Deep Cleaning

Like every year around this time, I get the urge to deep clean my house from top to bottom. This year was no exception. I started in the master bedroom closet and worked my way around the rest of the house. By the time I was finished we had tons to throw away and even more to donate.

I ended up saving the office for last because it tends to be the catch all throughout the year for things that don't necessarily have a place. I ended this, hear and now. I went to IKEA and got the cutest wicker baskets. At first I only got enough for the master closet and Hurley's toys, but I quickly went back and purchased several more for the rest of the house, including the office. While I was cleaning the office and reorganizing files I ran into a huge pile of papers that I needed to scan for scrapbooking. Initially I threw them in a large wicker basket and called it a day. Then, a few days later, it was calling my name.

So, I spent the long weekend scanning all of these papers, cards, pictures, etc. Although it was time consuming, it was much needed. Now I have a free basket and a much more organized closet. (Not to mention that I just finished scanning Matt's mission pictures! Talk about an accomplishment!)

Valentine's Day

This year for Valentine's Day we kept it rather low key. We stayed at home, made heart shaped pizzas, and watched our favorite shows. Although it was a super simple night, we really enjoyed each others company.

Matt ended up scheduling my concealed weapon's permit class as my gift and I ordered him personalized license plates for his new truck.

Super Bowl XLV

Because the Steelers were playing in the Super Bowl we went all out and had a party at our house. Matt invited a bunch of his mission companions, and because it was the first time ever having people over to the house, we were excited, yet nervous.

A few days before the game I went out and got some party supplies and food. I made Steelers cupcakes, which was my first time ever using fondant. I think they turned out amazing considering. (Thank you, Becky!) I also made the "Go Steelers" banner. We got tons of hamburgers, hotdogs, wings, soda, and chips.

We all had so much fun, despite the Steelers losing. After the game we played Kinect and made scones. Overall, the night was a success!

PeopleWater

PeopleWater is one of Matt's many new ventures. Him and a few of his friends combined forces back in November and created PeopleWater. In a nutshell, PeopleWater gives, drop for drop, to those in need of safe and clean drinking water. So, with every bottle purchased, the same amount goes to individuals in need.

They have really begun pushing this idea and PeopleWater finally made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah! It was featured in the gift bags that were given away to celebrities in attendance and was available at the Bing Bar by Microsoft. In addition, they have already signed con

tracts with several stores on the west coast.

I have helped with logo and bottle design concepts and have had so much fun learning new things. I love the concept of PeopleWater and am excited to see where it ends up!

Meet Hurley!

Hurley is a pure-bread Maltese puppy. We got him from Inkom, Idaho, just outside of Pocatello. He was 5.5 ounces when he was born and at his 12 week check-up he was 4.5 pounds. Despite his small size he is definitely a handful but we love every moment we get to spend with him.

He loves running around the house and being outside. He also loves being around people. He is pretty much potty trained except for when he gets nervous or overly excited. :) We were worried at first because of the snow, ice and mud that makes up our backyard right now, but he has adapted and is doing really well. It's funny to see him sink in the snow in certain places.

Hurley eats like crazy and is hilarious to play with. He loves playing with Matt and I and hates having to stay in his play pen. He has finally figured out how to get out, so it is much more difficult to keep him contained.

He loves sleeping in his kennel and will let us know when he is tired by dragging his green fluffy blanket to our bedroom. He also drags his blanket out of his kennel each morning after we get up. We tried to keep the downstairs and upstairs a secret, but that did not last long. The other day I heard him whimpering and barking and I could not figure out where he was. I finally found him at the top of the stairs whining to get back down.

He has just about mastered sitting, laying down, rolling over and shaking. We play catch throughout the day and he likes being chased around the coffee table and then chasing us around the coffee table. Seeing him run is rather entertaining. He just looks at you, cocks his head back and starts running.

Hurley is definitely a handful and has shown us how difficult children will be when the time comes. But for now we are enjoying him and we hope he is enjoying us half as much.

New Year's

Matt and I stayed in Idaho for New Year's and enjoyed a relaxing night at my parent's house. We ordered 9 feet worth of Blimpie sandwiches and watched movies until the ball dropped.

It's amazing to think that yet another year has passed so quickly. This past year has had its ups and downs, but I would not have it any other way. In 2010 Matt and I celebrated our one year anniversary, I received my E.M.T., I completed classes and graduated from BYU with a degree in Political Science, we bought into a pest control company, moved to Washington D.C., moved back to Utah, received new church callings, bought Matt a new truck, welcomed Hurley into our new home, started PeopleWater and celebrated the holidays with our family.

Hopefully 2011 has just as much, if not more, eventful happenings in store. And to start the new year off right I have a few resolutions!

Magnify my church callings

Daily scripture study

Weekly temple attendance

Catch up with scrapbooking (digital of course)

Stay organized

Better organize genealogy records

Find a job

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Plan a family vacation

Christmas Gift for My Dad

This past August my parents took a trip to Washington D.C. for their anniversary. And for those of you who know my dad, you know he is a huge history buff, but ironically he had never been to Washington D.C.

While planning their travel arrangements, it just so happened that Matt and I were going to be in Chantilly, Virginia (about 45 minutes away) because of EcoTek. So, while Matt stayed and manned the office I ventured out into Washington D.C. with my parents. We had so much fun seeing the sites and viewing the amazing exhibits.

Because of the significance of this trip my mom and I decided to create a scrapbook for my dad using all the pictures we had taken on the trip. My mom provided the pictures and I provided the design work. And because I wanted the scrapbook to have a personal feel I literally designed each page. After a few weeks of banging my head against the computer the final product was complete! And just in time for Christmas.

My dad absolutely loved the scrapbook and I was even able to order a second one for myself! I love the way it turned out so much I wanted to share the final product with you!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Christmas 2010 and Our Newest Addition!

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone! We had a wonderful Christmas up in Idaho and we were able to stay through New Year's.

While we were in Idaho we did some last minute shopping, a ton of wrapping, quite a bit of eating and even more hanging out with family and friends.

This year, like every other year, Matt and I received a ton of awesome stuff including:

Bedroom lamps

Tool kits

Deep freezer

Luggage set

Graphic Design pen (much needed!)

Guns (yep, we're both packing heat!)

Bath and body stuff

Gift cards

XBox Kinect

And last but definitely not least we got Hurley! He is the newest addition to the Jameson family.

(And yes, my teeth look green/blue because of Becky's amazing baking skills and mysterious frosting!)

We are so blessed to have the family we do!

Thanksgiving 2010

A few days before Thanksgiving I cut my foot open really bad. The tendons were visible and I had to go to the emergency room for stitches (thank goodness for great insurance!). While at the emergency room I was overdue on my Tetanus shot so I got that while I was there also.

The next day I had a hard time walking and then I got really sick. Because of all this Matt and I decided we were not going to drive to Idaho, but that we would just stay in Utah for Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving morning I talked to my mom about not feeling well. My parents weren't too happy that Matt and I weren't planning on coming up, because this would have been my first Thanksgiving away from home. So, the morning of Thanksgiving day Matt and I ended up driving up to Idaho for Thanksgiving and we stayed for about a week.

Once everything was said and done I was glad we went to Idaho. It was fun being able to hang out with family and eat amazing food. We had the traditional turkey, ham, green bean casserole, rolls and sparkling cider.

We were also able to watch the HBO series "The Pacific" that I had gotten for my dad for Father's Day. I really enjoyed it. It was amazing to see the differences between what the soldiers experienced in "The Pacific" and "Band of Brothers."

Day 7 - Sea Day

The last day on the boat was full of sleeping, eating, and relaxing. I'm pretty sure we repeated that process throughout the entire day. That night also marked the last night we got to eat in the Vista dining room.

The waiters and chefs prepared a special presentation for everyone in the dining room. They did a lot of dancing and signing. It was such a fun night with good company and amazing food.

The next day we arrived in San Diego to rain. - And back to reality. Once we got back to Utah it was practically snowing! Definitely different from the weather we had in Mexico. And now that we are back in town, we are preparing for the holidays and getting ready for the cold Winter ahead.

Day 6 - Cabo San Lucas

Our last port of call was in Cabo San Lucas. This port was by far our favorite. The beach was about 15 minutes away from the ship so we did not need to take a taxi. The weather was amazing and the scenery was breathtaking. There were so many activities to do, but so little time.

Matt got off the boat before I did. He went parasailing and really enjoyed it. He had never been before. Once we met up on the beach we took a glass bottom boat to the other side where Lovers Beach was located. The glass bottom boat was so fun. There was literally a glass bottom so you could see all the fish while we were in the water.

We also got to see a bunch of sea lions and pelicans. It was amazing to see how clear the water was.

After we got back on the boat for the night, we had a quick dinner and headed to the dessert extravaganza. They had all the desserts you could possibly think of. The entire deck was lined with desserts and the ones we tried were really good.

The show for the night was the same comedian we had seen earlier. He was putting on an adult show and he was hilarious.

Sadly enough this night marked the last night of excursions and ports. It was time to head back to San Diego.

Day 5 - Puerto Vallarta

Our second port of call was Puerto Vallarta. We took another tour of the city once we got off the boat first thing in the morning. We were able to see the city and learn some of its history.

At one of the stops there was this massive iguana that Matt got to hold. I was too chicken to hold it.

One of the last stops of the tour was at the El Eden Eco Park where I got to zip line through the Predator movie set. I had so much and the views were amazing. Matt was unable to go because of his size, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it enough for the both of us.On the way back into the city from zip lining we stopped at the famous arches in Puerto Vallarta and got some pictures.

We also got to stop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta. It was located right in the center of the city. Like the other cathedral, it was beautiful and serene although it was located right in the heart of the city.

After seeing the sites, walking around town and zip lining we headed back to the boat for the night and anxiously awaited our arrival into Cabo!

Day 4 - Mazatlan

When we woke up the next morning we were in Mazatlan! It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect. We ended up taking a tour of the city where we were able to see the sites.

One of our stops was at the local market, which was definitely a different experience. This market in particular had locals cutting up chicken, cows and fish for everyone to see. It was quite disturbing to me, but completely natural for the locals. We definitely weren't shopping at WalMart.

After visiting the market we went over to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It was being renovated, but we were still able to go inside. The cathedral was amazing. It was so pretty and the intricate details added to the inside and outside of the beautiful building.

There were several statues throughout the cathedral and it was such a peaceful place despite the outside renovations taking place.

After walking around downtown and being able to see the market and cathedral we headed down to the beach. We walked around for quite a bit and just enjoyed the great scenery. We found this long strip of land that jutted out into the water, so we took some fun pictures.

After touring the city, we made out way back to the boat for the evening, enjoyed the nightly entertainment and ate amazingly good food.