Puppy sitting

Matt and Erin just got a new puppy! I LOVE PUPPIES!! This was not just any puppy. It is a black lab puppy! AWWWEEEE so cute. We got to puppy sit "Finn" for the evening when they came up to Charlotte for a wedding reception. We thought Emily would just love her. She loved our old friends and neighbors Dean and Laura's chocolate lab when he was little and she took care of him. Did she love Finn? Not so much. You see Finn took Emily's beloved tennis ball. When Emily finally worked up the courage to take it back (she is a huge wimp) Finn tried to steal it back and nipped at Emily. So...Emily was scared of her...Seriously. Our almost 100 pound dog was afraid of a maybe 15 pound puppy. We had to force her to lay on her dog bed with Finn. We told Emily to go lay down and she tried to lay next to the bed so she didn't have to get to close. My dog is pitiful. But we love her because she really is perfect in every other way. :) And Finn is A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!!!!

I mean how could you be afraid of this face?

This is pre-scared-to-death-of-a-tiny-puppy.

Finn exploring...So cute.

Okay, so there are no cute puppies in this picture just my cute husband. He made us smoothies while we were puppy sitting and they were so yummy and pretty I had to show you. I know I take way too many pictures...

Isn't it pretty? I love berry smoothies. This one is just milk, vanilla carnation instant breakfast, and frozen mixed berries. This was dinner! My mom gave me these awesome goblets for Christmas. I knew I was getting them because I showed them to her at Target and they were on clearance so she had to get them in front of me or risk them being gone. :) There are green and amber colored ones too. Thanks Mom!

Jake enjoying his chocolate "smoothie". If there is no fruit in it is it really a smoothie or a milk shake? There isn't ice cream either...It had carnation instant breakfast, milk, ice and peanut butter.

Emily after we forced her to lay on the bed with Finn so she would stop cowering by us!

My Sweet Jake...

Jake just looked at me so seriously and said "Mommy how do you get your hair to look so beautiful? I love it!" He then went on to tell me he loves how the black in my hair matches my black glasses perfect and the brown in it matches my brown glasses. (I got 2 new pairs of glasses after Aaron and Jake broke my old pair. I am so glad they did because I got 2 new cute pairs with an eye exam all for $75! Thanks for the tip Ranee-America's Best rocks! I am not trying to advertise for them or anything but can you believe that deal!!! And that price is with taxes.) I will take the compliment happily because he is honest and has no problem telling me when my hair doesn't look so great. :)

Farewell #2

On Friday, Jan. 15th, we had another farewell for my parents and it was a lot of fun. My parents friends the Southworth's hosted it and at one point there was over 50 people there. It was a drop in so I am not really sure how many people came in. The more people that came the less I took pictures and the more I talked...There were people we meet at church 20 years ago when we started going back to church. Their was a family that in large part are active at church and went through the temple because my dad was such a great home teacher to them. Here are a few pictures to show the support and love that people feel about my parents going on their mission.

February Resolutions, John Mayer, and Does this make me a bad person?

1. My February resolution is to blog as I go, rather than go back and forth from different events. In my defense January has been a busy month and I have a lot of pictures to upload. But that is no excuse and I vow to be caught up by Jan. 31st if it kills me!

2. A couple people I know have done this on their blogs and it has seemed to work for them as far as closure or working through some problems. I am going to try it out. If any of you know John Mayer personally please pass this on to him. Since this is a private blog and he isn't invited he won't get it.

Dear John,

No, I am not strong enough to break it off with you like a certain Clay Aiken fan I know did, but I did feel the need to get something off my chest. I have been a fan of yours since the very beginning. I mean, there are very few songs that are better than "Dreaming with a Broken Heart", "Daughter" , "Why Georgia",or "Say" (though they did play that one on the radio a little too much so it got a little old...I also had it as a ring tone so that could have added to the over play too...), etc, etc.!!! I even raised my child to love you. Jake is 8 now and one of his all time favorite songs is "No Such Thing". Just picture his cute 4 year old self singing it at the top of his lungs. Adorable! On his list of favorite musicians you are number 3. Only behind The Beatles, and Dave Matthews. As you can see we have raised him right as far as music goes, but I am sorry to say I can't let him listen to your latest album "Battle Studies" because you cuss a couple of times on it. Very obviously! And he is old enough to notice words he hasn't heard before and ask what they mean. How do I explain that the "s" word isn't really "stupid" but an even worse word. And that you say it! He looks up to you John!..I have to admit I love it! "Battle Studies" is a great album. "Assassin" is AWESOME!! And "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye" is a classic John Mayer song. I know what a horrible example I am of "do as I say not as I do", or in this case "you can't listen to songs with bad words in it but I can" (not that I have told Jake that)...But really John did you have to? Think about it. Get back to me on it. Until then I will only listen to those couple of songs (it may just be one, I can't remember...I will have to listen to it some more) when Jake isn't here.
-Carrie
PS-while cleaning up I listened to some of your old albums which I have listened to a million times and just noticed the "B" word and "hell"...John really! Your awesomely amazing voice and mad guitar skills had me so hypnotized I didn't realize you have always had a potty mouth...

3. I love music. I love pop, rock, country, etc. I need background noise at all times. I do however have a problem with listening to songs that maybe I shouldn't...John Mayer has a couple songs with cuss words in it. NKOTB had a few songs that were slightly "adult" in topic-not graphic or horrible, just not exactly uplifting. Dave Matthews occasionally sings about doing drugs...Are you seeing my problem here people? My name is Carrie, and I listen to music that I probably wouldn't listen to if, oh say...President Monson was here...Am I the only one how can't kick this "addiction"? Mostly because I don't really want to...Does this make me a horrible person? Do you have this problem too? Should we only listen to hymns and classical music? Please help me justify, I mean tell me if this is really bad... :)

Week 4 Results (...and the Temple..? I got sidetracked!)

I am on a roll! I lost another 3 pounds and I couldn't be happier! I am still not being perfect (not even close) on the diet, but I am doing great on exercising. AND IT IS WORKING! I keep wondering how much I would lose if I did great at both...but it hasn't happened yet. When it has happened in the past I got burnt out quick...so I am still living life. EXAMPLE: Our good friends Norb and Elizabeth got sealed in the temple (that means someone with the proper Priesthood authority sealed their marriage and family together not just "'til death do you part..", but for eternity!) on Saturday and we all went out to dinner after (thanks again Bro. and Sis. Gariety for that treat, not that they are reading this but I am just putting it out into the atmosphere and it will make its way back to them in good vibes.) I of course have pictures of said occasion and this seems like a great way to work them in. :) Anyway the pictures are below and it was awesome!!! Morgan (3 yrs. old) and Cole (18 mos.) were so adorable (as usual) and handled the long day like champs. At the same time another couple we know were getting sealed also and we got to congratulate them and hang with Matt (Aaron's younger bro.) and Erin (sis-in-law) for a few minutes because they were attending that sealing...That is a long sidetrack but the point is I ate some yummy Fatz's Cafe chicken tenders, poppy seed rolls with honey butter, and fries and still lost weight! Yeah me!

Norb, Cole, Morgan, and Elizabeth Gariety. The new eternal family! :)

I love this picture. If I was a real photographer it would be so much better, but I still love it!

Morgan, Cole, and Jake.

Just chatting after. Aaron maybe telling them about his tooth (or lack there of) in this picture. The day before this he had a tooth pulled that he was supposed have gotten a crown on about 7 years ago...Brush and floss kids, brush and floss...(I was channeling the penguins of Madagascar there for a second...You know "smile and wave boys, smile and wave."?)

Farewell #1

My parents have been hosting potluck's and parties for the single ladies at church for the past couple of years. The ladies decided they wanted to get together one more time with my parents before they left on their mission. Thursday, Jan 14th they came with a feast! What a great group of women. I told them to come back next month and we would have another party that my parents where gone and they could cheer me up! (you know I took pictures...)





The ladies all got together and got my parents a gift. They gave them journals, stationary, and stamps. My dad was two of the ladies hometeachers for years (he is the best hometeacher ever I swear!) so they gave my parents scarves too.

Jake and Aaron had gone to a friends house and got back as the party was winding down, so of course I had to take a picture with Jake...and of course I had to post it. I can't help it! He is so dang cute.

Jake's talk in Primary

Jake gave a talk in Primary today on how he knows Heavenly Father and Jesus love him. I usually try to help him write it and tweak it a little but this time I didn't. He asked me to write it while he told me what he wanted to say so he wouldn't forget, since I write faster. It was great and so "Jake". Here it is:

"I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love me, because they gave you and me a family and shelter. I am glad that He let us have animals to eat and water to drink. He gave us all the plants to give us oxygen. Jesus made this whole earth for us. I am so glad for night and day and rain, snow,hale, sunshine, and wind. Jesus made these things so we can learn that life is not like a walk in the park. Sometimes things are hard, sometimes things are easy. You have to enjoy every second of your life. Jesus and Heavenly Father bless us in many ways, we need to thank Them. We should say prayers to thank Them. This is how I know they love us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Amen! I am amazed at Jake's goodness all the time. He is such a gift to our family. He helps us enjoy life everyday-every second. I love my boy.