Cozy

I came home from school today and decided I needed to play some Spider Solitaire to help me unwind. I guess Jack was feeling a little neglected, because he followed me into the office and somehow managed to curl up at my feet under the computer desk.

Can you see him all tucked away down there?

What? It's cozy, leave me alone!

1st Annual Gaming Decathlon!

This may be cheating, but I've got a busy week ahead and did not want to miss posting about the 1st Annual Jolley Family Gaming Decathlon! So, since Harmony did such a great post on her blog, you can just visit her site here to learn about all the fun we had!

Oh, and just to add a little, Spencer ended up as the Decathlon Champion! We had a great time hosting our first big get-together at our new house and can't wait for the next party!

Welcome Spring Snow!

Just in time for spring, we got hit with a nice big snow storm! It snowed last night and most of the day today, and when I got home from work today (around 6:00 p.m.) the driveway was covered with several inches of wet, heavy snow. Spencer wasn't home yet, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for him if I shoveled the driveway before he arrived. I even parked my car across the street so I wouldn't drive over the snow before shoveling.

(Besides, I'm not sure my car would have been able to drive through the deep driveway snow!)

Just as I was finishing up, Spencer pulled in and was able to drive right into the garage. Hooray!

Of course, nobody's perfect. I realized one little mistake in my shoveling--the walkway to the front door. I had piled a lot of the driveway snow right onto the sidewalk that goes to the front door!

The pile had grown to about 3 feet, so it took me a few minutes to shovel it all off. But I did it!


It may sound strange, but I usually enjoy shoveling the driveway. It gives me a nice little workout and a great sense of accomplishment when it is all finished!

BUCKLE UP!

I got a phone call last Friday night around 9:15 from my brother Michael. He said my parents had just been in a car accident near Tremonton, they were okay, but they needed to be picked up because their truck had been totaled.

Spencer and I jumped in the car and made the hour+ drive up to Tremonton. We picked my parents up at the hospital there and drove over to the tow truck company to get their luggage out of the truck. This is what we saw.

(passenger side door)

(view from inside the cab of the truck, looking toward the front windshield)

As they were driving up to Idaho for the weekend, my parents hit black ice and lost control of the truck. They fishtailed for a while before driving into the median and rolling one complete rotation. When the truck stopped moving, my mom and dad were able to climb out of the driver's side door and walk away. They are both a little stiff and sore, with a few minor nicks and scrapes. Looking at the pictures of the truck, anyone knows this could have been a much different post. Thank goodness for seat belts. Please everyone, wear your seat belts!

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

I finally got around to taking pictures of our new place!


We love it here in our secluded little community. We are just on the south side of Traverse Ridge, the alternate route from Draper to Highland. Here is a view of Utah County and the Utah Lake from across the street from our house.


We also have great views of Salt Lake Valley on the drive up to our place. (It's beautiful on a clear night!)


The new Draper temple is close by. As I was driving home from school a couple days ago, I wanted to stop and get a picture of the valley view. I took a wrong turn and ended up at the temple. Now that's a view!


My favorite room in the house is the kitchen.


Spencer likes the living room, where he can play RockBand as loud as he wants!

And I think Jack's favorite part of the house is all the openness where he can run around and chew his bone.


Now all we need are some guests to come enjoy it with us! (hint hint)

We're Outta Here!

There will be more to come in another post, but I want to quickly mention that WE HAVE MOVED!! Our condo in Cottonwood Heights just was not cutting it anymore. I was tired of not having our own yard for the dog, we were running out of space, and basically I guess I was just ready for a change. Plus, if we are ever able to start our own family or foster/adopt, we really would have been cramped. After looking at homes around the area for several weeks we found one in Suncrest, the new development on Traverse Ridge between Draper and Highland. Boy did we luck out! It's a beautiful home, great little neighborhood/community, and an amazing view of both Utah Valley and Salt Lake Valley! Stay tuned for pictures.

Many thanks to the following who helped us with a successful move: From my family--Dad, Adam, Michael, Jessica, Dave, Chris, Nathan. From Spencer's family--Mom, Dad, Christine, J.R., Marc, Ben, Logan, Jeff and Cristian's family. Spencer and I boxed up as much as we could during the week, and on Saturday morning we started loading up at 10:00 a.m., were completely out of the condo (cleaned and everything) by noon, and unloaded in the new house by 1:30. I don't think it could have been any smoother. Thank you everyone!!

Mudding Party

Last weekend we made the drive down to Fillmore to help my parents do some mudding in their new garage. Two of my brothers and their wives came too, and it turned out to be a great family get-together. As per tradition, we spent a lot of our time playing board games. We did spend some time working in the garage, and ended up with the first layer all taped and mudded, and even did a layer in the workshop area above the garage.

I must admit that Spencer and my dad did the majority of the work. Spencer is a very hard worker, and when he starts a project, he likes to keep working until it is finished.


Once my brothers got out of bed, they used their incredible to height to get the ceiling done.


My mom and I did most of the taping, and then I divided my time between trying to stay warm, helping with the mudding, and keeping track of Jack. Oh, and I also played a little "avoid the hanging tennis ball" with my brother Michael. I think I had the clear advantage, as I am about a foot shorter than he is!


Our dog Jack LOVES going to Fillmore because he gets to wander the yard and neighborhood chasing cats and searching for food. He must have found a lot of food scraps on Saturday because when we drove back up to Salt Lake that night, Jack got rid of all the extra food on our carpet. Not a fun mess to clean, and I am eternally grateful to Spencer for his willingness to clean that mess on his own! And you should all be eternally grateful to me for not posting pictures of the mess on our blog!