Thanks.

Today I am Giving Thanks for:
1-My wonderful husband.
Blake warms up my vehicle every cold morning, makes me coffee, and cooks me breakfast. I'm not a morning person and he makes my mornings more bearable. He is my best friend, and there is no one in this world I would rather wake up to each morning and spend each night with. I wish we could spend more time together, but I'm happy that we have our whole lives to be with one another.
2-My family.
Both sides. I have an amazing family and I love spending time with them. I know they will always be there for me.
3-My home.
I love sharing a nice warm home with Blake. I am so grateful to have a home that I can truly call my own, and I'm happy with the bright future ahead of us.
4-My job.
As much as I complain, I'm thankful to have a good job where I make enough to take care of myself. I'm grateful for the independence I have achieved and look forward to continuing to develop an amazing career to help my husband support our future family. I'm happy to know we will always work as a team.
5-Education.
I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to go to college; hopefully one day I'll be able to go to Law School. My mother always told me, "Jessica...Be sure to educate yourself so that you can take care of yourself if one day your support system is gone." Thank you for that wisdom, mom. I don't want to ever be so dependent on someone else that I no longer have the ability to support myself.
6-My trials.
Have led me to where I am. All the experiences I have had so far: good and bad, have continued to shape me over time. I am grateful for the wisdom and lessons I have learned thus far in my life.
7-Beauty.
Of life in general. I'm grateful for sunrises and sunsets. I'm grateful for rain, sunshine, wind, snow....I'm happy I'm able to feel life around me and that I have learned to take a moment to appreciate each day.
8-Friends.
True friends. Old and new. Ones who accept me for who I am and don't try to change me.
9-My dog.
Indiana. This may be cheesy, but I'm so grateful for the company she keeps when my husband is gone each night at work. She stays right by my side. Such a loyal and innocently kind creature.
10-Memories.
I'm happy I can remember the good times spent with family and friends that I am missing. My aunt Emma, my uncle Fred....I miss them every day; the holidays are a time for family and I wish you were here with us...But I am thankful for the memory of you.
What are you thankful for?
Happy Holiday,
-Jess.

Fall is Ending.

Winter is coming.
The grass is frost bitten every morning, and I can begin to feel the chill of winter's breath down my spine at night fall.
Last weekend was beautiful. Mild temperatures. Sunshine. Fall breezes.
Blake and I knew this may be one of our last weekends to really enjoy fall, so we went for a little walk up Provo Canyon with Indiana.
Provo Canyon is spectacular.
Its beautiful.
Indiana loved playing in the cotton.
Blake's allergies....Didn't really love the cotton so much.
But it was such a beautiful and relaxing afternoon.
We may have gotten lost once...or twice.
But it was a really great day.
Happy Fall!-Blake and Jess.

Bamboo.

Blake and I have a little bamboo farm on the side of our home.

We love the way the wind sounds when it blows through it.

It creates a harmony that kind of reminds me of being in the mountains.

Being bamboo farmers we've learned that every year before winter we must chop down all the bamboo so it can grow back in the spring.

We chopped down all of the bamboo the other day.

I feel like our house looks so bare now.

Rather than throwing all the bamboo away, I decided to make some decor with it.

We already have a bamboo divider in our living room.

Our blinds are bamboo as well.

I love bamboo.

It has such a natural and relaxing appearance that I enjoy so much.

This is what we're making:

This is where we are currently at with this project:

We need to let them dry out before we begin polishing them and whatnot.

Then we need to find a really large vase.

Preferrably a deep red.
-Blake and Jess.

Witches. Maverick. And Chocolate Bars.

Halloween.

One of my favorite holidays of the year.

Two reasons:

1-Fall weather is absolutely amazing. I love feeling the crispness of the air on afternoon walks. Hearing the wind blow softly throughout the night, creating elegant fall leaf dances. And I love bundeling up at night in front of the fire (or in our case, space heater), sipping some hot coffee or cocoa, and watching a movie with Blake.

2-Who doesn't love dressing up? Putting on a costume, pretending your someone else, from somewhere different in time. Through out your inhabitions and just have fun with it.

Witches Night Out.

Every year, the ladies from both sides of my family, head out to Gardner Village for Witches Night Out. Its so much fun. We usually just dance the night away and shop a little throughout the village. This year we rocked out to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and found some good finds at a Christmas Shop. Yes, my friends...A Christmas Shop at Halloween.

Halloween Celebration.

Every year, my mother-in-law picks a theme for her Halloween party and we all dress up as characters within that theme. This year the theme was Mel Gibson. Blake and I went as Bret and Annabelle, the couple from 'Maverick,' which, by the way, is probably one of the best Mel Gibson flicks. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Chocolate Bars.

We ran out on Halloween. We bought 10 bags of mini chocolate bars and we freaking ran out! Lesson learned...Next year we'll buy more!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all had so much fun!

-Blake and Jess.