Something to look forward to at then end of the tunnel.......

On June 13th, the week after school gets out, our little tushes will be sitting on this beach for an entire week!!!! I am sooooo excited.
Oh yeah, by the way...we are going to the southern tip of Florida, very close to the Florida Keys.....I think I can hear the ocean!

Did someone say Food Storage?

My life is so boring I have resulted to blogging about food storage! After almost 4 years of marriage, giving up the spare bedroom closet and alot of talk about building our food storage, we have finally established one. Now I am hoping that it will be easier to maintain and build from this point.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Just to show you how big Monster is...or how little Joey is....either way, Monster has a huge head.

My Valentine

I spent Valentine's Day with my monkey, Joey. We drove down to my parents to surprise them for their birthdays and spent the weekend down there. I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with my nephew. He has gotten so big. Of course I spoiled him and bought him a few outfits while we were there- including this cute monkey outfit complete with monkies on the feet- way cute!

YUM-O!!!!!

A few months ago Dennis and I went to Fridays and I fell in love with their Southwest Mac. N Cheese. Shanna and I went back there close to Christmas for lunch and I was all set and ready to order my fav. dish. I come to find out that they don't make it anymore and I am crushed!!! So after several internet searches, I finally found a recipe that will satisfy my mac n cheese craving....I made it one night right before our home teachers came over so I let them try it and they fell in love with it. If your lucky, I might post the recipe on here....one day!

10 things I Love about You

Yes this post is about Monster....here are 10 things I love about him.

10. His ears are sooo soft, I could sit and rub them for hours.
9. He is a great cuddler. When Den and I curl up on the couch to watch a movie, Monster is right there. He falls asleep, starts to whine and run in his sleep, its hilarious to watch him do this.
8. He still thinks he is a lap dog, all 70lbs of him.
7. He makes me laugh everyday.
6. He acts like a complete kid when it snows outside.
5.He will stay in bed on the weekends until we get up but on the weekdays he is up before us needing to go out. (I don't love that last part!)
4. I love the way he turns his head and looks at you while you are talking to him.
3.When you take a bath, he comes and perches his paws on the side of the tub and chills there, other times he jumps in with you. (This is hilarious)
2. He is gentle with kids. Whenever Tyler comes over he wants to curl up next to him on the floor and go to sleep. When Tyler cries, he looks up at me with one of those "Come on Mom, make him stop! looks that you'd get from an older sibling

And the #1 reason I love Monster.....he gets super excited whenever I come home.

Is life really that boring?

Ok so I know it's been what..half a month since I have posted anything. Life has been pretty boring and busy these last 2 weeks. Dennis and I are just busy making a living and of course I am working too much. It's been nice to have Dennis be the one to clean, to the laundry and take care of Monster. Last week, I hurt myself working out and ending up not being able to walk the next day. I called into work and went to the chiropractor for a little TLC. I found out my high arch has caused my news to go sideways, making my joints rub the wrong way hence creating major pain whenever I do any physcial activity. I guess this just show how out of shape I am but it explains why I was in so much pain and pulled my tendon in my foot last May when I ran the 5K. Fortunetly for me, it is fixable. In the meantime, I have already met me deductable from my visits to the good 'ole doc. 3 times a week. Too bad we aren't having a baby this year, everything would be covered 100%! Dennis was so wodnerful for the 5 days I walked around like a 90 year old woman, not even able to pull up my own pants! Embarrising, I know. He was a good sport though and I appreciate his help. I am now to the point where as long as I do a good long stretch after my workout, I'm golden. I have never enjoyed stretching so much, it feels so good! So that's pretty much what's been going on in a nutshell.

A bit of an update in a busy world.

One of my goals was to try to keep track of our year more. So I haven't posted in a while so here I go....

Since Christmas, I have been battling some type of the flu I am assuming after almost 3 weeks, I am proud to say I am 100% better and no ladies and gents, there's not a bun in my oven! Last week, I was given the opportunity to see Wicked with Tanya, my boss at the Education Cove. It was great! I loved it. We went down to Chicago after school, grabbed dinner at Nick's Fish Market (they have the best rolls there) and then the highlight of the night......8 of us piled into a cab to head over to the show. Yes that's not a typo, 8 adults in a cab..3 in the front, 5 in the back...we had great seats and it was a great story line.

On Tuesday, Dennis and I joined a gym. We even went and workout there last night. I am very excited about it..there's a sauna, hot tub, pool, and lots of machines...plus there are a ton of classes you can take that are included in your membership.

School was cancelled today due to the extreme cold we have been having after getting about 6 inches of snow on Wednesday. This morning it was -27 with a windchill of -47- let's just say I am I didn't have to stand out in it today. The schools in the area have already started cancelling for tomorrow.

Also, I was matched for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and I got to meet her today. Her name is Aubree, she is a 10 year old that lives here in Yorkville. She is very talkative and I am excited to get to be her Big (as they call it) and build a friendshipp with her.
Now I am just getting ready for my busy 50+ hour week next week.....crazy....

First 2 days of the year...

So one of my goals for the New Year is to scrapbook/journal more of the things that we do.

Jan 1st- Dennis and I organized the office and cleaned up most of the house. Went to dinner and watched a movie. It was a relaxing day.

Jan 2nd- We both worked most of the day, Dennis surprised me at work with roses and then I came home to our brand new couch where we watched another movie. Yes we watch alot of movies being that my husband is obsessed with his insanly loud surround sound stereo system.

Next up this month... Wicked, Bunco & a weekend getaway to CoCo Key :)

A New Year

As 2008 came to an end, I was excited for the year to be over. To me, 2008 wasn't the greatest year for me and I couldn't wait for it to be over. Don't get me wrong, their were a lot of great things that happened but it's a year I could have gone without! Whenever a New Year come about, everyone always thinks about their resolutions and what they want to accomplish that year. Last year, I didn't do very well with sticking to my resolutions so I really want to try harder this year to sticking to them.

1. I want to work out more than I did last year, getting into shape is very important
2. Scrapbook & journal more
3. Read the scripture more than I did in 2008
4. Laugh more
5. Spend more time with Dennis
6. Go on vacation
7. Save more money
8. Spend more time with friends & family
9.Start our family
10. Stay organized, keep the house cleaner longer.

Hopefully this is a good start to a new year.

Happy New Year!

$300 dilema

So we received $300 for Christmas this year and we are having a dilema on what to do with it. Here are our options

1. Save it
2. Buy a storm door for the front door
3. Buy a sweet leather sectional from the neighbors that are moving to Hawaii...


We are really leaning towards the couch, its a sweet deal, we have always wanted a leather sectional because we don't have much seating when people come over and our old couch needs to go....What would you do??

Merry Christmas

Dearest Friends & Family,
The Larson household has been a very busy one this past year. We spent the beginning of the year getting accommodated to having to take care of a puppy. Monster, our pit bull, joined our family just three days after Christmas last year. He has fit in well with Den & I. He is spoiled rotten and has such a great personality.
I have continued in my calling working with the Young Women at church. Dennis has worked with the cub scouts and is currently reliving some experiences from his youth. We welcomed a few nieces and nephews into the family and took trips to visit them.
Dennis started working for Guardian Pest Defense in April and continues to wow his customers with his vast pest control knowledge. I ran my first 5K in May, it only took me 45 minutes and a hurt ankle to finish it out, but it was a great accomplishment. I finished out my year teaching kindergarten at Kensington and occupied my summer as a nanny for a 6 and 9 year old. I spent the summer living it up, hanging by the pool, visiting the zoo, and catching up with girlfriends while we had play dates at the park. Really it was tough! I was also able to domesticate myself with all of my free time. I beautified my front yard with flowers, got better at my quilting and sewing skills by creating curtains, blankets, pillows and many other things. In July, I was given the opportunity to see LeAnn Rimes in a private intimate concert in Chicago. I was about 2 feet from the stage and even got her autograph. That same month, I attended Girls Camp for church in Michigan as the Camp Leader for a week. It was the spiritual highlight of my year as we bonded and grew closer as a “family”. Dennis got his business up and running at the latter part of this year. He found a company to bottle his sauce and sold his first batch within 3 weeks. He is currently working on getting his business license and website up and running.
I got caught up in the Twilight frenzy and started to read more this summer, that is until I started 2 jobs in August. I started at The Education Cove, a new teacher store just 1 minute from home as a tutor/Asst. Manager. A day later, I was hired as an Intervention Specialist at a school just a few miles from home. I spend most of my day working one on one with students who are struggling in math & reading. It is a great experience and I am learning a lot.
We celebrated our Third anniversary in September. Dennis won over the hearts of the women I work with by sending me 2 dozen roses at work. Of course he earned double brownie points with me. In October, I started volunteering as a leader of a Rainbows group. It is a group where children meet together whose families have suffered life altering events such as divorce or death and learn how to talk about it and cope with it. It has been a huge blessing in my life and I have worked with my group of second graders and have been given the opportunity to help them deal with their pain. In just a few weeks I will start up with The Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. I am excited to become part of a child’s life as a positive role model and one that she will be able to look up to.
Monster continues to be the best dog anyone would ask for. He spends most of his time curled up on the guest bed watching over the neighborhood, scaling dads back as they play tug o war, cuddling with mom and hanging with his neighborhood friends. He continues to amaze us every day with the things that he does and he brings so much laughter to our home.
No new news on the adoption process yet. We are just trying to get things more prepared before we officially turn in our application. We still have Faith that our Father in Heaven will bless us with a precious spirit of our own that we will be privileged to raise. We will keep everyone posted as more things happen.
We have been grateful for all of the blessings that Heavenly Father has given us this year and look forward to many more in 2009. We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and an exciting & happy New Year!
Love,
The Larsons

There's no place like a snow day on the day before break!

That's right... yesturday was supposed to be the last day of school before break but we got out a day early due to a snow/ice storm. Pictures to follow abit later. Dennis woke up to get ready for work and spent over an hour getting about an inch and a half of ice off of his truck, needless to say, it was a snow day for him too. It was so bad that you could walk on top of the snow....Monster went outside and ended up collapsing some of the ice and it was hilarious to watch him freak out about it. It was like we were walking on a frozen river... kinda scary to think about! The association workers spent over 12 hours in our neighborhood trying to get the ice off of everything and get it plowed away. Of course, I wasted away they day by doing nothing at all, hey I have 2 full weeks to get my long to do list done!

SNOW SNOW and more SNOW but it's ok my tires ROCK!!

So usually when the first major snowfall of the year hits, I am less than thrilled because that means I get to spend a very long time driving in it and sliding all over the place.I am the type of person that is scared to death to drive in the snow, NOT TODAY!!! By the time school got out, we had about 5 inches on
the ground and it was smooth sailing non slipping driving. Why you might ask? Well last week, my loving husband bought me the best snow tires in the entire world!!!! I was able to do about 35-40 the whole way home, I take all back roads and there was light traffic ..... no slippage, no sliddage, no stickage.....It was so great that when I pulled into our unplowed neighborhood I turned the corner with ease and sailed all the way down the road without getting stuck at all...picked Dennis up and took a trip to the post office to show him what they can do.....THEY ROCK!!! I highly recommended them to anyone who feels nervous drving in the snow or slides all over the place. They are general altimax arctics.....check them out...

10 Years

After 10 years of not seeing or speaking to my sisters, I have finally established contact. My sister Cassie emailed me Friday and updated me on her life. There is a long family history story behind all of this that I would rather not get into right now. I am just greatful that she reached out and sent that email and we are now able to begin to build a relationship.

Here is a picture of Cassie, Angel & Breanna

Young Women in Excellence

I know this post is really late considering we had YWIE almost a month ago but I was looking at a friends blog and realized that I never posted about this wonderful experience. Our theme was Like the Stars. The girls did a skit that was so hilarious, they named the hollywood stars after values and talked about a new movie they had coming out. The leaders sang "Someone Needs You Star" to the girls and then the end was the grand spiritual finale. With the stage lite up and shining stars in the background their spirit engulfed the entire room when the girls sang, "Like The Stars". I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere. The girls that we work with are so amazing. They carry the spirit with them always and are such good examples, even to myself at time! They are great characters of value and hold true to their standards. I am really blessed to get to work with them.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for girlfriends. One inparticular......Jodie Borg, thanks again for lastnight. It was nice to get together and chat over fondue. It's always nice when you have girlfriends who care and are there to listen :)

Oh yes....I did!!!

I have had the same hairstyle since the beginning of time. I remember when I was 12 i actually cut it to the bottom of my chin and I looked like a boy. Since then I have just left my hair long, dull and boring. I went to get just a trim lastnight and ended up getting 5 inches cut off. I am in love with my new hairstyle. I have gotten so many compliments today, from it looks way cute to it makes you look older (which is kinda what I was going for). It took me 10 minutes to talk Dennis into letting me do it.... he said if that's that will make you happy and you want to do it then go ahead....so I did! Here are a few pics to hold you over for now.

Happy 26th Birthday Denny!

Yesterday Dennis turned 26- he's getting old! Since we went out of town to see my family, I wanted to do something nice for Den's birthday. So.... Saturday night we stayed at my grandparents and I planned for the whole family to come over in the morning for brunch and a surprise cake. Saturday night I gave Dennis is card and his gift, a new pair of sunglasses, he was totally caught off guard and wondered how I got the stuff without him knowing. After our brunch on Sunday, we drove home early, just for him to be surprised by a whole house full of family waiting to surprise Dennis with dinner and a cake! SURPRISE!! He was totally shocked. So honey, in honor of your 26th birthday..here are 26 things I love about you

1. You always make me laugh
2. You always put others first
3. You can strike up a conversation with anyone
4. You can fix ANYTHING, it's amazing
5. You are a loyal friend
6. You are strong in the Gospel
7. You have a desire to make yourself successful
8. You are determined
9. You're HOT!
10.Your eyes are GORGEOUS
11.You are the owner of That's Barbeque
12.You care about everyone
13.You always want to solve everyone's problems
14.You are a great missionary..even after your mission
15.You are great with our nieces and nephews,I know you will make a great dad one day
16.You're a great cuddler
17.You know random facts of information
18.You're older than me :)
19.You're strong willed
20.You still take care of your mom
21.You're a good brother
22.You give good massages
23.You laugh at my jokes, even when they aren't that funny
24.You take care of me when I am sick
25.You put up with me when I am ridiculous
26.You are You!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for many things but most importantly I am thankful for my husband. He loves me unconditionally no matter how crazy or silly I get. He accepts me for me and he always does his best to make me laugh and provide for our family. He is a great role model and an honest person. I am always thankful for Monster. He is always cuddly with his mommy and he always makes me smile.