out of reach and you have to get up on your tippy toes and stretch way out to be able to grab it.

With Buster Brown there to keep me company, I started picking.  Now picking comes with it’s occupational hazards such as scratches on your arms or the horrors of when you are about to pick a berry and just before you touch it you see that it has a big, gross spider on it.  Oh and also, sometimes I forget that they have a plastic owl up to keep the birds away and occasionally I will look up and see it and get scared cause I think an owl is about to attack me.  But all in all, picking raspberries is great!  Today I could stay in the same spot for 5 minutes and not run out of berries to pick there!  And I swear they were ripening as I was picking cause I would stay in one spot and pick and go to dump my bucket into the pans I had off to side and I would walk back and see tons more berries that I missed!  So after about an hour, I had two pans full of fresh raspberries to eat this week as well as the realization that summer really is the best time of year!

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My tribute to Top Gun – the greatest movie of all time

Jordan and I went to the Idaho Falls Airshow yesterday and it was a great time!  It was a beautiful, sunny day – not a cloud in the sky, with just enough wind to keep the heat and bugs off.  But besides the ideal weather conditions, they had the Blue Angels perform!  Check out this video we took of them….

 

Amazing right?!  They were honestly so good and so entertaining, yet the whole time I was watching them I couldn’t help but think of the greatest movie of all time – TOP GUN!  Yes, it came out the year after I was born and yes it’s a little cheesey at times… but it has all the elements that a cinematic masterpiece should have.  It makes you laugh, it makes you cry (I’ve seen it a million times and I still lose it when Goose dies…), it has some of the best one-liners (ie: "I feel the need... the need for speed! Oww!!") and when your done watching it you feel like making out on a motorcycle down by the pier while fighter jets fly overhead… or maybe that’s just me?  Anyway, not only do those things make it awesome, but it also features Tom Cruise at his finest (pre-Scientology craziness), Val Kilmer at his hottest, and it made it super cool to wear aviator sunglasses (and I thank Top Gun for that everyday of my life).  So here’s to you Top Gun, you have made this world a better place!

Disclaimer:  This is only my opinion… Jordan does not think Top Gun is the greatest movie of all time.  I made him watch it once… he’s had no desire to ever watch it again.

365 days.. 52 weeks... 12 months... 1 whole year!!

Jordan and I celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary this weekend! So we decided to relive our honeymoon by going to the Pocatello pool to soak up the sun! And just like we did in Florida, we totally got sunburned. But despite having skin that felt like it was on fire, we had a really great weekend together! Just enjoying each others company and remembering all the reasons why we chose to get married in the first place. It's funny, I never pictured my life like this... If you had told me a few years ago that I would be living in Idaho with two adorable dogs and the hottest husband ever, I would have thought you were crazy!
BUT if you had told me I would also have to deal with things like the horrid hobo spider, skunks under the shed, dead squirrels buried in my garden, cows mooing loudly at 5:00am and snakes living in the spinker system (just to name a few), I probably would have punched you for saying such gross things to me. But such is my life here and despite being the sissiest girl on the face of planet, I'm surviving. And not only surviving but flourishing! I may have never pictured my life being like this, but now I can't picture my life being any other way! I love living in Idaho, I am so thankful for all the many blessings I have received the past few years that lead me here! I am also thankful for my family back home and the fact that I can feel all their love and support even though I live so far away.
This past year has been amazing... and I can only imagine that it gets better from here!

Dogs a.k.a. Kid Training 101

When we got Hurley, a lot of people asked why we didn't have a baby instead of getting another dog... well for one, he's a lot cuter than a baby and two I feel as though having dogs is merely a way of training and mentally preparing for the day when Jordan and I have a little one join our family. But until that day, here's what we've learned so far from the dogs to prepare us for kids:
- If the house seems a little too quiet, they have probably just done something bad. As evident from the side picture, taken tonight after Hurley chewed my cell phone charger in half.
- They are devious and sneaky - you have to be more devious and sneaky!
- If you want them to do something for you, a treat will always get it done.
- Road trips must have potty stops planned along the way, as well as knowledge of where a potty stop may be if needed.
- My Dad always says "Patience is a virtue". It is soooo true.
So for now, Jordan and I love our little doggie family but we are looking forward to the day when we can graduate from puppies to babies.

Fireworks!

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God Bless America!

Well, I have officially celebrated (and survived) my first 4th of July as a Permanent Resident! And like every other American, we marked this holiday by lighting off Fireworks in the backyard!
Now, being from Canada and growing up in the city, I can't say that this is an activity that I had ever really participated in. And up until the big event, I was quite skeptical about it's awesomeness - even though Jordan kept telling me how fun it was and yadda yadda yadda... my thought was 'why spend money to buy our own when there's tons of FREE firework shows going on?' Oh, how naive I was.
Sunday night we went out to the backyard and not knowing what I was to expect; Jordan lit a row of insanely loud crackers and threw them to the ground! After my initial shock and desire to cry had worn off, I realized that it was love at first fuse for me and fireworks. Pretty soon I wanted more to be lit; bigger ones, louder ones! As the festivities went on, I even shot some off myself and experienced the thrill/terror of lighting the fuse and then running like hell!
All in all, the night was a success - nothing burned down and only Jordan sustained minor injuries to his thumb when he didn't quite throw some crackers down fast enough. But I think the fact that I admitted he was right about the fireworks, probably helped to ease the pain a little!
So for now, I am just counting down the days until the next fourth of July when I can again feel the American Spirit exploding in the sky above me!

Big dogs are the new little dogs.

I thought it would be fitting if my first blog entry (I know, exciting huh?!) was about my dearly loved Chow Chow Roxy!
Soooo, for all of those who know me, you will know that I love to put fun, bright bandana's on Roxy as a way of dressing her up a little... call me weird, but Roxy loves them and I love how cute she looks in them... anyway, I haven't been able to put bandana's on Roxy lately because:
1. Hurley thinks they are really cool to chew on and it makes me mad when he puts giant holes in them
2. With Roxy losing her fur cause it's so hot out, her fur keeps getting tangled whenever I put them on
Ok, so dilemma. BUT I came up with a super cute alternative - BOWS! Yes, I am putting cutesy little bows in Roxy's hair and it is soooo adorable! No longer are ribbons for little dogs that you can put in your purse - oh no, they are for big dogs now. FYI, big dogs are the new little dogs... in case you didn't know.
So yeah, she looks adorable and I have to thank my co-worker Carrie cause she's the one who actually made all the bows for her... So look out world! Roxy's got a new way to make you sick with how cute she is!!