So...My Dad is a Superhero

So I googled my dad the other day to try and find anything on the story of little Hilda, which was part of the inspiration for his future humanitarian work. Surprisingly I came across this article which I had no idea even existed. Apparantly my dad is a superhero.... (but of course I already knew that). Click on the following link to check out the article. I was also impressed at the many glowing comments that followed the article.
http://www.squidoo.com/humanitariandentist

Jazz vs. Kings

So I know the Jazz has been a bit of a disappointment this year, and there have been some pretty big changes with Jerry Sloan's resignation and Deron Williams leaving, but that did not diminish the awesomeness of sitting in third row seats at half court. You could literally see (and in some cases feel) the sweat on the basketball players. Thanks to Mark and Industrial Supply for the great tickets!

Go Jazz

My New Bench!

Remember when I said stay tuned for my coffee table turned bench redo? Well one month later I finally finished it. I could only work on it during the weekends and considering I took the original fabric I was going to use back to the store, bought different fabric, painted the whole thing blue, then painted it over again with white because I didn't like the blue, I think taking only one month actually wasn't that bad. It is nice to have it finished though and I am pretty happy with the final product.

Here is the original. Ugly, right? Viola! Much better I think.

This was my first sewing project, and to tell you the truth, my brother-in-law Mark sewed most of it. He had to show me how to use the sewing machine...that's how pathetic I am. Also, if you know Mark and you have ever wondered if there is something he can't do, the answer is definitely no.

Now that I know how to use (kind of) the sewing machine, I may just make some pillows to go on my new bench!

The Mustache, Legos, New Years, and Burlap.....

Yes, I fully realize that the title of this post seems entirely random. Newsflash--it IS random. But so is life. And these are the semi-noteworthy parts of my life since.....well, since my last post.

Meet the mustache.

This beauty made an appearance for the Porter Family Photos. It was supposed to be a joke, but Brian forgot his razor and we had to wait for him to go to the store, buy a razor, and shave his I'm-a-train-robber-so-stay-out-of-my-way mustache. Not before we took the awesome picture above however. Coincidentaly the pictures were taken at a train station. How appropriate.Over the Christmas break Brian spent his spare time building this Star Wars contraption which his younger brother got for Christmas....last year. Brian was so proud he made everyone look at it and admire it at least a dozen times that day. New Years was a blast with friends up in Oakley. It was especially good to see Amanda, even if just for the night. I miss my friends all the time and love when we can get together and laugh and talk just like old times. Now I know most of you who read this blog probably know me well enough to be shocked that I, Mandy Marie, have of my own accord made something crafty. Whether or not it looks great is not the point. The point is, I actually bought a GLUE GUN and MADE SOMETHING MYSELF. I made this burlap wreath using the tutorial here.Shocker....I didn't stop with the wreath. I have extra burlap, and I had some glass bottles left over from some New Year's Martinelli's so I covered the bottles with the burlap. The green in the bottles just didn't match anything, so I figured hey...why not. Stay tuned for my next project---turning the old clunky coffeetable below into an upholstered bench. I have the material, I have the foam, now all I need are the paint and the time. Hopefully I will aquire these two things in the near future.
And now....time for bed.

Christmas in San Diego

Brian and I drove down to visit my parents in San Diego for Christmas. Besides the absolute monsoon we had to drive through to get there (it never stopped pouring from Las Vegas to San Diego) and the flooding during the first two days of our stay, it was a great trip. We did a lot of relaxing and it was so great to spend time with my parents. It went by way too fast. Here are some highlights from our trip:

Visiting the San Diego temple--it is gorgeous inside and out.
Watching the sunset at Cabrillo National MonumentDressing up like passengers on the Star of India--and getting seasick even though the boats are all anchored right on the dock. Don't be deceived, they still move.

I love this picture of Brian--it looks like the beginning to an epic adventure.

The Star of India

Just having some fun

This is one of the characters whose story is told at the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center

Can you see the resemblance?

Some more dress-up fun!

The trip was wonderful and the company even better. And if anyone reading this goes to San Diego you CANNOT miss the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center, it is so much fun.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

One Year Down: Eternity to Go

Happy Anniversary! We've made it through the first year with only bumps and bruises...no major injuries. What a crazy year it has been too with Brian in Law School and me teaching my first year of high school English. It hasn't always been fun and games, but it has always been a wonderful year and it has gone by so fast! I'll spare you all the cheesiness and just highlight some of the best things from the past year.

Getting married for time and all eternity would have to be #1. Besides it's what started us on this crazy journey.Eating these leftovers wasn'tbad either....Goung to BYU Basketball games is something we will continue to enjoy Making Brian take part in the annual Christmas pageant at the Ranch.

Going to Florida for our Honeymoon and hanging out at Disneyworld

Going to Florida and freezing our patooties off...

Cuddling close during those cold winter months...

Traveling to Las Vegas with Rich and Maria in the Spring and hiking around Red Rock

Cliff jumping with Rich and Maria at Sand Hallow

Driving to San Francisco to visit my parents and riding bikes down the beach.

Acting like kids again at Sea World

Living here over the summer: the most beautiful place on earth.

Having Brian's family up to the Ranch for a family vacation and playing crazy games.Backpacking in the Uintas with Brian and realizing how out of shape I really am.Traveling to Glacier, Waterton Lakes and Banff with the Porter fam.Being the suppot crew while Brian completed the LOTOJA: his first bike race EVER!
Here's to a wonderful year, full of family, fun, and laughs. I can't wait to start over and see what the next year brings and the next 60 after that!