Twilight: Breaking Dawn

Yet another thing I always swear I WILL NOT DO.  But alas... I find myself Friday morning with a major headache and a hankering for some caffeine walking into work with bags under my eyes and more often than not, wearing the same thing I wore the night before.



{stole these last two pictures from facebook... thanks Amber!}



Midnight Twilight Movie.  Never again.  I am putting my foot down this time.  Never.  Again.

Black Friday 2011

If you know me, you know I love to shop.  If you know me, you know I love a good deal.  If you know me, you know I live for Black Friday.  If you know me, you know to let me sleep for two straight days after Black Friday because that is how tired I will be after pushing through crowds of people to save a few bucks.

{the lines, ah....the lines.}

{the crowds...yes...the crowds.}

{It doesn't look like much, but it is hundreds of dollars worth of savings right there}

Every year I swear I won't do it again and every year I find myself back in the same spot because, quite honestly, I love it it is worth it.

Whiteout Game 2011

 I am officially dubbing this the "whiteout" game of 2011.  It was freezing.  We had to stay on our feet, which wasn't hard because we were kicking some major trash.  Loved it. Go Utes!  Until next year!

Thanksgiving 2011

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving dinner this year and had Mark, Becky and my Grandpa Fox over for dinner.  We actually had a lot of fun getting everything ready and making lots of fun new recipes.  It wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought it would be, but we were only cooking for six people and I can't imagine doing a whole house full!  I have gained a new respect for our parents and all they do for the big day.  All in all I think it turned out great, but it will probably be a LONG time before we do it again.

{garlic anyone?}

Change

Change is not something that I accept gracefully and I would prefer a more steady and reliable life... after all, they don't call me Heather Plannery for nothing.  I am a planner.  I like to plan things perfectly to avoid disruption or chaos.  Sometimes in life you just can't plan for things and when that happens I go into survivor mode.  I have had to be a survivor many times before.  I moved out on my own at 19 and I had to support myself with no one to rely on but me.  I learned a lot of life lessons and one of them was confidence.  Confidence in myself and courage that I could do whatever I set out to do.  I worked at a small credit union as a teller and attended the University of Utah studying music performance.  Unfortunately it got to the point where I had to choose to pay my rent or pay my tuition.  Survival mode.  I started working full time to pay the bills and I moved on to be a title clerk.  Then I got my job at Chase as a personal banker.  There were a lot of times in between and during those jobs that my survival mode was forced to be kicked in.  It wasn't always easy, but I learned a lot.  "I didn't say it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."  That saying is more true than ever right now.  It is not easy being a full time working mom, but I know it will be worth it.  I got a new job as an assistant at a financial planning firm in Bountiful.  It has been great so far and I am feeling I can utilize a lot of my skills in a way I haven't been able to before.  It has been a good change and I hope that I can be a better mother and wife now that I will be around a little more often and have a more reliable schedule.  "When one door closes, two doors open."  (I'm just full of little sayings today! haha.) I have definitely seen the Lord's hand in all of my trials, and he has blessed me in ways I never imagined possible.  I am so thankful to have a great job, a hard working husband and the cutest little boy ever. 

{my awesome headshot for my new job.  haha.  so cheesy.}

Who Needs Toys....

When you can just climb all over you're Dad? 

Grady is a mover and a shaker.  He loves to be on the go and one of his favorite things to do is climb.  Climb on the couch, the chairs, the coffee table, the stairs and even his Dad.  It has been so fun to see him start to take an interest in things and learn how they work.  He isn't such a baby anymore...

Mommy's little helper

Grady is such a good little helper in the kitchen... he loves to help with the cooking tools and his favorite place to hang out while we are in there is the tupperware drawer.

This Face

I just love this happy little face.

Dyon & Kyle

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day!  Love you two and wish you the best!

Goodbye Chase

Goodbye Chase.  Good Riddance.  I hope I never have to wear another blue shirt again in my life.

I parted ways with Chase Bank after working for them for nearly five years.  I won't say it was a happy departure, but it was a good one.  It was time to move on, and move on I did.  To bigger and better things in my opinion.  I work for a smaller company now and I am happily away from the big corporate attitude where anyone is expendable and not valued as a person or an employee.  The "what have you done for me today" attitude is definitely gone and it makes for a much less stressful momma and wife.  So... goodbye Chase... I hope I never see you again.