It's A Wonderful Life!

The Four Agreements: Toltec Wisdom

2011-03-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

I'm currently reading the book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It is a very fast read- and a very inspiring one as well. The agreements are very simple, yet very profound.
Here is a quick look at each agreement:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity.
Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Awesome book!

-Jenn

Modern Family

2011-02-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

.: modern family :.

Words cannot explain my love for this show!

This has to be - by far the greatest t.v. show I've seen (Dexter not included). I swear Jack and I have had some of the same "nothing fights" they have on the show. Great cast- love the dysfunctional relationships... every family has them. :)

A year of updating

2011-02-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

Wow- I can't believe it has been almost 1 year since I posted. Lamesauce.

I should be able to post more now that I am done with school... YES that's right, I'm finally done with school! I'm so exicted- excited to have time to do "stuff"... working out, making dinner (poor Jack eating Mac&Cheese or PB&J's for dinner all this time), hanging out with the fam and friends, gardening this spring and summer, and oh how my list could go on and on. It's funny how you don't realize how much time you had until you no longer have it. I suppose that applies to a lot of things in life!

I'm happy to say that our little family is growing! We adopted Luey last September- and oh man, he is our little black ninja! I think we are done with dogs for awhile. Next step... having a baby. WOAH- slow down there, I'm not pregnant. We are waiting just a little while longer (2 years-ish) before we start down that path. :)

(This is Luey in his "non-ninja" state)

We are still living in Sugarhouse. We've done a little decorating though- new paint, furniture, etc to really make our house our home. It's coming together so nicely! Decorating/re-decorating can be soooo expensive which is why I'm glad we are doing it incrementally. We have a few more pieces of furniture to get before it's really complete... I love decorating!

Alright - gotta jet!
Adios,

Jenn

The Dirty Dash!

2011-02-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't want to run a 10k obstacle course in mud?! You can bet your sweet bippy that we will be there on Saturday, September 17th at 9am! Just look at the course... how would one go about training for something like this?! Haha - better get to running!

Dog Parks?

2010-03-09T06:57:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know of a really nice dog park? I took our dogs to the dog park on 1300 South & 7th East over the weekend- it was blah. Most people weren't even watching their dogs- it was like a daycare with no one to make sure the kids were playing nice! I would like to find a good dog park- so if you know of any, let me know!

St. George & Skeet Shooting

2010-03-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

Jack and I had a blast visiting his dad and step-mom in St. George this past weekend. The highlight of our activities was skeet shooting. It was awesome! Here are some pictures:

Jack was a natural- his dad was so impressed!

I did pretty well myself - shot 5 in a row! Not bad for the first time shooting!

We had to wear glasses and ear plugs. Sa-weet!

It started raining right after we got done shooting - we finished just in time.

The dogs were happy to see us after we got back from the range!

After shooting we went to see Shutter Island - overall a good show... aside from the two old ladies sitting next to me who had to discuss every scene while shaking up their bags of popcorn and slurping their large sodas. Example: "Oh dear, Leonardo DiCaprio sure looks older than he did in Titanic!" Really?! How many years has it been since Titanic came out?!!

We also took the dogs to a dog park down in St. George - they both did exceptionally well! So well in fact, that I am going to start taking them to a dog park in Salt Lake once a week. Baby steps!

New Pics

2010-02-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

We got this new camera last night- so excited to start snappin' pics! Jack and I really suck at taking a lot of pictures... we're hoping to improve that this year!

Love this Squeak'um!

2010-02-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

Our dogs are into anything that squeaks- You squeak it, they'll destroy it. I don't know if the squeaking noise is something they actually enjoy, or if it annoys them so much they feel the need to rip it to shreds. At any rate, Jack found the best squeak'um. It's this little rubber chicken. The dogs go nuts over it. Jack and I sit down for a few minutes each night to play a little "keep away" from the roggies (yes, we call them roggies).

Good thing we bought a few extras... this one is looking a little hammered!

For The Love Of Duck

2009-12-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but we always end up with strange animals in our yard. On this particular day, we discovered a duck in our backyard as we were getting ready to leave for the day. It was just chillin'. We couldn't let the dogs out because they would probably try to kill the poor duck. Every time we approached the duck, it would start hissing and puffing up its chest. Jack had to go so I offered to call animal control. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I love all animals- seriously. I felt bad for this duck. I waited and waited for the animal control officer to show. Finally, the truck pulls up. In the meantime, I started feeding the duck some bread. It was definitely hungry. I met the animal control officer in our driveway so I could take him through the gate to the backyard. By this time, our dogs have spotted the strange person walking with me so they start barking- The animal control officer looks at me, then in at the dogs and asks "Oh, so you have two dogs?". I thought he was just trying to make conversation so I proceeded to tell him about Harvey & Hannah. He cut me off and tells me that he researched our address in his system and no animals were registered to live there. Long story short- the damn duck was saved... and I was left with a case number and 3 days to get my dogs registered with Salt Lake County. The stupid duck wasn't even hurt- it was released at Sugarhouse Park just after leaving my house. Grrr....

-Quick Update-

2009-09-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

The end of summer came a lot sooner than I wanted and fall is proving to fly by quicker each passing year-

Jack and I are both back in school.

He is continuing up at the U and I’m attending The Elase Academy (medical spa esthetician). The joys of working full-time and going to school 20 hours a week! :)

I start a new job on Monday! I have worked for AMD for the last 2.5 years. I attribute my professional and personal growth over those years to working for such a great company! While I love what I do, I am looking for more growth opportunity which has been somewhat capped at AMD. I have built some great relationships with the people I worked with at AMD and plan to stay in touch! I now get the pleasure of working with someone I have worked with in the past... who is a great mentor! Opportunity for growth seems endless!

In other news, the salons are doing really well! I couldn’t ask for better business partners (Jack, Ryan, & Raschelle). The dogs are still spoiled… shocker, I know! Family is doing great- love them!

I hope to start updating my blog more frequently… best of intentions anyway!

Not your typical salon...

2009-08-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

I am so unbelievably excited! We opened Studio Salons in West Jordan (8846 South Redwood Road)! Studio Salons is not your typical salon where you pay booth rent or get paid on commission. We simply rent you your own suite where you conduct your business. You can decorate the suite however you choose and with your own style. We just supply the location and basic equipment. The cool thing is that this concept works for hairstylists, nail techs, estheticians, and massage therapists. We are offering free rent (2 weeks free with a one year agreement OR 4 weeks free with a two year lease agreement), so spread the word! In addition, we will give you $100(cash) for every referral that signs a contract with Studio Salons in West Jordan. Just an option to make some extra $. We are also opening a location in Lindon with more to come!

Here are some pictures from different locations to give you an idea of the concept:

Common Areas: (2 locations)

AND:

Examples of Suites:

West Jordan Layout:

Dogs do the funniest things!

2009-05-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Jack and I were making the bed when Hannah decided where she wanted to lay... this is where she ended up!

She loves Jack so much!

Here is a cute one of Harvey sleeping on me at the cabin...

Dogs are such great animals! No matter what happens in your day, dogs are always so excited and happy to see you when you get home!

ROGGIES!

Some Purty Flurs!

2009-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent good weather, my mom, sister and I ventured out to buy some flowers for planting. We went to 3 different stores (Engh, Home Depot, Wasatch Gardens) to find everything we were looking for. My mom is an absolute expert on flowers!

After shopping, it was time to get the flowers potted and planted.
Oh my gosh... we found the cutest little ceramic garden mushrooms I just had to have (see below)! Jack also mowed and weed eated... good job babeh! :)

Spending the day with my mom and sister was so enjoyable! We definitely need to do little things like this more often.

Here are the results of a hard day at work:

Our house...

Cutest Mushrooms... EVER!

If you can't tell, I'm pretty stoked about these!

A cute black pot...

Little pot...

Large Pot...

Large pot again...

Hanging flowers...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-05-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend was such a wet one so let's play some word association, shall we?!

rain = water
water = wet dirt
wet dirt = mud
mud = my dogs digging in it
digging in the mud = not good for cream furniture

RESULT:

Damnit... I am so ready for sunshine and warm weather...

April 26th, 2009 (10:48pm)

2009-04-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I got this text from my dad:

I have been thinking about you and where you are in your life and the good decisions you have made and I want to say how proud I am of you and how much I love you. -dad-

Of course I replied to the text... but I just want everyone to know how much I love my dad. I am so grateful to have him and my mom as my parents. They've guided me without pushing, they have given of themselves so us kids would never have a need for anything, and have always been there... whether it be for advice or a shoulder to cry on.

I am so grateful for the close relationship my whole family has. We are always there for one another and love getting together. Everyone fits into our family. We frequently have people asking to become a part of the Freed family. Come one, come all!

Beyond Glaze = Beyond Yummy

2009-04-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

On my way to work on Friday, I decided to stop and get some treats for us in Accounting. I stopped at a doughnut shop called Beyond Glaze. Let me just show you how cute their doughnuts are... not to mention delicious! These are definitely for the days calories aren't being counted!

The flavors included in the dozen above are (from left to right, top to bottom):

Chocolate Ganache
Carmel Apple
Raspberry Mango
Peanut Butter Swirl

Key Lime
Peach Cobbler
Cherry Chocolate
White Coco Mint

Blueberry
Strawberry Cream Cheese
Nutmeg Dash
Cookies & Cream

This place is located in Draper off of 12300 South.
www.beyondglaze.com

Spring is FINALLY here!

2009-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited spring has FINALLY arrived! I keep thinking about all of the spring projects I want to do this year... starting with:

Yard work: pulling weeds, planting flowers, trimming, pruning, mowing, edging
Home Improvements: ya know... those little "fix-it" things that you never get around to doing
Cleaning the garage: which hasn't been done since we moved in
Decorating the basement: we haven't really done a whole lot with the basement since we moved in. We don't have a lot to do since the whole house was redone but I want to add some of "us" into it. I would like to get some paint for the spare bedroom and "craft room", finish decorating the downstairs bathroom, and figure out what to do with our downstairs living room aka "the hole".

I don't know what it is that causes people to go into this "spring cleaning" mode, but I love it! Now that we have our own house, it is much more rewarding!

Happy cleaning, everyone!

~Jenn

Come and gone!

2009-04-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, as you know, our wedding has come and gone. Words can't express how special our day was. We had our immediate family and a few of our closest friends in attendance. The ceremony was soooo intimate... and really how Jack and I always imagined! Words can't even begin to describe how magical the whole day was! THAT is what it is all about.

After getting married on Lindquist Beach in St. Thomas we set sail on a private 65' sailboat. We sailed over to Christmas Cove. The water was about 20-25 feet deep and crystal clear to the bottom. We enjoyed some rum punch, some went snorkeling, all followed by a delicious meal. We had music playing, everyone was laughing and having a fantastic time. We were with all of the people we love, in some far off tropical place, and realized that "This is what it's all about". That feeling is still overwhelming to this day. A PERFECT DAY!

Here are some pictures... not that they do the day justice, but just to give you an idea:

The Ceremony Site:

Cupcakes & Cake:

Wedding Favors:

Jack & I:

Married!

Getting our feet wet...

My nephews and I:

A few of us on board:

Jack & I on the sailboat:

Then at dinner later that night:

More pictures to come! Thanks to everyone who took these pictures!

Love,

Jenn

Things Are Always Changing

2009-04-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's funny because I have noticed that I actually enjoy the things I used to hate doing when I was growing up. I hated making salads for dinner, I hated doing laundry and cleaning, I hated cooking and doing yard work... and now those are all things I enjoy. Jack would disagree with me on the whole laundry thing BUT that is only cause I struggle to get it all put away after it is clean. I'm sure some people can relate. :)

I love having a clean house. I love cooking. I love yard work (Jack would probably disagree here too by saying I only enjoy planting flowers!)I love being responsible. Ha! Kinda weird to say, I know. I love having a home of our own. I love being married.

It's an eye opener when you realize you are all grown up. You start joining book clubs instead of going to clubs, your tastes for alcohol have changed from an AMF to a fine glass of wine, and you are going to bed at a reasonable time.

Things have definitely changed for me and I am so happy!
I have a wonderful husband, the cutest roggies, and most amazing family!
I really couldn't ask for more...

~Jenn

The countdown has begun...

2009-01-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

67 Days To Go…

Until we venture out to the beautiful Caribbean to get married!

We are beach bound… destined to nestle our sun-kissed feet in the warm white sand while professing our love for one another… all of which will be witnessed by our closest friends and family! What more could someone ask for?!

We’ve been searching for pictures of the cruise ship online… these are what we’ve found:

Emerald Princess Cruise Ship - She's a beauty!

This is the piazza of the ship. So so so pretty!

Here is the back of the ship... I will definitley be visiting these pools!

Movies under the stars!

I be up in the gym just working on my fitness (thanks Fergie)

Skywalker's Disco: This is where we will have our first dance as husband and wife, chow down on chocolate covered strawberries, toasting with fine champagne, enjoying drinks from the open bar, and dancing the night away with our family and friends! Private party! :)

Fresh Sushi! WooT WooT!

2008-12-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

2008: Coming to a Close
What does that mean to me?
It means it’s time to make some New Year’s Resolutions.

What is the definition of resolution?
A resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

I know people have the best intentions (myself included) to carry out their New Year’s Resolutions in the beginning. But c’mon… who’s actually carried them out to completion? Most of us make these semi-prodigious lists of things we want to develop or improve on. It’s a little daunting if you ask me!

In my opinion, you can’t make a resolution with the expectation of achievement without taking some course of action to get there.

I’ve decided to switch it up this year by making goals each month in order to accomplish my long-term resolutions. They will seem less daunting and much more attainable. Baby steps!

So there you have it! I will be working hard to reach my goals in 2009 and will try to post them here in da blog to keep myself on track!

Ciao!

Jenn

So funny....

2008-12-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Just a funny video for the day!
Who doesn't love Justin Timberlake and Beyonce?!

Time to UPDATE

2008-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

**PICS COMING SOON**

I know I've sucked at updating my blog lately. Things have been so busy with work, the holidays, and the house. Hopefully I will get better at updating more frequently!

So just to give you a quick run down of things that have happened in the last month...

I was in charge of cooking the turkey this year! Scary, I know! I am currently working on my culinary skills. :) Slowly but surely. I chose to brine the turkey prior to roasting it. I've posted some pics below to show you the beautiful bird! It was very JuIcY!

What a mess!!!

I made my own Pomegranate Molasses:

Prepping the bird:

Wa laaaaa... Here it is:

I also took some pics of our home... it is not fully decorated (obviously) but it is definitely getting there. Decorating is one of my favorite things to do... when I have the time. I love to start "DIY" projects... and will finish them eventually. Anyway, here they are!

Jack, myself and the roggies are doing great! They just went to the vet to get their teeth cleaned last week. Awesome! They are so stinkin' cute! Love them!

Plans for the wedding are coming along smoothly. We are getting closer and closer (and now I have to finish a lot of the DIY projects I started). We are booking our flights this week and are just over 3.5 months away from the cruise. I am so excited! I am so thankful we get to share this moment with our friends and family! WoOt!

I promise to post again soon!

*jenn*

Happy Birthday Harvey!

2008-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today, I received one of the best presents ever ...

2006: Jack and I had been talking about getting a dog for awhile. After looking casually online, we made the decision to get a dog. It was now just a matter of finding the right one. I looked online every day. We decided that we would adopt one from a shelter rather than buying from a breeder. There are so many dogs out there that need a good home, why buy from a breeder?!

Jack has always been a forward thinker. He thinks about all of the expenses of buying something before the purchase to make sure we have everything we need and can afford it. One day (October 20th, 2006), Jack calls me up and suggests we go to PetCo to look at supplies, food, bedding, toys, etc., so we could get an idea of how much we would need to spend. I agreed. I told him I would meet him at home and we could drive together. Candy (Jack’s mom) needed to get some food for Suede (her dog) so she met us there. We started wandering the aisles looking at the prices for beds, food, toys, and yes… clothing. Jack said we should start getting things here and there so when we get a dog we will already have what we need. I didn’t think anything of it. Jack said he wanted to check out the price of grooming. He started walking towards the front of the store. I finally decided on a dog bed and was headed to pick out some toys. Candy was there with me. All of the sudden, Jack shows up behind me holding this little frightened wiener dog. He looked so scared! I looked up at Jack and asked him whose dog it was… He said it was mine. Jack handed this scared little dog over to me and I just started balling. I actually turned around so neither he or his mom could see even though they already knew I was crying. We named him Harvey.

Behind the scenes: Jack found Harvey on Petfinder.com the one day I didn’t look online. Harvey (formerly known as Bruno) was at an animal shelter in Price, Utah. Jack called on him first thing that morning and drove down to get him. By the time he got there the shelter informed Jack that about 50 other people called about “Bruno”. She led him back to the cages. She lifted up this large flap and there he was… shivering in the back corner of this huge cage, in between two other big (and constantly barking) dogs. His food bowl was bigger than he was. It took a few minutes to get this little guy to come out of his cage. As soon as Jack got him out, he knew he was the one. After filling out the paperwork, Jack and Harvey began their journey back to Salt Lake.

The rest is history! I love this little dog and try to provide him with the best life possible. The first year of his life was rough. His owners weren’t capable of taking care of him (obvious from the length of his nails and how skinny he was). The lady at the shelter said she believes he was abused.

Now, he is the happiest little dog! He has a friend he gets to play with, he sleeps in the best bed (although I don’t know how long sleeping in our bed will last), toys galore, gets to go on walks, play fetch, and do all of the things that dogs should be able to do!

Harvey trying to eat his birthday pizza!

(Hannah & Harvey)

Happy Birthday, Harvey!

We love you!

It’s Officially Official…

2008-10-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Jack and I are officially homeowners! I don’t know if I should be excited or nervous. I am a little of both right now. This is a big step into “adulthood”. I can’t believe it is finally our home. We have started moving in but can’t start sleeping there until our fence gets put in so the roggies can’t get out. The fence is supposed to be done within 3 weeks. For now, we are just doing the tedious things like lining the kitchen cabinets, washing and putting away dishes and small appliances, setting up the upstairs bathroom, and getting ready for our closet to be built. We bought a fridge, washer, and dryer. They look really good! The house came with a really nice dishwasher and gas range but we are going to sell them and keep all of the appliances the same brand. If any of you know people that would like to buy them… just let me know. They are stainless steel (Frigidaire). Brand new.

In other news, my little brother is doing awesome in football. The badgers are 6-0. Brodie got an interception last Saturday and I fell off of the bench I was jumping up and down on. It was great!

It is a Freed family tradition to have chili and cornbread together around Halloween. This year, I think we are going to have it at our house (still weird to say that). I just hope I can get everything put together in time.
I will take some pictures of how the house is coming along and post them here in a little bit. Things have been so crazy and hectic lately, I don’t even know where to start!

Oh… btw, in my quest to find a dog food storage container, I came across this SUPER CUTE website for dogs… check it out….

www.harrybarker.com
SO CUTE!

HiCcUpS

2008-09-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hokay so... there have been a couple hiccups in the processing of our loan. Apparently it is a lot more difficult to get a loan since the housing market tanked. We are keeping our fingers crossed though. :) We decided to go with some people that we knew to get the ball rolling. They are good peeps.

In other news, Brodie's football game is in the morning and I'm stoked to go. It will be fun. It's great to ride down with my family and catch up with everyone. I have such a great family. I really am thankful for them. Everyone is so supportive of each other.

There's been a lot happen in the past week. Everything with the house... contractors, loans, etc. Work... oh yes, work! Our controller and friend, Katie, has left the building/company to pursue a great opportunity. This is definitely a bittersweet transition. As sad as it was to see her leave, I am so happy for her... She is a great mentor who is dedicated to anything and everything she sets her mind to. She will do great things for the new company she is working for, no doubt! This will also serve as an opportunity for us to "step up to the plate" in Accounting. We really have such a solid team and I am grateful for each person I work with.
That's all for now... will update again soon! Adios!

Thanks to Bed Bath & Beyond!

2008-09-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Jack and I went shopping for some things for the house this past weekend and found ourselves wandering the aisles of Bed Bath & Beyond (BB&B). In one of those aisles we found a head/scalp massager we've always wanted to try out. It was time! We decided to buy the little massager and give it a whirl.... It was AWESOME! I posted a picture of what it looks like so you can all get the idea. I even tried it on Harvey (who loved it and was begging for more), and Hannah (a little hesitant at first but loved it in the end). I love it when Jack plays with my hair cause it gives me the chills & this did the same thing. You can use it on your scalp, back, arms, etc. It is fabulous.

In other news... we are still dealing with the lenders in order to get our loan closed... We are excited to get past all of the paper work and into the house.

Meet the Fam:

2008-09-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

I don't think everyone that reads this knows our little family... and some may not even know Jack so I wanted to post some pictures!

MEET JACK...

This was for my birthday last year. He took me up to Zermatt (in Midway) for a relaxing weekend. They have some pretty cool things up there... Jack was thinking we should go to the North Pole! :)

MEET HARVEY...

This next one is of Harvey. He is "the man" of the house (or so he likes to think)! Often times we refer to him as having "LMS" aka Little Man Syndrome. He loves to bark and chase after other dogs no matter what their size is. Once he took off after a German Shepard... not such a good idea Harvey! Harvey is the smartest dog I have ever known. He uses that to his advantage until he gets into trouble. Harvey will be 3 in October!

MEET HANNAH...

And last, but definitely not least, here is Hannah. Hannah is the baby! She will be 2 in January. She has destroyed furniture, chewed shoes, been taken to the ER for eating something toxic... you get the picture. She is so incredibly cute though. She has so much love to give and won't stop kissing you no matter how hard you try. Jack and I call her "O.B." for being overbearing at times. She is such a good sport though. She puts up with Harvey trying to tackle her. She definitely holds her own. When we got her she was 9lbs. The vet said she would gain another pound or two... she now weighs in at 23.5lbs. Turns out her mom was a standard size dachshund and her dad was a mini. She got the short straw on the genes... little legs and a big body! Love her to pieces though!

So there they are! :)

Offer Accepted!

2008-09-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

As a lot of you may already know... Jack and I have been looking more seriously at houses lately. We recently found one we absolutely LOVE! I fell in love with it while Jack was trying to stay detached. We made an offer on the house and just found out it was accepted! We are so excited to get out on our own... as grateful as we are for our past roommates and family we have stayed with, it is definitely time for us to really get out there on our own! :)

Here are some pics:

Front of the house...

Kitchen...

Dining / Kitchen...

Master Bathroom...

Patio off of Master Bedroom...

Living Room...

So there it is! Completely stripped to the studs and rebuilt. *sighs*
I think it is absolutely perfect for us and our little ones (dogs)... with enough room to grow in the future... long future.... like 5 years... just in case any of you were getting any ideas! :)

We will keep you all posted on the progress of moving in, the wedding, our lives!

Love,

Jenn

(P.S. Happy Birthday Brodie ~ Love ya!)