Embarressing Moments....

You know when you're new in church or in school and you're asked to fill out a sheet about yourself? What's your favorite food, or your hobbies or your most embarressing moment? I can never put anything in the embarressing moment part; not because I don't get embarressed, oh no. Because I can never remember what my embarressing moments are. Well this week, I gave myself not one, but two embarressing moments to fill out that section... AND THE WEEKS NOT EVEN OVER. Oh dear.
Sunday morning: woke up early, especially since I felt very unprepared for our first lesson in our new calling as Sunbeam teachers. Gave myself plenty of time to get ready and read over the lesson and say a good prayer for me and Tanner and ask for major help with our Sunbeams. I lost track of time and grabbed my white pea coat as we ran out the door to walk to church. Our building is about 35 steps away from our house and as I walked into the cultural hall for Sacrament meeting, Tanner grabbed my jacked and pulled me back into the foyer. I was mad as heck that he yanked on my coat thinking he may have ripped a seam or something, but then I noticed what he was holding in his hand: a pink plastic coat hanger! I walked all the way to church with the hanger hanging on the back of my coat on a little belt sewn onto the back of my jacket. I was mortified! I brought a coat-hanger to church with me! I don't even want to know how many ward members walking to church behind us noticed the hanger just bouncing back and forth on the back of my coat. I'm sure they got a good laugh. :)

Embarressing moment #2: I have a day off on Wednesdays. That is my day to run errands, go to the gym, clean my house, do whatever I want. The only downside is I used to do all those things on a Saturday with Tanner, now I have to spend the day alone. He surprised me this last Wednesday by showing up around lunch time (I guess not actually JUST to see me... I thought I broke the washer) and we got to go to the lunch together! We got an In N Out gift card for Christmas, so we decided to use it for lunch. Of course In N Out is always packed, so we wait in a big crowd of hungry people for our number to be called. We got a drink to share, so Tanner let me pick what I wanted to drink. I walked up to the fountain drink area and stood there looking at the ice dispenser. There was no little lever to pull or little button to push to get the ice to come out. I thought In N Out was just too advanced for me, so I stuck my cup under it thinking it was motion sensored. I kept putting my cup under it and pulling it back, putting it under again and pulling it back and finally I whined, frustrated to Tanner "How do you work this thing?!" He could not stop laughing at me and pushed the little plastic dispenser thing that says ICE on it and miraculously out comes the ice. He will not let me forget about that one.

So this week has been pretty eventful. I guess I was pretty embarressed by those two stunts I pulled, but it's what makes life fun! What can you do other than laugh at yourself?

*Christmas* 2009

Merry Christmas!

We always get plenty of snow around here in Provo around this time of year. Tanner spent a lot of time outside, shoveling our driveway. I can't count the number of times he begged me for a snow blower. Sorry hunny, maybe next year.

A few weeks before Christmas, Tanner's sister, Laura, had a winterfest Chior concert. She is a part of the Women's Chorus at BYU. Tanner's parents came into town for the concert. It was such a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. All the numbers the chiors sang were absolutely beautiful.

We spent Christmas this year in California with the Nordstroms. We arrived in Sacramento on tuesday before Christmas, and spent the day there as a family and attended the temple. We had family names Kim, Tanner's mom, prepared that we did work for. It was an undescribable experience.

After we drove back to Redding, we spent much of our time together playing games and doing what I love best about the holidays; EATING! Below is a picture of Tanner & his uncle Keith carving some delious meat!

The girls also did a baking night! We baked and decorated Christmas sugar cookies. Messy, yet always fun!

One evening, we had a crab feast! Tanner's dad, Dan, brought back loads of fresh Alaskan crab. It was my first time really eating fresh crab. It was great!

We spent lots of time playing games. I wipped Tanner at guitar hero!

Boy, our week in California went by fast! We were so blessed to be able to travel to be with family for the Holidays.

Our New Home

Introducing.... Our new home!

Tanner & I bought our first house on October 29,2009.

This was our old rental house we lived in. We joked that when people walked by, they probably thought it should be condemned. Now you can see, we weren't kidding. We will always remember this little shanty.

This was the kitchen in the Shanty that only one person could be in at a time because it's so small. You had to turn side-ways if you wanted to get by on another.

Our old Family Room. I didn't paint anything. It came with the colors of the rainbow.

Our new family room.
The people who owned the house before us must have liked ducks. Those are green duck valences and slightly green tinted blinds. Those came right down.

A fews days into our new house, we came home from grocery shopping. As we both carried armfuls of groceries in, I put my keys in the door to open it for us. The next morning, I was running around the house frantic because I couldn't find my keys.

You guessed it, I left them in the door all night. I couldn't get the dang key out, so I had my strong husband try. He broke the key in the door.

Nice.

The kitchen and bathroom have BEAUTIFUL travertine tile. Those are my favorite rooms.

We have a full apartment in the basement we will soon rent out. It needs a whole lot of TLC. The renters that recently moved out were smokers and had a dog. So now the basement reeks of smoke and urine. Tanner and his brother-in-law, Matthew, ripped up the urine stained carpet. Under the carpet was nasty ceramic tile (like you'd find in a school cafeteria). They broke that all up so we can get it out.

Our big project is getting the basement ready to rent.

It's a feeling I can't describe to be in your own home. It's ours. We can do whatever we want to it. We have a yard we can grow a garden, and a safe neighborhood. My exciting project will be to paint and re-do the family room however I want. :)

We love our home sweet home.

G-O BYU Cougars!

Tanner got us tickets to my first BYU game on Saturday!

(Looks like the game must have been really intense for the elderly man behind us ;) )

We got all dressed up in our BYU gear to root on our team!

It was such a great game. They played the Colorado Rams and squashed them 42 to 35. We had a great time since Tanner's sister Laura and her new husband Matthew were sitting right next to us, cheering our brains out! :)

George Erickson Family Reunion

On Labor Day weekend, Tanner & I drove up to Oakley Idaho to my Great-Grandfather's cabin for the George Erickson Family Reunion. We arrived there Sunday afternoon so we could be there for the day activties on Monday. Sunday evening most of my second cousins were there so we all had a BBQ dinner and roasted mallows for smores in the fire pit. Although Tanner was trying to get over a nasty flu/sinus infection, he was a trooper the whole time.

It was so fun to see Travis & Naomi! They always make me laugh!

Whitney had been in Utah a few days before we left to Idaho so she drove up with us. It was great seeing and catching up with her before she left for BYU-Idaho.

Us girls had a great time together, but Courtney was really missed.

It was so great for me to see my cousins I grew up with. Kassi (far left) just went in the MTC about a week ago. She was called to serve a mission in New Jersey, spanish speaking. Mikaela (middle) & I are only 12 days apart and all three of us have always been close growing up.

Monday was the day dedicated to learning of our family history. My grandpa, his kids, and my grandpa's brother, Don, and his kids were there. I learned a lot about my great-grandparents and the history of the Erickson side (my mother's side). It meant a lot to me to have my companion next to me, learning about my family's history and meeting all my cousins and second cousins. Although I know it was probably not the first place Tanner would have liked to have spent his holiday, he was such a good sport in trying to learn everyone's name and be involved in all the was going on.

We Love Lagoon!!!

On Aug. 11 was my company's annual company party. They decided to have everyone and their families meet at Lagoon for a discounted price. Tanner got work off and we arrived in Farmington before the park opened and spent the day at Lagoon!!

We spent most of the day with my friend and co-worker Whitney, who brought her boyfriend's little sister MaryGrace for her first visit to Lagoon. We all went on the Colossus ride together and Tanner and MaryGrace loved it so much they wanted to go again. Whitney & I were way too tired, and being bums, so sat that one out. Tanner has such a fun personality, the child in him began to come out as the ride ended.

Tanner & I had so much fun together that day. We both love rollercoasters and theme parks so we went on every ride we could. The last time we were at Lagoon together was while we were dating; July 2007 to be exact. It is such a fun perk living in Utah to have a theme park close by. :)

This Story Just Keeps Getting Better...

One warm, mid-July afternoon, I walked outside to water my pot of flowers on the porch. As soon as I looked up, this is what I saw...

I sat there and looked at this sight for a moment, wondering if I was seeing illusions from the heat. I called in the house for Tanner to come check it out. He helped me realize that I wasn't seeing things as he walked across the street, a few houses down, to the neighbor that owes the little red piecer. Tanner said to the short, old, Latino man, "Excuse me, I need you to come out and look at your parking job." The man said, "Oh you need me to move my car?" Tanner said, "No. I need you to come look at something." Tanner took the old man to the curb to look at the cars. Because the old man looked a little confused on what he'd done wrong, Tanner proceeded to tell him that he hit our truck. The old man then said something I still baffle about ever time I think of this story. He said, "Well, your truck only moved this much (holding up his two index fingers about 3 inches apart). You were in violation of the shade." VIOLATION OF THE SHADE?! That must be a new law I haven't heard about....

The old man kept saying it was no big deal and he would move his car. Tanner asked to exchange insureance information and leave it at that. The man refused, thus causing Tanner to threaten to call the cops. The old man again refused, so Tanner went through with his threat. The cops showed up a few minutes later and took each party aside to get the story straight. The old man continued to tell the cops that it was a hot day, and we took up too much of the shade. He said he had to back into us so he wasn't parked in the red curb. The lady officer kindly, yet firmly, explained to the man that it was against the law to back into other peoples cars. The cops wrote him a ticket for "improper backing", we exchanged insureance information, and went our separate ways.

Today, one of the cops that wrote the ticket, showed up at our house. He said the little, old man had been to the police station many times within the last few weeks, causing a scene and trying to file reports that we and the cops are racist. The cop said the man threatened to get a lawyer and take this to court. So now, Tanner and I have to fill out a detailed incident report, print off the above pictures and take them to the police station.

I guess I'm not too worried since if he wants to take us to court, I know a pretty good lawyer ;)