2008 it was great

It's always funny to look back on a year. It's so easy to forget important events. Overall, I would say that I had a pretty good year. So here's a short summary (not in order of importance):

1. Got a new calling as secretary in Primary.

2. My brother got married on leap day.

3. We went on vacation to Gatlinburg and had a good time hiking, shopping, and horseback riding.

4. I turned 26.

5. I started my new job at work. Love it.

6. President Hinckley passed away.

7. My Granny passed away.

8. We celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Nashville.

9. Scott came home from serving his mission in Texas.

10. I graduated with my masters.

11. We saw the Cubs play the Reds in Cincinnati for the 2nd time.

12. Our new niece, Lotus, was born.

It was a great year. I am ready to start a new one. I am ready to resolve to be better in 2009. I want to be more positive and to find beauty in everything.

Happy New Year!

Our Christmas Part II

The weekend after Christmas my Mom, Dad, and Sister made the trip to our house. We had a lovely weekend together celebrating Christmas. Friday we all exchanged presents and watched movies. Kase was so excited because he finally got a surround sound to go with all his other gadgets.

I call his love for all things electronical the "Never Ending Story". As long as he enjoys it, I don't mind. Because of his obsession, I am able to watch my favorite shows with high clarity and volume. I can't complain.

The Monster was happy to have a buddy to play with all weekend because Isabella, my parent's dog, came to visit too!

Mom cooked up some DELICIOUS pot roast, beans, cornbread, and chocolate covered cherry cookies. I am still eating on all of this yumminess. I have lunch and dinner for a week!

Dad and Kase recovered a chair for me. This did not result in any injuries.

I enjoyed spending time with my family. I have gotten to see them a lot lately and it has been very nice. I love having them over. I am so thankful for all they do for me and for all the love that they give to us.

I had a very Merry Christmas.

Our Christmas Part I

Christmas is over... and I miss it already. Everything was so exciting. There was joy in the air. At work, homemade treats would randomly appear in the kitchen and neatly wrapped gifts would appear on my desk. In the car, fun carols would be sung and almost every radio station would play songs celebrating the Savior. At home, there were treasures to wrap, goodies to bake, and warm movies to watch.

Now it seems colder outside. The sparkle and warmth has dissapeared. The carols have faded away.

Oh, bother. BUT DO NOT FRET! A New Year lingers but only a few days away. Here to bring back the sparkle and warmth. Hooray!

Now about my Christmas. It was wonderful. My favorite thing about Christmas is spending time with family. And there was plenty of that. This year was the first, yes, first year that we stayed here for Christmas. I had a lovely time.

Christmas morning, Kase and I woke up and we opened presents at home.

Presents for him, for me, and for the monster.

Our stockings had been hung by the chimney with care. One of my favorite tradtions, I grew up with stockings full of favorite candies,toys, socks, and other small treasures. This year, Kase was in charge of the insurmountable feat of filling my stocking. Although, he is the most perfect husband, after he ran around looking for reese's peanut butter christmas trees, my stocking found itself filled with 2 oranges. Apparently, shopping for such treasure before last minute on Christmas eve is not his strong suit. (Little did he know, my stocking was really filled with joy disguised as oranges. When my mother later heard the orange story, she laughed all through dinner. A good time had by all. A great stocking filler.)

A treasure hunt lead Kase to his very last gift.

Then we went over to his parent's house to enjoy the rest of Christmas day. The food was delicious and the family was so fun. I loved watching our niece and nephew open their gifts.

*See Below The TreeAngela and LotusRyan, Kase, and ThomasKatie PadreThomas, Scott, and RyanSophie and Carrie (that's what all her dolls are named)Padre and his new toy SuperDeb and her new toy

My favorite gift was from my mother-in-law. I hope I don't embarrass her by blogging about it. She gave me a beautiful bracelet with a very sweet letter. It made me feel very loved and very much like a part of the family. Which, by the way, I am very glad to be part of such a wonderful family. This was a wonderful Christmas gift for a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas Fairy. Don't ask.

*Kase wants to emphasize that people in pictures are not as unattractive as they may appear.

She is 17 going on 18

My sister Melissa turned 17 last Saturday! Can you believe it? Well I can't.

For her birthday I went to visit and the family went shopping. We got some great deals. Buying things is fun, but buying things on sale is even better. We also ate at the RainForest Cafe, where Melissa was surprised with a huge birthday cake. And our cousin Rachael came to visit. Then we drove around the Opryland hotel to look at the lights. I mean litterally, we drove around it. It was a fun day.

Melissa, I am proud of you. You are smart, sweet, beautiful, and funny. I hope you had a wonderful birthday. I am so glad you are my sister. Love you!

P.S. I have been thinking. I wish I could decorate my whole house in red and green all year long. I mean, it is so festive and warm. Not to mention it apparently may make atleast one of your children smart, witty, and talented with setting up traps to catch thiefs. For example, in the movie Home Alone, if you'll notice, the whole house is decorated in red and green. Couches, wallpaper, dishes, etc. I am just saying. Mutliple benefits. It may be a good idea. I might look into it.

Ho Ho Ho...

Last week Kase called me and told me he had the best surprise for me after work. I thought about it all day. What could it be?

When I arrived home he called and said he was on his way.

I waited... could it be an early Christmas gift? A new puppy? Chocolate? Flowers?

In the end, it turns out he was right. It was a great surprise.

He walked through the door wearing this:

It was a gigg he did for work.

I guess I should've left him some cookies.

O Holy Night

Sometimes in all the hustle and bustle (is that how it's spelled?) of the season I forget about the true spirit and reason for Christmas. Our Savior's birth.

I am so greatful for the love the Savior gives to me. For His sacrifice for us all. I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you all feel the warmth, comfort, and love of our Savior.

Merry Christmas!

It's a Wonderful Life

I have stories to tell about Green Santa Clauses, Lentil Soups, and 17th birthdays, but I haven't had time to upload pictures. So, I will get on that soon. I know you'll be in suspense until such time.


Until then...

Have a very Merry Christmas!

As a side note, I bought a present for me. It's a new purse for winter. Homemade and I love it!

Don't you love the vintage button? sighhhhh...

I will keep myself busy wrapping presents, organizing my house (it has to be clean for Christmas!), spending time with family, baking cookies, and watching Christmas movies. I love it.

It's a Jolly Graduation with you....

Sometimes, I have to be in the mood to write. Now is not one of those times, but I feel I need to write a little about last week. So here we go...

Last Wednesday, Kase surprised me with a trip to see A Christmas Carol at the UT theatre/theater. He is very sneaky like that. I am also very gullible, so it makes for some good surpises. Last year was our first annual trip to see the play, wink wink, and we absolutely loved it. Now we have made it our tradition. If you have never seen it at UT, it is wonderful. AND you can buy hot chocolate in the lobby for $1.00!!! I also get to dress up and then I always feel like I should have a British accent afterwards. It was quite a jolly good time, I must say. Jolly good.

I should also mention that on Friday I graduated!!! I got to wear the nifty little hood with my cap/gown ensemble. If you don't know me well, you should know that I am prone to clumsines and/or accidents. For example, I trip a lot and always seem to spill something on my shirt when I am wearing white. Well, right before I went into the ceremony I had something in my eye so I decided to take my contact out and rinse it with some water out of a bottle. I started to pour a little water into my hand when it dumped out all over my lap, gown and all. I was so upset because I just knew I would look like I had wet my pants when I walked across the stage. However, someone out there in the cap/gown designing world is brilliant and made the gowns WATER PROOF! How great is that! The water just rolled right off. Terrific!

My Father-in-Law is the Miami Dolphins' number one fan. It's fitting that the colors for my hood were coincidentally the Dolphins' colors: Turquoise and orange. Nice!

For the graduation ceremony, like the play, I got to dress up and I felt like I should have a british accent afterwards. However, it wasn't as entertaining as the play. It was worth it though. My Mom, Dad, Sister, Husband, Mother-in-law and Father-in-law (aka SuperDeb and Padre) were there. We all went out to dinner afterwards and it was delicious! It was nice to have our family together. It feels great to finally have my masters and be done with school.



P.S. Other highlights of the weekend were spending time with family, wrapping presents, and shopping. Once again Dad and Kase ended up shopping together. Never good (See TV incident on Thanksgiving). They both came home with new coats.


P.S.S. Kase, if you are reading this, I really really liked that soft white fuzzy blanket made by/with the sherpa people/fabric. It was really nice. hint hint hint. Love you.


P.S.S.S. My husband is amazing and I am not just saying that because I want, I mean need that blanket. Nope. He really is.

I've Been Tagged

A)The rules are posted at the beginning.
B) Each person answers questions about their sweethearts.
C) At the end of the post, the person then tags 6 people and posts their names; then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged.

1.What is your husbands name? Kase Aland Clapp
2.How long have you guys been married? 2 years
3.How long did you date? we were friends, then wrote while he went on a mission, then "hung out" for a few months, then dated for 6 months.
4.How old is he? 25
5.Who is taller? kase, by just a little. unless i am wearing hills.
6.Who can sing best? kase, when he tries.
7.Who is smarter? we are smart in our own ways. (me) just kidding. it depends on the day.
8.Who does laundry? I do. kase tries, but well....
9.Who pays the bills? we both make money, but i spend it.
10.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I am not sure which side that is, i think kase.
11.Who mows the lawn? Kase for sure.
12.Who cooks dinner? We take turns. Kase is a good cook. We always rotate in Taco Bell.
13.Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Kase. I am never wrong. j/k. I am working on it.
14.Who kissed who first? Kase kissed me first. But I manipulated him into it.
15.Who wears the pants? we share one big pair of pants.

I tag: Beth, Katy, Lori, Erin, Desi, and Katina.

Cute Sheep and a Dalmation

This weekend was good. I finished my LAST TWO PAPERS/FINALS EVER!!! That was exciting. It mostly involved me doing everything I could possibly think of before actually writing the papers. Then post-writing, I had to do some tweaking to make the papers look longer. SHHHH don't tell my professors. Maybe they won't notice.

Saturday night was our ward christmas party. I would've snapped some oh so cute pictures except that I was too busy and I left my camera in my purse. I was in charge of coordinating the nativity scene done by the primary kids. I think it went pretty well. As good as can be expected. I mean getting around 30 kids under 12 together to put on a skit they have never practiced can be a challenge. I loved it though. They are all so darn cute. Kase read the nativity story, all the kids had to do was get their costumes on, walk out on the stage, and look cute. The kids were so excited to choose whether they wanted to be an animal, angel, or shepherd. We had around 7 of each because we wanted everyone to be included. Not to name names, but Josh Cruze was adorable. He wanted to be a sheep soooo bad. So I found a cute sheep costume and helped him put it on. As I pinned his hat, errrr sheep head, on he started baaahh-ing. So cute. Ok maybe you had to be there, but I thought Lori might like that story. He made my heart melt.

Also, one of the kids had a white robe on with little black spots and she asked me what she was suppose to be. I was overwhelmed getting kids into costumes so i quickly answered the first thing that popped into my head. "You're a dalmation. Now get ready". At which she then began to bark. It wasn't later until I realized I think she was suppose to be a cow. oops.

Another great part was when one of the wise men, well, his dress/rob was too long, and he couldn't get up the stairs to go out on stage. I hid my laughter but it was quite funny.

Later Saturday, Kase and I spent time with his brother and his brother's girlfriend. I really like her. She is very nice and they are so cute. If she wants, I think she should join the family. It's a pretty sweet family to be a part of. I'm just saying. No pressure though.

Well, that's all of my weekend. Not too exciting. But I am glad to have school done. Now I just have to walk across the stage at graduation Friday without triping and falling. ..... This could be a challenge.

Deck the Halls

Well, it is officially the Christmas season, and boy I am excited! I have most of my shopping done. Don't be jealous. I didn't have a lot of people to shop for. I still have to decide what to get for a certain someone that I know (Kase). Boys are hard to shop for. They like weird things and then they buy the things they want instead of waiting for someone to get it for them. Atleast, I know my husband does that. He's like a kid with a wallet. Or the things that he likes are too expensive so I can't get them.

Anyways. I am rambling. But really I am excited about sending out christmas cards, wraping gifts, watching christmas movies, sipping hot cocoa, spending time with family, and singing Christmas songs. ahhhhhhhhhh....

Yesterday I decorated our tree. I did so because I wanted to and I was also in avoidance of writing the last two papers I have due for school. Procrastination is a talent you know. Tree decorating this year has been in stages. Sunday, Kase put the tree up. Monday, we put on the lights. Tuesday, I put the ornaments on and the tree skirt that I found on clearance last year. Thank you Martha Stewart.

The Monster (my dog) did not make it easy to put the tree skirt on as she seemed to think that it was her new bed. But after struggling with her, knocking over the heater, and bumping my elbow, I realized that I am indeed smarter than the dog and sent her outside while I tied the tree skirt on. (wow that was a run-on sentence if I ever saw one. Like I said, I am smart.)

So here is our tree for this year:

Looks a lot like last year. I know.

Here is my strategy: Every year we buy an ornament (or two) that represents some event or happening from that year. We stole this tradition from Kase's parents.

Our 1st year together was the "Our Christmas Together" ornament.

The 2nd year was the "Our New House" ornament:

This year we actually bought two new ones. One is a nativity scene carved out of an olive tree that we found on vacation in Gatlinburn last spring.

The other is a graduation ornament for me! Mostly because I like to relish in graduating. (finally)

(No that isn't me in the picture in the ornament. It's the model. I haven't actually graduated yet so I don't have a picture to put in it yet. Although, don't think it hasn't crossed my mind to dress up in my cap/gown and snap a quick picture to stuff in there. That is cheating, though, so I won't do it.)

The rest of the tree is covered in either fun ornaments people have given us or the generic glass balls that always seem to dive off the tree all by themselves and shatter in a million pieces. One day, I hope the tree is covered with all different kinds of ornaments.

The end. No more rambling. I am done. Ok I am rambling again. I am done. Now.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

I love thanksgiving. I like that you just eat, relax, and enjoy the company.

This was the first year that Kase came to Thanksgiving at my family's house. It was fun. Dad grills the turkey. Yum. Overall, the weekend was very relaxing and I feel very warm and fuzzy today. Also, a bit hungry. I think I got use to eating every five seconds.

Here are some highlights from the long (and yet too short) weekend:

-My parents' dog had a Thanksgiving snack... a nibble from my dogs head. As seen here:

- My dog was very thankful for not being eaten and for being able to sleep in our room.

- Dad lost the carton of eggs. We looked everywhere and found the eggs in the freezer. Oops.

- The food was delicious and Thanksgiving leftovers taste just as good the next day. Pumpkin pie, Carrot cake, and coconut chewy bars. oh yeah.

- My aunt, uncle, and cousins came over to feast on the yummyness.

- I made deviled eggs and thought about my grandmother who was not with us for the first time this Thanksgiving (deviled eggs were her specialty).

- We saw the movie Bolt. It was cute. During the movie I learned you can never eat too much popcorn, even when you are already full of turkey. BUT you will regret it later.

- Dad and Kase went to the electronics store... and they both came out with new flat screen tvs. Ok Maybe this one was more of a low-light. Lesson learned. Never let your husband and father hang out in an electronic store. Never.

- I slept in every day and then took several naps.

- I ate lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant with one of my best friends and her boyfriend, Herbie.

- Solitaire.

- I got to spend time with Kase without his work phone ringing every 5 minutes.

- I got to spend 4 whole days with my mom, dad, and sister! It was nice.

I am so thankful.

Now, lets put up the CHRISTMAS TREE!!!! YAY!