Birthday Wishes, and a Haircut

Happy Birthday to Kristin...31 wonderful years!!  We had the privilege of having our dear friends Mark and Julia Robinson, and their daughter Abigail come to celebrate Kristin's birthday.  We ate food, laughed, talked, and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening.  Each birthday is becoming the best birthday ever!!

Cam made a delicious dinner for me, and a delectable apple pie!!

Oops, we didn't quite get Abby into the picture...sorry babe.                        

 She's not quite sure what's going on, but still looks happy!

Kristin's Haircut:

I went to 9th Avenue Salon (located one block up from us), last Wednesday, and they were so kind to take a before and an after picture.  Here are the pictures from them, and then I'll update with more from home.

Before (very long, wonderful hair)

 6" gone and some layers (including long bangs)

So, my overall impression is that I love it!!  I don't think this picture does it justice, but I'll post more.  It has layers down the front, and a small amount of layering in the back...just what I wanted!  It feels lighter and is fun to style.  I tend to not like the bangs part so much, but luckily we kept them kind of long, so they'll grow back a little faster than if I'd gone all the way (which I almost did).  

There you have it, the new me!  Time to start growing it out again :)  

Until next time...

Thank you Seven Peaks Pass of All Passes!

Date Night Friday, January 4, 2013

Our first date night in the year of 2013 was spent at Trafalga: miniature golfing, rock wall climbing, laser tag playing, video arcading and more.  The results of the night are found in the pictures below (except that there was a time when Cam and I climbed the rock wall together, but neither one had the ability, or guts, to photograph the moment while hanging onto the wall one handed).  Enjoy!

Mini golfing:

Rock wall climbing #1:

This next picture below is the point where I decided I was very close to the top, which only meant one thing...I was very far from the bottom.  I chickened out about that point, and came back down very slowly.



You'll be happy to know that I did try again, with Cam, and made it all the way to the top!!  What was the motivation this time, you ask?  Well, I'm a very competitive person (unbeknownst to many), and I was next to my Love who was just shimmying up the wall.  I had to keep up!!

Okay, another reason I made it was because one of my first year kindergarten students (now in 6th grade and as tall as me) had just completed his climb (which we did not see), but when I saw him, I knew I had to make it to the top (just in case he stayed to watch me-as far as I know, he didn't).  I would never have thought anything could motivate me to get over my fear of heights...little did I know!

Unfortunately we don't have any pictures of the second climb (first climb for Cam), but I will say, both were successful at making it to the top!

Before leaving, we played a rousing game of Laser Tag where Cam did amazing!  Paintballing with his dad and brothers sure pays off when playing Laser Tag :)  

On our way home, we stopped to pick up a Red Box movie, "Brave."  On nights like these, the best dinner is popcorn and hot chocolate while sitting in bed watching the movie.  That's just what we did!  Thanks for a fun night Love!

  

What's New

Thursday, December 27, 2012

One of our New Year's resolutions is to keep this blog up to date!!  You can be the judge of that with how often we post...please feel free to keep us on our toes by reminding us, "Um, Cameron and Kristin, we haven't heard from you in a while!!"  We promise we'll try to be better!

Here are a few happenings from 2012:

Our Family Picture, May 2012

First big event was that Cam finished his first year of medical school!!

In April, just before first year ended, Cam was asked to take a trip to Boston, MA, to present a poster he had created for a pediatric neurologist.  Last summer, he did research with this doctor, and part of the research included creating this poster.  It was an honor to be asked to be the one to present the poster.  I tagged along (although they were pretty strict on who could enter-I could not).  Here are a few photos from our tour through Boston.

Cam started his second year of medical school and discovered during the neurology block, that he still was passionate about Neurosurgery.  Currently, he wants to apply for a neurosurgery residency with emphasis in Pediatrics.  We'll see if anything changes when he goes into rotations starting in July 2013.

Another big thing coming up for Cam is his first round of Boards testing.  He has been studying and will continue to study hard in preparation to take them in June.  This test, he tells me, will determine what kind of residency programs he can apply for.  Needless to say, although he may be stressed about them, he still remains calm, cool and collected.  I also still get to see him and spend time with him every night!  I'm counting my blessings:)

I started teaching Kindergarten again this year.  It was a last minute decision, but a great one! I love my class, my colleagues, and my school.  One of my favorite themes to do with my kindergarteners is, The Gingerbread Man.  Here is a picture of our class's gingerbread man (who, by the way, jumped from the oven and ran)...if you have any information for us on his whereabouts, please let me know!

Cam's sister found her true love and was married this month (December).  The wedding was beautiful, and the weather was frigid.  We almost didn't make it down to the reception because of the slick road conditions.  Luckily, everyone made it and had a wonderful visit.  Congratulations you two!!

Kristin's brother returned from serving a mission for our church in Japan, and upon seeing/dating his old girlfriend, decided she was the one, and they are now engaged to be married in 2013!  Congratulations to you two also!

Other than these big events, we've just kept busy, busy.  Kristin still teaches piano and has twelve students now.  We try to get out to go running (as we are preparing for a half marathon-thanks to Kristin's aunt and uncle) as often as we can.  We rode our bikes all over (until Cam's was stolen at school), and we still love to just spend time together.

We will try our best to keep this blog more up-to-date.  Life has just been a little hectic.  Hopefully, we are now in our school/work routine.  Here are a few more fun pics from 2012:

Trip to California to visit Kristin's sister, brother-in-law, two nephews, and our new niece!

At home, eating ice-cream!

More Holiday Posts and a Birthday!

More Holiday Posts and a Birthday!

 Cam and I have had some fun and crazy weeks!  I'm sure everyone is ready for an update, and here is a huge download of the last few weeks!

My piano students worked hard and prepared themselves for our Christmas Recital this year.  I had a few of them pair up and play duets with each other which was so fun! Cam and I played a duet at the very end of the recital to say thanks to my students for all of their hard work.  This duet is a play off of 'Chopsticks' and has been in Cam's family for years.  His sisters can all play both parts very well, and he was taught one of the parts by his sister Ashley.  He tells us not to tell anyone that he can play the piano, because that is the one song he knows.  I think he is awesome at piano, and he is currently learning the theme song from Jurassic Park.  He knows how to read notes from his being a percussionist, and does very well with memorizing!

I may have to post pictures of the recital later, as I have to get permission to post pictures of my students...sorry!

This is a compilation of pictures from our family Christmas sing-along.  My aunt buys Christmas music that is used by choirs (with multiple parts-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass) and we all gathered together at her parent's home to sing.  The music is fun, the company delightful, and everyone has a splendid time singing or listening!

Grandma Marilyn (Kristin's mom's mom) at the piano for our sing-along

 Three awesome voices! (Kristin's Aunt Allison is on the far right)

 Uncle Martin turning pages for grandma

 Kristin's mom, Kristin, and Cam posing in between songs

 Cousins Katie and Kelsey

Another tradition we have is to go ice skating for my birthday.  This year I turned 30 and so far, love every minute of it!  We had a large family gathering at the ice arena, and everyone skated to their hearts content!  Because it was a Friday, we also enjoyed the 'Disco Skating' (only done on Fridays).  Here are the exciting pics from the event:

Becca, Anna, (Cam's sisters) and Kristin, Cam skating together

 On phone being sung to (happened all day long-I feel so loved)!

 Becca, Anna, Kristin skating

 Still skating

 Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' so beautifully as I stood there, smiling

 Enjoying the cake (you can tell Cam had the camera for most of the ice skating event)!

We love spending time with friends and family.  This New Years Eve we were blessed to have an evening with Mark and Julia and their family, playing games and visiting.  We made it home in time to get ready for bed and watch the fireworks from our bedroom window!  Happy New Year everyone!!

Cam started back at medical school this week, and has already been studying and studying.  He is really looking forward to this block because it is all very new information for him.  They will spend the first 8 weeks on cancer, and then move on to the next topic.  It is just fun to see him excited to learn and to see us progressing toward our goal of him becoming a doctor!

We wish all of you the very happiest, and wonderful New Year!  Stay tuned for our future posts (we have a goal of updating more)!

Some Holiday Postings

Some Holiday Postings

(Nov 27, 2011)

The holidays are delightful. And they come and go so quickly. With much of our family living nearby, we have found spreading out the Thanksgiving dinners over the course of a week or so allows us to enjoy the food and company without exploding our stomachs. We hit Cam's extended family the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Kristin's dad on that Sunday, Kristin's mom on Thanksgiving day, and Cam's family on the Friday after. 

We also obtained a cute, living Christmas tree yesterday (Saturday) and have put up the Christmas decor. The 'living' aspect of our tree came almost on a whim. We were at Home Depot Friday morning (at about 10:00 am because we surely were not going to wake up super early for the Black Friday rush) to purchase a washer and dryer (as ours have reached the point of exhaustion and are calling it quits) and saw outside the entrance a variety of Christmas trees in red pots, still in soil. I didn't even know it was a possibility to buy a tree that was still living. We have generally gone with a live tree, the kind that have been cut and smell nice, but get put on the curb to be picked up by the city the week after Christmas. So on Saturday, we decided we would give a living one a try. A fresh cut tree is easy to transport home if you wrap it in a tarp and tie it to the roof of the car. A tree in a 10 gallon planter full of dirt is a bit more complicated. We ended up wrapping the whole thing in a tarp, tying a rope around it to hold the limbs up, and stuck it in the front passenger seat laying down. We spilled dirt all over the front seat (which vacuumed up nicely) but got the tree home without too much incidence. It is all decorated now and we think it looks pretty spiffy. Here are a few pictures. 

Our task with a living tree is to, of course, keep it alive. We plan to plant it on our property in Wyoming (that is currently tree-less) and we think we will make it a yearly tradition to do so. 

Cam also competed in his elder's quorum's pinewood derby. Here's a video of a race for your viewing pleasure:

And finally, here is the beautiful surprise Veteran's Day cake Kristin created:

A few things in Fall 2011

Kristin, the expert entertainer (for the boy she watches before taking him to pre-school)

(Nov 15, 2011)

I was studying in the kitchen with the door closed to the living room where Kristin was playing with the boy she watches in the mornings. I started to hear a dialogue that entailed the boy being turned into a statue and somehow ending up under our couch. Kristin's toys went to the rescue and I couldn't resist sneak-recording what was happening (I wish I started to record sooner).

 

Halloween 2011

Cam created a cool-dude pumpkin, while Kristin experimented with a mansion this year.  There is a tiny kitten in the door frame of the mansion.  p.s. Cam helped Kristin! We spent Halloween evening at home, working on sugar cookies and passing out candy.  We had an increase of trick-or-treaters this year, compared to last year, and were so delighted to see the cute kids in their costumes.

Cam Starts Medical School, Fall 2011

White-coat Ceremony

Bryce Canyon 2011

Camping in Bryce Canyon August 2011

We decided to start a yearly tradition of camping in Bryce Canyon National Park. We hiked every day we were there, and Cam was able to cook with his new dutch oven!  There were tons of tourists from all over the world.  It was rare to hear someone speaking English.  Apparently, there are places in Europe (maybe all of Europe and I am unaware) that get to take an entire month off of work in August.  These were people we ran into. We even had a rattlesnake cross our path...luckily, the french speaking young teenage girls knew the word 'snake' in English!!