Easter

Easter Sunday is always a great time.

Not only do we get to spend time with the families, but it is a sure sign that Spring has arrived.

I love everything about it.

 

This year we spent Easter with both families.



The Roos girls! Minus Rach.

We started out at the Grow's, where our family has grown to over 40 people. Good thing we have Dave and Morgan who let us come in and literally, take over, their house.

It was the first time in a long time that we have had a Grow family dinner, and they are always a good time. We got to catch up with my cousin, who is getting married in June. I love weddings, and I love hearing about the planning, so she was probably sick of all of my questions by the end of the night.

Sorry SG.

 

The Church put out a video entitled "Because of Him", which I showed John on Easter. I loved it. I love that it was modern, and that it was very simple, yet very complex. The overall message was that because of Christ, we are able to do all things in life. Because of Him, I get to spend eternity with this goof ball, and the rest of my family. I'll take it!

 I always make John take pictures with my on different holidays, and usually I think he hates it. Kate decided to jump in on this one, and it turned out being my favorite picture of the day. Us and our sister wife. NBD.

 



She's pretty much my BFF.

After the Grow's, we went up to the in-laws to spend some time with John's parents and siblings. Patty does an Easter egg hunt every year, and even though the youngest sibling is 20, all of them turn into little kids, and get so into the hunt. It doesn't hurt that she puts money in all of the eggs. And that there is that one special egg with a ten dollar bill in it. It's great.

 

She helped herself to one of David's peeps.
I asked her if she liked it, and she gave me this face.

 

How cute is this face!?

I guess you could say that I take a lot of pictures of Olivia. I just really like her, like a lot. And I love that she legitimately knows who I am, and is excited when I see her. She doesn't know many names, but she definitely knows Emma. She's always so happy to see me, I just love it.

It was fun to see her get so excited about the eggs, and more excited about the toys that were in the eggs. 

I am beyond excited for warmer weather, and more outdoor family adventures. This is definitely my favorite time of year!

You Look Like an Easter Egg!

Last Friday we spent the night with some of our married friends!

We went to Rio with the Sorensens, Harris', and Brightwells.

It's so fun to get together with all of these people. Our husbands all get along so well, and we have been friends for so many years, it is nice just to get together and have a good time!

(We missed you Melis)

Cutest hostess around!

After dinner we headed to Sorensen's to dye Easter eggs! Mandy is so great, and provides the dye for all of us, and let's us use her Cricut, so all we have to do is bring our own eggs.

 

It was such a fun night, and apparently we were having too much fun because someone in their apartment complex called the cops on us!



I was surprised this turned out so well!
Kind of cool!

Marianne, Mandy, and I were dying eggs on the kitchen table, and our husbands were sitting in the front room, playing with a Nerf gun and John was playing the guitar, but we really weren't being that loud. Then there was a knock at the door. Then there was a louder knock on the door. Daniel answered it and there was a police officer.

She was more apologetic than anything. I mean it was 9:20 on a Friday night. She told us that she was sorry, and that it wasn't her, but someone (the person across the hall) had called the police and complained about noise.

She saw what we were doing. I bet when she walked out to her car and just laughed at the fact that we were dying Easter eggs, and someone thought we were being too loud.

One of us really needs to buy a house. Ha.

House Cabin

For as long as I have been alive, a cabin in Bear Lake has been a want of my parents'. We have always had a place to go and stay up there, thanks to my Dad's sister, but having their own place to goal has always been the goal.

In 2005 it almost happened permanently. The Pickleville Country Store was up for sale, and Dad saw his dream coming to real life. He has always wanted to own a grocery store, and in Bear Lake would be prime. Things were put in place for them to purchase the store; we spent countless nights remodeling, with so much help from people around us. The plan was to move up there, live there year round. That meant changing schools for Riley and me, but I knew it would be okay.

We ran that store all summer longer, and when it came time to purchase it, it didn't work out. When someone who owns a property doesn't pay their taxes, and document how much money is brought in from an entity, it is impossible to have a bank fund an investment, because they don't just believe that you can profit from said investment.

Everything my dad had worked for, was gone. It was a sad day for all of us, but honestly, it was the best summer of my life. The relationship I have with my dad now is because of that summer in Bear Lake. So I am grateful for that.

Fast forward 8 years. Last summer, we were up there for our annual venture, and on the main road, there was a for sale sign, which is nothing new. So we stopped, like always, and walked around this house. It looked like it needed work, but it looked doable! Mom and Dad checked into it, like with so many other places, but everything started to work out for this place, unlike the others.

There were definitely some bumps along the way. It was being sold by HUD, which meant lots of hoops to jump through. It was a meth house, which meant more hoops to jump through.

It was a lot of waiting, but, in March, we got a text message from Mom

"We've closed and have the keys. It's officially ours!"

Excitement all around.

We've dubbed it the "House Cabin" because it's really a house, but it's the Bear Lake cabin we've always talked about. So, the House Cabin it is.

With it being a meth house, after it was cleaned, it really needed work. We've been up there twice now, and made some progress. But we're not there yet. We're at least able to use the bathroom there though. Which is always nice.

 

Before the cabinets were taken off the walls.

 

And after. Cabinets are a lot heavier than I would have ever guessed. But when Riley asked me to hold one to make sure it didn't come crashing down, holy Hannah.

Or I'm just really weak.

That's probably it.

One of the bedrooms had some holes in the wall, and so we were going to patch them. Dad had me help him demo the wall. I was only supposed to go four feet down from the top, because that is how big a whole piece of sheet rock is. He didn't tell me until after I had already gone too far. Oops.

It worked out though, because we found out that they had glued the sheet rock to the wall instead of screwing it into the studs, so we ended up removing more than four feet.

Phew.

This.

You may say, it's just a patched hole in the wall.

But, it is my patched hole in the wall.

I patched this BY MYSELF.

The hole started out looking like a penis. Not even joking.

I cut out a square in the wall.

Using a SAWSALL. That thing is kind of dangerous. It will take you for a ride if you let it.

Cut out the hole, made sure it was square.

Measured it.

Cut the sheet rock.

Put the sheet rock in, after making some minor adjustments with my utility knife.

And, wa-la!

I was so freaking proud of myself.

And so was everyone else.

Another Year Older and Wiser Too!

John had his 27th birthday on March 24. This is our 6th birthday of his that we have celebrated together. SIX. Makes me feel like we have been together forever! HA. Actually, it feels like no time at all most days. 

 

John's birthday fell on a Monday this year. Does anyone like Mondays? I don't think so. But I tried to make it as special for him as it could be. 

We went to see Les Miserables at Hale Center Theater that afternoon, and it was amazing! Hale Center never ceases to amaze me; the actors are all so talented, and even in such a small space, they do such a fantastic job. 

           

When it was announced that they were making Les Mis into a movie, I was beyond excited, and John didn't really understand why. He had heard the music, but he had never seen the play,and didn't think he would like it. I begged him so many times to go see it in theaters, and he wouldn't. But, you bet your bottom that as soon as it came out on Blu Ray I made him watch it with me. And as much as he had reisisted, he loves that movie. He tells me constantly that we should have seen it in theaters. 

Seeing it performed on stage was no different. While the actors and actresses aren't recognizable names, it was still just as fantastic. Now I just need to convince him that it is worth taking me to NYC to see it again. ;)

John really only asked for one thing for his birthday. This turn table. It started as a KickStarter project, and he has followed it since then, telling me how cool it is, and everything that makes it better than the two record players we already own, and why he needs one. Can I tell you anything about it? Other than it's cool, and he wanted one? No. I heard the name of it, and that's all I needed. 

Unfortunately, because it was started on KickStarter, they only make them as the orders come in, and were already behind schedule when they started making them, because they had to make all of the ones that were purchased through KickStarter. So, I ordered it in January; thinking, it will for sure be here by the end of March, right? Wrongo. Not even supposed to ship until the end of April. Guess I should have ordered it in October. 

So, on his birthday I made him a homemade card out of construction paper, with a note telling him how much I love him, and then included a picture of the turn table and told him that if he wasn't such a hipster, his gift would have been here on time. ;)

He was beyond excited, and just looked at me and was like "REALLY?" Haha, yes, really. I love when he gets excited about things, especially when I am apart of said things.