Some Things Just Don't Change

MY KITTIES!

My cat Asia and my other cat Honey. I miss these two...I am always happier when I'm around them!

Christmas Day

View outside my bedroom window Christmas morning. Need I say more?

Meeting Andrew

Isn't my nephew Andrew the cutest? He is SUCH a good baby! He is totally content just chillin, not doing anything! Amazing!

I got to babysit the kids for a few hours the other night. They were so good, even told me when it was time for them to go to bed! Andrew fell asleep in my arms too, cute thing!

Andrew and Izabella passed out at Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. They were pretty worn out after all the running around during the day.

The Southern Route

So, due to the HUGE storms that came through the more northern part of Utah, we decided to drive south to the Fisher's place in order to avoid bad weather. We stayed there for the weekend to have time to play with the kids.

Mom even got to drive the porsche around! Even though I don't think she got above 25 miles an hour. Pretty boring.

My hot sister on her bike.

While we were there, dad installed a cat door! This is us 'helping' him with it!

Two Years

Two years ago today was the first time I went through the temple. It was wonderful having all of my endowed siblings in the temple with me as well as my parents, old YW leaders and my friend, Karlie. I can't believe it has already been two years when it seems like that was just yesterday.

I love being able to have interviews for recommend renewals. Our leaders are so inspired and I love to hear what kinds of insights they have to share with me.

I am grateful for the blessings of the temple in my life. From being born in the covenant to faithful parents, to baptisms for the dead, to doing a session and someday to be sealed for time and all eternity. The temple has always been a place of comfort, learning and growth.

Reunion

My first roommate came out to visit for the weekend, so we had the opportunity to have a little reunion with Shauna! It was so fun to get together and just chat. It really felt like we were back in college again, chillin in T12! We chatted lots about babies, since both of them are having little boys. Shauna is due any minute and Karlie is due in March. I love these girls!

Green Christmas

I'll be home in less than two weeks for my GREEN Christmas! Don't get me wrong, a white Christmas is beautiful, but nothing beats the green rollings hills of northern California to celebrate the wonder of Christmas in!

I have always been in love with the seasons when Petaluma is that brilliant green. I love it. I spent most of my youth crawling around in the tall, green grass in the fields surrounding my house, pretending to be some sort of an explorer.

Anytime I am home, I spend hours driving around the back roads of Petaluma just taking in my fill of the green hills. BEAUTIFUL. Most of the time I even end up at the beach to enjoy the waves as well.

Back when our chapel was being remodeled, we drove up to Sebastopol to go to church. We always took the back roads. That drive was always so beautiful, especially when the fields were full of those beautiful yellow flowers.

I can't wait to go home!

Bliss

Yesterday, being Thanksgiving, I was able to wake up without an alarm and stay in bed as long as I wanted. Wonderfulness number one. Wonderfulness number two is that I woke up and it was one of those mornings where your bed is SO indescribably comfortable. No matter what, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Granted, my bed is extremely comfortable in the first place, I mean, look at it...it looks like a cloud! (that picture was taken a couple minutes before typing this blog.)

All throughout college (and probably high school as well) I never studied at a desk. I always studied in my bed. I know some of my old roommates are reading this and thinking...Allison...you never studied! Tsk Tsk...I did too...only I always fell asleep IN my bed after about 5 minutes of studying. Now isn't that a much better place to fall asleep than in the library or on some hard desk?

I am not the only person who thinks that my bed is just amazing. There have been plenty of times when I have come home and found random people in my bed. Or, even in just hanging out, people tend to congregate to my bed. What can I say? My bed is one of my most favorite places ever! And I've come to realize that I take a lot of pictures of my bed...Hmmm...

I am so blessed.

Soon To Be Mrs. Peterson

I'm starting to feel like my blog has become a reporting system on the different showers I attend! Oh well! So, my little Jessica is getting married! It was fun to go to her bridal shower on Saturday. I forsure didn't win any of the games, but oh well...we all know I'm not the biggest fan of shower games! (Althought I was SO close to winning a game at Shauna's baby shower!)

We went dress shopping a while back. None of those dresses will be in use for the wedding, but I liked the picture. Besides, why pay thousands of dollars for dresses when you can make them out of paper products for a fraction of the cost!

Not sure that she will be all that warm in that dress in January, but she looks beautiful none the less!

HILARIOUS

So, Laura Larsen Smith commented on the video of my parents dancing and it brought back MANY a memory...

"Laura and Jared said...
I remember your dad doing things like that in the halls between Sacrament meeting and Sunday school--then I would grab him behind the neck and tell him to go to class!"

All of you Petaluma Second Warders, I'm sure, remember my dad, AKA JEROME, dragging each and every one of us to Sunday School each week. Not one of us young men or young women were immune to this. Still makes me laugh thinking so far back about that!

Thanks, Laura, for the reminder and the hiliarious comment!

Shauna's Baby Shower

On Saturday I was able to go to my old roommate's (Shauna) baby shower! The shower was up in Salt Lake, so I map quested the location. Yeah, after driving around the area for a while, I realized that one of the streets on the directions did not exist. I called Shauna, who got me on the right track (she's always had a way of doing that for me) and I made it to the shower safe and sound!

So, Shauna is 8 months prego and this was the first time that I've seen her since she's been pregnant. (I know, I'm a horrible friend!) Anyway, it was SO weird at first to see Shauna with this tummy...granted, she looks like she's only about 4 months prego, but still! I hate feeling pregnant tummies, but I had to feel Shauna's to make sure this was real! I finally got over the shock and had fun at the shower and getting to catch up some with Shauna. We realized that we have been each other's longest running roommates!

It was also so fun to see Shauna's mom again (she has this way of always making me feel like the most beautiful person in the room). I even got to meet Shauna's new sister-in-law, Kristen, who was so much fun to talk to!

Anyway, I figured I would add in some extra pictures of Shauna and me over the years. Congrats to Shauna and Mark...and I can't wait to meet you, baby Jackson!

In the dorms our freshman summer.

Halloween in the Terrace.

That fateful trip to SoCal about 4 years ago.

At Shauna's baby shower last Saturday.

My Parents are Talented!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

S L O W D A Y S

What is going on? I do not understand how I can sit at my desk for 3 HOURS only to look down at the clock and see that only 10 MINUTES have passed. This has been EVERY DAY since November 3rd. Oh, and it isn't just me. I have questioned my co-workers as well and they agree. SOMEONE HAS SLOWED DOWN TIME! I don't know who did it, but I would like my normal speedy day at work back. You might think that maybe I don't have enough to do. Yeah, no. I think almost daily I am given some new responsibility to take care of. I think maybe it has to do with the holidays coming up. I especially LOVE Thanksgiving due to the fact that I get TWO paid holidays. I really don't understand why we don't get a week or three off for Christmas, but that's just me. Either way, apparently I'm really looking forward to some days away from work.

Anyway, to pass the time I decided to blog about it. Yeah, what seemed like at least 20 minutes was really about three. I even played with my camera to possibly put a picture of myself on this blog...yeah...wasn't the most flattering picture! Instead you are stuck with the HUGE lettered fax coversheet that I received from a client the other day. It made me laugh, so I put it up in my cube.

P.S. Yes, I changed the background of my blog. Never thought I would do it, but I was bored the other day (see above story). Anyway, it isn't my favorite, but after putting it on and realizing it messed up my whole blog and after taking time to fix the blog it is going to be a long time before I change it again!

The Three Muskateers

So, a couple years ago my parents decided to clean out my closets in our house in Petaluma so that my mom could have some extra storage. They moved all my stuff into boxes in the garage. Ever since then, I have not been able to find my multiple photo albums that have all my pictures from 4th until 12th grade. Yeah, don't get me started on how annoyed I still am about that. Anyway, I do have one box that I have some of the copies of the photos. I was looking through these photos and missing the days when the Three Muskateers were all together! We had such great times growing up! Anyway, I figured I should share the good old days with everyone...