Fun in the Fall

Our lovely Jack O Lanterns

Saturday Night Midnight Hike

The first snow ride of the season.

I am just so happy I cant take it!!

Ryan and Laura after our first run.

Check out the freshies... snowmachine

Sleeping under the stars is great but the thought of getting up in the morning

is not always so pleasant.

Jordan is contemplating waking up. Plus I just told him we

need to now plan our Sunday School Lesson.

Good morning we slept under the stars and woke up to a

sheet of ice on us but we sure slept well.

Off for another ski run.

Jordan is cooking us Sunday morning breakfast.

Strawberry cream cheese stuffed French Toast w/ Sausage.

I Just Gotta say, "We sure love having adventures"

Staying YOung

For any of you that we didn't give the update to. We decided to stay young and irresponsible. WHy get a house, when you can save money and ski or snowmobile everytime you have a day off???

Really it was too hard to get the home insured and it would be tons of work and my job offered me a raise to stay. So all in all we weighed the options and Jordan is going to commute and we will stay in our little 1 bedroom apartment for now.

Offer Accepted

YIPPIE!!! We made an offer on a great little old house. There were offers put in so we were a bit nervous...

It is the cutest little old home. unfortunately the owner just had to go into a rest home (but I figure I will go visit her a we'll become best friends). The home is located in provo a few blocks south of Center Street.

It definately needs a big fix-r-up-er. But we are so excited to get dirty and get to work.

It was built in 1916 it is over 1200 Sq ft. it has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom. The things I love are the porch the huge grassy yard, the apple and pear trees and it has tons of grape vines. We are really looking forward to all the fun of fixing up the inside to fit our style...

My dreams of when I was younger are coming true... I always wanted an old house with a porch... grape vines like the Melentines used to have... and a black toyota truck.... it is all happening.

I also have the coolest husband ever and he can do almost all the fix-it work himself... I sure am excited about life... I haven't been able to sleep the last couple nights because I have been thinkin about this house.

Staying in UTah

I never thought I would be so excited.
Jordan has been accepted as a transfer student to BYU Provo, which means we get to stay in Utah. This means we have to decide where to get our season passes. but we are thrilled!!!!! I am still looking for other job options so if any of you know of anything good keep me posted.

2nd Item of business_
I saw a good movie--- Gifted Hands, it was good wholesome and uplifting. Heather and Rich, I think you would enjoy it. Plus it is a Redbox movie, so even if you don't like it it is only $1

POISON

Yes last night was the concert that I had been looking forward to for quite some time. Def Leppard and Poison. They were the masters of the songs we blasted in highschool. Driving to school in "THE BLAZ or GOLDBERG with all the girls, or Friday night out in Whit's white truck. Now it is time to see them live in concert. I was thrilled.


Poison was awesome, the bass guitarist was sick so the guitarist from Bon Jovi stepped in and did a great job. I was waiting for my favorite song, but the band finished and left the stage never playing "You're Poison" I was astonished, angry, sad. I had been singing that song all day waiting for it.

Apparently that was never even a poison song rather it was Alice Cooper.

In my devasted state I vowed I would go to that concert where ever they play. Then my dreams were really dashed when I found out Alice Cooper is DEAD. UGH

Def Leppard was incredible they put on such a great act and they did play my favorite Def Leppard song "Pour some Sugar on Me" that turned away all the sad I was feeling about my favorite "poison song". So the night ended good and I loved the concert.





Oh and California was great I will have to update you on that soon and post pictures.

Fun with Jennie and Jordan

Jordan and I purchased a nice new big flat screen TV, we bought it 3 months ago and have only turned it on once. Rather than looking at it as wow what a waste, we think yeah! We have so many fun other things going on we don't need to use it.

So let me take a few moments to brag about the fun we have been having. Here are some of the great pictures from the summer.

I can't remember more than a week back unless it was big.

In July we went to snowflake AZ to visit Jordan's extended family.

Within the last week we have had two fun BBQ's one at Jen's families house and one at Jordan's.

Ryan Christensen and his band Blue Root played downtown at the Wood Shed, we had a good time going and listening. We went for a fun evening hike to Mary's lake with Jordan's family. We went to Seven Peaks with Ashley and Brett then roasted Brats over a fire. (My Favorite thing to do. Then this Saturday we went Climbing in the morning, Jordan went downhill biking in the evening and Jennie went to a concert at Deer Valley with the fam. All in all we are having a great time.

In a couple weeks we are going with the coolest people to CALI to hang out at laguna beach. We are loving life. I wish I had a funny story to post but at least I am posting.

Perhaps God is Trying to Tell You Something

JORDAN GOT ZAPPED BY LIGHTNING

Yeah I said the same thing-

He decided to ride his bike to work; on this way home thunder and lightening is striking all around. He begins to count the time between the lightening and the thunder and he can tell it is way close. He is hoping he will be ok because the only thing he has touching the ground is the rubber of his tires. Apparently that wasn't enough. Jordan is almost blinded by the brightest flash, the thunder is defeningly loud it hit about 70 feet away from him but immediately he almost falls off his bike his entire right arm is numb and tingling.

Jordan saw the lightening char mark on the ground. It traveled through the ground up his bike and one of his fingers was not on the rubber handles but was touching the stem. ZAPP. For the remainder of the evening he felt as though he were clutching an electric fence.

So what do you think?... Was that God telling calling him to repentance?... Jordan being a hero able to defy all odds and walk away?... OR God just way of giving him a Facebook Poke?

Business Trip

Jordan had the chance to go on his first official business trip. And it was an international business trip to Honduras. The only thing he would change is the climate because it was hot and humid while he was there. He had a great time, worked very hard particularly his last night there he worked till 3 am then had wake up at 6 am to begin his travels home that ended at 11:30 pm. He was exhausted and happy to be home. 

While Jennie missed Jordan she lived it up to the fullest. Went on a date (with her daddy) to the STYX and REO Speedwagon concert, 

It was such a blast,  they can put on a great show, you couldn't even tell they were old guys, Jennie was jamming out, with so many drunk people Jennie's dance moves fit right in. The lady next to us had the greatest curly 80's mullet with the perfect jean shorts. She was totally into the concert, and made Jennie smile the whole time. 

In addition to the great concert she filled each evening with tons of fun from girls nights to celebrations. 

This Saturday we went to two weddings one for cousin Matt Schmidt the other for high-school best friend April Steed. April's cerimony was great and both of the receptions were tons of fun with random burst of rain at one of them. 

 Between these two weddings and Jordan being out of town for a whole week, Jennie is realizing how lucky she is to be married to such a great guy and is having a great time with him back home. 

For all of you who have been nagging me to update our blog here it is, sorry no hilarious stories but when I have one I surely will update. Love all you friends and family.

Chick Flicks

Chick Flicks = Good   Ghost of Girlfriends Past= Aweful--- not a chick flick

A girl needs chick flicks right. Time to cry, laugh, wish we had a guy that said the perfect thing at the perfect moment.  At the end of a chick flick you have this  happy sensation you feel blissful, hopeful, beautiful.  (you feel beautiful because as all girls do, we pretend to be the beautiful main character). 

So for the past two weeks I have been craving a chick flick. Naturally Jordan is very much against watching them. Here is how it plays out. 

" heck no, I am not watching a chick flick they are so boring"

Now if I just put one on and watch it while he is doing something else inevitable he sits down and watches it and laughs and enjoys it.

Since I couldn't con him into going to see a chick movie with me this weekend. April and I went together. We saw "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" I was way excited to see it but it was what one may call TRASH> GARBAGE> FILTH> SMUTT.  Needless to say I was extremely unimpressed with the way the portrayed women, the theme of the movie - casual sex_

Wish I had walked out. 

I realize, though I enjoy a good chick flick, I have only seen  one in the past 5 years that can even compete with the chick flick I am living in. 

I love Jordan and he is so sweet, if there were a camera crew around recording the sweet things he does and says, then the Jordan Jennie Chick Flick would be a box office money maker.

And it is a movie I just keep on watching to see what is going to happen next.

You gotta get messy to get Clean

An important lesson my mom tried to teach me as a child..... You gotta get messy to get clean.  My mom would say, "go clean your room." Grudgingly I would do just that, now in the process, anything I found while cleaning that I thought: was interesting, I didn't know where it went, or I was too lazy to put in the correct spot, went to one of two places, shoved under the bed, or I put it on me.  By then end of cleaning time I was randomly dressed up. I would run tell my mom I was done and she would come for the inspection. 

The inspection was the worst part because I was so proud of how clean my room was. Unfortunately every time, I was shattered, she would  look under the bed and pull everything out and then she would go to the closet and pull everything out. 

Frustration??? Yes, it was coming out my ears. Now my room was messier than it was when  began. Cleaning days  were so awful. Then Heather came up with the idea to start by pulling everything out to make an island on the floor then piece by piece we would put things away to get rid of the island. It worked and it was fun when we did it together but with her not around I find I have reverted to the stuffing method.

As you know Jordan and I are moving on Monday to Salt Lake, now the problem with moving is this that you have to clean. No the problem with this kind of cleaning is that  when your done it is pretty obvious if you stuffed stuff under the bed or in the closet, So you can't actually do that and get away with it. Therefore, it has to get messy to get clean, and I tell you what our apartment is exactly that.... completely messy, but that means by Monday we should be reaching clean.  What can I say, Happy Easter.

"Girls Night"... Is that gender specific????

Most people consider a night of pampering a girls night.  

After more than a year of marriage I realized that just because it is called girls night does not mean it is just for girls. Nor does it mean once you are married there are no more "girls night" or "Pamper Parties" 

      

As you can see Jordan is about as good at it as any girl. The only difference was he wanted me to rub his feet and do his pedicure, and most girls night I have gone to, we do our own. 

What can I say it was great. Tea Tree facial masks, pedicures, Mary Kay moisturizer, back rubs, and visual relaxation journeys. 

Jordan enjoyed it though he made it clear this is not something he claims to love and we will likely only do this bi-yearly.

Guys like it FAST!!!

Well Jordan is a guy meaning. It has to be fast, skiing, snowmobiling, cars, boating, whatever just make it fast.

Our ward priesthood group choose to do a pine wood derby, you wouldn't believe all these grown up boys with their cars. Jordan wanted to make sure his was fast. So he put a lot of thought and a lot of work into it.

So what do you get when you put a ...

pinewood derby car

with

CO2 cartridges???

Well you get a very happy Jordan.

Check out how fast it is moving in this picture, it was so crazy.

His car beat all others, not just a little but by a very long shot, the other car would be half way down the track and then his would smoke theirs.  Of course they did races in brackets and so as the winner you have to do it a lot. I can't help but worry about what all that CO2 will do to his brain.  It has been nearly 24 hours since and he is still jumping up and down with excitement. 

BACK TO SLC

After Graduation we moved to Idaho and then I figured we would be off to another state after Idaho. I did not expect nor did I want to move back to Utah, let alone so soon. But Jordan now has an internship lined up in Salt Lake. To my dismay I have no resistance, I am so thrilled an emotion I did not think I would have about moving back to Utah.  Now I don't have to stress about getting work off for all the weddings, i can go to the Family reunions, hang out with real friends, and perhaps get a job that actually pays money. 

Infact I already have a job all set up, back at the same place I have been working summers for the last 4 years. I will be leasing apartments again. No, I never needed a degree for that but it surely pays more than my job for which I have a degree. Overall I am excited. And I think Jordan is too. We are getting a sweet deal on rent and yet it is still $200 more per month than we pay in Idaho, There will be a few less than blissful things in SLC but overall we are so excited.

So what do you think, should I wait till April and give my boss just the basic 2 weeks notice or should I give him a heads up in advance so they can find someone sooner to fill the position? I want them to get someone good, and I would be happy to train that person.  I feel I have a slight dilemma.  

The Annual ski trip

Every year we go on a family trip to Grand Targhee Ski Resort for an awesome weekend. This weekend was absolutely fabulous, but we are all so sore we can hardly walk. There was no expectation for snow until a few days before. Check out our car and how much snow is stacked on top, note how high my feet are compared to the tires. Yes, like every year it snowed the most on Saturday night, really making us want to skip church and join the ski church.

The best tricks of the trip were Jordan's multiple under rotated backflip landing him tips in the snow and smacking his face to the ground. Jennie followed his lead and under rotated a couple back flips one of which she came crashing upside down on her head from 20 feet up, and the other gave her a great big fat lip. And cousin Logan's un-scouted back flip that landed him right in a pine tree. This year we are happy to report no broken bodies and no broken gear like last year. It is a weekend where everyone is trying to compete to go just a little bigger than the last person. 

This trip was also awesome as Heather flew in from Virginia to ski with us. Well we had tons of fun with the whole crew and we can't wait for next years trip. We love Targhee, we love snow, and we love the awesome people we get to spend time with.  

Jordan's New Hobbie

 We have always known how much Jordan likes to longboard and wake board. But he has just found a new hobby in the world of boarding. He is now making longboards. He told me he wanted to make longboards but I didn't think that he would actually be good at it.  I assumed him and the neighbor boy Steve would make something dinky they would be proud. I found out I was really wrong. His finished project turned out really great... If you are interested in buying one from him, just put in an order. 

Christmas in Honduras

It is true our Christmas was fabulous. No, it didn't feel like Christmas but, isn't Christmas rea

lly about giving. We had an awesome chance to give. We were doing some service work down in Hondur

as. (Yeah, I can now locate it on a map) We gave time, books to the first library in a village, love, dinners to poor families, gift baskets to people in the ward who needed food, toys to

 kids in the hospital, puke plus other stuff to the toilets, and school supplies and uniforms to 100 children. We gave in many aspects and it felt great, but we also received. We receiv

ed, love, kindness, lessons on humility, hospitality, parasites, and t

he chance to learn the trades of the disabled people.  It was t

ruly and amazing experience and we are very grateful to Jordan's parents for taking us along with them. 

It was warm in Honduras, we experienced sweat rather than snow. It was quite incredible. 

When we got home we enjoy seeing Heather and Rich for an hour before they had to catch their plane back to VA. We also had an awesome couple days of skiing with friends and family. Jordan hucked a couple of back flips on of which was while being towed 

by a snowmobile. The hot springs in Heber were a new experience it was like hide and go seek for the warm patches amidst the cool patches, and avoiding stubbing your toes became another game. Really it was awesome and a great time to hang out with the VanSlooten cousins. 

Now we are back home in our cosy closet of an apartment which now has tile in the kitchen and bathroom (a huge upgrade for us). The snowbanks here in Rexburg are crazy, Jennie has lived in snow country Utah most of her life and she is still amazed with the snowbanks. Every street has a 2-3 foot bank on the edge and we learned why places make such big parking lots. The reason is they need and entire section for the 20+ foot mountains. We are dying to dig a cave in one to sleep in.

 Jennie thought she didn't want to come back to work but the people she works with really have a big grip on her heart and she loves it. Jordan starts school tomorrow (Jan. 07) he is excited he is just trying to pretend he is a "cool kid".   

Consider this our December and January post and we'll update our blog again in February or March.