Brooke and Josh

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

There was a lot accomplished in 2011. I finished my masters in May, Josh unofficially with his Bachelors. We moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin for most the summer. We spent almost every Sunday in Chicago. Josh's office finished in Michigan while I spent the last month in Germany playing for the opera. In August we moved to Arizona so Josh could continue taking classes only offered on-campus while I have been doing contract work for the music union. It was a very crazy year but everything worked out perfectly. We spent new years eve with our friends Lexi and Jared and are excited to see how 2012 plays out.

Cantino Laredo New Years Day

New Years Eve @ the Westerguards...

Christmas

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I love the Holidays! I don't even know where to begin. The lights, the mood, great food, spending time with family, not to mention having Josh all to myself instead of having to share him with the library. I love it all but sadly it went by way to fast. Here is how the holidays played out; Prior to leaving to Utah I played for Ben Vereen and Lea Salonga in a christmas show. It was such a blast performing on stage again and got me even more excited for the opera coming up next week.

Josh and I got most our shopping done in a day so we were able to spend a majority of time visiting friends and family while we were in Utah. We had so much fun but didn't manage to get pictures of everything :0(.

Grandpa ride to the mall with all the grandkids. Something my grandpa has done for years is take all the grandkids to lunch and then the mall were we would get our gift for the family member we had drawn.

Christmas eve movie (Mission Impossible) then homemade french onion soup and artichoke jalepeno dip.

Christmas morning we opened presents then had brunch with my family, grandma/grandpa Bennett and Romney. Menu included breakfast sausage casserole, fruit medley, cinnamon rolls and eggnog ( I don't know how my mom does it but everything was homemade) She is Amazing!

Because Christmas fell on a Sunday we spent a little part of the day there where I played along with cousins and other ward members our traditional Christmas hymns. I love having Christmas fall on a Sunday because it really brings the true meaning of Christmas to life. It was mentioned in one of the talks that the day after christmas everything looses its charm, the christmas music, the lights, the food, the mood all seem to dwindle but that spirit of Christ lives on. It was a reminder of how significant the birth and atonement of Christ really are and we feel so blessed to have the gospel in our life to remind us of that spectacular event.

Following church we went to gma/gpa Romneys for dinner and opening of more christmas gifts. Then we went to gam/gpa bennetts and had dessert. Fun right?

On Monday (another tradition) gma/gpa Romney take all the grandkids to the Mandrian for dinner so we spent time catching up with all our cousins surrounded by wonderful food. After dinner some of us went to see sherlock holmes. It was a good movie but I think I liked the first one better.

Here are some of the pics we did manage to get....

Playing around on Instagram on the way up..

Becca, Erik and I

Neighbors house all decked out. Josh loved the lights.

Kelsie and I

Josh and Blake

Emma and I picking out a Tree for the Basement..

Grandpa took us to the the Hatch Family Chocolate for Hot Coco

Temple Lights....

The new City Center...

Christmas Eve...

Emma day dreaming of Christmas morning...

Our Completed Gingerbread house

Christmas Eve Dinner

Lisa and I

The Mandrian

Probably one of my favorite Gifts was this pillow that my cousin Becca made (isn't it so cute?)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2012-01-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

This year Josh and I spent Thanksgiving weekend with his family. We had dinner over at his cousins and spent most of the day eating (Angela's YUMMY orange rolls) and playing with the twins. We can't get enough of these little guys. It worked out perfect because my family came in town the next day and we were able to spend time with them as well. It is tradition for my family to hit up all their favorite restaurants while they're in Arizona. Here are some of the pics that turned out.

Emma and I at Pane Bianco

If you go get this...(Basil Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich)

Grandpa soaking up the sun in his new Jazzy :)

Grimaldi's in Old Town Scottsdale

Sweet Republic which is probably the best ice cream in Arizona (try the salted caramel butter)

My mom and I at Ritos

Josh and Grandpa Romney at the Temple Lights

Disneyland

2012-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Right before Thanksgiving Josh and I were lucky enough to get away for a day and go to Disneyland with his brother Travis and family. We were only able to make a day trip out of it because Josh had school but it was a much needed vacation. We had so much fun spending time with his nieces and nephews and it was so much fun to see Disneyland all decked out for the holidays. We were also able to stop by Wyatt and Jenny's on the way up who treated us to some amazing chicken tortilla soup. Thanks Guys!

October Events

2011-11-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had a lot of fun in October. We were in charge of planning the daddy daughter date night for our ward. It was kinda stressful trying to plan a fun night for daughters of all ages, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. We started the date night off with pictures at the photo booth. We made photo props for and it was fun to see what everyone chose for the pictures.

After everyone hit up the photo booth, we ate dinner (I forgot to get pictures). Then the real fun began. We split everyone up into four teams and played a food relay race game. The person at the front of the line had to run to the table, grab a bag and eat whatever was in it. It was funny to see everyone's reactions when they opened up the bag.

We set up a craft room for the little girls who weren't old enough to play the relay game. They made spiders, owls and bats. They loved it!

The night ended with some dancing. We asked one of the young women who is a dancer to teach everyone a dance to Hannah Montana's Hoedown Throwdown. It was hilarious to watch the dads learn to dance.

Josh and I were lucky enough to go up to Utah at the end of October to see my sister dance in THRILLER! She is such an amazing dancer and dances with Odyssey. I'm so proud of her for being so dedicated and working hard to be a professional dancer at such a young age. Josh had never seen Emma dance before and I knew he would absolutely love Thriller. And he did!

Because Josh had to be back to school on Halloween, we weren't able to spend Halloween together. I stayed a few more days in Utah before I had to get back to teach. Emma and I had so much fun together. We bought some funny teeth up at Jolleys.

She decided to dress up in two different costumes for Halloween. Her day costume was a really attractive nerd. ;0)

And her night costume was a Red Sox baseball player. I thought she looked so cute!

We ate some homemade chili for dinner and then we carved some pumpkins. Hers didn't turn out so well. She was trying to draw some glasses and then an eye fell off.

My pumpkin actually turned out though.

We had so much fun up in Utah and loved spending time with my family. We are excited to see them again during Thanksgiving! As for now I'm on the hunt for more violin students and Josh is pluggin away at school.

Fall

2011-10-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

You know that

FALL IS IN THE AIR

when

The weather finally starts cooling down

All you crave is a delicious pumpkin treat

You become mesmerized by all the different colored Pumpkins

Fall Decorations take over

Halloween costumes are everywhere

Fall is Not Here

2011-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I have been back from Germany for a month and a half now. I really miss exploring a new country and performing new music. It was such a great experience and it was such a blast to be there with my cousin Rebekah. I feel so lucky that we have grown up playing the violin together and we're still playing together. I love her. I have to say that my favorite city in Germany is Berlin. There is so much history there. It was surreal being in a place where Hitler once lived. My favorite part of Berlin was the Fat Tire Bike Tour. Rebekah and I rode all over the city and saw all the touristy spots. Germany is such a different country than other European countries I've been to. It was touching for me to be in a place where my ancestors are from. My great grandmother and great grandfather are from Germany. I could just imagine them living the simple German life. I absolutely loved it. Here are some highlights from Berlin.

When I got back from Germany, Josh and I spent a day in Chicago before we made the long drive back to Utah. We love Chicago. It was so much fun to spend lots of time there this summer!

We drove straight through the night so we could get to Utah as soon as possible. It was so fun to spend time with my family. Josh only got to stay for a few days because he had to get down to AZ for school. I got lucky and got to spend two weeks with my family. We ate at lots of good restaurants, rode the alpine slide, visited Jolley's way too many times, spent time with some friends, and celebrated our birthdays. After Josh left, I went on a buying trip with my mom, dad, and Emma. We had a blast swimming in Vegas and going to Disneyland.

Josh and I are living in Mesa, AZ right now. Josh is taking some classes at ASU and I am teaching violin lessons. It's superrrrrr hot here. I don't think I'll ever get used to the heat. haha I keep waiting for the leaves to change color and for the weather to feel like fall. But that's not going to happen. On the upside, love living close to Josh's family. It's been so fun to spend time with our nephews.

Our Little Adventure

2011-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Brooke is having a blast in Germany. She emails me a page every night from her journal so I know what going on. She is loving the weather, bike rides with Bekah, ice-cream with the other students etc. Here are some of her pics.....

While Brooke is having her little adventure, I just found out I will be having one of my own. I am moving to Flint Michigan for work. Wish me luck.

I think its going to be fun! On a side note, here are some pictures from Milwaukee.

Today (19th) is a special day because….. it’s this girls 25th BiRtHdAy!!!!!!!

2011-07-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

It’s impossible to imagine what life would be like without little Brookie. She is the most amazing wife and the best of friends anyone could ever imagine being friends with. She is always positive, outgoing and super dedicated regardless of her circumstances. I love you… We all Love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here’s to You….

(not the best of quality but it will do)

Feel free to let this girl know how much you love her!

Germany Pictures Week 2

2011-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Brooke sent me some pictures so I thought I would share....

Castle..

The Pit where we perform

People stayed to watch while it was raining...

The Market and Fresh Raspberries...

Street view of Lubeck

Marzipan?

Brooke Showing off her Neat Tennis Shoes...

GERMANY

2011-07-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

So Brooke arrived safely to Eutin Germany and is enjoying every minute. She can't seem to figure out how to upload pictures via the ipad to blog (go figure) so I just decided to post them on here for her.

Karl Ratzsch's

2011-07-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

My time here in Milwaukee has come to an end. I am leaving for Germany tomorrow! I'm so sad to leave Josh for six weeks, but I have to admit I am very excited to explore a new country. I'm going to play in an opera festival in Eutin, Germany. I'm super stoked to have this opportunity to play fun music and visit a new place. Josh and I decided to check out this German restaurant before I leave for Germany. I wanted to compare the German food in America to the food I'll try in Germany. My grandpa is a food connoisseur and has basically eaten his way across the USA. He loves to travel and try new restaurants all the time. My grandpa told Josh and I to try this German restaurant in Milwaukee. It was fantastic. I'm excited to eat more German food when I get there.

Karl Ratzsch's

I ordered sauerbraten and Josh ordered schnitzel. It was delish.

Milwaukee is America's most German city.

Josh and I walked along the river front after lunch. It was such a beautiful day.

Holy Hill

2011-06-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Josh and I went to Holy Hill and saw The National Shrine of Mary. It's a really beautiful building tucked away in the green hills of Wisconsin. We hiked up 178 steps to the top of the tower. The view from the top was breath taking. I was also pleasantly surprised when we went inside the church. It reminded me of the churches in Europe with stained glass, arch ways, and paintings.

Exploring Milwaukee

2011-06-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Since I've only had a month to explore Milwaukee before I leave for Germany, I've tried to take advantage of my time here. I've been able to get out and do some fun things while I've been here.

This is a view of Milwaukee from the Historic Third Ward. It's a cute little area downtown with fun shops and restaurants. I absolutely love the water running through the city.

My friend Morgan and I were able to see the Milwaukee Symphony play at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. They played film music from a variety of different films including Jaws, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

"The Domes." Each dome represents a different display of flowers and plants. There was a tropical jungle, desert oasis, and floral gardens. It was a blast to see cool plants we don't have here in the U.S.

This is an African tree that produces "Sausage Fruit." The fruit looks like large sausages hanging from long roots. Apparently the fruit is only edible for African animals but not for humans.

North Point Lighthouse with Sarah and Morgan

This lighthouse is no longer used to guide boats so they turned it into a museum.

View from the top of the lighthouse

Chicago Day 4

2011-06-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Josh and I spent my last weekend in Chicago together. We went shopping, met up with some friends for lunch, and went to the best popcorn place.

John, Amy, Sarah, Jesse, Me, Josh

The girls

Standing in the long line to get into the Garret Popcorn Shop. The line was 45 minutes just to get inside.

I'd have to say it was definitely worth the wait.

Chicago Day 3

2011-06-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our third day in Chicago was a lot of fun. We went down with a group of friends and explored the city. It was a beautiful day in Chicago and the weather was amazing.

The crew at Pizano's for lunch

Millennium Park- they have really weird advertisements on the water wall. I don't think I would want my face blown up for all of Chicago to see.

I heart the Bean

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Hershey's store was awesome.

Ghirardelli's again. We couldn't get enough of the place. I love chocolate!

Chicago Day 2

2011-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our second day in Chicago was filled with good food and shopping. We loved shopping on The Magnificent Mile. The atmosphere is so fun!

Gino's Pizzeria with Jake and Mike. They hand out crayons and people draw on the walls

Ghirardelli Shop

I got the peanut butter/chocolate sundae. It was delish

Chicago Day 1

2011-06-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have gone to Chicago a few times since we moved to Milwaukee. Chicago is only an hour away so it's been fun to explore the city. We absolutely love Chicago! It was raining when we went to Chicago the first time. We still had a blast though!

The Bean

Millennium Park

This building had different rock samples from around the world. This is a sample of the quartz monzonite which is what the Salt Lake Temple is made out of.

The Smith Museum of Stained Glass at Navy Pier

Josh and I ate Pizza and Garlic Cheese Bread at Pizano's. It was delicious!

Milwaukee

2011-06-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

So far Milwaukee has been great. I absolutely love how green it is out here. We live right by a nature center with lots of trails that surround a beautiful lake. We definitely live in the woods. It kind of reminds me of the scenery in the Twilight movies. I don't necessarily like the Twilight movies but I have to admit that I've seen them. Josh and I have been walking through the trails a few times and one time a deer ran right by us. I love it out here. It's so nice to finally be able to enjoy some outdoor activities. When we moved to Houston, we hardly ever did anything outside because there aren't any mountains or trails. Now that we're in Milwaukee it's nice to be able to walk through some beautiful nature and feel as though we're hiking in the mountains. So far Josh has been super busy with work and I only see him about 3 hours a day. But we still have fun with the little amount of time we have together. I on the other hand, have lots of time on my hands and so the days seem to drag on forever. I have been trying to keep busy by hanging out with some of the other vivint wives and keeping up with my practicing. I only have a few more weeks out here before I head off to Germany so I need to take full advantage of what Milwaukee has to offer.

Bitter Sweet

2011-06-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Did you hear? Josh and I moved to Milwaukee! Why? I wish I could say it's because I won a job in the Milwaukee Symphony, but it's actually because Josh got a new job. He is working for a company called Vivint and is selling security systems. I on the other hand am jobless. It's really weird being crazy busy all the time and then suddenly having all the time in the world.

The move has been really hard on me. I have cried, laughed, and had nervous breakdowns since we left Houston. That's how I feel about it. I'll have to admit, when Josh and I first moved to Houston, we were kinda skeptical and it took us a while to finally warm up to the place. But over the last two years, we really grew to love Houston. I already miss it like crazy. I miss our friends, our ward, our favorite restaurants, and the diversity. There are so many fun things to do in Houston and I'm really going to miss it a lot. However, I'd have to say the one thing I won't miss about Houston is the hot, humid summers. Needless to say, we already miss our life in Houston.

On our drive to Milwaukee, we spent the night in Memphis. We were able to look around the city a little bit before we kept driving again. Memphis is where Elvis lived and recorded his music.

Just a side note: While we were in Memphis we found one of my favorite restaurants that's popular in the south. It's called Krystal. They have the cutest little hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs. My brother Pete introduced me to Krystal when I went to pick him up in Georgia.

GrAdUaTiOn

2011-06-03T19:07:00.001-07:00

I graduated! I am officially a Master of Violin Performance. I am so happy I am finally done with school. I have been in school my entire life and it's nice to be finished. Who's to say if I'll continue my education or not, but I definitely need a break from school right now. I'm happy with two degrees for the moment. I'd have to say the last two years have been the hardest two years of school. The graduate program at Rice is seriously intense. I knew going into it that I would basically be married to my violin (sorry Josh... I know you have a love/hate relationship with my violin). But man... I didn't know it would basically consume my life. I felt like I had a great balance between school, work and social life in my undergrad and I definitely noticed a huge difference in my masters. But I'm so glad I made it through and I'm thankful for my hubby encouraging me the whole way through. P.S. I think it's time that I finally say that Josh has learned how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on my violin. I think he's secretly jealous that I play the violin because he always practices my violin when it's sitting out. Who knows... maybe we'll be playing violin duets soon. That would be neat.

Graduation took place on Saturday, May 14th. Thankfully it was a beautiful day in Houston because commencement took place outside. I got to wear the most attractive graduation gown that was navy blue and had owls sewn on the front.

After commencement, Mr. Goldsmith (my violin professor) threw all the graduates a party at his house. It was so much fun. He had a chef come and prepare a delicious meal for us.

Now that all the graduation parties are over, I need to figure out what I'm doing with my life. It's a hard transition from being a full time student to not being a student at all. It's kinda nice being done, but now I have to grow up. Am I ready for that?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2011-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing women in my life. You are such great examples to me and inspire me to be better each day. Thanks for all you constantly do for Josh and me!!!

It's time!

2011-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

One more year at ASU and so far I add the following to my resume... almost 150 credits, 2 Universities attended, 16 credits and 16 thousand dollars flushed down the toilet (thanks to UofU), an Amazing wife, a whole heap of knowledge about communication and gender stereotypes, the experience of working full time while in school (time management) and the experience of working for one the best hospitals in the world. Now that I'm technically done with the BA, things I hope to accomplish the following year are...knock out all pre-reqs for PA school and hopefully get in somewhere the same year (although I'm pushing the envelope on that one), graduate magna cum laude and I don't know.. make a baby or two! just kidding...

In the mean time...we are excited to move back to Az closer to our families and be apart of this...

(Check out Todd Heaps catch 19 sec in)

Keith Urban

2011-03-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Josh and I went to Keith Urban last night and had sooo much fun! Too bad we won't be here next year. I'd have to say, Rodeos are by far one of the most entertaining events I have been to. We had a blast dressing up like "real cowboys" and running around all night. Can't wait to do it again somewhere else. Here are a few pics and video of the prelude to the big show.

Doesn't this look like fun? from j P & B P on Vimeo.

Carnival + Funnel Cakes = :)

The Cowboy Burrito...
The Livestock Show...

Brothers?.... Josh kept saying they look alike because he hasn't seen the sun for awhile

This little girl kept trying to nibble at my shirt the whole time... I think she just wanted a picture with me...

Eventful Day

2011-03-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Josh had the day off of work today so we went out and had some fun. We went and saw The King's Speech and we loved it!

We decided to check out the "underground city" in Houston. There are a bunch of underground tunnels which lead to different shops and restaurants. It was fun exploring the tunnels. We found our way to the Chase Tower and went to the top to see a nice view of the city. It was beautiful.

We went to the Texas Junk Co. to look for some cowboy boots. We both found a pair and are so excited to dress up like "real" texans for the Rodeo next week.

Houston Rodeo/Sugarland

2011-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

The Houston Rodeo is one of my favorite events in Houston. Josh and I went last year and saw Toby Keith perform and it was so much fun. We decided we had to go again this year with this being our last year in Houston. We went to the Rodeo this week with our good friend Monica. We went and rode the swings at the carnival, ate some carnival food, watched the rodeo, and watched Sugarland perform. It was a total blast!!! We can't wait to go again next week to see Keith Urban perform.

Love Day

2011-03-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, Josh and I decided to stay in for the night. Josh picked me up from orchestra at 7:00 and when I got home, I saw this on the kitchen table.

Josh made delicious steaks, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. It was so delicious and such a nice surprise. I loved it! It was a perfect night!

My mom sent me this adorable table cloth for Valentine's Day. I absolutely love it. Thanks mom!

Recital Weekend

2011-03-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

February was a busy month for Josh and I. My parents came in town for my last master's recital at Rice. It was a blast having them here. They were only in town for a few days so we tried to show them as much as we could. Knowing the Romney family, basically all we do is eat. So as you can already guess, we did a lot of eating while they were in town. They took us to Ruth's Chris Steak house to celebrate after my recital. We also ate at the famous Original Ninfa's! They absolutely loved it. My dad of course had to make a few stops at Marble Slab for some delicious ice cream. We also took a trip down to NASA to check out the space center. We had so much fun while they were in town. Here are some pictures from that weekend.

My mom in front of Ninfa's

Our trip to NASA

Thanks for coming for my recital mom and dad! We loved being able to spend time with you!

The Holidays...

2011-01-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Just a little update. Over the holidays Josh and I went to Salt Lake City to visit my family for the holidays. I actually spent 3 weeks in Utah but Josh was only able to come for a week because he couldn't take much time off of work. We seriously had such a blast! Believe it or not... this was the first time Josh and I went back to Utah together since we've been married. A year and a half is a long time to not visit family and friends together. I've been by myself and he's been by himself since we've been married, but it hasn't worked out to go together until now.
While we were in Utah, we were able to visit Josh's brother John and his cute family. It was the first time we met their new baby Blake. He is such a cutie with his big cheeks! We had brought the kiddos balloons and candy. They loved it. Thanks John and Steph for letting us come over for dinner. We had such a great time!
Josh and I were also able to visit his grandma Johnson while we were in Utah. She is the most darling grandmother. She showed us pictures from her college days and we had such a great time talking. We also were lucky to eat some of her delicious fudge and play Yatzee with the Yatzee Queen. Grandma Johnson just turned 90 and she's as sharp as ever! We just love her so much!

My mom, sister Emma and I on Christmas.
My brother Pete, his girlfriend Lydia, my brother Danny, my sister Emma, Josh and I. And of course Bobie. We decorated a gingerbread house together on Christmas Eve and it was so cute.

Emma and I with Bobie and his new red cape.

My friend Serenity and I after her last undergraduate recital at the University of Utah. We played in the same quartet at the U. I surprised my family and came in a day earlier than I told them and I was able to attend Serenity's recital. She did a fabulous job.

Josh and I with baby Olivia (Andrea's baby).

Mike, Andrea, Me, Josh and baby Olivia.

Andrea and I with Olivia. We were wearing the exact same shirt without planning it. haha

A group of friends and I went to Red Butte Cafe for dinner one night. It was such a blast to see each other again. From left to right: Jesse, Jessica, Eliza, Me, Andrea & Olivia, Elizabeth & Thomas.

My Grandpa takes all of the grandchildren to The Mandarine ever year. The food is so amazing and I love being able to spend time with all of the cousins. We had such a great time. My grandpa is the most generous person I've ever known. Thanks grandpa for all you do for us!

Mike, Marne, Jonny, and Grandma...

Amy, Millie and Sam...

Sarah, Paige and Brad. Candid Shot...

Grandpa, Emma, Maddie and Katie...

The whole Henderson Gang. We loved seeing all the great grand kids. They are so cute!

Me, Josh and Rebekah...

Eliza, Laura, Paige, and Sarah...

Some more cousins...

My table. Each table got to order whatever food they wanted. The food was Amazing!

Rachel and Rebecca. Cute sisters!

Josh and I went to see the lights at Temple Square. We got there right as the lights turned on. It was so beautiful, but very cold.

Josh and I had such a great time in Utah. It was nice for both of us to just get a break from school and work. Josh picked me up from the airport and when I got home, I came home to this.
I really do have such a wonderful husband. He surprises me all the time and I love him more than anything. We're excited for the new memories we'll make in 2011.

Where would you wanna live?

2010-11-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

We are almost done with school, well kinda sorta...and now we're just figuring out what next?

Utah?

Arizona

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2010-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

We are thankful for our families, our friends, and the gospel. I am thankful for my wonderful Husband who makes me laugh everyday. Josh says he's thankful I am learning how to cook...and of course the day he met me. I couldn't agree more. What are you thankful for???

A little excerpt from Brookes Concert

2010-11-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

So, last night, some friends from the ward and I went to Brooke's concert and they ended up playing Richard Strauss's Zarathustra. (Theme to Space Odyssey) The concert in general was pretty good but the intro of this song really got all the guys attention. It was so cool to see it performed live. While the clip obviously isn't the rice symphony it was the closest thing I could find.

*Family update-Things are going pretty well for us here in Houston. We both finish school in May and are just trying to figure out what we should do next. Most of you know I planned on getting my bachelors and then applying for a job in medical sales, however, as of late I am thinking more and more about going to PA school. If this is the case we would then move back to Arizona, I would forgo graduating and take a years worth of sciences then apply to the program. Other than this, we are loving the cool weather and love spending every minute of free time together! (most of which is spent watching episodes of Modern Family)

As far as my running, I am still running and preparing for the Marathon in June. Not sure what I was thinking when I said I was going to run a marathon. After an hour of running my legs feel like jello, I can only imagine what 4 hours would feel like. Brooke bought some new running shoes....and thats it :0). (She begged for a new pair and promised she would run with me but so far she has only ran once or twice) She hasn't quite grasped the vision of running at least half a marathon. I'm sure she will have some updates soon so keep checking back.

Houston in October

2010-10-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a really long time. Josh and I have been extremely busy with school and work. I just got a new job teaching violin lessons at a music studio! I'm so excited about it! I absolutely love teaching and I am so grateful this job has works out perfectly with my busy school schedule.

As of late... Josh and I have been trying to fight off the evil cockroaches that seem to love running around OUR apartment. For some reason they are attracted to our apartment even after we had the place sprayed. Why why why must they fall out of the vents and crawl all over the walls and then drop onto the floor and play "catch me if you can." Cockroaches are disgusting. period. They aren't like spiders where you can just grab a shoe and kill it instantly. Cockroaches are fast. really fast. So yeah we've been dealing with them lately and it's about time our maintenance guys actually fix the problem.

Ok enough complaining. Looking on the bright side of things... I have to say I love the fall season. The weather is so nice now. All of a sudden one morning, a couple of weeks ago, Josh and I walked outside to go to work and school and it was suddenly cold outside. Cold what??? We've been basically melting all summer. It is the nicest feeling to be able to spend time outside without sweating to death. I guess I've forgotten what fall weather feels like because the hot humid summer in Houston feels like it lasts forever! I love the month of October and seeing all of the Halloween decorations and costumes everywhere. I love Halloween. I have my pumpkin spice candle burning everyday and I put my Halloween decorations up (thanks to my cute mom who sent them to me).

I have to say that my husband is quite the catch. I'm lucky. Really lucky. He always bends over backwards for me. He supports me, takes care of me, cheers me up, makes me laugh, loves me unconditionally, surprises me all the time, and most importantly he is my best friend! The other day I came home to a beautiful bouquet of roses. And just a few days ago, Josh surprised me by hiding one of my favorite treats in the fridge. I love him a lot.

Josh and I are really getting settled here in Houston now that we've lived here for over a year. One thing we've noticed since we moved here are all the gorgeous homes around town. There are some really unique homes here. One house is completely traditional, the next is totally modern and the next like I'm walking into a resort, not to mention one house had 6 Bentleys another a Ferrari etc. etc. Here are some pictures Josh and I took on our Sunday drive. These are a fraction of the size compared to the ones near the Temple. We will try to get more pictures next time we go.

LoVe LoVe LoVe

2010-08-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

So Josh and I have gotten involved with arts and crafts recently after seeing one of his friend's projects. Note: this was our first arts and crafts project together... and definitely our last. I think the project turned out great considering it was our first but it was kind of a headache and left our little apartment smelling like paint for a few days. I'm pretty indecisive when it comes to decorating and I think Josh wanted to kill me during our several trips to Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Anyway, here it is.

Before

After

Anniversary

2010-08-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I married the love of my life! It was hands down the best decision of my life. It's crazy how time flies by so fast. This past year has been full of so many fun memories and we've had such a blast establishing our new life in Houston together. I'm excited for the many years to come. Love you Josh!!!

BiRtHdAy WeEk

2010-07-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to lately? Doing a lot of celebrating! Josh's birthday was July 15th and mine was July 19th. Let me tell you how everything went down. So I tried to make Josh's birthday as special as I could. With us being away from everyone, I knew I was going to be the only person he could celebrate his birthday with.

So... I woke up bright and early on his birthday to make him his favorite breakfast before he left for work. This was a bit of a surprise because I typically wouldn't wake up that early to make breakfast. I like sleep too much. ha But yeah I got up and made him breakfast burritos. He had to work on his birthday so I tried to make him feel better by bringing him lunch at work.

For the rest of the day while he was at work, I baked a cake for Josh. I made him a german chocolate cake. My mom always makes this cake for my birthday every year and I was really depressed that I wasn't going to get it this year. But Josh has never tried my mom's german chocolate cake, and with it being his absolute favorite cake, I knew this would be a great surprise! I was a little nervous the cake wouldn't turn out because it was my first time baking a cake from scratch. But it was a total success! When Josh got home from work he had a nice little surprise waiting for him! He was happy.

He absolutely loved the cake! I mean I know it probably doesn't look the best (my mom's looks way better) but it tasted out of this world.

Day 1-2:

Day 3:

As you can see. We basically ate the whole cake in 3 days. This is my little snippet that Josh left me for my birthday. I think we both probably gained 5 pounds during that 4 day period. Oh well... it was totally worth it. haha

Since Josh didn't have to work on saturday, we decided to celebrate his birthday then. We went to see Inception (everyone should go see it!) and then ate dinner at The Original Ninfas. It was a total blast.

So for my birthday... Josh decided to return the favor and make me my favorite breakfast on my birthday! He woke up super early to make me strawberry/banana crepes. I was in heaven!

Josh went all out for my birthday. He is so sweet. He bought me running shoes (I desperately needed them since my last pair is from 8th grade), make-up, and a fabulous oil painting! I've been wanting an original oil painting for a while now and he totally surprised me with one!

To top everything off, Josh took me out to a nice dinner on my birthday. We had a lot of fun celebrating our birthdays this year. It was hard to be away from family and friends, but we still had a total blast. I'm so glad that I married my best friend and that we can still have fun even without being around family and friends!

SHOUT OUT TO...

2010-07-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

tHe BiRtHdAy GiRl!!! The BIG 24

I LOVE YOU!!!

Older and Wiser

2010-07-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Josh. I love you!

Summer Update...

2010-07-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Where to begin... Josh and I have loved spending lots of time with each other this summer. We have been fortunate to do a little bit of traveling the last couple of weeks. First we went to Arizona to visit Josh's family and had such an amazing time barbeque-ing with everyone (Thanks Bev) and spending time with Josh's sister and her two boys. We are so excited to visit Arizona again because we will have two new additions to Jenny's family (twins). While we were in Arizona, we took Gavin and Corbin to Toy Story 3 and even played a little bit of wii. We were so sad we were only there for a couple of days. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Gavin, Corbin, Me, Josh...

Josh acting like he's good at playing the wii...

Gavin and I having a good time...

Thanks to my Grandpa Romney, Josh and I headed off to Vegas for our annual married cousin's trip. My grandpa has always loved to take all of my cousins on a trip every summer. We have gone to several places over the years. Not too long ago, he decided to fund a trip for all of the married grandkids to get away once a year for a honeymoon. This year happened to be Vegas...THANKS Grandpa Romney!!!

Picture of the Monte Lago Resort that we stayed in...

Outside the Paris hotel...

The Bellagio...

The new Aria Hotel...

The copper lounge inside Aria...

Decor...

Visited the M&M factory...

Tasted different Pop from around the world at the Coca-Cola Factory...

Andrea and Elliot (the newlyweds)...

After Vegas, Josh had to go back to Houston to work, but I went to Utah for a few days to visit family and friends. I somehow managed to take zero pictures while I was there. haha ;0( I was able to see my friend Andrea and her new baby Olivia. I also saw my friend Chelsey and her husband and daughter (Kylee) who moved to Australia over a year ago and happened to be in SLC at the same time as me. I also spent time with other friends and my family of course.

I got back in town on July 3rd, just in time to celebrate the 4th of July with my hubby. We headed off to Hermann Park to hear the Houston Symphony play patriotic songs and watched an amazing firework show afterwards. It was a blast.

The Houston Symphony...

Navy shout out to Paul (Josh's buddy)...

Most Patriotic Man ever...

On Monday Josh had the day off so we went to the Water WALL...

Ate at the Original Ninfa's...

And ended our night at The Chocolate Bar...

THE END!

Obsessed

2010-06-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

So lately Josh and I have been talking about how much we want a dog. We seriously want one so bad that we find ourselves looking at photos and videos of dogs quite often. After looking at lots of different dogs, we have decided we want to get a Yorkie! But... it may not be for a while though. Not until we're done with school. But I'm just happy that we both can agree on getting the same dog. Yorkies are the cutest dogs in the world. Every so often we go to the local farmer's market to look at dogs and see if they have any Yorkies there. (Yeah I know kinda weird that they have dogs at a farmer's market. But it's true) So anyway, I just thought I'd let everyone know what our new obsession has been. ;0)

The Dean's List

2010-05-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

I just want to brag about my husband for a second. I am sooooo proud of Josh! He did so well in school this last semester- he even made the Dean's List! He is such a hard worker and it's all paid off. Being a full time student and working full time isn't easy and I'm just really proud of all his hard work. He would stay up sometimes til 2 in the morning just to make sure his assignment was perfect before he turned it in. Now that's some real dedication right there! Unfortunately, Josh starts summer school next week, so I'm not really looking forward to him having homework all the time while I'm out of school. But it's been a blast being able to spend a lot of time together the last few weeks. ;0)

FrEeDoM

2010-04-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just had my last day of school today and I feel so free now. The last few weeks of the semester were pretty crazy. I had my first graduate recital which was a lot of work to get ready for. The day before my recital I found out that my accompanist was ill in the hospital. ahhhhh I ended up playing with two accompanists that I'd only had one rehearsal with the day of my recital, so it was a stressful recital to get through. But overall, it went well and my teacher was happy. I'm just glad it's over and summer is here! I couldn't have gotten through the last few weeks without my cute hubby. I have such a wonderful husband who has bent over backwards to help me out the last few weeks. He's so great and I couldn't ask for anyone better! Josh and I were able to spend some time with my parents when they came in town for my recital. It was really fun to see them even though we didn't have much time to spend with them because Josh had work and I had rehearsals. I'm sad they're gone :0( Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures with our camera but my dad did so I'll try to get some pictures to post.

HaPpY eAsTeR

2010-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!

I love this holiday. Josh and I made easter baskets for each other which was really fun. I sent him on a scavenger hunt this morning. I hid little eggs around our apartment with clues in them hinting to where his hidden easter basket was. It took him about a half hour to find it. It was really funny to watch. We went over to our good friends Monica and Roy's house to watch conference today. I love general conference. I wish it wasn't only twice a year! While we were at Monica and Roy's house we decorated some easter eggs. Josh was pretty proud of his artistic skills. I'd have to say his eggs actually turned out better than mine. Is that because he's a perfectionist? Probably. Well, hope everyone has a great day!

Lady Fiddler

2010-02-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

So a couple of days ago, I was practicing and heard a knock at the door. I ignored it thinking that it was someone knocking on another apartment door. Plus I wasn't expecting anyone. I went back to practicing until I heard another knock about 5 minutes later. I was really confused so I looked out my bedroom blinds to see a suitcase and some feet standing at my door. Obvious that it was a male. So I thought, should I open it? I was alone and that's kind of scary to open the door to a complete stranger. Especially of the opposite sex. So I decided, well I better answer the door because he's obviously got the wrong apartment number. I inched the door open so my head barely stuck out. I asked him what was going on and he told me that he had the wrong apartment number. Then he told me he liked my violin playing. The conversation was maybe a minute long. I told him where the front office was so he could find what apartment number he needed to go to. So I didn't take much thought to this whole incident until I got a random note stuck in my door this morning stating:

Dear Lady Fiddler,

I want to tell you, once again, that you are really amazing with the bow and the strings. I planned on doing this in person, but I had to leave early for the day. Instead, I write this invite for this Sunday's Houston Symphony Concert. I do not know how comfortable you are with meeting people at your door, but if you are available, please contact me. I would love to go with such a great violin player.

So I didn't really know what to think when I first read this note. At first I thought it was going to be a note telling me to stop practicing my violin in my apartment because I know it can get really annoying when I repeat the same few notes a million times over. ha But then as I read the note I realized it was from someone who actually enjoyed listening to me practice. So my initial thought was that some old lady in my apartment complex heard me practicing and thought I would want to go to the symphony with her. After all, the handwriting looked very feminine in cursive and all. But as I looked down at the bottom of the page, I noticed a small little message stating:

lost mexican from a couple of days ago. Javier Mielos

I about died when I read that. So basically this letter was from this mexican guy who was asking me out on a date to the symphony. I could not believe that he was asking me out on a date! Hello dude... I'm a married woman!!! Josh texted this guy this morning and told him that Lady Fiddler is married! I think Javier felt really stupid. haha

After being shocked after this whole incident, I went about my day cleaning the house and practicing. As I was sitting at the kitchen table, I hear a thud on the ground. Yup, I look over and a cockroach was laying on the floor. The cockroach had crawled out of our vent and fell onto the floor. I absolutely HATE cockroaches. We've found a few cockroaches in our apartment over the last few weeks. We couldn't figure out how they were getting into our apartment. Well, now we know.

So I sat there staring at the cockroach in shock. I couldn't move. I HATE cockroaches. And this roach was a fast little guy. I was about to faint. I can't kill cockroaches because it grosses me out too much. And Josh wasn't there to kill it. Was I just going to let it crawl around til he got home from work. Um nooooo. So I freaked out and called Josh in a panick. He told me to vacuum it up! I freaked out a little more and then decided to be brave and suck it up. It took me almost a half an hour to suck it up. I was freaking out. I have this phobia of cockroaches. I just hate them. I don't like spiders either. But yeah it was definately a really dramatic moment. Josh was on the phone hearing me scream and cry into his ear. He thought I was going to die. ha

So that does it for one of the most intense days I've had since we moved to Texas.

3 Things That Make This Saturday GREAT...

2010-01-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

Mama Ninfa and her amazing Mexican Food....

The PLAYOFFS....

Spending time with my BEAUTIFUL wife!!!!

As of Late

2009-12-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Break in Arizona

Josh and I met up with his friends Hayley and Brett to go see the temple lights! It was a blast!

While we were in Arizona, we got to see both of our families! My grandparents, parents and sister came down and took us out to eat at Pizzeria Bianco. It is the best pizza place on earth!!! My family basically goes to Arizona to eat at good restaurants like this one. Not to mention the fabulous shopping we don't have in Utah!

Lights in the Heights

We went to see Christmas lights in the Heights with some friends when we got back to Houston.

My trip to Utah

When finals were over, I flew to Utah to spend time with family and friends! Josh couldn't come because he had to work. :0( I was really sad to be away from him! While I was in Utah, one of my best friends got married! I was one of the lucky gals to be a bridesmaid!!! Congrats Jess!

When Christmas time comes around, my mom goes nuts with the Christmas decorations! These are just a few of the MANY christmas decorations my mom has all over the house! She just keeps adding to it every year! I really want to be able to decorate like her someday! She is an amazing decorator and makes her house look so cute!

Home at last

I arrived in Houston on December 23rd to spend Christmas with my hubby! I arrived to a pleasant surprise! Josh made dinner for me! It was the first time I ever had lamb. And yes it was delicious!

Christmas!!!

This was our first Christmas together! It was a lot of fun! This is what our little present/stocking area looked like.

On Christmas Eve we went to dinner at PF Changs and watched 'A Christmas Story'! On Christmas morning we opened our presents which was way exciting! Then we went over to some friend's house for breakfast! After breakfast we went to the movie 'The Blind Side'. Such a good movie. After the movie we went home and I made an italian dinner for Josh. He asked for a wife who could cook for Christmas... so I tried my best. ha It was a pretty amazing meal to say the least.

The one present I really wanted for Christmas was a dresser! Josh was so cute and bought this dresser and turned it into a masterpiece! I love it Josh! Thanks!!!

I'd have to say this Christmas will always be one we'll look back on! :0)

Updates....

2009-11-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

Quick update...We moved to texas so Brooke could go here. Its known as the Harvard of the south and the campus is Amazing.

She got accepted because of her amazing talent in this, and takes lessons from a man named Mr. G. ** Side note, I knocked on his door to sell him pest control one day before i knew he lived there.

We moved here....

I got a job here...which happens to be one of the largest hospitals in the world located in the Texas Medical Center....

When push came to shove I finally ended up back here....online of course with one more yr to go...

Since we have moved here we had some visitors we met up with in dallas (G. Romney/Blake/Maddie) who were so kind to show us around... (THANKS!)

The waffle house....

The Dallas Arboretum ...

and of course everything is bigger in texas...including the state fair which wrapped around the entire cotton bowl..

We are loving life and love being married!

Wedding Pictures...Finally!

2009-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wedding Pictures from Joshua Prestwich on Vimeo.

just married

2009-09-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

We just barely got married in August and moved to Houston shortly after! What a great time to start a blog!!! More to come...