Thanksgiving! Christmas!

Over Thanksgiving we went to Boise to see my family. We had so much fun! We played lots of Settlers of Catan with our family friends, the Ellsworths. We also went to the Botanical Garden's night aglow (or something like that) which was really pretty. It was so fun to see all of the beautiful lights and walk around with the family. On Thanksgiving day we went to Gooding to spend the day with my cousins, it was so fun to see their newly remodeled home and be able to visit. I love my extended family! When we got back to Boise later that night Kory, Stephen and I started out Black Friday shopping at midnight getting the boys some great things from the outlet mall. We did a little shopping on Friday day too, not the 6 AM type shopping but it was still fun.  We were supposed to head back to Utah on Saturday morning, but I was incredibly home sick so I was going to stay behind and ride back with Stephen.  Then the thought of my husband leaving me made me incredibly home sick for him!  He was feeling the same way, he came in the room and I told him I was going to go back with him only to have him say we could stay.  I seriously love my husband!

I loved Christmas this year. I totally got in the Christmas spirit right before Thanksgiving and started decorating. We added some red and green ornaments to our tree this year and I just fell in love with it!

After Kory survived finals he was able to open his gift from Mom and Dad, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2! He was so happy to be able to open it early so that he could enjoy his free time by playing it.  I love these pictures of him opening it, he is so fun.

We FINALLY took the "Just Married" decal my friend made us off Kory's back window, haha.  It's only been over a year.  At first we were going to take it off on a special day...like 1 month married, or 2 months, or maybe 6 months?  Then it just became a huge inside joke, until finally even our 1 year anniversary had passed and it had gone way too far to wait for a "special day."  Needless to say, we still took pictures and think it was pretty funny.

 We made a quick trip to Boise for Christmas before our holiday cruise with the Hjelm family.  Mom decorated the tree and it was beautiful.  We got to relax, and enjoy playing more Settlers of Catan (we love that game thank you Pearsons for the wonderful Christmas gift!).  Kory and Stephen took the big screen TV up to Stephen's room and played lots of Modern Warfare 2, haha.  We watched Home Alone 1 and 2.  We ate dinner at my favorite restaurant (which is always a must when we go to Boise).  We saw Avatar 3D, which was awesome!  Mom and I made a quilted baby blanket, it was so fun thanks for teaching me Mom!  We saw the Christmas lights on this amazing house.  We made cinnamon pull-aparts, and some special recipe to-die-for waffles Christmas morning.  Then we opened gifts, took some family pictures, and headed back to Utah.  Kory got the quilt Mom made for him, the surprise was the super soft material on the back.  I gave Kory some new pairs of jeans and stylish sunglasses.  He gave me some great winter boots, a sexy pencil skirt, and an iTunes gift card!  We feel incredibly blessed to have had such an amazing Christmas season.  We love out family and friends, I absolutely LOVED Christmas this year!!

Christmas Break! Soooo Goood!

We had so much fun over Christmas break. Kory finished finals, finally! We had a mini-break over the weekend, worked again on Monday then hit the road on Tuesday! I-84 was closed so we had to go the round-about way to get home, through Pocatello. But it actually didn't take too much longer so we didn't mind. The road turned out great, which we were very happy about. On the drive to Boise Kory and I played a game where one of us would say a random topic and the other one would have to respond to it for 1 minute. It was actually a lot of fun to see how the other person responded. It entertained us for a while.

We got to Boise that night and Mom and Dad were happy to have us home safe. The house looked cute with Christmas lights up. Mom decorated the Christmas tree so beautifully. As we started talking about plans for the few days we would be there Dad says, "hey listen, I got something that I thought might be fun...a Nintendo Wii." Haha, he continued to tell us how he had gotten the Wii and some fun games for us so we could have fun while we were in Boise. He had to travel all over town to try and get it! Aren't my parents the best! They really wanted Kory and I to have a lot of fun while we were in Boise. Kory and I were able to find a game I have been really wanting, Mario Party 8! I love that game! We use to play it all of the time on Game Cube. One night when we were playing together Kory said, "I've never played with a Christmas present before Christmas!" haha, it was cute. We really had so much fun with that (and we are still having fun with the game).

On Christmas Eve we went over to our family friend's home and opened Christmas Eve gifts then Kory and I stayed longer to play games with them. The Ellsworths are my favorite family. They have 6 boys that are all like my little brothers. We played Settlers of Catan with them. It was my first time playing and I won! Yeah! I didn't even know I had won until all of the sudden Kieth said, "Doesn't she have the longest road? That means she just won." I think Kory was proud of me.

On Christmas morning Kory and I were up making cinnamon pull-aparts, a Hjelm tradition. It was fun to make them together. Mom and Dad loved them too. Later we opened gifts. I was so excited about the things I got Kory. I was really hoping that he would like them. Mom is so cute, she took video clips of us opening our gifts (except we missed my first gift). I love these videos, our kids are going to be watching these one day. I think its so funny to watch how "newlywed" we are.





They make me laugh so much. We are so silly. I loved the gifts that Kory got me, he is SO thoughtful! He really liked what I got him too...especially the slippers!

On Christmas day we went to Ellsworth's for Sunday dinner. It was so yummy! The Christmas china was beautiful too. Cindy had little settings with our names on them. She is such a great hostess. In the middle of dinner Stephen (Elder Nelson) called! Ahhh, yayyyy! We had to rush home so that we could talk to him.

It was so nice to talk to my brother. He is my best friend, and I sure miss him sometimes! He is doing really well and loving being a missionary. He only had 2 transfers left, crazy! Then starting Spring term he'll be back in Provo going to school and hanging out with Kory and I, I can't wait! But anyway, the funny thing is that over Christmas Stephen was with a companion from Sweden. His companion was telling him all about my new last name and how is means "helmet." Then he laughed, Stephen really got a kick out of that, but he has the best laugh! We talked about how "helmet" also represents strength like a warrior or something. Nonetheless, it was fun that Stephen could kind of connect to me that way through his companion. He is a zone leader in Bakersfield, CA and loving the opportunity to be a leader and a teacher. He is such a happy guy.

The next day Kory and I headed to the mall. Oh my goodness it was SO crazy there! Too many people, traffic and parking were insane. We shopped a little bit. But didn't get anything. Unfortunately, it ended up taking way too much of our time.

That night we went downtown with Mom. First Kory had to make sure I was all bundled up, haha. I felt like the kid on the Christmas Story movie when his mom bundled him up so much he can't move.

We were going to eat at PF Changs but the wait was way too long, so we got lettuce wraps to go instead. We went to One The Border instead, my favorite Mexican restaurant to eat at when I got home. My best friend Cassie (she was one of my bridesmaids) serves there so we were able to see her. Lately when I go home I feel like there isn't always enough time to squeeze in the visits I would like to. I'm glad we got to see her there.

After dinner Kory and I went and saw Bedtime Stories. We liked it, it made us laugh. This is Adam Sandler while it is "raining gumballs" in the movie.


The next day we went to Marley and Me with Mom and Dad. All of us liked it. It was super sad though! After the movie we went and tried Ruby River for the first time. For the price you pay, we weren't that impressed. I love dinner and a movie with my family. Almost every time I go home we go out for dinner and a movie, I always have so much fun.


My mom had a secret project that she revealed while we were there. She was going to make Kory a quilt! She made Stephen (my brother) the coolest quilt in red, black, and white. She pieced it and then had it quilted. It looks so awesome, such a boy quilt. So Mom decided to make one for Kory, too! The two of them were so funny trying to pick out which fabrics they wanted to use. I just watched TV. I think Mom was very excited that Kory actually took time to decide and give an opinion rather than just say, "yeah, that looks good ok, ok." like I would, haha. I'm excited to see how it turns out! Quilts are always so personal and special...especially when someone makes it just for you.



I will definitely post pictures of the final project after it is done!

We drove home on Sunday, when again we lucked out with the weather! It had pounded snow the day before. The drive felt really long. On our way home we got to stop and have dinner at Kory's Uncle Lorrin's. Kory's sister Kelli and the fam were there. That was so fun! I love family gatherings, and now I have even more family to have family gatherings with! Being married is the best, haha. Kelli and Jeremiah got Kory and I such a wonderful Christmas gift...a crepe pan! We are so excited about that. And of course a wonderful activity to do together, an "I Spy" puzzle. They were so thoughtful, and we are so grateful.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Kory and I worked. Then it was new years eve! Yay! One of my two favorite holidays! Can you guess my other favorite? ...The 4th of July of course! I LOVE fireworks. But anyway, after work we got to go over to play cards with Kelli and Jeremiah. That was way fun. But before we played, Kory got the kids all rowdie so they wouldn't want to go to bed, haha. After cards Kory and I headed up to Salt Lake City so we could go to the "First Night" party downtown. We met up with my friend Sarah (from Del Sol) and her husband Sam. I rarely get to see them so that was great! Everyone froze from the cold except me. I guess I had the best shoes on, Kory couldn't feel his toes. I also wore my hood the whole time, which helped. We had fun watching the fire dancers, the hypnotist--who actually wasn't very entertaining--and listening to the interesting live music. But the best part, oh you know what that was, the countdown! We started counting down around 26 or so and continued down to 1 when Kory suddenly dipped me for our first kiss of 2009, haha. He's so cute. Then we got to enjoy a fireworks show. What a perfect way to experience our first New Years together, and start out 2009.



The next day we got to hang out with Kelli, Jeremiah and the kids again. We met them for lunch at Rumbie Island Grill. I got some cute pictures of Kory and the boys. However, my mom pointed out to me that I forgot to get pictures of, "beautiful Aubry!" Oh man! How did I forget that!? Probably because during lunch she was sleeping and so quiet. But she is beautiful. I guess we'll have to enjoy her pictures on Kelli's blog. And why don't we have a pic of us with Kelli and Jeremiah!? Oh man, I was a total slacker. Meanwhile, here is Kory playing with the boys :)



We missed lots of family and friends over the holidays. But overall it was a wonderful break!

Midterms and Moving

We FINALLY got to move into our apartment! It is so awesome! We are very excited to have a home base now. Mom and I drove the Yukon pulling a trailer full of furniture for our place from Boise. I spent a few days there packing up and loading things in. It was so much work. I surprised Kory with a piano! Mom is letting us borrow hers for a few years until Kory can get his own. I hope that he is able to enjoy it. I know he would be way more excited about a TV than the piano (opportunity cost wise, if he had to choose between the two he would pick the TV). But I really wanted to surprise him with something I knew he wanted. I hope he sees it as something he will enjoy more than something that is in the way of him getting what he really wants, the TV. Our apartment is fully furnished, thanks Mom and Dad! But even better, Mom has been here to help us get settled and allow for both of us to stay here. I stay in the bedroom with Mom and Kory sleeps on an air mattress in the family room. I bet he will be so sick of air mattresses by the time November 8th rolls around. When Mom leaves I will probably go stay with my friend Emily again.

Kory has five, I repeat FIVE tests this week! He has a test in every class he is taking this semester. Which, by the way, are very challenging classes. Therefore, Kory needs to stay at the apartment more than I do right now. I can handle it a little longer, even though it kind of starts to weigh on you after a while. I think Kory and I are both feeling the burden of this awkward transitional stage. But don't worry about us! We are very happy and healthy (for now, let's hope it stays that way)! So back to the tests, Kory took his Calculus test on Friday and he got a 95% only missing one question. What a stud! He is so smart. He says he is going to contest the question he got wrong, if it's the one that he thinks it is. Oh Kory, so competitive but it really pushes him to be the best that he can be. I am so proud of him.

Since we have the Yukon and trailer down here we went and picked Kory's things up from his friends' basement (they were being stored there for the summer). Somehow when Kory was getting in and out of the car his phone was dropped on the ground in their backyard dirt. Well unfortunately, he ended up driving over his phone! Luckily, it still works! But both screens in his phone are completely shattered. So don't try to text him, and if you call be sure to leave a message because he surely cannot see a thing. That was the sad story of the weekend.

Wedding planning is coming along very well. Things are crazy busy right now. I had a consultation with the cake and flower ladies. It went really well. There was one point where we started talking about prices that I got a little stressed and my eyes watered up. My mom said, "look, she's going to cry." So of course, since she pointed it out...I cried! In front of the cake lady in the middle of my consultation appointment! It was so embarrassing. Funny how you can hold back your tears no problem as long as no one asks you what is wrong or points out that you are about to cry. Stupid birth control combined with stress makes for easy tears haha. But anyway, after that I think she felt sorry for me and she kept talking about things that she would do for free for me (and Kory). Like a 4 inch cake for Kory and I to take home, and some intricate design work that she normally charges a lot for. It was really sweet of her. I think everything is going to turn out so great! I have this vision of how I see things, and sometimes other people have different ideas than I do. That is hard sometimes, because I really am trying to make everyone happy. I hope that I am because I really do care a lot about making it a special occasion for everyone.

There is so much to do and so little time. I am super tired. But absolutely love life right now. I am so happy! I feel truly blessed to have so many amazing people in my life: my wonderful fiance, my parents, my brother, my future in-laws, my friends.

Overview of the Last Two Months!

My goodness, I have had SO much happen in the last two months. It has probably been some of the most exciting two months I have ever had in my entire life. Let me give you an overview of what I have been up to since my last blog. (By the way, I deeply apologize to each of you who have been patiently waiting for it to no longer be "Sunday" ha!).

June
25: Flew to Virginia to be with Kory!
26: I went to the Matt Nathanson concert Oceanside at Virginia Beach while Kory worked.
29: We made Sunday dinner with friends and played games then went to the beach!
30: Kory and I went on a very nice date to PF Changs (one of our favorites).

July
1: I hated saying goodbye to Kory then had to catch my international flight.
2: I arrived to Edinburgh, Scotland.
4: Missed America, and the 4th of July, and Kory... a lot.
5: We did baptisms at the Preston, England temple.
6: Saw Liverpool, England for a few hours.
7: Arrived in London, England.
10: Saw TWO shows for cheap! CHICAGO and Jersey Boys.
11: Day trip to Stone Henge and Bath.
12: Flew to Amsterdam.
13: Held our own testimony meeting then toured Amsterdam.
14: Drove through Belgium, stopped to visit EU Council in Brussels (and eat waffles).
15: First full day in Paris, France.
17: Day trip to Normandy.
19: Toured the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
20: Attended church at Geneva ward where they spoke french, then met ex-patriots.
21: International Business Presentation by Nestle.
22: Full day in Zermatt, Switzerland where we saw the famous Matterhorn.
23: First full day in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland one of the most beautiful places.
25: Travel to Salzburg, Austria.
26: The Sound of Music tour.
27: Matthousen Concentration Camp.
28: Day trip to the BMW factory in Munich, Germany.
29: Tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle (the one Disney's was based off of).
30: First full day in Milan, Italy saw The Last Supper.
31: Venice! We saw a phenomenal Vivaldi concert.

August
1: Spent the day shopping in Venice.
2: Florence, Italy where we saw Michaelangelo's David.
3: Bore my English testimony to the Italians. Then day tripped to Cortona Tuscany.
4: Rome, Italy!
5: Day trip to Pompeii (the preserved city) and the Italian beach.
6: Saw the sites and enjoyed making our last few memories.
7: Put a package together for my cousin Jonathan serving his mission in Rome.
8: A LONG flight back to the USA then a WONDERFUL REUNION with Kory!
9: I knocked door to door with Kory and watched him make a sale, so fun.
10: Kory and I sang as parts of a quartet in his branch sacrament meeting.
11: Kory finished his last day of work! We celebrated with PF Changs.
12: We got in the car and left Virginia Beach and headed for DC.
12: My first time to Washington DC! Played tourist, visited my good friend Kylee.
13: Drove to Cleveland, OH to see Carissa then Toledo, OH to see Kelli and their fams!
14: After checking to make sure the car was ok, Kory and I started driving again.
15: Kory and I made it back to Provo, UT!
16: Kory and I had lunch at my cousins Jon and Gina Cheney's.
18: We jumped back in the car and drove home to Boise, ID!
19: Kory flew home to Washington to chill with his family.
22: I flew up to Seattle to see Kory again! He picked me up with beautiful flowers!
22: Kory and I had a blast spending the day in Seattle and a the Mariner's game!
23: I met Celeste! Then visited my cousins in Puyallup (Don and Jodie Fowles' family).
24: So much fun enjoying the sabbath with Kory and his family.
25: Kory and I flew back to Boise.
29: HAPPY 6 MONTHS to ANA LEE and KORY! We had a cute picnic by the Boise River.
29: Somehow Kory and I squeeze in ANOTHER road trip this summer...Priest River, ID.
30: Kory, Mom and I do yard work at grandma's house and attend graveside service.
31: Attended church in Priest River then went to Lind, WA for Sunday dinner and drove home. Kory got to meet a lot more of the family! We loved seeing the Fowles.

September
1: Kory leaves for Provo after spending the day with me. School starts tomorrow. I will join him next week. But I am missing him loads already!


So as you can see I have a LOT to write about and a lot of pictures to share too. I don't even know where to begin? At least you have the overview now? haha. It is late so I am going to go to bed. But I hope you enjoy my little calendar of events!

Love you all!

Beautiful Boise

Today was a really great day. In the afternoon Mom and I went down to the Boise Co-Op, which is like our whole foods/organic grocery store here in Boise. I love going there because it's in the North end of downtown and it always attracts the very interesting people of Boise. Boise, although primarily Caucasian, actually does have a diverse culture. Not only with different ethnicities but also with the conservatives (majority) and the liberals (the North end), the hippies and the mormons, haha it keeps things interesting. Anyway, I also love going to the Co-Op because I actually really enjoy eating organic whole foods and they have really great stuff there. I don't always eat really healthy, I still love my nachos! But when I get in a good pattern I just feel so much better. It makes me feel more balanced like I'm really taking care of myself. Well, while we were there Mom and I got a sandwich from the deli along with a fruit and pasta salad. Then after we got a few other items. When we got in the car we decided to go have a little picnic!

Mom and I drove to Dad's office, which is right along the Green Belt. The Green Belt is a biking/walking path along the Boise River. It is so pretty. They have picnic tables along there so we called Dad and he came out and sat with us while we ate. It was such a nice day! It was really fun to watch people biking and floating the river. The weather was perfect, not too hot not too cold. The three of us sat and talked for about an hour. Dad has been really busy with work lately so we haven't gotten to really just relax and enjoy each other's company too often. It was a really nice break in the day. We talked about raising kids and parenting techniques. I admire my parents so much, I really appreciate the way that they raised me. I love to listen to the reason behind why they did certain things. My Dad said something really funny, "you just learn as you go but is seems that as soon as you've figured it out you're out of a job." It made me laugh that he thought he didn't figure out everything about parenting until now when he doesn't really have to parent full time anymore. I hope that I will be able to learn everything possible from them, so that I will be a better mother one day! It was such a treat to be able to go have a picnic by the river. I love summer!

I feel incredibly lucky to have this time at home in Boise with my Mom and Dad. I am starting to get use to it just being the three of us. But I can't wait for Stephen to come home from his mission! He just adds so much to our family. He has such a great sense of humor and really brings so much life to any party. I remember our last weekend in Boise together before he left on his mission. It was the weekend of his farewell, where he speaks in our church sacrament meeting and is given the opportunity to share his testimony of our church. That weekend some of his friends from college came to town. Stephen and I hung out all of the time while we were both at BYU, we're pretty much best friends. So I knew his group of friends really well. All of us went down to the Green Belt and rode bikes. Then we stopped at a place along the river and skipped rocks for about an hour. I cannot skip rocks very well (ask Kory, he tried to teach me once), but it was fun to watch the boys have so much fun with it. That was a beautiful day along the Boise River, just like today!

A Day Downtown With Mom

Today was a great day. Mom and I went out! We dropped by Dad's office to say hello and invite him to lunch, but he wasn't able to make it out with us. Mom and I went to PF Changs for lunch. It was fabulous as always, especially the lunch menu prices! We got the chicken lettuce wraps (if you have not ever had them, then you need to!). We also got the almond and cashew chicken dish which is my favorite. It was nice to go out together and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and good conversation. After lunch we walked across the street to Magie Moo's Ice Cream Shop. Mom got chocolate ice cream with chocolate, of course. I am a vanilla girl myself. But I held back on the ice cream. Don't worry I made up for it later with a Cap'n Crunch milkshake from Carls Jr. haha. After dessert Mom and I got back in the car. We were downtown--I love downtown Boise by the way--so we were close to South Jr. High. That was my Junior High. They are building a new one right next to the old one right now and then they are going to tear down the old one. Mom and I critiqued the new building and had no problem finding all of the things that we DON'T like about it, of course haha. I am going to miss my old building. I have a lot of good memories there. Anyone that knows my mom will not be surprised when I tell you that after we drove past that school we had to drive past all of the other new ones being built on our way home. I love my Mom. I'm glad I get to be home to drive around and check out the Boise scene with her. Today was a great day.

We're Going to the Movies!

We have seen a couple movies recently that were all very good. The first was Chronicals of Narnia Prince Caspian. I actually still have not seen the first one, but I really enjoyed the second. The small romance story in it was really lame, but other than that it was good! The war scene was really cool, and of course its Disney so it wasn't too graphic. Its an all around feel-good movie.

The second movie we saw was Indiana Jones 4- Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was really good. I liked it. Not as good as the old Indiana Jones movies but it was exciting. I felt like I was at Disneyland on the Indiana Jones ride the whole time! haha.


So that is my movie update!