"White Christmas" Date

I am sure by now you know that we love date nights! I seriously look forward to spending this extra time with Patrick all week.  For our date last Friday, I was so excited to go to see my friend, Chantryce, in her opening night performance of "White Christmas."  We have lots of Christmas shows to see this month since it seems like all of my close friends are busy spreading holiday cheer onstage. However, "White Christmas" is 2nd pick on my all-time favorite Christmas movies list ("It's A Wonderful Life" is first) so I was especially eager to go. Plus, I saw the stage version of "White Christmas" at the 5th Avenue Theatre while living in Seattle and it snowed in the audience at the the end of the show. It was pretty magical.

Chantryce was my first Utah friend. We met at auditions for "Bye Bye Birdie." We were cast as best friends, Kim and Ursula.  Chantryce is a ball of fun and crazy energy. Everyone needs someone like that in their life!  Chantryce and I always make a point of trying to see each other perform.  I always love when Chantryce is in the audience because you can't miss her great laugh!

The cast and crew at Centerpoint Legacy Theater did a wonderful job with their production of "White Christmas."  All the leads were strong in their roles and the ensemble did a nice job with the choreography.  Patrick commented multiple times about how great the costumes and sets looked.  We definitely recommend this production if you are on the search for the perfect Christmas show!

Birthday Bowling

Happy Birthday, Austin!

In my family we have a tradition were we make a birthday banner out of newsprint paper.  I thought Mom's sketch of Austin was pretty accurate!

Since Austin's birthday is the end of November so we usually have a family party for him over Thanksgiving weekend.  Bowling is one activity the whole family can agree upon so that is how we have celebrated the past several years.  Most of us are not any good, but it is still always a fun time.

 Contrary to what you may think based on these photos, Austin does know how to smile!

 Jay and Pat had to be responsible grown-ups and work so it was just me, Mom and Dad, Garrett, and the birthday boy that were able to hit the lanes.

I fall into the "not any good" category.  My goal when I go bowling is to break a hundred.  I did, but only after there was a malfunction with the pin machine and it knocked down my pins giving me a free strike!

Our competitive faces. 

We love you, Austin!  Wishing you a fantastic year!

Thankful...

Thanksgiving 2013

Ma and Pa Jensen and the spread.

A tradition we started a few years back- We have a white table runner that each family member writes a blessing on each Thanksgiving.  It is so fun reading the notes from previous years. This is a tradition I definitely plan to carry one!

Oh my, these pies were delicious! I could have eaten a whole apple crumble pie by myself. (Don't worry, I did share!)

Patrick and his famous sweet potatoes.  I love a man who isn't afraid of the kitchen!

My biggest blessing!

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures ." -Thornton Wilder

Hoping you all had a happy and safe holiday! xoxo

A Solid Week

I was looking over my planner from the past week.  It was a good week. We worked hard but found time to play, too.  Those type of weeks are my favorites.  I definitely know I couldn't live a life where all I did was work constantly, but I also know I wouldn't be happy if life were all play.  There truly needs to be a balance! Yep, it was a solid week.  Here are some of the highlights...

-S'mores!  I loved watching Patrick's enthusiasm as he roasted marshmallows over the stove top.

-It was Pajama Week at Kindermusik!  I wish I could wear comfy jammies to work everyday!

-I went to see "Brigadoon" at the Hale Centre Theatre with Mom, Kayla, and Heidi. (Montana Roadtrip Reunion!) My dear friend/former roommate, Adrianne, was absolutely beautiful as Jean.

-I am still fighting this never-ending cold so I tried to get some extra rest. Patrick kept me entertained by playing board games with me.  I recently bought Monopoly for our game collection.  I am not sure why though... I always lose at it.  And if you know me, I am a little on the competitive side and I don't like playing games I'm bad at!

-Got a haircut, which always make me feel like a million bucks.

-I met up with one of my most favorite people, Amy, at one of my favorite restaurants, Tea Rose Diner, for some delicious Thai food and a much needed catch-up session.  Good luck in Spain, Lulu!

-Patrick and I went to the Utah Children's Theatre to see "Tinkerbell and the Pirates." The show was fantastic!  Perfect for both boys and girls.  You have only more week to see it!

Marky

Here are two random stories for you to explain what the sock monkey is all about...

Story #1 "What Inspired the Monkey"
Patrick definitely has his own style, which I love.  When we started dating, it was brought to my attention that he favored brightly colored socks.  Whenever we'd meet up for a date, I'd try to see what the color of the day was.  Recently, Patrick decided he needed/wanted a more grown-up look (which meant no more bright, bright socks).  He asked if I wanted his colored socks since he knew how I liked them and we basically have the same size feet.  I kept the socks even though the didn't fit my feet right and I didn't really have plans to wear them because I was being all sentimental.  Silly, I know. I needed a way to preserve the fun memory of Boyfriend Patrick's style, so I thought- what better way than to make a sock monkey?  Ridiculous, but the monkey sure makes us laugh and it seems better than just holding onto some pairs of folded up socks.

Story #2 The Naming of the Monkey
Baby names are always a popular subject when a new baby is on its way to the Jensen Family. With Andrew and Nicole recently welcoming a new daughter to their family and Jay and Aubrey expecting their second baby early next year, Patrick and I (who are very much not pregnant but still think it's fun to think about) have been thinking up baby names of our own that we like.  I've shared some of our favorites with my mom, who isn't always crazy about the same names as us.  Patrick and I came up with a  name to tease my mom with, and she decided she actually liked it. Mark Marks.  I couldn't ever do that to a child. But, we did decided the name wasn't so bad for a stuffed monkey.  We wanted him to have a middle name as well so we settled on Marky Mark Marks.  *I just googles Marky Marks, Mark Marks, and Marky Mark Marks and there are actually lots of people by those names.  Maybe it isn't such a bad name after all?

Zion National Park: Day 2

Our second day in Zion National Park was much cooler (you'll notice my hands in my pockets in every single photo) and slightly overcast but that did not prevent us from exploring any less.  The first day, we took the shuttle through the park and made all the stops hoping to see as much as possible.  On day two, we drove through the park on our own stopping as we pleased.  We loved all the paths, tunnels, and amazing views we discovered.

Always have to have a shoe photo and selfie to make a blog post complete!

Zion National Park: Day 1

We couldn't have picked a more perfect weekend to visit Zion National Park.  It was Fall weather in its glory!  In my dream world, it would be Fall year round.  And my backyard would look something like this...

It is amazing how you can drive only 5 hours away from home and feel like you are in a completely different world.  I love looking at the license plates on the cars of the park's visitors.  People come from all over the world!  How lucky are we to live so close?!

We took so, so many photos.  It was just too beautiful to resist!  We saw an artist with her easel set up off in a secluded grove painting.  If I were an artist, this is one place I would definitely want to capture on canvas.

The colors were stunning.  The yellow leaves were such a nice compliment to Zion's red rocks.

We picnicked and had a bite of our wedding cake.  Happy to report it survived the past year in the freezer!

So grateful I have Patrick to share all these fun adventures with!

Day 2 coming soon!