Farnsworth Family

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Pictures of our Christmas for our families:

He was cool with Santa until it was time to sit on his lap….maybe next year!

Waiting on the steps before opening presents. Yes, we know we need to work on his "cheese" face.

So excited!!! He has named him "Speed".

Thank you Auntie Caitlan!!!

Spoiled with a stuffed stocking. He called every present that came out of here "sock".

Love momma!

Love dadda! So excited to play football.

Sorry bud, you get the coal by default, plus you were plenty "naughty" this year!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Duct Taping the Bishop

2011-11-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Again, this is for those who asked for pictures. We recently had a primary activity that the kids have been preparing for, for months. We have been working on the articles of faith this year and as an incentive we told the kids for every article of faith that they memorized they would receive a piece of tape to help duct tape our Bishop to the wall at our activity. The kids really impressed me with all they learned and had so much fun taping the Bishop up real well!

The kids putting on the finishing touches.

Our primary with the Bishop.

Ami and I with the Bishop.

Rick was the nice one who cut the Bishop out while we gave the kids their treat. Our Bishop was a great sport and it turned out to be such a fun activity!

Happy Birthday Rick!

2011-11-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Rick turned 32 this year! We had a fun little celebration at home. Ethan helped pick out the sprinkles (after dumping the first bottle out in the middle of wal-mart) and loved blowing out the candles with daddy. Rick's favorite gift came a few days later. He received the new Call of Duty xbox game and has been playing quite a bit lately.

Ethan wanted to join in the fun. Here he is with daddy's controller and headset.

Looks just like a miniature Rick! Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Why Ethan now sleeps in a toddler bed...

2011-11-16T10:50:00.001-07:00

Ethan is now sleeping in a toddler bed. We weren't planning on making this transition any time soon…actually we were thinking next summer after we moved would be a great time. He had other ideas. One day I came into his room to get him up from a nap and found this:

Somehow he had filled his crib with books and wipes. The books I could understand as I had left the box of books next to his crib and it was easy to see how he could pull them through the slats. The wipes…I had NO clue how he had gotten a hold of them. So being the wonderful mother that I am, I ran downstairs, grabbed the camera, ran back upstairs, then asked him to show me how he got the wipes. He was so kind as to show me this:

Apparently he would climb up on the rail then reach over to the wipe dispenser on the changing table.

Gotta love those wipes! That was not all though. You see it is hard to balance on the rail and grab the wipes so he decided he might as well go all the way over and just climb onto the changing table.

Apparently he really wanted those baby wipes. Well all this climbing of furniture took a couple of years off of my life and after a few days of discovering him in places I was not okay with, we decided to move his furniture around, undoing the completely nice arrangement in his room, so that he couldn't climb from one piece to the next. That did not stop my monkey.

He just pulled that bottom drawer out and climbed up that way. See the wipes on the chair? Do you know how many we went through during this week? We ended up having to convert his crib to a toddler bed, take the chair, wipes, and the green basket of baby items on his changing table out of his room. Now he has no reason to climb and after a dreadful week of transition, Ethan now sleeps in a toddler bed.

Halloween

2011-11-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

This Halloween we had Ethan dress up like the little monkey that he is. We took him trick-or-treating at the zoo during their ZooBoo. We met up with some friends and had a lot of fun seeing the animals and picking up treats for the kids.

Ethan and his little friends. Aren't they all adorable?

As part of our Halloween activities, we went to Kelsay Farms, a dairy farm not too far from where we live. While it wasn't a true pumpkin patch, it was perfect for Ethan and they had tons for him to do. There was a corn crib, a hay ride, cows to look at, a little train to ride, and hay to climb. It was a fun family outing.

The miracle of this photo is Ethan has a fear of getting too close to ANY animal and he is the one who walked up to pet the calf.

We hope you all had a great Halloween!

Beautiful Nauvoo

2011-05-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

This year for Memorial Day weekend we drove to Nauvoo to explore that beautiful city. We had great weather and we even had wonderful friends (the Fortners) to spend time with!

Ethan and Rick are making rope in the Family Living Center. Rick was trying really hard to remember his Boy Scout skills. Might need to put him back in scouts for a refresher!

This was taken in the back of the Browning house with the temple in the background. The flowers that were planted all around were gorgeous.

We earned our brick at the brickyard!

This ended up being one of my favorite places. We went to the Old Nauvoo Cemetery and were the only ones there. It was so gorgeous and peaceful that I kept telling Rick that is where I want to be buried.

Ethan had fun running through the tombstones. It was sad at how many were very young children.

Ethan and I in front of the memorial in the cemetery.

Our little family in front of the Nauvoo temple. I loved this temple. So pretty!

Ethan is going through a "daddy" phase and just loves to mimic Rick. This is the Joseph and Hyrum Smith Memorial across the street from the temple.

These two are just pictures of Ethan that I love near the memorial and temple grounds. We let him run around to get out some of his energy and he loved it. I love the look of joy on his face!

Ethan and Rick wearing matching rings from the blacksmith's shop.

This was special. In the Seventies Hall they have binders listing those who had been in the Quorums of the Seventies and when I was flipping through I found my great-great-great grandpa! I hadn't known he had been a Seventy so it was kind of fun! (ignore the wild woman hair, it was windy that day!)

Not to be outdone, Rick found his ancestor in the binders as well!

We went down by the Mississippi River to see where the pioneers crossed and let Ethan throw rocks in. I couldn't imagine having to cross that river!

We took the tour of the Joseph Smith Historic Sites and I really enjoyed seeing where the prophet lived and worked. Here is our family by the graves of Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma.

This is my beautiful friend Jenalee Fortner! I was so glad they were able to be in Nauvoo with us!

On our way home we stopped in Carthage to tour the jail. This is the window that Joseph was shot through. While this was more somber, it was not sad since we know he was able to complete the work he needed to do here on earth!

We were able to see and do so much more but I decided this was already picture overload. My favorites were a wagon ride through Historic Nauvoo, seeing the beautiful Nauvoo Temple, and the Old Nauvoo Cemetery. Rick liked the wagon ride, the Temple and the Blacksmith shop. We ended up staying at the Motel Nauvoo which was perfect for us. The price was good, and it was nice to be in town so when our baby was melting down and needed a nap it was easy to go back to the room and put him down without having to travel far. A big plus was that his pack-n-play fit inside the bathroom so he was not in our room with us. It was such a great trip and I can't wait until we get to go to Palmyra later this summer!

6 months!

2010-08-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ethan is 6 months! It has been such a joy to have him in our family and I feel so grateful that I get to be his mom!

This month Ethan started sitting up and crawling! It was so cool to watch him figure out how to start moving and then see his joy in being able to get to where he wants to go (which is not always where I want him)!

Squishy cheeks!

All smiles...

making faces :) Love him!

(Thank you Emily for the beautiful pictures!)

Washington DC - Day 5

2010-07-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Day five we went to Ford's Theatre, the Washington DC temple and we bought Red Velvet cupcakes (yummy!)

The gun that shot Lincoln.

The box the Lincoln was killed in.

Ethan doing what he does best.

Yummy cupcakes!

Washington DC temple. A little bit of a drive but gorgeous!

We were so sad to say good-bye to Dad and Caitlan but we were so glad they were able to come hang out with us!

Washington DC - Day 4

2010-07-12T19:57:00.002-07:00

Day four we did WAY too much! Mt. Vernon, Arlington, the White House, and then the monuments. We barely made it onto the last metro back to the hotel.

Mt. Vernon was gorgeous!

The tomb of George Washington.

Checking out the "ugly dogs"!

JFK's grave

Tomb of the Unknowns

White House

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial…he is huge!

Washington DC - Day 3

2010-07-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

Day three was the Holocaust Museum (amazing!), Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the National Air and Space Museum.

Holocaust Museum..this was amazing and so sad! Definitely worth seeing.

Trying to figure out how much Grandpa is worth!

Rick and the Space Man!

Wright brothers plane

One tired baby!!

Washington DC - Day 2

2010-07-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

The second day we went to the US Capitol, Library of Congress, and the National Museum of American History. The National Museum of American History was definitely one of my favorites, there was so much cool stuff inside!

Ethan and Rick in the Capitol building.

Dad and Caitlan with one of the CA statues in the Capitol.

Caitlan and I in front of the Capitol.

Dad, Ethan, Caitlan, and I in the Library of Congress.

Rick and I in front of the Library of Congress.

The ruby slippers!!

Ethan showing off his Kermit expression.

The Fonz's jacket…Rick was so excited to see this!

Rick and Ethan with Lincoln's hat.

C-3PO

Washington DC - Day 1

2010-07-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

We recently drove to Washington DC to spend a week there exploring the sites. My dad and Caitlan flew out to have fun with us! The first day we went to the National Gallery of Art, Museum of Natural History, and the National Archives. Sorry for the multiple posts but I had about 550 photos I had to pick from!

Happy baby! We got many of these smiles after we took him out of his car seat after the ten hour drive!

Rick wasn't too impressed with this "art".

Ethan sitting on a meteor.

Caitlan trying to compare her leg to a dinosaur. I think the dinosaur wins.

Caitlan and I at the top of the stairs to the National Archives. It was so cool to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Waiting at the Metro station. We took the metro everywhere, which worked out pretty well. We had it down by the end of the week.

Ethan's Room

2010-06-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

After much "discussion" I finally convinced Rick to help me paint Ethan's room. Since our plans for Saturday were ruined due to the rain, we decided to paint instead.

Taping off the stripes.

Almost done...

Done! We still have a few more things we need to do but his room is turning out so fun! You can't tell from the picture but the lime on the walls matches his bedding perfectly.

Ethan Update

2010-06-07T17:16:00.004-07:00

Ethan is such a joy to be around. He loves to smile and play and only gets cranky when he is tired, hungry, or not getting enough attention. He is also a chatterbox and talks to me all day long. His newest "tricks" are grabbing his feet and trying to put them in his mouth and playing with his tongue to make smacking noises.

Ethan at 3 months. Love that face!

Ethan's favorite way to sleep. There is no swaddling for this kid.

Just learned how to hold his on bottle.

His favorite toy. Mine too! This is how I get stuff done during the day.

This picture makes me giggle!

My 4 month old! His fourth month stats:

Height: 26 3/4" 95th percentile

Weight: 17 lbs 9.5 oz 90th percentile

Head: 16 1/8" 20th percentile

My chunky monkey!

Halfway Done!

2010-06-07T17:16:00.003-07:00

To celebrate the last day of school of our second year we went to dinner with a group of friends. It was so much fun and we're so glad we are halfway there!

The boys (including a few sons)

The wonderful wives. These ladies are the best!

Our little family. Ethan and I are so proud of Rick and all of his hard work. Two more years to go!

Indy 500

2010-06-07T17:16:00.002-07:00

Some friends of ours gave us tickets to some of the events leading up to the Indy 500.

We went to a practice day at the track. Ethan did pretty well until we got to close to the track and then the loud noises scared him. Jenna and I feeding our babies in front of the museum (and away from the track).

Rick at one of the time trials.

Somehow he found these military guns at the track and was so excited because he recognized many of them from his video games. Obviously he plays xbox a little TOO much.

Mother's Day and Birthday

2010-06-07T17:16:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day Family Picture: We take a picture for Mother's Day every year to send to my mom, this was the winner for this year. I love Ethan's face! He was happy but he just wouldn't smile.

Ethan and Mommy on Mother's Day. I love my chunkers.

Ethan and Mommy on my birthday. We had a relaxing day followed by a yummy dinner out with daddy.

Happy Easter

2010-06-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

This year Ethan was too young to do much for Easter so we decided to just take a picture with the bunny and call it good. The Saturday before Easter we headed to the mall.

He crashed while waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny.

Picture with the creepy bunny...we couldn't get him to smile but at least he didn't cry!

Ethan and his basket. We only got him a few things since he had no clue what was going on but it sure was fun for us.

First bath

2010-02-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

Friday morning Ethan decided to protest his third doctors appointment this week by peeing all over me at the Nephrologist's office when they were trying to weigh him. Later that evening he also shot himself in the face while Rick was changing his diaper so we decided it was the perfect time for Ethan's first bath. Well Rick didn't put a diaper on him for the trip to the bathroom for the bath and Ethan managed to "christen" our upstairs bathroom as well. Needless to say it was a much needed bath. Hopefully we'll get better at dealing with our little boy's "weapon" soon!

"Peanut"

2010-02-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant, before we knew we were having a boy we called Ethan "peanut". Here he is in his peanut outfit.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here are my two "Valentines"! Love them both!

First week home

2010-02-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

Bringing Ethan home in the cold!

Our little glo-bug. Ethan was very jaundiced and so had to be attached to this bili blanket for a week.

Cute little duckies. He lived in the carter's nightgowns for his first week because of the blanket.

Fast asleep. He loves to have his hands up by his face all the time. Not a surprise because we have a similar picture from his 30 week ultrasound.

Nap time. He slept great in the beginning but now we are all a little sleep deprived!

Ethan Wayne Farnsworth

2010-02-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Introducing Ethan Wayne Farnsworth! Ethan decided to join our family February 3rd at 5:19 pm. Everything went well and we were so excited to meet him!

He weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz and was 21" long.

Proud daddy!

Grammy K flew in to meet our little peanut and to help us out for a while.

Worth the wait...

2009-08-31T18:22:00.007-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted...no real excuse but here is the main thing we have been up to:

Meet Ethan Wayne Farnsworth!

I wish you all could have seen the look of pure joy on Rick's face when this showed up on the screen:

This was the first shot of the day. No modesty for our child.

He has been incubating for about 17w3days and has loved to cause his mama trouble. Unfortunately I have been sick since before I took the test and still throw up about once a day. I couldn't eat chocolate for about the first 13-14 weeks because that always guaranteed that I would be sick (I guess that should have been a clue that we are having a boy) and I am finally starting to eat a little normally. I have a small baby bump (pictures to follow shortly) and have gained a couple of pounds. Overall we are doing well, everyone is healthy and we can't wait for him to make his appearance around Feb. 5, 2010.

The other "minor" things we have been up to since I last posted:

Spring break

My 26th birthday

Fall Out Boy concert

My brother's graduation from law school (go Jeff!)

Work trips to Tennessee, Kentucky, and Colorado

Finding out we are expecting

My sister's graduation from high school (go Cait!)

Rick's "summer" break

Our second honeymoon to Hawaii

Fourth of July

Rick back in school (one year down, three to go)

Our 5 year wedding anniversary

Blink 182 concert

We have been busy but loving most of the adventures that have come our way!

I've been replaced!

2009-02-22T16:00:00.002-07:00

See that headset? Yep, Rick's nerdiness has multiplied since starting dental school and now he ignores me to play xbox with his little online friends. Including the ones that just live down the street! I'm hoping this phase doesn't last long...

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-22T15:53:00.010-07:00

This year we celebrated Valentine's Day a couple of times. It started with a fabulous party at our friends house, Matt and Jenna Gunnell. They had everything decorated so cute! We played a couple of games, including the Newlywed game, played Rockband, ate lots of good food, and chatted the night away. We also brought Valentine's boxes and then exchanged valentines. Some of our friends were definitely way creative with their boxes, one of our friends brought an amazing box that blew me away! Here is Rick sitting with our little box while I passed out valentines. Sitting next to him is Brad, and yes that bear is their box (fun, huh?) and Rich with their box.

Rick and I in front of the yummy treats!

For Valentine's Day, Rick brought me a bouquet of my favorite flowers, gerber daisies and pink roses and then we celebrated by going to see Cirque du Soliel's "Saltimbanco". This was the second Cirque du Soliel show we have gone to and both were wonderful. It was a great way to spend our day together.

Last night, we went to the dental school's Valentine's Dance. It was held at the

Indianapolis Children's Museum. We had a lot of fun dressing up and dancing the night away with our friends. Of course Rick couldn't resist the legos from on of the exhibits...

Mmmm...isn't he yummy? This is us in front of the Fireworks of Glass sculpture at the museum. We had so much fun and I am so glad that I can call him my Valentine!

Snow Day

2009-01-28T16:12:00.008-07:00

Yesterday it started snowing here. Now it has snowed before but it was more than usual so Rick decided to make a snow angel last night in our front yard. Isn't he cute?

Love him. Well it continued to snow all night and we woke up this morning to this: 12.5" of snow.

Ok, so I know that is not a ton of snow, but it is more than we usually get. This meant Rick's school was cancelled, but I still had to get to work. Rick was kind enough to dig out the truck for me:

Isn't he a sweetheart? Too bad we didn't get to play in the snow. Hopefully it will stick around until this weekend so we can.

Rick's Update!

2009-01-28T16:08:00.008-07:00

This is what Rick has been up to:

Remember that paintball gun that Rick received for Christmas? Well he has since put it to good use against his friends a couple of times. Which is good because now our conversations aren't just about dental school anymore. Now there is some paintball talk thrown in. Just kidding, but he really is loving it. Here he is with his friends Eric, Rich, and Brad after one of their games.

He also decided to let his "beard" grow for a couple weeks this month. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask) Rick is not one of those guys who can grow much facial hair so he is pretty proud of this:

Isn't he cute? I was so glad when he shaved it! That is what Rick has been up to. Well there is some school thrown in there but really, who wants to hear about that?

Spending time with the McConnells!

2009-01-04T18:22:00.014-07:00

We were blessed to be able to spend two weeks in San Diego with my family over the Christmas break. We got to enjoy good company, great food, and wonderful weather. Luckily for about a week we had the whole family there and it was great to see everyone. P.S. Thanks to Jeff for letting me borrow some of his pictures.

Over Thanksgiving, my brother Jeff threw Brett into the pool. This is Brett and Caitlan getting revenge on Jeff and Camille's car.

Before Christmas we went to Old Town to eat then we went to the San Diego Temple to look at the lights and to listen to the singers. The music was beautiful and the lights were gorgeous! (Don't mind Rick's funny face, I think he was a little cold!)

After Christmas, we took Caitlan to the mall to get her ears pierced. No tears or anything! Just kidding, Cait didn't even flinch. I'm telling you, that girl is tough!

Of course we also had to take a trip to the San Diego Auto Show since it was going on while we were in town. Rick and I went with Brett, Caitlan, and my Dad. We all had our favorites and it was fun to look at all of the different cars. We even got to test drive a few Toyotas on their 4x4 course. Rick took Cait and I for a ride in a Tundra (one of my favorites) and my Dad drove Brett in the FJ Cruiser (one of Brett's favorites). It was a blast!

The trip wouldn't be complete without a picture of Rick in "his" Corvette!

Christmas

2009-01-04T18:21:00.040-07:00

We had a fun Christmas. Because we had a two year old around this year my mom used her beanie baby collection in lieu of ornaments on the tree this year. It turned out very cute.

Here are all of our stockings hung up on the fireplace waiting for Santa.

Here is one happy Rick... Now all he can talk about is going to play with his friends.

Love my new purse!

Look at that smile! Nothing like watching a two year old on Christmas morning.

Stacee excited about her new vacuum.

Jeff and his favorite gift...

Mom, Brett (he had a bloody nose), and Caitlan watching people open stockings.

Camille and her cute new PJ's.

Dad and the video camera.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sea World

2009-01-04T18:21:00.039-07:00

We went to Sea World with my family and enjoyed the Shamu show, Sea Lion and Otter show, tide pools, sting rays, and lots more. We even got Rick to go on the Atlantis roller coaster with us!

Waiting for the Shamu show to start...Rick, Brett, Caitlan, Stacee, Jeffrey, and Dad.

Camille (Jeff's wife) at the tide pools. Doesn't she look gorgeous? I love the belly and can't wait to meet my niece!

Rick, Brett and I checking out the tide pools.

My cute brother Brett and I.

Jeffrey and Stacee

Caitlan

One tired toddler. Definitely was a fun, exhausting day!

Disneyland 2009!

2009-01-04T18:21:00.038-07:00

We spent New Years Day at Disneyland. It was a little crowded but we still had a blast. We went on Splash Mountain first and poor Rick drew the short straw and had to ride in front. Luckily he didn't get soaked...just a little wet!

After Splash Mountain we headed over to Pirates then got some yummy gumbo for lunch.

We rode Thunder Mountain and then went shooting...

Cait did awesome, I didn't do so well.

We hit up a few more rides including Space Mountain (Rick's favorite) and Indiana Jones. Here we are in the Jeep getting ready to go.

Hanging out in Innovations.

Rick's future office...

The famous castle, it was so pretty with all of the lights.

All of us in front of the Christmas tree on Main Street.

We had a great time and I can't wait to go back!

Update!

2008-09-21T14:38:00.006-07:00

Ok I know we haven't updated in a while but we really haven't been up to much. Rick goes to school and studies and I go to work. On the weekends we try to get all of the normal stuff done that we don't have time for during the week: cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, errands, studying, watching college football (go BYU!), etc.

In the beginning of September we went to the Louisville Kentucky temple for our Ward Temple day. It was the first time either one of us had done a session in a small temple so it was a neat experience. For us to get there, it is a little over two hours away.

This is my home away from home. This is my cubicle at work and where I spend most of my time during the week. My typical day consists of going to work from 8-5 and then a couple nights a week I go to the gym so that Rick can study undisturbed at home. I am taking both a pilates class and a yoga class and I am enjoying both.

Rick is going to school and studying during the week. On Fridays he likes to have friends over to play x-box to relax after the school week.

This is pretty much what we have been up to. We are going to see Brian Regan and will let you know how it goes!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-08-14T06:43:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th Anniversary Honey! I love you!

Time to Get Real

2008-07-11T08:00:00.002-07:00

Found this http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/ and laughed so hard. Please remember this is suppose to be funny.

Enjoy!

Congrats Kathy!

2008-06-25T18:09:00.003-07:00

My mother-in-law Kathy Farnsworth is an amazing biology teacher at Scottsdale Community College and was awarded the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award for 2008. The Davis County Clipper wrote a nice article about Kathy and her achievement. Needless to say we are so proud of her and everything she does!

Hello from Indiana!

2008-06-15T12:37:00.012-07:00

We made it! We have had an incredibly long week but we are here now. Here is a break down of what we have been up to:

Monday: Packing up! Thank you to everyone that showed up to help us pack up the truck. We had plenty of people and it went so fast and smooth.

Tuesday: We finished packing the car and the truck, cleaned the house and headed out. We drove from Mesa, AZ to Albuquerque, NM. My favorite state: Arizona, I loved driving through the pines.

Wednesday: Drove from Albuquerque, NM to Tulsa, OK. My favorite state: Texas, it was flat so we were able to use cruise control! Unfortunately it was incredibly windy all day so that by the time we made it to Tulsa we were exausted.

Thursday: Drove from Tulsa, OK to Terre Haute, IN. My favorite state: Missouri, it was really pretty and I loved the brick buildings in St. Louis. The picture below is pretty much what I saw for three days straight. Don't get me wrong, I love my car, but I would be quite grateful if I didn't see it's tailend for a while.

Friday: Drove from Terre Haute, IN to Indianapolis, IN. My favorite state: Indianapolis, because we were finally here. This was the only day we had any rain. We dropped the moving truck off at the apartment complex, went to Walmart and Costco, then went back for our walk through and to fill out the paperwork. Unfortunately, it was still sprinkling on and off so we weren't sure when we were going to unpack the truck. Rick talked to the Elders Quorm guys and we ended up deciding to do it Friday night since the complex was having a yard sale in the morning. Luckily it stopped raining long enough for us to get the truck unloaded. We had so many people show up to help us unpack last minute and are so grateful for all of the help, tips and support that they gave us!

Saturday: Spent all day unpacking. We have acquired a bunch of stuff in the years that we have been married and so now we are figuring out where everything goes, what to keep, and what to get rid of. Also our family room furniture is quite large and our family room is quite small. This is creating a couple of our issues. We got our bedroom set up and most of our kitchen. Hopefully in the next couple of days we'll be done and I'll post pictures of our place then. I also have to give Rick a lot of credit. He pretty much packed the house up by himself and did such a great job that nothing is broken!

Indiana is really different from anywhere we have ever lived. The radio stations are all country and religion, there is a ton of green (trees, grass, etc) everywhere, and we have to drive 10 miles to get to church. The people have been really friendly though and we love living in a complex with quite a few other medical, dental, and law students. We will try to keep everyone updated as we start our new adventure!

Mountain View Toro's 1998

2008-06-08T16:59:00.010-07:00

Saturday night was Rick's 10 year high school reunion. It was a great chance for him to catch up with some old friends that he hasn't seen in awhile. It was interesting to see how everyone has changed and what they are up to now.

Aren't we so cute? It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since he graduated!

Rick, Nate Duffin, and Matt Palmer

Mark Jacobson, Rick, and Dean Nelson

Christie, Rick, Aaron and Becca Nelson

Party at the Johnson's!

2008-06-01T19:12:00.005-07:00

This past Saturday we went to a party at my manager's house. It was so much fun to spend time with my friends from work as well as their spouse's one more time before we move. They have become some of my closest friends and I am so sad to leave them!

Ken Eggers (our Sales Manager), his wife, and Dan Smith (our Controller)

Larry Erp (sales engineer) serving up margaritas

Laura Kempton and Rhonda Erp keeping Larry company

Charlie Dall and Tyler playing Yard Jarts

Tiffany Zimmer (sales engineer), Bob Alford (sales engineer), Me, Dave Dall, and Nancy Dall

Leann's husband, Marguerite and Ray Martin

Me and Nancy Dall (we are both Project Managers)

Tiffany and her boyfriend Tyler

Me and Marguerite (she is also a Project Manager)

Our complete department and our manager Erick Johnson in the middle

Erick and "The Girls"

Leann, Me, Marguerite, Nancy, Audrey, Rose-Mary, Karen, Chad, Erick, and Ryan

San Diego Zoo

2008-06-01T15:54:00.005-07:00

We spent Memorial Day at the San Diego zoo. We rode the double-decker bus to take a tour and then we walked around for a closer look.

Little Jeffrey and my mom on the bus. He was so enthralled with the animals!

Rick and I taking a ride. It was a little chilly on top of the bus.

My beautiful sisters: Caitlan and Stacee.

Rick teaching little Jeffrey not to be afraid of the gorilla statues by petting the statue.

Nice gorilla!

So the maps were a little confusing at the zoo. Either that or we are all direction impaired.

My brother Jeff and his wife Camille.

Stacee taking a little ride in the stroller thanks to my dad.

Rick and little Jeffrey checking out the animals. Jeffrey loved being carried by his Uncle Rick.

Silly Dad!

We had such a great time and the weather was perfect. We all got to check out our favorite animals and enjoy the zoo through the eyes of a two-year old.

Flying Kites on the Beach

2008-06-01T15:53:00.016-07:00

We bought $3 kites from Wal-mart and then spent a windy afternoon flying them on the beach. Little Jeffrey of course headed straight for the ocean and spent a few minutes playing in the surf until he realized that it was cold. We had a few mishaps with kites getting tangled and getting away from us but all in all it was a nice relaxing afternoon in one of my favorite places!

Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego

2008-06-01T15:52:00.003-07:00

This Memorial Day weekend we spent time with my whole family in San Diego. We flew in Thursday night and hung out with my parents and siblings while eating a yummy dinner from Rodrigos. I hope they have "real" Mexican food in Indiana. Late Thursday night my brother Jeff and his wife Camille drove in from Costa Mesa.

On Friday, Caitlan and Brett had to go to school so while they were gone the boys went to go see Iron Man at the movies and Camille, my Mom, and I went to the salon for pedicures. It was heaven. We also stopped by Bread Bites on the way home. Yummy! That afternoon we all watched "So You Think You Can Dance". We had flight issues the night before so Caitlan had tapped it for us. It was so good. I am so excited for this season. Rick and I also had to run to Wal-mart to pick up a few things that had been forgotten at home so we also picked up a few kites to play with for the weekend.

Saturday we played with the kites in the middle of the street for a little bit. It was a good thing it was a little stormy for the weekend so we had lots of great wind. We went bowling as a family also and found out that Rick and my Mom are the bowlers of the family. After bowling we went for dinner at Outback. Yum! (seeing a trend? I think I might have a small obsession with food!) We then went back and relaxed in the hot tub until my sister Stacee and my nephew Jeffrey arrived. We haven't seen Jeffrey since he was 6 months (he is now two) and so we are so glad they could come visit. It took him a little while to warm up to us but it was still great to see him.

Sunday was church in the morning and then in the afternoon we went to fly the kites on the beach. It was perfect weather and it was fun to watch Jeffrey explore the ocean and the sand.

Monday we went to the San Diego Zoo in the morning and then took pictures at Poway Park. Since we had everyone in town we decided we needed a family picture done and then we took a few pictures of our own. It was a great weekend and we were so glad to spend time with my family before we move away.

Little Jeffrey showing Uncle Rick what he really thought of him. Just kidding, this is his "catching" hand for playing ball.

Aunt Christie and Jeffrey playing with the fire truck.

Learning how to blow on the pinwheel.

Giving him a taste of cream soda. Mama was so happy with us.

Camille and Jeff.

Mom, Camille, and Jeff at the bowling alley.

Rick showing off his stuff.

Dad, Brett, Mom, and Camille.

Mom and Dad at Poway Park

Brett at Poway Park

Jeffrey and Stacee

Christie and Rick

Jeffrey and his sticks that he did not want to let go of.

Stacee and Mom

Dad and Jeffrey

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-13T10:12:00.004-07:00

This weekend we celebrated my 25th birthday. I was a little wary of my birthday (for some reason turning 25 has just made me feel OLD) but Rick always makes it fun. For example I was only awake for about ten minutes when he decided I needed to open my presents and then proceeded to pile them on me. He also sang "Happy Birthday" to me about five times throughout the day. Later that night we played Rock Band again with Steve, Amanda, Emily, and Todd (we even got Kathy to play with us for a little bit). The best part about the day though was by delicious cake from Nothing Bundt Cake. It was wonderful! Thanks, hon!

Tuesday Tell All - Summer Memories

2008-05-13T09:00:00.003-07:00

What do you remember about your childhood summers?

Playing night games with the other kids in the neighborhood, we loved playing "Kick the Can" and "Hide and Seek"

Going to the beach almost every week and when we were lucky, having a bonfire at night

Eating boysenberries off of the bush in our backyard

Our Fourth of July block party and then watching the fireworks

Going to the Del Mar Fair, when I was younger my dance group would perform on one of the stages on the Fourth of July

Visiting family in Arizona and being amazed by the monsoons

Playing kickball in the middle of the cul-de-sac

Steven's Graduation

2008-05-13T08:25:00.004-07:00

Congratulations to Steven! He graduated from ASU last week and celebrated his birthday. We had a great time celebrating with everyone on Saturday. We ate hamburgers, cake, and rocked out on Rock Band. Here are a few pictures from that night.

Baby Shower

2008-04-29T16:02:00.010-07:00

Today we had a baby shower at work for one of my co-workers. I made a diaper cake for my gift and I think it turned out okay for my first.

Here is Wendy with all of her loot! We had a great time eating and chatting and admiring all of the cute baby gifts. Wendy is due to have a boy in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to meet him, I am sure he will be a cutie!

Audrey Laffan, Wendy Hennings, Judy Vetter, and Me. Audrey and I work in the same department and I work closely with both Judy and Wendy. I am so sad to leave them!

Tuesday Tell All - Hometown Favorites

2008-04-25T11:36:00.010-07:00

With as much as I love Mesa, I still consider San Diego my hometown. These are my favorite places in San Diego to:

grab lunch: Pat & Oscars

They have the most delicious breadsticks that I have ever had and I love their salads. My favorite is the Lemon Chicken Greek Salad. Whenever we are in town this is someplace that we always stop by to eat at. Of course we always try to find a way to bring a bag of breadsticks home with us also!

go for Date night: Seaport Village

Lots of fun shops to explore right on the bay. It is so fun to walk around and look through the shops. There is also a restaurant that has a balcony that looks over the bay as well.

grab some creative goodies: Cool Scrapbook Stuff

Yes, that is the name of the store, and they really do have cool stuff.

keep the kids busy:

As I don't have kids I can't really say, but some of my favorites growing up were the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Sea World, and of course the beach.

get wet: the beach

It doesn't matter which beach we go to, they are all my favorites. Of course it helps that my parents live 10 minutes from Torrey Pines. I love to lay on the beach and read a book. I was so sad to move away and try to go as often as we can when we visit.

buy a treat: Moo Time

This is on Coronado and is the best ice cream ever!

shop for fun: Carlsbad outlets

Crate and Barrel outlet, what else do you need?

get some fresh air: Balboa Park

It is so fun to walk around and see the different museums and in the spring the gardens are gorgeous.

splurge: Container Store

There is so much to splurge on when I am there but I love to shop at the Container Store. I can spend hours in there.

drive for a weekend away: Disneyland

This is always funny to me since most people go to San Diego for a weekend away, but we did always enjoy going up north to Anaheim to go to Disneyland. It really is one of the happiest places on earth!

Peppersauce

2008-04-20T10:14:00.012-07:00

We decided to go camping this weekend with Todd and Emily and Steve and Amanda. We drove down to Peppersauce and set up our tents:

Then we decided to build a fire and Steve helped us out with his Boy Scout skills. Look how pretty:

After a nice night of chatting around the campfire, and with only a few interruptions throughout the night, we had a nice rest. In the morning Steve and Amanda made us delicious breakfast burritos at the crack of dawn. Thanks guys!

Emily and Todd waking up by the fire:

Rick playing with fire. It's a good thing he is a Junior Fire Marshall!

After breakfast we packed up and drove up to the cave. We got our flashlights out and crawled right in. Here we are waiting for our turn to go down the ladder to the water:

Christie and Rick

Emily and Todd

Amanda and Steve

At one point the boys all climbed up and popped out this hole for us to take a picture. Of course my husband would be the one draping himself over the hole in the "ceiling" to give his wife a heart attack!

We made it out!

Look how dirty we are!

Emily, Amanda, and Christie

Rick, Todd, and Steve

We had a lot of fun "adventuring" all over the cave. We then went back to the campsite, devoured sub sandwiches that Emily and Todd brought us, then drove home for a much needed shower! Thanks for a great time guys!

It's Official!

2008-04-20T10:14:00.010-07:00

I know we already announced that Rick got accepted to dental school in Indiana, but we received the letter in the mail so now it is "official". We will be moving to Indianapolis in the middle of June. Thanks so much for all of the prayers, fasts, love and support!

Tuesday Tell All (One Day Late)

2008-04-18T10:10:00.004-07:00

What makes you laugh?

It has been interesting the past couple of days to think about what makes me laugh. I mean I obviously laugh, but I had to stop and think about what makes me laugh. So here is what I discovered:

I laugh with my husband. One of the things I love about Rick is his ability to make me laugh. I tend to be a more serious person and he is able to bring my "fun" side out. He is always able to see the “funny” side of a situation and helps to lighten up miserable situations. One of the funniest days of my life was when Rick had hand surgery. Rick under anesthesia is hilarious. During surgery he kept trying to hook up his nurse and the anesthesiologist. Let’s just say he entertained the whole surgery team. He was still “under the influence” as we were driving home and was cracking jokes the whole way. I have never laughed so hard my entire life.
I tend to laugh at myself. I do silly things, many times without trying to, and I found it is just easier to laugh at myself. For example, I walk into walls. I’m not blind, I just think that I am usually not paying attention to where I am going and so somehow end up in a wall. I also sometimes say things without thinking and give my family more ammunition to tease me with. Their favorite is from when my mom and I were driving me up to BYU to attend school. Somewhere in the middle of Utah my mom was driving and I woke up from a nap. I looked out the window then turned to my mom and said, “Those look like ugly dogs.” My mom looked at me and said, “Those are sheep. Don’t you know what sheep look like?” Well apparently growing up in the city I didn’t have many opportunities to see sheep so I guess the answer is “no”. Needless to say I have yet to live this down even though it was seven years ago!
I don’t find other’s embarrassment funny and sometimes make Rick change the channel on the TV if it is too awkward, but I do love the Office. Sometimes I cringe, but it is like a car wreck, you can’t look away. I love Jim’s antics and how un-PC Michael is. I am so glad this has started again.
I love the try-outs for reality shows. I don’t like to watch the reality shows, but I laugh so hard at the “try-outs”. People tend to take themselves so seriously and have such unrealistic views of their talent and are so shocked when they don’t make it, that I have to laugh. Now I am sure there are some things about myself that I have an unrealistic view on, but I don’t go on national television to make a spectacle of myself. The most memorable one I remember was “Sex” (as he preferred to be called) on So You Think You Can Dance. I can still crack myself up thinking about his try-out.

These are just a few things that I came up with that make me laugh. If you have a moment let me know what makes you laugh.

Google Reader

2008-04-16T08:24:00.002-07:00

I just thought I would share my new discovery: Google Reader. I'm sure you all know about it, but if you are like me and didn't, here you go. See the thing is I love when everyone updates their blogs ( not that I am so great at blogging myself) but I love reading about all you do. The only thing is I usually check these at work and I don't have time to run through all of the blogs that I like to stalk....so all of the sudden I hear about Google Reader (if you have Gmail it is listed up in the left hand corner as "Reader"). What you do is click on "Add subscription" and then copy and paste the link to the blog there. Once you have added all of the blogs that you stalk it will show you when someone has added a new post. That way you don't have to look at everyones blogs everyday. Also for those who may want to make it a little bit more, um...well "work friendly" I added Reader to my internet Google toolbar. The little icon turns green whenever there is something new. Neat, huh?

Tuesday Tell All

2008-04-15T15:54:00.003-07:00

One of the reasons I am blogging is because I am horrible about writing in a journal. I heard about this blog called "Tuesday Tell All" they post the question the Friday before and you blog it on Tuesday. So hopefully this will help me record more. Today's question is:

For what activity would you want professional lessons?

As an adult I would love to have lessons to learn how to ballroom dance. I took a couple of classes when I went to BYU and I loved it. Rick and I tried to take a swing class together but the teachers wanted everyone to switch partners, of course there were a million more girls than guys, and the whole reason we signed up for the class was so we could dance together, so we dropped it. If we ever had the time or money I would love to take ballroom lessons with my hubby!

One of those days...

2008-04-15T13:38:00.002-07:00

Seriously? Ok, I know I am crabby today, but it has turned into one of those days where EVERYTHING is driving me nuts.

To start with I woke up with a migraine today. I hate migraines! Unfortunately this is a result of the birth control I am taking, which I have to continue taking for health reasons, and so there is not really much I can do. Well unless I want to try to get pregnant which I really am not sure about (see previous post) so I continue taking the birth control; and wake up with migraines. This morning it was a bawl my eyes out as I get ready for work type of morning. I seriously considered taking the day off, like look at my phone and tried to remember my boss’ number type of considered it…except we are busy and I am taking Friday afternoon off so I dragged myself into work, albeit I was 15 minutes late, but I made it.

Now that I am here, yes I am typing this while at work (naughty, naughty, but not sure I care) I am wondering why I did this to myself. We are busy at work. The temperature has started rising here in sunny Arizona and so everyone and their mother and their bother and their dog is ordering air conditioning. Not that I can blame them, but I have never figured out why they wait until it is hot. So besides the fact that we are busy and my inbox keeps growing no matter how fast I work, we are also training two new people. One of which is wonderful. He works hard, tries to figure out what is going on by himself, and is doing a great job. The other is driving me nuts. I have a few personal pet peeves, which I understand are my personal issues, but she seems to do all of them, at once! She stands and looks over my shoulder as I work and then when I try to explain to her what I am doing she consistently cuts me off. This wouldn’t be so bad if she cut me off with some meaningful question about what it is that I am doing, but it is always a “right”, “I see”, “ok”. But she doesn’t see and ten minutes later I have to explain it again because she didn’t listen the first time. Which means that my inbox continues to keep growing.

I am also crabby about this whole “moving” thing. Don’t get me wrong, I am so proud of my husband that I could burst. I am so excited for him to move on with his education and I am thrilled that he has the chance to go to school so that he can have the career that he wants. I don’t understand why he wants to be a dentist since I do everything possible to avoid going to the dentist and my eyes tend to glaze over whenever he tells me something “interesting” that he has learned, but since this is what he wants that means I will do everything possible to help him achieve it. This includes moving to Indiana. Not that I have anything against Indiana, as I have never been there, but I can’t say I am looking forward to moving there. (They don't have a beach, at least Mesa is close enough that I can visit the beach!) Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, everything keeps falling into place. The latest is that one of my co-workers is in Clarksville for training and met someone from the Indianapolis office who mentioned that they are looking for someone to fill the same position that I have here only for the Indianapolis office. She passed on my name and the Indianapolis office has now contacted me. I should be ecstatic, right? I hate looking for jobs, applying, and then trying to “sell” myself, but I can’t seem to generate any enthusiasm over this. Hmmm…anyone want to pack up my belongings, find an apartment and move across the country for me? I would really appreciate it!

The bright side of my day is that I got an email that a book I want to read is available for me to pick up from the Tempe Library. I can’t wait to get home from work to lie out in the sun and read.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Undecided

2008-04-10T10:34:00.003-07:00

With Rick and I moving to Indiana we have many BIG and IMPORTANT decisions ahead of us. One of them has become the question for me.

Do I go back to school and get my masters?

As many of you know my dream is to continue my schooling all of the way up to a doctorate. (Personally I think Dr. and Dr. Farnsworth sounds way to irresistible to not go for it). Also I have continually felt like my education is incomplete. Fortunately the school Rick will be attending has a masters program that I can try to apply to.

“There are other reasons why it is important for our young women to receive a proper education. Education is more than vocational. Education should improve our minds, strengthen our bodies, heighten our cultural awareness and increase our spirituality. It should prepare us for greater service to the human family. Such an education will improve a woman’s ability to function as an informed and effective teacher of her sons and daughters, and as a worthy and wise counselor and companion to her husband. Some have observed that the mother’s vital teaching responsibility makes it even more important to have educated mothers than to have educated fathers” (Elder Oaks).

OR

Do I make babies?

Rick and I would both love to have children. I know Rick will make an amazing dad with the patience we will need if they are anything like the "Farnsworth Boys". I love the stories about the boys, but I was a much different child (I never had the need to become a Junior Fire Marshall)! We have been married long enough with plenty of "getting to know you" time that we would love to start our family.

"Motherhood is a holy calling, a sacred dedication for carrying out the Lord’s work, a consecration and devotion to the rearing and fostering, the nurturing of body, mind, and spirit of those who kept their first estate and who came to this earth for their second estate to learn and be tested and to work toward godhood" (Spencer W. Kimball).

So which do I (we) choose? Decisions, decisions!

Indiana Here We Come!!!

2008-03-31T13:03:00.003-07:00

Rick was accepted to the School of Dentistry at Indiana University today!!! Unless anything comes up we are moving to Indiana this summer. I am so proud of him!

Lets Hear It For the Boy - Rick Style!

2008-02-25T17:36:00.007-07:00

Your Name: Rick P. Farnsworth

What is her full name? Christine Elizabeth McConnell

How long have you been married? 3.75 years

How long did you date? 1.5 years-ish

How old is she? Normally that isn't a question I would ask or answer...24 years old

Who eats more sweets? I do and she tries to keep up.

Who said I love you first? She did, I used the "modelo de compromiso" to get it out of her.

Who is taller? I am by 6 inches

Who can sing better? She says I do, but that's just cause I practice more.

Who is smarter? I would say I am, but that would prove me to be an idiot...so she is smarter in some respects and I am in others.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who mows the lawn? I do...once a month, maybe.

Who pays the bills? I do, she makes the budget...now if we could just follow it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at it, I do. If you're in it, she does.

Who cooks dinner? I do, but every now and again she proves she is a really great cook.

Who drives? I do and I'm good at it.

Who is more stubborn? She is, I hate to see her upset.

Who kissed who first? I kissed her good.

Who asked who out first? I am not sure, so....I'll claim that I did.

Who proposed? ME, and she was caught off guard...but still said yes.

Who has more siblings? I do.

Who wears the pants? Depends on the situation...so...we have a pair with four legs.

What color eyes does she have? Sky blue eyes when she feels good and greenish eyes when she's under the weather.

How tall is she? 5'3"

Is she a righty or a lefty? Ambidextrous - writes right-handed and plays Halo left-handed

What is her favorite color? Pink

A Secret about Rick!

2008-02-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Shhhhh......

I am going to let everyone in on a big secret….my husband is a closet romantic. He has always done really well making anniversaries, holidays, and birthdays very special. Well he did it again, and I wanted to share. For Valentine’s Day he first brought me a dozen red roses at work. He had this whole plan on how he was going to sneakily put them on my desk without me knowing, but I kind of ruined that by coming back from lunch just after he arrived. Sorry, babe.

Earlier in the month he had informed me that he would be taking care of dinner for Valentine’s Day. When I arrived home from work there was a sign on the door going into the kitchen that said “Please use the front door” so I walked around to the front door and there was a sign on it that said “Thank you”. I got a kick out of that. I entered the house and in the hallway there were a couple more signs directing me to our bedroom. Laid out on the bed was one of my dresses and another sign that said, “Please put me on (and call me when you are done)”. I changed in the dress then called Rick and he came around the corner all dressed up also. He lead me back to the kitchen where there were rose petals leading through the kitchen and down the basement stairs.

In the basement he had put more rose petals leading to a romantic table that he had set. The lights were off but there were candles everywhere to set the mood as well as a CD of love songs playing in the background. I was so surprised! It was so sweet and he had gone to so much trouble. He had to go out and buy the table cloth and candlestick holders because we didn’t have those, not only did he buy them by himself but they were exactly what I would’ve picked myself! Rick then had to leave to go get dinner really quick, which he surprised me with my favorite meal from Outback. It was delicious. The last surprise for the night was a beautiful present, on top of everything else that he had done. What a wonderful husband!

I joke that he is much more romantic than me, and this is probably the truth, but I love how much he does for me and all of the little ways that he says “I love you”! Now the secret is out…

Valentines Hubby Tag

2008-02-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

What is his name? Richard Paul Farnsworth, but he is only "Richard" when he is in trouble, normally he goes by "Rick"

How long have you been married? 3.5 years (exactly)

Who long did you date? About 1.5 years

How old is he? 28, my old man!

Who eats more sweets? Probably equal, he is as big of a chocoholic as I am!

Who said I love you first? Me, he was chicken ;)

Who is taller? Rick

Who can sing better? Rick

Who is smarter? We are about the same

Who does the laundry? Rick

Who mows the lawn? Well, technically Rick is suppose to but usually we have a jungle in our backyard

Who pays the bills? Rick pays the bills, I do the finances

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Rick

Who cooks dinner? Depends on who is less tired after work, but usually a joint effort

Who drives? Rick, he claims to be a "professional" driver, but I think he just prefers to be in control

Who is more stubborn? Me

Who kissed who first? Rick kissed me first

Who asked who out first? Hmmm…somehow I think we missed this step, all of the sudden we were just together

Who proposed? Rick

Who has more siblings? Rick, by one!

Who wears the pants? We share them, which can be quite interesting!

I tag- whoever wants to do it!!

Our Future?

2008-02-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

It has been one of those days....

2008-01-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

"Right now this is just a job. If I advance any higher...that would make this my career. And if this were my career, I would have to throw myself in front of a train. So, really, it's a matter of life and death."

Jim, The Office "Health Care"

Spring?

2008-01-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

On Staurday we noticed that some of the bulbs planted in Kathy's yard are starting to come up already. I can't wait until they all flower!

Northwest Valley Chamber of Commerce - Copper Sun Awards Banquet

2008-01-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday, January 11th, we attended the Northwest Valley Chamber of Commerce Copper Sun Awards Banquet. One of the awards that they give out at this banquet is named in honor of my father-in-law, Wayne Farnsworth, and his previous employer, APS, is kind enough to sponsor a table for our family to attend. It is so great to be able to have the life and service of someone we all loved so much honored in such an incredible way.

Grandpa and Grandma Kohler, Rick and Christie Farnsworth, Kathy Farnsworth, Amanda and Steve Farnsworth, Emily and Todd Glenn

Rick and Christie

Happy New Year!

2008-01-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Emily and Todd
Playing with poppers
Emily, Todd, Cameron, and Cecia
Emily and Kathy
Emily, Kathy, and Rick
Dancing with Fergie
Rick and Christie
Rick showing off his "guns"
Cameron and Cecia

We had a great time eating around the fire pit, playing scrabble, and using up a whole package of poppers to celebrate the new year. We hope this year is just as great as the last!

Christmas Day

2007-12-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve

2007-12-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma sitting on Santa's lap.

Rick and Christie on Santa's lap.

Every Christmas Eve we gather for dinner at my Grandma's house and Santa will drop by to give gifts to the grandchildren. This year we were able to sit on Santa's lap together.

Another tradition from my family is that we get a new ornament every year that we open on Christmas Eve. The ornament usually has to do with something that happened the past year. This year our ornament was a cap, gown, and diploma to celebrate Rick graduating from ASU.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Rick and Christie’s Top 10 Highlights for 2007
(In no particular order!)

1. Rick’s Hand Surgery: To start the year off, Rick had hand surgery to remove a piece of metal from his knuckle. We are still unsure on how this piece of metal came to be in his finger but we think it is from an incident involving a hammer and primer of a bullet that happened 17 years ago. Needless to say, his hand is now metal-free.

2. New Callings: This year both of us were blessed to receive new callings in our ward. Along with being the Weblos leader, Rick has been called to teach Elder’s Quorum as well. He has found that there really isn’t much of a difference between teaching the two groups. Christie has been called to the Relief Society Presidency as the Counselor over Enrichment. The past year has been full of both blessings and pain (mostly blessings) as she learns all about this wonderful program.

3. Rick’s Graduation from ASU: This May Rick graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. We were so grateful to celebrate such a great accomplishment with friends and family! Congratulations Rick!

4. Las Vegas Trip: We spent our family vacation in Las Vegas! We had a great time wandering through all of the casinos and taking in the sites. The best part of the trip was going to see Mystere.

5. Applying to Dental School: We’re not sure we can call this a “highlight” but it has definitely been an experience! Rick reapplied to dental school this year and we are now waiting to hear back. He was fortunate enough to have a couple of interviews so hopefully we’ll hear something soon. Unfortunately this whole experience involves a lot of waiting (definitely not a fun way to develop patience).

6. Weddings: We have been blessed with new in-laws on both sides of the families. Christie’s brother Jeff married Camille Packer in July of this year and Rick’s brother Steven married Amanda Terrill in August. We loved being able to celebrate these great events with family and friends. Congratulations to both!

7. Going to the Beach: After three long years of marriage to a girl from San Diego, Rick FINALLY was able to make it to the beach for the first (and second) time this summer. Of course he loved it and is looking forward to going again.

8. Christie Knee Surgery: Again, not sure if we can call this a “highlight” but it was a big part of our summer and fall. Christie had surgery on her knee in August and got to go through the fun experience of physical therapy and recovery. Rick got to play chauffer, gofer, cook, maid, etc. Rick’s happiest day this year was when Christie could finally drive again!

9. Clarksville Trip: This fall Christie had the opportunity to attend training for work in Clarksville, TN. Trane has one of their factories there and so she had the pleasure of meeting people she talks to often as well as learning more about how a commercial air conditioner is built.

10. Starting a Blog: That is right, we jumped on the blog bandwagon and are trying to keep it going. We have had so much fun keeping up with family and friends through their blogs that we started our own. Feel free to stop by through the year to see what we are up to and to leave us a note: http://rickfarnsworthfamily.blogspot.com/.

We hope everyone has a great holiday season. We love you all!
Love, Rick and Christie Farnsworth

Happy Birthday Rex!

2007-12-19T10:06:00.001-07:00

It is Rex's 3rd Birthday on Saturday, Dec. 22nd, so we threw him a little birthday party last night to celebrate. He loved the cake, sweets and fire, every little boys dream.

Getting a little help from Mom to blow out the candles.

Cars!

It's Elmo!

Back to the best part, cake!

Silly Animals

2007-12-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun playing with the "animals". Rick and Rex tried racing....

Ella decided to get in on the action and took a ride on the tiger.

Emily and Ella playing dolls.

One, two, three ....

Temple Lights

2007-12-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun going to look at the Temple Lights on Monday night. It was a great night to meet with old friends and get into the spirit of Christmas.

Heidi and Jeremy Musseman

Emily and Todd Glenn

Rick and Christie Farnsworth

This was Rick's favorite part, playing with Alyson.

Gingerbread Houses

2007-12-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

We got together with our Farnsworth family on Dec. 9th to make gingerbread houses. It was lots of fun to see what everyone came up with. We also had a great time munching and talking.

Counting My Blessings

2007-12-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

This past week I have been especially grateful for those that fulfill their callings. We had an Enrichment night last Thursday and even though a member of the committee could not attend, she still helped immensely by doing the decorations the night before. They were gorgeous. Her family made these paper snowflakes by hand and then hung them from the ceiling in the cultural hall. They added so much to the night. Also the woman in charge of the food had a family emergency that night but still managed to get the food there on time even though she wasn't able to stay as well. It is such a blessing when others fulfill their callings because then my life is a lot less stressful. Anyway I am grateful for the hard work everyone puts in to make the night go smoothly and I am grateful I am blessed with such a wonderful committee.

Here Comes Santa Claus...

2007-12-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

For our Ward Christmas Party this year, Rick played Santa Claus for the kids. He did such a good job that one little boy in our ward decided that he was the "real" Santa Claus. I just wanted to share how cute he looked, what a hot Santa!

Thanksgiving in San Diego

2007-11-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

This year we spent our Thanksgiving weekend in San Diego. We had such a great time! Wednesday night we drove to LA to watch the "So You Think You Can Dance" show at the Nokia Theater. We went with Jeff, Camille and Caitlan. It was such a blast! It was so much fun to see our favorite dances and dancers again. I can't wait for the next season. On Thursday we slept in and then went about making Thanksgiving dinner. Jeff, Camille, Cait, and Brett went to play soccer and somehow ended up in the pool (well Camille managed to stay dry). After dinner we settled in for the ASU v. USC football game. Needless to say it was a sad day for ASU fans. Hopefully they will do better against the U of A. Friday and Saturday were all about soccer. For as long as I can remember Thanksgiving weekend has always meant lots of soccer and this year wasn't any different. We attended two of Cait's games on Friday and then one more on Saturday. Her team did ok, but it was fun to watch her play again. Saturday, after her last game, we went to lunch at PF Changs and then went to see "Enchanted", which was pretty cute. Once we got home it was time to watch the BYU v. Utah football game. After a rough start, my Cougars pulled it off and beat Utah 17-10. They are now ranked 19th in the BCS. Go Cougars! Sunday meant it was time to drive back home again. It was a short trip but we had a great time spending time and visiting with my family. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Counting My Blessings

2007-11-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to try to take my sister-in-law's example and Elder Eyring's advice. In his talk in the October Conference he said, "Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done." So every Sunday I am going try to remember some of the blessings that I have been given.

The blessing I have been thinking about the most today is my wonderful husband. For some reason I tend to get migraines, especially on Sundays. Unfortunately, I had one this morning, and instead of complaining my husband has learned how to take care of me, and is so sweet about it. He gets my medicine, a warm washcloth for my head and takes care to keep the lights and sound as low as possible. He also doesn't complain when we are a few minutes late for church because I get up late and take longer to get ready. I love that he tries so hard to make me feel better. He does so much for me but today I am grateful for how well he takes care of me. He has been the biggest blessing in my life and I am so grateful to have him as my husband.

Happy Birthday Rick!

2007-11-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Rick turned 28 on Saturday and we spent the whole day celebrating! (Of course, if I hear "It's my birthday, I can do what I want!" one more time I might scream). We went to Costco in the morning to get his new "baby", that would be the TV. The afternoon and evening we spent at the AZ State Fair. We went to the petting zoo and looked at the different exhibits, with plenty of fair food along the way, then watched the Demolition Derby. The Demolition Derby being the main reason we were there. There is nothing like watching cars crash into each other, catch fire, and flip over to bring pure joy to my husband's eyes. Needless to say we had a great time.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Trane in Clarksville

2007-11-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

At the end of October I had the opportunity to go to Clarksville, TN to visit one of our factories and for some training on our equipment. I went with one of my co-workers, April Meador, and we had an interesting time. We flew into Nashville, TN picked up our rental car, as well as a GPS unit, and were on our way. Neither of us had been to Tennessee before so this was a new experience. Luckily with the help of a map and directions from Mapquest we were able to find our way. Unfortunately the GPS system was no help. It kept telling us to turn when there was no where to turn (I promise it wasn't user error either). We made it to Clarksville ok, and went exploring. I loved how green Tennessee was, and the brick buildings were gorgeous. For the next two days we had training in the office there and it was interesting to see how the factory works, how the air conditioning units are built, and to meet a few of the people that we talk to often on the phone. The only downside to the trip was that it rained the whole time we were there and the time difference really threw me off. Otherwise, I had a great time!

Schnepf Farms

2007-11-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we spent a Saturday morning playing around at Schnepf Farm with Todd and Emily! We went to the petting zoo, rode the rides, tried our luck at the corn maze (we got out, not sure if it was the right exit though), played miniture golf, picked out our pumpkins, and bought carmal apple pie. We had a great time!

Crazy Summer

2007-08-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Rick and I have had a crazy summer that boils down to:

Rick attending summer school and working in a reasearch lab at ASU.

Rick has been applying for dental schools.

Christie's Aunt Julie graduating from University of Phoenix. We are so proud of her and her hard work!

Christie hurting her knee. We are not quite sure what happend....

The air conditioning in Christie's car going out (not a good thing to happen in July in Arizona)!

The transmission going out in Rick's truck.

The air conditioning in Rick's truck going out (and of course this happened on the hottest day of the summer, July 4th) and continually having problems, we just got it out of the shop again and hopefully it will now stay out of the shop.

Christie's brother Jeff getting married to Camille Packer. (This also includes Rick going to the beach for the first time since we have been married. We're not sure how come it took 3 years to get him to the beach, but he loved it!)

Christie's cousin being diagnosed with cancer.

Christie and her Aunt Julie going to San Diego to visit her mom and sister for a "Girl's Weekend".

Rick's brother Steven getting married to Amand Terrill.

Going to Christie's brother's reception and open house in Newport Beach and San Diego. (Yes, Rick made it to the beach again!)

The air conditioning going out in Christie's car (yes, again!) and the driver's side window breaking on the same day.

Going to a Diamondbacks vs. Cubs game with Christie's co-workers and their spouses. The game was a lot of fun, getting up the 25 rows to our seats was not so much fun. Diamondbacks won!

Christie going through a week of physical therapy and then having surgery on her knee. (The hurt knee caused quite a long summer! Rick has had to drive her to and from work everyday, and everywhere in between.)

Who knows what else I am forgetting, but needless to say we have been very busy. We really enjoyed all the time we got to spend with family though, and loved seeing everyone again.

Mormon Football Plays

2007-08-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

In honor of the beginning of football season...

Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during meeting.

Draw Play - What the kids do with the program during Sacrament.

Half-time - Sunday School

Bench warmer - Those members who do not sing, pray, participate, or apparently do anything but just sit and warm the bench.

Backfield-in-Motion - People in the back of the Chapel going to the rest-room or water fountain during the meeting.

Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of tithing that should have been paid three weeks ago.

Two-minute Warning - The point at which the concluding speaker says, "In conclusion, I would like to bear my testimony" and you start to gather up your children and belongings.

Instant Replay - The speaker loses his notes and falls back on repeating what he just said.

Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the meeting goes into "overtime!".

Trap - You're called on to pray while you're dozing.

End Run - Getting out of church quick, before you have to speak to that long winded gossip.

Halfback Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation to skip Sunday School.

Sacked - Being asked to speak in Sacrament meeting before you can escape.

Blitz - The rush for the parking lot following the closing prayer on Fast Sunday.

Three Years!

2007-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated our third anniversary on August 14th and it was so nice to take the day to reflect on how grateful I am for the wonderful husband that I have. He is the greatest blessing in my life! Love you honey!

So You Think You Can Dance

2007-08-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just bought tickets for the So You Think You Can Dance tour! We are going to go watch this show in LA with some of my family over the Thanksgiving holiday. (Does this tell you how addicted I am?) It is still forever away but I am so excited. Go Sabra!

Well it's a start...

2007-08-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten my act together to get this blog started. Please have patience with me as it is definitely a work in progress. Hopefully I'll post some pictures soon!