Hair and Happy New Year

I finally got my hair cut and it's been almost a year which is pretty disgusting. My sister-in-law cut it at her beauty school and did a great job. My ends were so nasty and scraggly I needed it bad!! I feel like a new girl now because I was carrying all that extra weight around for a year (I have a lot of hair!) I was bored yesterday so I decided to straighten my hair, it's easier now that it's shorter and more manageable. I don't think I will ever be able to get my hair silky instead of scarecrow like but it was fun to try something new!

I'm being a baby about going back to work. I've had two weeks off and it's been amazing. Brad and I have been spoiled having so much time together. We saw 2 movies, went bowling, went out to eat, went shopping with Christmas gift cards, and slept in. Now I have the back to work blues. Hopefully once I go back to work and get back into the swing of things then it will be ok.

Straight hair! Wish I knew how to fix my hair in a different hairstyle then what I always do.

Tis the season...

Christmas this year was wonderful!! We had a really fun time going back and forth to both our families. I love living next to both sets of parents, and I'm so lucky to have such awesome in-laws!! Pretty sure we went overboard with gifts for each other this year but we were celebrating the fact that we are done with our HOUSE!!!

My mom made us cute aprons


My card display

The aftermath

Fall!

My favorite time of year is here! I love watching all the seasons change, but there is just something so magical about the fall. The leaves on the trees are changing, the air is fresh, and not to mention all the excitement for the holidays to come. I just get so excited when it's fall! Halloween is so much fun too, I like dressing up and carving pumpkins and getting to see all my little students come to dance in their cute costumes. I also love any reason to get to decorate our house; I have had my Halloween decorations up since the middle of September!
I'm looking forward to the rest of 2010. My job and classes are awesome this year, I love being in the Young Women’s, and we are done and enjoying our house!! I'm so blessed, and grateful for all that I have in my life!

Vacation Time Baby!!

We went on our first trip this year,and it finally felt like summer. Brad took off a few days from work so we headed out on a much needed vacation. We took advantage of every free park and lake we could find. Who says you have to spend a ton of money to have a great time, and we both were shocked at how many cool free places we live by.


One of the highlights of the trip was watching Brad float around in this kiddy pool. No store in the whole Tri-Cities had a blow up mat so this was all Brad could find. I was skeptical at first but after watching him in it decided I needed to try it out too. It worked great and even was big enough so we both could fit. It was fun watching people laugh as we got in and out of it, glad they were laughing as much I was. Brad was very proud of his purchase.



The beach we hung out at for the day was super crowed, but pretty much every place we went to on the trip was. The water was not much cooler then pool water so I actually had fun swimming in it.

There is this awesome resort next to the beach, it looks like a castle. We snuck in and went swimming in the pool. It reminded me of a Grecian bath. It had huge pillars in the pool and hot tubs, and turquoise tile on the walls and in the pool. The hotel sure was swanky. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to draw any attention to myself.

On the way home we stopped at a park. They have free beautiful gardens you can go to. I didn't even know there was something that cool in the city we were in. We went to the rose garden, an old formal garden, wildflower garden, a green house that had tropical plants in it, and a Japanese garden. We could have spent all day here and I'm dying to go back before the summer is over. It was amazing.




I have 2 more weeks off then it's back to the grind. This summer has gone by super fast, so hopefully that means work will too!! I just need to relax and make the most out of the time I have. My niece Elizabeth asked my today if I ever wished I was her (hahaha random and really cute) I told her yes because I miss playing all summer. Those were the days, making a huge barbie house with my sister and playing all day. Anyways... it was a great trip!!

Fun Photo Shoot

A friend in my ward is starting up a photography business and asked Brad and I to pose for her, and I'm glad she did. We had a lot of fun and probably talked more then we took pictures. We never had real engagement pictures taken so I treated this like the real deal. I was kinda stress out though after because I thought I was going to look stupid, and then I was worried she wouldn't get any picture she could use. But man she must be really good because they turned out great. You think all those years of posing for ballet pictures would have payed off but I was in my element I guess. I think I have camera fright but Brad looks like a stud in all the pictures. He is just a born model. Anyways...here are some of my favorites!







I love this picture, just wish I didn't have a lazy eye.

Summer

Summer has been great!! I feel busier now then I do during my normal work year. Here is what we've been up to...
1.My students had their last Peter and the Wolf performance (out of 9)
2.Managed to get all my recital dances done in time for recital, and all the dancers did a great job.
3.Stayed at my parents vacation home in the mountains for the weekend and went to Ikea, my favorite store.
4.Was suppose to have a week off but ended up teaching a few classes at a local Community Center.
5.Went camping with family and friends at Mt. Rainer, it was beautiful!! We had a great time.
6.Had my first session of "Glee" summer dance camp
7.Had a really fun photo shoot with my friend Jodee who is starting up a photography business, I felt like a model for a few hours.
8.Brad with the help of his cousin cleared out the backyard and built a really cute shed.
9.My sister came into town and we had a Ransom family reunion at my parents new house in the mountains.
10.Started my first week of teaching for the 3 week summer intensive at my studio.
11.Went Boating!!! It was extra special because this is our first time in 2 years.
12.We actually had people over twice in one week to play games and went to our friends house to watch a movie! That is a big step for Brad and I, we have been so pre occupied with the house it's nice to finally have time to have non house FUN!
13.And this weekend Brad, the cousins, our bro-in-law Nick and his brother, spread out in our backyard 25,000 pounds of river rock!! It was a big job and we could not have done it without them!!
That's pretty much it. We are looking forward to August when we both have time off, and July Brad's family is all going to be together!! I just love summertime.

Spring!!

Spring is here! I love this time of year every thing seems fresh and new. This is also my favorite time at work, and this year especially is exciting because we are hosting the Regional Dance America festival in Richland this year. I'm just excited for the next few weeks and every morning even though I wake up with a million things to do, I just feel good and can't wait to get going.
Regional Dance America is a group of Ballet Companies across the United States and it is split up into 4 region we are located in the Pacific Region and every year one of the Companies host the festival in their city (it's the best when it's in California!) But anyways we are hosting and since I'm an employing of our company Mid-Columbia Ballet (besides my job teaching) I get to help. My boss asked me to be in charge of the food and she told the girls it's because I'm Mormon and I'm use to having meals with large groups of people haha. So I have been planning menus for 4 nights for 600 people and the week before festival 30 dancers are flying in to learn and piece that will be shown at the festival so I'm also in charge of their meals each day for 5 days. Anyways it's been pretty crazy trying to figure out food that vegetarians, vegans, and picky dancers would like but I'm up for the task!
So with all that I have to find time to teach my regular classes 5 days a week and plan out recital dances for all of them that I just started this week! And Peter and the Wolf performances have started that I've been working on with my dancers every Friday night since January. They perform the Ballet and different Elementary schools in Tri-Cities almost every Monday and Friday since the beginning of the month until school gets out. And to top it all off I was just called to be the Laural Advisor in my ward (which I'm really excited about) but they asked me to teach a lesson for the whole Young Women's my 2nd week in (yeah when do I have time for that) but I know it will work out...it always works out. Brad gave me a blessing a few nights ago and I have such a new outlook! It's great to have a husband who can give me one anytime I'm in need!
The basement is done!!!! They put carpet in Wednesday and it's beautiful. This weekend we are going to get some couches and actually have a comfortable place to sit besides our bed. Also Brads cousin and his wife moved in this week. It will be a fun summer I'm thinking. Everything is just coming together, I just need to keep my head on straight and it will be good!

2 year Anniversary!!

We had a great day! This picture was taken before we went out to celebrate. We are in front of the fireplace in our basement. Brad put the bottom stones on last week and once we get the stove in he can finish the rest ( I actually helped a little). We are getting so close and it's amazing to think about all we have accomplished in 2 years! We haven't killed each other yet...so I'm taking that as a good sign seeing as though we are both very obsessive compulsive! We have a great time together and it's awesome to think we get to be together Forever! How lucky are we to know that! Brad and I have been so blessed and I know we would have never been able to accomplish all that we have without help. Taking on the house project has turned out to be a bigger deal then I'm sure either us could ever have imagined, but we have loved it and never would have done it any other way! I'm just a lucky girl to get to be able to spend everyday with my bestfriend. We are silly and most days only want to do things together, it's still hard when one of us goes out of town ( I wonder how long that will last) and each night when I come home from work I get excited to see his cute little face. We were just made for each other, and like I always say...Life if good!

V-Day!

I just love Valentines day and always have loved it, for some reason the day always has turned out great! Like in 5th grade when my boyfriend came over and played barbies with me haha, or in high school I had a secret admirer and he sent me a valagram (hopefully it was a he and not my mom or something) and a year after high school I actually had 2 valentines. One came over and as he was leaving the other one showed up...yeah that was fun! Anyways I just love the day... and now that I'm married, and married to Brad it's even better. Two years ago on valentines right before we got married, he wrote a song for me and came and played it in my dance class in front of all my students! It was so sweet of him! Love is just great! So this year we decided since valentines was on a Sunday we would celebrate for the whole weekend. I teach dance to a girl who's mom is on the stake activities committee so she asked me to come teach a dance at the stake adult valentines dance Friday night. It had an 80's theme so I taught them Thriller! It was fun to see all the cute couples dancing together in their 80's garb! Then Saturday Brad and I went and saw "Valentines Day" which I thought was pretty appropriate for the occasion. Sunday was great, we have early church so we got to spend the whole day together, no work or house work to get in the way. Brad got me a cute zebra rug for my "Torrie Room". It's pretty wild but my room needed some spicing up so it works. It was a good weekend!

The House...

So I love my house...I knew I would like it but I never thought I could love it this much. I never want to go anywhere I just like hanging out here. Being a homowner is awesome! When we told people we were buying a home they kept telling us how much work it is, and how we are going to be house poor and not have any money to do anything. Well...yes its expensive and a lot of work but it's worth it. I'm just lucky Brad enjoys doing all the remodeling (I pretty much gave up after we moved in) he is a working machine and loves every minute of it! Me on the other hand..the decorating is what I really enjoy and keeping it tidying, somebodys got to do that! Once it gets warmer outside we will start working on the yard and that's going to be fun planting a garden, and getting tan. I'm just pretty content at the moment and can't wait to have a finsihed product to enjoy in a few months. I guess we kinda did things backwards with the whole buying a home before starting a family, but right now for Brad a house is the best baby he could ask for.