Merry Christmas!

Berkeley and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and say thank you for being such wonderful friends and family members! We have been blessed over the last year and although nothing big or incredibly noteworthy has happened to either of us, we have been happy and healthy and blessed in more ways than we know. This Christmas was wonderful! We spent the majority of our time at Berkeley's family's home. It was nice to be surrounded by the Ward bunch and enjoy the company of his siblings, parents, and nieces and nephews. My favorite part of Christmas at the Ward home is the tradition of the "Bread and Cheese Supper" held on Christmas Eve night. Dinner of various types of cheeses and breads cover the table. All the lights are turned off and we eat by candle-light. This tradition is meant to commemorate the meal Jesus and Mary may have had on the night of our Savior's birth. It is so nice to be gathered together as family in the true spirit of Christmas. Afterwards, we read the Christmas story from the bible and then ended the night by singing Christmas hymns together. Christmas morning was fun. We opened presents and it was nice to have Berkeley's two little nieces there because they are still so young and get caught up in the "magic of Christmas." We played lots of games, watched movies, and relaxed. It was very fun! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well. We love you guys and really appreciate all you do for us.

In Lew of Christmas....

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Definately hot chocolate. With marshmallows.
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them and they get put under the tree on christmas eve night after the children are already asleep.
3. Colored or white lights? Colored. White lights aren't fun.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, because I love to kiss! Berkeley, that is.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The first week in December.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? This is a tough one! I really like the funeral potatoes that my sister Kellie makes. If we are talking treats, then I love chocolate covered peanut butter rice krispies....wow long name.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Sneeking out into the living room at 4:00 am to take a peek at the presents and the stockings. We had to go back to bed after that and couldn't open until 5:30 or so. We were very early risers!
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What's the truth about Santa? All I know is that he comes down the chimney every Christmas and brings me gifts and eats my cookies and drinks my glass of milk....
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, never even saw our gifts until Christmas morning.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We put colored lights on first, then ornaments, then the tree topper! How do other people decorate their tree?
11. Snow: Love it or hate it? I love it until January 1st then I am not too fond of it.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, I am very very good at it. I landed a triple axle last winter.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? One year I got a basketball goal. I was obsessed with basketball at that time and that was pretty amazing to me.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering Jesus Christ and his life on Earth. I also cherish the time I have with family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Oh man, I already mentioned this earlier...chocolate covered peanut butter rice krispies!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Digging into the contents of our stocking first before any gifts. I love stockings!!
17. Which do you like best giving or receiving? The are both fun! I like seeing other people react to what I give them. It is always fun to make someone else happy.
18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? The First Noel.
19. Do you like candy canes? I like them on Christmas trees or in my hot cocoa, but not just to eat. I am not a big fan of peppermint.
20. Favorite holiday movie? "Mr. Krouger's Christmas" and "A Muppet's Christmas Carrol".

Work-Out and Hawaii!!

So, I am very excited to share our exciting news with everyone! Berkeley and I have committed ourselves to a 3 month work-out program called P90 X. We are in our 6th week currently and are still motivated. We are contantly sore, but we feel really good and are starting to get some results! So...as our motivating tool and as prize for completion, we are taking a vacation to Hawaii!! We just bought our tickets last week, so there is no quitting now! We fly out on March 6th. I have been having dreams about Hawaii since we bought the tickets. I am always sitting on a beach soaking up sun while watching Berk surf...yep. Oh, by the way, the people in the work-out picture are showing you what Berk and I will look like in 7 more weeks. The people in the other picture will be Berk and I once we are finally in Hawaii!

The Triplets!

I am in love with my all of my nieces and nephews, but I wanted to make a special spot on my blog for my sister Karen's kids. She has a set of triplets who I can't ever get enough of! Anytime I am down, all I have to do is go visit them and I am all smiles when I leave. I stole these pictures from Karen's blog...I don't think she will mind too much. I am, afterall, showing off her kids. Aspen is the blond-headed girl, Brooke is the brunette, and of couse Conner is the little toehead boy! I love them all so much! Thanks Karen...for giving birth...I guess.

Thanksgiving and Such...

So far, the holiday season has been awesome! For Thanksgiving, Berkeley and I went to Centerville to be with my family. Berkeley played the traditional game of Turkey Bowl...aka...two-touch football...with family and friends on Thanksgiving morning. He came home with no broken bones, and that was a relief. The only thing hurt was his pride because his team lost to my little brother's team. Oh well, there is always next year. After the game, we lounged around my parent's house until it was time to eat. Dinner was fantastic as always...Thanks mom! We spent the rest of the day hanging out with family, playing games, and continually eating until our stomachs couldn't take anymore. I ate so many rice krispy treats...ugh... just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt.
After Thanksgiving, Berkeley and I were invited to a formal dinner by our friends. It was really nice to get dressed up and go on a date like that. Ninety percent of the time,when I am not at work, I am wearing my PJ's around the house, so that's what Berk gets to see all the time. Good thing I look so damn good in pajamas...just kidding...anyway...So we had dinner with friends and then spent and hour just taking silly pictures. It was a lot of fun. Maybe to end this post, I will tell you what I am thankful for.
1. The gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. My husband.
3. My family.
4. Our friends.
5. Prayer.
6. Our jobs.
7. Saturday mornings.
8. Cereal...mmm.
9. Hot chocolate.
Why do my thoughts always turn to food?

YouTube - Jenny Garth - Mambo Dancing with the Stars

YouTube - Jenny Garth - Mambo Dancing with the Stars

YouTube - Lauren & Pasha - Hip-hop (Shane Sparks)

YouTube - Lauren & Pasha - Hip-hop (Shane Sparks)

Cha-Cha-Cha!

I'm not sure if many people are aware of this, but Berkeley is an amazingly good dancer! He is on the silver ballroom team at UVSC. On Tuesday, he competed in the Cha-Cha and took both first and second place! He had two partners for the event placed with each. I just wanted to brag for him because he would never brag for himself...unless it is about his Hal0 skills or his incredible physique... Also, I was accepted to the Elementary Education Program at UVSC and get to start in January. I am excited to be moving on in school, and hopefully I won't change my major...again.

Mohawk and Guitar Hero...

It has been a fun few weeks for us. I finally convinced Berkeley that he should buzz his head because his hair was getting pretty shaggy, but somehow the agenda changed and a mohawk was the result of my efforts. I liked it though and Berkeley was a fan of it as well. He would be embarrassed if he saw this, but he liked it because it made him feel taller...who knew. He went to work with his mohawk and his boss made him wear a hat and told him it was a dumb-a** haircut! This did not bother Berkeley at all because he kept it over the weekend. We played Guitar Hero and the mohawk seemed fitting for the event. It was fun. I think he would have kept it forever, but I told him he couldn't teach in church with his hair like that, so he grudgingly shaved it off. It was fun while it lasted. Now he is just buzzed-head Berkeley. No more bad-boy image.

It Has Been A While...

Wow, I never update my blog and my friends complain, so here I am! It is time again to add a new post. This should appease those fellow bloggers for a little while...
Life is good and busy as ever. Berk and I are both back in school. I just applied for the Elementary Education program at UVSC, so pray that I get in. Berkeley is majoring in history with an emphasis in political science, but he is also a fantastic ballroom dance man!! He is on the Silver dance team for UVSC and he is so good. If at all interested, come to the Winter Dance Concert in November and watch him show off his skills. Life is good.

St. George Trip

In March, Berkeley and I took a trip to St. George together. It was an awesome weekend getaway! We camped out in our tent in our friend's enclosed backyard. I know, I know, I can't believe how daring and adventurous we are either. We spent Saturday sleeping in, eating a good breakfast, shopping, and swimming in our friend's pool. The weather was amazing! It was in the 80's and so beautiful. That night, we went out to dinner, took a walk, and played basketball at a local park. We then had brownies and ice cream dessert with our friends. We were both pretty upset when we got home because the trip was so nice. We had a great time together.

I Hear Wedding Bells!!

Berkeley and Annie Ward were married on May 21, 2005 at 2 PM in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day. We were surrounded by both of our families and by numerous friends. It was so exciting to come out of the temple for the first time as husband and wife and have everyone applauding us. I wore a white dress with an umpire waist. There were beaded designs all over the terrain. Berkeley wore a black tuxedo with tails and a yellow vest. After the ceremony, we took countless pictures on temple square with family and with each other. When that was over, we were so hungry that we went through the Wendy's drive-thru for some chicken nuggets and frosties. We only had about 15 minutes to relax before we had to be at the church where our reception was being held. Once there, we had another endless picture session. We stood in a reception line for an hour and a half greeting family and friends. Berkeley and I then shared our first dance together to the country song "Me and You" by Kenny Chesney. Then I danced with my dad and Berkeley danced with his mom to the song "Butterfly Kisses." It was an emotional few minutes, but so nice. Next, we cut the wedding cake. Unlike most couples, we were very nice and did not smash it into each other's faces. Last, we threw the bouquet and the garter to all those happy single friends and family members who were in attendance. Our reception ended at 9:30. Berkeley and I changed clothes and got ready to leave. People were lined up along the walkway with bags of rice. I always imagined rice being thrown into the air above the couple's head so it would fall gracefully around them, but we had it thrown fairly ungracefully at us instead. It was fun, but it kind of hurt a little bit! A word of advice to those who are getting married: Use bubbles, not rice...