Pam and Travis Jensen

Five Years?? Seriously?

2010-08-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today I married my best friend for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. It was the best day of my live. I can't believe it's already been five years but, at the same time, it seems like we've always been together. We've had good times, not so good times, and great times but there isn't another person I'd rather ride the roller coaster with. Happy Anniversary Travie! I Love You!!

God Bless the USA!

2010-08-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

It was once again time for our annual Fourth of July trip to Bear Lake. The weather wasn't great (cold and windy) but we still had a great time. Last summer Trigger was still a baby and wanted nothing to do with the water. This year was the exact opposite. He loved chasing the ball in the water. He even found a girlfriend. Her name was Maryanne. She was one on of the dogs camping near us and couldn't resist the game. Even Harley my parent's dog (who is a spoiled baby) joined in the fun. Since the water was freezing we all spent the weekend watching Tavis throw the ball for the dogs.

Maryanne and Trigger.

K.C. and his girlfriend Kali.

Mom, Dad, and Amanda

This one is my favorite.

Matt and Amanda

Dexter looks hilarious wet.

Aunt Kara and uncle Rich

Dexter all dried off.

"Firepowah!"

I had to take a picture of our new truck's maiden voyage (even though we've taken that truck camping a bunch of times. It was Trav's dad's. He got a new one and gave us an amazing deal on it. There was no way we could pass it up.)

My stud muffin.

Harley and Annabelle were exhausted after just one day of fun in the sun.

The Tripp kid's love my husband. I tried to sneak a picture of them playing but the saw and tried to hide.

Carter couldn't hide from me all night though.

When we weren't on the beach Trav spent weekend entertaining the kids. Their dad didn't know what to do with himself since he didn't have to entertain them.

Three Stooges

My mom and Harley.

See I told you Harley was spoiled.

Merv and Janet

The weather was pretty nice Monday the day we left (of course). Trav and kids got in a bit of a water fight.

HALLELUJAH!!!

2010-08-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Tues after Memorial day, Trav noticed that two of the jobs he had interviewed for had been reposted (one was the place that left the mean message). Needless to stay our frustration hit a boiling point. I suggested emailing the people who had interviewed him for feedback. One place said he was still being considered and the management just wanted to interview some candidates which made us feel a little better. The other place (the one who left the message) ended up contacting him the next day and scheduled another interview for the following day (Thurs.) The interview went really well. They explained to him that they overlooked him before because they though that he would get bored with the job (who doesn't get bored with their jobs sometimes was my reaction to that). They offered him the job the next day. After about three and a half months, the search was over and it felt fabulous. He is an abstracter for the Utah Autism Registry at the University of Utah. They are compiling data to determine the prevalence rates of autism in Utah. Right now they are just figuring out how many kids are autistic and hope to get funding to research possible causes. He's been with them now for a little over a month and really loves his job. His favorite part is the possibility to really make a difference (my favorite part is seeing him dressed up everyday. He looks so handsome. He didn't have to dress nice at any of the other jobs he's had). The job is completely different than what he's done in the past (no animals involved) but fits perfectly with his Master of Public Health degree he's pursuing. In fact, his job counts as his practicum which is required for graduation (bonus!). This week he even got a little promotion. He is now an Associate Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator is starting grad school in the fall and will need help coordinating. They have no idea what will be involved in the job but it is definitely a step up the ladder. I'm so grateful were able to make it through those tough few months. We are now happier than ever!

Our No Good Very Bad Day (or Weekend)

2010-08-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

I was Memorial weekend and Trav had been out of work for a couple of months (way longer than either of us thought he would be) and he was getting very frustrated. He had applied to hundreds of jobs and gotten very little response. One of the jobs he was interviewed had gone with another applicant and we were waiting to hear from two more interviews. We were both looking forward to a relaxing weekend of four wheeling with my family at the Knoll's. That morning Trav had a missed call on his phone. We were both excited to hear the voicemail hoping for good news. It was the girl who had interviewed him for a job a the University of Utah. She said "Hi this is so and so from blah blah blah. We really appreciate you coming in for an interview but at this time we are going to ask you to NOT join our team?" I was a bit stunned. I had never heard someone put it like that and it made me mad. I know she was trying to soften the blow and sometimes you can get flustered when you leave message but it really ticked me off. Trav was pretty bummed and really discouraged. That night we packed up the truck and headed off for our fun weekend hoping to leave our stress behind. After driving for about an hour we pulled into the campsite. It was way cold and windy so I took Annabelle to the trailer so we could unload without her in the way. The second Trigger was let out of the truck he started racing up and down the desert trying to let out his cooped up energy. When I got out of the trailer and headed toward the truck to help unload I saw Trav dragging Trig by the collar toward me. He said we needed to take him to the vet. I was a little confused and then I saw this gaping hole in his chest. He had been attacked and bitten by my uncle's two pit bulls. I panicked a little and then started calling everyone I knew at home to help me find the nearest vet. We ended up having to all the way back to Tooele. After a couple of stitches he was as good as new.

Trav was pretty mad about the whole thing (this was his baby we're talking about) and really just wanted to go home, but we had left the fourwheelers at the camp so we could get to the vet faster. Since we had to go back anyway we decided to stay and try to made the best out of it. Saturday night Trigger started coughing. I thought he had something stuck in his throat and was trying to get it out. As the weekend went on the hacking got worse and he started spitting stuff up and even threw up a couple of times. Trav started to think that maybe he had kennel cough or something (he got vaccinated the day we left so we thought it could be a reaction to the shot). The cough went away after a few days but I was pretty worried for a while. So what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend escape from our stress at home ended up being pretty stressul. We did have a blast fourwheeling around the desert though so I'm glad we stayed.

Here he is showing off his war wound. Now that the hair has grown back you can't even see the scar. I love how his lip is caught on his tooth.

He also sliced his knee jumping into the trailer. That thing took weeks to heal since he wouldn't quit licking it. That dog is quite the licker.

I just love his handsome face.

No photo shoot would be complete without a shot of the little girl.

Basketball Mania

2010-08-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

A little over a year ago Travis got really into playing rec. basketball and football. Because he was so busy after work (school twice a week, basketball once sometimes twice a week, and football) I decided I would be his little cheerleader and go to every game. I began to look forward to the games each week. Since I was primarily working from home, it was a nice to get out the house and be around people. The first couple of basketball seasons Trav played with a couple of guys from work, his cousin cole, and friend Rob. They were ok. They won some. They lost some. Two of the guys were brothers who had played with each other their whole lives so sometimes the other guys didn't get to be as involved in the games. Here are some pictures of the first team he was on. Their name was the Angry Gamers (translation: nerd bombers) and Trav made the jerseys. I had no idea how crafty he is.

After the second season, the brothers ended up switching to another team in another county so Trav and his friend had to find a team fast so they could play in winter league. Let's just say they didn't find the most gifted athletes. Trav began scoring 30 of his teams 35 points on average each game and I was usually giggling in the stands at this funny mix of random guys trying to play as a team (and usually got beat but twenty points or more). Trav is a pretty good shooter and since there weren't many scorers on the team he shot a lot of three point shots. Salt Lake County gives out trophies each season for the guy with the most points scored and the guy with the most 3 pointers. He was able to outshoot all the guys in the league from the 3 point line and won the 3 point trophie by a landslide. The last game of the season came a day after he was unexpectedly laid off from his job and needless to say Trav wasn't in a very great mood. His team was getting the crap kicked out of them by the other team and the refs weren't calling a thing. In the second half Trav was sitting on the bench (tying to cool off from a run in with one of the players) when his friend Rob got leveled. Trav had had enough and let the ref know exactly how he felt. So of cource the ref slapped him with a "T". Did a technical foul get my husband to shut his mouth? Of course not. The ref asked him "do you want another one?" To which Trav replied "give it to me". So he got his second technical and was kicked out of the game and had to leave the building. So he started grabbing all of his stuff all the while running his mouth off to the ref. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the stands with his parents (who came to see him get his trophy) pretty embarassed. I was embarassed until he started walking out of the gym. As he passed the scorers table, the score keeper handed him his trophy and we all laughed and cheered. Not the best trophy ceremony but pretty funny. We stayed inside and watched the rest of the game and Trav waited outside for the refs. I'm sure they wre pretty nervous when they saw him outside waiting for them. He only wanted to apoligize though. He explained that he was just taking off his frustation at being laid off on them. That's one of the things I love the most about my husband. He has a bit of a temper but he's always the first person to apologize and admit when he's wrong.

The spring season brought yet another team, but this one wasn't quite as bad. They won a couple of games in the regular season and came back in the tournament and made it the championship game. The final night of the season they ended up playing 3 games because it was a double elimination tournament. They guys were pretty exhausted after but were happy with their 2nd place finish. Trav won the high scorer and the 3 point trophies that season (except he didn't get an actual trophy for some odd reason)

Below are some pics of his football team. They only won one game and lost by a lot in most of the others but it was still a lot of fun.

I talked him into taking the summer off from sports but he's eagerly awaiting the start of the fall leagues.

Green River 2010

2010-05-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

It was time once again for our annual Easter trip to Green River, UT. Since Easter was so early again this year we ended up going the last weekend of April/the first weekend of May in hopes it wouldn't be so cold. That was wishful thinking though. It was cold the entire time we were there, but thankfully it never rained even though was snowing up in Salt Lake the entire time we were gone. It was just us, my parent's, and Matt and Amanda this year. Of course we can't forget all the dogs. They are members of our family too. We arrived on Thursday afternoon. After getting everything set up, we let the dogs play in the new dog park the campground added this year. After dinner we all (including 4 dogs) hung out in my parent's trailer and watched Avatar. On Friday we headed out to some sand dunes about 45 minutes away from where we were camped. Travis and I had never been four wheeling in sand before. Travis loved it and I warmed up to it after a little while. I only scared myself a couple times (I only screamed once or maybe twice). Annabelle was freezing and shivering uncontrollably, so I put inside my coat. She was pretty content in there so I took off for ride with her instead of leaving her with my mom, sister, and the other dogs. We rode like that for at least an hour until she got too cold and tucked her head inside the sleave of my coat. She definitely is a Moma's girl.

Matt got the four wheeler stuck pretty bad in the sand and Travis had to help lift it out. Shortly after, Matt rolled the fourwheeler. I tried to document the memory but Matt jumped up pretty fast and had the wheeler upright before I could dig my camera out.

I'm more of a mountain girl than a desert girl, but the view was quite pretty.

This was Travis's favorite thing to do at the dune's. (This is what Matt was doing when he rolled)

My mom and dad trying to keep warm.

Amanda and Dexter.

Travis and Trigger.

He's sure changed since the last time we were in Green River.

Travis and "Little Girl"

Our handsome "Big Boy". A few weeks ago he had to go to the vet for an ear infection. The vet said he is in perfect body condition and was the best looking lab she's seen in a while. I have to say I completely agree. Not that I am biased or anything.

Trig was thirsty so Trav shared his water with him. (I mean shared literally. After Trigger slobbered all over it Travis finished it off. Yuck)

We thought it was going to pour on us the entire time, but the clouds seemed to just circle us.

My mom and dad.
After a fun day at the dunes we spent the night in the trailer cheering for the Jazz as they knocked the Denver Nuggets (or Thuggets as Travis calls them) out of the playoffs. We probably irritated our neighbors with our cheering but it was a lot of fun to watch the game together.

Trigger demonstrating some of the obstacles in the dog park.

Annabelle was the first dog to go up the ramp and she did it without any coaxing (all the other dogs had to be shown how to do it). It was so funny to turn around and see my little dog with her stubby little legs climbing up the ramp. I'm sure she was just trying to get out of the rocks though. She hates being outside.

My mom and Dexter.

After a couple of days the dogs were pretty pooped. We took them to the dog park to play and Dexter just hid under his mommy's legs.

On Saturday morning Trav, Matt, and Amanda went golfing. (I just drove the cart) Here's Travis retrieving one of the many balls he lost. He probably lost 10 balls and it was only a 9 hole course. He was pretty rusty since this was the first round of the year.

Matt and Amanda in their cart.

It sure was pretty golfing along the Green River.
After golfing, we headed to the desert and went four wheeling for another couple of hours. I must have had a little too much fun because one of the tires on my bike went flat. (the picture is above. I can't seem to move it where I want it to be). That night we hung out in the trailer again and tried to have a Dexter marathon (the TV show about a serial killer, not the dog) but were pretty exhausted to we only made it through two episodes.

Here's the little cabin we stayed in. It was a little overpriced at $50 a night but I felt more secure locking my dogs in a cabin than a tent if we needed to leave them for a few hours.

It had one not so comfortable double bed and a bunk bed.

Our first trip of the year was a success and I can't wait for the next one.

Baby It's Cold Outside...

2010-01-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

And apparently I need to turn the heat up. This is how I found Zoey this afternoon. She was all cuddled down in a blanket with only her cute little head poking out. Tonight I was finishing up some laundry. I went to get a second armful of clothes out the dryer and when I got back Trav asked me where my dog was. I looked around and couldn't see her, which is odd because she is usually right on my heels. I started to worry she was getting herself into trouble somewhere. I called her name and this appeared in my laundry:

She had burrowed down into the middle of the warm clothes and poked her head out when she heard her name. I guess we need to quit being so cheap and turn the heat up.

My Poor Husband

2010-01-14T15:59:00.001-08:00

They're doing surgeries at work this week which means super long hours for Travis. The animals have to be on 24 hour care which means he gets to be at work through the night and then throughout the surgery the next day. He worked Tues from about 6:00am-4:30pm. Then he had a class and went straight to his basketball game. He only had about an hour and a half to eat and had to be back at work at 11:00pm and didn't get home until 5:30 the next day. He got a little nap and had to be back at work at midnight and got home around 8:30 on Thurs. the morning. They only did two surgeries in a row this week but in Feb. they're going to be doing 6 in row. I don't know how he'll get through that. This is how I found him sleeping during his nap. He's on the sofa bed because he really wanted to cuddle with the dogs and we don't allow Trigger on our bed. (I don't get the difference between letting him get on our bed or the sofa bed though.)

The close up is hilarious! Good thing Annabelle likes to cuddle.

Happy Birthday Big Boy!!

2010-01-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my puppy is already a year old. This year has been so fun and has gone by so fast. It's a little sad when your puppy isn't a puppy anymore though. I can't imagine what it will be like with a baby. Trigger is now a huge lab. His comes up to my hips and he weighs about 85-95 lbs. He's still pretty skinny though so he should fill out a bit more. He also does a ton of tricks. He can sit, lay down, shake hands, give high fives, "bang" play dead, stay, leave a bone on his nose forever, and play fetch. We still want to teach him to hunt but don't know where to start. He's really smart though and has been a breeze to train. He has such a funny personality and is a complete Daddy's boy. I can ask him "where's your Daddy?" and he'll run around the house until he finds him. Travis also likes to play hide and seek with him. Trav makes him sit and stay downstairs then he runs upstairs to hide. When Travis says "ok" the search begins. The first place Trigger looks is behind shower curtains and doors. The place that confuses him the most is when Trav gets in his cage. The only naughty thing he does is stealing whatever he can get his mouth on (from the garbage, counter, or sink) and chewing it. We've tried putting up mouse traps to keep him from doing it but he doesn't seem to care. But if that's the worse thing he does I consider myself lucky. He is a lab puppy afterall. Here's some pics of the giant bone Daddy brought him home from work.

It was hilarious watching him chew it. He couldn't quite maneuver it the way he wanted to.

Sayonara 2009!

2010-01-14T15:17:00.001-08:00

This is a little late, but I didn't want to leave it out. As you might be able to guess from my post title, I am not sorry to see 2009 go. 2009 was a really hard year for me. The economy has really impacted my industry and I got pretty down about not being able to work. May goal for 2010 is have a more positive attitude so I only want to talk about the good things that happened in 2009:
-We got our Big Boy Trigger who has been such a great dog. We love having him in our home (even though I really didn't want another puppy.)
-I got to go to Lake Powell for the first time and loved it.
-We went on several fun camping trips with family.
-Trav got accepted into Grad. school at Westminster pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.
-Trav got 3 A's and one A- in his first semester of grad. school. I am so proud of him. It was a lot of hard work especially with a full time job.
-I got to do some conceptual design work for a custom home to be built in Deer Valley. I spent many many hours working on the renderings but was very pleased with how they turned out. Hopefully it will be built this year.
-We got to go to Denver. I really loved going on a trip with just the two of us.
-And probably the best thing is we made it through probably the hardest year of our lives both financially and emotionally.

To ring in the new year traditionally we go bowling with Trav's family and then do back to Trav's parent's house for food and fun. This year we decided to keep the partly a little more laid back with less people. I really enjoyed the smaller number though and had a blast. Trav's cousin Alisha and her girl's had the cutest headbands on. Ashlyn really didn't want her picture taken though so this is the best shot I was able to get.
Here's Alexis with her cute headband.

Katlin with her friend Linsey

Trav and his brother Cody are such big dorks. This is what pretty every pic I have them look like.

Here are a few of the party goers watching the bowling. No this was not a posed pic but I think it is pretty funny.

See I told you. Two big dorks!

More bowling watching.

One big dork and one little dork.

Most of Trav's immediate family minus Katlin and plus Kyle.

Trav passing out "champagne" to toast the new year.

Trav's mom Paula telling everyone a story. I can't remember the story but it must have been pretty funny.

Trav popping is poppers at midnight.

We spend New Year's Day with my side of the family. This year we went to my Aunt Charlene's house and watched a marathon of the first season of Dexter. We are now addicted to Dexter. It such a clever show about a serial killer that only kills killers. I don't recommend it though if you don't like gore, swearing, or nudity. We spent the day watching Dexter and eating way too much good food.

I say good riddance to 2009 and am looking forward to good things coming to us in 2010. Here are some of my goals for the year:

1. Become more involved with my ward.

2. Eat more healthily and not eat out so much.

3.Finish some home improvement projects.

(like painting the baseboards and chair rails that I've been meaning to do for over a year.)

4. Do some more home improvements.

5. Continue getting more design work.

6. Find out once and for all if I will ever

be able to have a baby or not.

7. Have a positive attitude and not let my

job dictate my happiness.

Our Christmas House

2010-01-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

The only thing Travis likes more than decorating for Halloween is decorating for Christmas. If he had his way and money wasn't an issue we'd have one of the houses they put on the news that thousands of people of people drive by each year. For now he'll have to settle for having the best lights on the block. I know this is a little late but I had to share how great the lights looked this year since Trav spent hours out in the cold setting them up. This year I attempted to help but I think I was more of a hindrance than a help. Every year since got married we put up white icicle lights. Since neither of us have ever lived in West Valley before we were unaware of how windy it gets in the winter. Last year our pretty icicle lights blew up into the gutters and were never seen again. So this year we decided to go for the classic multi-colored large bulbs. We thought the top of our garage was the perfect place for a huge tree. Next year we'll add a couple more strands and a star on top.
Here are the majority of the lights. To the left is a tree decked out in lights and to the right there was a Merry Christmas sign and a Santa on a sleigh being pulled by reindeer. We also had a blow up globe that was covered with frost the entire time so you couldn't even see what was in it.
It was so Christmassy with the snow falling all around. (Yes that is my car in the driveway. Our garage door is broken which is particularly annoying in the dead of winter)

Here are the sign and Santa to greet you as you pull into the driveway. You can see the frozen globe in the back ground.

Here's a blow up Santa surrounded by candy canes. (At one point all of the candy canes lit up. We've had them for years and will retire them after this year)

The walkway to the front door was also lined with candy canes. I just wish they would have worked this year.

Here's the entry. Next year I want to add a little Christmas tree in the pot.

Here's our pretty tree all lit up.

I stay with the classic Christmas colors and keep everything red and gold. This year I added in a little white since I used some of my mom's old ornaments. I got a great deal on some large gold and red ornaments at Walmart after Christmas. I can't wait to get them out year.

Trav's dad gave him a cute little village last year. The cats especially loved the village. Each morning we'd find different pieces spread throughout the room.

Trav and I love decorating for Christmas, but I make Trav wait until after Thanksgiving to turn everything on and he can only keep them on until New Year's Day. If not we'd probably have lights on for two months at least. I am starting to miss the cheer it brings as you pull up to house though.

PreChristmas Festivities and Christmas Eve Part 1

2010-01-02T21:34:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas festivities began the weekend before Christmas at the "Aunts and Kids Party". Trav's Aunt Kathy and her friend Karen have the party every year. All of Trav's cousins are there and all of Karen's neices and nephews go too. Every year they put a Closed to Adults sign on their door (even though most of the "kids" are all grown up and some even have kids of their own). We also take a group picture and make a craft every year. After stuffing our faces on snacks and pizza we open the gifts Kathy and Karen got for us. This year I had to leave a little early to go the Atkinson Family Party with my dad. My dad's family is huge (17 kids all with kids of their own. Most the cousins have kids too) so it's pretty hectic. We draw names at the reunion in Sept. and bring a small gift for the person we drew. After dinner Santa passed out the presents. We tried to sing Christmas carols but we were only able to sing the first verse of every song even though we all had copies of the words. It's hard to keep that many people focused. It was very entertaining though.
Christmas Eve and day are very busy for us and involve a ton of driving back and forth to different parties. Even though it's crazy and hectic we are determined to make it to every party. Our first party on Christmas Eve was at Trav's Grandma Janice's house. The tradition on this side of the family is that everyone gives the cousins under 18 and the great grand children presents. There are four little girls on this side of the family which makes it so fun to watch the present opening. They always get so excited. This year there was a new addition to the family. Trav's cousin Dustin's wife had a little boy right before Thanksgiving. It was fun to hold little Devin. After the kids are done opening their presents the adults play a game and pass around generic gifts. It's always entertaining trying to keep up the story and pass your present the right way. It's also fun to see what you got. I got two tickets to a Jazz game and Trav got a gift card to Texas Roadhouse. Trav's grandma also gave us a gift card to Applebees so we already have a couple of dates planned.

Travis and Cody make stupid faces in every picture I ever take of them. I was this taking picture when they weren't looking hoping I'd get one with normal faces. Unfortunately they make funny faces even when they don't know their picture is being taken.
Here are the little girls opening presents. I'm so glad that there are little kids on this side of the family. They make it so fun.

Trav's cousin Dustin's little girl Bre showing me her new puppy. It barked and whined and everything.

Kat got some new cool boots.

Trav's cousin Alisha's little girl Ashlyn showing me her new doll. When you touched the dolls right arm to a part on the body the baby would tell you what it was and when you did the same thing with the left hand it told you in Spanish.

Here's Trav's cousin Dustin and his little girl Kate and Alisha's older daughter Alexis trying to figure out the ATM machine piggy bank Kate got.

Here are most of the cousins. From left to right: Alisha, Cole, Katlin, Cody, and Travis.

We had a blast at this party. Travis loves playing with the little girls and they love to play with him. It's so fun to see him play with them. Although he says next time he'll have to wear a cup because they like to climb on him. Even though we were having a blast we had to leave a little early and head to my mom's for Christmas Eve Part 2.

Christmas Eve Part 2

2010-01-02T21:20:00.001-08:00

Our second party of the night was at my mom's house with her side of the family. We were a little late and missed dinner but we got there in time to see the presents opened. We like to keep our family parties more casual and comfortable so everyone (but us) wore their jammies. The tradition on this side of the family is for all of the unmarried cousins to pull a name of one of their cousins out of a hat and get a gift for them. My grandparents give all of their unmarried grandchildren a gift as well and the married ones some gift cards to their favorite store for groceries. Here's half of the party during the present opeing which is done one at a time.
My dorky cousin Jake opening one of his gifts.

Another 1/4 of the party.

My cousin Bailee is one the floor opening one of her presents.

Here's the rest of the group.

Me and Trav cuddling with my sister's new puppy Dexter.

Here are my grandparents opening their gifts. We got them some Aqua Globes because my grandma wanted some.

There are no little kids on this side of the family (the youngest cousin is 14 and we don't have and great grand children yet) so the present opening is done pretty quick and we all just hang out and eat. Next year I want to play a generic gift game with the adults to keep the festivities going on a bit longer. The only bad part of being so close with our families is that we aren't able to spend as much time with everyone but that is the price we pay so we don't have to miss any parties.

Christmas Morning!

2010-01-02T20:32:00.001-08:00

We always spend Christmas morning with Trav's family opening presents before heading to my parent's for brunch. This was the first year didn't sleep over because we were babysitting my friend's two dogs. We got up bright and early (after being up after two hot gluing lights onto my dad's gift) and got there around 8am. Trav's parents weren't up yet so Trigger got the privilege of being their alarm clock and Paula woke up to Trigger's face in her face. After everyone was ready, we headed into the living room and handed out the presents. Usually everyone just tears into their gifts but this year we decided to open them one by one to extend the fun and so everyone could see what everyone got. Trav's parents are always way generous and spoil us way too much. This year our big gift was a Wii. Travis was ecstatic and set it up as soon as we got home that night. Thank you Rick and Paula for all of the great gifts and for the hours of fun we'll get to spend together on the Wii. We always struggle with what to get Trav's parents for Christmas. This year we decided the best gift would be a copy of Travis's grades from his first semester in grad school at Westminster. He got three A's and one A-. This was Paula's face as she read the report card. We also gave her a gift card to Starbucks so she can get her favorite drink and copy of Trav's Christmas stories.
Trav's dad is the hardest to shop for. So along with the grades, we got him something we knew he'd use: a 6 pack of his one of his favorite beers.

I had to include some Christmas pics of my babies. I can't help but laugh when I see this picture.

Here's our handsome "Big Boy" Trigger. Anyone need a dog model?

I just happened to catch him mid yawn.

Every year one of the kid's gets Paula some her favorite bath soap called VitaBath. It was sold at ZCMI so this year Rick had to search for it online and he found a giant bottle of it. Usually she gets a bottle 1/4 of the size and it lasts all year so this bottle will last a few years. Now Kat will have to think of something else to give her next year.

Annabelle loves her uncle Cody.

Here's Trav modeling one of his new sweaters.

Here's Rick modeling his new Git R Dun hat (which was way too small) and his new book on CD from Glenn Beck who is his favorite. He shows me clips from Glenn Becks shows that he has saved on the DVR every time I'm at his house.

All of the excitement from his first Christmas and only sleeping 4 hours the night before wore our "little" puppy out. That or he was just really bored.

Here's Kat with her new basketball. She made her junior high's team this year.

Here are all of the siblings seeing what Santa put in their stockings.

This was the coolest present. Rick gave Cody his broken wheel in a shadow box complete with chrome lug nuts to commemorate his car accident that happened last summer. Cody hit a pool of water on I-80 and lost control and caused quite a bit of damage to his little Ford Focus. He didn't hit any other cars and wasn't injured thankfully.

Although we hate to open presents and run, we had to leave around 11am so we'd have enough time to eat brunch with my family, open presents, and hang out before we had to head back home to let the dogs out and make it to our last party in time.

Christmas Day

2009-12-30T23:01:00.001-08:00

After a fun morning at the Jensen's we headed over to my parent's and got there about 11:30. My mom made an excellent Christmas breakfast of blueberry cream cheese french toast with homemade blueberry syrup, bacon, and hash browns. After we all had completely stuffed ourselves and my mom and cleaned up breakfast (my mom is a complete clean freak. When we were little we couldn't open presents until our beds were made and we had to open presents one at a time making sure we threw all of the wrapping paper in the garbage before we went on to the next present. We have spent a lot of time throughout the years waiting for her to clean something up. That is one way that I wish I was more like her). My parent's have been saying for months that they weren't going to be getting us a lot for Christmas so we were all very surprised at how much they spoiled us. They got us all Jazz tickets so we can go to game together, new perfume or cologne, and $250.00 cash. The cash was a big surprise that none of us were expecting. Trav bought some clothes and Wii Fit. I plan on getting some clothes and stuff for our house. Thank you Mom and Dad for completely spoiling us again this year. Matt and Amanda
The newest "grandchild" my sister's puppy Dexter.

My little bro. K.C.

All of the kids gave my mom a picture calendar which hadn't arrived yet and some framed wedding pictures she had been asking for forever.

We got my dad a Snuggie which has also been wanting forever. He looks hilarious in it. My mom told him he looked like a blue whale.

Years ago my dad said that he was done putting up Christmas lights and all he wanted was a sign that said Bah Humbug! to put in the yard so this year I decided to make it for him. I made it out of spray painted peg board and mini lights. I was up until 2am on Christmas Eve gluing 350 lights into place. Everything I do always takes ten time longer that I think I will.

After presents we all relaxed and watched a movie together. Trav took a little nap with Trigger before we headed home to let the two dogs out that we were babysitting for a frient before we headed back up to Trav's parents for our last party.

Jensen Family Party Christmas Night

2009-12-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Night we have a party with the extended Jensen family. The party was at Trav's parent's house this year and they made delicious smoked ham and prime rib and for dessert Trav's brother Cody made caramel apple cheesecake. Of all of the parties we went to this year this one definitely had the best food. Just like the party at Grandma Janice's, only the kids get presents from everyone and all of the adults bring a generic present to share. This was only the second year of doing the generic game and everyone is still trying to figure it out. Maybe next year everyone will get it. Even though we were both exhausted from our two days of fun, we really enjoyed getting to spend time with all of our family to celebrate the holidays. As long as we are able we will continue to run around and go to every party. Neither one of us is willing to sacrifice time with any family and all of the running around is definitely worth it. Trav's cousin Chad, his wife Emily, and their youngest Dresden who is 18 mo.
Trav and his Aunt Karen

Aunt Kathy with the ornaments we made at the Aunt's and kid's party. Mine is abviously the good looking one on the left and Trav's is the ugly one on the right.

Cody, his friend Kyle (or Kyo as Trav calls him) and Aunt Wendy.

Kat got a new knit hat that I made her model even though she was worried about her hair.

Trav's cousin Derek got bongo drums from Nana and Pa which he annoyed Pa with the rest of the night.

We gave Nana a compilation of all of the Christmas stories Trav has written over years. He plans on adding a story every year. He gave one to both grandmas and his mom.

Trav's cousin Sam and Dresden also annoying Pa with the Bongo drums.

Here we are playing the generic gift game. Trav wrote the story this year. It was a cute story about a war between the different colors of christmas gift bows. Each time he said red we passed the gift to the right and we passed it left when he said any other color. (Of course Trav made it into a red vs. blue story and managed to make fun of Max Hall in the process) We ended up passing over 60 times.

The Jensen Party marks the end of our Christmas festivities. This year Christmas seemed to come way to fast and end way to soon. I can't wait until we have some little ones to celebrate with. Christmas seems to lose some of its magic and excitement without kids. Hopefully we'll be able to add some little ones to our family soon.

Denver Trip

2009-11-30T13:42:00.001-08:00

We had the opportunity to go to Denver the second week of November. Travis had to take a certification test for work and I decided to tag along. We left Salt Lake on Saturday and got back on Tuesday. It was fun to get away and be together for four days straight. Since Trav is so busy we don't get to spend as much time together as we used so it was a nice change of pace. We went with Trav's coworker Derek and his wife Courtnie. They wre finished with their test at nine thirty in the morning so we got to spend the rest of the day doing touristy stuff. First we headed to the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave. Since I had just seen an episode of ghost of hunters that took place at the museum I wasn't too excited to go. Ever since I was little I have an a phobia of dead things, cemetaries, and ghosts. I felt funny the entire time I was there. I could picture all of the ghost stories I heard that supposedly took place there. Travis made fun of me for it. Here's a view of the city from the museum.
Buffalo Bill's grave.

There was also a view of the Coors Brewery.

Did you know Buffalo Bill was a Bronco fan?

They had cowboy costumes you could take pictures in and a horse and calf to pose on. Here are Derek and Courtnie riding the calf.

Trav roped the calf in one try.

Howdy Partner.

Trav found a cool carved bear chair in the store at the Museum.

After the museum we took a tour of the Coors Brewery.

They give wristbands to anyone over 21 that want to get samples. Even though none of us drink we all had to get wristbands.

They have a recording that explains how the process works.

Here we are in front of all of the copper pots. I hate the smell of beer and the entire building was stinky. You could even smell it outside.

When Trav found out we were going to Denver the first thing he thought of was the Broncos since he is a die hard fan. They Broncos were playing the Steelers on Monday Night Football so we had to go. Trav has been to several gaves in the past but this was my first NFL game. It was a bit expensive but so much fun.

Travis on his way to the Holy Land.

I have no idea what I was looking at.

We were just a tad bit early to the game. Can you tell we were pretty excited?

They put orange pom poms on the back of every chair.

Here's the team getting pumped up before kickoff.

The Steelers have the biggest traveling fan base in the league. Sometimes it seemed like Steelers fans outnumbered Bronco fans.

Half time was dedicated to the Veterans in honor of Veterans Day. I love anything patriotic and it was cool to hear the stories of the soldiers that were honored.

Travis took at least a hundred pictures at the game and several vidoes so these are just a few. Even though the Broncos lost it was a get experience. I love watching football seeing it live and cheering and booing is so much fun. Hopefully we'll get to go a lot more games in the future.

We tried to get a picture of the both of us in front of the sign with the horse statue on top but this was the best we could do.

We stayed at a really nice hotel right in the middle of downtown Denver. This is the lobby.

Just off the lobby was a bar and restaurant.

I loved the architectural details in the hallway.

Travis said several times throughout the trip that he loves Denver that he is going to live there someday so I'm sure we'll several repeat visits in our life. This was definitely one of my favorite vacations we've taken together.

Better Late than Never

2009-11-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

So Halloween has come is way gone. Which means so has my 25th birthday. We kept Halloween a little bit more low key this year. Because Trav is so busy working full time, going to grad school at Westminster, playing in a basketball league, and playing in a flag football league we weren't able to plan the party in advance like we should have. By the time we got around to organizing it only a few of our family members could make it. It was nice only have a few people in my house rather than forty though. We just hung out and ate food. Here we are in our costumes.
My mom the clown.

Most of the people who were able to make it.

I was a Ute fan. Notice the horns, tail, and pitch fork.

I swear I got a rash from wearing that awful shirt.

Trav was some kind of a crazy zombie doctor.

He does crazy well.

The yummy punch.

The food I made way too much of so I was eating it for a week.

Mummy pizzas on left and mummy dogs on right. The picture on the recipe for the pizzas looked much more like mummies though. Mine were more like blobs of cheese with two random olives.

These were supposed to be fingers.

Brain dip.

We had the party the night before Halloween since people are usually busy with their own Halloween traditions. Trav ended up going to the Ute game on Halloween since it was the only game he could make to this year due to the hunts and school. This is how Trav went to the game. I'm considering a career change and becoming a makeup artist.

Travis loves to decorate the house and he works so hard on it that I wanted to add a few pictures of the house.

This is his "window display" complete with a pirate skeleton and Michael Myers (you can't really see him in the pic though)

You had to walk under a spiders web to get to the front door. The two lights toward the bottom of the pic are the eyes of the giant turrantula.

Were you aware of the giant monster that lives in our home?

Even though we didn't do a whole lot for Halloween it was a blast. I am glad we decided to the party last minute because I probably wouldn't have celebrated Halloween or my birthday without it. Hopefully we'll be a little more on the ball next year.

Halloween Spirit

2009-10-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I might put everyone in the Halloween spirit. I guess you could say that we are a Halloween family. Travis loves to go all out decorating for Halloween and I am a Halloween baby. Last year we decided to have a giant Halloween party to celebrate my birthday and so everyone could see Trav's decorations (It was our first Halloween since we moved back to Salt Lake). We invited both of our families and extended family and ended up with over 40 people in our house. It was not only the first the party we hosted in our new hose but the first ever. It was a tad stressful but a lot of fun. We look forward to making it a tradition. Trav was a mad scientist. On Halloween night he scared a little girl Trick or Treater so bad that she screamed, dropped her bag of candy, and ran across the street. It was hilarious.
Trav's family hung out in the dining area (we sent the teenagers up to the loft)

And mine took the family room and the TV.

Aunt or "Granny" Dawnell

"Nana Banana"

Matt and Amanda were pirates.

My uncle Rich was a pirate too.

The spread. We made a ton of "yummy" food.

Like boogers on a stick (no one wanted to eat these. I can't imagine why not)

And mini mummies

The brain was an excellent addition

We all enjoyed the severed toes. We also had bbq'd bat wings, poop dip, pimples, and few different witches brews.

We had cupcakes for dessert. These were the Twilight variety.

We also had spiders and webs.

And ghosts rounded out the dessert menu.

This was not our first Halloween experience.

Travis Halloween 2008

I was a witch.

Even our pets can't get out of celebrating Halloween.

Cap'n Jack-o-lantern

Here's Trav Halloween 2007. I should totally be a makeup artist.

Don't ask what I am or what I'm doing. I have no idea.

This was our first Halloween together. It was 2004 right after we started dating. Trav was a nerd and I was a cat.

Meow!

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!!

Elk Hunt 2009

2009-10-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

The first weekend in Oct. marks the beginning of hunting season. This year we went back down to the Gooseberry area (which is near Salina in Central Utah) for the elk hunt. We hadn't gone down there for a few years so I was pretty excited. Unfortunately the elk hunt is more of a drive around on four wheelers with guns instead of a hunt since they haven't killed an elk in years. This year Trav and his dad drew out for cow licenses (female elk) so I though for sure we'd get one since cows are much more common and we'd have a freezer full of meat. But sadly, this year was no different than previous years. No elk. It wasn't because they didn't have their chances though. They got several shots off at a few different elk but missed. I told Travis that he better get some time in at the gun range before the deer hunt because I am tired of having to buy meat at the store. The week before the hunt I was swamped with a project for work and only slept a few hours every day so I was way too tired to get up before dark and ride a four wheeler around in the cold so I just stayed back with the dogs. The weather wasn't too bad. It rained and hailed a bit on Sat. and blew like crazy on Sun. but we've had much worse on the elk hunt. Even though the hunt was't successful it was a lot of fun. I loved escaping to the woods and just relaxing. We road our four wheelers through the prettiest trail that weaved through the quakies.

Tav and Kat getting ready to load the wheelers.

The family trying to keep warm by the fire.

This is how Trigger looked most of the trip. Nose to the ground scrounging for anything he could get his mouth on. Unfortunately, wood and cow poop were his food of choice.

My big bad hunter and his 8 mo. old and still growing pup. He hasn't been weighed for a few months but I bet he's pushing 80 pounds.

Trav and his dad.

What a handsome boy posing for a treat. (the orange vest made it way easier to find him in the woods)

Annabelle loves to give kisses.

Trav with Nana and Pa.

Trav's parent's new trailer. It was sooo nice having a toilet. The first year we went down there after we got married (which was my first ever hunting experience) we stayed in tents and used a bucket with a seat for a toilet. The next year I made my parents come with their trailer so I could use their bathroom. I'm just not a roughing it kinda girl.

It is so pretty down there. We got to watch the leaves begin turn colors while we there. I hope we don't have to wait another three years to go down there again.

On the way out of the canyon we got stuck for at least an hour at road construction. This is Trav's construction face.

While we were waiting a flock of wild turkeys walked by and Annabelle went nuts trying to get to them. (I am not a nut who dresses her pets for looks (even though she does look adorable in her sweater) She gets cold very easy. Even with the sweater on she spent most of the weekend shivering)

At least we had a good view while waiting in the road construction mess.

Hopefully we'll have better luck at the deer hunt this weekend.

The First of Many (I Hope)

2009-08-06T14:13:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of going to Lake Powell for the first time this July. Travis went pretty much every year growing up and always said how fun it was. I was so excited to go but a little worried about the heat because I am a big wuss and used to a/c. We left bright and early on Thursday morning and ended up in Bull Frog around 3:00pm after many stops along the way. After everything was unloaded Trav took all the kids to a little cove to cliff jump. I stayed with the adults and walked to a bunch of stores looking for a swim suit for Trav's dad since he forgot his. After unloading and so much walking around I was drenched in sweat and had a huge headache. I had completely overheated myself and couldn't cool off. I felt awful the rest of the night. This made me even more worried for the next couple of days. Once we got on the water though I was fine. We stayed in a mobile home so we could all stay together and cook our own meals. We got up early and made it onto the lake by about 9:30 each morning. Trav's uncle got out a little earlier and claimed us a beach. We spent the days playing in the water, searching for lizards, tubing, water skiing, and cliff jumping. Because it was such a short trip (only two days on the water) we decided not to go see Rainbow Bridge since it would take the entire day to get there. I was a little disappointed but there is always next time. We all had a blast and managed to not get too sunburned. I can't wait to go back and see what other sites Lake Powell has to offer. We went through Capital Reef on the way home so we could check out a cool waterfall. Of course my husband had to play in the waterfall. After even more stops we finally made it home pretty late and completely exhausted. How handsome!
The other Jensens. Trav's uncle's family. (plus three extra friends)

Cliff jumping.

Trav wondering if this was such a great idea. I did not cliff jump because the last time I did I hurt my back and couldn't walk for about a week.

Look out below!

Trav and his dad.

Trav, his dad, Cole, Lindsey, and Kat

The girls trying to keep cool on our cute daisy floaties.

There's Pam. See I do go on these trips.

The "diving board"

Cole jumping of the diving board.

Trav's dad even road the tube.

Trav must have been making the ride too easy because his dad decided to try it on his knees.

(Trav's aunt took some pics of us on the tube. I'll add those when I get them)

Trav decided to try water skiing for the first time in five years.

It took a few tries but he made it up. When we went to Flaming Gorge the following week he was able to get up on the first try and even kicked off one ski. Not too bad considering he didn't ski for so long.

This was our view from our beach on the second day. It was so pretty.

Trav chilling on a rock.

Katlin and Cole (Trav's cousin)

Kat and her friend Lindsey

This was our home away from home.

Trav and the girl's after our exhausting second day on the lake. It was 114 degrees that day.

The inside of the trailer.

Trav and his aunt Randi.

Hiking to the waterfall.

Trav trying to drown himself in the waterfall.

Everything turned pink from the water.

Me and Trav at Capital Reef.

Cole and his GQ pose.

Trav's parents.

The girl's waiting the get the show on the road.

Sisters

Cole and Randi

The whole crew (minus Cole and Randi)

God bless America!!!

I love Bear Lake!!!

2009-07-08T21:52:00.001-07:00

We've been going to Bear Lake over the 4th of July ever since I was little. To this day it's my favorite place to vacation. I have such great memories there. We weren't able to go last year since it was so close to Amanda's wedding and I really missed it. I couldn't believe how much the water level had risen. We were almost out of beach. As always, we had a blast. We just relaxed at the beach all day and some had some wild rides on the water weenie. We were able to survive the weekend with only mild sunburns (some weren't as lucky), a ton of bug bites, a couple of altercations, minor boat issues, and minimal injuries on the weenie. I will always love Bear Lake and can't wait 'til next year.This is what we saw in the back seat the entire way there.

Fun at the beach. I still don't know why he has to always make that face in pictures.

Carter playing with "sand toys" which may or may not have been found in the garbage bag. I guess this is what happens when Nana isn't there.

Bailee and a couple of worn out pooches.

Trigger's first swim. He had to be coaxed into the water with treats though.

Surprisingly Annabelle loved the water. She kept attacking it and biting and growling at the waves. It was hilarious. She's a pretty good little swimmer too. (She always holds one leg up when she's outside. I have no idea why. She even runs on three legs when she's in the back yard)

Attacking those pesky waves.

Trigger had a blast playing fetch with Travis. This is his "throw the ball Dad throw ball throw ball" pose.

Good boy!

My dorky brother K.C.

Matt and Amanda. She does this pose in every single picture.

Uncle Rich.

This is how my dad and Harley spent the day at the beach.

Trigger found a beer can on the beach which he loved.

Should I be concerned that my pup liked a beer can so much?

Annabelle is a huge mama's girl and swam all the way out to the boat to get to me. Just as she made it to Trav she was exhausted and couldn't swim anymore and sank. Good thing Trav was there to save her and good thing he was blocking her from my view because I probably would have freaked out. That was a pretty long way for a dog with stubby little legs to swim though. She was exhausted for days.

After she was saved from her near drowning experience.

Mom, Matt, and Amanda on the boat.

He either makes a stupid face or ignores me when I try to take a picture of him.

Jen, Bailee, Jaiden, Skyler, and his Sky's girlfriend Liz on the water weenie.

Apparently the ride was too mellow for Jen and Skyler so they started doing tricks.

Then they started wrestling to see who could knock the other off first.

Skyler usually won. I guess he's making up for all the times Jen pushed him off when he was younger.

Wipeout!

This is what we saw in the backseat the entire way home.

I hate laundry!

2009-07-08T21:44:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you suck at doing the laundry and never fold the last load until you start the wash the next week.

Baby Update

2009-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

No, unfortunately I'm still not pregnant so I am going to blog about the only babies I have. I can't believe how fast our little Trigger is growing. He's huge and he still has a lot left to grow. When we brought him home at 8 weeks he weighed 12 lbs.

At 12 weeks he jumped to 24 lbs.

At 16 weeks he was 33 lbs.
When he was neutered at 19 weeks he weighed in at 33.8 lbs.

Now at 24 weeks he's 47 lbs and looking way more like a dog than puppy.

I think he looks so cute when he runs. His whole face flops.

His "big" sister always makes sure she gets some attention too.

Annabelle is sittin' pretty and Trigger is just sitting and he's still a ton taller than her. This picture was taken five weeks ago so he's even taller now.

I'm going to miss his little puppy face.

Jack still hates Trigger. He won't be in the same room as the puppy.

Zoey doesn't seem to mind though.

Easter Trip 2009

2009-05-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Easter trip to Green River, Utah. We stay in Green River at an RV park because it's haflway between Goblin Valley and Moab. It also has power and water hookups and nice showers. This year it was just my immediate family (minus K.C. who had to work) and the Joneses and Tripps. It was a lot of fun and a great kick off to the camping season. We spent one day four wheeling near Goblin Valley and two days four wheeling out in the middle of the desert. The desert was a blast because we were the only ones there and we could make our own trails. Trav loved jumping over the dunes. The boys also had to play with their new guns when we were in desert. Trav brought his shotgun and come clay pigeons to shoot. I even hit one of the pigeons (I may or may not have been looking when I shot it). Matt brought is new .22 rifle to play with too. The weather was pretty good but we did get a little rain on Saturday. We always have so much fun when we get to spend time together. Here's some pictures from the trip.Amanda, Carter, and Mel cruising around.

Jaiden driving my dad around.

Trav thinks he's pretty cool on the jumps. (It only took like five tries to get this picture.)

The obligatory dirty face picture after riding all day.

Madison decided the dye tablet looked like candy when they were getting ready to dye eggs. She was furious!! We all thought it was hilarious. (Thanks for the pic Mel. I stole it off your Facebook)

Trav and his shotgun.

Matt and his new .22

Amanda and the .22

Even Carter got to play with the shot gun. Trav showed him caulk it which he thought was pretty cool. Don't worry it wasn't loaded and Nana said it was ok.

Carter thought the shotgun was a bit too loud though.

Annabelle is not an outdoorsy girl. Actually, she hates being outside. She stole a chair so she wouldn't have to put her precious behind in the dirt.

Trigger didn't mind the dirt at all. Here he is at 12.5 weeks and 24 pounds. When he came home at 7.5 weeks he was about 12 pounds.

Trav and his boy going for a ride.

Annabelle's turn for a ride.

Awww!! My babies!

INTRODUCING........

2009-03-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to introduce you to newest member of our family. TRIGGER JENSEN. (I know that wasn't on our original list of names but as time went by Trav completely changed the list. He ended up deciding on either Grizzly or Trigger. Since he knew I did not like Grizzly he picked Trigger which is quite a fitting name for a hunting dog). He is an almost nine week old chocolate lab puppy. He came home a week and a half ago and has been a great puppy. He goes potty outside most of the time (considering he's still just a baby a few accidents every now and then is understandable). He has already learned his name and will usually come when called. We haven't started working on any other commands yet but will soon. He likes all his brothers and sisters and most of time they like him too (Annabelle likes him sometimes and plays with him and other times she growls and bares her teeth. She does not share well). He is very playful and wants to chew everything. He loves his daddy and even gets to go to work with sometimes. He is growing so fast. He's already grown since we've had him. I wish he could stay little and cuddly but Trav really wants his big man's dog. Fortunately for Travis, I have a feeling this little guy is going to be a really big boy soon. Since my animals are my babies, be prepared for a bombardment of pictures. I feel like a new momma and want to show our little boy off. This is his "What?" face
Cuddling with daddy.
More cuddling with daddy. Gosh he looks really big in picture. Trav can't wait until he's big enough that he can be used as pillow. (I still have yet to paint my baseboards or chair rails. Some day I'll get to those.)
Trav was exhausted after doing 24 hour shifts and fell asleep on the stairs with his boy.

He's already as big as Annabelle but with normal sized legs.

Look at the size of those paws.

Baby's first bath. What a sad face.

Aaawwww!!

The proud papa.

This is how he likes to sleep. DISCLAIMER!! Those are crossed feet not a crotch!!

Forcing Jack to meet the puppy. Jackie still wants absolutely nothing to do with the puppy. Trigger likes to chase Jack every chance he gets.

Going to town on a bone.

Thinking the camera is a really cool toy he can't wait to play with.

All that playing sure makes one tuckered out little boy. (This is when I like him the best! Just Kidding!!! Ok maybe just a little.)

Hope you like our little Trigger boy. We sure do.

Ice Fishing 2009

2009-03-16T11:47:00.001-07:00

It is a Jensen family tradition to go ice fishing over President's Day weekend each year. Let's just say I am not a fan. I am not a big fan of fishing in general. Add in the fact that you have to sit out in the cold and very rarely do we ever even catch anything and it's just not for me. The first year we were married we went to Fish Lake. I was stuck inside building a scaled model for school the entire time but I didn't really mind. It got me out of sitting in the cold waiting for a stupid fish to take my bait. The next year we went to Flaming Gorge. The next year I humored Travis and bought a license and spent the day on the ice (I don't think I even put my line in the water once). Last year I got out of going entirely. So this year I made the trip up to the Gorge but decided I was just going to stay at the trailer the day they went fishing and watch the NASCAR race ( I know I'm a total hick but it was Daytona and I really like it). So you will not see me in any of the pics but it was a fun trip and Travis caught two Berbots. Trav's mom Paula was so excited. She had been talking all weekend about these fish that look like green eels but tasted just like lobster. She was determined to catch one. They waited until we got to Salt Lake to clean them though so they'd have running water. Because the fish were frozen, Trav had to soak them in water before they could be cleaned. When he took them out of the water there was a huge string of slime attached to fish that made Trav gag. The slim made it difficult to clean and Rick had a disgusted look on his face the entire time. After they got all the meat off my husband thought it would be cool to see what was in their stomachs. So he cuts it open and out comes an entire fish! Yuck!! Satisfied by his discover, Trav then stuffs the fish back in the stomach and then stuffs the entire thing back in the fish. Why? I have no idea. Needless to say none of us are too excited to taste the fish after the cleaning experience. So much for "the poor man's lobster." Here's Trav with is first catch of the day. (I think this is the first fish I've seen anyone catch at the Gorge. I was convinced they didn't exist there. Burbots aren't native there though so they don't count)

Paula and Katlin and Taz. Don't they look like they are having a blast. It was a warm day though so they didn't even put up the ice hut.

Trav's dad Rick.

Here's the view on the way out. Notice the "I Love You" heart the Kat, Lindsey, and Rick made in the snow since it was also Valentine's weekend. AAWWW!!

Out of Excuses

2009-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

So I know I haven't posted in forever but there was absolutely nothing to blog about and quite frankly I didn't feel like it. I don't feel like doing much of anything these days it seems. There is one new development in our lives though. We are getting a PUPPY! Yes that's right. We are getting another dog. Travis has been saying that he needs a "man's dog" pretty much our entire marriage. When we got Annabelle we weren't allowed to have pets where we lived so we had to get a little dog which would be easier to hide. When we moved into a tiny rental house Trav thought it was time, but I told him the house was just too small and didn't have a fenced yard so there was no way we could have a big dog. So we decided we'd wait until we had our own home with a fenced yard. I agreed, thinking that it would be several years before we would be able to get into our own house. Much to my surprise that house came way sooner than expected. As soon as we started looking at houses Travis started talking about his man's dog. I than explained that we should wait because buying your first home, moving to a different city, and starting new jobs was enough of a responsibility. So he said he'd wait until his birthday (which is in April). I reluctantly agreed hoping that I would pregnant by then so I could use that as an excuse. Since the whole baby thing isn't working out, I find myself out of excuses with a puppy on the way.
This is one of the two puppies we have on hold. We didn't want to pick one yet because they are still so young that you can't really tell what their personalities are like. Travis originally wanted a Vizsla but decided they are just too energetic for us right now. We decided on a chocolate lab (no Amanda that is not a puppy that was created in a laboratory. It is a Labrador retriever). Travis wants to train it to go bird hunting (even though he has never even been bird hunting). We pick our puppy in three weeks and get to take hime home a week later (unless they listened to Trav's suggestion that they keep the pups with their mom for eight weeks instead of six). I really really didn't want another dog but now that I saw them I am so excited. I hope Annabelle adjusts well and that Travis holds up his end of the bargain.

Here's our list of favorite names for him (in order):

1.Bronco (as in Denver)
2.Remington (like the gun. Remi for short)

3.Linkin (after Linkin Park. Trav's favorite band)

4. Sylar (after the villain on Heroes)

5. Maverick

6. Guiness

Which one do you like?

Deer Hunt

2008-10-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

(Travis wouldn't sit still for a decent picture.)

The last two weeks has been deer hunt mania at our house. Opening weekend we went up to Flaming Forge where we always hunt. This year we went up a day early to get everything ready and to sight in the guns. While target shooting, a shell got jammed in Trav's rifle. Fortunately, Trav's dad brought up some of his other guns and let Trav use his rifle to hunt. Opening morning, Trav's mom and aunt saw the biggest buck they had ever seen up there and his dad was the only hunter with them at time. He grabbed his replacement gun and took aim. Unfortunately he didn't pull the hammer back so the gun didn't fire. By the time he shot again the buck was gone. It sucks because if he had had the rifle he's used to he would have gotten him. Later that day, right before dark, Trav's aunt saw some more deer on a hillside across the street from where we parked. Trav's dad sped over there and went off the rode through a field to get as close to the deer as possible. We eventually came to a fence and had to stop but had that fence not been there I am convinced we would have driven right up the mountain to the deer. There was one buck but his horns were barely bigger than his ears so he didn't want to shoot him. If Trav or his cousin Cole (who has never gotten a deer) been with us they probably would have shot. So the only time we saw any bucks Trav's dad was the only hunter in sight. The next two days we didn't see anything. There were hardly any doe either. It must have been a really bad winter or something. We didn't see any other hunters with deer hanging or in their trucks either. I am proud to say that I went out with them everytime except one morning. This is rare because I usually stay at the trailer and sleep in. I'm not too fond of waking up before dark and sitting out in the cold. I also proud to report that the entire Jensen clan was only fifteen minutes later than planned getting out every morning. For those of you who don't know the Jensens that is quite the feat. We were disapointed we didn't get any deer but we had a lot of fun. I have now added deer to my list of things not at Flaming Gorge. After several summers of boating I have already come to the conclusion that there are no fish there either.

The next weekend Travis and Cole continued their quest for deer. This time they drove up to Strawberry for the day. They didn't have any luck at Strawberry either though but Travis got to spend some quality time with his cousin, dad, and grandpa.

What Do You Think?

2008-10-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

So, Annabelle has always reminded me of a meerkat, especially when she "sits pretty." What do you think?

Summer 2008 at a Glance.

2008-09-16T22:56:00.001-07:00

Wow!! What a whirlwind.

2008-09-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I can't beleive that summer is already over. It sure has been packed full of fun and a few big life changes. Here's a quick run down of the highlights of our summer.

-Moved away from Logan and into a room in my inlaws basement.
-Started new jobs.
-Went to Tampa, Florida for a week to visit Trav's brother Cody who performs at Busch Gardens. Our hotel was right on the beach with gorgeous views. We got to play at Busch Gardens which is super fun and I highly recommend. The combo. of cool rides and exotic animals is a perfect mix for me. We also spent a day at Disneyworld which totally kicked my butt. It's definitely not for fat girls. We also got to go to Sea World which was a first for me. I loved it even though it poured for half the day. All in all it was an amazing trip. (photos to come)
-Bought a house!!
-My sister Amanda got married!
-Two trips to Flaming Gorge. My inlaws have property in Manila so it's a common vacation spot for us. My favorite is the pancake breakfast at the senior citizen center on Labor Day. I also love the light parade and fireworks. It really marks the end of summer.
-A bunch of home improvements and yard work. Ok I didn't do a ton of yard work but had good intentions of doing it. I'll have to post some before and after pics of the work we've done on our house.
-Got totally addicted to the olympics and basically did nothing but watch for two weeks straight (which really set back my home improvements.)

Well, that's it in a nutshell. It definitely was a whirlwind but a lot of fun. I will be posting some pictures as well so you can get a sneak peak of our fun summer.

Here it is!!

2008-07-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new house. Try to ignore the awful bunny wallpaper and the gross carpet. It is going to be a work in progress. We are so excited to have a hom e of our own. Now starts all of the hard work. Master Bedroom
1/2 of our super sweet walk in closet
Master Bath . This is going to be Trav's.
2nd bedroom. Someday there'll be a baby in it.

Family Room Fireplace
View to kitchen and dining from family
Bathroom. This is going to be mine
Upper landing complete with a laundry shoot.
Loft that we will eventually turn into a third bedroom when we need it. Front with my first ever garage.
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen with more cabinets than I've ever had.
It also has a pantry for my Diet Pepsi.

Less Than a Week to Go!!!

2008-07-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

It's official (well almost)! We're going to be homeowners. We are scheduled to close on our house on June 16th at 8:30 in the morning. I can hardly contain my excitement. Sharing one room with my entire family (me, Trav, Annabelle the dog, and Jack and Zoey the cats (Gizmo the sugar glider couldn't quite fit)) definitely gets old fast. And I am tired of mooching off of my inlaws. I can't wait to get my own space back. I think I am going to move my stuff into the guest bathroom just so I can have my own sink (I've never had that before). I want to start moving our stugg in as soon as we get the keys but Trav thinks we should wait until the weekend. I even want to just have a sleepover on the floor if we can't our stuff in but Trav still says no. Well, I'll keep you posted on how things go.

We're going to be real grownups!

2008-06-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

So after over a month of searching for rentals that would allow our pets in SLC we were completely frustrated. Every place was either a dump, in the ghetto, or cost a ton. The good places were rented before we had a chance to drive down to look at it and the thought of paying $1100 plus a month on rent just made me sick. We decided to meet with a realtor to see what our options were. She suggested a lender and we soon found out that we could qualify for $180,000 FHA loan. So now the rush is on to find a house and close as fast as possible. We have to be out of our current rental in less than a week so all of our stuff will be going in storage and we will be staying at Trav's parents house. It has all been very rushed but definitely exciting. I have dreamed of buying a house forever and I never thought it would happen so soon. So far we have seen eight houses. We do have a favorite but we want to see a few more before we decide. Unfortunately all the houses in our price range are in West Valley City. Scary I know, but there are some nice areas. I can't wait until we can move into our own home and make it our own.

Update Update

2008-05-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

So Travis ended up taking the job at the Utah Artificial Heart Association. The pay isn't awesome but the benefits definitely are. So he's starting his new job on June 2. Now I just need to find a job. Yikes!!! I have always been planning on staying in Logan for a couple weeks after Travis moved because I promised my boss I would train my replacement so I still have a few weeks left in Logan. We are also trying desperately to find a place to rent that will allow our pets, not cost a fortune, and not be a complete ghetto. Help!!

Update

2008-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I better do a new post because I am sick of seeing that stupid ABC tag on my blog. Life has been pretty crazy for me lately. I have been the only one in the office the last couple of weeks because Amie's husband was in a pretty bad accident and has been in the hospital. Since it's just the two of us managing all of the projects it made me pretty dang busy, especially with the parade of homes coming to fast. (that's one of Amie's projects) I am also working on a project for Travis's Aunt Shelly and her friend Magna in my spare time. Magna just bought a new house and wants all new decor to go with it. It is going to so beautiful. I can't wait to see it finished. Add in the fact that we have driven back to Salt Lake for like a hundred weekends in row (I can't even remember when we last stayed in Logan on a weekend) and it seems like I am always running. With the outrageous gas prices we have to move back down to Salt Lake soon (or just not go to every family thing but let's just face it that's not going to happen). Travis has been going on a ton of interviews but nothing too promising. He's gotten a couple job offers but the pay wasn't very good. We're just waiting for a great job opportunity for him that will pay enough that we can actually afford to live in Salt Lake. (not having to fill the car up twice a week will help though.) We are also really getting into the Jazz games. Hopefully they will be able to make it past the stupid Lakers. (ha like the NBA will ever allow that)

ABC's

2008-04-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

ABC's "getting to know you" TAG ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Travis and my mom even though I don't get to talk to her as much anymore as I used to.
C-Cake or Pie: Pie but just barely.
D-Day: Saturday, because I can sleep in as long as I want.
E- Essential Item: Diet Pepsi. I have a pretty strong addiction.
F- Favorite Color: Pink and Pink
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Definitely bears
H-Home town: West Bountiful, Utah
I- Indulgences: Stupid reality TV shows. I can't seem to get enough. I love them all.
J- January or July?: July is too hot and January is too cold but I pick July cause I'm sick of the cold. (I'm sure that will change when I'm stuck in this old house without AC. Yuck!)
K-Kids: Just furry ones
L-Life is incomplete without: Spending time with family. That's why we take the long drive down to SLC and back almost every weekend. Double yuck!!
M- Marriage Date: Aug.6, 2005
N- Number of Siblings: 1 older sister, 1 younger dorky brother
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P- Phobias or Fears: I'm scared to death of dead things and all that goes with them like cemetaries, funerals, mounted deer heads etc. and aliens of course.
Q- Quote: OMG!! (said in a really annoying valley girl voice)
R- Reason To Smile: Do you have to have a reason?
S- Season: Spring and Fall when it's not too hot or too cold
T- Tag Three: Hayley, Holly, and Jen
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I asked my husband for an interesting fact about me that other people don't really know about and he said that I sleep more than other person in the world. I disagree.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I'm definitely a carnivore.
W- Worst Habit: Saying freaking like every other word.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I don't have an opinion on either.
Y-Your favorite food: Italian even though it gives me a way bad belly ache every time I have it.
Z: Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

First Camping Trip of the Year.

2008-04-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went on our annual Easter camping trip. (we decided not to go on Easter since it was so early so we wouldn't totally freeze.) We camped in Green River, Ut. Travis and I drove down Friday morning. When I got there I found my sister doing dishes and making lunch and I knew something was wrong. My mom was super sick and didn't leave the bed all day. This is definitely unusual since my mom never lets any of us help with anything. That's how we knew she was really sick. Once everyone was loaded up, we drove to Moab for the day. We did a trail called Chicken Corner. We started out thinking it was a short little trail but it ended up being a 50 mile four wheeler ride that took all day. At the end of the road we parked the bikes and took the narrow trail down around Chicken Corner. The view was awesome overlooking the Green River. After a while of taking in the view and resting our butts and thumbs from the long ride, we started back down the mountain. Since we road in caravan of 12 four wheelers we were all covered in red dust. (except for Travis who was leading) We spent the next day near Goblin Valley. We did a trail around Temple Mountain. It was a pretty fun ride too. There were all of these rusted out cars that been sitting there for at least 50 years. They trail took us to an old mine and back around the mountain. That night we headed into the Goblins. The wind was blowing like crazy which made it freezing. Once we got down into the Goblins the wind died down and it was pretty nice. We climbed and explored the Goblins until the sun started setting. The battery on my camera was dying so I didn't take very many pics that day (a learning experience since it was our first trip with my new camera and I didn't bring the charger which I got yelled at for). The next day we went up a canyon and found all kinds of cool Indian carvings and some ruins of huts and what we think was a church. I don't know how old they were but they were definitely pretty dang old. It made me feel like Indiana Jones looking for ancient artifacts. I was going to google the name of the canyon to find out what the buildings were but I have forgotten the name (oops!) We had to make the long drive back to Salt Lake that night so we headed back to camp and had a little birthday party for Travis. It was a great weekend and I can't wait for the next trip.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-09T22:12:00.001-07:00

What I Do All Day

2008-03-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a little bit about what I do all day. Here are some pictures of two of my projects. The first house is a small remodel and decorating job we did. It's still not 100% finished but it looks 100% better. I'll have to get a before picture. The second bunch of pictures of a home I started when I was on I my internship almost two years ago. The house is almost finished and I can't wait to see it once everything is done and cleaned up. Keep in mind that it is still under construction and there aren't any lights installed. Just click play to bring up the album.

2008-03-29T00:11:00.001-07:00

2008-03-29T00:10:00.001-07:00

Hello!

2008-03-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a blog so I would have something to do when I got home from work. I guess I could start by telling you about our little family. Travis and I have been married going on three years now. Right now we are living in Logan but are hoping to move to Salt Lake soon. We both graduated from Utah State last May. I got my degree in interior design while Travis got his in bioveterinary science. I work at the Medici Company. A design firm in Logan. The bulk of my projects are new construction. I design every aspect of the home from the ground up. Travis works at a preclinical research lab. He mostly does husbandry which is taking care of the animals, but sometimes he gets to assist in the surgeries. Those are his favorite days. He would love it if he could do surgery every single day. Travis is planning on getting a masters degree and then going to vet. school. Right now we are just waiting to see if he gets accepted to grad. school. Travis and I have three children.

Zoey is the oldest and sometimes has an attitude.

Cap'n Jack is the middle child and is as sweet as can be.

Annabelle is the baby and definitely is a momma's girl.

Ok so they're pets but they will always be my babies. Maybe someday soon we can start a real family but for now my animals will have to do.