She's Baaaack!!

In case you missed it - today was the 24th season premiere of Oprah. I do love her. This is no secret to most of you, since I quote her as most of my sources on things (hahah---but so true)! I must admit, that I thought after a long summer hiatus she would come back with a totally rocking body--but not so much the case. (Made me feel better about my summer hiatus...lol). Great show today, so you should check it out, especially the show opening performance by the Black Eyed Peas. I am glad to have my girl back on the air. :)

Lake Powell Trip

What a fun time! We went to Lake Powell August 16-Aug 23rd with our good friends The Evans' (John, Jeanine, and Mark), our best friends The Badger's (TJ, Michelle, and Brandon), and our new friends The Cannon's (Ray, Kelly, and Courtney). We stayed on the houseboat "The Powell Pleasure" ( I think I laugh every time I say that name), and were so fortunate to have awesome weather, except for the storm during the docking the last day. So many pictures, so I sized them small (click on the picture to see them larger) and the captions should give all the details of the rest of the trip. We had a blast with everyone and hope to go again.

Here she is--The Powell Pleasure in all her glory: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, slide, BBQ, theater--what else would you need?

Nick giving the passing houseboats an eye sore! We all were hysterically laughing. (side note-Nick only wore the speedo for about 20 minutes the whole trip, but so many hilarious pics)
Nick out of a wakeboard run. Such great water.

One of the many nasty fish Nick caught. He was using NY strip steak as his bait, no wonder he caught so many!

I even gave fishing a try. Not too much luck.

When all else fails-there is always redneck fishing! Huge fish at Dangling Rope Marina, but fishing isn't allowed, so Nick decided he was just going to be a "man" and grab one with his hands. He had quite the audience while doing this.

Slot canyon that we swam through. Glad I had some strong men with me because there were some huge rocks that we had to climb over .

Nick and TJ as getting ready to swim the canyon

Us on the ski boat exploring the slot canyons

Rainbow bridge with TJ, Michelle, and Us

Nick with a catfish he caught one evening.

Always time for a little kiss

This tree was sticking up out of the water. Thought it made a great picture. At one point we had seven people climb up the tree for a group picture.

Gregory Butte behind us. Right next to where we docked the houseboat.

We never got tired of looking at such beautiful landscape. The sunset was amazing each night. We slept under the stars and the bats!!

Such a great trip. We played cards, learned a few new games, watched movies every night under the stars, slept on the top deck of the houseboat watching shooting stars, ate way too much food, ate M&M's for breakfast, saw a crazy storm and watched two ski boats sink!!! So wild. And way too many laughs with great friends=great vacation!

And...My 26th year has begun!!

August 24th was MY day. And to be honest, it started out rough. I got up and Nick asks, "Happy Birthday!!-Do you feel any older?" To which I stated, "I have felt old for the past month!" (See below post on back pain for details on that) I had a moment of tears after that-mostly from frustration of feeling old! I immediately hummed in my head, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"--it gave me a laugh and made me feel a little better.

I went off to work, then the chiropractor, a pedicure to make me feel special, and then home. Nick had night class, so I figured we might go to a later dinner, but I was wrong. Before I could change my clothes people were knocking at our front door saying they heard there was a party at our place. I could have killed Nick!! I was tired, my back hurt, and so not in the mood for a 'social gathering' but after a 20 minute vent to my friend Kristie--I was ready to have fun. It is always great getting friends together, and I hate that it seems like it has to be someone's birthday or an event to get a larger group together. Either way, we ate a delicious carrot cake and icecream, played spoons (I hadn't played that in years), and had some great laughs. Let's hope 26 is good to me!


The group of friends (minues Laura, Jeff and Heather) who came to celebrate.

Thank you Nick for putting the evening together. It was a lot of fun and ended my night way better than the day started. :)

Powell Preview--Spoiler Alert!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist posting these ASAP. Such a great week with some gut-wrenching laughs! More to come...aboard the Powell Pleasure!!

Our First Anniversary

I can't believe that on August 16th of last year we were getting married. In some ways it seems like that was forever ago and in other ways it seems like yesterday that we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Louisville Kentucky Temple. This year we were driving most of the day for our anniversary (headed to Lake Powell--more on that in a future blog post). We had planned to celebrate the night before, but my back just wasn't allowing for that. So we didn't really do anything!! No worries though--we have forever to celebrate right?!?!

I had expressed to Nick that I wanted a thicker wedding band to wear to work. I don't wear my engagement ring much since it is a pear shaped diamond and it tears through the gloves, and my wedding band is so thin. So we did some looking earlier in the summer when I said I thought that is what I wanted, and sure enough I got it!! I feel so lucky to have it. It is gorgeous!!! I love it. Seven rows of pauve diamonds that light up the sky! I will post pictures when I take them. Needless to say, this will be my present for everything in the next year!

I decided to get Nick a new pair of cowboy boots. He LOVES him a good pair of boots. Since they are for an anniversary present I went with a nice dress pair with a leather sole and bull head leather on the heal. He was totally surprised and so excited.

Now for the most important part of this post: WHY I LOVE MY DOMENIC:

-I love his curly hair (even though it is currently gone)

-I love his southern accent and how when he is really tired it comes out stronger then ever

-I love that he is Mr. Sensitive

-I love that he does all the laundry and irons my work clothes everyday.

-I love that he will eat everything I eat--even when I won't even eat it bc it is bad! hah

-I love that he takes such good care of me

-I love that he writes the most amazing cards you have ever read (I don't think there has been one that hasn't left me in tears)

-I love that he lets me have my sweet tooth

-I love that he rubs my feet after work and he actually LIKES doing it

-I love that he always tells me how beautiful I am

-I love that he makes me feel confident and important

-I love that all my friends love him

-I love that he is so focused in school

-I love that he loves to cuddle

-I love that he loves to travel

-I love that he lets me have as many nick names for him and that I call him them in public and he doesn't get mad!

-I love that he makes me takes vitamins and drink water

-I love that he has taken such good care of me with my pathetic back

AND most importantly I love that HE LOVES ME!

Happy First Anniversary!!

A Preview of My Life at 80--PAIN

Back Pain I am pretty sure will be in my life when I am old--especially since it is present now!! I have been miserable--not even able to fake it really well. And I thought I had a high tolerance for pain (that has sure come back to bite me in the butt--literally).

So two weeks ago I had the day off -it was a Friday, got up bright and early, off to the gym for some step aerobics, and WHAM...a knife stabbed me in the back (not literally, but it sure felt like it). All I did was step up on the step. I didn't fall, didn't trip--nothing traumatic!! Being, stubborn Jen, I continued working out until the end of the class thinking I might have just tweaked it, but as I was walking out of the gym bent over I knew this was not good. After 5 visits to the chiropractor, a Sunday emergency (expensive) chiropractic visit, a muscle relaxer Rx, ice packs, and rest----I still feel horrible. Some mornings Nick has had to carry me out of bed because I can't even roll out of bed the pain is so bad. I have learned that crawling on my hands and knees while my back muscles are spasming really does give some relief--I look like an idiot--but it works! And, yes--I have somehow still been working. Actually working keeps my muscles pretty loose, but then at the end of the work day my back spasms constantly. My best friends are Ibuprofen (a lot of it), Flexeril (muscle relaxer that if anything just lets me sleep), and my Nick.

Nick takes such good care of me. I am so blessed to have him here. Of course, this is his week of no school (since summer session just ended and fall starts in two weeks) and he waits on me hand and foot. Literally, I can't even bend my back to pull my pants up or lean over the sink to wash my face. Nick always does these jobs with a huge smile on his face. He is so patient, loving, and always says he genuinely appreciates this chance to serve me. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have him to help me through his. I know that when I am 80, he will still be loving me--because he loves me all crippled right now.

On a final note, I had a consult with an acupuncturist today. I am going to do IT. The lady Nick and I met with today thinks that it had to do with my left sciatic nerve stemming from my lower back. She will put needles straight in to the muscle spasms and then from head to down in different pain trigger points. Honestly the length of the needle doesn't scare me...it is more-this lady better know what she is doing!! HAH. So this Saturday is the day. Can you tell I that I am very desperate for some relief?? I will post a report on how it goes. Until them pray that I get some relief from this 80 year old body I am living in.

Happy Birthday Garrett

HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY GARRETT! August 1st was Garrett's birthday and we knew we wanted to celebrate with him. Nick and Garrett have been best friends since they were 15 and met in Virgina where they grew up. Garrett was Nick's best man at our wedding last year and gave the most eye-watering toast. I am so glad that Nick has such a great friend that lives near by. He and his wife Tara, moved to AZ in January of this year--and we are doing as much fun stuff with them as we can before their baby girl arrives in December.

For the birthday celebration we had them over, went to Joe's BBQ where Garrett ate for free and then went by Krispie Kreme so he could get his free dozen birthday donuts! Back at our place we played Sequence (Nick and I won both games) and then Phase 10 where Garrett won twice. We finished off the night with the most delicious cheesecake I have ever eaten. Tara totally out-did herself on this treat! So good! Happy Birthday Garrett!

Nick and Garrett goofing off
Sequence

The four of us

Garrett making a birthday wish