Happy Birthday Todd!

So I am a few days early but I won't have time to do this on his real birthday, which is Saturday June 20. He is turning 26, seriously? So old! I just wanted to list 10 reasons why I love Todd.

1. He is so in love with me. I realize that sounds conceited, but I love that Todd loves me. I love that he wanted to date me bad enough to hang in there through multiple break ups. I love that he wanted to marry me so much that he proved he would do anything for me. And now I love that he loves me enough to look past my flaws and still want to make me as happy as possible. It is the best feeling to feel so loved!
2. Another reason I love Todd, he makes me laugh and usually he isn't even trying to. He has a great sense of humor but he also has a cute personality. One of my favorite recent smiles he put on my face was when we were shopping and he revealed to me in all seriousness that one day when he retires, he wants to work at a sample stand in Costco!
3. Todd has a humility about him. He has nothing to prove. He isn't above anyone or anything.
4. Todd is always the first to apologize.
5. He is a hard worker. He comes home from work and starts to work on our house. He enjoys accomplishing things.
6. He is a handy man. In the last few months he has shown me some skills I didn't know he had like cooking, plumbing, tiling and much more. (If you ask him he will tell you everything he knows he learned from working at Lee's Deli ;)
7. He is patient, specially with a pregnant wife. The other day I started making cinnamon rolls and I got so angry with my sticky dough I nearly lost it! He came into the kitchen, calmed me down and saved the day! Who knew he knew how to make cinnamon rolls?
8. He is an optimist. He keeps a smile even when he has a right to be put out or sad. He finds a way to laugh in situations I am usually more tempted to cry about.
9. He will be a wonderful dad. I love that he asks me to read to him about what is going on with our baby each week.
10. He is my best friend. Everything he does he does with me in mind. He has provided with me more than I could have dreamed of at this point in life. I love being with him. Everything is more fun with Todd.

Happy Birthday Todd!

Guess what...

We heard the heart beat today.

I don't think I've ever heard a better sound, I couldn't stop smiling.

As Promised...

So here are some pictures from our trip to Europe. It has taken a while to go through and cut down from 700 to 350 (still too many but how do you delete them!) This makes me want to go back. Hopefully it will make you want to go, everyone should visit Switzerland in their life!

Starting off with my favorite part of the trip, skiing the Aqui Di Midi in Chamonix, France. UNREAL! You extreme skiers would be in heaven. You take two trams to get to the top, the second being the steepest tram in the world!

Most people use a guide to do ski this resort because there is no ski patrol. There is only 1 run and it is 14 miles long. Along the way, you are skiing on a glacier, so there are deep cracks all over that people can fall into if they aren't careful. 

You get off the tram and then hike with your skis down this trail you can see behind us. There is a small rope to hold on to and below is well over a 1,000 foot drop! Yikes.

Then the day begins, skiing down this one run with views you can't even believe. This picture is a glacier waterfall that you ski down. Check out those peaks up behind our heads. The Alps are insane mountains. And you should have seen where some of the skiers there were coming down. 

Since it was spring the glacier was melting (not that it ever really totally melts). We could hear it crackling. Kind of an eerie sound. This is my mom and I by a glacier pool. If you haven't ever seen my mom ski you are missing out. She is amazing on skis!

There are castles everywhere, in every valley on every mountain side. 

Beautiful buildings in Lousanne, Switzerland

Skiing Verbier, Switzerland

Lauderbrunen, Switzerland, one of my favorite towns. You have to take a tram to get to it, there are no cars here. 

This is a typical swiss chalet. They are so neat and detailed. 

I ran into the Hunchback on top of one of the Cathedrals. He is uglier than they say!

Smart cars, everywhere!

The Castle Chillon

And ahhhhh.... the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. 

Anecy, France. This town was like Italy with water canals. 

And there is a small taste of our Europe adventure. There may be more to come so stay tuned!

Coming soon...

Pictures! So we have been home for about 2 weeks now and I still haven't posted pictures of Europe. Sorry, those who have asked! I promise I took pictures. Infact, that is the problem. We took over 700, so I am in the process of going through them all and narrowing that down some. I will get some posted soon, but for now I will let you know that our trip was absolutely amazing! Some of my highlights were:

* Seeing the real Swiss Alps (the Matterhorn, Mt. Blanc, etc...) They are stunning.
* Exploring castles (aging back to 1100, unreal!)
* Skiing in Chamonix, France (True extreme skiing! Pics coming!)
* Beautiful swiss chalets
* Swiss chocolate and yogurt
* Roman Ruins in Italy
* Cobblestone streets and incredible cathedrals
* Gourmet food
* Markets
* Staying in Torgon (an adventure, that is for sure!)
* Swiss culture...they are very neat and orderly. Every wood pile is a work of art! They build cities on mountains you wouldn't even believe and tunnels through anything. They are amazing.
* And last but not least... Spending time with mom and dad. They were a blast to travel with!

So after that adventure, we are back at it working on the house and going to work each day. I can't believe we have been there for 2 months now. Things are starting to feel more like home and we have made some progress. I really want summer, but at the same time I still want snow on the ground because we have a lot of work to do in our yard, which we just don't have a lot of time for at the moment. But the kitchen is getting very close to being done and it looks great. Todd is amazing. After a full day of work he comes home and starts working again. He has really done a lot of it all on his own and I love how it has turned out. I am tempted not to post pictures of the house, because we would love some visitors! It was great to have Seth, Lindsey and their sweet baby Rae on Saturday. Thanks for coming by, it was so good to see you! If you are ever around Oakley, make sure to call!

Bon Voyage!

Daddy Daughter Dates

Every dad should take his daughters on dates. Nothing can make a girl feel more special than a night out with her dad. A few days ago Todd and I went out to dinner (something that has been happening more frequently due to our kitchen makeover, pics coming soon!!), and there was a little girl sitting behind us with her dad. The conversation went like this:
Daddy asks: I hope you are nice to everyone at school.
Daughter says: Oh, I am daddy. I am SO nice to everyone.
Daddy asks: What did mom pack in your lunch today?
Daughter says: Strawberries and a croissant. Oh yummy. Daddy, if you were a croissant I would eat you up in two bites!!!
Daddy: (chuckle chuckle and a big kiss on her cheek.)
That is why daddy-daughter dates are so important.

First Time

So far, the year 2009 has been a year of firsts.
For the first time in my life I...

• Turned 22 years old (and celebrated it with my parents in a bar, probably a last, ha ha)
• Went to a Vienna Boys Choir concert (incredible and inspiring)
• Bought a house (and payed a mortgage, scary!)
• Had water back up in the basement of my new house :(
• Dug up our sewer line and half the front yard to fix the house (a tree root was growing in our pipe, no wonder it was backing up!)
• Remodeled (still in the process) my own kitchen (which meant learning how to use a nail gun, etc...)
• Actually ASKED Todd to take me to HomeDepot for Valentines Day (his dream come true)
• Will be going to Europe in 2 weeks,

(Switzerland to be percise)

ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!!! And it has only been 2 months. I wonder what else 2009 will bring?!?!?!?!

• But even more importantly, for the first time in my life I have really realized how blessed I am . Neighbors, family, and friends have showered us with service and love. Thank you Rob, for steam cleaning my floors for 2 days. You are such a sweet brother. Thank you Adam, Kenzie, Brandon, Josh, Bud, Linda and Wade for helping us in the move. Thank you, Bud (my father-in-law), for spending hours in your wood shop helping me refinish my cabinets and teaching me so much. Thank you mom and dad for feeding us, letting us use your running water and keeping our spirits up. Thank you neighbors for the cookies, visits and notes. Thank you Mike, Dave and Ron for taking an entire day to figure out our water issue. Thank you Dallas for sneaking over and plowing our driveway every time it snows, we know it is you! And thank you to everyone for your kind, small acts of love and service, they have not gone unnoticed!

That is the reason I LOVE Oakley.