The New Year

Lets see if I can remember everything that's happened since the beginning of the year:

Movie making - Matt starred in his first film "Farewell to Brotherhood" (it's still in the process of being edited ... by my bro Michael)

Flat Tire

Our parked truck was rear-ended

Matt was addicted to Farmville ... he's moved on now

The usual: football, school, work

The Office, Biggest Loser, American Idol

New DSLR Camera that we love

New dressers

Valentine's getaway

Matt has finished the following books and then some: Angels and Demons, The Davinci Code, a Clive Cussler one, the Hunger Games, Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2), I think half of one of the Harry Potter's, Percy Jackson's Lightning Thief, half of Surround Yourself of Greatness, and currently reading the Runaway Jury and Sea of Monsters.... he might need to add some too

Brother-in-Law Jeff and his son from Alaska came in town and we had a mini-Putnam reunion

Met one of my nephews for the first time (Jeff's son Johnny)

Oh boy this is a lot harder to remember than I thought it would be ... I'm sure there's more that's happened but I have no memory right now

I Choo Choo Choose You

Best. Valentine's. Ever.

Matt gets all the credit. We stayed overnight at the Invited Inn Bed and Breakfast and enjoyed a day in Midway/Heber ... nice dinner at the Homestead, Ice Castles, Heber Creeper, out to lunch, just spending time together. This is the place to go for a relaxing romantic getaway - we'll definitely be back. It was just what we needed. Every room has a sauna for 2, steam shower, and huge jetted tub - the bathroom was basically the same size as the bedroom and the people who run the place are adorable. He made fresh german pancakes for breakfast .... mmmm ... I've become obsessed with them (I think I've made them 3 or 4 times in the last week).

P.S. The pics aren't quite in order

What we woke up to - it snowed all night

Our room ... can you say princess?

In the sauna

Zermatt Ice Castles:

On the train (kinda out-of-order)

Back in the room

"Hello?" .... oh wait this is the bathtub

Heber CREEPER

We were having fun with our camera

Deep thinking

I see your wonky eye and give you ...

this!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S

Plato's Closet

So we had this fabulous idea. Sort through all our clothes and get rid of anything we don't wear and then ... take the clothes to Plato's Closet and get cash for them! Then we'd use the cash as bribery for new clothes for me once I got down to my ideal weight.

We filled up 2 big black garbage bags and we were on our way. After she sorted through our clothes ... "We would like to purchase this pair of shorts and pants, we can offer you $7.00."

Well .... so much for that idea. But I guess donating them is probably the more charitable thing to do anyhow.

"Every Day, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle’s walls; but in the end, their greatest weapon is you."

I love when Dumbledore says this in Harry Potter 6. So true. It speaks for itself.

I Miss My Music

My poor neglected cello. It was such a part of my life from the moment I began playing - it was love at first pluck. Now, I struggle with priorities and put cleaning, work, cooking, etc. above practicing my cello. The practical things in life have a put a road block between me and my cello. It was my tool of expression - love, hate, sadness, joy, determination, remorse ... I flooded my emotions into my cello everyday as I played.

My dad loved to tell the story of when I first began to play. I chose the cello for my mother (that's another story). My dad thought he knew what he was getting into - the usual - play for little while and then I'd get bored and want to move onto something else ... so he made me sign a contract he wrote saying I would practice at least 30 min. 5 days a week. I was quite the opposite. Like I said, It was love at first pluck. I was practicing 3 hours a day at the minimum ... some Saturdays I would play all day - 8 or 10 hours straight. I loved it and I was determined to become a great cellist. My poor dad ... I was so bad and still trying to train my ear ... he was wishing I would have signed a contract saying I wouldn't practice more than 3 hours a day ... he was so patient though.

It was my passion from the start.

He hasn't been played for months and then months before that. I'm slowly losing my ability and form ... it's so depressing. Last time I played ... it was wonderous, however, the next morning when I went to get out bed - it didn't quite work. To say the least - it had pretty much thrown out my back and I could barely move and resulted in me bursting into tears for quite some time. And there's my fear when I dream of picking up my cello to play again. But oh how much I miss it. I miss orchestra - Bloch, Mendellson, Brahms, movie and play scores, and so much more.

The classical station has become my suffice. It is the only thing I will listen to now on my way to work and home and pretty much anywhere if I'm the only one in the car. It's my dosage of classical and cello but still not the same. I haven't lost my passion, but life has gotten in the way.

And so ... at the moment ... he stands and looks at me with longing to be played more. Looks more as a decoration rather than my expressionistic instrument. And most recently ... our photography practice with our new camera.

Here is Carmello:

2009 Highlights Recap

In no apparent order:

1st time we spent the whole year (Jan - Dec) as a married couple

I was promoted to Accounting Supervisor at work at the beg of the year

Our 1 year anniversary (a week in San Diego)

Bought a car in August - Hyundai Sonata '07

Became primary teachers

Matt had a great football season

Amazing game against Oklahoma in the Dallas, Texas super-stadium

Another year at the Vegas Bowl

Our first camping trips together

Learned to make bread ... now it's the only bread we eat

Portable dishwasher

Vegas Christmas

Santa brought us a new computer

Matt worked at EEI with me in the summer

One of my best friend's wedding

Trip to St. George and Zion's

Golfing - our new hobby

Bought our scooter - that currently has a flat tire

School, school, and more school

Many trips to Ikea

I still haven't finished all the posts from last year. May 2010 bring many more fun adventures and stories.

I wish I may

I wish I might

Have a crystal ball in my possession tonight

Life and its choices. My life feels like a big fat huge ?

If only I had a crystal ball - I could see to my future and see what we're supposed to be doing now with our lives and what's the right choice and how to go about this and that and that too and everything else that seems to have been shaken around in a yahtzee roller cup.