Who is walking whom?

So I must share our latest adventure... probably the highlight of the neighborhood entertainment. Jared and I decided to walk the dog tonight together for family night, and as we realized it may not be the most fun activity we have ever done, we decided to make it interesting and try "long boarding the dog"! The best part was definitly when I almost fell off from being dizzy and off balance, and Jared almost crashed into a car! It is definitly a little tricky to stay on the board, while the dog is trying to figure out what is going on! However, just add it onto the list as one more way to exercise our animal, and potentially make complete idiots of ourselves! Yeah!

Today I am grateful I did not fall!

A Week to Remember

Well, I can honestly say I have never been so happy for a week to end. It was a great week, but a very exhausting week.

First, to Clint and Patrice, we keep you in our thoughts and prayers daily, and hope to come visit soon.

Second, to Justin and Lindsey, thanks so much for stopping by! It was so fun to see you two, and happy anniversary!

Third, this week has prompted me to be extra grateful for a lot of things... such as....

• Mondays where there is NOT a time change, as I have never felt it affect me more.
• Those rare days when I am NOT late to work, as I rolled in about 20 min late every day. Good thing I still beat the kids!
• NOT having to sit through what was described by Jared as the "world's most boring training meeting", as I was at home feeling SUPER nauseous instead.
• NOT teaching until 9:00 pm on Wednesdays anymore, as I finally caved and moved a few students to Monday.
• NOT coming home every Thursday, finally feeling good enough to clean for my poor husband, only to walk in to a wave of poop smell as puppy had a MAJOR "blowout" in his kennel, and on the wall behind the kennel, and the carpet in front of the kennel... you get the idea.
• Those times where I may not want to mop, but at least it doesn't make me cramp!!!
• Pizza nights on Fridays... no cooking or clean up!!
• Spring Break on the horizon... school is wearing me out.
• Loose fitting clothes as I was asked more than once this week by bold mothers, "Is there a bun in the oven?" or "Is this for reals? (while pointing to their own perfectly flat tummies)". Apparently, the cat is out of the bag WAY before I am ready to feel huge!
• And last but not least, a hubby who not only puts off work to spray down the dog and to spray off dog poop from kennels and towels, but a hubby who will NOT make me feel like an overdramatic sickly little prego who is a little emotional trying to figure all of this out(which I readily acknowledge I am, but it is quite different to be have someone else say it)!

I truly am grateful this week is over, and hope it has treated all of you a bit kinder! We miss you all and hope to see you soon!

Is it winter or spring?

Here in Vegas, rain is a bit foreign to us. We usually see it two, maybe three times a year. However, this year has been a bit of a mystery. These last few weeks we have had the same list of outside chores to do, and every Saturday, we get up to do it, and lo and behold, we have rain. So I guess we will once again not wash the cars, paint the front door, or weed the 10 weeds in our yard. The Man in Charge has spoken... we are not to do our chores. Yeah, I am heartbroken and all, but the couch is certainly getting some good use! So much for Spring Cleaning!

The last two weeks have been less than exciting, as they consisted mostly of work, sleep, and more work. Jared seems to be doing awesome, although a little disappointed about the loss today for BYU. I am for some reason super homesick, and am trying to plan a trip to Utah. WHEN is the hard part. I don't really have an excuse to go visit, but feel like I need to get up there soon. We will see... soon is so relative.

Puppy on the other hand has grown to be quite fond of our bed. He has figured out about what time we go to bed and manages to sneak into our room and hop on our bed with all hopes that we won't kick him off. It could be that he is currently without a soft pillow as he chewed through two already, and I refuse to buy another one until he finishes this phase. Anyhow, he has decided that our bed is the best hang out ever... there every chance he gets from morning to night. This is a habit I do not look forward to breaking!

Apologize for the boringness, but hope all is well with everyone out there.

Today I am very grateful for couches and rain.

Running a Marathon... Almost!

So, I will hopefully be going back to a few posts to add pictures now that Jared found the cord that connects the camera to the computer! It's the little things in life that make the difference! Until then, you will have to tolerate just my ramblings.

So this weekend, we had my mom, Brett, Chris, Tonya, Nate, Deuce, and Champ down to visit. Booker has never been happier. They got here Friday, rolling into town just after lunch, and boy was it an adventure! We had so much fun! We started out at the park playing basketball (this is what happens when there are teenage boys around), then a quick run to Costco... always dangerous... finishing off with a rousing game of "What If...". I will have you know that Jared has had a few moments with my family that he will never live down. It started when he backed into Tonya and Nate's brand new PARKED car, moved on to when the bird pooped on his head in St. George, and ended somewhere around when he was the only boy who wasn't "man enough" to finish a 4X4 from In-n-Out. He tends to get the brunt of the jokes during our what if adventures. It was a long game for him.

Saturday we had a breakfast that would make any doctor proud supplying any cholesterol that we hadn't inhaled with dinner the night before consisting of bacon, eggs (I won't tell you how many), hash browns, and pancakes. You would think that we would not need more food for that day, but I remind you, we had two sixteen year olds with us. We then headed out for a hike at Red Rock, that where Books showed his true leadership, and we managed to get back in time for the "men" to golf.

Here's a thought for you... how many people go golfing, have a good time, and take a golf ball to the forehead while packing up the car?? Oh yeah, just Chris! Poor kid got drilled, splitting his head open, with a really nice goose egg. We were just happy there was no concussion, which was proved when after an hour break they headed back to the park for more basketball! What a story that will be later in life!

Saturday night was filled with a few rounds of Hand and Foot (a card game we love) and wrestling with the dog, and on Sunday it was back to the park, this time with a little tennis! Tonya and Deuce each received a great Valentine's gift of a brand new tennis racket, and commited to take some lessons in the summer! We will have to hold them to it! No worries, Tonya's racket is pink! When they all left Monday, we were sad, but I will not lie, exhausted. The house still has not been cleaned, but if all the doors are closed, it doesn't look that bad! Thanks to everyone for coming, we absolutely LOVED having you here, and I can honestly say ALL of us miss you! Especially Booker. Here's to another long week!!

Saving Money...

Well, I have a question to put out into the void...

Is it ever really worth it? "Saving money" that is!

Yesterday, finally having beat the flu, Jared and I took a good look at our list of projects around the house that needed doing. There was the usual endless cleaning, the front door badly needed to be painted, the cars are in a desperate need of a full and complete smell/bug removal, I had a baby shower to attend, and it was Stake Conference weekend which means many meetings for Jared scattered throughout the day. And then it happened. We realized that if we were ever planning to dig in our backyard (which we have landscaped in our heads about 1000 times) NOW would be the time to do it since we have had an unprecedented two weeks of rain! So, to Lowe's we went for shovels and a pick. And then we dug.

And dug...

And dug...

and then I left for the shower and Jared dug...

and dug...

no worries, the puppy helped to dig...

and they dug...

and 5 hours later, Jared gave in.

What did we have to show for it you ask?? Three holes big enough to put baby trees in that we don't have, and an outline dug with a pick of the yard we wish to someday have. I have to say, next time when faced with the choice to dig or to hiring a landscaper to just come and do it, I may choose the later. Even with Jared telling me how much he misses working outdoors, I don't think it's worth the whining that inevitably follows the next day. Not to mention that nothing else got done, and the dog will probably ruin any holes that were finished long before we get a tree to put in it! But yes, you could say there is a sense of achievement to be gained from such an experience if you were looking for a way to remind yourself how out of shape and "officy" you have become!

And the best part is, after buying the tools, counting time for labor, and investing in Ibuprofen, I guarantee that we will not save money after all!

Is is just a bug??

Warning: Longest Post Ever!!

Having finally chosen a suitable background, I figure I ought to catch everyone up! I have to be honest. Being sick has its advantages. Aside from feeling like you want to die, the chance to stay home from work and get a few things done has been such a great thing for me! Even if I haven't left bed in three days, I feel like for the first time in a while I am rested and will be able to face whatever I am dealt this week. However, don't hold me to that!! We will see what Wednesday does to me!

Starting this is a bit of an adventure for me, because I feel really far away from everyone! So this is really cool for me to be able to write all the dumb little happenings of our lives for all those who would never know about them to read! May I emphasize that I don't actually expect anyone to read my ramblings as much as it is supposed to make a great journal! So for anyone that doesn't already know, here are a few basics.

Husband: Jared, aka Jar, J-Dawg, K-fed, or Jerry

Occupation: Financial Advisor, Redstone Financial Group, Partner, just passed the Series 7 Test on his first try!

Age: Approaching 30, which is going to be HUGE! Currently collecting ideas for surprises... feel free to contribute!

Hobbies: Mountain Biking in the summer, Volleyball whenever possible, Basketball on Saturdays, closet Rollerblader, Longboarding, Wakeboarding when we can weasel our way onto a boat, weekend Hiking, Snowboarding, Saucing (a specific form of sledding involving a sled that offers no control), and checking anything BYU related on a regular basis.

Favorite Food: Changes daily and impossible to predict.

Wife: Stacey, aka Stae, Ms. Stacey, really anything but Stace.

Occupation: Spanish Teacher, Piano Teacher, and aspiring writer (:

Age: 26, and that is being honest. Sadly, it feels like that is really old!

Hobbies: Reading books that have no value and require no thought, Running in a useless effort to lose weight, Tennis, Volleyball, learning Piano pieces that I will never perform, and continuously being shown up by Jared at all things athletic! I have won once in our marriage at tennis... take note!

Favorite Food: All things a 15 year old boy would love. Homemade pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and a seriously delicious Steak. It is a wonder I need to lose a few pounds!

Other Family Members: Booker, our 9 month old Boxer, who is our life and love, and who sat on my bed for 5 hours straight with me to keep me company while I coughed, sniffled and burned with a fever. I love him!!

That out of the way, I can't wait to get better and be on my feet again. Undoubtably this bug will leave, and when it does, life will go back to work, work, WORK!! I will miss not feeling rushed! Until next time!

The First...

Well, now that we have internet at home, finally, and since I am home sick today, what better day to start this than today?! By way of warning, this may not be all that exciting, as my life generally is not exciting. And I am not a huge picture person, but I want to be someday, so here's for hoping. So welcome to the Knudsen story, or should I say stories!! Hope I can figure out how to do it all!!