Poinsettia Bowl

It has been a while since I posted anything about Utah football but they play in the Poinsettia Bowl tonight!!! The Utes take on Navy in San Diego and I'm so sad we are not there. Getting there was way too expensive so we will be watching the game on TV tonight.

We hope the Utes can extend their bowl game winning streak to seven!!!

GO UTES!!!!!

Anniversary Recap

We enjoyed our anniversary this weekend and I still can't believe two years has passed by. On Friday afternoon we finished our Christmas shopping. I am so glad to be done!!!! After shopping we ate dinner at the new Cheesecake Factory. Anyone who knows me knows I love this restaurant but I don't think we will be going back anytime soon. Just a warning: we were there at 4:15 and we had to wait 20 minutes. When we left at 5:45 the line was out the door and I'm sure it was a 3-hour wait. They built the restaurant way too small and there is no where to put people!! There isn't even a good waiting area and the tables are really close together. Maybe it will calm down after the holidays but I don't want to take my chances.

After dinner we went to Kingsbury Hall to see the Odyssey Dance Company perform "It's a Wonderful Life." The production was good and the dancing was awesome! We actually left early though because the performance was really long!

After that we checked into Little America. If you've never stayed at this hotel I highly recommend it! Our room was HUGE and the prices are pretty low. Plus the atmosphere is so fun. On Saturday morning we ate breakfast at the coffee shop in Little America; it was very yummy!!

Overall our anniversary was fun and relaxing. It was much better than last year!! If you don't know that story you will have to ask me about it. All I will say is don't ever stay at the Hotel Monaco!!!

As much as I loved getting married in December there are some drawbacks of celebrating our anniversary in December. For one, we are already spending money on Christmas so it's hard to spend even more on the anniversary. Secondly, everything is so crowded at Christmastime. Downtown is a nightmare and I got tired of having people everywhere!!! Jesse and I have talked about the possibility of celebrating our anniversary at the half-year point. That probably won't happen this June since we will be celebrating the new addition to our family!!

Two-Year Anniversary

Tomorrow, December 14th, is our two-year anniversary! I can't believe two years has gone by since our wedding day!! I absolutely loved my wedding day and I'm going to enjoy celebrating our anniversary tomorrow.

I don't know what we will be doing tomorrow night; Jesse has something planned. I know that we will be finishing our Christmas shopping tomorrow afternoon and then we will see from there.

The last two years have been so great. We have had so many fun times and we have made lots of memories. I know this next year will bring lots of new adventures and I can't wait!!

The Heartbeat

On Tuesday I had my 12-week appointment with my doctor. It was fantastic because we got to hear the heartbeat of this little baby growing inside of me. Hearing this definitely made the whole pregnancy thing feel a little more real! It helped me to realize there actually is something in there and it got me very excited.

The other thing making this pregnancy real is my growing waistline! I feel like it has popped out quite a bit this week! I'm guessing that maternity clothes are right around the corner!!

Family Christmas Party

Last night was the Russon Family Christmas Party!! It was a lot of fun to get together with my whole family.

Everyone had to bring a white elephant gift. This is the second white elephant gift exchange I have done this December and I'm tired of giving away and receiving crappy gifts. I want something I can actually use!!

These are all of the great-grandchildren. They got to play a gift exchange game.

We ate dinner, watched a Christmas slide show and played a few games.

This is what Marcus opened during the white elephant game. This poncho is actually from World War II!! My grandpa brought it and it somehow wound up in Marcus' hands, which is perfect because Marcus loves WWII. He didn't take it off the rest of the night.

The party was a lot of fun and it got me even more excited for Christmas!! Two weeks and counting!!

First Snow

As I've said before I really HATE being cold!!! So I have mixed feelings about winter because Christmas is my favorite time of year but I hate the months and months of being cold. But there is no denying how beautiful winter can be and there was proof of that on Saturday.

It snowed for the first time on Saturday and it really snowed!!! All the trees looked so pretty and I hope it snows like that on Christmas Day!! I love a White Christmas!

We were at my parents house and Marcus was outside playing with some neighbors. It brought back lots of memories of playing outside in the snow.

The two boys in blue live a couple houses away from my parents and they are so cute!! The are from Arizona so this was their first experience with snow. They stayed outside all day long!!!!

Apache wanted to join in on the fun. He loves the snow!!

Gingerbread House

A couple of weeks ago we made gingerbread houses with my family. They sell kits that make it really easy but you can still let your creativity flow. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera while were making the houses but here is our finished product.

In case you can't guess the snowman was Jesse's idea. For those of you who know the Whitchurch boys you shouldn't be surprised! :)

Christmas is coming!

This time of year is definitely my favorite!!! I know that's weird because I absolutely HATE being cold but I just love the feeling of Christmastime. It snowed for the first time this week and that pushed me into the Christmas spirit!

I love seeing all the decorated homes and I love listening to Christmas music when I'm in my car. I'm excited to go to Temple Square and look at the lights and I'm sure we will make a visit to "Christmas Street." I really enjoy buying gifts for other people. I enjoy the anticipation of when someone opens a gift you have given them and I like seeing their reaction.

I hope the rest of you are in the Christmas spirit! And if you're not just let me know and I will try and share some of my Christmas spirit with you!!

FUTURE UTE FAN

In June we will be welcoming a new little Ute fan into our family. That's right; I'M PREGNANT!!! I'm about 10 weeks along and I'm looking forward to the morning sickness being over (hopefully!).

Jesse and I are very excited!! It still doesn't seem real but it's starting to sink in a little more. I'm glad I have so many friends who have experienced this already. I'm sure you will all have great advice!!!!

More Rivalry Week Fun

Here are a couple more byu photos to brighten your day!! I know they will put a smile on your face!!!!

I'm assuming this guy is an out-of-state cougar fan but who knows!

This photo is one of my favorites!!!!

GO UTES!!!!!!

Rivalry Week

Since it is finally Rivalry Week I can share with you my feelings toward that team down south. I have grown up a Ute fan and there is only red blood in my veins. I know that not all byu fans are created equally but I have encountered some very annoying and ignorant fans in my day. On the other hand I know some very pleasant people who happen to be byu fans and we get along just fine.

Let me explain the difference between a tolerable byu fan and an annoying byu fan. I can handle the occasional trash talk, as long as whoever dishes it can also take it. Trash talk is fine as long as both parties have respect for each other. These are the kind of byu fans I can handle.

The fans that I can't handle are the ignorant ones who guarantee that byu will win every year. Have they not learned anything from the past?!? This Holy War is never predictable and no matter how good one of the teams may be the other one still has a chance to win. I never go into the Rivalry Game completely confident because I know how unpredictable the game can be.

This year it will be interesting because both teams are very evenly matched. They are both coming off of seven game winning streaks and they both have a lot of momentum. However, home field advantage is no kind of advantage in this Holy War so watch out Provo, HERE WE COME!!!

Now for some humorous pokes at byu:

This guy is obviously a genious!!!! And I love the red paint on his face!

Don't worry; there will be more fun photos tomorrow!!!!

GO UTES!!!!!!!

UTAH 28 - NEW MEXICO 10

Saturday's game was so much fun!! It was the perfect way to end the season and an even better way to end our reign of the front row. I know we are going to miss it next year but it's time to grow up. We will always have the great memories of the MUSS and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to be a part of it for so many years.

Obviously the season is not over! We still have the game in Happy Valley to look forward to. We are headed to Provo this Saturday and I am excited!!! We will be wearing our red proudly and screaming at the top of our lungs!!!

GO UTES!!!!!!!

Last Home Game of the Season

Tomorrow is the last home football game of the season!! I can't believe it's actually here. It is really bittersweet in a couple of ways. I'm sad that football is almost over but it will also be nice to have my Saturday's back. During football season my Saturday's are pretty much occupied so it will be nice to have the concept of a weekend again.

It's also bittersweet because tomorrow will be the last game for Jesse and I to stand on the front row of the MUSS. We have been on the front row for three years and it has been SOOO much fun!! I have so many memories of being on the front row: giving the players high-fives after the games, being so close you can yell at the opposing team and they can actually hear you, the UCLA game this year, the most emotional game of my life (you all know which one I'm talking about), etc., etc. The list goes on and on.

Sitting in the MUSS is not always fun though. You have to deal with people cramming and squeezing as many people as they can into one seat. You also have to deal with stupid, ignorant, drunk students, but actually there are those kinds of fans all over the stadium.

Next year we will join the rest of the season ticket holders. It will be strange to sit down for an entire game! I feel like we are finally growing up! ha ha

Let's hope the Utes go out on a win and they make our last game on the front row a good one!!!

GO UTES!!!!

Rivalry Week Food Drive

Work has been crazy this week because we have started the UTAH/byu Rivalry Week Food Drive!! This is a huge project and my boss and I are in charge of it.

This is a food drive competition between the University of Utah and byu. Obviously we play off of the rivalry but in the end it is for a very good cause. All of the food and money raised goes to the Utah Food Bank.

I want to encourage ALL of you to donate!!! There are a few ways to donate and you can find them listed at www.alumni.utah.edu/fooddrive At that website you can also make an online donation.

There are plenty of needy Utah families and this is a great way to get in the giving spirit of Thanksgiving!!! Plus you will help us crush the cougars!!!

GO UTES!!!!!!!

UTAH 50 - WYOMING 0

YEAH for football!! Saturday's game was so much fun and it was nice to enjoy the beautiful day. This may have been the first game this season where I haven't been nervous and stressed about the outcome. I know that Coach Whittingham received a lot of criticism after the game but he is one of the classiest people I know and he had good reasons for doing what he did. Of course we stand by him and his decision to make Wyoming eat their coach's words!!

I can't believe next Saturday is the last home football game. It is so sad because this will be the last time we stand on the front row in the MUSS. We have been there for three years and it has been so much fun! Next year we will have to join all the other season ticket holders and actually sit down to watch a football game.

GO UTES!!!!!!

Wedding Day!!

No, not my wedding day!! It's Zach and Kate's wedding day tomorrow!! For those of you who don't know Zach is Jesse's brother and he is getting married tomorrow!

We are very excited for the happy couple and we wish them the best. Kate is perfect for Zach; she is very calm, patient and laid back. And for those of you who know Zach you know that is the kind of woman he needs!!

The wedding dinner is tonight and the wedding will take place tomorrow (Thursday). I haven't decided if I will take a camera but if I do I will definitely post pictures!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE!!!

Runnin' Utes

Another basketball season has begun, sort of. Last night was the first preseason basketball game for the Utes and we were there. Jesse and I enjoy Utah basketball; probably not as much as Utah football, but we still enjoy it. Hopefully this basketball season will give us something to cheer about.

It was fun to be in the Huntsman Center again; I feel like it has been a long time. It was also fun to see our new head coach Jim Boylen. He is crazy, but in a good way!! He is very passionate about his team and we could already see some major improvements compared to last year.

Here's hoping to an awesome basketball season!!!!

(And of course an awesome finish to our football season!!!)

GO UTES!!!!

Car for Sell

With great sadness we are selling our Subaru Legacy. We love this car but we have the opportunity to buy another car for a really good price and we feel like we can't pass that up.

The Subaru is a great car!! It is a 2005, automatic with 26,000 miles on it. It has a blue exterior and a black and gray interior. We are selling it for $15,500.

It is listed on ksl.com under the classifieds section if you want more information. Let me know if you or someone you know is interested.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we went over to my parent's house to carve pumpkins. It is a Halloween tradition in my family and it was a lot of fun!

Here's a few of our pumpkins glowing in the dark. Mine is the vampire!!

My dad decided to show off his sense of humor with his pumpkin!!

Jesse gets the creativity award for the night!! How appropriate!

Red Butte Garden

We went to Red Butte Gardent last night and I'm so mad because I forgot my camera!!!! It completely slipped my mind. So unfortunately I don't have any photos to share.

We had a lot of fun. We took my little brother Marcus and Jesse's sister and husband came and brought their two kids. I couldn't believe how many activities they had for the children. This is definitely something I would recommend to anyone with small children (maybe ages 2-8).

It was a fun Halloween activity!!

Utah vs. TCU

The Utes are in Texas tonight to take on the Horned Frogs. I'm sure glad I don't have to call myself a Horned Frog. That has to be one of the lamest mascots ever!!!

We will be watching the game from the comfort of our apartment. It is so strange to have a month-long break from football. Now I'm actually going to have free time on Saturdays; I don't know what to do with myself!!

GO UTES!!!!

Another Rainy Game

Saturday's football game was really fun!! Although it rained we didn't get as soaked as two weeks ago.

Now we have to wait an entire month until our next home game!! But I know November will be packed with football!

GO UTES!!!!!!