Today's Feeling Is...

This is exactly how I'm feeling today. I can't wait til we just own our house and the paperwork is all behind us.

Christmas Tree Hunting

We went Christmas tree hunting with my family over Thanksgiving weekend on Cedar Mountain. Usually we'd be wading through snow drifts up to our waists, but this time there was hardly any snow on the ground! It was so strange! Here are some snapshots from the day:

// Alexa and I being awesome! // Dallin, Alexa and I- can't figure out which faces we're doing for which photo // My honey and me! I just love that man so much! //Our family in front of the trees! Dang, we look gooooood!

It was such a fun day filled with rock hard snowball fights, hot chocolate, yummy smelling firs, leftover turkey and no-bakes! I love my family so much! They are the best friends I've ever had!

When do you get Christmas trees? Do you cut your own, buy from a lot, or have fake ones? Jared and I are trying to decide what we're going to do for ours this year. Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are having fun getting in the Christmas spirit!

Family Fun at Thanksgiving

This year we went to my family's house for Thanksgiving. We have a family tradition that has gone on almost a hundred years that we have our Thanksgiving dinner out at the Valley of Fire.  Well, it's more of a lunch. It's potluck style, but everyone's got their certain dishes they bring every year. Our family's is turkey, dutch oven potatoes and sometimes an amazing yogurt fruit salad! It's so much fun to see all of our cousins and catch up on everyone's lives. The kids climb all over the red rocks , we all eat til we can't move, then make ourselves get up and hike to Mouse's Tank. There are petrogylphs all over the canyon walls and we slip and slide on the sandstone trail. This hike is best if you are accompanied with children. Everything is so new and fresh to them and they are fascinated by all of it. I am so thankful for my family and how loving, kind and caring they all are! It's so nice knowing all my cousins and aunts and uncles, especially being so close to so many of them! Here are some pictures from the day.

We are so awesome! 

 

My Aunt Nan and I, I love this lady so much! 

 

Little rock towers, I remember making them as a kid!

 

 

Some of the family at Mouse's Tank, oh I just love them all so much!

Hiking up over Mouse's Tank, yearly ritual!

 

Jumping for joy! Haha I'm so blurry!

 

Some of my dad's wood working, he's basically amazing!

 

The bees looooved the cranberry sauce! It was a little ridiculous!

I'd say it was a successful week! It was so nice being with family- it's always so hard to leave! I miss them all so much already. 

How was your Thanksgiving? What are your family traditions? I'd love to hear about them!

Giving Thanks

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I thought I should make a little list of things I am thankful for. There are a hundred million more things I'm grateful for (like chocolate chip cookies!) but here are a few that I've been thinking of today.

1. I am truly thankful for the amazing husband I have. I know, this is one of those every days, but seriously, I married the most selfless and hard working man I've ever known. We are definitely two parts of a whole and I can't imagine my life without him.

2. I am so thankful for my family. I am amazed at how all of us get along so well and have so much fun together. I miss my family so much. This is the farthest I've ever lived from my closest relative (3 1/2 hours) and it's really weird. I'm so glad I will get to see them all this week!

3. I am thankful for the technology that makes it possible to talk to my friends and family whenever and wherever I want. It really helps with the loneliness that comes from moving far away from everyone I know.

 4. And lastly, I am thankful for Doctor Who to keep me company on those days I just don't want to get out of bed. Seriously, a chaser-away of depression, I love that show.

5. And lastly, I am thankful for all of you who come and read my blog. I don't know who you are, but I would love to hear from you and get to know you!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and hold your family and friends close! I love this time of year, it's all about showing love to those most important to you. It's such a happy time of year for me. So, go eat lots of turkey and pie, and as for the Shurtliff clan in Overton, we will go climb some beautiful red rocks and eat turkey in the wind :) It's going to be amazing! I can't wait!

Breaking Dawn Weekend!

Our weekend was pretty relaxed, so the highlight was that Jared went to Breaking Dawn part 2 with me :) I have the greatest husband in the world! The movie was really good, it had been awhile since I read the books so it was fun to remember the story as I watched it!

The rest of our weekend went a little something like this...

When we heard the Hostess news, we ran out in search of twinkies. The first two grocery stores were completely sold out but we finally found some at a Maverick! It hadn't been raided yet. So crazy, these will be the last twinkies I ever eat... 

We had our house inspected, nothing too serious so we're stoked about that!! Then we had a bunch of documents to sign at the realtors. I love this scarf, seriously my favorite!

Over $4.00 for gas this weekend... All I can say is :(