Two kids at the zoo

Even though I have lived in Utah most my life I realized that I have not experienced a lot of what there is to do in Utah. Justin and I also decided that we need to spend more time together on Saturday's and not doing chores all day. This Saturday we started off the trend with a trip to the Hogle Zoo. I have not been to the Zoo since I was in Kindergarten. We arrived at the zoo early and the animals were out and ready to be seen. My favorite was the tiger. He was very active both swimming in his pool and walking around the pen. When he left the pool he shook the water off and it landed all over Justin. The baby orangutan was also very cute doing several tumbling acts. If you have any suggestions of favorite Utah spots for us to visit let us know.

ooooh scary

We had the annual Halloween bonfire on Saturday. I was just not feeling the character bug so I pulled out my inner nerd, fast and simple. Justin had been growing out his beard so his options would be enhanced, however when it came down to it we had stuff to be a bearded lady. We had a great night with scary cat stories, musical entertainment and roasted marshmellows.

Birthday Weekend

This last weekend Justin celebrated the big 27. Since he had school off and I had work off I surprised him with a weekend away. His brother and sister were nice enough to let us use their cabin and we took full advantage. We spent Friday morning riding the horses and enjoying the gorgeous weather. We headed up to the cabin that afternoon and as Justin dutifully tended the fire so I could be warm I finished preparations for the party. I was afraid no one would come since we were asking them to drive to Solitude but they all showed up. We have such great friends. The cabin was crowded with fourteen adults and three babies. I had forgotten games so we ended up just talking the whole night. I know that may seem boring but we always have a blast when we get together. Saturday we went rock climbing with my sister and cousin. They did great and scaled the wall perfectly. I on the other hand started hypeventilating five inches off the ground. Justin was free climbing next to me telling me where to put my feet and hands. When it was too high for him he left me and I continued climbing to Taisa's cheers of encouragement. I decided that I have this deep fear of heights that comes out when standing on a lake powell cliff trying to decide if I want to jump and when strapped to a rope anywhere from five inches to 50 feet off the ground. After a quick nap we went to Park City to enjoy a nice dinner. It was the first time I have been to Park City's Main Street. I had a great night. Sunday was a relaxing day spent mostly fishing and reading our respective books. It seems weird but I like just reading with Justin even though we don't talk much. That night we went to his moms for dinner and enjoyed Justin's favorite augratin potatoes. It was a great weekend for us and great to spend time together. I am anxiously anticipating the next time I get to spend some extended time with Justin.

Small or Mini?

Seeing as I have no real exciting news to blog about I will share a common topic of discussion around our house. Justin is now obsessed with getting a puppy. He looks on the KSL dog classified section at least several times a day. Last time he went through this phase he wanted a German Sheperd. That need was filled when his dad purchased one instead. He is now looking at mini Austrailian Sheperds. I have told Justin that when we purchase our own home (in maybe twenty years) he can buy the dog of his choice. I would like a dog that could be inside with me. I would like something similiar to what his brother has, possibly a West Highland Terrier. What do you guys think?

When you know your education wasn't a total waste

The fact that I realized my education was not a total bust was a highlight of my day yesterday. However it came at the cost of my Grandma Thompson having a stroke. I was at the hospital when the Speech Therapist came to perform a bedside swallow eval. Not really wanting her to know beforehand that I was an SLP I quietly hid in the corner and watched and tested myself as she performed the task. I remembered the sequence of food and the tasks to do before and after food presentation as well as why she was doing them. Afterwords I was able to ask some informed questions that led her to guess I was an SLP. I know it has not been that long since I graduated and interned at an adult rehab but I was pretty proud of myself for remembering. I guess it just goes to show that hard work/studying really does pay off.

oozing love

It was a pretty typical week in the lives of Justin and Alyssa. The only out of the ordinary event was a vet trip on Wednesday. Justin's Mare Mariah's gut flips over causing her great pain that she could die from so we had to take her in. The vet gave her some drugs and calmed her down enough that the gut was able to flip back. She has had problems with this before and the Vet said she most likely will the rest of her life and at this point that could be a day or years. We are hoping she will make it at least three more months so she can keep feeding the foal and then from there we will have to decide what to do. We do not want to cause her more pain then she needs to be in. It will be a pretty hard decision,Justin has raised Mariah from the time she was a baby and absolutely loves this horse. I think if we did have a kid of our own it would be hard pressed to get half the love that Justin gives to Mariah. I even had bridals taken with her because then he would have his two "girls" in a picture together.

Besides that one event life has taken on it's ordinary grind. However, I have to say that the last couple of months have been really good for Justin and I. We seemed to have grown closer and appreciated the little things a lot more. I admire his hard work and dedication to school and work even if it seems like it is taking a lifetime to finish school. He has been a big help with my mom and brother as they have been doing home improvements. I love this side of him. He is always willing to give of his time to help others. I also love the kind of uncle he is. They all come running to him when he is around and want to play. I know he is going to be a good dad someday even if he says we will only have children of the four legged variety. Sorry for the oozing of love just now. I just wanted to put it in writing that I love my husband.

End of Summer

Last Saturday we attended our one and only Bee's Baseball game. Work had free tickets so I decided to take advanatage of it. The only problem was Justin and Eric had been working on Eric's garage all day long and didn't get done until just before the game started. We of course had to stop for dinner as well and after finding parking got to the game in the fourth inning. Eric and Justin were so tired they were falling asleep and the kids were not in the mood to be there either. We ended up leaving in the ninth and waiting for the fireworks by the car. We were only there for a short time but I had fun and hope to go too more games next year.



Working with so many little kids and their families I couldn't help but get in the school spirit. Justin's first day of school was last Wednesday. I woke up early to make him Mickey Mouse Pancakes and take the traditional first day picture. He survived his first three days of class and is excited about learning all about physics this semester.

We celebrated Eric, Jordan, Sam and Grandma's birthday's this weekend with the traditional cake and homemade ice cream. Jordan recieved Marble Works a game that as children we loved and played many times at grandma and grandpas. He along with his cousins were very excited. However they would have to wait for another day. I purchased this a little while ago to be the "cool" aunt for when I tend. I was able to pull it out Saturday when I watched Easton and just like when I was little he watched the marbles travel the same path over and over with the same excitment each time.