John turned 30.

It's hard to catch John in spontaneous moments, he's not a huge fan of me snapping pictures and he's even more reluctant when I write posts specifically about him.  A few days ago he turned 30 and while he kept remarking that it wasn't a big deal a part of me slightly wondered where our twenties went? For most of it we were together and we battled through some tough trials and some even bigger life changes and yet I still thought, did we accomplish enough? I would venture to say that he would roll his eyes and remark "yes." 

Before we got married I remember our Bishop once telling us in a pre-marital class that there are many Johns in this world and not a lot of Halseys. From what I could gather it wasn't meant to be an insult as to suggest that John encompassed one of those personality types that was calm and collected and did everything by the book while still remaining true to his beliefs. I'm sure you can imagine I was described more as ricocheting bullet, I stilll pray there are more calm and collected people in this world...

The past two years haven't been easy on us, I'm sure I've resembled more of a bear than a loving wife, yet John has still stood by silently helping through the tears and the emotions. He's good that way. He gives our relationship the space we need to grow as individuals but when times are tough he always seems to be a steady force to hold on to. The words always seem to escape me when I try to describe how much I love him. I know I don't show my love and gratitude nearly enough and I know I demand more than I give and somehow he still loves me. He's a great man and a even amazing husband and Dad and I hope the next ten years are even more exciting than the last. 

Happy Birthday Johnny B, you are loved! 

Awesome Sauce Valentine Printable

I've come to realize that procrastination is the key to success in our house. So if you're still looking for a last-minute valentine that is easy (and relatively healthy) here you go! Cheers, friends. I'm with family all weekend while John is gone on his birthday vacay--we've reached that pinnacle point in our marriage where we shrug off being together for the biggest love fest of the year. By golly, I'll just say every day is a love fest in our home :)

See you next week!

Sunny AZ

We're all sick here. I usually make it through all the bugs and germs without a snitch of cold, but this one is coming in with a fiery. Sore throats, running noses, ugly coughs, and no-eating-all-day-sleeping babies have been on the docket for the past four days. So here I sit all stuffy nosed and sore throat-like trying to type because there is much more you can do when you can't talk and it's like -36 degrees outside.  really....

And I just started to torturing myself even more by looking back on pictures of our trip and I thought, "Halsey, you completely forgot to post pictures of Arizona!" It must have been meant to be because these pictures are the only things holding me over. Did I mention that our propane tank is at 10% as well so John turned down the heat to 60 degrees (remember it's -36) and now there are three space heaters heating our entire house. I tell ya what, this day just keeps getting better. 

Anyway, back to Arizona. This was my maiden voyage to sunny AZ. Crazy, right (especially, since I'm from Utah ). It really was all I expected and more--basically the epitome of perfection in my book. I am a creature of warmth so I'm sure you can imagine how I flourished in the sunny, arid, dry heat without a stitch of humidity. I remarked time and time again to John that I could stay in Arizona, I would need the kids flown down of course... While there we stayed at The Boulders, a resort north of Phoenix. Literally (and I use that word in the literal sense) it was hands down one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen--small bungalow-style casitas with a southwestern flare, beautiful golf courses, amazing food, a gorgeous spa (I got a full body scrub and at one time I felt like I was being water boarded..a story for another time..) and a small hike to view some of the more serene desert views.

I really could go on and on gushing about the place. It's one of those places you have to see to believe. And believe me, it's worth seeing.