Valentine's Celebration

Sammy and I had a great Valentine's weekend! The week before Valentine's Day I told Sam that I knew what I wanted us to do for the holiday....snowboard together! Sam has been able to go a few times this season, but I've never been able to join him. I knew he'd love going again and it would be fun for me to finally see his skills on the mountain. Well a few days before Valentine's I asked Sam which ski resort he wanted to go to and his reply was, "Well, you'll be staying in Park City Friday night so I would assume there, but we can go to a different mountain if you want." ??? I pieced it together and found out that Sammy had booked a hotel room in Park City for Friday night and already bought our ski passes as well! I was so excited. Friday I got off work a little early so we could head up to PC. I was also so happy when I came home and Sammy presented me with this...

A huge Mrs. Cavanough's chocolate! If you haven't had Mrs. Cavanough's chocolate, you need to try it...although I'm not sure if it is anywhere outside of Utah. A little embarrassing that I took a bite the second I saw it before I could even get my camera out for the picture, but I had to include it in this post because I loved that he got it personalized! ha

So we made it to Park City and had a yummy Mexican dinner then enjoyed walking around the village and browsing in a few shops.
The next day we were up bright and early (thanks to Sammy). We were 5 minutes from the resort which didn't open till 9:00 but Sam was up and yanking me out of bed at 7:30 (on my one day to sleep in...) I wish this picture hadn't turned out blurry :(
Part of the reason he was so excited was because it had snowed during the night which meant fresh powder on the slopes!

I was still waking up and just happy to be by a fire :)

Sam's anxiousness paid off because we were in line for the first runs of the day. The fresh snow was AMAZING and it was so fun to be boarding together.
Sammy wanted an action shot of me... I am happy to report that he said he was very impressed with my skill level and wants to go with me again! (I was a little nervous about that, but I was even better than I remembered as well!)
What a lovely day!
On the actual Valentine's Day, we had dinner with our usual Sunday dinner group (my sister-in-law's mother has us over every Sunday). I made chocolates/cake balls and personalized one for each person at dinner. They didn't turn out as pretty as I was hoping, but they were yummy!
It was a fabulous weekend!

Update

Life is good. It's also very busy, and I've finally found the time to explain why...
The week after getting back to Utah from our wonderful Christmas vacation I was given a job promotion at work! (big blessing and very happy about that) That same day I also found out I had been accepted to Salt Lake Community College's American Sign Language Fast Track Interpreting Program! (another blessing and thrilled about that!) I was really nervous about applying for the program because I had to pass a skills test and didn't think I would get in, but I did! Because there is such a need for ASL interpreters SLCC has set up this amazing program where they offer night classes (perfect for accommodating a full-time work schedule), the tuition is free (perfect for a poor newlywed), and I am also PAID to observe VRS (Video Relay System) calls each week (perfect for gaining much needed experience while getting a little extra $$). Needless to say, it looks like I came across the right thing at the right time. However, this means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and an occasional Thursday I go straight from work to school and arrive home way later than I have been accustomed too. I feel like some days I barely even get to see Sam, but I guess nows the time to have this busy schedule so he can stay focused in school, right? He has been so supportive and also patient in dealing with me on my stressful days (which may or may not happen more frequently now...) I have already learned a ton in my new job position as well as my interpreting classes. Every night I leave class I am so happy and grateful for the opportunity I have to work on my ASL and interpreting skills while still being able to work a full-time schedule!

Although mine and Sam's time together has significantly decreased, we've still been able to schedule some really fun dates and activities. For example, attending the Suns vs. Jazz game last month...

I was able to meet up with my dear friend Whitney Olsen (Maegan's little sis) during half time. I loved seeing all the Suns fans in the arena! Curtis and Candace also went to the game so we sat with them for the second half...
Well, the Suns lost :( but we still had a great time! I had worn my jersey to work the day of the game just to spite all of my Jazz coworkers (aka the whole office). I learned my lesson the following day when one of the guys showed up wearing a Boozer jersey and happily walked past my desk to ask how the previous night's game went. Lame.

I had to add this picture because I love it. Last week the BYU Young Ambassadors had a show which the beautiful and oh-so-talented Leslie Hiatt performed in, so of course her fellow Cheetahs were there as support. We were able to catch the superstar after the show and happily showed off our jazz hands together. The show really was awesome!

I cannot forget to mention that my dad made it in to town for one night and Sam and I were able to spend a weekend in Centerville while Sam's mom was in town. We love getting to see family! Thanks for coming out and thanks for the good food Dad and Sallee :)

Cupid Has Struck

And I have that love. So happy.

On another note, here's a video of Cupid spotted in Utah the other day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Better Late Than Never

My goal was to get Christmas pictures up the first week of January. Then I was positive I'd have some free time the following week. After that, I uploaded the pictures and knew FOR SURE I'd find time to post them before the end of the month. Well, January came and went and here we are...

It was a very snuggly Christmas!

My father-in-law surprised all the Nielsen girls Christmas Eve with an early gift...Snuggies! I'm not going to lie, I was very excited about it! Of course, we immediately all put them on to model! We so kindly named them our Mo-Tab dresses. Flattering right?

A picture in front of the tree was completely necessary.

We woke up Christmas day and opened gifts with the Nielsen fam. We also had the traditional Nielsen Christmas breakfast, ebelskivers! I was excited to learn how to make ebelskivers since I knew it was a Nielsen tradition and I am now an official member of the fam (not to mention I also got ebelskiver pans at my bridal shower that I had been too scared to try out on my own) Now that I learned from the pros, I'll be able to whip some up whenever I want for Sammy and I! Besides the delicious breakfast, another highlight was watching Grace and Parker open their gifts. They were a little out of control, but still cute as ever...
After a great time with the Nielsens, Sammy and I headed over to my Papa and Grandma Curtis' where we got to hang out with all the fam and eat more great food! I was so happy to see my monster Kyle again. I love these pics of him giving (or me trying to get) kisses.
My little bro, Taylor, with my beautiful cousins Mikenna and Chelsea.
After time with the whole Curtis clan we headed over to my parents house to open gifts with them.
I absolutely love my mom's christmas tree (although it is humongous and a pain to put up. Sam and I had the lucky pleasure of helping do that during Thanksgiving break) I think the finished product is worth it!
The day didn't end there. We headed back to Nielsen home where we enjoyed yet again, more good food, and even more great people. What an exhausting wonderful day!

There were many other highlights of the trip although I was only able to catch a few on my camera. One day The Nielsens headed up to Flagstaff for a fun day in the snow and some intense sledding. Oliver wins for looking the cutest that day...
Although I'd say Sam and I are close runner-ups :)

If only Maddie was able to make it, we would of had a complete group shot!

Later in the week we were able to walk around the Mesa Temple and enjoy the beautiful lights with some of my family.
Jen's best friend Christina joined us as well!

We love being home with family!!!!
Christmas break was great. My only complaint is that the time flew by way too quickly! We are both happy and grateful to have such wonderful families and that we were able to travel safely to spend time at home with them.

Sometime in the near future I'll update on our more recent happenings....