Clutch Hutch

Thomas James - 11 Days

2011-11-10T16:01:00.001-08:00

Grandma Halverson & Thomas

Sweet Dreams

BundleMe - Best Purchase
King of the Refrigerator
Gifford/Hutchinson Tradition

First Family Photo

On our way to visit Daddy

Thought the outfit was appropriate :)

Happiest Mommy

Heaven on Earth

He's Here

2011-11-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Thomas James Hutchinson

6 lbs 15 oz

20 inches

Born 10/30/2011 - 6:53 am

(Labor and Delivery - Story to Come)

Another Flagship Home, in the middle of their Street...

2011-10-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our house, in the middle of our street...

2011-10-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

Thomas James

2011-10-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Thomas,

I feel like I have been pregnant for a year - will you please come soon!

Love you,
Mom

PS. Do you even know how much I love that word - Mom - I am going to be a Mom!

What's in a name...

2011-09-08T10:37:00.001-07:00

Nate and I finally decided on a name - Thomas James Hutchinson. This little guy sure has a lot to live up to because he is named after some pretty fabulous people.

I always knew that I wanted James to be his middle name, after his Great Grandpa Toolson. He and my Grandma, both, have been such a big part of this whole process with me. I remember when Nate and I were trying to decide whether InVitro was the path for us, my Grandpa said, "Let's do it, what do we have to lose?" And I don't know if I have ever told him this, but that bold confidence meant so much and was really what calmed the storm for me. I respect and value his opinion and who he is so much, that after he said that, I knew that was the road that Nate and I needed to travel down. My Grandparents have been along side Nate and I every step of the way, calling after doctor appointments with words of encouragement and love, prayers and fasting, and hugs and back tickles just to make the day a little better. I seriously tear up to this day, thinking about how many people supported me through this whole process and how many prayers were offered on my behalf. So in honor of all those prayers that were offered, and the support and love of my Grandpa and Grandma, James, is his middle name - so that my little guy won't ever forget what his Grandparents and many others did to get him here.

And then came the first name...we had no idea. We both offered up suggestions that the other gagged at and could never come to terms. When Nate and I were in California this summer, we went to dinner for my Parent's wedding anniversary and my Dad began talking about his Father, Thomas L. Halverson, who passed away when my Dad was only 17 years old. I feel like I have heard most of the stories my Dad shares about him, but this particular time, he was sharing experiences with his Father that I had never heard before. We all got emotional at the table, and it was pretty special to be apart of. As we were driving home, Nate turned to me and said, "Well, I think we just named our son - what do you think of Thomas?" It just felt right. We loved it. We felt like it was a way we could always remember Grandpa H, and involve my Dad in the name even though we weren't using Tim. Our little guy has some meaning behind his name and I hope he never forgets the men he is named after and the lives that they lived and how much they love him.

Thomas James Hutchinson can't get here soon enough!

Decisions - Decisions - Decisions

2011-08-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently picking out a car seat and stroller is very time consuming and difficult...who would have ever thought that I would develop anxiety over such a decision? No one told me that there are 900 different options and no two car seat/stroller offer the same features, which means you have to go in knowing what you want - ease, size, weight, safety, look, etc. Well, to say the least, I had NO CLUE what I wanted and being the vain person that I am, I first googled "Celebrity Car Seats/Celebrity Strollers" to find out what I HAD TO HAVE. :) And then after laughing at the price tag for everything, I was back at ground zero. Through much deliberation and help from my cousin Taylor, I chose the Britax B-Safe car seat and Britax B-Agile stroller. They both should be arriving at my house today!! Kind of excited. :) I'll let you know my review.

Landscaping

2011-08-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

We finally landscaped the front yard. It is amazing what a little green can do for a house! Before Nate and I left for California we picked out plants and sprayed where we wanted the curbing. By the time we got back, this is what we came home to. I liked that process. I vote we do it that way on the next house. Much easier. :) WE LOVE OUR LITTLE HOME!!

Measuring Big

2011-08-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

I got another ultrasound today and our baby boy is doing great! My due date was November 16th, then the 14th and now they are saying around the 9th. It keeps changing because he is measuring big! Ah! They say I am measuring right around 26 weeks. Fine by me, if it means him getting here a little sooner. :) I seriously have the biggest cheeseball grin on my face everytime I see him bouncing around in there. Without fail, every ultrasound and doctors appointment, he is a busy body. The tech always comments about how she can't measure the heart beat because my baby won't stay in the same place for longer than three seconds. I have a feeling this is a sign of things to come. But honestly, I cannot wait! I want him here today. I want to hold him and kiss him. I have always been told that I am a baby hog and I have a feeling I will be the same way with my own kid. Will I ever want anyone else to cuddle and hold him but me? Time will tell I guess. :) Today, we got some cute pics of him stretching and sucking on his hand. Precious. It is a complete miracle and I am amazed everytime I see the little man...my little man. :) I always ask myself, "Is this real...is this really finally happening?" It is the greatest thing on planet earth and the weirdest thing all at the same time. I have a human inside of me. :)

Baby Hutch still doesn't have a name, but he does have a very cute nursery and a lot of clothes. Until next time...

And just in case you didn't hear...

2011-07-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

IT'S A BOY

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Nate and I went to the Real Salt Lake soccer game for our 4th of July celebration. It was so much fun to tag along with the Berrys. Nothing better than a soccer game, great friends and great food. Thanks again for the invite! Watching the game made me miss playing so much! I think Nate got a little tired of me talking his ear off with every play or bad call. It was a great game - lots of scoring. This is something we will definitely do again!

We're Expecting

2011-04-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

Nate and I have finally been blessed with a sweet littlte baby growing inside of me! I am 11 weeks along and we had our third ultrasound yesterday. The baby's heartbeat is strong as can be. He/She was bouncing all around in there and we couldn't help but laugh. Is this a sign of things to come? :) We just can't believe that this is real and finally happening. We know that this little baby is a complete miracle and we count our blessings everyday.

We can't wait for this little baby to get here and November can't come soon enough. Bring on the barfing, sleepless nights, stretch marks, belly bands, and all the other wonderful/horrible things pregnancy has to offer. I'll take it!

2010-12-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

Who needs a therapist when you have Giuliana & Bill.

FOR SALE

2010-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

TWO Adorable Chairs - FOR SALE
2 - Purple / Pink Pattern

1 Chair - $50.00

2 Chairs - $75.00

House Update

2010-11-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home - Nate and I have been very busy trying to get our house together in the few free Saturdays we actually have. Even though we have a long way to go, we definitely have made progress. It is coming together and we love it. Enjoy. :)

This is our "Fall View" - Beautiful.

Crib - not set on specific gender - just loved the fabric. :)

Nursery.

Master Bedroom Drapes - Nate's Grandma is GENIUS.

Master Bedroom 2 - still need more pillows.

Cozy Bed - Can't wait to upgrade the bedding. :)

Guest Bedroom #1 - Blue Room

Guest Bedroom #1 - Drapes made by Nate's Grandma.

Guest Bedroom #1 - Full Room Shot

Guest Bedroom #2 - Black Room

Let me know what you think!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2010-11-04T13:17:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Linley and I may or may not be a shopaholic. Furnishing a house is expensive I tell you and lately I have been getting a lot of email confirmations saying, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ORDER - YOUR ITEM HAS BEEN SHIPPED. It is amazing what an email like that can do for the mood. Am I filling a void? Probably. Happy Shopping!

Bean Town

2010-11-01T10:57:00.001-07:00

Not the greatest pic, but what do you do?!

Sheree and McKell with their frozen yogurt.

The girls and Shaq Daddy.

The girls and KG.

The girls and Paul Pierce.

One more...

Making our entrance on the red carpet of course.

The girls before the Gala.

What a weekend! Love you all!

La Casita

2010-06-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Backyard - hopefully landscaped someday.

Master Shower

Guest Bathroom

Master Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Guest Bathroom

Powder Bath off Kitchen

From Stairs

Hallway

Loft - overlooks Family Room

Shelving in Laundry Room

Laundry Room

Guest Bedroom- CWD Blog

Bedroom

Nursery- I know I am crazy

Living Room - right off entry

Entry from Front Door

More Kitchen

Family Room from Kitchen

Kitchen from Family Room

Kitchen from Garage Door

Home Sweet Home

Toscana at Highland

2010-06-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

So here is the townhouse project that we just had in the Parade of Homes. They are in the Highland/Alpine (what Gary Quinn Gooch often refers to as "up on the hill") area and are just cute as a button. Just wanted you all to know what we've been working on for 80 hours a week for the last 6 months. These things are selling like hot cakes (which we sincerely feel fortunate about considering the economy). So now if you have any friends or family that would be interested in them please just tell them that Nate says, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (you fill in the blank) right over!" and we'll be happy to sell them a place to hang their hat and call their own. These little bad oscars start at $179,900 for our smallest unit (the A unit) and go up to $209,900 for our largest unit (it's real name is the D Unit but I like to call it the G Unit).

The best part of the Parade was what we "slipped in" the Parade magazine in the "About Builder:" section about our company (Flagship Homes). You can read this quote right from the magazine, "Flagship Homes builds homes for the American working family because that's who they are and that's who they care about." For those of you that really know and love me you will know right where this came from. I love you all and to all a good night. Now if Linley could just post a couple pictures of our little home I'm sure you'd all just be as content as can be.

Love Nate

The House

2010-04-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

It looks like we are moving in on Wednesday and I couldn't be happier. I will go to the house tonight, take pictures and post them tomorrow. Promise!

2010-04-27T10:39:00.001-07:00

I liked it. A little intense and disturbing, but it makes you remember and be grateful.

More Books

2010-04-19T16:11:00.001-07:00

So apparently I have been out of the book reading loop for awhile, because I thought these books were the newest and greatest. Wow! Is all I have to say. Such an eye opener. Loved them!

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

2010-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

The post below was written by Nate's sister, Heather. She is a better wife and sister than I will ever be. Even though I do love my husband very much and could probably find 500 things I love about him, I cannot take credit for it. I just went in on U2 tickets with my parents. The praise goes to amazing Heath. Thanks for loving my husband so much Heath. We love you!

{Happy Birthday Nate}

2010-04-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

happy 26th birthday

{Nathan Trouble Hutchinson}

we love you!!

A little while ago I (Heather) wrote 100 things I love about Kristen on her blog. Nate read it and jokingly commented, "You should do 500 things you love about me". Little did he know that I would actually create this list. I have spent the past four months making this and thought it fitting to post on his bday. I hope he's not too embarrassed by this (we'll see). Really its 500 items about Nate's life and because I love him all of these things are "things I love about him". Thanks to lots of family members for a few of their memories. GOOD LUCK GETTING THROUGH IT! Nate, I hope you have the most amazing birthday and want you to know that we all love you so much!

{LOVE YOU BROTHER}

500 Days of Nate…

2010-04-10T00:00:00.001-07:00

1. The fact that he asked me to make a list of 500 things I love about him.
2. He can always make sense of what I am thinking.

3.He's usually a logical thinker.

4. He calls me H-Duff.
5. He thinks he's a fan of 2Pac, but really never listened to his music because it's dirty.
6. He still loves us after "Hate Nate Night".
7. He has the greatest love for Elder Holland.
8. He says "Permiso" for everything, which in Chile just means pardon me; I will do what I please now.
9. He, Jef and Weave used to stand behind the counter and throw magnets at the fridge for some type of game. He's always creating games.
10. He's a huge Jazz fan (not a pansy like T.).
11. He told Jared Shakespeare everything he was getting for Christmas one year, and Marge is still mad at him.
12. He always thinks he's a good dresser.
13. He loves RRL jeans from Ralph Lauren.
14. He has a new found love of reading, aka mini Terry Hutchinson.
15. There is never anything that he thinks he can't do.
16. From his mission he had Erica Ludlow bring me good luck balloons and treats to my first Cheer try-out…I was so excited!

17. He had his Mission President's wife call me on my 17^th bday, because she and I share the same birthday.
18. He wrote me the sweetest thank-you card after his knee surgery, I really appreciated it.
19. He and Lin took me in with my sickness for weeks when they were newlyweds.
20. He turns EVERYTHING into a competition.
21. He's such a Gifford.
22. He calls Kristen "K-Swiss".
23. He calls Cass "Tass".
24. He loves their blue tooth in their Toyota and calls every time he and Lin are in there together.
25. He loves being around people ALL the time. Period.
26. He loves working/playing sports with Danny, Paul, and Dave.
27. Around the office he calls them uncle and they call him "Nephew Nate".
28. He thinks Grandpa G. is hilarious.
29. He loves having gospel discussions with Grandpa H. and calling him out when he's teaching false doctrine. 30. He will entertain anyone who will watch.
31. He doesn't play video games and probably hasn't since Mario was popular.
32. He's read his Book of Mormon every day since he was 14, and has promised people in Chile that he will for the rest of his life.
33. He can't leave the house without saying a morning prayer.
34. He is an amazing teacher and knows the Gospel very well.
35. He talks about his Mission frequently and loves Chileans.
36. He can't wait to visit Chile with Ty Berry someday.
37. He is hilarious when coming out of surgery.
38. When coming out of knee surgery, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "CLEAR!" and then thrashed his chest up and down like they were jumping his heart.
39. He also kept asking the nurse over and over if she was reading the Book of Mormon, when she said "no, I'm not doing that anymore", he said, "that's okay, happiness isn't for everyone" (he wasn't even fully conscience yet). 40. He told Linley he loved her for the first time when he was in the hospital on morphine after knee surgery.
41. He has a small temper.
42. When he was a baby they nick-nammed him "captain mellow" (that nick-name didn't stick).
43. When he and Linley are beginning to argue he presses an imaginary mute button at her, it doesn't always go over well. J
44. He and Adam's football numbers, 15 + 3 = 6.
45. Every time he and Adam are together they have to watch their football highlight video while going through each play (Cass and Lin LOVE to hear it each time).
46. He loves being a Godfather to: Triston Gooch, Max Berry, Kendall Legg, and Drake Weaver and makes it VERY clear that he watches over, not after them.
47. He's an efficient worker.
48. He was VERY dedicated to football and worked really hard.
49. In H.S. he, Cody Adams, Spencer Tafua, and Adam Legg would eat a pre-game spaghetti meal every Thursday in preparation for their game (also, I had to make it or it wasn't "good luck").
50. His fro that was out of control in H.S.
51. His teddy bear sweater that he bought at a gas station.
52. He broke the 2^nd place trophy in the locker room after the state championship game in basketball (second place is just first loser).
53. He'd eat spaghetti every night if he could, and did when he was a bachelor.
54. He always has the WORST pains of anyone in the world muscle pains, ligament pains, hunger pains, tired pains, etc.
55. He always needs his hamstrings rubbed.
56. He spray painted his track shoes gold in H.S. to be like Michael Johnson.
57. He thinks he is better than any woman at any sport, even the Olympics.
58. He thinks given two weeks of training, he and his friends could beat any woman in any sport (except hockey, they'd need a year for training for that).

59. He parted his hair until 10^th grade.
60. He loved his Geo.
61. He only loves Extra Wineterfresh gum.
62. He loves being goofy, but is serious when needed.
63. He loves Braveheart (but only watches the edited one).
64. He and Danny remind me of Chris Farley and David Spade.
65. He loves talking to our Uncle Ben.
66. He loves a deal.
67. He loves Dimitri's Pizza.
68. Every night he has to pull all the sheets out from being tucked in to sleep, it kills Linley.
69. He does so many dishes now, just to make his wife happy.
70. He'd probably be a great politician.
71. He loves the kids names they've already picked out.
72. He Google's everything he has a question about.
73. He has a secret fear of earthquakes.
74. During the first earthquake of his life he woke up, thought Sam was jumping in his crib and luckily went back to sleep.
75. He tells Linley they can only live in Cali when they are wealthy enough to own a helicopter and fly away when an earthquake takes Cali into the ocean.
76. He hates snowboarding and rarely does water sports.
77. As soon as the NBA finals are done, he hates his life until football begins.
78. He played the clarinet in middle school and worked his way up to the sax.
79. He can play "Called to Serve" with the right hand on the piano.
80. He sang "Whatever it Takes" with Kristen at YW in Excellence and his voice cracked, Rob Dias has never stopped laughing.
81. He changed into Sunday clothes to sign his letter of intent to BYU.
82. He was amazing at the snake game on his first Nokia cell phone.
83. He loves to have texting races.
84. He loves to kick you when you're down, and it's actually hilarious so it brightens your mood.
85. He can't wait to be a dad and would love twins.
86. When asked what would happen if they had triplets his response was, "It'd be Jon & Kate minus Nate."
87. He can tell our Mom anything and they are the best of friends.
88. He sleeps with his eyelids partially open.
89. He sleeps with a pillow above, below and in between his legs.
90. He likes to take naps in the guest room.
91. He wore a hat that said "Groom" on his plane ride to CA for their wedding.
92. He and Ty Berry fight like brothers.
93. He always places things all over the house and always has a hard time finding them.
94. He hides his secret stuff up high where no one else can reach.
95. He remembers everything and is pretty sentimental.
96. He gives the best gifts.
97. He draws Cassidy's name for Christmas EVERY YEAR and loves it.
98. He hated the MTC because there were no "discussions" or "Preach My Gospel" yet, so it was mostly language and personal study for two months.
99. In the MTC he used sheets and duct tape to make curtains for his bedroom to cozy it up. The curtains looked similar to the ones in our home. Very talented!
100. He broke his wrist at the beginning of baseball season two years in a row and never went back to the game.
101. At 2AM the night before we were taking him to the MTC he woke me up and said, "What are you doing?!?!? I haven't even packed yet!" (Don't worry I took care of it, and I'll never know how he packed up to head to Chile).
102. When he and Ty Berry lived together at BYU they would set their alarms for 2AM every night to get up and watch "Who wants to be a Millionaire".
103. He and Ty Berry would set every pair of shoes that they owned in the front room and ask all the girls that came over which shoes they liked better…there were at least 60 pairs.
104. He and Ty Berry would leave church from the top of the hill @ BYU's campus, turn Ty's car off, and see how far they could coast (running red-lights and stop signs).
105. And on their way to church they would blast 'Consider the Lillies', while singing at the top of their lungs.
106. He loves singing "I'm Proud to be an American" at the top of his lungs.
107. He thinks he can dance as well as the black guys on his team.
108. He used to eat an entire huge can of Spaghettio's in 30 seconds.
109. He refuses to wear lotion or Chap Stick because he thinks his body will become immune to it and then need it all the time.
110. He had to wear a mask to play bball his sophomore year due to a broken nose, thanks Derek McAllister.
111. He hit and beheaded a deer, which totaled his car.
112. He thinks Dancing with the Stars is pornography.
113. He compares everything to Toby Weiss.
114. He loves that his wife loves sports.
115. He likes to pull my leg because I believe everything he says.
116. As children we would eat plain Jello packets of sugar while Mom was at work.
117. As kids he and Kristen were eating cereal with EXTRA sugar in it and they heard mom pull up, so they ran to the sink to wash it out and when mom came in she thought they were doing the dishes, and thanked them for being such good kids.
118. When he gets angry he says, "The 'Anger Sharks' are beginning to swarm…"
119. He falls asleep whenever he starts a long drive, meaning Linley has to drive everywhere.
120. He loves shoes, and has too many pairs.
121. His side of the closet is much fuller than Linley's side, thanks to Kristen working at Polo.
122. He doesn't tan very well at all, which is why he hates laying out.
123. He has crystal blue eyes.
124. Ryder looks IDENTICAL to him- Nate says, "That's fine, he'll get babes".
125. He always has a solution to everything.
126. He was co-founder of Team of Dynasty.
127. He made the best underground dirt forts.
128. When my parents asked us to vote about having another baby, he voted no.
129. When they told us Cass was on her way Nate said, "I thought we voted, and I voted no?"
130. He ended up being Cass's best friend.
131. When he'd be in charge of Cass and she'd go #2, he'd hold her up to the faucet in the tub to clean her off (we didn't leave them together too often J ).
132. He loved giving Cass chocolate (which is probably why they were best friends).
133. He sprinted when he mowed the lawn to get it done quicker.
134. He had the hardest time calling adults when he was younger.
135. He planted most the plants in our amazing back yard.
136. He types 90 wpm.
137.When he writes papers for school, they are written as if he's speaking.
138. He HATES getting hair on him during haircuts.
139. During his knee surgery he got two blood clots, a hematoma in his knee and an infection in his incision, and STILL had Linley and me laughing everyday throughout his recovery.
140. He can lighten any mood.
141. He loves Gatorade, Skittles, and Chewy Sprees.
142. One year I ran out of money for his Christmas gift and I got him some Skittles and a 2L of Sprite and I've never heard the end of it.
143. He tells everyone he knows to "relax" and "enjoy it".
144. He has a VERY long passage from JS-H memorized from a performance as Joseph Smith.
145. He always exaggerates how big he is in vehicles. He's always 7ft. tall and we somehow have to make room for him.
146. We were once pulled over in PA with the Warner Family and Doug accidently hit us as he backed up. The cop yelled "What if I had been standing there…" and Nate said "AND WHAT IF THE SKY FELL?!" Dad was upset.
147. He once told Dad to shut up under his breath, and he got punched in the back of the head and knocked out cold.
148. He loves to argue just for the sake of it.
149. He's a germ freak and washes his hands hundreds of times during a day.
150. He still remembers the dates of the Park City and Snow Canyon games…Sad Days.
151. He and Kristen are a year and a day apart, but they are more like twins.
152. He cheats in most board/card games and is not ALLOWED to be the banker in Monopoly.
153. In 7^th grade he wrote a paper on his "hero"…Grandpa Gifford (I'm pretty sure Grandpa is still his hero).
154. We were in Cali when he received his mission call and he couldn't wait, so he had Jef open it and read it to him over the phone and then fax it to Polo.
155. He got to go on his mission early because of football so he served from age 18-20.
156 In every letter that he wrote home to the family he would say the same line to me: "Heather, keep on cheerin"…and then add some lame cheer, but nothing more than that.
157. All of his e-mails from his mission are pages long (good thing he types so fast).
158. He loves Paul Potts and thinks he'll have season tickets to the opera/symphony when he's older.
159. The only journal he keeps are his thoughts while reading the Book of Mormon.
160. He RARELY wears flip-flops, but owns 4 pairs of Sperrys.
161. He would wear a flat-rimmed baseball hat every day if he could, he has at least 30.
162. He's not a great horse-rider, but Sam enjoys taking him.
163. He loves all Linley's crafts and thinks she should sell them.
164. He and I are the only "true blondes" in the family, and we look most alike.
165. He loves the show Shark Tank, and other then sports he doesn't really like watching TV.
166. He rarely enjoys going to a movie and avoids them most of the time.
167. If he does go to a movie he has to check it out on the website 'kidsinmind'.
168. He's assigned me to do the family history for our family and LOVES the idea of only doing the Temple work.
169. We've told him that he's assigned to taking care of Mom when she's old and senile, which probably means she'll be in some retirement home somewhere…
170. Any cute, interesting girl he meets he immediately asks if she'd be good for T.
171. He really dislikes any house pet and will never allow one in his home, good thing his wife is on board with that too.
172. He will not pet any animal; no matter how clean it is because he still feels it's dirty.
173. He's always wanted to own a white tiger and says it'd be the only house pet he'd deal with.
174. He is very envious that Kristen got to go to Hawaii on her senior trip, I got to go to Europe, and his senior trip was doing the Church History tour in a mini-van with his family.
175. He would love to travel the world, but China wasn't as wonderful as he was hoping.
176. He always has some "statistic" or "study" to share from one of his recent reads.
177. He always tells me that if I do his family's hair for free then he will be my family's personal sociologist.
178. During the NBA finals between the Jazz and the Bulls he made everyone sit in the same seat for each game, hoping it would help our team…no such luck.
179. He shaved JAZZ into Sam's head for the series.
180. We rarely watched sports on Sunday growing up, but the Super Bowl was somehow allowed and he'd always sprint home from church, while undressing to make it in time for the game.
181. When the Jazz and Bulls met in the NBA finals for the second time, he got all of his friends to refuse to watch the Sunday championship game. They recorded it and started it at midnight, thinking their righteousness would help our team…no such luck.
182. He still texts T. every 11:11.
183. If he has any debate or interesting thought during the day he immediately sends an e-mail to T. and Meikle to inform them of his thoughts.
184. We threw him a surprise party for his 18^th bday, but couldn't figure how to surprise him…Uncle Chris brought an ambulances and sat it in front of our house, we stuck as many of his friends that would fit inside, when he pulled up from priesthood mtg. my aunt told him with tears in her eyes that her son has fallen and he's asking for NATE! He ran to the back of the ambulance and his friends jumped out…I've never seen his face more terrified.
185. He eats spaghetti noodles RAW.
186. He loves that his wife is beautiful and all of his friend's wives are lovely…inside joke.
187. He went to the NBA finals in Boston with Linley and loved every minute of it.
188. For his 16^th bday we went to Hawaii as a family and he brought Cass Hopkinson along where they decided to dine at Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate.
189. On that same trip he and Cass would NOT stop talking like Steve Irwin-RIP.
190. He and Cass also ate at McDonald's everyday to try and win at the Monopoly game.
191. He's not an outdoorsy guy, but thinks an African safari would be amazing.
192. He doesn't own a gym pass, but loves to road bike.
193. He and Quinn Gooch plan on doing Tour De France someday. J
194. He rarely visits his friends in Provo, asking them all to come to Alpine to see him. He says, "You know we don't come off the hill."
195. He still introduces me as his little sister and calls me "little ol' heath" even though he is 26 and I am 22.
196. He thinks I should marry rich and take care of the entire family for life.
197. He is good at investing and is always keeping an eye on his stocks.
198. Mom says when she had morning sickness while pregnant with me Nate came into the room while she was throwing up and he said, "Don't throw up our baby mom!" He was very concerned. Although, when I was born he was apparently more excited about the hospital bed than me. We've grown to love each other. J
199. He said his football skills were never about power but always about finesse.
200. He loves to get cheap shampoo from the grocery store, I HATE IT.
201. He doesn't like wearing any hair product and wont if he doesn't have to.
202. He hates taking family pictures and gets into an argument about it with mom every single time we try and take one.
203. He never had to have braces.
204. He chipped a tooth in Chile and had them patch it with a gold star.
205. He doesn't drink Pop very often at all.
206. He is the tallest member on both sides of our family, extended as well and he loves it.
207. He loves going out on the boat with Danny and Dave, but enjoys the boat ride more than the sporting aspect.
208. He loves short, old man swim suits and will wear one if Lin lets him get away with it.
209. He is comfortable when talking about that time of the month, thanks to having open sisters and a mom. J
210. He likes to call periods an exclamation point instead; he thinks that is what they are, never mind that it stands for a period of time…
211. He has a sixth sense about telling when girls are on their periods, it's real weird.
212. He would dress up every day for spirit week in middle school; thank heavens he grew out of it.
213. He has never done the Halloween scene.
214. He loves to discipline/sometimes bribe children to do things for him.
215. He loves to go on Sunday walks.
216. He rarely is seen wearing sweats, he usually has to be in jeans and dressed up to see anyone.
217. He's had 4 major concussions and it's messed with his concentration and vision in his LEFT EYE a little, now he likes to read big print.
218. He has kind of large ears and when he was little, kids would call him "Dumbo." Kristen would yell at the kids for being mean to Nate.
219. Whenever he was in trouble Dad would grab his ears and Kristen would yell, "Don't! You'll make them bigger!"
220. He thinks "The Biggest Loser" should be called "Big People, Little World".
221. He is real good at the game "Would you Rather".
222. In high school he would come home at curfew, check in with the parents, and walk right back out the front door.
223. He cheated his way through high school math.
224. He stole baseball cards from Walmart when he was like ten, and before his mission he went and confessed to a manager there.
225. He spent a summer working at Jones, Paint & Glass and now can pick out people's paint jobs.
226. He's rough with children and says that someone has to be, "Children need rough and tumble play".
227. He enjoys books on cd for long drives.
228. He hates long drives and wishes he could fly everywhere.
229. He and T. lived in married housing for his first semester off the mission.
230. He didn't do too much kissing in high school, but made up for it after the mission.
231. He said he'd dated too many girls that agreed with him about everything and that he'd like to meet a girl that would challenge him…he got what he wished for and we couldn't be happier.
232. The summer before he got married, he and I shared a room at Grandma's house and we had some hilarious nights.
233. He had testicular cancer scare and likes to think of himself as a cancer survivor, telling people that he "livED strong".
234. When we found out he might have cancer, his friends all started calling him "one nut Nate".
235. He was signed for a scholarship to start BYU football in January and they called and said they'd have to move it until after his mission. He wasn't okay with having to wait until April for his mission, so a couple phone calls later and BYU called to say, "we just got off the phone with Elder Eyring…" he had a mission call two weeks later.
236. He makes things happen.
237. If boys were bugging me, he'd tell me to punch them in the face and then come home and he'd miss school to hang with me.
238. He admires others accomplishments.
239. He never gossips, and tries to defend whoever is being discussed.
240. He's very loyal to his friends and will be there for them whenever they need him.
241. He loves having gospel discussions with his friends and there'd be some mornings that we'd wake up to find Books of Mormon dispersed throughout the house, we knew he'd been up late discussing things.
242. I love running into random people from his mission that talk so highly of Elder Hutchinson.
243. When his new Mission President arrived in Chile he arranged for all the Elders in the mission to chip in and rent a BILLBOARD that said "Welcome to Chile President Kiolo….sp??" .
244. On his Mission President's wife's bday he, once again, got all the Elders to pitch in and fill the mission home, and roof with thousands of flowers (literally)…the pictures were unreal.
245. He has a close relationship with some members in Chile still, and loves to hear from them.
246. He thinks grape juice heals every ailment and any time I am sick at his house he will purchase gallons of it and make me drink it…never mind the sugar in it.
247. He received his Eagle Scout on his 18^th bday (the last day of eligibility).
248. He wore his original (age 14) scout pants to get his Eagle (they were several inches too short so he wore his Reebok high-tops to make up the difference).
249. He hated scouting and my parents told him he couldn't get his license until he got his Eagle, they eventually caved, but he was almost 17.
250. He didn't have his license for the first dance he attended so his date drove them.
251. He got so frustrated with not having his license one night that he stormed my parent's room at 2AM, grabbed all the scout pins in mom's jewelry drawer and started throwing them at her saying, "you never wore these and you never cared!" They laughed really hard.
252. He can't sleep with any light in a room at all (probably because his eyes are partially open), but all cell phone, alarm, tv lights, etc. have to be covered. Because of this Kristen got him a sleep mask that he wears every night.
253. His personality is a RED/YELLOW and nothing more.
254. He likes people to throw him things that he needs, never stand up and walk them to him.
255. He once told me to toss Cass to him when she was like 6 months old, and I did. He was shocked and luckily caught her.
256. He always catches everything.
257. The yellow banks roses bloom over the arch on his bday every year and he and Kristen have to have a picture in front of them for Mom.
258. He has a hard time listening to women in General Conference and every time one of them stands to speak he texts T. and says, "better take your bathroom break now"…he says it's the sound of their voice, but he's trying to repent.
259. He thinks he'd be a good gambler, but never has.
260. He loves knowing what the surprise is and sharing it with other people.
261. He'd love to run a non-profit organization someday.
262. He's earned his Master's.
263. He refused to walk in his Master's graduation, because he didn't want to pay the 60 bucks for the cap and gown and didn't want mom to either.
264. He created my cell phone number while I was in high school and the last four digits are his football number {1515}.
265. When he had to switch numbers for football at BYU he chose represent Danny with #24.
266. He and Danny's song is "stompin' in our air force ones".
267. He not great at golf, like Linley can beat him, but he loves bragging about how talented his wife is.
268. He loves playing Tennis, especially doubles.
269. He calls Linley his little "Beronica" sp??
270. He still thinks he's a legend at PVHS.
271. He is frequently embarrassed about JeNee's cougar support.
272. He calls our Mother "JeNee", not Mom.
273. Ryan wears clothing that were Nate's as a child and someday Nate's boys will wear them too.
274. He applied to Law school, made the waiting list at BYU and then decided that he'd had enough school with his Masters, and needed to hop into the real world.
275. He got his Bachelors in two years and his Masters in two years. His philosophy is: get it done as soon as possible.
276. He snacks at any opportunity and seems to be hungry all the time.
277. He loves playing intramural basketball with T. and Ty Berry.
278. He rarely picks a fight with someone (except maybe in intramural games), but when someone is mean to me, he sure steps up to be the big brother.
279. He doesn't enjoy getting up early to clean off the snow, but he'll sometimes do it for Lin.
280. He also leaves her notes in the snow on her car.
281. Since his car accident he has trouble falling asleep and he's had to take Lunesta.
282. If he's taken a Lunesta and he's still up chatting he'll say, "the butterfly is landing", which you would understand if you'd seen the Lunesta commercials.
283. He hates most women's sports, especially the WNBA and he always makes fun of their "Expect Great" commercials.
284. He likes watching High School signing day on ESPN.
285. He and T. always made fun of "Rachel Nichols, ESPN" and her obnoxious voice.
286. He doesn't mind shopping and is great to take to the Mall.
287. He loves to "talk" in all his sporting events, sometimes T. doesn't appreciate it.
288. He loves Bentleys.
289. He wanted a wedding ring like President Hinckley's, a big gold one with a large black stone in the center, Linley opted no on that one.
290. Grandpa H. always told him that he'd need to get better table manners in case he was dining with the Queen on his mission and she was offended, Nate knew the Lord called him to Chile where they use their hands as serving utensils for a reason.
291. He eats sushi now because Lin is such a fan.
292. He picked out Linley's engagement ring without her there, but LUCKILY she loved it.
293. He still tells her it cost 100grand and refuses to tell her the actual price.
294. Banana Republic is his favorite store.
295. He gives all his left over BYU athletic gear to Dad who couldn't be happier to receive them, and wears them every Sunday.
296. He can talk his way out of anything, or into anything, and can sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves.
297. Every time he travels home to STG he asks JeNee to have homemade salsa or spaghetti ready and waiting for him.
298. He and Cass do the BEST dance to Hannah Montana's 'Nobody's Perfect', a LOT of hip action goes on there.
299. If Cass does something wrong and gets disappointed in herself, Nate quotes Hannah Montana and says, "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days…"
300. He loves playing Rook with Lin, JeNee and Grandpa Gifford.
301. He likes buying old furniture and fixing it up and is thankful that his wife is so talented in that area.
302. He and Lin have always slept on a king bed and now a queen is OUT OF THE QUESTION.
303. Linley says every time he stirs in bed it's like an earthquake for her because he's so big and moves A LOT.
304. He loves Bob Marley and U2.
305. He gags every time he brushes his teeth because he scrubs so far back.
306. He WOULD NEVER share a tooth brush with anyone, but in a tight spot he'll BOIL one to use it.
307. He used to brush his teeth on the way to school while my mom drove and spit out the door at every stop sign (waking up earlier never occurred to him).
308. He hated assembling the pads in his football pants, so I usually would.
309. He showers at least twice a day and sometimes more.
310. We used to think that he was like Bart Simpson as a child.
311. He and Kristen knew all the words to the Simpsons soundtrack, "DEEP DEEP TROUBLE (BART)".
312. He and Kristen had a paper route as kids and he would order a new pack of rubber bands every week to make the BIGGEST rubber band ball you've ever seen.
313. One day on their paper route Nate's bag got caught in the spokes of his bike and he flipped over the handles and landed on his back. (Kristen just said it added to the horribleness that was their paper route).
314. Too bad they LOST money on their paper route, but thankfully he had a huge rubber-band ball.
315. He once rode Jerrick Hunt's three-wheeler into the pond. 316. His favorite bubble gum is BAZOOKA and loves to buy the Costco gallon size.
317. He can blow bubbles WAY bigger than his head and will challenge anyone to a competition.
318. He blows spit bubbles sometimes and it drives Dad insane.
319. He loves to spin pillows on his fingers and does at any opportunity.
320. He hates shaving.
321. He loves dried mangos and will hide them around his house so no one eats them.
322. He loves trail mix, but won't spend 10 bucks to purchase it.
323. He hates wasting paper towels and will always use a hand towel to dry his hands.
324. He loves spicy food and will put jalapenos on EVERYTHING.
325. In high school he drove our Great-Grandpa's truck with no AC and would drive everywhere shirtless.
326. The first time he drove the truck (Ellis), it back-fired and everyone thought they were being shot at and ducked.
327. His favorite high school class was TV Broadcasting.
328. He loved hanging out at the Cheerleader's lockers, good thing they were by Mom's office.
329. He wore these hideous high-top Reebok shoes all throughout high school.
330. He had the mouth of a sailor as a young boy and decided one night (at the age of 10) that it was really bad, so he prayed real hard, started crying and sat in the dark telling Sam (who was 3 years old) not to grow up and be like him because he was the worst brother in the world.
331. He's never been great at laundry, but he's particular about how things are folded.
332. He wears his socks inside out.
333. He once bought a Bernini suit on a HUGE SALE and never felt comfortable wearing it because it was so nice.
334. He's rarely clumsy.
335. He ran for Student Body President senior year and didn't win, but said the loss was because none of his friends would go early to school or stay during lunch to vote.
336. "Stay gold Pony Boy, stay gold".
337. He proved Mary wrong and amounted to something. J
338. He started our "family slogan"--Forever Together.
339. He likes to rhyme and does it frequently, especially when he's in a good mood.
340. He's not a "truck loving guy".
341. When he thinks he's dressed up and looks nice he sings, "Gator boots and a pimped out Gucci suit…"
342. He likes to think he's a manly man.
343. He's a little metro. J
344. He has recently decided he would like to own a motorcycle, but Linley isn't having that.
345. He was recently quoted in the newspaper about a work project saying he was "pleased as punch".
346. He always jokes about women's rights, and thinks we should go back to the days where only men voted.
347. He loved when I completely lost my voice for two weeks and could only text.
348. He said if I went mute that he would not learn sign language to understand what I was saying.
349. He doesn't own and iPod and hasn't used iTunes.
350. He really loves his in-laws and talking with all his nieces and nephews.
351. He calls Linley multiple times a day, and is actually on the phone constantly.
352. He loves going to the Parade of Homes.
353. He just created the brochure page for his companies Parade of Homes entry and said, "Flagship Homes builds homes for the working family, because that's who they are and that's who they care about." Yes, he quoted Tommy Boy for that. J
354. He loves to post on their blog and this is why Lin has changed their password. J
355. He can't figure out why every time he posts on the blog he gets 3 comments and when Linley posts, she gets 12 comments (maybe because his friends don't check blogs too often).
356. He doesn't use a planner.
357. He'd love to someday own a ranch and have Sam run it for him.
358. He swears that someday, if he has any money, he'll take dad to a Jazz game and sit courtside.
359. When we went to check him in for knee surgery the girl checking him in said, "Nate? Is that how you pronounce it?" Later, Nate said to us, "No, it's Na' Te" ha.
360. In H.S. there were 4 Nate's on his bball team, so he's gone by "Hutch".
361. He was the manager for Jared Shakespeare's band "Entropy", and thinks he could have taken them big, had they not broken up. J
362. He would never do the Hakka with the rest of the team because the chant means: "I'm coming to kill you" and he didn't feel it was appropriate (also, he's white…).
363. He stills calls Mom every day to chat because she loves it (this is why he's her favorite).
364. He and my Mother are the SAME.
365. He loves to surprise people, so when he comes to STG he always tells us he's still in Nephi or something, while he's parking in front of our house.
366. Linley got a text from one of Nate's friends telling her that he wanted to set her up with this amazing kid (Nate) and she ended up talking with Nate's friend all night about just how amazing this Nate kid was…Turns out it was actually Nate on this friends phone talking himself up to Linley all night.
367. He was always mad that Kris and Ty and Weave and Whit got married 2 MONTHS before he got home.
368. He loves feeding babies food that their Mothers wouldn't approve of them having.
369. Ty Berry and Max were once over for a bball game (Kenz was at work) and Ty realized he didn't have a nipple for the bottle. Nate wasn't about to let him go home so, Nate held Max's cheeks open while Ty used a straw to suction the milk into the straw and pour it into Max's mouth. It took forever, but they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
370. The Panamara Porche will be his first purchase when he's a billionaire.
371. He loves the Triple Crown and he watches all three races.
372. Before the race starts he yells, "And down the stretch they go…"
373. When getting off the phone, he always says, "Mmmm, Bye" (mostly to make fun of Mom).
374. Mom says he's always been a super social kid and never liked being alone. When going to bed as a little boy he'd always say, "Sweep wif me Mom, sweep wif me".
375. As a little boy he knocked his two front teeth out on a medal pole while trying to catch snow during half time at a BYU basketball game.
376. When the paper interviewed him about signing with BYU and not Utah he said, "This works out perfectly because I've always loved BYU and hated UTAH." (Max Hall's got nothin' on him).
377. He and T. once slept outside in a tent with two dogs at a radio station to win Jazz tickets…they won.
378. He likes to spell the last word in a sentence to give it emphasis, he'll say, "well that tastes like c-r-a-p."
379. He once got so sick of the Hutchinson family reunion that we were at, he tied Kristen and I up with ties and stuffed socks in our mouths and was holding my grandpa's rifle when my parents came in the room. He said, "I've had enough of this gosh dang family reunion!"
380. If you're having a bad day and you tell him about it, he'll send you a text that says, "kill yourself" and you end up smiling.
381. He thinks American Eagle is the worst store to shop at and refuses to shop there. AND…if he sees an eagle on a piece of clothing that you're wearing (maybe a scarf) he'll say, "real classy, Heath…"
382. He dislikes when people say they couldn't have been born in Pioneer time, but the Pioneers couldn't have been born in our time… He thinks we all would have dealt with whatever time period we were sent to earth.
383. Now that he has a Blackberry, he rarely uses a laptop.
384. If at all possible, he will steal any clothing from Dad's closet on any given visit.
385. He always says, "Hey, pretty lady…" to Linley.
386. He always said his geo is teal on black (meaning his teal car on wheels with no hubcaps).
387. He bought his wife a pink road bike so the two of them could exercise together.
388. I was picking he and Lin up from the airport one time and he came out to the car limping and I asked, "What happened?!!? Did you hurt your knee again?" He said, "Shhh, just get in the car." When we were in the car he told me that he couldn't wait to get off the plane so he told the stewardess that he had knee problems and needed to get off first with the handicap...real mature.
389. I left my car overnight in the airport parking lot because I flew out to Cancun and he was flying in from Cali the next day, so I left my car for him to drive home. Turns out I had NO IDEA where to park, and when I turned my phone on in Mexico, there was one text from Nate that just said "56 dollars". I knew I was in big trouble because he had to pay it to get out of the parking lot. He left the receipt in my car for when I returned, but he never made me pay him back.
390. Since his knee surgery, his left foot is completely numb and he has to have it rubbed all the time.
391. He describes his knee surgery as having his leg sawed in half and put back together, which is essentially what happened.
392. He can't stand hairy armpits on men; he thinks it is completely disgusting.
393. He buzzes his leg and chest hair because it's another part of his phobia of hair.
394. In his dream home he would have a breakfast nook made of glass that he could walk out and see his view.
395. He always says that it's ridiculous that we can put man on the moon, but we can't find a better way to deal with periods.
396. He loves playing couples Bunco, and he and Ty Berry get WAY too into it.
397. He gets real sick when watching the anti smoking commercials (the ones where they squeeze the junk out of the aorta).
398. He still calls Ty Berry 'Elllder' and that is how he is saved in his phone.
399. When RM's are doing sketchy things he'll always call them Elder as a little reminder.
400. Anytime he and Lin have gotten in an argument (since they were dating) he says, "Oh boy, are we having our first fight?" It's always their first fight.
401. I always finish his sentences and he HATES it! He always tells me to stop and I tell him to THINK FASTER!
402. He says he thinks quickly, he just prepares what he's going to say in his head before he speaks.
403. Before he told Linley he loved her, he'd always tell people they were in "like".
404. He knows he's a visual learner and you have to be looking at him when he's talking.
405. When he used to get in trouble as a little boy, Mom said, "Nate, what can we do to help you stay out of trouble?" His response was, "I think I need a desk." She learned that ALL his time needed to be structured.
406. He refuses to believe that he and Lin will have a girl for their first child.
407. When I was sick people were always wondering if I had depression and Nate found it so funny that he was always joking with me about it (probably making sure I really didn't go into depression). He can make you laugh about ANYTHING!
408. He never wears a watch, but says he would if he owned this certain one.
409. He wants to sit in a cage with the biggest sharks in the world swimming around him.
410. He's always reminding us that he's the birthright son…who knows what he'll get from that??
411. He loves telling us that he's looking for 'get rich quick' schemes.
412. He loves when his friends forget his birthday (especially when he's remembered theirs) and he can hold it over their heads.
413. He hates when he opens the door at school for girls, just to be nice, and they give him the left hand hair-swipe, letting him know they're married.
414. He used to be HORRIBLE at giving hugs and Kristen and I hated it. Slowly but surely he has gotten better and gives us hugs much more frequently now.
415. When the Chile earthquake hit (15 min. from where he served) he felt very nervous for the Chilean people and checked for updates frequently. I know he had fasted and prayed for them and was happy to hear that things were better than he expected.
416. He always says, "It's not so much what you say or what you do, it's really just who you are" if you're asking him what's wrong with some situation in your life. It's pretty funny.
417. He always takes mine and JeNee's Café Rio cards to get free meals.
418. He and Linley live off gift cards.
419. This year he called me on my bday and said, "Happy Birthday Corey Warner", and then talked about how this day must be so great for Corey.
420. He does the greatest impression of our Great Uncle Von keeping his pants up by hitting his hips, it's hilarious and you'd have to see it to believe it.
421. When he and Linley tended for our Aunt and Uncle he replaced the 'G' on their front gate with a paper 'H' for all of their visitors.
422. He loves calling Danny's boy, William, Billy. He just usually likes to call kids different names.
423. He loves playing a game of horse shoes.
424. He presented Sam with his Eagle Scout Award and he could barely keep a straight face throughout the ceremony.
425. Cass wouldn't eat her yams at Thanksgiving dinner once and he said, "Tass, you better eat your yams or they'll be down your shirt." She didn't believe him, but by the end of dinner she had yams down her shirt.
426. He let me highlight his hair once after his mission and he ended up looking like Eminem. We have never done it since.
427. When my Grandparents had their 50^th Wedding Anniversary celebration every grandkid had to share a talent and Nate didn't have one to share so he got Ty to sing "You are My Sunshine" with him.
428. He always plays the Ass in the Nativity Scene at Christmas…can't be sure what that means?? J
429. JeNee tried to do a 'business man' themed Christmas for him and purchased everything from Dillards. He couldn't stop laughing that morning when everything he got was the brand, 'Cutter and Buck'. He's never let her live it down.
430. He plays in the Turkey bowl every Thanksgiving with the Uncles and a couple years ago he ended up scrapping his knee up so badly that affer dinner he ended up in basketball shorts and his cowboy boots.
431. He and Linley lived in Grandpa G's house when they were first married because Grandpa was on a mission. When Grandpa was returning home the place had to be deep cleaned. Linley did most of it, but was out of town that day and left a list of things for Nate to finish. Being the nice sister that I am, I told him I'd help out. I ended up getting to his place around 2AM and fell asleep on his couch. The next morning (the day Grandpa was coming home) Nate came to wake me up and said, "Heath, what time do you want to get up?" I calculated the hours until they were to get home and said, "9." Nate said, "Okay, I'll let you sleep till then." I went back to sleep. When he came and woke me up again he said, "It's 9, Heath. Time to get up." I rolled off the couch and started the cleaning. After a couple hours of cleaning, I was scrubbing the bathroom and he came in and said, "Heath, why don't you check out the time on my phone." I looked and it was just THEN TURING 9AM! Apparently he came and woke me up a couple minutes after I went back to sleep. Good thing he got a couple extra hours of work from me. I couldn't help but laugh.
432. He's always right and likes to bet mom that he's right (anyway to get some cash outta her).
433. He had to watch Sheree's baby Elsie while the women went to dinner and when Sheree texted him she said, "how's the babe doin?" Nate's reply was, "sleeping like a little lamb, and Elsie's fine too."
434. He attended the Rose Bowl parade this past year and sent a text with the picture of a band and said, "Is it wrong if you find the blind marching band half funny and half inspirational?"
435. He has a small clef in his chin.
436. He won the Pine Wood Derby when he was 7 and loved that race every year. He and Dave now think that the Pine Wood Derby is for the wrong age group (maybe it should be the Elder's Quorum Derby??).
437. When he was a boy Grandpa Gifford made a list of ten items that would help Nate be structured and keep him busy (because if he wasn't structured, he was getting into trouble) Grandpa called it the "For the Love of Nate list…"
438. Mom says when he was 7 years old he gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting, he stood up to the pulpit, put his hands in his pockets and spoke. She says he looked like he spoke every week and owned the place. He's always been very confident.
439. He is building a 500,000 dollar home in a recession (best of luck). J
440. His first kiss at age 15 was with a SENIOR.
441. He always played Leonardo when Kristen and he played TMNT.
442. He was hitting golf balls in our back yard (when he was 12) with Danny and I was standing too close to him; he told me to take a step back or he'd hit me and I said, "NO!" He swung so hard and smacked me in the eye with the driver.
443. As I ran in the house to tell mom, he ran after me, tackled me to the ground, sat on me and told me that he'd do anything if I would stop crying and not tell mom. Too bad I already had a black eye.
444. Mom would drop us off to clean our house while it was being built and Nate would spend his time catching hummingbirds while Kristen and I worked.
445. He actually grabbed a hummingbird when it landed and freaked out when it started flapping its wings.
446. He killed a squirrel once with a rock and felt so bad that he started crying, held a funeral and buried it.
447. He has hundreds of Michael Jordan basketball cards and is waiting for the right time to sell them (another get rich-quick scheme).
448. Nate found a bottle of acid in a ravine at the army post, mom told him to throw it out immediately! Nate ended up opening the bottle to show the neighbors and got acid in his eyes.
449. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and thinks he's now just feeling the effects of the incident (he may be wearing an eye patch soon). 450. He loves taking dam tours.
451. He is the water weenie champion. He likes to ride on the back with his legs hanging off, but won't do it without water gloves.
452. He froze Kristen, Kat, and Whitney's bras while they were sleeping at Lake Powell one year.
453. He and Derek Sorenson played "freeze out" (where you roll down the windows on the bus, get butt naked and see who can last the longest) on the bus ride home from Cedar once, and Coach Wardenburg's wife happened to be driving right behind the bus as they switched seats. She called and asked Coach what was happening on their bus.
454. He worked at Polo for three hours once.
455. He added a facebook account for Flagship homes, but uses it as his own account.
456. He used to use T's account in college and only add beautiful girls to date.
457. Mom sent him canned refried beans for Valentines once and he was amazed that she took the time to send him such a gift.
458. He was the only one brave enough to impersonate Bronco Mendenhall in the team skits.
459. He was called Nathan as a child and dad's side of the family still calls him that to this day (it's hilarious that they refuse to call him Nate).
460. Mom says when he was potty training he had 6 accidents in one day and ran out of clean "training" underwear and mom said, "I guess you need to wear a diaper until you're a big boy and can wear big boy underwear". Nate responded sadly with, "Never again."
461. Mom says at age 3 he was praying for the family and said, "Help us get a lot of money".
462. Mom says when he was 4 yrs. old and we moved to Kansas, Nate asked, "Do we have a Grandma out here?" She said, "No, we don't." and Nate said, "Can we get one??"
463. He once dove on the track to try and beat Josh Woodbury in the 400M, and he now has huge scars all over his hips…ANYTHING for a win. 464. The Refs still remember him from H.S.
465. He once got a technical because the ref thought he was going to say something and blew the whistle (let's just say he's been ejected from some games before).
466. When doing the "Y" run, he made it to the top first.
467. As freshman on the football team at BYU, the upper classmen (Polynesians) shave all of their heads (BICKED) and Nate would sprint to his car after practice to avoid them. They eventually got to him.
468. In H.S. he would walk around to groups of people in the hall and say, "put your right hand in for Nate", and they'd turn in for a sweet hand shake. J
469. He reads the Wall-Street Journal and loves thinking he's an adult and should do such things.
470. He always orders water with lemons at restaurants.
471. He likes the phrase "fat piece of tuna", especially when talking about Pau Gasol.
472. He loves watching Jazz/Nuggets games with Ty Berry, while each of them wears their team jerseys.
473. He still has Chicago Bulls t-shirts (from when he was 10) and wears them for intramural games.
474. He doesn't like when you pull the E-Brake too quickly when parking (he thinks it damages the brake).
475. He says he'd love to name his daughter Tiffany and spell it, "TIPHPHANY".
476. He always crosses his legs when he sits.
477. He's been a Jazz fan longer than he's been a husband…sorry Linley.
478. He says he plays "Krzyzewski" on the piano (Duke's Head Coach).
479. He loves his wife!
480. He loves to call and check up on my life and I thoroughly appreciate it.
481. He HAD to play in a church bball game the day he got his tonsils out. His throat swelled shut by the end and he had to return to the hospital.
482. He loves teaching Cassie his pearls of wisdom.
483. He LOVES homemade salsa and using their Vita-Mix
484. He doesn't like when we tell restaurants it's his bday, it's a little embarrassing when they sing to him.
485. He hates doing the serious face for football pictures, he's always smiling.
486. To keep a smile for pictures he laughs, to do this he thinks of our family picture when Kristen wore braces, works every time.
487. He loves fitted suits and skinny ties.
488. He HATES putting up Christmas lights.
489. Sam says he loves his example of going on a mission.
490. As a little girl, he used to ask me what I was reading in the Book of Mormon and since I wasn't reading every day I would make something up. He always knew that I knew nothing and would keep encouraging me to REALLY READ. I finally picked up on the importance of it, but he was a great influence on me.
491. Because of his love of the Book of Mormon and example of reading it every day all of our family members have gained a love of the Book of Mormon and the importance of it in our lives.
492. He is so sweet and considerate of others, he always goes out of his way to make people feel happy and comfortable.
493. He would LOVE an 82" screen to watch the NBA playoffs.
494. He holds his ears out to help him hear things better. It is hilarious to watch.
495. Mom would read the book "I'll Love You Forever" to him as a kid and when he was leaving for his mission he took a picture of him and Mom and put it in a frame with the words, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be". He's pretty sweet.
496. He's very ambitious.
497. He loves having gospel discussions with Dad. I learn so much from those two.
498. Over this past conference when Elder Holland was standing to speak he said, "Cass, be prepared to be hit by a spiritually 2x4".
499. He will be thoroughly embarrassed by this list, but I sure loved making it.
500. He is loved by me and by ALL those who know him! He really is one of my favorite people on earth and I am so thankful he's in our family. I couldn't ask for a better brother!

LOVE, HEATHER

Latest Reads

2010-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Both great reads.

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

In one month...Nate and I will be able to call this place home! Kind of crazy, we know, but we couldn't be happier. We started building in January and it is scheduled to finish at the end of April! I will keep posting more pics as changes happen!

The Women

2010-03-01T10:32:00.001-08:00

Worst book ever! And with that said, Frank Lloyd Wright was a hussy. We are taught to love and admire these American Icons, but no thanks Mr. Wright.

The Women

2010-02-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

Has anyone read this? I am having a hard time getting through it, but I just can't give it up. Let me know.

Katnip

2010-02-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ok seriously, I loved every second of this series. I can't wait for the third one to come out. So interesting and definitely a page turner!

Bookies

2010-02-18T09:44:00.001-08:00

Go get this now!! Apparently it is the latest craze and I decided to jump on the band wagon. It is so interesting and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. Bring on the Capitol!

So this was probably the most depressing book I have ever read. Around every corner something terrible happens - can't say that it was my cup of tea. It was so hard to get through because I found myself not wanting to read what happened next. But I refused to quit, got throught it and now don't really know why I decided to finish it. Left me feeling empty. But you decide.

Endometriosis

2010-01-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

Drama. Drama. Drama. Lots of you know that I recently had surgery last Tuesday to confirm or rule out endometriosis. And the verdict is- Stage 3 Endometriosis. A 45 minute surgery turned into four hours, a tennis ball size cyst, five incisions, and lots of endometriosis all over the place! Fun huh?! The recovery was not enjoyable and made me realize just how much you use your stomach muscles for EVERYTHING. I couldn't do anything by myself. Not fun. I am back at work, but slow and tired. And my left incision (where the tennis ball was) is still super tender. I went back to the doctor yesterday and he said that all incisions looked great and that the next step was hormone injections. He wasn't able to get all the Endometriosis out during surgery, so now the attack plan is Menopause...yep, I am basically going to be a 55 year old woman for the next six months. Because Endometriosis is aggravated and increased during menstrual cycles, he wants to stop them. I take Lupron injections once a month for the next six months. Crazy! The doctor said to expect mood swings, hot flashes, and major hormonal imbalance. Ha. Sign me up! My nurse had to go on Lupron as well and she said it was the worst six months of her life and she shared that if I am married after this, that my husband will be able to love me through everything from there on out. Ha. It is kind of bitter sweet right now because I know the prognosis which is great, but it is going to be a long battle. Hopefully 2012 is our year! :) Here is my disclaimer for the next six months...if I am rude, annoying, angry, quiet, reclusive, dramatic, emotional, crazy, etc...I apologize now!! It isn't my fault...I love you all!! Thank you for all the texts, calls, messages, etc. I felt very loved and cared for. Thanks Nate and Heather for taking such good care of me! Muah!

Books Books Books

2010-01-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

The best book ever! I LOVE IT.

Average.

2009-12-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

I may not be the toughest critic, but I LOVED this book. It was an easy read and so fun. You should probably go get this one too! :)

Life and Death in Shanghai

2009-12-07T14:18:00.001-08:00

Crazy good! This book is amazing. It made me realize just how little I know about the world around me. I always learned and wanted to know more about the wars in which this country fought and its political differences, but never did I fully digest what other countries and nations have gone through and fought for, or rather what their people have endured. This book is about a woman during the ten year Cultural Revolution in China and all the hardships she faced. She endures it all...wrongful imprisonment, persecution, betrayal, loss of loved ones, etc. but yet she still finds a way to live on and live on well. How lucky we are to live in a country where men are absolutely free in every sense of the word. Go get it!

New Ride

2009-11-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

Nate and I finally made our first "big purchase" as a married couple. This is our new ride which we both love and are so excited about! Nate's Geo went the way of the earth...RIP! Nothing like a little debt to get us both motivated to work really hard! :) We love it!

Falling Leaves

2009-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Great book! I love reading. Apparently this book is a lot like Life and Death in Shanghai, which I have started now. But I loved this book. Great autobiography. This book definitely opened my eyes to the world around me and what others had to endure.

The Star Garden

2009-11-03T09:34:00.001-08:00

Loved it! Such a great series!

Now reading Falling Leaves.

2009-10-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

This book took me a little longer than normal because life has been crazy. But here are my feelings...not as good as the first, but still definitely worth reading to get to the third. If you fell in love with Sarah Prine in the first, you will continue to enjoy her life's journies and heartache. I am now reading the third...The Star Garden and I am absolute loving it! Read it.

Nǐ Hǎo Part 2 Pictures

2009-10-21T09:44:00.001-07:00

Nǐ Hǎo Part 2

2009-10-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Update from China.

Here is a picture of the Canton Fair (the second picture Linley). This is one building and there is 16 of these bad boys. It is so big that there is nothing in the world that I have ever seen that I can compare it to. It blows the new Cowboys stadium out of the water in impressiveness. You gotta love that word. And if you don't believe that it is a word you can see the definitions at the following link: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=impressiveness. So the food still is a kick in the face. We only have two places that we eat at. 1. Pizza Hut and 2. KFC. McDonalds tastes like poop in a hamburger bun and the ketchup may as well be burnt tomato paste. If you go to Pizza Hut there is only two things that you can order, a cheese pizza and one of the 15 spaghetti meals. If you go to KFC you can order the Zinger Chicken Burger and the Popcorn Chicken and Fries (and the ketchup here must come straight from the ole' Midwest because it tastes like a million bucks). Other than those four things we still only eat peanuts and Oats 'N Honey bars. We are down to about 60 Oats 'N Honey bars and 1.25 containters of peanuts left. My 120x180mm American Flag is still hanging just as proudly as ever over my bed (that is about 4x6 inches for those of you that haven't converted to the metric system yet, I'm falling in love with kilometers, meters, liters, etc.)

Things are going well. We still have been waking up between 5:30-6:30 a.m. The first phase of the fair is over and so now we are touring factories and looking at the different products to see who can produce the quantities we need and what things make sense for us to try and import. Yesterday we spent a day with three native Chinese people. It was crazy. We woke up at 5:37 a.m. and got picked up by Aki and Jillian and Anthony. Aki speaks decent english and so she translated for everyone all day. It was so crazy to just be hanging out with three Chinese people that we didn't know at all. They picked us up and drove us to a factory that is about 3 hours from where we are staying (they said 1.5 hours). It was a very long but pleasant day hanging out with these guys. They are so nice and helpful. I couldn't stop asking questions about the Chinese culture and what their lives were like. From their children's school schedules, to what their feelings are on their government, to their favorite foods, to what they like to do for fun, etc. You name it and we talked about it. It is very fascinating to me to see a culture that is so different from ours. Chile was one thing but there was still a lot of similarities to America e.g. they use essentially the same alphabet as we do. You'll see signs in Chile and although you may not know what things say at first you at least can have an idea of what is going on. Not so in China you see this EVERYWHERE....专门为受过大学教育,懂英文单身人士的高质量婚恋交友网站 (note to the reader: I don't have a clue what this says I just found it by googling chinese symbols so if you speak Chinese and this tells you that I hate Chinese people or that I like to hug little boys or something then know that I didn't know). Also most people in Chile are Catholic (or profess to be Catholic) and here most people don't really know anything about God. Anthony had a bronze cow on the dash of his car and I asked him about it and he told us that this was the thing that brought him good luck/fortune. Just a completely different upbringing and thought process. I like hefers don't get me wrong but if you think for 2 seconds that ole' Bessy will bring me good fortune you have been drinking to much Jack Daniels. It was very interesting to talk to them about their culture. We also listened to Nora Jones. He had 14 songs on this CD but 13 of them were so so so so lame that I kept asking every second or third song if we could listen to Nora Jones again. It was a great day and we lived and laughed and loved with these three new friends. Here are a couple pictures of these people and their factory that we toured. They were again so nice and cool. It was one of those days when you realize that although there is a lot of trash in the world there are still a lot of good good people around the world.

Funny story. So Paul has to go number two this morning (with the dietary fiber in these peanuts and Oats 'N Honey bars we could put Activia out of business, if you ever get plugged up go down and pick up some Oats 'N Honey bars and you are good to go) and he finishes up and clogs our toilet. Granted you could clog this toilet by putting a half a gun wrapper in the toilet. It has the weakest flush in the world (kind of like John and Sheree's old house in Houston). So of course they don't have a plunger in our room so Paul has to call the front desk and tell them that we need a plunger. They send the front desk girl Xi up to take a look at what the problem is because they can't understand what he is trying to tell them. She comes up and takes a look in our bathroom. Paul goes in the bathroom with her to show her the problem. I'm just relaxing in the room watching CNN Global and he goes in the bathroom and opens the nasty poop-filled clogged toilet and points at the toilet and then points out in at me like I clogged the toilet. I'm laughing cause I think it is so embarassing that he has to show this girl his poop and little do I know that the whole time she thought it was me. Paul sure pulled the wool over my eyes. Xi looks at me a little different everytime I see her now and I wish there was a page in our "Chinese for Dummies" book that says "Uncle Paul is the one with the nasty poop that clogged our toilet not me."

Love you all. And it wouldn't kill anyone to post a comment or two on my posts. Just cause we don't have children doesn't mean that we don't have feelings. Peace.

My Plan

2009-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I have been trying to get pregnant for almost two years now and no such luck. I was writing my cousin an email today, and it got me thinking about what MY PLAN was for Nate and I compared to what has actually happened. Life is funny that way and here is goes.

Get married

Do the deed (sorry, but true)

(If you think that is inappropriate, sorry, but that is a large part in having a baby...hahaha)

Get pregnant

Find out if it is a boy or girl

Get nursery set up

Have baby

Love him/her more than anything in the whole world

But rather it has gone like this…

Got married

Did the deed (sorry Mom)

Didn’t get pregnant

Got nursery set up (Yep, yes I did…)

Bought “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” (Crap)

Took temperature
“Knew when I was ovulating”- not really, but the book said I did
Bought ovulation tests

Went to doctor

Got blood work done- paid $500

Went to doctor

Went on Clomid- paid $100

Didn’t get pregnant, felt like crap and gained 10 pounds!

And now I am back at ground zero.

I know lots of people go through much harder things than I have, and I am in no way down playing what people have to endure in order to have a baby, adopt a baby, etc. This is simply my situation.

But the bright side is I have a wonderful job and husband who loves me.

Even though I want nothing else than to be a mom, I finally understand that there is a greater plan for me. Things have fallen into place where if we had a baby, would not be able to work. So I guess I don’t know it all and someone else really does. I know that my Heavenly Father knows my desires and when it is the right time and place, Nate and I will be blessed with a little baby (girl- named Holland). HA! Don’t tell Nate! But I really have come to terms with not having a baby RIGHT NOW. It is no longer the only thing I think about and has taught me a lot about timing and what the Lord really had in store for both Nate and I. Nate use to always say, “Maybe our son is waiting because he needs to go on a mission at a certain time because there are certain people that need to hear the message from him, or maybe our son is going to be a track star and needs to be a year younger than the all star that runs ahead of him…” This really didn’t ever help, but I appreciated the gesture and it made me think about possible things that needed to happen before we were blessed with a baby. I don’t know it all, and I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or in a year or two, but I do know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and listens to my prayers and even though for a long time those prayers only consisted of having a baby, he has blessed Nate and I with a roof over our heads, each other, great jobs, insurance, money to pay tithing, and two fabulous families who love and care for us and who would do anything for us. Those are my thoughts for today, but I just wanted to share that I am happy and in a good place. Peace and Love.

Nǐ Hǎo

2009-10-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

So here I (Nate) find myself in China. I'm going to come right out and say it is chaotic. There is so many people everywhere here going every which way. Every time you get into a taxi you know that your life is about to end. They are crazy drivers and every 100 yards they are swerving so they don't hit people riding their "dump truck bikes" that is the only way to name what these bikes are like. There will be a little 16 year old girl riding a bike with 1 ton of stuff all packed around her. It looks like a little ant carrying a one inch piece of food. And then your driver is swerving all over the road as to not hit her. I guarantee I will come home from this trip with arthritis for clinching the door so hard during these taxi rides. It has a weird smell that we just can't seem to get away from as well? I don't know if the whole country is like this or just Guangzhou (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou if you care to read about where I am).

There are skyscrapers every way you look for as long as you can drive. You can drive and see all the skyscrapers in Utah in about 4 minutes. I have driven for about an hour in every direction and I'm yet to see the end of them. There are so many old and nasty buildings. The pollution is unreal. More people smoke here then you can imagine. They just like to light up the ole Marlboros and puff it up. I was going to post these pictures on our blog but I am being censored. China won't allow people to post on blogs or read blogs here. If they think they can put a muzzle on me they are crazy. I will be emailing Linley pictures and my posts and have her put them up. Here are a couple pictures of our hotel room and pictures from outside of our room.

Things are going well. The fair is like nothing you have ever seen. The complex is 3.3 million sq. ft. and has different manufacturers about every ten sq. ft. You name a product and it is here. We are finding products for our construction company and we have already found some great deals on a couple different products. We went and looked at the consumer electronics and thought about brining in the new LED TV's (they are twice as bright as LCD's and use half the energy and are less than one inch think). We would bring them over until we heard that the minimum purchase order was 1,000. I don't think dropping $1.6 million on 55" TVs would be the best route at this point. I will try to take some pictures of the fair and send them along tomorrow. We have some other ideas up our sleeves to start a TV business. If you would like to put in your thoughts on a name/logo that would be welcomed.

China is a great place but I wouldn't suggest the 25 hour flight to come and check it out. The smog here is unbearable and I have never missed American food like I do right now. Even when I was in Chile they at least would eat things that I had heard of (most of the time) but you go to any place here and you have no chance of eating anything from home. Last night we drove for about an hour after I Googled mexican food to try and find a place to eat. When we got there Paul ordered some Nachos and a Burrito. They served Italian food in the same place and there was no way I was going to order Mexican food after seeing the menu so I went the safe route and ordered a cheese pizza. It didn't taste good by any means but at least it didn't taste like everything else I have seen here. Paul's nachos and burrito didn't look too bad but they basically just took the lasagna sauce and put it on his nachos and stuffed his burrito with lasagna sauce. He wasn't in love with his meal either but at least it wasn't seaweed porridge with fish on top (a breakfast menu item). Good thing I went to Costco and bought 96 Oat and Honey bars and 8 pounds of peanuts before I left. This is our lifeblood and the only guaranteed meal that we get per day.

We are working hard and living it up. China isn't anything that I expected. I thought I was coming home with all sorts of neat gadgets, clothes, and shoes. I have kept my eyes pealed but I'll admit that outside of the fair I haven't seen one item that I wanted. Not even for 10 yen (which is about $1.45). I also would like to let all of you that are stressed that the end of the world is near to sit back and take a deep breath. Keep repenting and preparing yourself but just also be aware that there is a lot of missionary work that still has to be done. I'm calm as a summer's morning now knowing that we have at least a few years left before the end comes.
Our typical day starts at about 5:30 a.m. because we can't sleep past that and it goes until about 8:00 p.m. because we are both so dang tired when we get home and the only channel that we have on TV is CNN global which is the lamest channel I've ever watched so there is nothing else to do once we get home but to read our Book of Mormons and call it a day at about 8:15 p.m. We keep turning on the TV and hoping that things will get better and they will have added another channel. We go through all 35 channels and still only get one that doesn't sound like this, jing dong wo so ni chanza neorsha jing hong long kong. Our Chinese for Dummies books was the biggest waste of $25. It hasn't helped us one time and you should see us trying to communicate here. It is so dang funny.

The moral of the story is we are working hard, laughing hysterically because this place is so bizarre, not eating good at all, our feet hurt because we are standing all day long at the fair, we both get headaches by about 10 a.m. because it takes so much concentration to communicate with EVERYONE, the fair is awesome and the future of America is buying all products from China, we have a plenty of time and a lot of work to do before the Second Coming, China needs to be put in one big washer to clean everything off, then China needs to be put in a huge dryer with a couple Bounce sheets so that the smell can freshen up a little bit, the taxi rides are like living in a real life action film, the people here are so nice and kind, we can't speak a lick of their language and we have no ESPN during the middle of the College Football season. We miss American soil. If you don't think I have an American Flag hanging above my bed right now you are crazy. Most of all we miss and love our families. I'll try to get a few more pictures of the fair and the country. Here are a couple of pictures from our hotel room. Love you all. Peace.

Pictures are down below!

Nǐ Hǎo Pictures

2009-10-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Password Change

2009-10-01T11:25:00.001-07:00

Dearest Nate,

Now you cannot change/replace my words, posts, or pictures!
Goodluck trying to figure this password out!
HAHAHAHAHA...I love you!

Sincerely,
Your loving and irritated wife :)

PS. For those of you trying to figure out what the heck is going on...Nate frequently adds and or omits things that I have so dutifully written. So now he can't :)

Happy Anniversary

2009-09-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Have I seriously been married for two years? Weird!! We had a great weekend celebrating our two year anniversary up in Park City. We stayed at this great new hotel and loved just being away from everything and being with each other. Now that Nate and I have really entered into the business world, we really don't get much down time. (Am I personally in the business world, probably not, but am I going to call it that? You betcha! So this weekend we had lots of cuddling and hanging out time...which I miss. I swear we saw each other way more when we were dating...oops! I love my husband, I love the fact that he makes me laugh constantly, I love that he writes me notes and leaves them in my car before work that begin with "hey pretty lady", I love that he sleeps again, I love that he loves his GEO (teal on black), I love that he loves me "dearly", I love that he works so hard, I love that he is really such a great person, I love that he LOVES the Book of Mormon, I love how he reads it every night before he goes to bed without fail, I love that out of any restaurant in the whole world- he chooses Dimitri's pizza ($5.99) every time, I love that he is a great brother and drives to Cedar City for a two hour game and drives back, I love that he'll "drop it like it's hot" for our anniversary, I love that he is a worthy Priesthood holder, I love how he thinks Dancing with the Stars is porn and shouldn't be watched, I love that he loves my cooking and mmm's and ahhh's like Bob on What About Bob every meal, I love that he thinks about others constantly, I love the fact that he thinks he has the greatest style on earth, I love the fact that he keeps anything of value on our bookshelf and refuses to move it (Allen Edmon's), I love the fact that when I started teaching he bought me a ruler, hand sanitizer and an apple, I love that he tries to set a budget with me every month :), I love that he wants to build a home and that he thinks we can do it in the next two years (ha), I love that he finally really wants a baby like me, I love that he prays and fasts for our little family always, I love him always and forever, I love my husband! Happy Two Year Anniversary! WOW. I wonder what I won't love 10 years from now :) HA HA HA. Just kidding!

Book 3

2009-09-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe I am just easy to please, but I am loving every book I read!! I LOVE LOVE this book. So cute and you walk away smiling!! Carpe Diem...Go get it and read it ASAP!!

Book 2

2009-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about this one. Did I love the story? Absolutely!! Did I love the inappropriate sexual comments and language? No!! You decide. But now I find myself really wanting to see the movie to see how different/alike it is from the book. Let's just say...I hope the movie is a little tamer than the book!! Please don't judge me!! HA.

Book 1

2009-08-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Love this book!! You should all read it!! Can't wait to start the sequel. It is a story of a girl and her trials, heart aches, and successes in the Arizona Territories...historical fiction. You will fall in love with her character because of the things she has to deal with and how she conquers each. I love Sarah Prine!! She is feisty, quick witted, and strong in every sense of the word!!

Update

2009-08-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

My husband has officially graduated with a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Marriott School of Management! Nate didn't end up walking because he thought the $60 for the cap and gown was a little steep, but went to the ceremony to hear the words of wisdom from the commencement speaker. Then we celebrated at a little pizza place right around the corner from our house with all his family. Thank you everyone for coming and thank you Terry and JeNee for the pizza!! Hopefully I'll be able to get a few pictures from JeNee to put on the blog....I'll keep you posted.

And as for me, I have decided to become a reader...the type of reader that always has a book she is working on! So if you have any great reads, let me know!! So far I have The Time Travelers Wife, Sarah's Quilt (Sequel to These Is My Words), The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I'll let ya know how they all are! Work couldn't be better and life is great!

Peace and Love.

News

2009-08-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

So I got back from San Diego and started my new job at Huntsman Gay Global Capital on Wednesday!! I couldn't be happier and I am so grateful to my cousin Tanner for the heads up. So far I have only worked three days, but it is a busy environment where things are always happening, which I love. I am an administrative assistant and have lots of different responsibilities. I'll keep you updated. Thank you Tanner!!

Nate is working again and has actually started a new company and couldn't be happier, which makes me happy because he is doing what he loves...wheeling and dealing!

Life is great and Nate and I are so grateful for all our many blessings. Sometimes life gets rough, but even in the middle of it all we were able to see how many times the Lord blessed our lives with safety and security in all aspects!

San Diego

2009-08-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

I always hate leaving. It is definitely the best two weeks of the whole year. Playing games, the best food you'll ever eat, the beach, cousins, family, go-cart racing, the pool, etc...I have the best family in the entire world and I can't wait to see them all again. Thanks Mom and Dad!!

K1 Speed- I got first place out of all these people!! YEAH!!

At Boomers playing games!

Miniature Golf- Sweet shot!

The boys.

Brothers.

Elsie in her tutu I made. I made all the girlies fun tutus for the photo shoot.

Such big kids now...sad!

Kids will be kids! HAHA.

Elsie Girl

She wanted to eat the toole.

I die for this picture!

I wish I was closer to these kiddos. I miss them everyday!!
Savannah, Emily, Elsie, Andrew and Eva.

Toe Heads!!

Love this one tutu!

The girlies. Eva wouldn't call her anything but Abana Belle.

Life isn't a kick....

2009-06-09T18:17:00.001-07:00

You can either endure the storms of life or you can learn to dance in the rain....ha. This is my new motto over the last two weeks and I'm like a little latin dancer just dancing in the rain. Life is good.

Love Nate

Life is a Kick

2009-06-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

I am sorry our blog has taken a terrible turn for the worst since Nate has been posting his "resting #1 and #2" blogs. But in reality his posts could be numbered from 1 to 100 because he has been doing A LOT of resting!!! So be grateful he has just done two. Here's an update over the past month:
1. I work a lot
2. Nate tries to sleep a lot and has "the worst nights sleep"...every night
3. No babies
4. NBA playoffs and now finals
5. Nate interviews for a job that he didn't know he applied for. Went to the interview without knowing exactly what the job was for. Asked lots of questions like,"now what responsibilities will this job entail" so he can figure out what the crap he is there for.
6. I go to work
7. Nate goes to the doctor and gets new sleeping prescriptions
8. Nate's new sleeping prescriptions doesn't help him sleep, but rather makes him hallucinate.
9. I change poopy diapers and get thrown up on.
10. I went to Texas to visit my sister and her new peanut. It was the best because my Mom was out there at the same time and had a fun girls weekend.
11. Nate got sick while I was gone...threw up and lost about 10 pounds.
12. I gained 10 pounds....crap!
13. Nate got a sinus infection
14. I played Mommy to my 25 year old husband
15. I went to work, tried to get more work.
16. Nate interviewed with a few other people so we can pay our bills.
17. Life is kind of at a cross road for me and my hubby, so we'll let you know. We both know that life is going to change and we are just trying to prepare for it! But at the end of everything I know that I love my hubby more today than I ever have! Life is great and we both know how blessed we are to have a "kind of" job and a roof over our heads.

Resting time post #2.

2009-06-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well it has been about a decade since I posted my resting time post number one. Here we are still not sleeping. My symptoms are getting better (slowly but surely). I have slept about a total of 30 hours in the last 2 months. I go to bed about 1 a.m. and get out about 3 a.m. It is a dream come true. I'll be the first to admit that it is a tender mercy that the NBA playoffs have been going on since the accident. I have proly missed 3 games. Nothing but the best. If Kobe wins the Finals though it may throw me into a deep deep depression and there may be no way of getting me out. I will admit that the last couple months I have fallen in love with classical music. I can sit and listen to Mozart for hours. I'm entertaining the idea of going and renting a clarinet and playing that again. Rest in peace Mr. Martin and Mr. Brikey my sixth and seventh grade clarinet teachers. I will be attending the Utah Symphonies over the next few months. I'm thinking about a season pass...Click on the below picture to see it in a bigger size.

Quinn you still look like Prince Harry. If you don't know Quinn Gooch then click here....
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MItA2Vm_C80/ShsdkYntqII/AAAAAAAAAtE/lOLFG9rZRcg/s1600-h/DSC_0039.JPG
I'm thinking we can make a little money on the side. We should take a few pics of you and your kids and sell them to the tabloids with the headline that says, "Who are Prince Harry's illegitimate children?" or a picture of you and Dani that says, "Who is Prince Harry's mystery woman??". Bag all this school and work stuff. Lets keep swinging for the fences.

"Resting time post #1..."

2009-04-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know my fat trash was in a car accident about a month ago. I don't remember any of the accident but apparently someone ran a red light (us) or the ten passenger van that hit us in Dallas. My uncle John was driving and I was in the passenger seat of this car and was lucky that we weren't two feet farther into the intersection or it would have been what the Chileans call muerte (death) for me.

We are extremely grateful that the injuries weren't worse. I had my fourth terrible concussion (thanks BYU football and Cason Adams for punching me in the stomach in 8th grade which knocked the wind out of me and I stood up and didn't get enough oxygen to my head and fell to the asphalt like a tree). I started to get a little better after about a week but then the last couple weeks have been getting worse, I get really sharp pains in my head, my hands are tingling and I can't concentrate very well, and I sleep like a little owl at night (that means I don't sleep for those of you who don't watch Jack Hanna). I saw the neurologist yesterday and he says my symptoms are all "textbook and that it could take from 6-12 months to be back to normal, just try and rest". They are going to run a few more tests this week to see if there is any permanent damage. So today is day one of "resting". I pulled a twin mattress in front of the TV and I'm going crazy. This post won't last long because I get pretty dizzy trying to look at the computer but thought that I could at least throw a post or two up here over the next "6-12 months". The only thing that I can read is my scriptures for about 10 minutes a day and then I'm tapped out. Luckily I can watch the History/Discovery Channel and learn about the wonders of our little earth. I'm happy to take visitors (even every single one of my friends that forgot my birthday, Weave is the only one that came up big and remembered). I sent out a mass text to all my chubby friends on April 11 at 12:00 and 4 seconds a.m. that said the following, "A Happy Birthday text wouldn't have hurt anyone." I was so happy that they forgot so that I could send that text. I had it saved in my outbox by like 10:45. They all concurred that they are the worst group of friends in American History considering I never forget thiers. I'm going to get a few books on tape to help pass the time over here so any recommendations would be wonderful. Get ready for my post #2 of "resting time" tomorrow about the Utah Jazz.

Heaven on Earth

2009-03-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my parents flew me and Nate home to celebrate our birthdays. It was a perfect weekend. Birthday dinner, the beach, shopping, Rascal Flatts and I loved every second of it. I am so lucky to have parents that are always thinking of fun things to do and ways to celebrate. Thank you Mom and Dad! I LOVE YOU! See you next month. HAHA. Here are a few pictures of the weekend? How can anyone not want to end up here? I really don't understand. Is there anything more beautiful? I would say NO! It's my perfect place!

Nate's goal in life.

THE WEDGE at Newport Beach.
Body boarder about to be crushed in 2 seconds!

Livin' it up.

Skin boarders waiting for their turn.

Sun was a little bright!

PS. Yes, I took all these pictures! I am quite proud of myself. I have an awesome camera and editing is the funnest part! Woo Hoo!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-03-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day...simple, but great! Walk with my mom in the morning, lunch with my parents and best friend (Nate), Costco trip, 24 review, and dinner with family and friends! My mom made stuffed salmon, garlic mash, salad, bread, and grilled veggies. And for dessert...banana cream pie! YUMMY! I am a person who LOVES food, if you can't tell, so I had to include the menu for the evening. Then Kati and Mack came over to visit! I miss those girls and love them!! Happy 23rd, ah....TO ME!!! Notice how in the last blowing out the candles pic...my mom and Nate are both helping me blow out my candles because I couldn't quite get them all out. And we all know what I was wishing for. That is why my face has a happy/sad, "oh crap my dream isn't going to come true" kind of look. Thanks for all the phone calls and texts. Love you all!

Farewell

2009-03-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Nate says good bye to BYU Football. Bitter-sweet, but a great night!

All the seniors were given a framed jersey, helmet and warrior stick!

Brett, Max, Nate, and Dennis! Go Cougars!

Ryan Toolson

2009-03-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Nate and I went to UVU's last home game to cheer on their all-star, my cousin Ryan Toolson. It was so much fun to sit next to McKell and cheer, as well watch Mike do the double pump fist every time a player did something fabulous! Between Mike and the intensity of UVU's head coach, at times I found myself watching them instead of the game...OOPS! I am so grateful that I have tons of family around me all the time! It is the best. Congrats Ryan and hopefully you will go somewhere fabulous, so Nate and I can come visit and sit court side just like we did all year! And thanks Mike for all the tickets and pregame meals :) You are the best!! Here are a few pictures from Ryan's last show on UVU's court!

Other People's Children

2009-03-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Since Nate and I are lacking in the children department, we will continue posting pictures of other people's children. My cousin McKell introduced me to Picnik.com which is a photo editing site and I am in love! It is amazing! Here are some pictures of my cute little Emily Dawn a few weeks after she was born! And of course my cute little Andrew and Eva!

Snoop Dogg, Triston, Me and Thomas the Train

2009-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

So yesterday while I was hanging with Triston Gooch (my oldest Godson) one of the funniest things in the history happened. I'll set the stage for you...the women all went to baby Bridget's shower and so Quinn and Triston came up to hang with me and watch the BYU Utah game. Triston obviously wasn't too excited about watching the game with us and wanted to watch Thomas the Train...I wasn't about to put Thomas on the 55 incher and skip the rest of the game so I decided to get my laptop out and search some Thomas the Train videos on youtube. So Triston was just hanging next to me with the laptop on the top of his lap (I'll bet you've never heard it spelled out like that before) and he would watch a Thomas video and then when it was done he would tell me it was time for a new one. After he watched about 3 or 4 videos there was a video on the side called "Snoop Dogg and Thomas the Train". I couldn't resist the tempation so I took the computer and turned it down (just in case Snoop Dogg's Thomas the Train wasn't for 2 year-olds) and pressed play...This was the result. So Triston is sitting next to me and after this thing is playing for about 15 seconds he starts yelling..."Its a chocolate Thomas! A chocolate Thomas! I want a chocolate Thomas!" Nothing as good as a chocolate Thomas with a little Snoop Dogg in the background. Good stuff. Check out the video.

Disneyland Pics

2009-02-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of me and my hubby at the happiest place on earth!

Godfather Update...

2009-01-28T22:52:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to notify everyone that my 4th Godchild was born today. Christopher Drake Weaver. If any of you are wondering why I'm not a Godfather to your children and would like me to take on that honor/responsibility, please ask. I'm a little shocked that I haven't been notified by Shikespeare and other close friends to watch over (not after) their children in such an important and vital role...
As of 12:49 a.m. today my Godchildren are (and from oldest to youngest):
Triston Gooch

Maximus (not Max like he is to everyone else) Berry

Kindle (I call her Kindle not Kendell like everyone else) Legg

Christopher Drake Weaver

The proverbial glass half full....

2009-01-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Some people look at a rose bush and see this:

Some people look at a rose bush and see this:

I'm not here to say I pick the rose up without a glove and not take into account the thorns but just as I look past the bad air quality and snow (every once in awhile) there is just something about the majestic mountains of Utah that speak solace to my little soul and I just don't happen to get that anywhere else. This post in no way is to neglect the way my wife feels. I love her and will do all within my little power to make her happy. She gets the feeling I spoke about earlier from California and who am I to judge her when I myself walk imperfectly? I've committed to her that we can live in California when we can afford it and that it would be ideal if we could have a helicopter. I would love to live in California if I could get in my helicopter to avoid traffic and fly that puppy safe into the sky when the inevitable earthquake comes. If you are looking for a wise place to put some cash (and have it be recession proof) I would go out and throw down tons of cash on some Nevada property because when California ends up in the ocean it will turn into oceanfront property. Ely Nevada may be ideal. I love my wife and I love my mountains. Can you guys really see my fat white trash trying to surf the blue waves of San Diego? I like to drive up the mountain (not hike and not camp) and "look down on creation where the only explation I can find is the love that I've found ever since you've been around, your loves got me on the top of the world." This last line may not make sense to anyone but those that are die-hard Carpenter fans. As long as I have Linley I can live in Euthopia and be happy. Nuf said.

Nate

P.S. The securities mentioned in this report may not be suitable for all types of investors. This report does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or specific needs of any particular client. Recipients should consider this report as only a single factor in making an investment decision and should not rely solely on investment recommendations contained herein, if any, as a substitution for the exercise of independent judgment of the merits and risks of investments. The analyst writing the report is not a person or company with actual, implied or apparent authority to act on behalf of any issuer mentioned in the report. Before making an investment decision with respect to any security recommended in this report, the recipient should consider whether such recommendation is appropriate given the recipient's particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances. Don't want any crazy lawsuits. You can never be too careful.

Nathan Kennedy Hutchinson

2009-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

So I was browsing on Barneys New York website and came across this shirt. Considering this is the name of my future little boy I went to order it (even though it was like $50) and it wouldn't let my fat trash order it. I took this as a sign that N. Kennedy was trying to tell me he wasn't quite ready to come down yet. I got to thinking and I realized that I know exactly what you are trying to pull off here...you are waiting out this recession. I don't blame you. You are proly sitting up there right now thinking to yourself "If I go down there right now there is no way dad will be able to help me with college and I'll proly be stuck wearing those cheap non-name brand diapers." You may be right but what you may not be taking into account is the longer you make your mother wait the more chores I will give you between the ages of six and twelve. Mark my words Nathan Kennedy. It doesn't happen too often that a child is born and has a job list waiting for him when he gets out of the womb but it may just happen in this case. I'll cut you some slack if you do all you can but if not then you'll be mowing the lawn for hours and hours. Love you son. Now hurry up.

Your Loving Father Nathan Terry Hutchinson

Q&A

2009-01-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Funny story. So the other night Nate's family was all together and the topic of the weather came up and his Grandpa asked me how I (San Diego- which he calls me) feel about living in Alpine. Wrong question at the wrong time...Here's a little preface to the story. We have been trying to have a baby for a year...thought I was pregnant because I was "late" and that night at dinner I started what was "late"...so I was already feeling angry, sad, emotional, etc. So when the question was asked, I don't think I stopped talking for five minutes about how terrible the weather is and how much I hate snow and cold. I went into detail about the snow plowing experiences (don't ask), ice scrapping, spills on the ice, and how I fear for my life every time I drive on the roads. I literally almost cried, my voice was shaking and I let it rip. My husband had to stop me because he knew something was up and that normally I wouldn't have that strong of a conviction about weather. HA. Anyways, even though I probably went a little overboard that night and left the family thinking I was psycho and way high maintenance, I really can't wait for the day I get to move home to sunny perfection. And please no one leave a comment saying I am stuck here for life...I married a Utah boy...etc., because I promise it will happen. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be in five years, but it will happen!! :)

Alumni Game In...November

2009-01-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Nate played in the BYU/UTAH alumni game in November and still has it...at least that was our chant for him! It was so much fun. JeNee, Kristen, Heather, Cass and Ryan all came up to help me cheer. JeNee even showed up in Nate's jersey, which was classic because Nate absolutely hates that kind of stuff! Sorry babe...we love to show you off. Here are a few pics.

Better Late Than Never

2009-01-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Uncle Trevor is the coolest!

Andrew and Eva loved it!

Our sweet tired Emmy.

Kisses from Andrew. He was so sweet with her.

Here are a few pictures from Christmas in San Diego! We had so much fun with family and kept asking ourselves (well at least I did) why we live in snowy mountainous Utah?! The weather was perfect. I like perfection. There aren't many pictures of us because we were always the picture takers, so enjoy the kiddos. Pictures of Disneyland will be coming as soon as my Dad comes through with the e-mail request from about two weeks ago :)

Thanks.

2009-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry but he/she who hasn't committed a spelling error please cast the first stone.

-Nate

Oh Boy

2009-01-02T22:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know my husband...that all made sense and for those of you who don't just go with it...And for the record Nate, you can't rag on Twilight until you can spell it correctly!!

Nate Joins the Club

2009-01-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Friends, Old Friends, Family, Blogger Stalkers (all you people that don't know me or my wife but just want to read about random people that know your friends), and To Whom it May Concern:

Just wanted to make a public and official statement that I will be starting to blog. As an effort to help our blog compete in the fast changing world of the internet I will be adding my masculine commentary and insight on our blog. I wish my wife wouldn't have posted how much she "loves her husband" on the anniversary post and told her to not post anything about that afternoon but she "trampled my counsel underneath her feet" and posted about it anyway. It is funny because I think my wife officially loves this blog more than me so as I try to be more like Edward from "Twlight" and get my wife to think more of me when she thinks of her blog (which is 30-47 times per day), I will be a part of this. So I'd like to thank you all for reading this and letting me be a part of this mystical world of blogging.

Regards,

Nathan Terry Hutchinson
Father of the Future Child Nathan Kennedy Hutchinson (we'll call him Kennedy and he'll get babes and he'll sign his name N. Kennedy Hutchinson when he is a Senator someday). We aren't pregnant yet but I'm saying we will be soon and it will be a boy and this will be his name.

Hutchinson Family Pictures

2008-12-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

2008-11-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Last home BYU game...sad day!

Sisters at Cassidy's Baptism

Me and my hubby.

Cut Little Ryan...rooster

JeNee, Nate and Kristen!

The eagle that came to Sam's Eagle Presentation.

Nate was obsessed!

Ryan has the best smile :)

2008-11-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

The other weekend Nate and I went down to St. George for Cassidy's baptism and Sam's Eagle Court of Honor. It was so much fun and here are a few pics from Sam's Pine View High School football game. Go Clutch Hutch #2! Other pictures will follow...I am just really slow at taking them off my camera!!

Baby Berry

2008-10-13T14:47:00.001-07:00

Our good friends Tyler and McKendra Berry just had their little baby boy! He is so beautiful and we are so happy for them! CONGRATS!

Happy One Year

2008-09-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Nate and I just celebrated our one year anniversary...weird! It went by so fast. Since our special day fell on a Sunday we decided to celebrate on Friday night (leaving Saturday open for football). We went to Macaroni Grill (because we had a gift card, duh) and went from there. The whole meal Nate was asking what I wanted to do and when I responded with...I don't care...It really meant...You better have something planned or I think I might cry. So he suggested that we drive up to park city to go shopping at the outlets and look at this new house his uncle had built. We got "lost" and as we were "following" directions to this new house, we stumbled into the parking lot of the most amazing hotel right in the heart of park city! I was so surprised and not thinking that this would ever happen, I remember thinking to myself...his uncle built a hotel?! What?! But I have the greatest husband. He is amazing at surprises (which I love) and had our bags all packed in the trunk without me even knowing! It was the best hotel, with the best view, with the best bed (just comfy...sickos), and I was with the best company!! Everyone always schmoozes (?) about their husbands on their blog, but I never have because I didn't want to let all y'all down. Just kidding, but I do really have the hardest working, most thoughtful, lets me live in a movie kind of husband. I love him I love him I love him and September 28Th will always be the best day of my life and the greatest decision I have ever made! I love you Nate!

Lake Powell

2008-09-08T12:27:00.001-07:00

I LOVE LAKE POWELL

Wakeboarding, surfing, sky ski, cards, friends,

sleeping under the stars, boating...LOVE IT!

Labor Day Ward BBQ

2008-09-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Nate and Paul loving the football game!

Nate's cousin- Addi girl watching the FB game.

Nate catching a touchdown pass! WOO HOO!

Not very focused but what do ya do.
Dani & Triston Gooch and myself at the BBQ.

Extreme Desk Makeover

2008-08-25T21:38:00.001-07:00

My beautiful new desk!

Drawers on desk. Notice the crackle!

Top of the desk. Just wanted you to get a good look :)

This past week we inherited a desk that I had been pondering over how to make cute! I had an image in my head of what the end result could look like, but I just didn't know how to get there. So Nate and I went to Lowes and literally spent two hours debating which stain, paint color, etc. to go with. We finally decided on a Faux finish. We first had to sand the desk down next to nothing and prime it. Then I painted it black and put a crackle glaze on top and let it dry for a day. The crackle glaze is suppose to show through once you put your top coat on. Then I painted over the glaze with a cream color and instantly the paint started separating allowing the black paint to show, creating a weathered, antique, vintage looking desk! I really love it, so even if you don't....just lie! Here are some pics!

Her Name in Lights

2008-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

So my best friend Emma Jade Brazier just spent the last two weeks of her life covering the Olympics in Beijing. She worked in the studio for NBC alongside Bob Costas and became bff's with the athletes. As we were watching the closing ceremonies tonight, her name was in lights. At the end of the production, NBC sent us off with a farewell and thanks montage and under "production associates", Emma Brazier's name was listed! Congrats girl and thanks for all you did these past few weeks to bring our world together! HA! PS: Just remember me when you are Bob Costas!

The Latest

2008-08-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Nate and I have officially entered into the cycling world! Nate found great deals online, but the bikes didn't come assembled, so we had to take them to the local Trek shop. While there, we started talking to the employees and quickly found out that we only had 1/2 of the gear we needed to be "successful" on the bike. To say the least, after a lot of persuasion on their part and constant begging for a deal on our part, we walked out of the door, X amount dollars poorer and only a free freakin' water bottle! There were no deals with this purchase apparently! Dang it. Oh well. So far Nate and I have been on two bike rides and we love it! It is great for Nate's knee so hopefully we'll see improvements there! Even though we think we are pros now, it didn't start out smooth...When Nate went to pick up the bikes he noticed that his bike didn't have a "kick stand" and asked the guy if that was a problem. Needless to say, he started laughing at Nate and knew he was a rookie. Nate tried to play it off of course and said something to help his ego. My dad loved that story! For any of you who don't bike...no road bikes come with kick stands...they are usually hung when they're not being used! HA. Loved that! Then when we came home...got all our gear on, including our click in shoes and went for a ride. Accept, the ride didn't happen right away because we couldn't get our shoes into the pedals! I was laughing so hard and kept looking around the neighborhood to make sure no one was looking! After five minutes I opted out to help Nate and finally got him clicked in. He road around the neighborhood once or twice to get a feel for it and then came cruising up the drive way and onto the grass. He tried to click out but couldn't, so the minute he got to the grass, I had to run over to him so he wouldn't fall while he was thrashing his feet! He is a heavy kid and muscles seem to not work when you are laughing hysterically but I seemed to manage and we finally got him out and onto safe ground! I had a similar experience, but we'll save that one for later!! Here is a picture of our bikes and the one free thing we got out of our major purchase...freakin' water bottles!

San Diego

2008-08-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

San Diego was so much fun, but we all felt like Eva when we had to say good bye! The beach, Legoland, cousins, Ki-Speed, Padres games, the best food ever, and family never got old!

Gracias

2008-06-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kristen for my cute blog title! LOVE IT and LOVE YOU.

BYU Football Camp

2008-06-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

BYU Football Camp: Cameron Jensen and John Beck.
Along with current and former players!

Click here to register-http://www.apxfootballcamp.com/

Hutchinson Family Reunion

2008-06-17T20:10:00.001-07:00

Here is my cute husband's before and after
picture. He got his teeth bleached and wanted
to show how much they had improved compared
to this yellow banana!

Where Amazing Happened III

2008-06-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

And the rest of our trip...

Cute Taylor and Craig!

Here is my husband reminding me that I am
married and to slow the freak down. I apparently
always walked five steps in front of him.

It got a little hot at the mansions, so...

Where Amazing Happened II

2008-06-17T19:14:00.001-07:00

DAY 2: Go Red Sox!

Where Amazing Happened I

2008-06-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

DAY 1: Go Celtics!

Priceless

2008-06-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few highlights
15th row at The Garden (NBA FINALS)
9th row at Fenway (MARINERS)
Subway rides
Joey and Donny (NKTB)
David Stern
Ahmad Rashad
Bruce Willis
Kareem
Dr. J
Bill Russell
KG, Ray, Paul
Roller blading (WOW)
Freedom Trail
Regina's Pizza (AMAZING)
Gilato (AMAZING II)
The Wharf
The North End

Pictures will soon follow. Just wanted to give you a heads up. It has been absolutely amazing and we are now considering Boston as a temporary residence.

Boston Bound

2008-06-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Beat LA, beat LA, beat LA, beat LA! That is what the Boston Celtics chanted as they beat the Detroit Pistons to win the Eastern Conference Finals and a spot in the NBA finals! And...Nate and I are going to Game 1 in Boston with his aunt and uncle. It all started really yesterday and we leave tomorrow night! Danny and Michelle negotiated some tickets for us and Nate will finally be living his dream....lower bowl at a NBA finals game! Thank you Danny and Michelle! We are eternally indebted to you! Well, look for us on TV! I'll be the one with the painted face, standing next to the white guy with the painted chest! GO BOSTON!

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-02T11:09:00.001-07:00

This year spring has not sprung, but rather summer. Recently I have been going over my past summers and realized that this is the first summer where I won't be spending every day at the beach. Tears seriously come to my eyes when I look out my window each day and see the gigantic mountains that have taken the place of my beautiful ocean. It is June and already blasted hot. What am I supposed to do? I only know how to function at 85 degrees with an ocean breeze. I miss the beach, I miss the hills, I miss the green, and I miss the perfection! This is a shot of one of my favorite beaches!

MUAH- LOVE YOU.

I've been tagged...

2008-05-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

20 years ago...

1. I was 2 years old.

2. In the process of moving from La Mesa to Encinitas, California.

3. Sitting on our big rock, watching my dad mow the lawn in my pin-striped jeans and pink bear sweater and probably driving my mother crazy.

10 years ago...

1. I was 12 and finally became a "young woman".

2. I was at Digueno Junior High where I thought I was the bomb. I only hung out with the "8th graders" which made my 8th grade year a little short on the friends side. But I finally found a few whom have since fallen by the wayside.

3. I played soccer competitively with Lightning, where I heard the word "bloody" frequently. My coach was English and everything was bloody this and bloody that or superb on a good day. And I loved every minute of it!

5 years ago...

1. I went to La Costa Canyon High School and had a little too much fun! Still playing soccer, but now for my high school and club team.

2. Only had four classes and went to the beach the minute that lunch bell rang. The "6 Pack" (LinDigg, Griff, Rube, MackDogg, DJ Watt, and Caro) was officially formed and life was great. Miss and love you guys!

3. Lived at home alone with my parents because Sheree and Trevor had gotten married. I made two new best friends, but it took me a little while to discover them! Love you Mom and Dad.

3 years ago...

1. I was in the middle of my second year at BYU, living with Emma and Brit at Old Academy. Good times.

2. Had many first dates and not many second ones...OOPS!

3. Got my worst grades at BYU and got a scolding or two and was told by my loving father to stand on the street corner with a sign that read "Need a date?" Ouch.

1 year ago...

1. Finishing up Spring semester before I would become a senior!

2. Nanny-ing for my favorite people in the world...Alexa, Lauren, Jewels, Morgan and Nick! Really not nanny-ing but rather beaching it, going to the pool, lunch, movies, etc...it really was such a rough life.

3. Dating my husband to be and enjoying being in love.

So far this year...

1. Got married, moved to Grandpa's, and went on the best honeymoon ever....St. Thomas, Bahamas, Princess Caye and Puerto Rico.

2. Didn't kill anyone after the 8 times I got stuck in my driveway from the 3 feet of snow that I tried to ram through with my car!

3. Graduated from BYU with a BS in Elementary Education, moved to Paul and Holly's basement and became a full time nanny and tutor.

Yesterday I...

1. Did absolutely nothing because I was feeling like crap, coughing every 10 seconds.

2. Finally brushed my teeth and got ready.

3. Got pizza with Nate and the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. T. Wade...they just don't know it yet and watched the Celtics lose. Don't worry they'll come back!

Today I...

1. Woke up, got ready and drove to Halladay to nanny.

2. Got a tour of the area, went to the library and listened to two tired kids cry.

3. Will go home to my cute husband and make sweet sweet love. What? I mean...take a nap, make dinner, watch a movie and fall asleep.

Tomorrow I...

1. Will go to the cabin with our cute married friends.

2. Four-wheel and have a bbq and hope that the power isn't turned off this time! (Last time the power had been shut off so we were greeted with a stench that I still can smell, YUCK!)

3. Enjoy playing games, laughing and eating with friends and my husband!

In the next year I will...

1. Get pregnant and have baby Holland.

2. Fall more in love with my husband that I married on September 28th .

3. Learn how to use my D80 and become a photographer.

Mommy and Daddy

2008-05-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, they were and always will be "Mommy and Daddy". When I was in Houston playing Sheree and going to play-groups and what not, McKell and I had lots of time to talk. She asked about the family and on more occasions than one I found myself talking about how great my parents were and it made me realize just how little I brag about my parents. I shared with her how my parents seem to be more in love than ever and how my mom and I finally have the relationship that I have always wanted with her, but was too stubborn to admit it. It almost made me tear up when I was talking to McKell about my parents because I think I have finally grown up enough to realize just how much I love them, but mostly how much they love me. Growing up, my parents always said I love you and were full of hugs and bedtime songs and tuck-ins. I remember cousins and friends asking why my Dad would come in each night, tuck me in and tell me that he loved me. I remember being slow to respond because I thought every parent and Dad did that. It was normal to me. But the more I interact with children, the more I realize that that is not the case at all. How thankful I am for parents that tucked me in each night (even in high school) and for parents that scolded me and then five minutes later returned to tell me just how much they love me. How thankful I am for a dad who loves my mom more than anything in the world and for a mom who worships and loves my dad in return. For me, being the youngest wasn't always easy. When I began high school I was on my own with my parents. Sheree and Trevor had both gone off and gotten married and started lives of their own and I was stuck with "them" or so I thought. I remember complaining to everyone that would listen how hard it was to live with them. What would I give to go back?! I am so thankful for those years alone with my parents because I really believe that we went through things and grew up together which has made us closer than ever! I want my parents and the world to know just how much I love my them and how thankful I am for all that they do. I don't think that I will fully understand how much love they have for me until I have children of my own. I love you Mommy and Daddy!

Real World

2008-05-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

All my life I have heard my mother talk about the "real world". She would say things like..."just wait" and "one day you'll understand". Apparently all this understanding and waiting would be complete when I entered the "real world". And my favorite story of all is when Sheree got married and everyone at the shower signed a book giving her advice and an occasional how to and my mother's read: Enjoy it now because soon you'll be back in the "real world". I think this real world my mom always talked about was a world in which she and my dad couldn't fix everything and do everything for us. Even though I don't think I have reached full "real world" status, I understand a little more about this "real world" my mom tried to warn me about and embrace, especially when the first of the month comes and all our money goes who knows where! And apparently in the real world, you pay to have a roof over your head and your money goes to places like cell phone bills, groceries, utilities, car insurance, health insurance, GAS, and then when things go wrong there is always light bulbs, batteries, shower rods and the list goes on. When I was living at home with my cozy little room and loft, I didn't realize that I was sleeping on a mattress that cost at least $650 and those dressers that I put my clothes in...yeah, there's another $599 and that cute little chair Ronda made...$899. And then when my room was giving me a bore there was always the loft where I sat my cute little butt on a $900 sleeper sofa and the foot rests/ ottomans....another $400. And then the TV and armoire, $1500. These are all wonderful things I have learned since entering into the "real world", and frankly I don't appreciate it. Nate and I recently bought a mattress that Nate tells me will be a lifetime investment. We got it at RC Willey and after we made the purchase, I sat in the car and started sobbing because we just spent half of our total net worth on a freakin' mattress! And then I began suggesting other options...."Nate, I don't need a mattress, we can sleep on the floor or maybe we can just sleep on our foam covers, etc." Desperate times cause for desperate measures. And anyone that knows me understands what mental state I must have been under to make such a suggestion! And the saddest part of this whole sob story is that I know it is only the beginning. Well, until the next "real world" hits...peace and love.

Nanny Diary Pictures

2008-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Andrew and Eva from my week in Texas. I am not a professional, but I think they turned out pretty darn cute! Enjoy...

Nanny Diaries

2008-05-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mother of two, even before I am a mother of one...Sheree and John finally took their first "real" vacation as a married couple (wedding date = 12/28/2002) to Cabo San Lucas. Being the generous and amazing aunt and sister that I am...I flew out here to watch the kiddos. It is day three and so far so good. Andrew really only misses his Mom when I do something wrong like on day one when I took him to school an hour early! OOPS. Better early than late, right?! Or when I keep the crust on his sandwiches, dress him in "weird" clothes, and drive the WRONG way. For a four year old, he sure knows his way around Katy, Texas. But other than those small mishaps, we are doing great. Sheree really does a great job with Andrew and Eva, so it was easy to take over for the week. Sheree warned me about Eva la diva, but she really has been great for me. She loves talking on the phone and sometimes melts down when she doesn't get the opportunity to do so...so if you get a phone call and the other end says "hi, hewoo, buh bye, wuv you, mama and dada woosh (that means airplane)....it's Eva girl getting her way! My favorite part about playing Sheree for the week is after Andrew goes potty (#2), he yells from the bathroom, WINWEE...I'M DONE! Then I walk into the restroom and he grabs his ankles so that I can wipe and we can both go on with our day. Ok, maybe it isn't my favorite part, but it is definitely the most amusing! HA. After I wiped the first time, it made me think...who wipes Andrew's bum when he is at preschool, so I asked...This was his response, "my teacher wipes my bum, but she wears gloves so she doesn't get the nasty poop on her!" HAHA. That gave me a laugh because he just said it so matter of fact. It has been so much fun and I can't to wait to have babies of my own...but let's hope I just start out with one! I'll keep you updated, but until then....wish me luck!

A Look Back...

2008-04-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

American Idol Favorites

2008-04-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

NBA Playoffs

2008-04-22T20:16:00.001-07:00

NBA Playoffs...AKA...Goodbye husband and all my favorite shows. Nate is obsessed with the NBA playoffs and has vowed to watch every game and post game show with Kenney, Ernie, Charles and at the moment...Magic. I have to admit that I truly love Charles. He makes watching four quarters of basketball worth it. But isn't it sad that I know these men by name.
Go Jazz. Go Celtics.