11/134 and Counting!

Eleven: the number of temples Tony and I have visited and performed ordinances in together.

One hundred and thirty-four: the number of operating temples around the world.

Thirteen: the number of additional temples that have been announced, ten of which are currently under construction.

Our outrageous goal: to visit and perform ordinances in every temple in the world.

It may happen...it may not...but whether or not it does, isn't what matters.  What matters is that Tony and I have established a tradition and one we rather enjoy.  We like going out of our way to visit someplace with a temple that we've never been to before.  In December we were able to visit the Lubbock, Texas temple on our way out to visit Tony's parents.  One thing you might not have known...the floorplan for the the Lubbock temple is the same as that of the San Antonio, TX temple (which we visited on our honeymoon).

 

 

By the way, Tony is a master as setting up the camera and running to get into the picture (as seen above)...

On our way back from Texas we made another detour and visited the Albuquerque, New Mexico temple.  This one shares the same floorplan as the Houston temple.  It was freezing the morning we went (probably about 10 degrees, much too cold for my poor Arizona self).  The fountain out front (which obviously had heaters in it to keep it from freezing) was steaming!

 

I had a neat experience in the Albuquerque temple.  We were sitting together in the celestial room after our session and Tony asked me to pray.  We always pray together in the celestial room.  This time, I thanked our Heavenly Father for our temple marriage.  I thanked Him for allowing us to be an eternal family.  I expressed my gratitude that my baby could be sealed to us for time and all eternity.  When I said this I got really emotional all of a sudden.  I had thought about our baby being sealed to us before but for some reason it really hit me at that moment.  My baby is mine forever because of the sealing ordinances of the temple and I am so grateful!

We've been to eleven.  That's quite an accomplishment for 1 year of marriage.  We still have two in Arizona (Gila Valley and Snowflake) that we haven't visited and two more on the way (Gilbert and Phoenix).  We love temples!

Delightful December

December was a busy month but an enjoyable one as well.  We spent a lot of time getting ready for Christmas.  Some of our big projects included building two sets of redneck golf (to be used as Christmas gifts) and homemade stockings. 

Poor Tony traipsed around a million fabric stores with me because we had to find "just the right fabric" so that the stockings would be "just like the ones Grams makes."  For as long as I can remember Grams has made denim stockings with red bandanna trim.  She has one for EVERYONE...Grams, Papa, all twelve kids, spouses, and grandchildren.  Next year she'll even have one for a great-grandchild!  My mom has always wanted some stockings of her own, just like the ones her mom made, but (as some of you may know) my mom is a busy lady and although she intends to make them each year, it never gets done.  So, this year my gift to her was to make a set of stockings for her.  That meant ten stockings!  It was a lot of work but totally worth it.  Maybe next year I can make a set of my own.  I would only have to make three and then I can make a new one each year another little one comes along.

 

The few days preceding and following Christmas were spent at the Shinkle home.  It was fun to be with Mom and Dad and the kids for more than just a Sunday afternoon.  Tony did some handy-man work for Mom and Dad's Christmas gift, we played games, ate yummy food, and enjoyed the Christmas festivities.  Tony and I got to be Mary and Joseph for he Christmas Eve Nativity.  (Funny how the girls always fight over who gets to be Mary each year but this year everyone said, "Jeri Lin has to be Mary because she has a baby in her belly." and there was no fussing.)

 

Christmas morning was an early one filled with lots of love and excitement.  I love how kids transform Christmas into something so special!  Tony especially enjoyed helping Hayden transform his Transformers back and forth back and forth.  Tony might have enjoyed them even more than Hayden.

I stayed busy all day in the kitchen.  Mom did the turkey but I made mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, veggies, and my very first pie!

Our first married Christmas was a wonderful one!  Next year we'll have a baby to share it with and we couldn't be more excited!  We love Christmas because it helps us remember the birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We know that through His atonement, we can be made perfect and can return to live with our Heavenly Father.  We hope that you have this same knowledge.  If you don't, please feel free to ask us more about what we believe.

Blog Attack!

The next few weeks may consist of a very scary blog attack.  I'm sorry. That's what happens when you get busy with life, reading stories, Christmas, vacations, anniversaries, kissing, and the like.  Then, when you're finally back home and you settle back into a regular routine you say, "Wow! I better let the world catch up with what the Browns have been up to..." 

So, for today, I will share with you the wonderful Brown family pictures we had done.  Thanks go to Ali Micek and her wonderful talent.  And yes...it was cold. 

 Don't you just love Tony's I'm-so-lucky-I-got-this-one smirk?

 Two babies on the way and only about three weeks apart!

 SNOW!

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Utah with the Brown side of the family.  I skipped out early on some of my classes so that we could spend a couple extra days with Whitney and Kemp.  We had a fabulous time!  Here are some of the highlights:

• We watched Harry Potter 1-6 at home and then went and saw the seventh one on the mammoth screen.
• We made our Thanksgiving dinner from scratch and it was delicious!  Turkey (Whitney's creation), stuffing, corn, gravy, rolls (Kemp's deliciousness), green beans, mashed potatoes, and a scrumptious punch.

•  We also had apple pie, peach cobbler, cherry pie, better-than-anything cake, and pumpkin crumble.
• Black Friday was a busy day for the boys and the girls.  Dr. Brown took Whitney and I shopping until we could shop no more.  We were spoiled.  In the meantime, the boys built a wall in order to create a nursery for the arrival of Jacie Lynn Goodwin. (YES! They're having a girl!!)
• We all met up that evening and went to Tocano's, a Brazilian barbecue place.  It has an all-you-can-eat salad bar and then they bring around a wide selection of meats and you eat until your heart's (or stomach's) content.
• After dinner it was back to work! The boys finished up the wall while the girls wrapped all the purchases for Christmas the next day.

•  Tony and I were spoiled rotten, as usual.  On top of my maternity wardrobe I received a stethoscope, a sphygmomanometer, new tennis shoes, a wheat grinder, and puzzles.  Tony got a brand new fancy-pants Android phone (which he loves), new dress shirts, tennis shoes, and some of his favorite board games.  Baby got a new jogging stroller and car seat.

•  On Saturday afternoon we went out into the freezing snow and took family pictures.  We had a lot of fun doing that and I'm excited to see how they turned out!
• Sunday meant driving home and, lucky us, there was a snow storm.  The "Speed Limit 80" signs taunted us all the way from Lehi to St. George, where we stopped for the night.  We topped of the whole trip with Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

We really enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with our family.  We really do take advantage of every chance we have since we're all so spread out.  It was probably the last time we'll have all six of us together before six becomes eight!

The Infamous Christmas Card

So I’ve been thinking…should I send Christmas cards out or no? Tons of people do it every year. Am I one of those people?

Reasons why not to send Christmas cards:

1. Most people have these cute little kids that they plaster on the front. I don’t have any cute little kids yet, just a baby in my belly. Does anyone really want to get a Christmas card that has a picture of just Husband and I on the front?

2. It’s time consuming… You have to pick the card. You have to pick the picture. You have to order them. You have to decide who to send them to. You have to address the envelopes. You have to lick-and-stick the envelopes. You have to stamp the envelopes. You have to take the envelopes to the post office.

3. Sending Christmas cards can get mighty pricey. Period.

Reasons to send Christmas cards:

1. We recently had pictures taken and they’re perfect for Christmas cards. There’s snow. Husband and I are freezing. At least if we look like we’re absolutely freezing but still trying to smile the picture will be entertaining. (There’s nothing better than family pictures in Utah.)

2. Shutterfly.com makes the time-consuming-ness of Christmas cards a million times easier. They have a large selection of fabulous cards so it doesn’t matter which one you pick. If you want, Shutterfly will even stamp and mail them for you!

3. If you shop on shutterfly.com, you can get great deals because they always have things on sale and run great promotions (such as free shipping).

I’ve bought books, calendars, and prints from Shutterfly and I’ve always been very impressed. I just might use them for my first ever Christmas photo cards as well!

Some of their choices!

The getting-ready-for-Christmas-hoopla!

I told myself that Christmas had to wait until after Thanksgiving.  Necessary shopping, such as gifts and an artificial, 4 foot, pre-lit Christmas tree (on sale at Michael's for $20), could be done, but Christmas music, decorations, and the like were completely off limits until AFTER Thanksgiving.

[I caved]

I don't know what it was exactly... It might have been going to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"  It might have been the discovery that 99.9KEZ was playing their Christmas music...the fact that the boxed up Christmas tree was taunting me...the fact that the neighbors upstairs had their Christmas tree up...perhaps even the simple fact that it was cold outside... I don't know, but I do know that my justification was that we needed to wrap presents for the Brown Family Thanksgiving/Christmas celebrations the following week and Christmas present wrapping just isn't allowed unless there is a tree up and Christmas music playing.

I also know that Tony thought I was going to have a conniption, or maybe he knew I was having one.
      con·nip·tion: [kuh-nip-shuhn]  a fit of hysterical excitement

Whatever the case may be, Saturday was the day.  We went and bought wrapping paper and those cute little sticky gift tags.  We pulled out the ornaments and Grandma Carter's olive wood Nativity.  We rearranged the living room so that our Christmas tree could have a home.  We created a Christmas music playlist on iTunes and turned it up.  The Christmas tree went up.  The blue ornaments (previously used as centerpieces at our Arizona wedding reception) went on, along with the red apple ornament Tony has had since childhood.  It was perfect!  The presents were wrapped, pictures were taken, and then the lights went off and I sat in awe as I looked at my little Christmas tree and realized that this was the best getting-ready-for-Christmas-hoopla I had ever had.  I was just Husband and me and it was perfect.  I was in love...with my Christmas tree...with my husband...with the holiday season...for a chance to focus my thoughts upon my family and, more importantly, upon my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I love the holidays.  They remind me to be grateful.  They remind me to be compassionate and giving.  They remind me of what life is all about.  Let the celebrations begin, but let us not forget what matters most.

My First Blogging Award

Let me just tell you how absolutely blown away I was to learn that the

fabulous, talented, wonderful, beautiful Michelle
nominated ME for the Beautiful Blogger Award.
Thank you, Michelle!

Beautiful Blogger Award

Terms of this award: must list 10 things about yourself,

thank the person who gave you this award, and pass it on to 10 wonderful bloggers.

1. I have been in denial since mid-June that there were 10 things I could share about myself that anyone would care about.  Little did I realize that all it took was a little bit of creativity and humility.  Humility, yes.  Because my "no one else cares about any of these facts about me" was really me saying "I'm totally awesome, I just don't want to brag."

2. [I'll start off easy.]  I am officially 18 weeks pregnant.  My baby, if my baby is an average baby, is about 5.6 inches in length.  No, I haven't felt any movement yet.  I tell myself it's because whenever I think about trying to see if I can feel Baby move I hold real still and I think Baby decides it's time for them to hold still too.  Husband and I are not going to find out what Baby's gender is for four reasons... {one} I have absolutely no desire {two} it's killing Tony not to know {three} my dad says that finding out is forbidden in our family (my parents had seven children and never found out) {four} I like calling my baby, Baby.

3. If I could be anywhere RIGHT NOW it would be Nauvoo, Illinois. I love the feeling I have when I'm there. It's a mixture of awe and peace and a determination to do better. It also helps that Nauvoo is the place where I met Husband. It's the place where he became one of my very best friends. Nauvoo was a brand new beginning for many of the Saints. It marked a brand new beginning for us too.

4. I love love LOVE Disneyland.  Husband and I were planning a trip last fall, but then I was pregnant.  I decided that I couldn't enjoy it to my fullest potential if I couldn't ride the big roller coasters and if I would be sick to my stomach just from the motion of "It's a Small World."  One of these days, however, I will introduce Husband to the wonderfulness that is Disneyland.  I will show him why Peter Pan is my favorite ride.  I will share with him delicious churros and turkey legs.  We will sip hot chocolate while we watch the fireworks.  It shall be delightful.

5. Rice Krispie Treats are my favorite homemade treat ever.  I can eat a whole 9x13 pan in a week (if not three days).  Besides their delectable taste, I love them because they are easy to make and because  Husband doesn't like them, so I don't have to share.

6. I was valedictorian of my high school's graduating class of 2009.  It was cool and exciting then.  It wasn't so cool and exciting when we were driving to Wells Fargo Arena where I was supposed to give a speech in front of 3,000 people and I couldn't stop crying and I thought I was going to throw up, and I still wasn't a big fan of how my hair looked with a graduation cap stuffed over it.  It was cool and exciting again when I didn't die giving my Dr. Seuss inspired, poetic speech.  Now it's not so cool and exciting anymore because no one really cares what you did in high school.

7. I like to think that Husband and I are professional budget-ers.  I'm a full-time student and work only 8 hours a week and Tony has been unemployed for a year or so.  Consider that and figure out how we've not only had the money we need to survive, but also that we've paid off debt each month and that our amount of cash in the bank has also been increasing.  Like I said, we're pros.

8. I love to go hiking.  I'm glad Husband does too.  My mom and I have hiked the Grand Canyon twice together.  The second time it was a rim-to-rim hike.  Tony and I aspire hike the Grand Canyon together as well.  In the mean time, we go for small hikes around town.  Once we even hitched up our fancy backpacks and a tent and hiked to the top of Flat Iron and spent the night on top.  That was an adventure.

9. I don't donate blood.  I did it once.  I wanted to be a hero.  I ended up passing out, chugging orange juice, and then ridding myself of orange juice.  It didn't help that I was on the way to a very important event when my tummy decided it didn't like the orange juice.  I had to stop at the grocery store so that I could wash my hair in the bathroom and buy instant stain remover (orange juice and white dresses don't mix), febreeze, and such.

10. I love to see the temple.  Tony and I have the unreachable goal of visiting every temple in the world.  So far we've been to Nauvoo, Arizona, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, St. George, Las Vegas, and Oquirrh Mountain.  We're going to visit our tenth this week!  We've also been to the Gila Valley Temple Open House and Dedication and the Gilbert Temple Groundbreaking.  It's an outrageous goal, we know, but we also like to dream of all the cool places we'll go if we really do it some day.

That wasn't so painful...
Here are my Beautiful Blogger nominations:
Melanie, Katie, Whitney, Alexa, Katelin, Rocki, Sherra, Casey, Nalani, & Tayler