These are some movies we took on our trip to Vegas in December.These were the lions at the Mirage. So neat!
More lions...
This is a very flamboyant guy dancing on the street for money. I thought he was sexy, but Jed wouldn't let me get his number to party with him later...
This guy was super cool!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thankful Thursday
This really is a THANKFUL Thursday. I have nothing to complain about!
Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. Aside from having to go to school and class, and not having all of my family here, it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had!
While I was in class (where we just watched a movie the whole time), Jed took my car to get washed and baked a cake (chocolate with sprinkle frosting...yum!). He also shaved and put on the yummy cologne I got him for Christmas. :D After class, I got to go to dinner at Macaroni Grill with a bunch of my good friends.
Ally Kirts, an old roommate who I love, and Sabrina McCain, a friend from home who I hadn't seen in years, were even able to make it! 
We had a fabulous dinner and I got a birthday cake from our waiter, who sang a great solo of Happy Birthday in Italian! Most of us went back to our apartment for cake and ice cream. 
And Jed's brother got to join us for that, which was nice.
Jed did an amazing job in the birthday department this year! I got jewelry, Bath & Body Works stuff that smells yummy, a dock for my camera so I can upload pictures at work, and a few things that will encourage me to work-out and get back into shape (but I won't embellish on those because I don't want to make everyone jealous - just know that my husband is fabulous and insanely thoughtful).
I had an incredible birthday, filled with lots of love and good times. Thank you so much to all of those who wished me happy birthday and joined in on our fun birthday festivities. I have the best friends money can't buy!! ;)
Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. Aside from having to go to school and class, and not having all of my family here, it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had!
While I was in class (where we just watched a movie the whole time), Jed took my car to get washed and baked a cake (chocolate with sprinkle frosting...yum!). He also shaved and put on the yummy cologne I got him for Christmas. :D After class, I got to go to dinner at Macaroni Grill with a bunch of my good friends.
Ally Kirts, an old roommate who I love, and Sabrina McCain, a friend from home who I hadn't seen in years, were even able to make it! 
We had a fabulous dinner and I got a birthday cake from our waiter, who sang a great solo of Happy Birthday in Italian! Most of us went back to our apartment for cake and ice cream. 
And Jed's brother got to join us for that, which was nice.Jed did an amazing job in the birthday department this year! I got jewelry, Bath & Body Works stuff that smells yummy, a dock for my camera so I can upload pictures at work, and a few things that will encourage me to work-out and get back into shape (but I won't embellish on those because I don't want to make everyone jealous - just know that my husband is fabulous and insanely thoughtful).
I had an incredible birthday, filled with lots of love and good times. Thank you so much to all of those who wished me happy birthday and joined in on our fun birthday festivities. I have the best friends money can't buy!! ;)Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ali's Birthday
Hey everyone!
If you guys didn't already know, today is Ali's birthday! My wonderful, cheerful, lovely wife just turned 23 today. If you haven't already, you should wish her a Happy Birthday in some way or another.
I decided to write down a list of some of the wonderful things I know and love about Ali:
She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, with or without make-up.
She makes you feel good when she laughs.
She does thoughtful things for me.
We're very similar in our interests.
I like spending time with her.
I like to talk with her about everything.
She's an amazing cook.
She always smells good.
She's smarter than me.
She tries really hard to make me happy all the time.
She like to be goofy with me.
She's organized.
She has beautiful hair.
She's a great blogger.
She plans ahead.
She has a pretty smile.
She's very social and likes to be around people.
If you guys didn't already know, today is Ali's birthday! My wonderful, cheerful, lovely wife just turned 23 today. If you haven't already, you should wish her a Happy Birthday in some way or another.
I decided to write down a list of some of the wonderful things I know and love about Ali:
She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, with or without make-up.
She makes you feel good when she laughs.
She does thoughtful things for me.
We're very similar in our interests.
I like spending time with her.
I like to talk with her about everything.
She's an amazing cook.
She always smells good.
She's smarter than me.
She tries really hard to make me happy all the time.
She like to be goofy with me.
She's organized.
She has beautiful hair.
She's a great blogger.
She plans ahead.
She has a pretty smile.
She's very social and likes to be around people.
Monday, January 12, 2009
That's MR. Goodell To You!
Jed works for a company that gives tech support to LDS Church employees. They take phone calls from all over the world and solve technology problems over the phone. He's worked there for almost four years and has worked his way up from taking calls to training to becoming someone's PA this past semester. Well the guy who Jed was "assisting" randomly quit one day because he said was moving back to his home country in South America. Jed had nobody to assist, so he got a double demotion and was put back on the phones last week. This week they told him that they might have another PA job for him, but that didn't end up working. So they offered him another position. Not taking calls. Not training. Not a PA. Jed is now a SUPERVISOR! I'm so proud of him! Congratulations, Jed! :D
Monday Memoirs
No-Stress Saturday!! I went out to lunch at Zupas with my good friend Meals. I had only been there once before, and that was years ago. The food is really good, but we agreed it was a little overpriced. Unless you get the "Take 2" meal and split it with someone else. It was good to catch up with Meals. I love our friend dates. :)
I went home and picked up my hubby and we went geocaching for the first time! Well, kind of. I've been wanting to do it for a while and we finally got around to it, but I think our GPS is a little off (it's pretty much a piece of junk)...AND we didn't feel like spending more time hiking in the deep snow near Bridal Veil Falls, so we decided to pick up that adventure later.
Jed had a surprise for me, which was going to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. Apparently it’s the largest one in the world. It was interesting and Jed absolutely loved it. :) For dinner, we tried a new place (for us) in South Jordan called Gecko’s. The chips and salsa were super good, but the food itself was good, just not anything too special.
Sunday- After church, Jed and I were invited over to the Nielsens' house for dinner and games. Adam's sister and her little girl came too, and it was really fun. We played a card game called "Shanghai" which is a lot like Phase 10. Jed and I borrowed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" from Amanda because I had never seen it before. It wasn't amazing. I don't understand why everyone loves that movie and thinks it's so funny... Maybe it was funnier when it came out. Generational humor?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friday Foto Fix
This is him.
This is me.
This is me.
This is my brother, Jeff, and my nephew, Nate.
"Remember the Alamo!"
What's a visit to the Alamo without Mexican soldiers??
Riding the trolley.
Oh, the chillins!
Rockin out in El Mercado.
Takin a siesta.
We love each other. And I love that comb-over I have.
One of my good friends, Micheyl.
I choo-choo-choose you!
They have a pack of live turtles in a pond in the middle of this mall!!
Jed walking throughout the whole mall as a train conductor. Sucker forgot he was wearing it.
Emily won the jackpot on this game for the second time!!
Gotta love boys and video games...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Sound Familiar?
'Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store, (less a walk than a lumber).
I remembered the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The cocoa and fudge balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I always said, "Yes, thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as only I can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the toffee, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Till all the additional poundage has vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll only just chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store, (less a walk than a lumber).
I remembered the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The cocoa and fudge balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I always said, "Yes, thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as only I can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the toffee, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Till all the additional poundage has vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll only just chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
Thankful Thursday?
I was sitting in my first class of the semester and the teacher went around the room and asked everyone to introduce themselves. He gets to this good-looking, nicely dressed guy who introduces himself as "Benson Whatever". Benson. Benson Goodell. That has a ring to it, right? ;) I think I really like that name for a son. You could call him Ben, but it would still be somewhat of a different name. Maybe I was just swaying because the guy looked nice. Any thoughts?
I'm thankful I heard such a cool name that inspired me...
I'm thankful I heard such a cool name that inspired me...
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wednesday Weigh-In
Bad news and good news.
Bad: 248.8
Good: It's not 250.
But that's what happens when you throw caution to the wind over the holidays.
Fresh start with a new year. Bring it on, 2009!
This is 250 lbs. of Silly Putty:
This is the difference between a woman weighing 250 lbs. and a woman weighing 120 lbs. Scary.
Bad: 248.8
Good: It's not 250.
But that's what happens when you throw caution to the wind over the holidays.
Fresh start with a new year. Bring it on, 2009!
This is 250 lbs. of Silly Putty:
This is the difference between a woman weighing 250 lbs. and a woman weighing 120 lbs. Scary.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New Year and New Blog!
I created a new blog! It's called "Goodell Goodies" and it's my online recipe book.
Snow, Snow, Go Away.
I should have gotten the hint when I got in my car yesterday and it was 9*. You know it's going to be a bad day when it starts in the single digits. The drive to work wasn't bad. Working wasn't bad. What was bad was when it started snowing at around 1:30 in the afternoon and it was still coming down hard at 5:15, when I left work. My normal 20 minute commute took a little over an hour.
Jed and I have to park on the street at home and this morning I got stuck in my spot. The twenty minutes I usually allow to get to work was all spent trying to get my car out; ten minutes by myself and ten minutes with this really sweet guy who stopped to help me get out. Insane. I was so touched that he helped me that I cried. After I got out, it still took me 45 more minutes to get to work. There's been no let-up since 1:30 yesterday and it's still coming down...
Jed and I have to park on the street at home and this morning I got stuck in my spot. The twenty minutes I usually allow to get to work was all spent trying to get my car out; ten minutes by myself and ten minutes with this really sweet guy who stopped to help me get out. Insane. I was so touched that he helped me that I cried. After I got out, it still took me 45 more minutes to get to work. There's been no let-up since 1:30 yesterday and it's still coming down...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Doxey Dinner
We had my cousins, David and Sarah (Doxey), and their friend Ryan over this weekend for Sunday dinner. It did not turn out as great as I would have hoped (the food, not the company). But, you live and learn. The Doxey family has been in Mexico, where my uncle has been a mission president for our church, for the past two and a half years. Sarah has been at school out here, so we've seen her a bit, but I hadn't seen David since they had moved to Mexico and Jed had never met him. He is so tall and grown-up! It was good to get a chance to catch up with him. He just moved out here to go to school and he's living with Ryan in the dorms I used to live in. David met Ryan in Mexico because his dad was a mission president of another mission down there.After dinner, we played The Office Trivia Game. Then came the fun part: fixing Sarah's flat tire in the freezing cold. I brought out all of our gloves and beanies, and gave David a down jacket that was too small for Jed (Merry Christmas, David!). We all stood out there watching the boys change the tire. Thank goodness Jed and I had the right equipment, and that this happened by our house, because Sarah didn't have any tools or a jack or anything.
We are so glad that David and Sarah live close and that we can see them often. ...And Ryan seems like a cool guy. :)
New Year and New Jeans
Jed and I got back from Texas on New Year's Eve around lunchtime and my Grams picked us up from the airport and took us to Trolley Square for lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory (Yum-more eating out. Yeesh.). When we got out of the car, Jed noticed an Old Navy gift card laying on the ground next to our car. He wouldn't pick it up, so I did. For some reason, I couldn't get through to the company to get the balance on the card, so I just tucked it away in my purse. I'd never been to OSF, but it was really good. (PS~They're having an anniversary sale this month. Click here for info.)
Ok, confession time. Since I've gained so much weight this past year, I only had one pair of jeans that fit me (and of course I didn't want to go out and buy new jeans because I'm getting skinny and soon they won't fit me, right?). Obviously I took this pair with me to Texas. When we stopped at Rudy's on the way to San Antonio, I saw a dime on the floor (this is pitiful...) and I told Jed that he should pick it up. Of course he wouldn't because it was a measly 10 cents (he wouldn't even pick up the Old Navy gift card-I think he doesn't like to pick things up off the ground). But I'm thinking "10 cents more than we had before" and I bend down to pick it up, only to feel the material on my inner thigh split. Granted I also wore this pair of jeans when we were in Vegas and walked 18 miles, so the material was really worn down, but still. I freakin split a hole in my only pair of jeans on the third day of my vacation. All for a pathetic 10 cents! It gets better: I wore the jeans the entire rest of the trip, every day, with a hole in them. A hole that got increasingly bigger every day. I didn't really have much of a choice.
I found out that the gift card had $20 on it, and the jeans at Old Navy fit me best, so I got to go shopping. They were having a sale on jeans - $25 each, not incredible, but better than usual. I got 2 pairs of jeans for $30!! And I have an extra 10 cents. ;) So I guess I spent like $29.90 on those jeans...
Ok, confession time. Since I've gained so much weight this past year, I only had one pair of jeans that fit me (and of course I didn't want to go out and buy new jeans because I'm getting skinny and soon they won't fit me, right?). Obviously I took this pair with me to Texas. When we stopped at Rudy's on the way to San Antonio, I saw a dime on the floor (this is pitiful...) and I told Jed that he should pick it up. Of course he wouldn't because it was a measly 10 cents (he wouldn't even pick up the Old Navy gift card-I think he doesn't like to pick things up off the ground). But I'm thinking "10 cents more than we had before" and I bend down to pick it up, only to feel the material on my inner thigh split. Granted I also wore this pair of jeans when we were in Vegas and walked 18 miles, so the material was really worn down, but still. I freakin split a hole in my only pair of jeans on the third day of my vacation. All for a pathetic 10 cents! It gets better: I wore the jeans the entire rest of the trip, every day, with a hole in them. A hole that got increasingly bigger every day. I didn't really have much of a choice.
I found out that the gift card had $20 on it, and the jeans at Old Navy fit me best, so I got to go shopping. They were having a sale on jeans - $25 each, not incredible, but better than usual. I got 2 pairs of jeans for $30!! And I have an extra 10 cents. ;) So I guess I spent like $29.90 on those jeans...
$10 Off at American Eagle
Click here for a coupon good for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. But hurry fast because, uh, it ends today. :)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Texas Christmas
Do you know what happens when you don't post for almost two weeks? I do. Your next post is a novel. Sorry. You can skim if you want, but if you've got time, I'd love for you to read all about what's been going on with us recently.
[Pictures to be posted later, but you can look at Emily's pictures she posted on her blog]
This year (Jed's and my first year together) was a Busath Christmas. We spent it in Dallas, at my sister (Emily)'s house. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out that my parents and two of my younger siblings, Jeff and Angela, were going to drive down and meet us there. We were only missing Tom (who's on an LDS mission in Idaho) and Laurel (who's 8 months preggo and couldn't fly) and her family.
We spent the night of the 23rd at my grandparents' house in SLC and then my Grams on the other side of the family took us to the airport the next morning (at 7am...yuck!). The travel time didn't seem that long, thank goodness. We got in to Dallas in the evening of Christmas Eve and since my parents were already there, we all went out to dinner at El Fenix (Mexican, of course).
We have a tradition in my family that we get to open one present on Christmas Eve (it's from Santa's Elves, who come a day early). It's almost always PJs, all across the board. All the girls got matching pink penguin PJ sets. Emily conveniently "lost" hers after the rest of us had already put ours on... Dad read the Christmas story from Luke, and it was a lot shorter this year than I had remembered it being when I was a kid. We put the kiddos to bed and watched Princess Bride while we finished wrapping the last of the presents.
Christmas morning was surprisingly late. Nate and Aidan slept in until around 9:00, which was awesome! I got some great presents - Jed made/sewed me a stocking and filled it with my favorite candies, I got jewelry (including 2 James Avery charms that I LOVE), personalized stationary, Candyland (I bought this for myself - it was $4!), a fan that plugs in to my USB port for work, Rummikub, Bath & Body Works stuff, and a season of Family Guy on DVD. Jed and I got a fire/water safe for all of our important documents, The Other Side of Heaven, a gift card to Deseret Book, and a bunch of food storage from the grandparents. :) Jed got Cranium (his favorite game) from me and another one from his mom, The Office Trivia Game, a remote-controlled helicopter (the lady at the store thought I was buying it for my son...), 2 sweaters, a pair of white and red Etnies (I'm pretty sure it's this pair), a polo, GAP cologne, a tool set, an NYC hat, and The Joseph Smith Papers. But one of the best Christmas presents we got was being able to talk to my brother Tom on the phone for an hour. He's doing really well and loves what he's doing. (Oh and one of the other amazing gifts was a $300 disbursement from my 401K I opened when I started working at Lowe's. Had no idea it was coming, but that was a great present.)
After everything was unwrapped, we made the traditional Busath Christmas breakfast: bacon, eggs, blueberry muffins, hot chocolate, and orange juice. Yum. That night we watched Wall-E (I still love that movie) after Emily and Mom's amazing ham dinner. And then after the kids were asleep, we watched Jeff's new Dark Knight DVD. It was like the fourth time Jed and I had watched it in two weeks and I was exhausted, so I fell sleep in the middle of it. "Why so serious?"
The next morning (Friday), we packed a weekend bag and we all hopped in the car to go to San Antonio for a few days. We stopped at Rudy's BBQ for lunch and Jed and I bought a new bottle of their sauce because we were running low at home. Yum. After we dropped Angela off with her friends and checked in to our hotel, we went Emily's favorite San Antonio restaurant, Zio's. Yum.
The next morning (Saturday), after Breakfast at Taco Cabana (Yum!), Jed and I picked up our rental car (a two-door white Pontiac G5 with a rear spoiler). It was so saucy on the outside, but there was nothing under the hood. I'm assuming all Pontiacs are like that: nice-looking, but no performance. It was either that or a Ford. Great choices...not. Anyways, we spent the day downtown. Riverwalk, Alamo, El Mercado, trolley ride, Rivercenter Mall. Done, done, done, done, and done. For dinner, we went to Rita's on the River. Yum. The only bad thing about going there was that the table next to us had the mariachi band come over and perform for, no joke, 45 minutes. They knew every song and were screaming along with the band. It was awful. But after dinner, we walked along the river, admired the pretty Christmas lights, and went to Mr. Ice Cream to numb our headaches. Yum. We went over to the home of some family friends (the Condies) and hung out for a bit and then Jed and I ditched out to go watch the airplanes come in at the airport. There weren't a ton because we went kind of late, but it was still romantic. ;)
We went to church at my old ward and saw a bunch of familiar faces, and a bunch of new faces too. The ward has changed a lot. It was so good to see those people I knew and catch up with them. It had been over a year since I had been to that ward. After church, Jed and I went out to lunch at one of my *favorite* Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, Mamacitas (Yum), with one of my oldest friends, Micheyl, and her fiance, Ricky. I love coming in to town and catching up with Micheyl. She's still the same happy, funny, sweet girl I met years ago. She's pregnant with their first and due in August. I'm so excited for her! After a much-needed nap, Mom, Jed, and I went over to dinner at the Earls' house. While we were all talking and having a good time, my mom got a phone call from my dad. I'll tell you more about that at the end of the post. That night, I drove Jed around to some of the places I think of when I think of home, like Fiesta Texas.
The next morning (Monday), after we checked out of the hotel, we returned our rental car, and then went to Magnolia Pancake Haus for breakfast. Yum. After some shopping, we drove by my old stake center and the San Antonio Temple. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Then we picked Angela and Jeff up from their friends' house and met up with my mom's cousin, Marsha, for lunch at this hole-in-the-wall pizza place (Yum). I love Marsha; she is so fun and easy to talk to. We got back to Emily's house in Dallas that night and we played Jed's new Office Trivia Game. It was so much fun! Jed is incredible at answering the trivia questions, but in the end, I won the game!! :D
Mom, Angela, and Jeff left the next morning to drive back to Cleveland. It was sad to see them go. It's always harder when I have to say goodbye to the home-based Busaths. I don't know why. But I didn't cry this time. Just teared up a little. I think it's gotten easier because I have Jed and I will (hopefully) never not have some else with me. I don't even know if that makes sense. It makes sense in my brain... Anyways, Emily, Nate, Jed, and I went out to lunch at this really good place called Firehouse Subs for lunch (Yum) before heading to the mall. We went to this really ritzy mall where Jed and I laughed at the people because we knew they were spending hundreds of dollars on like a scarf. I mean they had stores like Armani, Coach, Nordstrom, Neimans, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, etc. The reason us humble poorfolk went to this particular mall was to see the trains. Yes, the model trains. I'm not a model train freak; in fact I've never been to a model train anything before. But they have this elaborate train exhibit during Christmastime in this mall every year and we thought it might be cool. It was so neat! We even got train conductor hats! Nate ditched his halfway through the exhibit, but Jed and I wore ours the whole time. Jed even forgot that he was wearing his and walked throughout the whole posh mall with it on his head. :) That night, after dinner, Jed, Emily, Nate, Aidan, and I went to Chuck E Cheese! It was so much fun! Once we had had our fill of excitement, we went to get in the car and realized that we didn't have the keys (and they hadn't been turned in to lost & found). Adam came to rescue us...and Emily found the keys in a hidden part of her purse. ;)
The next morning we were up at the buttcrack of dawn to go to the airport. Luckily we left the house in enough time to get some TCs (Yum) for breakfast. :) We got to the airport and Jed realized that he had left his wallet in Emily's car, so she had to drive back to the terminal and give it to us. Thank goodness for cell phones!
When we got home, we had a second Christmas because we got to open the presents we got in the mail from Jed's family! Jed got another version of Cranium and a video game called Skate, I got the Magic Bullet and a season of Ace of Cakes on DVD.
Back to that phone call I mentioned earlier:
I hear "Oh no" and "You're kidding" and "There's no way" from my end, but I had no idea what my dad told her until she hung up. My dad had flown home that morning because he had to work the next day. He said that he pulled in to the garage and it looked like someone had toilet-papered our garage floor. Then he looked up. The ceiling was bulging. When he opened the door to the house, water ran down the stairs into the garage. Their house was flooded. Every room in the house was damaged in some way, except mine and Angela's. Luckily almost all of our pictures/documents were in plastic tubs that were sealed, but all of the furniture, carpets, wood floors, walls, etc are ruined. Both of my parents were in shock and I still don't think it's sunk in to me yet. For four days my dad had to deal with this tragedy by himself until my mom finally got home, after driving for two days to get there. A licensed contractor that my parents know from church came by to inspect the house and he said that he thinks it will have to be ripped down to the studs and rebuilt. Not fun.
On a random note, did you notice how many times the word Yum appeared in this post? That's the minimun amount of times I ate out over the holiday. No wonder I gained back all the weight I had lost... Back to square one. I'll be weighing in this Wednesday; wish me luck.
[Pictures to be posted later, but you can look at Emily's pictures she posted on her blog]
This year (Jed's and my first year together) was a Busath Christmas. We spent it in Dallas, at my sister (Emily)'s house. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out that my parents and two of my younger siblings, Jeff and Angela, were going to drive down and meet us there. We were only missing Tom (who's on an LDS mission in Idaho) and Laurel (who's 8 months preggo and couldn't fly) and her family.
We spent the night of the 23rd at my grandparents' house in SLC and then my Grams on the other side of the family took us to the airport the next morning (at 7am...yuck!). The travel time didn't seem that long, thank goodness. We got in to Dallas in the evening of Christmas Eve and since my parents were already there, we all went out to dinner at El Fenix (Mexican, of course).
We have a tradition in my family that we get to open one present on Christmas Eve (it's from Santa's Elves, who come a day early). It's almost always PJs, all across the board. All the girls got matching pink penguin PJ sets. Emily conveniently "lost" hers after the rest of us had already put ours on... Dad read the Christmas story from Luke, and it was a lot shorter this year than I had remembered it being when I was a kid. We put the kiddos to bed and watched Princess Bride while we finished wrapping the last of the presents.
Christmas morning was surprisingly late. Nate and Aidan slept in until around 9:00, which was awesome! I got some great presents - Jed made/sewed me a stocking and filled it with my favorite candies, I got jewelry (including 2 James Avery charms that I LOVE), personalized stationary, Candyland (I bought this for myself - it was $4!), a fan that plugs in to my USB port for work, Rummikub, Bath & Body Works stuff, and a season of Family Guy on DVD. Jed and I got a fire/water safe for all of our important documents, The Other Side of Heaven, a gift card to Deseret Book, and a bunch of food storage from the grandparents. :) Jed got Cranium (his favorite game) from me and another one from his mom, The Office Trivia Game, a remote-controlled helicopter (the lady at the store thought I was buying it for my son...), 2 sweaters, a pair of white and red Etnies (I'm pretty sure it's this pair), a polo, GAP cologne, a tool set, an NYC hat, and The Joseph Smith Papers. But one of the best Christmas presents we got was being able to talk to my brother Tom on the phone for an hour. He's doing really well and loves what he's doing. (Oh and one of the other amazing gifts was a $300 disbursement from my 401K I opened when I started working at Lowe's. Had no idea it was coming, but that was a great present.)
After everything was unwrapped, we made the traditional Busath Christmas breakfast: bacon, eggs, blueberry muffins, hot chocolate, and orange juice. Yum. That night we watched Wall-E (I still love that movie) after Emily and Mom's amazing ham dinner. And then after the kids were asleep, we watched Jeff's new Dark Knight DVD. It was like the fourth time Jed and I had watched it in two weeks and I was exhausted, so I fell sleep in the middle of it. "Why so serious?"
The next morning (Friday), we packed a weekend bag and we all hopped in the car to go to San Antonio for a few days. We stopped at Rudy's BBQ for lunch and Jed and I bought a new bottle of their sauce because we were running low at home. Yum. After we dropped Angela off with her friends and checked in to our hotel, we went Emily's favorite San Antonio restaurant, Zio's. Yum.
The next morning (Saturday), after Breakfast at Taco Cabana (Yum!), Jed and I picked up our rental car (a two-door white Pontiac G5 with a rear spoiler). It was so saucy on the outside, but there was nothing under the hood. I'm assuming all Pontiacs are like that: nice-looking, but no performance. It was either that or a Ford. Great choices...not. Anyways, we spent the day downtown. Riverwalk, Alamo, El Mercado, trolley ride, Rivercenter Mall. Done, done, done, done, and done. For dinner, we went to Rita's on the River. Yum. The only bad thing about going there was that the table next to us had the mariachi band come over and perform for, no joke, 45 minutes. They knew every song and were screaming along with the band. It was awful. But after dinner, we walked along the river, admired the pretty Christmas lights, and went to Mr. Ice Cream to numb our headaches. Yum. We went over to the home of some family friends (the Condies) and hung out for a bit and then Jed and I ditched out to go watch the airplanes come in at the airport. There weren't a ton because we went kind of late, but it was still romantic. ;)
We went to church at my old ward and saw a bunch of familiar faces, and a bunch of new faces too. The ward has changed a lot. It was so good to see those people I knew and catch up with them. It had been over a year since I had been to that ward. After church, Jed and I went out to lunch at one of my *favorite* Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, Mamacitas (Yum), with one of my oldest friends, Micheyl, and her fiance, Ricky. I love coming in to town and catching up with Micheyl. She's still the same happy, funny, sweet girl I met years ago. She's pregnant with their first and due in August. I'm so excited for her! After a much-needed nap, Mom, Jed, and I went over to dinner at the Earls' house. While we were all talking and having a good time, my mom got a phone call from my dad. I'll tell you more about that at the end of the post. That night, I drove Jed around to some of the places I think of when I think of home, like Fiesta Texas.
The next morning (Monday), after we checked out of the hotel, we returned our rental car, and then went to Magnolia Pancake Haus for breakfast. Yum. After some shopping, we drove by my old stake center and the San Antonio Temple. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Then we picked Angela and Jeff up from their friends' house and met up with my mom's cousin, Marsha, for lunch at this hole-in-the-wall pizza place (Yum). I love Marsha; she is so fun and easy to talk to. We got back to Emily's house in Dallas that night and we played Jed's new Office Trivia Game. It was so much fun! Jed is incredible at answering the trivia questions, but in the end, I won the game!! :D
Mom, Angela, and Jeff left the next morning to drive back to Cleveland. It was sad to see them go. It's always harder when I have to say goodbye to the home-based Busaths. I don't know why. But I didn't cry this time. Just teared up a little. I think it's gotten easier because I have Jed and I will (hopefully) never not have some else with me. I don't even know if that makes sense. It makes sense in my brain... Anyways, Emily, Nate, Jed, and I went out to lunch at this really good place called Firehouse Subs for lunch (Yum) before heading to the mall. We went to this really ritzy mall where Jed and I laughed at the people because we knew they were spending hundreds of dollars on like a scarf. I mean they had stores like Armani, Coach, Nordstrom, Neimans, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, etc. The reason us humble poorfolk went to this particular mall was to see the trains. Yes, the model trains. I'm not a model train freak; in fact I've never been to a model train anything before. But they have this elaborate train exhibit during Christmastime in this mall every year and we thought it might be cool. It was so neat! We even got train conductor hats! Nate ditched his halfway through the exhibit, but Jed and I wore ours the whole time. Jed even forgot that he was wearing his and walked throughout the whole posh mall with it on his head. :) That night, after dinner, Jed, Emily, Nate, Aidan, and I went to Chuck E Cheese! It was so much fun! Once we had had our fill of excitement, we went to get in the car and realized that we didn't have the keys (and they hadn't been turned in to lost & found). Adam came to rescue us...and Emily found the keys in a hidden part of her purse. ;)
The next morning we were up at the buttcrack of dawn to go to the airport. Luckily we left the house in enough time to get some TCs (Yum) for breakfast. :) We got to the airport and Jed realized that he had left his wallet in Emily's car, so she had to drive back to the terminal and give it to us. Thank goodness for cell phones!
When we got home, we had a second Christmas because we got to open the presents we got in the mail from Jed's family! Jed got another version of Cranium and a video game called Skate, I got the Magic Bullet and a season of Ace of Cakes on DVD.
Back to that phone call I mentioned earlier:
I hear "Oh no" and "You're kidding" and "There's no way" from my end, but I had no idea what my dad told her until she hung up. My dad had flown home that morning because he had to work the next day. He said that he pulled in to the garage and it looked like someone had toilet-papered our garage floor. Then he looked up. The ceiling was bulging. When he opened the door to the house, water ran down the stairs into the garage. Their house was flooded. Every room in the house was damaged in some way, except mine and Angela's. Luckily almost all of our pictures/documents were in plastic tubs that were sealed, but all of the furniture, carpets, wood floors, walls, etc are ruined. Both of my parents were in shock and I still don't think it's sunk in to me yet. For four days my dad had to deal with this tragedy by himself until my mom finally got home, after driving for two days to get there. A licensed contractor that my parents know from church came by to inspect the house and he said that he thinks it will have to be ripped down to the studs and rebuilt. Not fun.
On a random note, did you notice how many times the word Yum appeared in this post? That's the minimun amount of times I ate out over the holiday. No wonder I gained back all the weight I had lost... Back to square one. I'll be weighing in this Wednesday; wish me luck.
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