The Big 3-0

Whether he will admit it or not, Jared turned thirty! While I had big plans of celebration, Jared decided to break his computer and use up all our available party funds replacing it. Instead we just had a simple party. I did manage to make a beautiful cake. I think it looked better than it tasted though. It was way way too rich for me.

Chocolate torte with strawberries, blackberries, blood oranges and whipped cream. Yum!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband. I look forward to growing old with you.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Turns Two!

MJ turned two on Friday. The past two years have flown by so fast, it is beyond our comprehension. 

She is so grown up now and continually amazes us with new advancements. Jared and I just enjoy watching her play and discover. She makes some of the greatest faces when coloring! 

MJ is really started to assert herself, which is fun and also challenging. She refuses to sit in a booster seat at the kitchen table, insists on picking out her outfit for the day, and she WILL NOT be rushed to get anywhere.Above all, she is the cutest thing in the world. Even when she is screaming her head off, she is adorable and funny.

Months before MJ's birthday, she decided she wanted a dinosaur party and never changed her mind. So we had a dinosaur party. She was especially excited about the balloons, blowing out the candles on the cake, and wearing party hats. But, when it came time for cake, she didn't want to blow out the candles. She did enjoy eating the dinosaur's head though. She was also really excited about all the new toys she received.

Let's Party!

The Birthday Cake

One of the favorite presents of the day... Took us 10 minutes to convince her to open others.

She knew she had to wear the helmet, just couldn't figure out the peddles.

Mesmerized by the candles. Mommy had to help blow them out...

Mmmmm dinosaur.

Rock a Bye

I don't have much time to blog... which is too bad, because MJ is at the cutest age. Just about everything that she does is adorable and hilarious.
MJ likes to pretend to put everyone and everything to sleep. She'll lay out whatever blankets and towels she can find and then wrap up her stuffed animals, or me or Jared or the dog. The other day I was playing along with her and asked if she would sing me a lullaby. She told me she would sing "Rock a Bye Baby" and surprised me by singing the entire thing. Luckily, she repeated it a few time and Jared was able to capture her beautiful song on video.
Enjoy!

Goals for 2011

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and making my New Year's Resolutions. I've decided to post them just so that they don't get lost on my computer or in my desk (again).


Here's a short list of things I will accomplish this year:
1. Score at least a 650 on the GMAT. (and... completed! One down, fourteen to go)
2. Get accepted to grad school at either UCD or DU.
3. Land a fine job in marketing.
4. Make the Dean's List this semester.
5. Graduate in the Spring!!
6. Move to Denver.
7. Plan activities to do with my darling daughter more often.
8. Increase savings for our future home purchase.
9. Buy a road bike and use it.
10. Play my guitar at least once a month.
11. Tone up my mid section.
12. Read at least 20 books recreationally.
13. Be more affectionate.
14. Make a new friend.
15. Eat more fruits.

A Look Back at 2010

I didn't get around to writing a Christmas letter this year. I was too busy. I have a bit of time now that I'd like to use to reminisce about the past year.

Jared

Jared found a new passion this year - running. He competed in two half marathons and was able to achieve his goal of finishing under 2:30. Jared started working for Velocity Webworks in June. He does sales for websites (mostly for quilting companies) and holds the title of CEO. He enjoys his job and works from home 3 days a week. Due to our switch in work situations, Jared has transferred to Western Governor's University to complete his degree in Information Systems. All of his classes are online, allowing for much more flexibility. The system the school runs on is very non-traditional, but Jared is well on his way to graduation.
Jared and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary in October. Thanks to the kindness of my mom, the two of us were able to escape to Southern California for a few days. We had a blast and can't wait until the day that we will be able to afford to go on more trips.

Cambria

Due to budget cuts, I was laid off from my position at SUU at the end of March. I quickly received multiple job offers and was only without work for three days, though. With the change of circumstances, I chose to work part-time and pursue my education full time, so that I can escape being a secretary for the rest of my life. I now have only 5 classes left to complete, looking forward to graduating May 2011 with my Bachelor's of Science in Marketing. This last semester I took 18 credits and earned a 4.0. I'm now in the process of applying to two graduate programs in Denver, Colorado. 
I currently work at the Volunteer Center of Iron County, which has been interesting. I work to recruit, retain and recognize our volunteer base of about 700 people. One the funnest things I did over the summer was to recruit, lineup, and coordinate the Iron County Parade. It was a lot of work, but I utilized a lot of my marketing education.

Being inspired by Jared, I tried my hand at running as well. I ran in a 5k in September and placed 2nd in my age division, lost 10 pounds, and then promptly quit. The only time I could find to run was at 5:30 in the morning and it became impossible to maintain since I had to stay up late to study. Maybe since I'm taking one less class in the Spring I'll be able to start running again...

MJ

MJ has grown and changed in the last year beyond belief. At the beginning of the year, MJ wasn't even walking or talking much. She was still our baby girl! In April, we celebrated her first birthday with a bug-themed party. Soon afterward she began to walk in earnest and now she's unstoppable. MJ can now read very simple books to me, point out about 200 items and name them, count (though not in much of an order), and say a few sentences. She loves to run, jump, splash in the tub and in puddles, color, wrap up her baby dolls, and play in the snow. She's become very opinionated and insists on making all her own decisions.She loves monsters, dinosaurs and anything "scary". She is an absolute joy and we delight in spending every minute with her (even though she's recently started to throw a lot of temper-tantrums). 
A look ahead
We have some exciting changes to look forward to in 2011. We're planning on moving to Denver after I graduate in May. We'll miss being near my family, but there is a serious lack of good jobs in this area. I'm hoping to start my career in marketing while completing my Master's degree. But if things don't work out, then I'll be going to school full-time and be finished in 15 months. 
We just took a quick trip to Denver to tour grad schools, and we're really ecstatic about moving! It's a lovely place with many parks, beautiful scenery, ski resorts, breweries, museums, family activities, and things to keep us busy. Once we're settled into our new place, we invite anyone to come stay with us.
Jared will turn 30 this year (and MJ will be 2)! Family and friends should plan on coming for a visit in April, as I will be planning a big party. I'm open to suggestions about some big, fun thing that Jared and I could do to celebrate as well. I'm thinking something like skydiving...

Christmas Pictures

Our humble Christmas tree. I had fun making snow ornaments for it. MJ had fun dumping all the beads out that I was using to make snow ornaments.

Opening some puzzles. MJ needed a little help, but was way more into opening presents this year than last.

A new monster friend. Yes, my daughter loves monsters, dinosaurs and skeletons.

Hi

The feast of crown roast, wild rice dressing, honey glazed carrots and biscuits that I made. Only took me about 3 hours, but it was delicious.

Our Little Monster

It took a lot of coaxing and bribery to get MJ to put on the hat, but she was the cutest monster for Halloween. She was a bit apprehensive about going door-to-door, until she discovered that people were giving her candy... Once she figured that out we were running to keep up with her.

Distracted her with a book and was finally successful getting the hat on.

All ready to go!

Getting really sticky, but thoroughly enjoying a sucker.

We also recently had family portraits taken. They turned out spectacular. When I get some time, I'll post some of the pictures.

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!