Max!!! Fetch me my sedatives.....

For those of you out there who know me well you know that I just love the movie "The Grinch" (the Jim Carrey version.) I watch the movie at least 5 times every Christmas season because I can't get enough of it and it's one of my most favorite movies ever. It has some of the best quotes ever!!! If you have never seen it I highly recommend it and soon because Christmas is less than a week away!!!

On another good note, I am so excited that I get to go home to Utah tomorrow night. I survived the week barley with out Todd here. I have to say that the first three days were the hardest but then it got easier. I kept myself occupied with friends and projects of course. Work kept me super busy as always and I pulled some serious over time this week. Hopefully that extra money will be helpful for this holiday season. I have done some Christmas shopping out here in Ohio but will finish up when I get to Utah. I just don't have a lot of space in my luggage as it is because I am going to be gone for TWO WEEKS!!! I have never been gone that long out of town, so this will be super nice. I am so glad that my work was so willing to let me leave for that long and to still have a job when I get back. Maybe they really do like me there??? No, but work has gotten a lot better the last few weeks. I had my feelings hurt by one of the girls but we resolved it so it's not awkward anymore. We had my work Christmas party on the 13th before Todd left which was so fun. Dr. Katapadi is way good to his employees. I was happy that even though I have only worked there for 3 months they still gave me a bonus. Both Todd and I were so grateful and hope to be able to do something fun and productive with it.

Well, it's way late and I have been up scrubbing and sanitizing our entire place because it's been a mess this whole week. I didn't' have the time to clean before but now that it is I feel much better. It will be nice to come back to Ohio to a clean house and to our cat Scout.

See you all in less that 24 hours. I pray that the weather will be good for my plane ride back, it's been snowing in all sorts of states that never get snow.

Only 5 more days!!!

Here I am sitting at our condo all by myself thinking I can't wait to go back to Utah for 2 weeks to visit family and friends. Todd flew out today to Utah and it was so hard not to leave with him. We won't ever do this again that is for sure. We had bought our plane tickets in September and I thought I could handle him leaving one week earlier then me to go home. But as the weeks and days grew closer I was regretting our decision. But what is done is done and I will be home in 5 days!!!! I came home tonight after dropping Todd off at the airport and I got WAY home sick. I was looking online while listening to Christmas music and I just started crying. I don't know why girls have to have so many sporadic hormones that get the best of us some days. But after making some goodies and passing them out to people in my ward I felt much better. I am so lucky to have so many great people in my ward. I got invited to two different dinners tonight because they knew that I was alone. I am glad to know that I have friends out here even when my family is about 2,000 miles away. So to all my new and amazing friends in Ohio.......Thanks for always looking out for everyone. And to my family and friends back home in Utah.......I will see you in 5 days!!!! Love you all

Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

We had such a fun and eventful Thanksgiving weekend. Todd's little sister Jill flew out from Utah to be with us for 4 days. We got the chance to go to the Jefferson outlets which was of course FUN!! We shopped for about 4 hours and froze our butts off but we got some sweet deals. I will for sure be going back there again soon. Anyone is welcome to tag along.
Here is my sister-in-law Jill pointing to the map of where she will be serving her mission in March. She got called to the Thailand, Bangkok mission which sounds pretty sweet to us. She is nervous about learning to speak Thai but she will do great.
We went to the Columbus Zoo one afternoon and evening to see all the animals and the amazing Wildlights show. They do an amazing Christmas light show there every year and we were told it was worth going to. They were right, the lights were so amazing throughout the entire zoo.
Just a small piece of the lights we saw, sorry it's a little blury.
All us at the zoo watching one of the light shows they do with Christmas music.
Todd took us on a tour of his school since I hadn't been inside yet. I am so proud of all his hard work.
We have an amazing walking path through out our townhome area, the trees are so plush when they haven't fallen off. I will get better pictures in the spring.
I did it!! I successfully made my very first Thanksgiving dinner. It turned out so good and we ate up every bit of it. Of course not in the same day but the leftovers were gone by day two!! Todd's sister Jill was such a wonderful helper, she was a life saver. We all had just gotten back from the gym and had to shower quickly because the turkey was already cooked and we had nothing else prepared. Hence the fact that I still have wet hair and no make up on. Oh well, it was worth it!!!
Todd had to sample the turkey to make sure it was good, and it was!!
Okay so you have to give me a break, this part was rather gross to me. I had to wear latex gloves because the thought of digging for the head was not exciting to me. I was laughing so hard but I got it out and was grateful for the gloves. I am sure over the years I will get over that and just dig in without gloves but for now I was happy to have them.
Jill and I.
Todd and I on Thanksgiving day.

Turkey Anyone?

So I hope that my turkey turns out this good next Thursday. Yes, I am cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner for my husband and his sister that is coming into town to visit. I bought the turkey last night and have him in our freezer until the big day. I am excited for the challenge to make dinner and nervous at the same time. It's not like I am doing it for a huge crowd so I don't feel as intimated but I want it to turn out good. Todd said that I have to make the same mashed potatoes that his mom makes that is his only request. So I hope I can get them just right, if not it will have to do. I mean his mom has been cooking a lot longer than I have and has had lots of experience so it will take me time to perfect them. So wish me luck with cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. It will be good practice and I may as well start now.

Fun Weekend

Here are the last of the pretty leaves before they fell, I love how many colors fall brings. The trees here are amazing!
Todd's dad Val came into town over Halloween weekend and we had so much fun. We couldn't have asked for better weather for him while he was here. Todd and Val were able to play some serious tennis on Saturday for a few hours and to take a tour of Ohio States campus. We ate at some really good restaurants and watched as much football as they both could handle. Thanks so much for a fun weekend Val, you are the greatest father-in-law!!
We ate dinner one evening at the Easton mall while Val was here. I love that mall, the outdoor feeling is so fun with all the lights. Plus the shopping is unheard of, they have just about everything you would need right here in Columbus. Stores I had only seen through magazines so it's been fun for sure!

Random pictures

My hard working husband studied his brains out this week for two mid term tests which he is happy they are both over. He is so cute, I love this picture. He is wearing his new jacket I gave him for his birthday and the beanie I made of course.
This is us at our wards trunk or treat activity. We are both on the activities committee with my good friend Sarah. We love being able to work with her and to have this calling together.
This is my good friend Sarah, she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. I am so glad she already lived here before we came. It's fun to have someone you already know. Thanks Sarah for being so kind.

Yes you are reading those numbers right, our gas has gone down so much in the last month we can't even believe it. It was a whopping $2.01 for a gallon today. I filled up and it only cost $18 dollars for a half a tank. Now that is where it should be and if it continues to go down then AWESOME!!! We hear that back in Utah it's still in the $3 range. Sorry guys, we hope it comes down soon for you too!!!

Yummy Apple Crisp

I just made this apple crisp for our dessert tonight and it turned out way yummy. I thought that I may as well post it because I am always looking for new tasty dishes. It's simple too!!

Ingredients:

4 medium tart apples sliced (about 4 cups)
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oats
1/3 c. butter (softened)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Grease or spray bottom of a square pan (or I use an oval shape pan.)
Arrange apples in pan. Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over apples.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown & apples are tender.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This is a perfect recipe for this time of year. I sure miss my grandpa's tasty apples in his orchard this year. He always had so many he made sure everyone got some and trust me they are VERY tasty.

I also had a few requests for Todd's favorite ice cream cake called "Cocoa Freeze Mint." But as I said before it's a family recipe and Todd really doesn't want me to give it out. Sorry for those that really wanted it. I feel so lame not being able to share the love of ice cream to everyone.

Fall Projects

I love decorating in general, but it's extra fun for the holidays. It's been so great having a fireplace to decorate with. I can't wait for Christmas, I have so many ideas.
Here are some cute necklace pendants I made just recently. My good friend Kristen was the one who came up with the creative idea and I have loved making them. They are easy and make cute gifts.

I have a gym pass again!!!!

I am so happy to say that my husband got me a 2 year gym pass for my Christmas/Birthday present this year!! I have been whining to him ever since we left Utah about missing all my favorite classes that I have been going to for over 7 years!! The best part about it all is that it's literally across the street from our townhome. So we walk right to the gym, how healthy is that?? Other great perks is that it's THE nicest gym I have ever been to in my life. Each cardio machine has it's very own t.v and headphone hookups, it has a cardio cinema room, a pool for lap swimming, an aerobic room, free weights of course, and the best spinning room ever!!! I know it's a dream come true for Ashley. If you know me well you know I love my spinning classes, power pump classes, and the pool to do laps. I got my pass on Monday of this week and I have already been to pump twice, a spinning class, and used the cardio equipment. I know I don't waste any time. There are a few girls in my ward that have passes so I can't wait to go with them. I have to give my new friend Tauyna two way big thumbs up for taking me there one Saturday with a free pass to try out the power pump class. From that day I was hooked again. So thanks to my sweet husband for the best gift he could ever give me. He knows I will use it faithfully.

Happy Birthday Todd!!

Todd's turned 29 yesterday on the 11th. We both can't even believe that we are getting close to our 30's. We hate to even talk about it. Unfortunately, Todd was feeling sick yesterday so we didn't get to celebrate it like he would have liked to. But we did get some food to go and rented a movie. Today I made him and I a nice dinner and topped it off with his favorite dessert. It's an ice cream cake called "Cocoa Freeze Mint." The recipe is from his wonderful Grandma Christensen and we will carry on her recipe for many years.
This is only a small portion of the 13 by 9 pan I made up. He will be eating this dessert for the next two weeks. Trust me, he wouldn't have it any other way, he loves this dessert and so do I.
Todd and I taking a self portrait like we always do since it's just the two of us.... and Scout of course.

Todd doing his studies at our kitchen table. He is so smart he amazes me. He is always teaching me new info he has just learned and it's usually way over my head but I still listen and try to understand.
We are very lucky to have the Columbus, Ohio temple in the same parking lot as our church. Today the weather and skies were perfect so I had to get some pictures of the temple. I have yet to go through there with Todd to do some work.

Just one of many shots of the amazing trees changing around here in Columbus.
These next two shots were taken from the window of the 12th floor of my new job. We have such an amazing view of the city I had to get a few pictures. The day I took these it was slightly foggy so it's hard to see all the vibrant colors.

$2.88 a Gallon for GAS???

I had to post the highlight of my day. On my way home from work I always look at the price of gas at Sam's Club close to our house because that is were we get our gas and it always seems to have the best deal around. Luckily, it has been going down over the last few weeks. I was SO surprised to see that today was the lowest I have seen it in a long time. Only $2.88 a gallon!! I was tempted to fill up my car even though I had only used a 1/4 of tank. I just didn't want to pass up this opportunity of getting a sweet deal. I should have taken a picture of the price so I could prove to everyone how amazing it was. Who knows what the gas is like back at home in Utah but I am so stoked about it here in Ohio. I commute to work now and that has been very different from my 5 minute drive to work at my previous job. It has it's pro's and con's for sure. The con's are: rush hour traffic, wrecks, and stupid drivers, high gas prices(not for now). The pro's are: I get that 15-25 minutes to just unwind and think about life or nothing at all, I take that chance to call family and friends to talk to, I get to enjoy the beauty of Ohio's sunrises through the fog or the gorgeous fall leaves changing in the trees. I think the best part of it all is that it has made me more patient on the roads. If you know me I can get road rage sometimes when I want to get some where and QUICK. So this may be a lesson for me to learn and I feel like I have done very well if I don't say so myself.

My point to all this is I hope gas prices will stay this way and or maybe go down even more. I sure hope that the economy gets better soon. So many people are suffering because of it.

I love the Fall

No this is not a picture I took of a pumpkin patch here in Ohio but I found it on the web and wanted to post it because I love this time if the year. The air is so crisp, the colors of the leaves are changing, the aroma of pumpkin spice cooking in the oven, and all the fun crafts that I get back into because of the colder weather.

Since we have moved here about 6 weeks ago Todd and I have made and played with so many friends in our ward. While the guys love watching and yelling at any football game the girls get together and work on some sort of craft. I LOVE IT!!! There are SO many talented and creative women in this ward I can't wait to have them teach me lots of things I have never made before. Right now a few girls in my ward are making up some cute burp rags and these little blankets they can use while they "excuse me" breast feed. They actually call them "Hooter Hiders." I had never heard of them before last night and they seem like they would be pretty cool if you were a nursing mother. Apparently they are being sold for in stores for like 50 bucks. So they have learned how to make them and give them away as gifts to the 21 girls pregnant in my ward. Yep you heard me right 21 women pregnant and that is not to say the ones who are and haven't told us yet. I wonder what's in the water in our ward but I need to get me some of it!!!

Fall Fun

We went to a BBQ on Saturday with many other Optometry students, their wives, and kids. It was fun meeting other couples that are not in our ward who are in the program. The park we went to was beautiful. The leaves are starting to change but haven't reached their peak so we can't wait to see all the colors with the amount of trees that are in Ohio. Don't worry I will get plenty of pictures to post on here.

Here is Todd at the school's book store. We went and looked at a few books he might be interested in getting. Their bookstore is in a huge Barnes and Noble's. The entire upstairs is for school textbooks for the University and the lower level is of course a Barnes and Noble with a ton of OSU paraphernalia.

Crafts

My friend Kristen sent me some bottle caps with magnets and look what I created inside them!! Who would have thought up something so cute?? Thanks Kristen, I had so much fun making them. Sorry the picture is not very clear but you get the idea.
I am now in two different card clubs in my ward and this last Thursday night we made these cute Halloween projects. We made a cute card that is in the middle and then we made these candy holders to the left. It was fun to see all the ideas that others come up with. There are so many talented girls in my ward it's amazing. The other candy holder that is to the far right was made by my visiting teachers and I thought it was too cute to open. I had to take a picture before I enjoyed the treats inside.

Working 8 to 5

I survived my first week training at my new job, I thought I was going to die. I worked about 48 hours and was more than ready for the weekend to start. They were short handed therefore I was thrown into the fire very quickly. But for me that is the best way to teach me, just show me how to do it and I will start working hard. I may ask a lot of questions but it's only because I want to be thorough and to keep good habits. It has been very different going back to an office where we are using paper charts again instead of using them on the computer electronically but they have future plans to get changed over. There are a lot of transitions that our office will be doing in the next few months to a year. I have been very impressed with my office manager and the doctor I work for. He is very nice and cares so much about his staff and patients. He is from India therefore having a slight accent that I am still getting use to. Plus he is a soft spoken person so I really have to listen to what he is saying or I will miss it.

This week of work has already gotten better and I am getting the hang of it which makes me more confident in myself. I would think after a month or two of being there I will feel more at home. Training is never fun but has to be done. Other than that, we had a pretty crazy wind storm this last Sunday here in Ohio. The winds were about 70 miles an hour blowing over trees and power polls down like you wouldn't believe. I have never been in this kind of weather but I am learning that anything can go here. The sad part is that a lot of cities power went out on Sunday and they don't expect it to go back on until the end of this week or the beginning of next week. We were very lucky our power never went out during the storm. Trees were falling on peoples cars and homes had a lot of damage. I am sure it could have been worse but I have never seen winds blow that fast and hard. Luckily Todd and I just sat in our house and were protected that way. There was really no reason to go outside and be blown across complex.

I haven't been blogging like I was when we first got here but that is because I don't have as much time on my hands to do it. But I wanted to keep family and friends posted on how we were doing. Love and miss everyone!!!

Oh yea, I almost forgot, we bought our plane tickets today to fly home to Utah for Christmas. I am so lucky that my work is letting me have 10 days to come home. I really was scared to ask for more than a week but my office manager was very sweet about it. She said, "Of course, you need to go home and be with your family. Everyone needs to be with their families during the holidays." I am glad that she is so nice and willing to work with all of her staff. We are looking forward to seeing everyone we can while we are out in Utah.

Final Touches

Here is our bedroom finally finished. We love the way it turned out and how cozy it feels.
This is the nook that is in the corner of our bedroom, it's nice because the drapes were left from the previous owners and they matched our bedroom colors perfectly. One less thing I will have to do. Although you haven't heard me complain about decorating and you won't ever!!! I love it!!

Playing Around

The things we do to our poor cat while we are at home. Here he is with a blood pressure cuff wrapped around his body. No, there is no air pumped up in it.
Scout's favorite part about our place is the open stairs. He will play and attack the stairs and if you put your hands up he loves to paw at you.
Todd apparently needs some more physical activity in his schedule, he rock climbs our stairs which scares me at times. I guess our stairs are entertaining as you can see.

Todd and I went on OSU's campus and walked around the huge football stadium. We can't wait to go to one of their games here, people get so into it it's awesome.

Our first paint job

Todd and I painted one accent wall chocolate brown in our bedroom today. It was fun to work on it together. We are happy with the way it turned out. I will get some pictures on here of our room once it's all done. I am so excited to see the final product.
I have talked about painting a wall in such a long time. I finally got my wish and I love it!! Here I am trying to be like the famous shows on HGTV. That is my favorite channel because I love getting ideas for decorating and seeing all the new styles out there.
Oops, Todd accidently dipped his foot into the paint. It looks like pudding kind of. But smells nothing like it.