The goings on

We are loving our Christmas break so far.

Last Thursday Bella came to visit, and we all had lots of fun. Bella is our niece, and she is the smartest and cutest little girl. We read books, baked, played in the snow, and ate lots of chocolate (a word she can say perfectly!). In fact, we had to hide the chocolate before too long. She was so fun and easy to play with, and I really liked watching Johnny with her. He's going to be such a good Dad!

Tonight we finished up our Christmas shopping. At one point, Johnny needed to shop alone, so I went and got my ears pierced! As many of you know, my earring ripped through my ear like two years ago, and I haven't been able to wear earrings since. Apparently, in order to get it fixed, I would have to go to a plastic surgeon, and Johnny and I aren't really in a position for a "cosmetic" surgery. So I got my ears pierced again tonight, just higher up. I am so excited! Overflowing with joy, really. Yay!! By the way, I had forgotten, getting your ears pierced hurts...I can't see how people make their little babies get their ears pierced.

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas break! In case I don't post again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

a tribute

The BYU men's basketball team played ASU on Saturday, and it was the most frustrating game I have ever watched. This image pretty much sums it up. The refs literally controlled the game up until the very last second. If you didn't see it, the game ended in us making a winning shot only to have the refs review it and say we did not actually win. Of course, all of this came after the refs called dozens of nonexistant fouls on our boys and none on the other team. One of ASU's players, James Harden (pictured to the right), went to the foul line more times than all of our team combined. I was fuming when the game was over. Pac 10 refs are just unbelievable. Anyway, our team is great this year, and I can't wait to see how the season pans out.

My very first...

Well folks, today was our last day of classes! Neither of us has any finals in the dreaded Testing Center, so we are quite please about that. I am ready for it all to be over so I can start my Christmas baking!
This will be my first Christmas in Utah. My family always makes loads of goodies to eat during the Christmas break, so I have come up with a list of goodies that I am going to make. I was complaining to Johnny that I did not have anyone to bake with and he said something like, "I could help." So, this should be interesting! I can't wait to post pictures.
No, the gingerbread in this post are not my own creation. I know...shocker.

Anyway, here's my list of goodies I plan to bake:

• Gingerbread men
• Sugar cookies
• Peanut butter haystacks
• Pretzel turtles
• Homemade chex mix

I am super excited. I'd love to hear what your favorite Christmas goodies are or what you're planning on baking!

Alabama vs the U

OH MY GOSH. The Sugar Bowl. Could their be a better match-up? Sadly, Alabama lost to Florida yesterday, but that loss set Alabama up to crush the U. After being in Utah these last few years, I have grown to hate the University of Utah football team even more than I hate Auburn. This is going to be great.

Goodbye Football...Hello Basketball

Yesterday, Johnny and I took a trip up to SLC for the BYU/USU basketball game. Their fans totally outdid us, but, in the end, our team outdid theirs! It was such a good game, and I was so glad to beat their white trash fans who flipped us off after we won and who chanted "Dave Rose sucks!" Haha... the only time they were quiet was when they realized that they had lost. Anyway, we had a blast.

























Some of their lovely fans
































The trees outside of the arena

It's no surprise that I love Christmas!

Because I know you're all dying to see what our Christmas tree looks like...

I know, I know

Okay. I know it's been a while. The times when the most things are happening in our lives are the times when I post the least. The picture to the left is from when Johnny went to California a few weeks ago. He's with a friend from high school. Right now I will give a quick update, and then I have lots of stuff I have to work on! Only 8 days left of school! However, we both have TONS to get done until then. I'm scared.

So we went our separate ways for Thanksgiving. Soon I will try to post some pictures of our giving thanks. I had a blast in Alabama. I baked a lot, and there were actually people to eat it! Jill, Hannah, and I all stayed up talking every night until late. My parents took good care of me. It was very relaxing. Johnny, meanwhile, was in California. He would call me while strolling on the beach, and I was so jealous. We missed each other, but it went by really fast. But I have honestly never in my life been so happy to see someone again! Let me give you a quick play-by-play: After spending the day up at my sister's house in Salt Lake and watching Alabama kill Auburn, I drove home as fast as I could. Johnny got home about twenty minutes before I did. When I pulled into our parking lot, I slammed the door to my car and sprinted up the stairs to our apartment. I opened the door, and there he was! Okay... enough. Suffice it to say, I was really, really excited to see Johnny!

Speaking of which, Johnny's L'Oreal competition is this Thursday night! Good Luck!

Thanks, Doc

I went to the doctor on Friday and found out that I'm really anemic. I went there for a completely unrelated reason, but as soon as the doctor walked in she said, "Is it just me, or are you really pale?" And to that I said, "Yeah, I'm always super pale during the winter." (I hadn't had time to apply bronzer that morning.) She said, "Are you anemic?" And I said, "Nope. Just really white." Anyway, she insisted on getting a blood sample, and I found out that I am "really, really anemic." So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, you never know. But that explains why I haven't had the energy to exercise for the last couple months. I just thought that school and work were wearing me out. The doctor said, "You will be surprised at how much better you will feel." Haha, gosh, I am thankful she checked because I never would have suspected it!

Speaking of thankful, I have five more days of classes until my Thanksgiving break begins. The only downside is that Johnny and I are spending Thanksgiving apart this year. I wanted to see my family, and Johnny could not miss any school, so I am taking a solo flight to Alabama in about a week. Johnny is going with his family to California, so we will pretty much be across the country from each other! At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but I am pretty sure this will be the one and only holiday that we spend apart from each other. We are both still excited for our respective trips, but I already can't wait until we are back together again (and I haven't even left yet!). I guess being apart will just make me even more thankful for my great husband. And isn't that what Thanksgiving's all about? haha, not really...

A Weekend of Firsts

Well, I took Johnny to the airport this morning. I don't know if it was because I had only gotten two hours of sleep or because it was our first goodbye, but I had a very hard time seeing him go (lots of tears). I am already looking forward to his return.

Yesterday Johnny and I bought our first Christmas tree. It's a four-footer, which is perfect for our tiny apartment. Johnny did not believe that the stores would already have holiday stuff up, but every store we went in was all decked out in Christmas decor! In fact, I went ahead and bought myself some cherry cordial kisses from the Christmas candy aisle. Anyway, we are super excited about our first tree!

Brawny Johnny

This Halloween gave Johnny the perfect opportunity to take advantage of his full-grown 'stache. Need I say more?

Congrats!

I might sound a bit delirious writing this post because I only got four hours of sleep last night, but I probably sound much more coherent than Johnny would because he got one hour of sleep. Johnny is taking a test right now, and I am working. We are both swamped with tests, papers, and homework this weekend, and last night was our only night to get them done. We've actually had a lot of late nights this past week, Johnny more so than me. However, the extra late nights he's been putting in are starting to pay off. He and two friends from his advertising program are in a group together competing in the L'Oreal Brandstorm competition. On Thursday night they found out that they are one of five BYU teams chosen to compete in December in the university competition. Out of the five teams, one will be chosen by L'Oreal to go to nationals! So some late nights may still lay ahead for Johnny, and sometimes me too, but it's well worth the effort. The only drawback is that Johnny says he will be keeping his now full-grown mustache until the competition in December. Hooray.

Tri, Tri, Tri Again

My niece Eva and I spent the morning together.
Her parents participated in a triathlon this morning, and they brought her over to my apartment before the triathlon started. Johnny and I sat her on the couch and soon realized that we had nothing to entertain her with. But I turned the TV on to Veggie Tales, Johnny handed Eva our wedding album, and voila, she was content.
After we spent about an hour in the apartment, Johnny drove Eva and me to the spot of the triathlon so we could watch. She and I spent the whole morning together, and I soon learned of Eva's endless energy. The following pictures can explain the morning better than I ever could.

waiting in the pool area

texting (I found out later that Johnny received a phone call from Eva)

about to run down the hill

running away from me

admitting defeat

Late night Blockbuster runs

So it's freezing here. I'm trying to convince Johnny that we should immediately take a trip to a warmer state. Doing anything outside is completely out of the question. We chose a good time to start another TV series on DVD. We are on the first season of Arrested Development, and it's keeping us thoroughly entertained.

Our day in pictures

Cold day for a football game

Loves pictures

Before the game

During the game

The sun finally came out!

Hot chocolate and more football after

Side Note

So after running on a treadmill Thursday morning, I noticed it had a rather disturbing note attached to it....I guess I got lucky!

A typical night with the Galbraiths

I know I haven't posted in a while. Our life is pretty low-key now that school is back in full swing. Last night, Johnny and I got home at about 6:00. We were planning on going out to eat, but we both realized how tired we were and opted for a night at home. I fixed shrimp salad, and we ate and watched the Presidential debate together. Later on, while Johnny was on his laptop and while I was reading The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman for the second time around, Johnny and I sipped hot chocolate. (The hot chocolate was my idea because the book I was reading takes place at Christmastime.) By about 10:00, we decided to get out of the house for a bit and went and got slurpees a 7 Eleven. Slurpees and hot chocolate all in one night! We watched TV for a bit and then went to sleep. Ta dah! That was our night. It was a perfect night. We both need to relax after our stressful week.

Yesterday Johnny and I wore our Alabama parphanelia to school since BYU had a bye week. I was so proud of Johnny! I was wearing a white hat with the red BAMA letters across the front. Twice I had people ask me if the BAMA stood for Obama. The first time, I was caught off guard by the absurdity of the question. The second time I just wanted to laugh. One of these people was a male Caucasian in his mid fifties. Where has he been the last 50 years? Probably in Provo...

a picture or two

Weekends are the absolute best.

Eat, Sleep, Football

Eat, Sleep, Football. That pretty much sums up our Saturdays, and yesterday was no exception. I worked from 9:00-12:00 and got home just in time for the BYU/Washington game. The excitement in our little apartment (mostly emanating from Johnny) increased when my brother, Rick, showed up, providing Johnny with another male in the house. The game was close and BYU won, but we spent the rest of the night hearing ESPN minimize BYU's win multiple times because of a controversial penalty called at the end of the game. Washington's quarterback scored a touchdown in the last seconds of the game, and he threw the football into the air, eliciting an "unsportsmanlike" 15 yard penalty from one of the refs. Washington then had to score a field goal from 15 yards further back, and in attempting it, BYU blocked the kick and won the game. While doing homework last night, I heard ESPN discuss the play three different times. Not once did they give BYU any credit for winning. They said every time that the ref's penalty on Washington had determined the outcome of the game. I agree that it was an unfortunate time for a penalty to be called, but in the end, BYU did block the kick and won the game. The kick would have been blocked whether there was a 15 yard penalty or not. The following clip is of the last few seconds of the game. ESPN commentators were saying that the Washington quarterback merely "flicked" the ball in the air, but you watch the clip and decide if it is merely a "flick." BYU actually has a chance to be good this year, and I just wish we would get more credit.

New Do

Family that I never see, I got a haircut! (Please ignore the fakest of fake smile.)

Summer's End

This past Sunday, I got some apples off an apple tree at Johnny's parents' house. They are little apples, so I got a lot of them. While I decide what delectable recipe to use them in (I think I am going to try making apple bread), they are ripening nicely on our window sill.

Well, this time next week we will be enjoying our last night before school starts. We are both excited for school. We are also both excited to start off the BYU football season, which begins this Saturday. We still haven't gotten our seats, even though they were supposed to be emailed to us today. We are going the Cougar United route this year, so hopefully that means really good seats. I will have to practice standing for four hours straight because, apparently, that's what the Cougar United section does...we'll see how that goes.

Now that I am only working my afternoon job, I have been able to go running in the mornings, and it's so much easier to run when it's not 95 degrees outside!

What's new in Johnny's life? Johnny devotes a lot of his free time perusing BYU football message boards (and posting on them). He is the most enthusiastic BYU fan I have ever seen. We even went to the football team's open practice a few weeks ago. He has also golfed a lot this summer, and I went with him once! It was my first time ever golfing. Golfing comes about as naturally to me as tennis does...not at all. On Saturday we went to a driving range with Johnny's brother Will and Will's friend Chad. I spent most the time just trying to keep my arm straight. Johnny is a very patient teacher.

I guess this is our unofficial last week of summer...somehow it doesn't hold the nostalgia that it held when I was a kid. We'll actually be slowing down our lives when school starts, so we are relieved for the change.

It did end happily...

My opinion of Breaking Dawn is right on with this EW review: Breaking Dawn Book Review

Johnny never posts

This week I have been filling my idle time at work thinking about Breaking Dawn. When I have free time, I peruse the internet for theories, and when I walk home from work, I call Jill and Hannah (my sisters) and discuss those theories. Some of the more thought-out ones:

• Jacob will imprint on a vampire (one person went so far as to guess it was Rosalie)
  
• The wedding is early on because Edward is going to die (NO!)
  
• Jacob's dad, Billy, will die because then Bella will have to go to the funeral and then she and Jacob can meet up again (haha, very thought-out)
  
• Either Jacob or Billy will sacrifice themselves for Bella (based on the book cover...a queen can sacrifice her pawn in a game of chess)

Either way, I just want it to end happily. The last time I read a book with a sad ending, I cried for half an hour, while Johnny tried to comforted me.

An update on Johnny: As I have become more engrossed in Breaking Dawn's release, Johnny's obsession with cage fighting has also grown. He now watches it on a daily basis. On a side note, he works harder than anyone I know, so I am learning to accept this small indulgence.

Last, but not least, a recipe for Caitlin.
A few years ago, my mom made a weight watcher's recipe for pumpkin muffins. My little sisters and I loved it, and one night my sophomore year in college, my roommate Alison and I decided to try adding chocolate chips to it. The result was heavenly!

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin (15oz)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I think...just add until it looks like enough)

Mix first two ingredients together until batter is smooth. Add chocolate chips. Grease muffin tins. Scoop muffin batter into tins (batter will be thick). Bake for around 25 minutes on 350 or until toothpick comes out clean.

Updated

You may think that the title of this post refers to the layout of our blog, and while it does in part, it mostly refers to my boss at work. I hear her say the word "updated" on a daily basis, and instead of saying the word like any normal person with the stress on the first syllable(UPdated), she says it with a stress on the second syllable (upDATEd). This has been driving me crazy for weeks now, and much to my horror, I have now accidentally said upDATEd twice. I swear it's like a disease. I can only hope that after I quit working there (only three weeks left!) I will go back to my normal UPdated self.

Johnny has a new hobby. For the past two weeks, I have been minding my own business, when I am suddenly interrupted by Johnny and his new favorite past-time: watching cage fighting. Here are some of the things I have heard him say as of late: "It really is fun to watch, though. I mean, watching it makes you kind of queasy, but it's amazing how they move."; "Hey Jo, look at how his legs are wrapped around that guy's head."; or my favorite: "Hey, I've seen this one already." I don't know know what has possessed him with this new fascination, but it must stop.

We went on a hike recently with Will and Jake. The hike was completely uphill. After about fifteen minutes, our legs and lungs adjusted, and we had a really fun time.

out with the old, in with the new

We are currently under construction. The time has come, yet again, to change the format of the blog. Maybe this time we will settle on something that doesn't induce our gag reflex after a few months. Sit tight!

La Vaca Mejor... Vacacion!

I am slow with my words and decided to post about our vacation adventures to Alabama and Pensacola Beach, Florida in photos. So without further ado...

Our Vacation in Pictures!

One Year

Flowers Johnny got me

Yesterday was our one year anniversary! It's been a great first year. We've had good times, bad times, but mostly good times. We've had to compromise, and sometimes we've just disagreed instead, but we agree on a lot of things: We both hate crowded places and cold weather. We love a good steak, board games, the beach, home, college football, and road trips.
Speaking of board games, we just got Ticket to Ride. We played the game over vacation and loved it, so today on the way to Stewart Falls, we stopped at an outdoor board game tent and bought it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I am pretty sure they only have those in Provo; I just can't imagine a place like that thriving elsewhere as it does here;) Anyway, I highly recommend the game!
Below are some pictures of our hike.
By the way, because it's our one year, I must add: This past year has been the best, and each day just keeps getting better. I love being married to Johnny!!!