Two Thousand Eleven

In 2011....

• We spent New Years 2011 together
• We were the same age for 2 whole weeks
• Dawson bought me beautiful pearl earrings for Valentines Day
• Dawson went to Yellowstone for a snowmobile trip for 4 days (the longest time we spent apart since we began dating)
• We got engaged while on Spring Break in San Francisco
• I went to Maryland and NYC with my Dad for the Under Armour trip, which included the Preakness and a Yankees game
• I graduated college with a Bachelors in Nursing
• I passed the NCLEX (nursing boards) and became an official RN
• While doing all of the above, I planned our wedding
• We went to Hawaii 2 weeks before we got married 
• GOT HITCHED
• We went to Belize for our honeymoon
• We moved into our cozy home right by the U and started our life as a married couple
• I got hired at the University of Utah hospital as an RN on their Orthopedic Trauma floor
• Dawson started his Junior year of school and decided he is going to major in English and apply for Law School
• We went to every Utah football home game, as well as away games to USC, CAL, and BYU
• We bought our first car as a married couple
• We went to El Paso, TX for the Sun Bowl and watched the Utes finish off the year with a come from behind win

In addition to all of these things, we spent time with both of our families, hung out with friends and attended weddings of a lot of them too, and spent A LOT of time in each other's company (hopefully in 2012 we'll get sick of each other and come out of our hermit stage and be a little more social).

Happy New Year!!!

Sun Bowl

We were so busy having fun with the Kents that we didn't go with everyone else in my family to El Paso on the 26th, so we went on the later plane on the 29th.  We were "lucky" enough to fly with the band and the cheer and dance teams. The noise level was worse than having 20 toddlers on the flight, but somehow we made it through it. (I had to deny to Dawson that I ever acted like that when I was a cheerleader.  He doesn't believe me).

We arrived  in sunny El Paso and since there was no time to waste, we got ready for the FIESTA.  Oh boy was it a fiesta.  Free tequila shots for all!  And shot glass necklaces.  The food was very authentic, and my evil husband almost tricked me into eating pig intestine.  Lucky for me some kind soul saved me from that fate in the nick of time.  So then I let Dawson eat the rum soaked tres leches.

The next day we went to the Sun Bowl banquet, went on a hike with Uncle Freddie, hit up the pep rally and stole mini corn dogs from the kids table, went to Mission Impossible 4, and took the hotties Ashley and Brittany hot tubbing with the football players.

When were driving to our hike, we realized that the freeway was pretty much the border - look to your left and you saw El Paso, look to your right and you saw Juarez, Mexico (possibly the most dangerous city in the world).  Dawson wanted to go into Juarez, but I wanted to NOT get shot that day so I vetoed that idea.

Then it was GAME DAY!  After tailgating, my stomach was in knots.  After the interception and being down two touchdowns I was almost in tears and said I wouldn't watch the rest of the game.  Then Dawson yelled at me for being such a Negative Nancy.  So I started putting all kinds of positive vibes out in the air and lo and behold....

That's right.  You betcha the Utes had the comeback victory in them.  Overtime, and Juan Blanco Quatro scored the winning touchdown.  

 And what's even better, we got home to Utah in time to celebrate the win AND New Year's.  It was a great end to 2011, which was quite possibly the best year of my life thus far.

First Christmas

It was a whirlwind of a Christmas:

Christmas Eve brunch at the Kent's

Christmas Eve dinner at Uncle Brady's with White Elephant Party

Dawson's first Whittingham Nativity reinactment, my 15th

Christmas (EARLY) morning alone together in our own home

Christmas morning at the Whittingham's

Christmas dinner at the Kent's

And we loved every single minute of it.

We are fun

We love love loved having the Kent's in town for Christmas Break.  We spent as much time with them as we possibly could, which was actually a LOT since Dawson didn't have school and I didn't have much work (woot woot).  Lucky us!  Let me tell you, we are MUCHO fun when we're all together (not to mention extremely good looking).

Nielsen's was obviously a requirement

Yes, we are talented old women

Hands down, I have the best sisters-in-law EVER. And prettiest. And skinniest.

Retired Cheerleaders trying to teach their husbands to stunt

We were inspired by Crazy, Stupid Love

Are words necessary? No

Now that everyone's gone I'm even more sad than before that we don't all live in the same state.  I didn't get any pics of the cute kiddos but trust me, they put us all to shame. 

I'm now planning how to win the lottery so we can afford to go visit everyone ASAP.

Best Week Ever

Who had the best week ever?
That would be us.  This week was FABulous, and here is why:

- Dawson took his last final on Monday!  No more school or homework for him, which means more time for me

- I got called off of work on Tuesday, so we took advantage and spent the day Christmas shopping together and went out to lunch.  It was a great spontaneous day date with the hubby.

- Craft time with Diana and Jen, and might I say we are VERY crafty.  We now all have adorable Christmas banners in our homes, just don't ask us how long it took us to make them

- Dinner at Morelia with my fam and Helen.  My dad's favorite place to eat, and after a busy day Dawson and I scarfed our meals down in record time.  Everyone was impressed, and also a little concerned that we are starving at home.

- Dawson surprised me Thursday by picking me up from work in our BRAND NEW CAR!!!  We are so stoked, we absolutely love it.  And now I can stop being bitter at Dawson for making me sell my Jetta.

- A Christmas Partay with our friends, which was highly entertaining.  Full of catch phrase, white elephant gifts, and delicious treats.  Courtesy of Jeff and Liz Sorensen (Thanks!)

- Slept in late on Saturday and decided we deserved to go out to breakfast.  Omelettes, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, and crepes.... we started the weekend off right by gaining 10 lbs each

- Cookie Exchange AND Pizza Party at work this week

- And most importantly: All the out-of-state Kent's came into town!!!  Colin, Jamie, Presley, Maybelle, Tyler, and Lauren.  We spent the whole weekend with them and loved it.  There is never a dull moment between the little girls running around, Colin's painted Christmas toes, and Tyler's impressions during Cranium.

Oh yes, this Christmas Break has the potential to be the best one yet.

Blue Man Group

Dinner at Vinto

Dessert at Baskin Robins

Blue Man Group at Kingsbury Hall

Hanging out with Matt and Britt is a night guaranteed with laughs.  Especially when Matt (not a small man) forgets to ask the waiter if what he orders is enough to feed him, and he ends up with a $15 plate of food which contained a piece of chicken fit for a 6 year old and one pepper.  The look on his face when they put it in front of him was priceless.

The Blue Man Group was surprisingly entertaining.  Extremely weird, but that's what made it so hilarious.  The best part was the dance party they put on at the end.  Oh yes, we fist pumped and shook our money makers.

Kurt Bestor Xmas

A Kent family tradition... With his flowing long hair and corny jokes, Kurt really got us all feeling the Christmas spirit.

Zoo Lights

Dawson planned a surprise date night, so with hot chocolate in hand 

we braved the cold to go see the Zoo Lights.  

Most of the animals were sleeping, but one lone monkey in his cage was awake and we became friends with him.  So if Planet of the Apes ever happens, that monkey better remember his human friends.