Update

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I updated this thing! Time really does fly. I figured I better check in with all (2 or 3) of my readers and let you know what we've been up to.

 

At home...

 

Joe and I are still stuck in our "upside down" condo. We'd love nothing more than to be able to sell this condo for what we owe on it, but we'd lose about $50K if we sold it today. We just want a house! Lately we've been thinking about buying a house anyway and renting out the condo until we can sell it, but it would sure make for a tight budget and I'm not sure I want to make that sacrifice right now. We actually made an offer on a house a few months back, but it wasn't accepted, so we're just keeping our options open for now until we find something we really love.

This is the house we put an offer on

Joe's ceiling masterpiece

 

My family...

My baby sister, Devyn is still living with us. We love having her here, especially since she finally turned 21! We just back from a weekend in Vegas to celebrate the big day. Sadly, we all came home "losers", but that's just par for the course in Vegas. Devyn is working part time as a preschool aide at Pingree School for Autism. She loves her job and I love hearing the funny stories about her kids. We're really proud of all her hard work at school and in her career.

Joe, Kyle, and Devyn in Vegas

Devyn, me, and Alisha in Vegas

I haven't spoken to my brother, Tyson, in over 18 months now. It's been a difficult thing to deal with. I love him and miss him, and hope he's doing well. 

Cayden is growing faster than a weed. His voice has gotten so deep and he is actually taller than me! I can't believe he is in high school. This kid is so smart -- he currently has a 4.0 GPA!! We try to do a game night or a date night every month or so to stay in touch with him.

My parents have had a rough year. My dad took a new job last year but was laid off a few months later due to budget cuts. He's been looking for a new job for a few months now, but the right thing just isn't popping up. On the other hand, my mom got a new job. She decided it was time to scale back on the Mary Kay thing and time to stop working for my grandparent's travel agency since they are retiring soon. She is working as an administrative assistant for a group of salesman, and she really seems to be loving it.

Mom & Dad

My beautiful cousin, Kristyn, got married a few weeks ago. I was honored that she asked me to officiate her wedding! I got ordained as a minister online for free in about 5 minutes. It was super scary but also very fun! I had a great time putting together a ceremony specifically for her and Colt that included Dr Seuss (her favorite author) and a unity painting.

Me officiating Kristyn & Colt's wedding 
 

The gorgeous Kristyn Peterson Cannon

Joe's family...

Joe's mom and her long-time partner, Don, got engaged last year. Their original plan was to get married in Vegas on 11/11/11, but they decided to postpone that and build a house this year instead. It should be done by Christmas and we're excited to go see it! They are planning to get married in their backyard next spring. It should be beautiful.

Joe's brother, Shawn, booked a trip to come visit us next January. We're excited to see him and spend time with him!

At work...

I've been a supervisor in Tooele for nearly a year now. I can't believe how fast it has gone. I really love the job even though there have been some pretty difficult moments and some hard learning experiences. I didn't realize how much different it would be to manage workers than to manage clients, so that's been an adjustment. But overall, I'm happy to go to work every day, and I'm not planning on leaving Tooele anytime soon. I have a great boss, a great co-supervisor, and some really great workers on my team!

This is my view every morning on my drive to work :)

Joe is still chugging along at E*Trade. He has had a couple opportunities to work on special projects this year and he has really enjoyed the variety. I'm excited for the Christmas party next month -- you can't beat the prizes, entertainment, food, and open bar they have every year!

Noah's Event Center, the location for the annual E*Trade Christmas Party

Misc Activities...

I've been a Big Sister at Big Brothers Big Sisters for the last few years. I have been matched with my current Little, Alivia, since February, and let's just say it's been a very challenging experience. Liv has had a really tough life that has been lacking healthy role models and experiences to learn how to be a normal kid. We've had some really rough patches in our Match, but luckily we have a really good Match specialist that is always there to support us. It's been a tough decision, but I've decided to end the match at the 1 year mark (that's the minimum commitment) and take a break from the program. I need some time to decide if Big Brothers Big Sisters is the right charity for me, or if I want to volunteer my time and energy in another area.

Me and my bowling team (Joe, Liv, Kyle, and Devyn) at the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids Sake fundraiser

I went a little overboard and committed myself to 3 books clubs this year! I manage "Books & Brunch", a collection of DCFS workers and friends from grad school. I think I'm the only one who consistently reads the book each month, but that's okay! I enjoy the brunch dates and time to catch up with friends. We're always looking for new members so let me know if you want to join! I also manage a book club at work, and I joined my friend Natasha's book club. I haven't been able to make it to all the meetings for those, but I have been proud of myself for reading all 3 books every month. Check out my Goodreads page for titles and reviews :)

 

My favorite bookmark