ATTENTION ALL BOISEANS!

New Year's Eve Party!

12/31/08 @ 8:00 p.m.

My Parents' Place

(They have moved since I lived at home, so if you don't know where they live let me know and I'll get you directions - I just don't want to post them on here)

Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

Spouses or significant others are welcome.

Dallas, Chicago, and a Little Surprise Getaway For Sam

THANKSGIVING in DALLAS

Sam and I spent Thanksgiving this year in Dallas with his sister Chloe, her husband Tyler, and their new little baby Kellen.

Is he adorable, or what? This little cutie was even born on my birthday, so I am extra partial to him.
Chloe humored me and dressed him in this little hat I knit for him.

This was the first Thanksgiving dinner Chloe and I ever made, so we were proud of ourselves that EVERYTHING turned out. There was sure a lot of food for the 4 of us.

One afternoon we took a picnic / walk around a local lake. (I don't remember the name, but it was pretty.)

We also visited the place where JFK was shot.

BEARS FOOTBALL GAME in CHICAGO

Sam got his Christmas present early this year - he got to go to a Chicago Bears football game LIVE in CHICAGO. This has always been a dream of his, and it was fun to watch him as his dream came true. I don't think I've ever seen him more excited. Just look at him. That big happy smile tells all.

While we were in Chicago we took a day to do some sightseeing too.

We checked out the Navy Pier.

And of course we had to take a walk down Michigan Avenue - Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

(This picture of the Omni Hotel is for my mom, because "Guests of the Oprah Winfrey show stay at the Omni Hotel, in the heart of Chicago's Magnificent Mile!" -I love you, Mom!)

Sam's favorite part of the Magnificent Mile was the Dunkin Donuts.

He LOVES Dunkin Donuts, and they don't have one in KC, so getting a donut was must!

And a trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without seeing the famous Chicago Bean, or whatever this thing is!

(Our reflection in the bean.)

We also visited the Museum of Science and Industry.

The museum had a special "Christmas Around the World" exhibit. This tree is the tree to signify England.

It's hard to read the plaque, so this is what it says.

"In England Father Christmas fills stockings or pillowcases with gifts for children. Youngsters pop open Chirstmas crackers filled with chocolate golf coins or a trinket to signify good fortune. English tables overflow with dishes including mince pie, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. The first Christmas card is said to have been sent from England in 1843."

Now I know why Sam's family has some of the Christmas traditions they do. I can't want for the Christmas crackers and mince pies!

This is the only picture I got with my friend Stephanie.

Thanks again Stephanie (and Ben) for letting us come and stay with you and for showing us a good time. We had a BLAST!!!

A SURPRISE GETAWAY for SAM

I LOVE surprises. I love getting surprises, and I love planning surprises.

Sam was getting a bit overwhelmed with everything on his plate, so a couple of weeks ago I planned a surprise night away for us.

I picked him up that night from work and blindfolded him. He was a good sport to stay blindfolded on our way to the.....

GREAT WOLF LODGE!

The indoor waterpark at the lodge was AWESOME. Whoever said this place was meantfor kids was way wrong.

What We've Been Up To....

I know, I know, I know. I'm a really bad blogger. But can you blame me? After I spend all day behind a computer at work, the ABSOLUTE LAST thing I want to do is come home and get back on the computer. I still look at all of your blogs during my lunch breaks, but my computer network at work won't let me make comments on your blogs. (Commenting gets blocked as some sort of "on-line chat.") So anyways. I just wanted all of you out there in blogger-land to know that we are alive and well and we are still keeping tabs on what is going on with you and your lives.

So this is what we've been up to in the 3 months and 1 week since I last posted....

For my 27th birthday Sam surprised me with a fancy evening out. We went to dinner at Piropos, a fancy Argentine restaurant, and then to see the Broadway production of The Lion King. Sam and I have been to several Broadway musicals, including Wicked, but I'd have to say Lion King was my favorite, hands down!

Here we are, all dressed up for our evening out.

For Halloween this year I dressed up in my default costume - Pippi Longstocking. I had more people tell me they loved my hair that night that I've ever had in my entire life. Since I got so many compliments, I'm thinking I'll start wearing pokey braids more often. :-)



Sam has gotten really involved in his Tae Kwon Do class.

He is up to his purple belt now, but these pictures were taken a few months ago when he got his orange belt (or his "o-rain-gey" belt as his instructor pronounces it).

As for me, I've been keeping my free time busy with crafting, as usual. A few months ago a friend taught me how to knit, so I've been getting really into that. Here are a couple of pics of some of my completed projects:

I even knitted myself this sweater!

I do love knitting now, but I still haven't given up on jewelry making. Here are some pics of my latest designs:

Liverpool: The Birthplace of the Beatles

I'm not exactly the hugest Beatles fan, but for those of you who are, these pictures are for you.

The House of the Lord

The London, England Temple

As trite as this may sound, one of our neatest experiences on this trip was being able to go to the temple. Before going to the temple, we had seen so many beautiful and historic cathedrals, all of which were extremely showy, known for their elaborate architecture and decor. But the London Temple was different. It was much simpler, and yet, it felt so different. It was peaceful there. The spirit was there.

This is the temple where Sam's parents were married nearly 35 years ago. They were married in a very private sealing with just themselves, the temple sealer, and the 2 witnesses. Because there was no crowd of friends and family, their wedding took place in a small, intimate sealing room just off the balcony which looked down over the Celestial Room. Sam and I were able to go into this room which marked the beginning of the eternal Scott family.

We also did a session at the Preston, England temple. This wasn't nearly as sentimental for us, but it was a beautiful temple nonetheless.

(Plus, we counted this as our July temple attendance and saved ourselves the 3 hour drive up to Winter Quarters!)