Catching Up.... the end of 2010

Alright, since it's the beginning of a new year, I wanted to catch up and document the last couple of months of 2010 on our blog.  Please forgive the fact that I'm reverting to the past a little.  

Going back to late October.....At the end of our trip back to Ohio, my parents had to fly back home, but Mike and I had four more days without work or school.  So, naturally, we kept on vacationing.  We rented a car in Ohio, and drove through Pennsylvania up to Niagra Falls in New York.  The drive was absolutely beautiful.  The leaves were in peak season.

We got to Niagra Falls, and the downside was that it was freezing and POURING rain.  The upside, was that this visit was much different from the last time I went to Niagra Falls with my family.  Instead of getting caught in a sea of Asian tourists on their summer holiday, we basically had the place to ourselves.

Gearing up at the Cave of the Winds..... we got some HOT ponchos!

They aren't kidding when they say cave of the WINDS.

After we had our fill of Niagra Falls, we hopped in our little car and started driving again.  After a horrible experience with a power-hungry border patrol man, we finally made it into Canada!  Next stop: Toronto!  I've always wanted to go to Toronto, so we figured this trip was the perfect time!

As far as cities go, it reminded me of a smaller, more commuter-like New York. The buildings were much less unique though- they all looked the same.  We got there, checked into our Hotel, finally took showers, and headed to Yongue Street (the Times Square-like area of the city), and grabbed dinner at an incredible steak house.

The next day, we embarked on our own walking tour of the city, with our first stop being the CN Tower.  This is one of the most famous attractions in Toronto.  It stands at 1,815 ft tall, and was the tallest free standing structure in the world until 2007, when the Burj Khalifia was built in Dubai.  Although not the tallest anymore, it continues to be classified as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.  It's the skinny needle-like building behind Mike in this picture.   

Somehow Mike convinced me to ride up to the top with him in the glass elevator.  You might not know this, but I am TERRIFIED of heights.  Seriously, my legs get all shaky, my heart starts racing, my palms get sweaty, and I want to pee my pants.  You'd think that I would just stay away from tall structures and be happy.  WRONG.  The problem is that whenever I travel, there always seems to be a tall structure to conquer.  And I'm too stubborn to sit an adventure out.  So, while my friends all enjoyed the top of the Eiffel Tower, I was just praying a gust of wind wouldn't knock us over.  When I walked across the rope bridges in the African Rain Forest, climbed to the top of the Duomo in Italy, and sat at the top of Chitzen Itza in Mexico I was sure I was going to die.  Heck, I even lived in New York, and only went to the top of the Empire State building once.  Just to say that I did.
Anway... you get the point.  I had to summon all the courage I possessed, to get to the top.  Here was our view:

Once we were at the top, the real fun, or terror, began.  If riding a glass elevator to the top of a skinny needle shaped building, and standing on a little observation deck towering over the city isn't scary enough, it turns out there is a GLASS FLOOR you can stand on.  Yes, this 'floor', or 2" thick sheet of glass, is the only thing between you and the ground 1,212 feet below.  And no, I'm not kidding.  I could not believe it.  It even took Mike, who normally isn't afraid of anything, a minute or two to get the guts to go stand on the thing.  I told him there was no way I was stepping onto that death trap, but the longer I stood there watching people walk out onto the ledge, the more I realized that I needed to do it.  When else in my life was I going to trek to the CN Tower in Toronto?  I quickly made friends with a woman who looked as scared as I was.  After 20 minutes, we finally worked up the courage to walk out.  Mike had to coax me.  You can tell by the look on my face I'm still not so sure about this...... and just for the record, I dashed out to get a picture then scrambled back to the safe floor.

Then I realized that the picture didn't even show what was below the glass, so I braced myself and ran out again for another photo opp.  I wanted proof, baby!  Please take notice of the fact that my hands are holding onto my knees because they were trembling like crazy.  Look at the ground below!

I was so proud of myself.  I conquered my fear of heights, if even for a split second!  To celebrate my victory, we went and dined at a delicious Indian Restaurant.  Please excuse Mike's creeper facial expression.  It's the only picture I had.

Next, we took advantage of the many glorious shopping options that aren't available to us in our dear Salt Lake City for a few hours, then we traveled to the old Casa Loma Castle.  It was built by a wealthy financier in the early 1900's, and we got to walk through all 98 rooms.

We snuck off and did a little exploring, and found this little attic room.  It was a beautiful view of Toronto.

This was the conclusion to a wonderful trip!  We went to bed early that night, and caught our flight out the next morning. We had such a fantastic time!

For some reason I really love Halloween, probably because it's kind of a kick off to the next two months chuck full of holidays and family traditions.  This year, we went to a couple different family dress-up parties.  My mom and I dressed up as my dear old Great Grandmother Viola, and her daughter Helen.  They were the funniest, cutest old ladies ever, may they rest in peace. 

Mike dressed up as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.  I had to beg him to wear tight leggings to make the costume more believable.  Secretly, I think he liked it (even though he added the shawl around his middle at the last minute!)

We also attended a murder mystery dinner.  I was Maria the maid (can you tell I overloaded on Bronzer?), and Mike was a feeble old security guard.  Mike shocked everyone with his acting skills- he was the murderer in the end and nobody suspected it!

November was a great month.  The weather was uncharacteristically wonderful!

Enjoying a BYU football game with my Grandpa in his 50 yard line, 10th row seats!  My kind of game!

Thanksgiving always has, and always will be my absolute favorite holiday.  I adore it so much.  This year we spent the holiday with my family, at my parent's house.  We had over 35 guests.  Mike started fooling around folding napkins, and they turned out so good that he got assigned to fold all 35 of them!  I had no idea I married such an artistic, inventive napkin folder!

On December 12, we celebrated our 1st Year Anniversary of Marriage!!

In some ways it feels like yesterday that we officially started our lives together, but at the same time, I can't remember what life was like without him.  Marrying Mike is still the best decision I ever made.  He is the best husband a girl could ever ask for.  He compliments me in every, way shape and form, and I love him with all my heart.  This past year has been hilarious, wonderful, adventurous, and love-filled.  I can't wait for the rest of our lives together!

In celebration of our first anniversary, we started the morning by going to a Sub-for Santa Shopping Day through my work...

Then we grabbed breakfast at Lamb's Grill

Later that afternoon, we went to the Polar Express Symphony at Abravanel Hall.  It was so great!

That evening we ate dinner at Ruth's Chris, and then Mike surprised me with a night stay in a suite at the downtown Marriott, where we had our wedding dinner last year!  It was beautiful!  The best part of the night, however, is when Mike gave me my present- a gorgeous Amish Nativity set that he searched high and low for!  I've collected Nativity Set's since I was a little girl, and this one was so significant because we met in Amish Country, and visited there together again this past fall.  I'm still tearing up in the picture, but you get the idea.  

Then I gave Mike his gift, a book I compiled with hundreds of pictures documenting our first year of marriage together!

Happy One Year, Mike!  Love you!

After our anniversary came all of the fun Christmas festivities!!!  Last year with planning our wedding,  getting married, going on our honeymoon, and moving into our first place during December we didn't get to just sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays! This year was so fun to have the whole month to celebrate!  One night, my parents showed up on our porch with a basket full of presents- my mom put together the cutest 12 Days of Christmas for us- each present highlighting old traditions that I grew up with at Christmastime, or new ones to start since our family is getting bigger!  It was SO fun opening up such meaningful presents everyday!  Thanks so much Mom!!




One of our "presents" was a carriage ride around Temple Square, dinner at the Blue Lemon, and the John Schmidt Christmas Concert!  Such a fun night!

Christmas Eve at my Grandpa and Grandma Hymas' big annual family party

That night my mom gave us matching pajama pants that she made!

Mike was scheduled to work on Christmas, but got a phone call at 5am telling him he didn't have to go into the hospital!  It was a Christmas miracle!  It was so nice to spend Christmas morning with him!!  He had to go in to work for a few hours later in the afternoon, which was nothing compared to what we had planned on!  It was the best Christmas ever!!

There were a lot of great surprises, but one of my favorite Christmas presents was a cookbook my mom published with all of her recipes!  

The next day, we drove up to Idaho to spend a few days with Mike's family.  Two of his brother's and their families flew in from Philadelphia and New Jersey, and it was so fun to see everyone.  Sadly, I didn't take a single picture up there, but we had a great time sledding, going to movies, playing ping pong tournaments, and eating great food!  

2010 was the best year of my life so far.....  Here's to another great year!!

Happy New Year!

just in case I didn't have your address.....

Congratulations Brooke & Derek!

Brooke and I met our sophomore years of college, when we were assigned as random roommates on BYU's study abroad program in London.  We became the best of friends in our little South Kensington flat that semester, and we've had many adventures all over the world since!

I'm happy to announce that Brooke and Derek got hitched a few weekends ago!  After 6 years of on/off dating, I'd say it was about time!  Their wedding announcement, which is the most unique I've ever seen, tells their story.  I love it because it's so them...the only thing it doesn't say is, "Andrea said they'd get married all along."  Yes, I called it back in 2005.  Best friends always know.

B & D both live in Boston, but flew to Utah, so that they could be married where she grew up!  Secretly I was a little disappointed the wedding wasn't back east, since that would have given us a good excuse to go on another trip.... but it turned out to be simply lovely...

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Christensen!  What a striking couple!

BFF Megan flew in from Seattle for the big day!

They had a beautiful, intimate, cozy celebration up at Sundance that evening.  The leaves were electric, the food was incredible, and the night was magic....such a classy event!

This picture makes me laugh.... you couldn't get two different sized couples if you tried.  Mike & I are going to have some short little muffins someday..

My favorite part was at the end of the evening when a huge band of bagpipers showed up unexpectedly!  Brooke LOVES bagpipes, and her parents had hired them as a surprise!  It was so fun-- the dancing was awesome!

Congratulations Brooke & Derek!  WE love you and are so excited for you!!

Our trip back to Ohio!!

From 2007- 2009, I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Cleveland, Ohio Mission. In addition to proselyting, I had the opportunity to work at the Kirtland Historic Church history sites, where many of our church's earliest spiritual outpourings occurred. I have been blessed beyond measure as a result of my decision to serve a mission. I can honestly say that everything good in my life at this point is a result of that experience. Not a day goes by that I don't think back to my precious time in Ohio.

And to think I was the girl who never wanted to serve a mission.

I was 22 years old. After working hard at BYU, I had just graduated from their Advertising/Marketing program. Ever since I was young I'd dreamed of living and working in New York City. I landed an internship there with an agency, and packed my bags, thinking I'd never return. At the end of the summer I had several job opportunities, some of which were in New York. I was dating a lot. I was in the exact position I wanted to be, but after weighing my options, nothing really felt right. Confused, I decided to move back home for a month or so to figure out which job to take, which city to live in, and what to do with my life. After many frustrating weeks of contemplation, I finally decided I needed to figure out what God wanted for me. Almost immediately after softening my heart, I realized I needed to go on a mission. I had a spiritual experience that is far too personal to expound on in a blog, but it had such a powerful effect on me that within a week I had turned in my mission papers. A few months passed. On December 12th, 2007 I entered the mtc. I left behind career opportunities, a boyfriend, and life as I knew it. I thought it was going to be a sacrifice, but it turned out to be far from that. I was blessed in more ways than I could have ever comprehended. God is so good.

My mission changed me in so many ways. It made me a better person. It elevated my life perspective. It helped me to refocus my priorities. It changed my goals. I learned what it meant to see people as children of God. I came to know and love Jesus Christ and I came to see the blessings of his atonement in my life in meaningful ways. My testimony of the Book of Mormon, the Bible, living prophets, and the power of God in my life was strengthened immeasurably.

One of the greatest blessings I received as a result of serving a mission, was meeting my husband Mike. When we first met, we were both focused on being missionaries, and sharing the gospel with the people of Ohio. It wasn't until we were both home from our missions, when we randomly became re acquainted one day, that we learned that we had much more in common than a love for missionary work. We dated, fell in love, and got married seven months later. Life has been wonderful ever since.

One of the things I love about our marriage is that we both have a love for missionary work, our missions, and the great state of Ohio! A few weeks ago my wonderful parents took Mike and I back to Ohio for a week! Neither one of us had been back since our missions, and so it was beyond exciting!

The trip met all of our expectations. We had such a great time. We might have served in the same mission, but Mike and I had VERY different experiences. I served in Amish Country, the Church history sites, and for the most part really nice area's. The majority of Mike's mission was spent in the ghetto in downtown Cleveland. We spent time in area's we each served in, visited members, recent converts & old friends, toured the Church History sites, and spent time doing touristy things as well....

Right before we landed in Ohio... seconds after this picture was taken I was crying! So excited to be back!!

Walking through one of Mike's area's in downtown Cleveland

"You can't visit Ohio without going to the Football Hall of Fame"- or so Mike and my dad tell me.....

Hymas family favorite: The Bronco's!!

Enjoying Amish country- especially the pastries, cheese & baskets

Burton, one of the cities in the country I served in had cute scarecrows all over the town square!

Churning apple butter at the Burton "Apple Butter Festival"

The view from the manor we stayed in the first few nights.... this picture doesn't do the beautiful autumn leaves justice. It was breathtaking!

The Revelation Room in the Johnson Farm in Hiram, Ohio. This is where the 76th section of the Doctrine & Covenants was received by the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding life after death. There was an amazing spirit there, as always.

Standing on the front steps of the Johnson Farm. The prophet Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered one night when he lived here. His friends and family stayed up all night scraping the tar off his bloody, bruised body. The next morning he preached on these steps a sermon on forgiveness.

Visiting Harold & Lori Harvey, one of my very favorite recent converts in Brunswick. (We missed you Sister Knecht!)

The Newel K. Whitney store, in Kirtland. This is the store that Joseph Smith and Emma lived in for 1.5 years in Kirtland. Inside are the School of the Prophets and the Translation Rooms. About 17 Revelations found in the Doctrine & Covenants were received here by the prophet in the 1830's. One whole year of my mission was spent here at the Kirtland sites! Part of my heart will always be here.

The Butterfield's, the site directors and my second parents in Ohio, had me give the tour to my family with Sister Kingston. After a year and a half surprisingly a lot of it came right back! I cried through the whole thing!

Inside the Newel K. Whitney Store

The Hyrum Smith House in Kirtland! This is where I lived for about 8 months while I lived in Kirtland!

The beautiful Kirtland Temple, the first temple built by our church in this last dispensation. It no longer operates as a functioning temple, but it's still sacred.

This is hands down the coolest cemetery I've ever visited. It was thousands of acres, and one of the streets in it was called "Millionaire Row", where dozens of famous millionaires are buried, culminating with John D. Rockefeller himself! Here is his granite obalisk..

Tradition has it that if you put a dime on Rockefeller's grave you'll be rich! Here's to hoping this will bring on the cash flow!

Dinner with Ron and Diane Pepin, Mike's second parents in Ohio. We sat at our table for 4 hours, and I don't think any of us have ever laughed harder! Come visit us soon Ron and Diane!

An afternoon at the famous Westside Market in Cleveland

Nothing beats polish dogs, fudge, and apple fritters from the stands at the WSM

Cleveland: known for the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.... we didn't go to the actual museum because we've heard it's a huge let down. We did snag this picture in front of our hotel though.

The Glidden House, the cutest hotel ever

We took a trolley ride in downtown Cleveland. Not as quaint as a San Fran Trolley, but fascinating nonetheless!

It was so wonderful to be back in Ohio with 3 of the people that I love the very most in this world. I loved being able to share my mission with my parents, who lived through my mission with me via letters, and also my sweet husband. It was really neat for me to meet many of the people Mike touched, and to visit the area's that he served in as well.

Thank you so much Mom and Dad! This was an amazing trip that neither one of us will ever forget! Mike and I love you so much and are so grateful for you in our lives! You're the best!

Love you,

Ang

Some pictures I quite like....

I finally loaded pictures onto my computer after a couple of lazy months.  Here are some of my favorites....

We love each other...

Only in Wyoming on the way to Grandpa's ranch can you find an assortment of fake mustaches at the grocery store.... I think Mike and my little brother Ethan look like pervies

Here's what I would look like as a creeper boy.... Mike is very thankful he doesn't have to wake up to this every morning.

I married an incredible shot!  

My cute Grandpa, the avid fly fisherman

My other cute Grandpa surprised us all when he hopped down at the piano and started playing the other night!  All this time I never knew!

Street fair at the avenues.... I pounded down this horchata in 30 seconds.  AMAZING!

the dew tour.  mike will never step onto another motorcycle if i can help it.. SCARY!

My newest tattoo, thanks to allergy testing.  Turns out after 62 pricks (painful pricks at that), I have a mild allergy to horses and dust mites.  Good thing I didn't marry a cattle rancher.

Allie's Birthday Dinner in my parent's backyard

This is one of the cutest pictures I've ever seen. Thanks for being a great sister-in-law Allie! Love you!