Merry Christmas

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!! We hope your day is filled with lots of love, presents, laughter, and family as we remember this wonderful holiday and Christ's birth! Love you all!

Thanksgiving

Sorry for the no pictures post... we lost our camera on our cruise, so until we get a new one, (maybe Christmas!) there will be pictureless posts.

For Thanksgiving, Ryan and I were able to go down to Irvine for a full week. It was nice to get away for a while from school and work and just relax and have fun. We stayed at the Dittbrenners house in Las Vegas on Sunday night. We played some games (High School Musical) and enjoyed our day with them. The next day we made the rest of the trip down to Irvine. We spent time with my parents that night by going to In-n-out and playing a game of Hand and foot. It was nice to spend time with them. The next day we went to Disneyland! We were excited to go as it has been since June. I couldn't go on any of the "big kid" rides, so we went on lots of fun and different rides. Charise and the 2 boys joined us and we were able to go on Toy Story Mania without waiting in the long line. Then later, Mom and Dad came and got annual passes! Dad was so funny. They came, we ate dinner together, went on the train, (not Thunder Mountain... just the train) cuz that was what dad wanted to do, and then went home. Dad said that was a perfect amount! It had started to rain as we were leaving, so it was a perfect time to leave. The next day, Ryan and I went to Disneyland in the morning with his parents, bright and early, when the park opened. We went on Small World, some fantasyland rides, and shopped a little bit. Then Ryan went golfing with my dad. He had lots of fun, but said he didn't do very well. After a nap and dinner, we returned back to Disneyland for the Holiday Fireworks. They were beautiful and a perfect ending to our Disneyland trips.

Long time no blog...

So sorry everyone that I haven't blogged in a long time. Ryan and I have been super busy. Ryan has finished this semester and I have finished busy wedding/corporate Christmas party season! We are now in Sacramento celebrating Christmas with Ryan's sister Erin and her family and Ryan's parents. We will be here until the day after Christmas, and then will be going down to Irvine for the rest of the time! We are so happy to start our holiday season and our vacation! We will be seeing all of the Conley family and then the McBrides, Johnsons, and my parents also. We are excited to be with family finally! More blogs to come... but have to eat dinner first!

Time for pink polka dots and princesses!

Yes, it's a girl! I wasn't too surprised because I thought it was a girl. I've alsways thought I would have a girl first! We are so excited! The due date is still March 31st. There is still a chance it could be a boy. We have a very modest baby... she kept covering herself with her hand, so the nurse couldn't tell for 100%. We are going to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks because she didn't get to see everything that she wanted too. We are excited to go back and see how much our baby has grown!

2 weeks until pink or blue!!

So I just scheduled my next doctor's appointment, which is the ultrasound! It was supposed to be 3 weeks away... but I thought that was stupid since I would have been 21 weeks and you only need to be 20 weeks for my medical coverage. So I called and asked them to move it up! We will be finding out what we are going to have. Daton or Sandrine? Pheobe or Pheobo? Ryan at first didn't want to find out, but he wasn't really adamant about it. I told him that I want to find out for at least this first one, and then any of the rest I don't care. But for this first one, I want to know! It will be 2 weeks from today! Wednesday, November 12th at 9:30. So it's time to cast your vote! I will put a poll on the side of my blog, but I want to know specifically what individuals think! So you can vote in the poll, but also leave a comment so I can know what you thought and I can put it in our baby's book someday! I know some family members will be opposing us in this decision... but I know you are going to be so excited to hear what will be having too! (ESPECIALLY since on both sides of the family our baby is going to have so many close cousins! Lani and Michael with their boy, Char and Bill with their girl, and Erin and Randy with their baby- unknown of the gender!) We are so excited. We can hardly wait to start getting read any get to know our baby girl or boy!!

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT BEFORE/AFTER YOU VOTE SO I CAN KNOW WHO VOTED WHAT!!!!

PS... how cool would it be if we went in and found out we were having twins! SO COOL! Only in my dreams though.
Also, Madison and Michael are not names we are thinking... we already have to many Michaels! It's just the only picture I could find with a pink and blue thing.

Ryan's New Calling

So I was talking to my sister Charise today and she made me realize that I never posted about Ryan's new church calling. Back in the last week of August, Ryan was called to be a 2nd counselor in a Singles ward Bishopric here in Provo! Yes, I am now a bishopric members wife! It is a little crazy but we really do enjoy it. Here is the story. So back in March/April, we were called in to meet with a stake president of a singles ward. They called us in and said, "We like to meet with the wife first, and then the husband, and then we will meet with both of you together." So I went in first, then Ryan, and then the Stake President said, "Alright, thanks. We just like to get to know some couples in the area." Slap in the face basically! He didn't even meet with both of us! It was like, ok we don't really want you. Try again later!!! We weren't to sad that he wasn't called, but it was just really abrupt how the stake president did it! We felt like we were in a job interview the entire time. We came home thinking, "I'm glad judgement day isn't today!" So then about 3 months later, later June, a different Stake called us to meet with them. We went in and he was SO nice! Just a sweet man who was really caring and loving and just seemed to like us for us. Well later we found out that this man is President Monson! No, not THE President Monson... his son President Monson! So no wonder this guy was so nice and sweet... he was raised that way! So he told us that they were considering Ryan to be a 2nd counselor in a singles ward and that if we do get choosen, that we should be getting a call in the next 2 weeks. Well, 2 weeks went by, then 4 weeks, and there was no call. Then after about 6 weeks, Ryan got a call asking him to meet with President Monson again. And this time, they called him to be the 2nd counselor! So at the end of August Ryan was put in the new ward. So now every Sunday we attend the singles ward! It's a little funny, especially because I am starting to show my pregnant belly. When there are parents around visiting their son or daughter, I try to flash my ring around a little more so I don't look like a single pregnant girl. But we do love going to the ward. It's fun to do all the single ward activities but not be single! Our first activity, we had breakfast, rented out a movie theater, and were able to see any of the 8 movies that were playing there. They had popcorn and candy and soda's too. It was very fun. So that's our calling right now. You should see Ryan up on the stand... he is so cute! He hasn't even fallen asleep yet!

Ok, so I'm starting to get into this again

So this post is probably going to sound whiney... so read this one first, and then the Disneyland one so you end on a good note! :) But I am blogging to basically journal. So I had some bad morning sickness the past 2 months but I am finally starting to get better. It pretty much lasted all day long. I would wake up, have breakfast (usually cereal cuz it sounded ok at the time), then throw that up, and then have to eat again, and again, and agian! I had to eat like every hour. I HATED IT! I got to the point where I hated food! And you all know me... do you think that I would ever say that in my life? I mean really... me... hating food... I never thought it was possible! But HAVING to eat every hour and then throwing up 2 times a day does that to you. At least I wasn't like my sister Lani who would throw up 10 times a day. I would never get out of bed. Anyways. So I would eat every hour, feeling nauseous all day long. Then at about 9:30 I would feel it coming and go throw up again. I had some bad times. What was even worse was that I would eat the same things over and over again! The only thing I would want to do is go out to eat... fast food, sit down, whatever. I just didn't want ANYTHING from my own house! Poor Ryan... he was such a trooper during this time. I think I maybe cooked for him 5-8 times in the past 2 months. I couldn't do more than that because it would make me sick. So I really didn't feel like blogging at all the past 2 months. But... I think I am starting to get back into it. I haven't thrown up for about 4 days (the last time I did I had developed a sore throat so that I couldn't even breathe... so now days if I feel like I need to, I am making myself NOT do it!). And I am constantly taking medication which is helping me not feel nauseous inbetween. I still hate food because I am so tired of eating it every hour and eating the same thing over and over agian. Anybody have new good easy quick recipes I should try for every meal of the day?

I'm going through withdrawls...

I miss this place especially at this time of year. I love how they dress up the parks with all the carved pumpkins, and mickey and minnie dressed up in their halloween costumes. I miss the short lines and uncrowded-ness of main street. Everything about Disneyland this time of year is perfect!

I get really bad nostalgia come October 1st when I have no plans to visit. Last year at this time it was really bad so I cooked up a mini Conley family reunion so we could have an excuse to go down there (since I am not in school, I would choose to go every weekend... but my husband needs a little pushing because he is still in school). Ryan called his mom yesterday and she and his sister and her family were there at Disneyland eating at the Blue Bayou (the really nice restuaurant... basically right under Club 33- geopraphically AND in price and niceness). I was totally jealous. Anyways, we don't have any plans to go this month because in a week and a half we are going on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. So yes, we are VERY VERY excited for that! It's probably going to be our last big trip before the baby comes, so we are stoked! And, I think we are probably going to go home for a week during Thanksgiving time and go to Disneyland Tues and Wed before Thanksgiving. At that time all the Christmas stuff will be up, so that will be great. I love that time at Disneyland for obvious reasons of the season, but it is a little more crowded. So it's my 2nd favorite time of year. So that's what's going on lately. Here are some pictures of us last year at good old D-land during Halloween time.
All the Conley family (minus Ryan's dad). So I guess it was only "mini" in the fact that it was the weekend! Too bad we can't do it again this year guys!!! We had lots of fun last time!

Ok, so THIS is the best news of the year!

So next to getting into Disneyland for free for your birthday, this is the best news of this year and next year! Ryan and I are happy to announce that in March of next year we will be adding a new member to our family! I am just over 3 months pregnant! YAY!!!! We are SO excited for this little baby to come into our lives! We have been wanting to start our family for a while. Back in January I had a miscarriage at 9 weeks. So we are very happy to have this opportunity agian. We waited until I was far enough along to announce it to people this time around because of what happened last time. But I am 13 weeks along now and we heard the baby's heartbeat yesterday at the doctor's office, and the doctor said that our chance of miscarriage after hearing the heartbeat goes down to less than 5%. So we are so happy and can't wait to have this little baby in our lives! We will find out what we are having at 20 weeks, so just before Thanksgiving time. Ryan thinks it is a girl. He kept saying she and her. And I wanted a girl... until 2 nights ago I had the BEST dream! I had a dream that we already had our little baby... and it was a boy! A cute little blonde boy with blue eyes! So now I want this little baby boy! We are starting to think of names that we both like. So only 6 more months and we are going to be parents!!!! This is an ultrasound at 6 weeks. (And Karina, I tried to call you on Sunday to tell you and I tried to wait as long as I could to tell you before I told the rest of the world also. Give me a call when you read this!)

Best News of the upcoming year!!!!!!

How cool is this?!?!??!?

Get Into Disneyland Free On Your Birthday

(Anaheim, CA) -- Get into Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim for free on your birthday in 2009. The free birthday promotion that requires proof of age and birth date, begins January 1st. Disney's birthday present to you is worth the value of a single-day ticket, which is 69 dollars for adults and 59 dollars for children ages three to nine-years-old. The "Orange County Register" reports Disney says they are launching the promotion to take advantage of a growing trend, celebration vacations.

Even if you are a pass holder you can get a gift card in the amount of a ticket to use for merchandise.

here is the link to Disneyland's website with all the info.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/disneyland/index?name=CelebrationsDLRFreeOnYourBirthdayPage

Gates Reunion

This summer was like the summer of reunions it seemed like. We attended the Gates reunion this year that was at a campsite about 5 minutes south of Manti. It was a very different experience than the Whiting reunion. We got there had some food and relaxed, hung out, had a dance and played corn hole. This was the big game at the reunion and was quite fun. Its kind of like horseshoes and 21 put together. You have to get it on the board or in the hole to score points to add up to 21 exactly without going over. If you go over you go back to 11 and start over. We played it a lot and it was really fun. We went boating and it was all very relaxing. It was very windy and so we were glad that we stayed at a B&B in Manti. The breakfast was amazing, definitely worth it.

Corn Hole

We call this dance "The Wheelchair"

The B&B

Exhausting Boat Ride!

Rock Band

Many of you may have heard of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Tiffany and I purchased Rock Band for the Wii a little while ago and it has been a blast. It is kind of like Dance Dance Revolution but with your hands. You can play with a guitar, bass, drums, or you can sing along to a lot of rock songs. They have 63 songs on the game that you can play. You have to play the right notes at the right times in order to sound good and make the "crowd" go wild. If you don't hit enough notes you will eventually get booed off the stage. It is a very fun game to play with friends as you can see. Tiffany and I love it and we can't wait for Rock Band 2 to come out in November (I think). Some of the songs you can play include:

• "Are you gonna be my girl?" -Jet
• "Ballroom Blitz" -Sweet
• "Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Detroit Rock City" -Kiss
• "Roxanne" -The Police
• "When We Were Young" -The Killers
• "Say it Ain't So" -Weezer
• "Should I Stay or Should I Go" -The Clash
  

And many more! If you haven't played it you should try it out, its a blast! "The louder the better!"

The Boy's Band

The Girl's Band

Amanda... Did you not see this coming?!!!

Awesome!!!

Even Ed gets in on the rock action!!!
("The Drummer is the leader of the band" -Ed Gates)

Whiting Reunion 2008

So Tiffany's family is huge. We attended the Whiting Reunion just outside Show Low at the Whiting Homestead. We camped out and there were a 1000 people there. We had pioneer times where everyone dressed up like pioneers. There were competitions for slingshot, bull whips (of which I got on the top ten), and lots of other activities. We learned a lot about Tiffany's family and heritage. It was very interesting. We had a lot of fun with everything and hanging out with family. I got a knife and whittled a sword out of a piece of wood. We did other stuff like making rope, throwing tops, and oh yeah taking your mother-in-law to the emergency room. It was a very sad story. She was hiking with everyone but was a little behind everyone coming down the mountain. As she was hiking down she had a rough stepped and broke her ankle. She was all alone on the mountain for an hour before some kids on ATV’s drove by. They came and told us and then we rushed her to the Emergency room which was 16 miles away just to wait for about 2 hours before she was admitted. They finally took the x-rays and we found out that it was broken. She was on crutches for the rest of the reunion which was hard. We all felt very sorry for her. All in all it was a great reunion and honestly it was really fun.

One Cute Little Pioneer

The Bull Whip! (42 strong!)

Tiff Actually Milked It (proof)

I Milked It Too!

Natural Born Cowboy (i guess)

Some Stuff!

Lisa and Andy's Wedding

My older sister Lisa got married to Andy Funk on June 21, 2008. Tiffany and I was able to go down to California to attend the wedding and it was amazing. The ceremony was wonderful and the reception was beautiful. I have to say that when it got dark and the lanterns came on it was amazing! There was Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches, a cup cake tower, and wonderful salads catered by stone fire grill. It was at the South Lake Beach Club and it was really fun. After the reception we stayed for a few more days and went to Disneyland three times and when on the new Toy Story Mania ride. It was so fun. You have to pull a string to shoot the gun and you pull it so fast that you're arm hurts afterwards. We did it every day that we went so our arms hurt pretty bad but it was so worth it. That ride is right up there with the Buzz Lightyear ride. We had a lot of fun at the wedding/California vacation.

My New Job- well new 2 months ago

Ok everyone, I know that I haven't been the best blogger lately. I have made Ryan do the blogging of late because I have been pretty lazy about it and just frankly didn't want to do it. I did all of the blogging during Jan-April, and so I thought it could be Ryan's turn to do most of them for a few months. But now I really have no excuse because I do have the time now. Well, I do have one excuse for some posts. The posts with pictures usually Ryan has to first upload because he puts the pictures from our camera to our computer. So that hasn't happened yet, so this post will be no pictures... but an update on my great new job!

As some of you know, ie., my family, I have a wonderful job! I got the job in the middle of May this year. And it was really was an answer to prayers and great faith. The day I found out about the job, I had come home from my old job the most depressed that I had ever been. I was sad that my old job wasn't giving me the credit that I was working really hard for, and I felt like all my work was going unnoticed. I went to a cousin's cafe opening, (who is the owner of the Catering business also), and I just happened to ask him if he had anything open, and he said he had an event coordinator position. I was exstatic! I told him right then I would love the job. 2 days later, I had an interview, and I was hired on the spot! I am the Event Coordinator for Brown Brothers Catering! And it's great! I meet with all the clients and finalize the parties and events with them, and then I go to the events. This is my dream job and it is so great to say, "Yep, I'm an event planner... which is what I always said I wanted to do!" Really, I would tell my family that my dream job is to be a wedding planner, and although I am doing more than just weddings, it still is this great dream job! It is wonderful to say that I am doing what I have alyways wanted to do.

I don't have very many late nights. A typical weekend, I usually get home by 8:30 at the latest, but that isn't a problem, because Ryan and I usually stay up late on the weekends, and don't really start our night until about then with our friends. So it really is wonderful. I get to sleep in and I get paid a salary, so I don't need to clock in and out, and I get to make my own hours and stuff for when I want to meet with brides and stuff.

So, that is my new job. I am trying to think of anything else I should say about it, but I really do love it. And I love that I get to spend time with my husband at night without coming home and being exhausted, and I also love that I can go to the gym during the day/morning/or whenever, and I also love that I can go out and lay by my pool for an hour during the day and do work after that. It really is wonderful!

Home Sweet Home

We’ve been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for #1
California here we come
Right back where we started from

Hustlers grab your guns
Your shadow weighs a ton
Driving down the 101
California here we come
Right back where we started from

California!
Here we come!

We will be MIA for the next week as we go back home to sunny Irvine, California! We haven't been home since February, so we are very excited. The main purpose of the trip is for the hitching of these 2 lovebirds:


But because of the wonderful timing, we will also be able to visit this:


and this:


We are so excited to see both of our families during this wonderful trip. And because of high gas prices and low ding fares, we are flying! Thank you southwest! Love you all and can't wait to see you! We will report when we get back! And we are out to the coast!

Wii Fun!!!!

In the last few months we have acquired Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit. These are two way fun games that we just can't get enough of.
Mario Kart Wii comes with a Wii Wheel that you can put the Wii Remote in and steer like a real Kart. It makes the game so fun. There are 32 tracks including some tracks that they have remade from old Mario Cart games like Mario Kart 64! Our Friends have the same game and we have each other over and race. Sometimes we have girls vs. boys team races and the girls do beat up sometimes. They won this last weekend. We will have to have a rematch.
Wii Fit is a home workout system. It comes with a balance board that is very sensitive and can detect when you lean in any direction. The game includes many yoga, strength, and aerobic exercises and then it has some balance games which are pretty fun. Some of the Balance games include ski and snowboard slalom, ski jump, tight rope walking, and more. Wii Fit helps you set goals for your ideal weight or BMI. The balance board helps you improve your posture by measuring your center of balance. The entire system give you a major workout right in front of the TV.

Tiffany and I have been having a blast with Mario Kart and geting a major workout with Wii Fit. The Wii has provided us with hours and hours of entertainment with each other. Its GREAT!

Ryan's 24th Birthday

By birthday was such a great day! Tiffany had given a big screen TV to me for every present of this year but I needed a laptop to help me with my school work. We found a really good deal on this laptop and so Tiffany wrapped it up "Gates' Style" for my birthday. Tiffany took me out to dinner at Magleby's and boy was it good. I got Mahi Mahi that had some Mango salsa on it. Talk about delicious. The bread was even better than I remembered it. We got a really nice birthday dessert and they didn't even sing to me (which is a good thing). I got a call from my Mom the morning of and she informed me that this is my Golden Birthday because I am turning 24 on the 24th. It only happens once in a life time. I just want to thank everyone who called, gave me a card, or e-mailed me with a happy birthday! It was a great birthday!

Got to love those racing strips!

Tiffany's 22nd Birthday

On Tiffany's birthday we had a fun filled day. We both had to work so when we both ended work at around 5pm. Tiffany picked me up and we headed to the Movie theater and saw "What Happens In Vegas." After that we headed over to Tiffany's aunt Pam's house where they were celebrating some other birthdays and they lit some candles to sing to her which was great. We didn't have much time before we had to leave to go to one of Provo/Orem's best restaurants, The Chef's Table. We had a Shrimp Cocktail and then we both got a tenderloin which was amazing. The sauce was really good. The Cesar salad that I got was the best I have ever had! It had slices of Parmesan cheese. I gave Tiffany a new Apron that she wanted. It was a great day!

Tiffany's plate, very fancy!

Tiffany's Apron

Grandma Conley's Funeral

On April 6th of this year I got a call while visiting family in Salt Lake City that my Grandma Conley had gone to the hospital after some complications and later I got a call that she had passed away there. Although it was sad to see her leave we are very happy that she is in a better place. I have some great memories of going to Grandma's house and playing with all my cousins and all the old toy sets. It was great to be with family at the funeral.

These were the flowers from all the Grandchildren. Yellow was her favorite color.

Tiffany and Camille

Paul's Grave (My Stillborn Brother)

We got TIVO!!!

Yes! We got TIVO and NO! We are not pregnant! We just think this a very funny clip from Friends. We borrowed an older tivo from our friends when they got a new one and we got hooked. We started to look for TIVO prices and we found a duel tuner tivo for 50 bucks that was referbished but we dicided to wait and then we found a deal for a FREE dual tuner TIVO if we signed up for a year subscription. So we signed up and got a steal of a deal! We are recording like crazy and we are loving it! TIVO IS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!!

Cole's Sealing

I am now just getting to post about Cole's Sealing. It was beautiful and we were so grateful that the family could come up to Salt Lake to do it. We love that you could all be here for it and come to us. It was a lot of fun spending lots of time with everyone. We are so happy that Cole is finally sealed to our family for time and all eternity! He has grown up so much and is so smart and funny. He does the cutest things and we love it when he talks in his raspy voice! Ryan and I didn't take any pictures, but here are 2 of our favorites from you guys!


Dad and Cole... who would know that this kid is adopted! He looks so much like us I think, especially with his curly hair just like Char's!

April's Fools Joke

So I came in on April Fools Day and I saw this at my desk...



One of the chef's did it. I had a good laugh.

School's Out!!!

Well sort of, Spring term starts next week but I have finally finished Winter 2008 semester at BYU. This was probably my worst semester of my life. What a nightmare. I am excited for another spring term with different classes and a fresh start. I may not have gotten as good of grades as past semesters but I'll tell you what, I don't really care! I am DONE! YAHOO!!! We still have some new stuff coming so just hold on to those hats and glasses!

Mini Conley Reunion 2008

This March we also had the opportunity to go down to California and hang out with my family. Everyone was going to be there at the same time which doesn't happen very often so that sparked our interest and we made it happen. It was hard with this difficult semester that I had but it was a nice break.

We drove down Wednesday night and stayed in Vegas at Tiffany's sister's house. We drove the rest of the way on Thursday morning. On Thursday we took my nieces Megan and Katie to go hang out and swim at Tiffany's good family friend's house.

Tiffany's nieces and nephew were there as well and they all had a great time. We rushed home to see the Savior of the World musical drama that was put on by the Irvine Stake.

On Friday we went out to eat with the Luci and took Megan and Katie to go swimming again but this time to the Woodflower pool right by my parents house. That night we had a lot of fun at the "South Lake Beach Club," more commonly known as the lagoon. We had pizza and samores and it was a lot of fun. It was great to see where Lisa and Andy are going to have their wedding reception.

On Saturday morning we had a great game of Tennis. Randy pulled a "Meet the Parents" and nailed Tiffany on a big smash. That afternoon was very relaxing. We died eggs and went to Sprinkles and got some cupcakes. I still don't get whats the big hype about them.

We had a great tri-tip dinner on Saturday and a wonderful pork chop dinner on Sunday. We left on Sunday and stayed in Vegas and left early Monday morning.