If anyone remembers, last year I volunteered at the Sundance Film Festival! I wrote a post about it (http://evrhetandjaicy.com/sundance-2011-be-there) and just for kicks I went back to read it before writing this. My lesson #1 (that I even put in BOLD) says "Don't volunteer by yourself!!" 

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Last Friday was a big day because it was 11/11/11. People everywhere talked about how it only happens every 100 years. What didn't quite make the news, but was a big deal around our house is the start of Evrhet's new job! He quit his job at Yelp and is now working for Pinterest. And get this, he is employee number ELEVEN! What are the chances?!

(my Pinterest profile photo, from the party a while back)

For those who haven't heard of Pinterest.com - check it out, you won't regret it. (you will, however, get addicted). It is real small team still, but really popular. It is a great opportunity for him to get experience at a newer company. It does however mean he will be commuting to Palo Alto instead of taking BART which means we had to buy a car! 

Our new car Alondra (Elantra :]) gets 40mpg and is the perfect commuter car. Day 2 and he still likes it so we will see. 

It has been a fun two years with only one car. I love all the time it forces us to spend together and I really will miss getting to take him and pick him up from work every day. Lots of big changes with us these days, we are learning to adjust and settling into the changes, but we are so happy. xox

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As you grow up birthdays seem to loose their sparkle. You are aging, and they just become less exciting and less of a big deal. So I definitely wasn't expecting much at all and I was totally blown away at how much fun it was! Thank you for everyone for your thoughtful gifts and birthday wishes, I truly am loved.

PLUS! The real icing on the cake :] was Courtney and Mollie threw me a birthday party the next week! We got the gang (Court/PJ, Mollie/Steve, Aub/Phil) together and made homemade pizzas, because Steve makes the best crust. We had tons of snacks before and Courtney made this beautiful cake! It was an extra special bonus and I LOVED it. 

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Mickey's Halloween Party: Round TWO

It's true. One weekend of Disney fun just didn't cut it.

It was my dad's birthday on Thursday Oct 6th, and this is what he said he wanted to do, so why not do Disneyland two weekends in a row? we turned it into a birthday weekend celebration! My parents, my sister and I loaded into the car on Friday morning and drove down.

(side note - we stopped at Cafe Rio in Tustin it was a bit spicier, but still was fun and nostaligic, getting excited for the real deal in 4 weeks!!)

We got to Anaheim, checked into the hotel, then walked over to Disneyland! Since I had been the weekend before I was mostly pro and knew where to go and what to do.

We hit: Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Star Tours (3D), Buzz Lightyear's Space Blasters?, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain. Phew! It does sound intense but it was well spaced and so so great!

(adult family dressed as the Toy Story gang...)

(after my mom took about 7 pictures of us, I sent it to Trav so he could show people how cool his sister are:] )

We also made time for tons of tirck of treating - Disney style.

They have these "Treat Trails" where you walk through a line and end up at different stations where they give you handfuls of candy and even offer healthy snacks like apple slices!

But the real reason we went is for the fireworks show. It was truly spectatular. We scoped out the best seats (see? front row!)

And it was amazing!

(I even shot a video so you could get a real idea of how cool it was)

IMG_1503.MOV Watch on Posterous

It was a fun weekend. On the way back up Saturday we stopped at my cousin's house for Kennedi's 4th birthday which was also a blast! 

Evrhet did miss these festivities because he was off partying in Miami! He had already made plans to go out for "PyCodeConf", although I'm pretty sure he would have come up with any excuse to get out of Disneyland!

Life is crazy but we are having so much fun. 

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This weekend we kicked off October like it was the 31st already. It was a jam packed weekend of Halloween and family fun!

It was Mickey's Halloween Party and Deb ended up not being able to go so she gave me her ticket! There was only one extra ticket since it sold out, so Evrhet was so disappointed he couldn't go! (not) :) 

He dropped me off and I waited to meet up with the rest of the gang:

Adelaide, Hector and Darian in their Yo Gabba Gabba getup

Plus Sierra, Alondra, Christian and his two little siblings Jenna and Jonathan

The park was all decorated for Halloween, Disney does details very well. We went on the spooky Space Mountain, lots of trick or treating, watched the Halloween Fireworks Show, went on Indiana Jones (twice) and ended the evening with the Haunted Mansion.

(me in front of a Mickey ghost)

Did I mention we got to meet the characters too?

(about to go on Ghost Rider, LOVED it!)

This was the Haunted Log Ride. There were 10 of us so we split up 5 and 5 and these boys went on the spooky adventure together. Not sure why Noah looks like an Oompa Loompa :]

My least favorite part was when they shut down Xcelerator while we were in line for it. BUT that is the coaster where the cable broke and hit some kid a few years back so I guess it's good they shut it down before we got on?

(Evrhet with roller coaster hair after we went on the Silver Bullet)

Sunday was spent watching conference and hanging with the whole Milam gang. It was so fun to have all the siblings (plus spouses) all together. We will all be there for Christmas this year too, I can't wait!

And before I left I let Darian open his birthday present (can you believe he is already going to be ONE!?) He seemed to love the packaging, but one day he will appreciate his grey skinny jeans outfit too :] 

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Annie was commenting that it had been over a month since I posted, so here's a little clip to brighten your day..

Ruby keeping herself entertained:

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And a post-workout shake:

p70.mov Watch on Posterous

Life is good :) more updates soon!

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Here is my wedding review for the Utterback's (Rach and Todd's) ahhmaazzzingg wedding on Saturday! I know it may not look like it, but trust me, this is a short summary. I could go on for hours about every detail...

The night before:

Even though Todd was in the ER hooked up to IV's, Rach put on a beautiful smile and had a fun night with the girls. We all met up at her hotel (The Grand America - gorgeous!) and then went down to Biaggi's in the Gateway for dinner. There were 9 of us and we just had fun chatting, laughing, and talking about their love and the wedding.

The Wedding:

Their sealing was scheduled at 9:40am in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was wonderful. You could hardly tell Todd still had a slight fever and they looked so happy and in love. Afterwards we all waited outside for them to make their debut. 

Gorgeous, right? It was just the beginning...

Luncheon: 

We took photos then walked over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I told you, more GORGEOUS. I know this picture is blurry of them coming in (while we all stood and cheered!) but I wanted you to get a feel for the room.

We had an amazing lunch followed by dessert! (strawberry and custard crepes with ice cream! it was worth every pound gained..)

After lunch we had some downtime but Mollie/Alysse and I decided to go straight to Huntsville to see if we could help with the reception setup. We got to hang with her wedding planner Mara (love her!) and help set up pinwheels and signs. Then the bride arrived! We got to hang with her upstairs and help her get into her dress and get ready for pictures. 

(Rach and her neice Isla who was so excited to see her all dressed up)

Pictures:

We took pictures on the grassy hill facing the lake so her house was behind us. It was super cute and I think the hill will give a fun dimension to the pictures. And of course Rach looked fabulous...

Reception:

Then it began. Every detail was thought out and perfectly executed.

Appetizers were served in the backyard and people were invited to eat, drink, socialize, and play games!

Drinks: Diet Dr. Pepper (her fave) and Dr. Pepper (his fave)

Appetizers: Mozzarella sticks and French fries

Games: Life-size Sorry! board, Hedge Maze, Ladder Ball and Croquet

(guess who took this one :/)

There was also an ADORABLE video playing with clips of them hanging out and laughing as well as interview clips about their relationship, love, hopes and dreams. It was such a good idea and everyone seriously watched it 3 times, at least. 

There was also 

Dinner: 

Next the guest were invited to move to the front yard toward the Harry Potter tent (not actually Harry Potter themed or related at all, just seemed to resemble...) where the guests were greeted and dinner was served. 

Just like everything else, dinner was amazing. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Next were toasts by the Father of the Bride, Father of the Groom, Maid of Honor and Best Man. Everyone did a great job. Dayna made us all cry when she talked about Rachel's two best features: her smile and her laugh and how immediately when she met Todd she noticed his smile and laugh and how wonderfully paired they are. Love her. 

Dessert and Dancing:

We were then invited over to the "Lounge" to watch them cut the cake and have their first dance. Todd had a Groom's cake - a cookie cake! They also served gelato in cones! Just wanted to make sure they filled us with sugar :]

See the full gallery on Posterous

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We are flying back from Omaha now (on our way to Utah) so I figured I'd catch up while I can. We had an AMAZING week.

Annie and Brett are wonderful hosts and we had so much fun catching up and hanging out with them. I forgot how much we laugh together.

If I write too much in paragraph form I think I will just get emotional and gush, so I decided to break it down into a simpler itemized review:

7 days in Omaha
6 trips to Sheridan's
5 hangouts with Patrick
4 hours at the lake
3 evening walks
2 lightning storms
1 beautiful baby girl

Favorite meal: Upstream (2nd: Rojas)
Favorite dessert: Sheridan's (duhh, we really did go there six times. two of those were following birthday cake and shaved ice)
Least favorite: Lost luggage (my bridesmaid outfit!!)
Biggest surprise: How normal it is (yes, there is corn and it is spread out, but it's really nice and so fun)
Biggest disappointment: not taking enough photos

We went to the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters and the sister missionary was fascinated by our friendship. She kept referencing how incredible it was that our lives paralleled and we moved different places the same week, and how we were destined to be EFF (eternal friends foreverrr!!)

It is pretty neat though to remain friends and to pick up like no time has passed. It was fun to see them with Emelia, they are such good parents and she was so well behaved Evrhet didn't have much to complain about :)

We were supposed to leave Wednesday evening but our flight was delayed so we decided to swap it for Thursday morning and have one more night of fun!

It was such a great trip, I love them and now I love Omaha. I can't wait to go back, but first I can't wait for them to come visit us!
Next stop: Salt Lake for the weekend for Rach's wedding, the fun never stops!

See the full gallery on Posterous

p105.mov Watch on Posterous

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Especially since it is 105 degrees with humidity high enough to "feel like 120". It doesn't seem like the ideal August vacation destination, but I couldn't be more excited. 

I started thinking about the last time we saw Brett and Annie. So much of what I miss about my house and Utah is missing them. And since I got all caught up and busy with the move I never took time to write about it. 

That Friday was spent watching Ev graduate, hanging with family, and loading the truck. Finally we had everything loaded and cleaned except the air mattress in our room and a small duffel. My parents were staying at a hotel around the corner and my dad planned to leave with the truck ahead of us in the morning so he took the truck over to their hotel and for the very last time our neighbors, Brett and Annie, walked over and asked if we wanted to go get ice cream. And I probably wouldn't be telling the story if we didn't want ice cream.. :]

We went to Yogurtland and then went back to hang at their house for a while (they still had furniture). When it was truly too late we finally walked back to our house. I just remember going upstairs to lay down and just crying. For a while. In fact, embarassingly enough I am crying as I type just thinking about it. They were such good friends and we have so much fun.

Luckily that wasn't totally the end. We scheduled this trip before the move so there was no backing out and it was a guaranteed "see you later" not goodbye. We have covered the last few months with phone calls, picture texts and video chat. And now in one week we get to see them for reals, in person, in OMAHA.

AND we get to meet this adorable addition to their family: 

Baby Emelia in the onesie I made for her! 

Alright, so enough gushing about how much I love them already? Just wanted to spill a little excitement about the countdown (7 DAYS!) xoxox

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I am determined to not let July get away from me without writing about it!

This is just the FIRST weekend....

Bridal Shower

Saturday the 2nd my mom helped with a bridal shower for Miss Kelsey Jones and it was hosted at our house. Kelsey is my brother's age, and I think the first one of his real close friends to get married. Pretty fun, plus we love the whole Jones family. 

Anyway, my mom was nuts for offering to host two days before she was hosting a wedding, but she stuck by it being a good dealine for everything to be done. Plus there was so much help there everything was clean and spotless less than an hour later.

In the middle of the shower while Kelsey was opening presents we noticed Buster (my mom's mentally challenged/clueless cat) just lounging in the middle of the room with 35 noisy ladies around. I have no clue why she didn't seem to mind since she normally doesn't like being pet even. But it was fun and we all had a nice laugh about it.

Rehersal Dinner

Saturday afternoon, moments after the house clearerd out from the shower, my Uncle Steve, his Fiance Amanda and all the family and bridal party crew all came over for a Rehersal. It took a few hours to get all the music cued, everyone in places, and get everything running smoothly. 

After they rehersed we headed to my cousin Corri's for barbeque. Her husband Lino is a master at the BBQ, and we had tons of hot, hungry people (probably 100 outside at the time). He did not disappoint. It was delicious.

Though poor Ev didn't get much rest. He does bring it on himself, but here is a snapshot Kati got of the "dogpile" on him:

Blessing/Birthday

Sunday was Ian's baby blessing and Bree's birthday party (two of Jaimi's three) so we all went out to their ward in Clayton and went back to their house for brunch and birthday cake. 

During church my mom brought her trusty silly putty to entertain the 13 grandchildren (I guess 11 if you leave out the 2 babies). Taite got to sit next to me and we sent this photo to Travis!

Here is the birthday girl in the new backyard chair my parents got her, she loved it because it was pink!

Ev and I got her a sprinkler toy, Jaimi sent me this picture of them playing the next week:

And this is my blackmail photo against Ev if he ever tries to tell anyone he doesn't like kids. This is him playing with Kennedi and baby Mallory at the party. (and loving it)

Mr. and Mrs. Halverson, July 4th 2011

Seems like a pretty easy anniversary to remember eh? My uncle Steve had the right idea. Steve is the only boy with 6 sisters, so the 5 living sisters gathered their families and went to work. It went off so well, everyone seemed to have a great time, especially Steve and Amanda. I was running around and got to hang with baby Ian all day so I didn't take any pictures but stole this cute one of the flower girls: Kennedi, Vienna, and Bree

That night I went back to the place we are housesitting for a nap (Seriously the best thing ever to be housesitting during this madness weekend, got some well needed relaxing time!)

We went back out for the Fireworks in San Ramon. My dad loves fireworks. He said, "I don't see any reason to stop enjoying the things I enjoyed as a kid" or something along those lines... So my dad, my uncle John (from Australia, to celebrate the American holiday :]) Ev and I all went out and had a great time.

We have a system, and it rocks. We are super close to the fireworks and we beat most of the crowds. If I shared my secrets on here they wouldn't be secrets anymore so you'll have to take my word that it rocks :]

So it was a crazy/busy/fun/exciting/stressful/tiring/lovely weekend. If only that was the end of the action.....

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So I am doing this whole "cleanse" thing with my cousin, and as a result I think I am low on calories = low on energy. Before my afternoon shake I went home to take a 15 minute nap to get me recharged so I could finish the day. Somebody loves napping with me :]

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I use reviews. ALL. THE. TIME.

Let me rave (review, if you will:]) for a minute about my review services....

 

Although I am not as Yelp savvy as E (obviously) we are totally a Yelp family. I can work my way around it pretty well. He is the eating out connoisseur but I use it more for businesses like nail salons, doctors, air conditioning repair, etc. And I love it. I totally trust the reviews, and have "strayed" a few times and given lower rated places a chance and it always lives up to the 2 star rating!

I love this video about the Yelp filter that explains why it is so trust-worthy:

and for all my online product purchases....

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I can't believe this week is already here!

We were baptized together. (still locating pic for scanning)

I spend Christmas Eve's with her family.

Courtney was my maid of honor.

The great thing about true friends, it never matters how long it has been, we can always pick up where we left off like no time has passed. BUT I am so excited to have been so lucky to be around these last few months. I have been able to go to dress fittings, appointments, shopping, crafting, and even a bit of manual labor to prep for this wedding.

Tuesday I was able to go to the temple with her (for more info on LDS temples click here). What an amazing experience to be there for her while she received individual blessings and guidance in preparation for her wedding on Saturday. Last night we had a BBQ and Girls Night. This morning we had a Bridal Shower and tonight is the Rehearsal Dinner. TOMORROW is the big day. I can't wait to see her all dressed up and see all their hard work come together. 

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http://www.yelp.com/biz/joe-bandidos-mexican-restaurant-springville

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That's all I got. ONE recovery nap. Sunday afternoon. Monday morning bright and early I OFFICIALLY abandoned my life of leisure. My first day at real work again. It feels great and totally blows at the same time. 

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