Husband Tag

My friend Amy tagged me for this "Husband Tag" - I think this is the first time I've been tagged! I feel so loved. Anywho, I too will try to keep my answers short but feel like there's a story to every question. :) Matt's so nifty, it's hard to be brief.(note: he's dressed abit odd in the above picture because of the Madrigal Dinner - a dinner his choirs put on every year. It's quite a big deal and raises tons of money for the choirs.)

Where we met: We met in Las Vegas while Matt was serving his mission. (I know, I know). Many of you already know this story, but for those who do not...he served in the Las Vegas West Mission which covered the west side of Nevada (from Las Vegas all the way to Winnemucca). He was transferred to our area/ward right after I graduated High School. I left for Texas for a few months to help my aunt and returned for a week before leaving for college. It was there I noticed "Elder Swenson" and was impressed with his demeanor(Yes, I thought he was handsome, but he was also a missionary and I kept my distance from those). He and his companion were teaching our neighbors at our house and I was able to see how he interacted with my family and those he taught. I left for school in Utah and wrote him a letter - he wrote back and we continued to write for the next 18 months. He had thirteen companions his whole mission but it was interesting that he had one companion who had a form of autism for nine months. So, he was in our area that long and it was a little weird when I went home a couple times for the holidays and my brother's baptism. The mission president was aware and we didn't even make eye contact when I was home. It was weird and funny now that I think of it. Once he was finally transferred to Winnemucca, it was less strange.

How long we dated before we got hitched: 2 months (I know, I know) :)

My Favorite features about him: His blue eyes, dark skin, his neck and his hands

My Favorite Qualities about him: His spirituality, his knowledge and his ability to see where others are coming from. His gift at being an amazing dad, and his desire to make everyone happy. His strength and the way he loves me.

His Nickname for me: "Hot-Wife"

His Favorite Color: dk Green

His Favorite Food: Steak

His Favorite Sport: BSU Football

Who said the "L" word first: He did, but I said it right back

When was our first kiss: The week after his mission was completed, he came to see me in Ephraim. This was our first "seeing" eachother and I gave him the grand tour of Ephraim, ending in Manti at the temple. We sat on the hill and talked and talked and then he kissed me. It was perfect.

Favorite "Couple" thing to do: Anything that is together...cuddle on the couch, watch a movie, eat out, play games...we also like to go to bookstores together and just wander around.

His hidden talents: Matt can fix and do ANYTHING. He is amazing in how he thinks and is able to do whatever he sets his mind to. He also makes a killer "SPAM" sandwich. :)

His favorite pastimes: Fishing, reading, watching a show and just vegging after a long day, reading to his kids.

Will he read this? Yes

I tag my friends from College:
Jana
Maisy
Sandy and
Andrea

Deck the Halls...

We decorated our tree the day after Thanksgiving and it was so fun to see Keith involved. He cracks me up. The kids did a pretty good job; we only had to "fix" it a little bit.

Thanksgiving

Alas, I am again behind the times and catching up on our blog. Thanksgiving was great....we were at Matt's Aunt's house and had lots of delicious food. (Thank you Mariellen for hosting!) The kids loved it and we had a very nice time visiting and relaxing with everyone. I had more pics but not enough time to download them all, so here's one I snagged. We had a hard time getting Sammi to cooperate, which was weird. Of course, once she did I was in the process of making her. *sigh*

Homemade Bread

For the last 6 months I have attempted and SUCCEEDED in making bread from scratch. And when I mean scratch, I mean from freshly ground wheat from my food storage, and with my own two hands! (no mixers involved!) I did for awhile after doing it solely by hand, use a mixer and that was nice, but, the mixer couldn't handle it and died. So, it's back to "by hand" for me. I don't mind it and love that it's so much healthier for my kids. (not to mention it saves us $) Good times!

Andrew

This last week has been really long and hard. I can only imagine how it's been for my parents and Andrew if it's been this tough for me. Last Thursday, my little brother Andrew was taken into the ER because he was in so much pain. He was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease a couple of years ago, which in itself is rough, and so initially it was thought that this was because of the Crohns. After many tests and him being sent to St. Luke's Hospital here in Boise, Crohn's was ruled out as the cause. More tests were given and on Friday he was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer is in stage four (the worst stage) but hasn't advanced to his bones or brain. He started his first round of Chemotherapy last night and will undergo in-patient treatments for the next four months. (In-patient means that he will have to go to the hospital and stay 2-5 days for his Chemotherapy). We're all scared and worried but we know Heavenly Father loves Andrew and is watching over him. It will be okay. Andrew is being such a trooper - he's already the kindest, sweetest 17 year old kid I know and is being so brave. It's his Senior Year at school and he'll be out quite a bit, but he wants to finish and graduate with his class. I'm so proud of him and how he's handling everything! Please keep him in your prayers.