Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Love, The Elfors

DONE!

I couldn't be more relieved to say that I AM DONE WITH MY FINALS! This semester has been really hard for me and i am so relieved that i will have a few weeks off!

UPDATE

WOW! We have been so busy, like usual. I am going CRAZY this week with work, finals and trying to get ready for christmas. I have to say that i am glad we picked this year not to do presents because i have had no time to even think about it! However, Santa did come early this year and brought us new cell phones! They are the LG Vortex 3G smartphones. Garrett has been wanting a smartphone for a while now, but i was not convinced that we needed them. Let me tell you they are awesome! I love mine and i am glad he finally talked me into it. They have everything you could ever want on a phone! Last weekend we had a date night! I can't even remember when Garrett and I had time to go on a date! SAD! We went to Olive Garden, Cabelas and the mall. It was so nice to have a weekend together where we didn't have to work on the house! Speaking of the house i took a bunch of pictures to post and i cannot find my USB cable! We still have a few boxes to grab at our old house so i'm sure i will find it soon! My last final is on Friday and i am so excited to have a couple weeks off from school! One month and we will be on a big boat in the warm sun! I can't wait! Garrett works Christmas eve and Christmas so it is not going to be very much fun this year :(  I hope evryone has a Merry Christmas!

Home Sweet Home, Christmas and MEXICO!!!

Wow! We have been super busy the last few weeks. We finally moved into our house and we LOVE it! We love our ward, we love our neighbors and i love driving to work in 1 minute! We still don't have everything in order but things are coming together. I even got our christmas decorations up. I was so excited to put christmas lights on our house! I will post pictures soon (when i find my camera!) Garrett has been doing some hunting and i am glad! It is such a relief that the house is done! Come spring we will start working on the yard. I am excited for christmas. Things are always crazy this time of year with work, christmas and finals! i am nervous for my math final this semester. i am starting to get a little burnt out on school but i know i need to keep going! We had a great thanksgiving spending time with family and of course SHOPPING! It wasn't as fun this year though because we aren't doing christmas presents this year because... WE BOOKED A CRUISE TO MEXICO... AND WE LEAVE JANUARY 17TH!!! ahhh i cannot wait to have a vacation in the warm sun! We are going with Garretts family and we are super excited!

MEDICINE

Today, i am thankful for medicine!!! i have had a cold and the worst sore throat all week and without my medicine i would be dead! i hate colds they are seriously the worst! i am really hoping i start feeling better by this weekend since we are moving. i will be miserable if i am still sick!

HOUSE

Today, i am very grateful for our new house. I am grateful for the one we live in now but we have poured our heart and soul into our new house! Doing EVERYHTHING ourselves has made me that much more grateful for our little place. It looks so good and we are moving in NEXT WEEKEND! I love it even more because i know it is the house we will be raising our kids in. I am excited for the years to come in our cute little house! Pictures coming soon!

TEETH

Today, I am thankful for my teeth! This is kinda something weird to be thankful for, but working in a dental office i see a lot! Today was our "Same Day Denture Day" and i have seen LOTS of people without teeth and the trouble they have to go through, even people my age. It is kinda sad. I am thankful that i don't have the problems they have!

COOP

Today I am thankful for my dog Cooper! I seriously can't imagine my life without that dog, especially when Garrett is on night shifts! He keeps me company and protects me when Gar is gone! He is my baby!

JOB

Today, i am thankful for my job. Even though i complain about it a lot, i am lucky to even have one right now. Garrett and i both are lucky to have such great jobs and that we don't need to worry about money issues.

HUBBY

Today, i am thankful for my hubby! he has been gone the last 3 nights bear hunting and goes back on night shift tomorrow! i hate it when he is gone :( however, sometimes i am glad he is gone some nights because it makes me cherish the time we have together. I definately don't want night shifts to last forever though. it gets very lonely! Love you Gar!

Saturday and Giving Thanks!

Garrett went bear hunting this weekend so my mom and i decided to plan a shopping day in salt lake. We woke up pretty early (early for a saturday.) She had an eye doctors appointment first so while she was doing that i went over to Shane Co. and got my ring cleaned. Then we went to Target and got a few christmas things. After Target we went to Old Navy. Their outerwhere was 50% off. My mom bought me a really cute white pea coat for my birthday. Then we went to Chilis and had their AMAZING chicken enchilada soup and salad. After Chilis we went to Thai Pan Trading, one of my favorite stores ever! They had so many cute christmas things. It was overwhelming! Looking at all the christmas stuff while they were playing christmas music got me so excited for christmas! Christmas is my favorite time of year. My mom and i got a few things from thai pan. She bought me this BEAUTIFUL christmas wreath for my new house. I am in love with it. She also bought me this zebra chair i have been wanting for my birthday.

After Thai pan we went to the wood connection because i have been wanting to make a thanksgiving craft because i don't have very many. i got some stuff for that and a few things for christmas. When we finally got home i was exhausted, it was a long, very fun day! I love my mom so much. We have so much fun together! Last night i did my crafts and watched old episodes of One Tree Hill! I had such a good SATURDAY! My crafts turned out pretty cute!



Everyone has been posting something they are thankful for every day and i am going to join in. Today I AM THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY! I love spending time with them and they do so much for us. i don't know what we would do without them!

STRESSOR

I had to take a stress test in my FCHD class and a normal stress score was below 300. I was 331, which according to the results is dangerously high. My book talked about how stress can affect your body and your life. I can definately say i can agree with that. I can tell a big difference in my health and my mood when i don't have so much going on. I decided i need to try to make this change. Lately i have been stressed beyond belief with work, school and remodeling our house, luckily we are almost done with the house so after we move i will have a lot less to be stressed about. I am very happy we decided to remodel our house and it is going to be a good investment for us but it has been very hard work! Work has been a little difficult lately. I think i am just getting kind of burnt out. I would love to go part time in the future. I really like my job and i love assisting our patients but it is starting to get old... this is why i need to get my degree! School has been fine, just another thing to add to the load. I really love, love, love school but it's very hard when i have so many other things to do. The point of this post is to vent a little bit (because i know gar gets kind of sick of listening to it) but also to promise myself that i will try harder to destress my life. Stressing out is not going to solve any of my problems. Every night i have been taking time to go for a walk with my dog, spend some time with my hubby and RELAX! I know this sounds stupid but i have also been lighting lavender candles and putting lavender and chamomile lotion on before bed. Lavender is supposed to help you relax and feel sleepy. I am not 100% sure it works but it seems to be helping, plus it smells really good. Thanks for listening to me vent! It's nice to write my frustrations down sometimes! Hopefully after we move in things will start slowing down and we can relax and enjoy the holidays!

Who Knew...

Who knew i would ever be so excited about...

- windows
- doors
- paint
- carpet
- appliances
- lights
- baseboards

We have been working very hard on our house and it is looking so good. We got the carpet and flooring laid today and it looks awesome! I am so excited to move in!

My Town

I just wanted to write about how truly blessed i am to be living in such a great town with great people. Those of you who live in Tooele County know what i am talking about. My previous post was about a true american hero who died serving our country. He was from Tooele County and i have never seen so many people come together to support him and his family. His funeral was today and when they brought him into grantsville to the cemetary the streets were lined with hundreds of people with american flags. It was a very emotional day for many in Tooele County. I am so grateful to be living in a town with such amazing people. I love living in a small town for the simple fact that everyone knows everyone and everyone supports everyone! Thank you for your service PFC Jordan Byrd!

HERO

As many of you know, Tooele county lost a soldier and a hero yesterday. Even though i didn't know Jordan that well, he is an inspiration to all of us. He was deployed a few weeks ago, three days after his son was born. He was shot and killed in Afghanistan yesterday. I can't imagine the pain and heartache his family is going through right now and my thoughts and prayers are with the Byrd family. I am so thankful for the men and woman that serve our country! They are true heros for putting their lives on the line for the freedom of our country.

6 years ago today...

Exactly six years ago to this day, Garrett and I went on our first date. We went to the Chinese Buffet in Tooele and saw The Grudge with a couple other friends. The first time i ever saw Garrett i was a freshman in high school trying to get into my locker, while him and his friend walked by calling my name and looking the other way! REAL MATURE! He liked my friend and i liked his friend and then one day he told me he liked me. We started out as good friends and then started dating. Garrett played football and basketball and i cheered. After Garrett graduated he went to Snow College and we continued dating. When i graduated Garrett also graduated from Snow and moved home to work and i moved up to Orem to go to school. We started getting pretty serious and after i was going home every weekend to see Garrett we started talking about marriage. He proposed on March 6, 2009 and we were married July 31, 2009. We have been through so much together and i still feel like i am a silly teenage girl in high school with him. I knew from the time i was 16 that i would end up marrying that boy!

I LOVE YOU GAR BEAR!

BOO!

Over the weekend i FINALLY found some time to do a craft. I am happy with how it turned out, and i'm going to start another one next week! I wish i had more time for this kind of stuff!

Speaking of Halloween, we went to an open house in Tooele on Saturday night. These people decorate their house like a western haunted village. They let people walk through it for free on Saturday nights. It is so cute! I can't imagine how much it costs to decorate like that for Halloween!

FALL

Everyone who knows me know that FALL is my FAVORITE time of year and here is why...

- the weather... it's perfect!
- the colors... green, orange, yellow and red are so pretty together!
- halloween... it's the best excuse to dress however you want!
- pumpkin spice candles... i can't get enough of that smell!
- TV shows... one tree hill, 90210 and desperate housewives!
- falling leaves... even though i do hate raking them!
- haunted houses... even though it is very hard to convince garrett to go, he is a chicken!
- football season... go utes!
- pumpkin anything... but especially pumpkin cheescake!
- general conference... it always is so uplifting and makes me feel so blessed!
- decorating... i love decorating my house for the different seasons!
- corn mazes... they remind me of high school!
- my birthday... november 20th!
- sweaters and boots... gotta stay warm!
- thanksgiving... i love spending time with our family and being reminded of what i am thankful for!
- hot chocolate... yum!
- christmas season is near... i love fall but there is nothing like the christmas season!

I have been in an extra good mood lately and i know it is because of all of these things i have to look forward to!

Trying again!

I deleted our blog a couple months ago because i never had time to get on it or write anything! things are still busy but they should be slowing down for us in the next few weeks. all that we have been doing lately is working and remodeling our new house. it is ALMOST done and looking SO GOOD! All that we really need to do is have the flooring laid so we will probably be moving within the next few weeks! It has been pretty hard remodeling this house but it will be worth it when we are done. i will have to post some pictures soon. i am still going to school and working and gar has been working nonstop! he is such a hard worker! he has also been doing a little bit of bear and deer hunting here and there. we have been going to our new ward the last couple weeks and I LOVE IT! everyone has been so sweet and welcoming. That's about all that has been going on with us lately and like it said, i am going to try harder blog more!

LAKE POWELL

Over the 4th of July weekend Garrett and I got to go to Lake Powell with Garretts family. Garretts aunt and uncle live there so we got to stay at there house in Page. On friday we went four wheeling and hiking. It was a little rainy that day but it was still pretty nice. On saturday we got to go out on the lake. We rode the waverunners and went boating, tubing and cliff jumping. I had never been to Lake Powell before and it was so beautiful! Also, on Saturday night we went and saw ECLIPSE!!! It was SO GOOD! BEST ONE YET! We are so grateful for our aunt, uncle and cousins for letting us stay there and entertaining us all weekend. It was very nice to get away from our busy lives for a few days!

Good News... Finally!

After months of searching we FINALLY got a house! We are very excited about it. At first we were looking at some bigger, newer houses because they are so cheap right now but after 3 or 4 houses didn't work out we decided maybe that was a sign and we should look for something a little cheaper and smaller. The house that we got it smaller and older but we got it for a really good price. Its 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and it is on a half an acre. It is all newly remodeled inside with new paint, new carpet, new cabinets and new tile. I think it will be the perfect house to start a family (when the time comes.) Right now we are under contract and we close on july 7th. We are excited to be in grantsville! Just wanted to keep everyone updated!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just officially finished my finals for spring semester! i couldn't be happier! Now i need to have some fun these next 2 weeks before summer semester starts :(

Favorites

Here are a few things that i have been OBSESSED with lately!

Old Navy Flip Flops
Scentsy EVERYTHING!


Pureology hydrate hair products

LOVE THIS MOVIE!

Quick Update!

Not too much has been going on with us lately. We are still busy working our lives away and i am getting ready to wrap up this semester of school. Good news is i only have one more class for my associates, bad news is it's math 1050 and i have already taken it! Since it has been over a year since i have taken math i have to retake it :( I have been way confused about what i want to do with my life lately but i think i have finally made the decision to apply for the elementary education program at USU. I want a good " mom job." Garrett is getting ready to go to Kansas next month to go turkey hunting! It will be fun for him but i am sure going to miss him :( We have been so busy with work lately. I feel like we never even see eachother anymore. Sometimes i think i would rather be dirt poor and get to spend time together than have money. I guess i don't know what that is like though so i shouldn't be complaining. We are very lucky to have the jobs that we do. Lately i have been working almost 10 hour days! It is killing me, especially when i am taking 3 classes! We still havn't gotten a house. We have some offers in on a couple. I wish we weren't so picky about things because we would probably have one! Hopefully we get one soon so that we can get the new homeowners tax credit. I think that's about all that has been going on with us!

Baby Elfors!

So Garretts cousin did a post of what their future baby will look like by morphing their pictures together and i wanted to try it. So here is a pic of what Garrett and I's future baby will look like!

House Hunters!

Gar and I have decided that since the housing market is so low right now, it is a perfect time to start looking to buy a house. We absolutely love the house that we are in now, however, it is small and eventually we will need something bigger. We got approved for a loan and got our realtor last week. We aren't in a huge hurry or anything. We just want to get a really good deal. We put a few bids in on some houses in grantsville the past week. We are just the backup bidders though because there are already bids on the houses we like. It could be a very long process but we aren't in a hurry! We are anxious to see what happens in the next few months!

Nothing to Complain About!

So far 2010 has been a great year! I was worried about Garrett and I juggling both school and work and thought it was going to be very stressful. So far it has been great and I am loving all my classes! I am so glad to be back in school. I feel so much smarter and it reminds me of how much i really do love learning. School is definately different since i changed my degree now. I was used to all these biology and health classes and now i am taking english, humanities and arts! Way different! I think Garrett has been procrastinating with his school work a little bit since all of his are online but i know he will get everything done. His classes are a lot harder than mine.

Work is work... I love my job but i know i can't do it for the rest of my life, especially full time. I really just want to be a mom here in a few years and stay home with my kids but i know that i need my degree. Gar and I both get our school paid for so we won't have any debt with school which is so nice.

Lately Gar and I have been having so much fun hanging out with friends and family. He went to work tonight, which made me really sad :( He is the most amazing husband in the world. He is always making me happy and his kindness and love for the gospel amazes me. I am so glad i found my eternal companion and can't wait for the years to come. I love my life and HAVE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT!!!

No Time to Waste in 2010!

2009 was a great year for Garrett and I. We got engaged, married, went to hawaii and have been enjoying our first few months of marriage together! 2009 will be hard to beat but we are excited about the new year! We are going to be very busy this year. Garrett is working his crazy schedule at EG&G and I an working full time as head assistant at Grantsville Family Dental Monday-Thursday. (I finally got fridays off!) I am so thankful for Garretts job but i get SO sick of his shift work! i hate when he is gone at night. i cant sleep and i am super paranoid.

We both start school this week at the Utah State extension in Tooele. Garrett is in the business program and i am finishing up my generals and will be going into business as well. Yep, i switched my degree from Dental Hygiene. Dental Hygiene is hard work and the waiting list is 3 years!!! i am too impatient for that. I am kinda stressing out about going to school and working full time. Our lives are already so chaotic, throwing school into the mix could be scary.

We had a great time celebrating our last weekend before school starts! We went shopping, hung out with our good friends Ryan and Kate, saw sherlock holmes and spent time with family! I LOVE when Garrett has weekends off. We always have a lot of fun spending time together!