Thanks, Estelle!

Just a quick "shout out" to Estelle Ritchie for putting together our spectacular blog headers! She is wonderfully talented in all spectra of art. I asked her if she could take some of my favorite pictures and combine them with one of my favorite fonts to make a few blog headers and was very willing to help.

So, thanks, Estelle! You rock!

Quirky cats

Our cats are so quirky... I never knew cats could be so weird! Nolan is a spastic little guy and loves his little stuffed mice and goes crazy for them any time of the day! And when we scratch above their tails both Leo and Nolan react in the most hilarious ways! Leo becomes very unstable on his feet and plops down for more lovin'; Nolan gets even more spastic and claws his way around the legs of the table. They're so goofy!

We just put our Christmas tree up... I'm not so sure it was a good idea. Nolan is crazy about it! He started out biting our little artificial tree, then he started swatting at it, then sitting underneath it and sticking his head in the branches... then, finally, he found a way to get his whole body in the tree. What a goof ball! Luckily, none of our "breakable ornaments" are on our tree, so we're not concerned. It's just something we have to, uh, look forward to every Christmas!

Nolan and Leo, our new additions!

These are our boys: Leonardo and Nolan. They are wonderful!

Leo is a bobtail Tabby. He is our little cuddle-cat. He normally likes to be in our laps being loved on!

This is Nolan. He is a domestic short-hair... they call his coloring "obsidian", which I think is super cool. Nolan is also one of the softest cats you will ever pet. He's normally a nuisance and likes to play with his little stuffed mice, but he has a very sweet side... especially when he likes to climb in bed with us at 4:00am right in between Drew and me...

Leo and Nolan are 7 months old and we think they're brothers... They were brought into the animal shelter together and would stick by each other even when there were tons of other cats around. Nolan loves to clean Leo and try and get him to fight when he's feeling playful! Leo definitely controls play-time, though.

This has become one of their favorite spots to play. They attack each other's paws through the holes. Leo likes to sleep here with our dirty clothes sometimes, too.

It has been a nice change having these little guys in our home. We were so excited when we got to bring them home with us... into their "forever home," as the shelter calls it. They're hilarious and sweet and are a wonderful addition to our little family!

Holy WHOA!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I..

.

was absolutely AWESOME!

I realize I just used a word that I'm not completely fond of, but I couldn't think of a synonym for "awesome" that better suited thoughts I had about this movie!

At the end of the movie, I was craving more. They'd given me enough to satisfy, but I was hungry for more! The directing was superb; the effects, story-line, and acting were better than any of the other HP movies. You just have to see it if you haven't yet.

Unfortunately, there were some, um, "artistic" additions that were unnecessary. Ginny's bare back and a scene that should have been more innocent than it was: did we really need to see "naked" kissing teens (blurred, smoky effects; flesh-colored full body shot and a glimpse of mid-chest and up of said teens)? Really? It didn't add any more to the movie than if it hadn't been in it. But I guess they can do whatever they want...

Overall, great movie! Dark, but comic. Good ol' Fred and George. :)

GO SEE IT, okay? And let me know what you think.

Carissa, the college student

I am officially enrolled in classes at BYU-Idaho! It will be busy, but we need a little more chaos in our lives sometimes, ya know?

Here's the run-down:

American Foundations (online)

Math for the Real World

Book of Mormon

American Sign Language (YES!!!!)

Note Taking and Listening (online)

Concentration (online)

The whole curriculum at BYU-I has changed since I was last a student, so I have to take "Foundations" classes with lame names like "Math for the Real World". The last two classes are each half the semester and only half a credit each... I needed one more credit to make 12 (full-time). It will be interesting to see how I can work out all day work, evening classes, and still find time to clean, spend time with Drew, and do my homework and fulfill church callings. I will need the Lord's help more than ever... and I will have Drew by my side through it all. Plus, he won't feel guilty leaving me alone to do homework now because I'll be in class while he does his homework! It all works out.

Hopefully. :) Wish us luck. We are accepting any time management suggestions as well!

Mystery Date!

Who'd have known that the whole Elders' Quorum could have put together such an amazing date night for their wives? I guess I had such little faith because I had never seen it happen before. I think differently now.

Thursday night Drew reminded me that we had a ward date night at church on Friday night. I had totally forgotten about this date that all of the men at church knew about but had kept their wives oblivious to. So I continuously asked the hub questions about what we were going to do. "I don't know," he would say with a smirk. Or "I'm not telling." That stinker. Friday night rolled around and the only clues I was given were to get all dolled up, to not eat dinner, and to meet at our complex clubhouse at 7pm. Okay, I could do that. Yeah, right, until he leaves me alone with my thoughts an hour before I need to leave. I left our apartment dressed in an outfit I knew he'd love with my hair scrunched and makeup on (an unfortunate rarity) and headed down to our clubhouse with other gals in the ward.

Drew was nowhere to be seen, but there it was: a white stretch limo waiting for all of us girls! It was fun! We were driven around for a few minutes and then taken to our church building where our husbands were lined up inside waiting to escort us to dinner. Drew took my coat, escorted me to a decked out table in a well decorated Relief Society room and we were entertained by two great musicians in our ward. They played guitars and mandolins and sang love songs for us.

Then came dinner. It was delicious! Italian dressed salad, roll, cheesy ziti, and creamy chocolate mousse ice cream. Oh, and they really went all out and gave us SPRITE instead of the usual water. :) Hehe we girls were all giddy!

After dinner, all hubbies were called up front to serenade us. They sang an interesting, but cute version of "My Girl". And lastly, we were escorted to the gym for a few slow dances before the end of the night. Can I just say... I LOVE dancing with Drew. We're not great dancers but I just love the romance and the way he sings the songs to me while dancing and talking and laughing together. He's such a sweetheart.

Most of all, I loved the mystery of the whole night. Drew kept leaning over and telling me "there's more" and it made things so exciting all night! I really loved seeing the other couples in our ward in such a romantic setting. I could see how much they really love each other. And Drew was so wonderful to me.... I really felt his love for me in a more public way than normal. What an amazing man I have!

So, to those husbands who want a new idea for a date for your honey, give her some mystery romance! Coming from a wife, it is one amazing date that will never be forgotten!