Christmas 2011

This year marks our third Christmas together. Wow. Time sure flies! Jason and I enjoyed the holiday with family and friends here in the valley. It was nice to visit and see our family members. We really are so blessed. Now that the holidays are coming to an end, we wish we had a little more time to spend with them.

Due to tradition, we spent Christmas Eve at Grandma Halls. It was great food and company. The nativity reinactment was so cute to watch and was a good reminder of what Christmas is all about. Here are just a few pictures from the night.

Jason and I hurried home after the Christmas Eve Party to go to bed. Santa doesn't come to kids who are awake, you know! Below are the lovely morning shots of us opening our gifts that Santa left for us.

Jason got a new watch, belt (which was greatly needed!), and books. Santa left me a lot of baking goods, which was just what I asked for. And, yes. I tried them out a few minutes after opening them at 6:00 am. So exciting! But the best gift of all this year was a rocking chair that Jason made for me. So sweet. Isn't he the best?

It was a great Christmas that flew by. Jason and I are still wondering how the Christmas season went so fast this year.

Christmas in Burley

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with the fam in Burley. Luckily, we also got to celebrate Jordan's birthday while we were there too! (Eighteen!! Can you believe it?!) We played all weekend long with Jordan, Jayme, and Mom & Dad P. So fun! Thanks for entertaining us! Seriously, they are the best.

Thanks for letting us come stay! I wish we could have stayed longer.

Christmas lights

It was a special weekend for us. We were with friends and family at Temple Square. It was BEAUTIFUL! Ralph and Teresa took us all out to eat in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Yummy! And, they showed us around Temple Square. The lights are always so pretty and it is especially neat to be there around Christmas time.

The view from the JSMB. Pretty!

We spent the night in Bountiful and played games into the wee hours of the morning. It truely was a perfect weekend to be with family and friends and enjoy their company. Thank you to the Christensens for a great time!

a happy thanksgiving

Jason and I had a great Thanksgiving. Lots of food. Great people. What could be better? Here are a few highlights of the weekend.
*Thanksgiving day was spent in Lewiston. We ate at the 2nd ward church house with all the Halls. It gets a little crowded in one house with all of us. I made a pie (me and Marie Calendar that is).

*It's just tradition that a game of basketball will break out. Jason played a few games of lighting with the cousins. I tried to play with them, but the games not too fun when you're not so good.

*Later that day, Jason and the boys did a little demolition on the house. They removed the brick around a wood stove in the house. Mom made the mistake of saying that she wanted this done. And everyone went to work that minute. It was little noisy, but they had it done in no time. I wasn't any help at all. I just watched.

Jason had to work on Black Friday and so did I. We traveled up to Burley right after we got off on Friday. It was so, so nice to be there with our family. Here are the happenings of that weekend.

*We had our Thanksgiving feast on Saturday afternoon. I made rolls. Some of them came from the store though. I'm not skilled enough to do a big batch of rolls quite yet.

*Jason and I played games. It is nice to play cards and board games with more than two people, like Jason and I do all the time. We visited, laughed, and tried to get caught up on the happenings in everyone's lives. Seriously. We don't get up there as often as we would like.

* Jason and Bryan did a little work out in the yard on Saturday, with Michael watching from the window and making sure things were done correctly. I wish I had a picture of it all. Quite funny to watch.

(Speaking of pictures...I didn't get any pictures from our weekend in Burley. I was so mad at myself for my forgetfulness! I always forget to take pictures up there because there is always so much going on. This a picture from a while ago with our family - minus some additions. It will have to do.)
Unfortunately, we had a sad ending to our Thanksgiving weekend. I got sick on Saturday night, and I'm still fighting off this lingering cold. We left quite happy though because we got to see our family. The best part of Thanksgiving is just being with the people you love.

HALLoween = fun times

My sister, Jenn, is super creative and always is doing something fun. No lie. She came up to visit Cache Valley with her cute little family last weekend and had a halloween party with the other grandchildren. They played fun games, went to a haunted corn maze, watch a movie, etc. Jason and I kinda crashed the party for a little bit. (Thanks for not kicking us out!)

One of the games was a competition between two people to see who could eat an entire donut without using their hands. Like this....Umm.....I lost bad, but really funny to watch.

Thanks guys for a fun HALLoween party! I am already looking forward to bobbing for apples next year.

P.S. Jennah Grace didn't particularly like to be around me during her stay, but she sure thought Jason was really awesome. She played with Jason and giggled at him. I was a little bummed that I wasn't a favorite this go around, but itwas REALLY cute to see her play with her uncle. Simply darling.

halloween parties

Jason and I had a few Halloween parties this weekend. We had to rack our brains to come up with some costumes. We're not that creative. Seriously.

Some of Jason's coworkers had a party, and we went as Islanders. This was the best that we could do for that costume.Then we had a ward party, which was super fun. We went as a mobster from the 1920s and a flapper. Here's what we came up for that. Not too bad. Now we just need to come up with another costume for Halloween day. One more to go.

spudnuts at the Pollards

Definition. Spudnuts = yummy doughnuts made with a little bit of potato

Misson complete. I sucessfully made spudnuts by myself for the first time. Yumm! They weren't as good as Mom's (what is, really?), but I will still call this a success. It was a L-O-N-G baking day and I don't want to even think about making more until next year. It wore me right out! I figure the whole process took almost 7 hours. Good grief! Thank goodness Jason was there to help me. Didn't they turn out looking good??

Although it was an exhausting day, I sure enjoy this tradition. Thanks to everyone who helped us eat them up!

a wedding

We had another wedding in the Pollard family and everyone was so excited to see Jason's sister get married. It was such a beautiful ceremony and we were happy to be part of their day. Congrats to both of them! Here are a few pictures of the wedding.

This is a picture of Jason, me, and our sisters waiting outside the temple. It was so cold, but it was a wonderful day.The bride and groom. So cute!Jason with the bride at the reception. We sure love that girl to pieces, and Jason was particularly excited and happy for his little sister.The cake. Our cousins made this gorgeous cake. Seriously, it was beautiful. Just wanted to share and show off their work.

And some other random pictures of the wedding.

What a wonderful day to be part of! Congratulations to Colton and Jenna!

special saturday night

"If we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots all around us." --President Uchtdorf
I love this quote. The general Relief Society conference was so good on Saturday night. Just thought I would share.

I can't wait for 181 Semiannual general conference next weekend.

another birthday

This cute guy turned 24 on Sunday. We celebrated all weekend long and enjoyed every minute. I wish it had lasted longer.

two

I can't believe we are celebrating our two year anniversary. It really does not seem that long ago. Time sure flies. Our wedding was perfect and I'm so grateful to be married to my best friend.

caribou county

This is where the A.J. Hall family reunion was held this year. Mom had been planning this reunion since last year and it definately was the best yet. We had so much fun being together and it was really nice to get away from regular life for a while. The entire family stayed in this house and it was beautiful. It is actually a bed and breakfast, but we got the house to ourselves for few days. Seriously, it was so cute. We all played. Period. We played basketball, volleyball, pool, and cards. It seemed like the grandkids were always racing somewhere or playing pretend games with each other. I think that they had a fun time with their cousins. Mom had activities...mostly for the grandkids....for us to play. Really funny times. Good memories.

One of the days, we went to Lava Hot Springs. Jason L-O-V-E-D being at the pool and I really enjoyed being in the sun. I don't think we go to the pool enough. We had fun riding on the slides and going off the diving board. Jason and I got really really sun burned and we are still feeling it three days later. Next year, we'll bring SPF 60.

Just some random photos of the trip...We had a fire going every night. Let's just say we had a lot of smores. Each night when the fire began, it seemed like the grandkids gathered around and just sat with Grandma and Grandpa. They were cute.The best part of the trip was being together. Whether is was visiting around the firepit or playing silly games together, Jason and I enjoyed being with the family.

birthday boy

This little guy had a birthday party and we were invited! He is a big three years old. Crazy! Isn't he just he cutest? We think he is great and love him to pieces. This was the present that we got him. A really noisy - seriously - gun. Ooops. Sorry Jess and Bryan.

And...I just like this picture of these two.

Happy Birthday Kayson.

the 4th . . . a recap

So the 4th is like the best holiday ever. Period. Everyone agree? Good. Now that we are all on the same page, here's a short recap of the 4th for us.

We spent the night out in Lewiston (don't want to miss anything). Somehow the tradition got started that some of my cousins get together the night before the 4th and play Murder in the Dark. Gruesome game but really fun. Then in the wee hours of the the morning, we went to bed in our tent in the back yard. All too soon, we were awakened by the cannon that goes off at 6:00 am. Lovely.

Jason and I had a delicious breakfast courtesy of the the Lewiston Fire Department. Then it was off to the famous parade. We had a lot of fun watching the family around us. Too funny. I think I hiped it up a bit too much for Jason, because he was disappointed in the whole parade. In my own unbiased opinion though, it is the best parade.

We attended the Jan Hall 4th of July party. It was so fun to see everyone and enjoy their company. Thanks Jan and Alyson for letting us come. This collage shows the happenings of the day from the breakfast in the morning to the picnic in the afternoon.Then it was off to Burley to finish off the Firework sales. It was a good day.

We are already counting down the days until the celebration next year.

fireworks season

So it's fireworks season again. Jason has been gone for the past week to Burley and I have been here in Logan. Can I just say that I really REALLY hate being at home by myself? Because I do. Seriously. So I have tried and tried to keep myself super-D-duper busy this entire week so that it will go by faster. And actually it has been a crazy and fast week!

This Jason and me at the firework stand when I dropped him off. It's a bit fuzzy. I know. Sorry.

To explain our week, I'll split it into two.

SO, Jason had a little visit to the emergency room in Burley, Idaho this week. He sliced a few of his fingers really bad. He sent me pictures. (Yuck. I'll spare you all.) The good news: He didn't cut them completely off. He also has been enjoying being with and working with his family. I think that they have too much fun when they all get together, even during firework season.

As for me, I've been really busy with my new job at work, which is really nice. I've been grocery shopping, cleaning, and paying the bills. Fun. Lucky for me though, I have also been spoiled, because I have been out to my parents a lot lately. They have been feeding me really good food and keeping me company along with my cute neices and nephews. They are the Bomb!

Although we have had pretty good weeks apart, I'll be really, really, super, super-D-duper happy when we're spending a week together again.

P.S. happy 4th of JULY!!

It's my favorite holiday...better than Christmas!

some AC

So remember how last summer it was really really super-D-duper hot. Jason and I had to relocate and slept on an air matress on our living room floor because it was slightly cooler. Horrible experience! Well. We are happy to report that we now have a window air conditioner in our bedroom!

Dad came over in between his meetings on Thursday to help Jason get it in properly. What a champ! We made a quick trip to Lowes to get the supplies we needed. Soon Dad and Jason had the AC properly installed, and Dad ran off to his meetings. Thanks Dad for making time for us! We think he is the best!
Personally, I think both of these guys are great! As for the AC, Jason and I love it and seriously I don't know how we lived without it.

It's official......

I'm a graduate.

Graduation was Saturday. I just want you all to know that it was the longest day of my life! Seriously.
So this is the only picture of my husband and me at the graduation. Don't know why we just got one. Not the best picture, but I had to prove my honey was there.

P.S. I don't know why NO ONE told me that I looked like a fruit cake. Let's be honest. The whole prego gown and the funky hat - not that flattering. Oh, well. The things you do to get a diploma!

P. {double} S. I graduated with my older brother, Court. It was pretty cool. Plus, all of our siblings were there too. You guys are awesome! Thanks for sitting through not one, but two long graduations.

So to wrap it up: Emily Pollard = college graduate.

graduate

So I graduated in December. Did you know that? It's taken me this long to actually come to terms with the whole thing. It has been really weird for me to not be in school. I always loved classes, tests, papers, and all the other stresses of school. And now it's over and has been for a few months. Well, I am now making the end of my college career official this weekend at the graduation ceremony on Saturday.

School has been a huge part of my life and this is quite an accomplishment for me. I'm a little--actually I'm super excited and proud of myself. So I think I have some bragging rights. I made a short list of my Utah State happenings over the last three years of my life.

1-I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I'm really excited and happy about that accomplishment.
2-Most Embarrassing moment at USU: falling flat on my butt running to the bus. You see I had the entire bus stop and the entire bus pointing and laughing at my helpless self laying on the ground. That made for a good start to a day!
3- My lowest grade was a B+. I got three of them. I'm still upset about one. Grrr!
4- Most pointless class of my life: Intelligent Life in the Universe. Yes. It's a real class and I took it...and a few naps in it. Thank you general requirement classes!
5- Class I learned the most in: Advanced Family Finance. Its about investing and estate planning. It was super hard and really kicked my butt--to be blunt.
6- I had awesome roommates every year. I had too much fun with them. Good memories.
7- The best part of my college experience at Utah State. Meeting my husband. That topped it off for me.

recently....

Jason and I took Thursday and Friday off work to get a few things done and to simply be together. It was wonderful to have an extended weekend! I really needed those few days to relax and be with my husband. We really didn't have very much planned, which was so nice. Unfortunately, the days filled up all too quickly and the weekend went by all too fast.

1- So we just got a Chuck-A-Rama in Logan. Jason is oh-so happy. We love buffets and all the germs that come along with buffets. We tried out the new resturant in the late afternoon, and we were the only people there under the age 65. What an afternoon!

2- I had an appointment with the doctor. It was good and I feel like we are actually getting closer to find out a solution to my medical issue. We also had dentist appointments. We haven't been in...a while...okay two whole years. I was really nervous to know what the dentist found. Luckily, we had no cavities! Sweet!

3- We went for a few rides in Jason's new truck. It's a lovely 1985 Toyota. To say that Jason loves his truck is an understatement. He thinks it is the next best thing to sliced bread. I'm still learning how to drive it with Jason's help. I've never had to use stick-shift automobile before. Let's just say, I think it is best if Jason drives the truck. I don't want to cause a wreck.

4- Jason and I played a little basketball at the church. Not to brag or rub-it-in, I just want you to know that I won...no dominated...our games of horse. That's all.

5- We went coupon shopping. Actually, I took Jason with me to coupon shop. I got tons of stock pile items this week, and I did okay on my savings...could have done better. I must say, that this couponing thing is getting little out of control. I'm turning into a crazy lady. Well, crazier than I already am.

6- So Gossners cheese is the delicious and not super expensive. We go to the "Cheese Store" for all our cheese. We love Gossners because we can save money, AND we get to sample all sorts of cheeses and get a carton of yummy milk. Seriously, what store does that.

7- To top off our weekend, we went to Riverton on Saturday to the sealing of our cute neice, Jennah, to her parents. It was such a special day for our family. We are so lucky to have her with us. She is such a doll and we love her.

What a perfect way to end our extended weekend.