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....

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

Time to UPDATE

**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!

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…

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*

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!

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:

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!

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!)