Merry Christmas

 Christmas 2012

 

 This year for Christmas we did our own Christmas morning at our house. We got up and opened presents from each other and from Santa. This is the first year we had Christmas breakfast at home. It was nice to have a quiet morning together. Later in the morning we went over to my in laws and did presents with them. It was fun to see the rest of the families all come in. We pretty much did Christmas morning with all of them as they came in. We enjoyed a nice dinner with the Gardiner side then headed over to my moms later in the afternoon. 

Once we got to my moms we did our sibling exchange and then visited and spent time with the family. I enjoyed the time I had off. I'm so glad that we are close to our families. As the time gets closer to grad school I realize just how much i'll miss being close to family. No matter what we know we are moving out of state. It will be an adventure, thats for sure. I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

I Believe

Every year, at this time, I like to find new Christmas stories and poems and post some that mean something to me. This year I found a new poem thats called I BELIEVE. Just not sure who wrote it.

I Believe

I believe in the spirit of Christmas. 

I believe that it is a lovely, joyous Christmas Spirit

That roams the earth every December, 

And knocks at our hearts and wants to come in. 

The spirit of Christmas is a spirit of Love. 

Love for the home folks,

Great love for children, 

Greater love for the lonely ones, 

And greatest love for those who grieve. 

This Spirit of Love bid us be generous, but with with wisdom. 

Give people joy and happiness. 

Give those who grieve, great tenderness;

Give, give, give...

And make the Christmas Spirit glad. 

I believe in the Spirit of Christmas. 

I will open my heart to the Spirit of Christmas Love. 

And this Christmas I will make people happy

Because... it is Christmas. 

           

 

December 2012... So far

I know I've said this many times before but I love this time of year! I love the season and just the feeling in the air! We kicked off the first of the month with a family Christmas Party on my mother-in-laws side of the family. I love spending time with them. I mainly know the girls since we do a cousins lunch every few months but they are such a fun group to hang out with. I also had my work party the second week. I really feel blessed to work where I do and to be around such great people everyday. Dr. Chowdhary hosted the party at his house. He and his wife cooked dinner. We had real Indian food. I loved it. It definitely has a kick to it, but it was delicious. We also played a game with the gifts that we brought. I enjoyed the night. Granger also held a company lunch at the Gathering Place at Gardner Village. It was beautiful. It was fun to take a long lunch and meet others from the other offices. I also came away with a gift card to Target. Great for this time of year. We also got together and did the annual Gingerbread houses. This year grandma Gardiner came too. I found out she use to decorate cookies and cakes in a bakery. It was fun to see what she did with her house. My in laws have also had us over for some Christmas activities. This month has been busy with Christmas things and I love it. I wish you could feel it all year long. 

On a sad note, Tragedy struck in CT last Friday when there was a shooting at an elementary school. My heart goes out to those who were part of it and who lost family members. It is awful to think that someone is filled with that much hatred to go on a rampage anywhere, but an elementary school? It has been great to see this nation unite and its sad to see that it took something awful to people to step back realize whats going on. I only hope that things can get better. 

I was happy to see that even after the shooting that there is still good in the world and charity exists. We had a huge storm this weekend and I honestly didnt know about it til I was ready to walk out the door to do errands. I walked out to one of my neighbors snowplowing our driveway. It made me feel happy. He didn't have to do that yet he chose to help us so that we can do our errands and stuff. I hope that we can all be charitable. Not just during this season but all year long. 

I know this post is just a lot of my rambling and thoughts but I had a good experience yesterday and felt like I should share it. I had an opportunity to attend a Special Needs Sacrament meeting at church yesterday. It is probably one of the coolest things i've done in a long time. I've heard people sing " I Am A Child Of God" a million times at plenty of meetings, but I have to say when this group of people sang it, It was just a testament to me that each and everyone of us are children of God. I've always believed that but I just knew yesterday. I know God Lives and that he loves us and I'm thankful to have the Gospel in my life. 

I hope everyone enjoys there Holiday season. 

Thanksgiving 2012

We spent this Thanksgiving at my moms. It was fun because Grandma Elms also came out. My moms boyfriend and his daugther also came so we had a full house. We usually eat then hang out at moms all day, most of us getting ready for black Friday, playing games, or sleeping. I thought it was funny to see Paul and my nephew Jack on the electronics, then Steve sleeping off in the corner. 

 

Halloween

My dad made a trip out here in October. He was here for Halle's sixth birthday. We also did our annual pumpkin carving at my moms. Here are some pics from that. 

My Sexy Husband

 

First Day of Fall

The first day of fall for us was spent at the ZOO!

 

 

 

Summer 2012

Wow! Its been a long time. I guess I'll go through each season up until now with what we've been up to. It seems things usually stay the same but we did have a few things happen. Most of the summer we just worked and stayed at home, be we did have a few firsts. For my mother-in-laws birthday a few of us went to Brigham City and stayed there for the weekend. Paul did his annual guys week that weekend. I went to Brigham City and also went to Bear Lake for my first time. Towards the end of July my grandma came out and we  went to Carson City for the Davis Family Reunion. It was so much fun. It was just me, mom, grandma, and Paul. I got to know some family that I didn't even know I had. 

I'm sad to say the rest of this post isn't as happy as the beginning. In August my grandpa Gardiner passed away. We lost such a great man. I'm glad I had my chance to say goodbye. A month later we lost a cousin. Heaven gained a new angel.  We've also had a couple of other deaths with people we have known. I'm thankful to know that we will see them again. I know death is a part of life but I so hate it. I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. 

Lifehouse

Lifehouse Performs: Lifehouse Performs In The Coca-Cola lounge. Check out the performance video by using KEYWORD LIVE



Paul won some contest on a radio station that got us tickets to a small concert by LifeHouse. After the performance they did a small meet and greet. The timing couldn't have been better as I was feeling a little down since my dad left town. 

SURFS UP: Character Dining

One of my favorite things from our whole California trip was our Character breakfast. I have never done this before. We did the Surfs up breakfast and had so much fun. I loved the food. When we first get there, before we are seated we get to have our picture with Mickey Mouse. I love that they have the characters out at all times. Pluto and stitch were going around. After a few minutes Mickey introduces the new characters and they have a dance contest. They invite all the kids to come up and dance with them. I loved the interaction they had. Not only that but Characters went around the whole place and stopped at each table to visit. This is something I can't wait to do with my kids when we start our family.

TOES

Cali Trip: The End

I'm so happy we were able to take a much needed vacation to California. Its always fun. I love that we can make time to spend with my family while we are there. We were able to spend Mothers Day with my grandma. I loved that we were there to do stuff with her. We also got to visit with my cousins. My Aunt invited us to the movies one night. We also got to try some new restaurants out there. Of course I made time to go shopping with my grandma too. I loved the peaceful feeling I have there. I know a lot of it had to do with being on vacation and not having to worry about anything. Sometimes that is the best feeling. Even though I hate birds I enjoyed waking up to "California" sounds like the parrots fighting outside our windows. I love the colors there.

Beach

We spent one of our last days at Huntington Beach and went and had lunch at Rubys on the pier.

Balboa Island

Paul and I always have to get a frozen banana when in California. Balboa Island is the place to go. We like to take the ferry and spend a few hours on the island. It is a tourist island with cute little shops and boutiques on the main road. We always get a banana and visit the shops. We got some new shirts in the shirt store. We talked with the owner and found out he has had that store for 28 years. He's the only person i've seen that is always there. I have to stop in the candy store and get some taffy there. I have no idea why but Balboa is the only place I ever buy taffy. I love that they have a ton of flavors to choose from and you can pick one of each and not have to buy it in packs. There is also a little book store/gift shop on the island. We love to visit, but this year wasn't my favorite. The employee there was an up in your face type of person and that alone kind of bugs me, but this shop has offered different drinks every year we go. This year we go in and the lady come up and kind of gets to where she is invading my bubble and she starts offering chardonnay and champaigne then looks at me and says oh never mind you are too young. I got way ticked off, ofcourse I wasn't going to accept since I don't drink but I hate when people think i'm that young. I know i'll probably appreciate it in life, but at this point I don't and I looked at Paul who of course just starts laughing. I was so irritated. Anyways thats our Balboa trip.

Cali Trip: DisneyLand!

Welcome to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

 Our trip to DisneyLand this year had a lot of firsts for us: 

• This was the first time we stayed in a hotel and went for three days in a row. 
• We tried new food. We ate at Blue Bayou. I don't really recommend it, but it was nice to experience it. 
• We had our first Monte Cristos and Dole Whips
• Character Dining. 
• First time I fell asleep during lunch. You can't really blame me. We kept our tradition and ate at ESPN Zone on the recliners. I was more tired than I thought and got in a small nap. 
• First time on Nemo for me. 
• First time most of the rides broke down while we were on them. 
• First time on the Little Mermaid. 
• First time on new Star Tours. 
• First time we got annual passes. 
• First time we tried Cafe Orleans. 
• First Magic Morning. 

Cali trip: Downtown Disney

 One of our first days in California we went and spent an afternoon at DownTown Disney. We went to lunch at the House of Blues. I tried a shrimp sandwhich called the Po Boy or something like that. It was delicious.  We also shopped in a lot of the stores there. One of my favorites is the Lego store. They had a brand new display that had just been revealed the week before. My favorite was Bell and the Beast. I just love that movie and got way excited when I was the display. They also had Aladin and Toy Story. Its fun to go to. I find it amazing that each display is all legos. It was fun to just get out and do something we don't get to do very often.

Cali Trip: Cinco De Mayo

This year, since we were in Cali we decided to celebrate Cinco De Mayo by going to Wahoos. Wahoos is a Mexican restaurant with the best fish tacos ever. These are some pictures we took while there.

Day 12: Our Favorite Song and Movie At This Time

Paul: My favorite song varies by day. There is a lot of good music. At the moment, I really like Derezzed by Daft Punk. 
Movies: I love movies. There are so many good ones. The Star Wars movies are my favorites. I really like the story to them. 


Kelci: I like all music. I'm not sure if I have a favorite song. I tend to favor country. At this time I love Brad Paisley an Carrie Underwoods Remind Me. I have a lot of different memories with different songs. This song is just a feel good song. I like romantic things and the video to this is great! 
As far as movies go, I love all chick flicks. I don't just have one favorite and wouldn't be able to choose just one. I can go through a list, but a couple at the top of my head are PS I Love You, Bridesmaids, anything with Julia Roberts, Letters to Juliet, The Vow, The Lucky One, The Proposal, Twilight, Beauty and the Beast, etc. I love movies and I love collecting them.

Graduation

Friday May 4th, 2012 Paul graduated with his bachelors degree from theUniversity of Utah. I'm very proud to say he graduated in the top 2.5% of his class. I'm very proud of him and am ready for our next adventure. 

We celebrated by going to lunch after the ceremony to Ruby River and later that night we had an open house at our home. We were able to enjoy some time with our friends and family before we took off for a much needed vacation to California. 

I just want to let Paul know how much I love him. I'm very proud to be the wife of a hard worker and dedicated student. Its not always easy but I know it will be worth it. I know he will be able to accomplish his goal and make our dreams come true. He is such a great example. I'm very lucky to have him.

Day 11: Embarrassing Moments

Paul: I was working at a movie theater at the concession stand. While I was walking back and forth my pants fell down. 

Kelci: I am blind if i'm not wearing contacts or glasses. When I was younger I only had my glasses. Of course I couldn't swim in them. We had friends over one day who were brothers and they were mine and my sister's ages. They were brothers and looked a lot alike. They could be twins. Anyways I had a crush on the one my age, we were talking and making plans to hang out again. I can't remember what all was said but this whole time I thought it was him and the one I was talking to was the younger brother. I felt really stupid when I realized that. I get embarrassed easily, but feel like I havn't had too many moments and am grateful for that. I still have them though. 

Fun News!

I'm so excited because we just bought annual passes to DisneyLand! I thought that deserved a post alone. Now we just have to plan short weekends to come out this way too! I can't wait though. I really think Paul is more excited than me. We also got a killer deal!

Day 10: Something We Are Looking Forward Too

I asked Paul at the beginning of the week about things he is looking forward too. Since part of his answer is happening now I figure I should get this post out of the way, before I start our vacation ones. For Paul, he is looking most forward to graduating from the U and going on a much needed vacation. He says we are both ready for a break. I wasn't surprised to get this answer because in all honesty, it was mine too. For the immediate future I was looking forward to Paul graduating. This will start a new adventure in our life. Following this we have a vacation to California planned. I also look forward to summer and being able to get outdoors. I tend to stay inside in the winter. I hate it. I also look forward to being able to go through the process of helping Paul apply to grad school and finding out where we are moving. I also can't wait to start the adoption process and hope to start the beginning of our family. Those are just a few things going on at the moment.

Day 9: 1st Grade Memories

Kelci's Memories: 

I lived in Jonesboro, Arkansas and went to Hillcrest Elementary. 
I thought for a school we had an awesome playground. It was huge with a lot of equipment. I loved the See-Saws, but we weren't allowed to use them until 3rd grade. I hated that, but now I know it was safety reasons. My teacher was Mrs. Tramel. She taught us to spell Mississippi backwards. I liked her, but she moved. We went through a lot of substitutes. My favorite was Mrs. Burns who after she went away came back to be our permanent teacher. My best friend was Meredith Wiggins. We had dance together on Monday nights. Every Monday I would go home with her. Her mom always had chocolate milk for us and a yummy snack. She would take us to dance and my mom would take us home. After my sister's dance class my family would always go to Taco Bell. It was family/kids night. It was fun. I loved dancing and loved having all my friends. If I remember right, it was in first grade where I got caught lying to my mom, Something about my dads garden. Anyways I felt awful and she grounded me for a day, that was the only time i've ever been grounded. Back then that was the worst punishment having to stay home all day. I wasn't allowed outside or allowed to go with friends. I had cousins coming over and my parents were getting ready to put the pool out. My mom gave it and said i'm allowed to come out just not play with friends. I was fine with that. 

Paul's memories: 

Paul's best friend was Paul Robinson. There were a bunch of kids in his neighborhood who were in his class. He thought that was pretty cool. He loved knowing a lot of people. One day when he was getting a drink of water  the girl behind him, who was also his next door neighbor, told him that he liked another girl from the neighborhood. This upset him so her turned around and spit water in her face. At the end of the year, he asked his teach if everyone passed. 

This was kind of fun to go back and think about our early days at school. Paul and I have had fun talking about it and sharing stories growing up. I like having both of us do what we can when they apply to us. As a couple it gets us talking more and we hear stories that we think we may have told but really didn't. To me, this is a way that helps relationships become stronger because you are talking and learning more about each other.   

Bridals

Since the last post was "wedding day", I find it kind of appropriate to also post some of my favorite bridal and wedding day pictures. I just didn't think it should go with the last one. These are a few of my favorite. My bridals were taken at a park across from Timpanogos Temple. My step mom took extras at our wedding. Love them all!

Day 8: Our Wedding

I figured this post is appropriate at this time since we just celebrated our 7th anniversary two weeks ago. I'm so excited as I FINALLY got all my pictures on a disc so now I can have them when I need them. I'm so grateful for saying yes to Paul. Its not always easy, but I'm glad to have my best friend beside me through eternity. Putting this together brought back so many memories. My wedding was one of the happiest days of my life!