John & Emily Jones

Every time I think about this tragedy my heart breaks.

If you can, PLEASE donate to the John & Emily Jones Memorial Fund found here.

You can do it online. Its quick, easy and will help provide support for John's wife and children who have suffered this great loss.

Sayonara.

Before I leave for Japan in a couple days, I thought I would just create a quick post of the last couple days here in STG.

I came down Wednesday for a conference at the Dixie Center for the UACD. I had a presentation Friday were I spoke on my GIS project.

Saturday was Jeff & Sara's wedding. It was BEAUTIFUL. Their cake was probably the prettiest I have ever seen. and PS. that BYU hat by the cake is another little cake. I thought it was just a hat and was going to move it for the pictures. Good thing I didn't eh?

Saturday me and Kaylee went to go see Lauren's baby Sadie Jayne. She is so precious and sooo tiny.

Well that is my quick update. Im headin to Tokyo on Tuesday morn. I am super excited!

Little Sister

Okay I couldn't help it. I have the cutest little sister ever. I got these pictures from my sisters camera and wanted to post them.

What a little cutie!!

This is a video we took just before bed the other night.

This is the second time we had been spinning and we don't handle it too well.

Check out Aria's face. Its hilarious!!

Pasta, Passions & Pistols

Halloween 2009
[Murder Mystery Party]

This year we decided to try out a Murder Mystery Party game for Halloween. It was a first for all of us & I would say it was a success.

The theme of the game was "Pasta, Passions & Pistols."

The guests were:

Adam Del Toro: "Marco Roni." Son of the late Pepi Roni who was murdered. Ambition in life-to be a world famous soccer player.

Mollie {soon to be Mollie Del Toro}: "Mama Roni." Wife of Pepi Roni. A wonderful cook and resturant owner.

Kody McDonald: "Bo Jalias." The only french man at the party. He is a wine taster and is interested in Pepi Roni's daughter Angel.

Cherri McDonald: "Angel Roni." Daughter of Mama and Pepi Roni. She is tough business woman who runs with a rough crowd.

Jordan Gardner: "Rocco Scarfazzi." Pepi Roni's twin brother. I think Pepi changes his last name when he moved to New York from Italy; hence the name difference between twins. Rocco is very rich and runs the family business back in Italy. He is recently engaged to Tara Misu.

Whitney Gardner: "Tara Misu." Tara use to be a maid in the villa for Rocco until (cough cough) he got her preggers. Now she sits atop of the Scarfazzi fortune.

Fun eh? It was a blast.

The food was fantastic, the company couldn't have been better and the game was definitely interesting.

We all had the hardest time using an Italian accent the whole dinner and ended up just yelling most of the time {its what the Italians do anyways right?}

Special shout out to Adam and Mollie on getting engaged last weekend!!! CONGRATS!!!!

Pumpkin Carving

Jordan and I went to the McDonald's last night for a little pumpkin carving. We had a great time.

Our pumpkins were:

Kody: Giant pumpkin eating another pumpkin

Cherri: Scary old tree

Me: Pumpkin Pi

Jordan: Well...he started off doing the "Big Brother" face from Orwell's 1984. Then he switched to just a scary face. Then he didn't like it so he punched the face in, which left a hole in is pumpkin. The hole wasn't exactly circular so he started making a perfect circle. Then we decided it could be my pumpkin's carrying case/house/cage/protector. It was so original.

Jordan's Update

I hope ya'll don't mind me bragging about my husband for a sec...

Heres whats going on in the amazing life of JO:

1. Jord is the activities chairman for the USU FPA (Financial Planners Association) and they recently went to Anaheim California for the National FPA convention. They all (I think 7 people went) had a great time and made some good connections.
2. Jo is on the USU Tax team and they had a national tax competition hosted by Deloitte in SLC. The team (4 undergrad students) did great and got "honorable mention"...which is like 4th place.
3. He got his LSAT tests back and ranked in the top 12% in the nation. He is such a smarty. He is now in the process of applying to law schools.

Okay and this was all just in October. But besides all this he has school and an audit going on at work. He is always crazy busy.

I Luff him.

And that is what is going on in the amazing life of JO. Thanks for tuning in.

Thanksgiving

Ya okay I know, it isn't even November yet but I feel like there is a lot to be grateful for this fall. Fall, like many other people, is my favorite time of the year. The leaves are falling, the temperature is getting cooler (but not yet frigid), there are haunted corn mazes all over town, its pumpkin dessert season (yum yum), Halloween is just around the corner, Thanksgiving and Christmas will come soon (which means a 2 yr anniversary for me and Jo) and Logan UT is absolutely GORGEOUS this time of year.

Along with all of this we have weddings in the family, some of my best friends are having little ones, and I have three awesome trips planned.

November:

The first trip planned is to a place I have been dreaming of going for a long time.

Tokyo, Japan.

I almost can't believe that I will be here in a couple weeks.

December:

This trip has been booked since February.

For me and Jo's 2 anniversary we will be going on the same cruise we went on for our honeymoon. I'm ecstatic and Jo can't stop talking about the food.

end of January beginning of February:

Most recently I found out that the Utah Association of Conservation Districts (UACD) will be sending me here

Okay... not exactly here but 3 miles from it.

Orlando, Florida.

My baby GIS project that I have been working on for a year now has been chosen as one of the top 5 success stories to be featured at the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) meeting in Florida.

What does this mean?

That I will have to go to a convention for 3 days, and give a 20 min. presentation one of those days.

But after that...its a party for me and Jo for 4 days at all the awesome theme parks in Florida.

I am so excited for this fall season.

It is beautiful and there is so much to look forward to.