The Holidays are upon us!

Well hello... Yes, we are still here. It's been a crazy couple of months, to say the least. This season we have been extremely blessed, as I'm sure you have been. My hope is that you find the things in your life to be grateful for.

This year I am grateful for my family. I have a wonderful family. So blessed, so very, very blessed. I am also grateful for my health and for the health of my loved ones and that we are all here and safe, and weather we are together or apart, we are still connected.

We have been SO fortunate to take a job for a great company this month. After a long and courageous battle with the mortgage and real estate industry we have chosen to seek life elsewhere- well at least Ryan has. I will be taking over the business and continuing to hold my position as CEO and domestic goddess. Just this past week I put in my first offer on a short sale home in Eagle Mountain!

It is most likely the case that we will also be relocating to... (brace yourself) Vernal. Yes, it's true. The upside (which is where I am aiming to focus) is that I will be near family (this could also be... interesting) and I will most likely have the chance to build a new home in a carefully selected area (gated, private lane with no trespass posted). Alright, I'm kidding, about the gate.

In the meantime I have been VERY productive as I am playing the part of single mom while Ryan is getting situated and going through training. He is really excited and so am I. In the Oil Field, you are pretty limited to the position you might get. It's all pretty grueling work and in extreme conditions. Fortunately (there is that word again), Ryan landed a pretty prestigious position! The benefits are out-of-this-world and the pay should be great too.

We will be staying with my Mom. She has gracefully invited us to stay with her for as long as we need to. Amanda and the boys are there as well so I am really excited to get to spend some quality time with them and for all of the kids to be able to play together.

And for our precious baby girl, Ella, I don't think she really cares as long as she has her shoes, minki, and her baby.

She is such a chatty girl these days! I was trying to recall all of the things she can say and it's impossible! Jammies, candy, cookie, shoes, puppies, kitty cat, Jake, Cash, Gracie, meow meow, baby, mimi, outside, downstairs, poop, ca ca, beans, milk, juice, water, lights, Thad (Farrah's little boy), hat, purse, the list goes on and on. She also knows a few signs- please and thank you (which she also can say and exercises regularly- especially if we are talking about candy or cookies), milk, all done, more and of course cookie.

She clearly understands what I am asking her because she also says "no" and "ges" (Yes).

...Ryan always says "Happy Wife, Happy Life" I have to agree.

I hope this Blog entry finds you well and we wish you all a magical holiday season!

Love, Hugs and kisses,

Tiffany, Ryan and Ella Michelle XoXo

Hello October! Whoo hoo!

I love this season- My very most favorite!!!

We have had such a busy season- thankfully! By the grace of God, we are under contract on 3 different deals. It's been an extremely slow season, as far as work goes, so this is an absolute blessing. Truth be told, I think we were just in a bad frame of mind for the past 9 months and therefore attracting the bad energy.

The lesson I've learned is that when you put your problems aside, and focus on how you can help someone else, good things will come your way. Note to self: Don't forget it!

So during all of the hustle I managed to get my Real Estate schooling completed. I have invested nearly 180 hours when only 90 are required and PASSED THE BLASTED STATE EXAM! Hallelujah! So I am officially a Real Estate Agent. (patting myself on the back.)

I've had a bunch of boutiques lately and really had a lot of support from my friends and neighbors. I really appreciate it too. I vow to support my friends and any small businesses I can before shopping at the retail places this year. I am making the little kids some fun items and incorporating them with books I am buying from my friend, Farrah Foo. I'm on a budget and I don't understand why, as adults, we insist on trading money for money. Just keep your money and I'll keep my money and we'll all be happy! Plan? Sweet, Plan!

Ella is going to be a bumble bee this year. She is so excited about her purple jack-o-lantern candy bucket that she can hardly handle it. Trick-or-treating should be fun this year!

My mother is dating this FANTASTIC guy, Dave. He is also Utah Highway Patrol. Ella loves him, so we approve!

I manage to get out just one posting per season so I hope to post again around Christmas time. I hope this over-due letter finds you well!

Hugs and Kisses,

Tiffany, Ryan and Miss. Ella Michella.

Don't get your panties in a wad.

...Chocolate chunk fudge brownie ice cream. I'm in heaven. I am just sitting down at my under-used computer enjoying my rationed portion of... (drum roll please...) one scoop. I'm thinking about my running shoes...covered in dust. If I could just take the slow, savored time it took me to eat this tantalizing, mouth-watering scoop of ice cream and I ran instead... I'd be skinny!

(yet unsatisfied)

OK, here I am. Wow life has been busy! Today I am 29 years and 1 day old. Last night we had a small group of GREAT friends over. I made bacon wrapped steak kabobs with zucchini (Aunt Carol would be proud!). My super-savvy, Sunset Magazine-reading sister whipped up some chili lime corn-on-the-cob! It was delish! Ella learned that if she bats her eyes at Uncle John he will place her ON TOP of the pool table and she can bang all the balls she wants.


My sly husband proceeded to celebrate my birthday in style with our friend (and neighbor) Leonard- until 1:00, which he paid dearly for all day today.

No sympathy here folks.

...Also seen here sitting on my niece, Lexi's lap. That's great Ryan. ...moving on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Henline Construction installed a 12x24" Behemoth size dog door.

Ella nose dived out it the first day and has been feeding her toys and babies to it ever since.

We purchased a family season pass to the Hogle Zoo this year. We had our first official trip to see Gerry the GI-raffe. I was probably more excited for her to see them then she was. Go figure.

It was cute to see her notice all of the different animals. She would point and even squealed a few times! While we were there we ran into Ryan's sister, Marcy and her family. Small world!

Happy Birthday Ella!

My precious baby girl is officially 1. My mother purchased a party dress for her birthday, which she proudly sported the entire day- pigtails and all.

A most candid moment where my sweet girl is keeping the other toddlers in line.

I somehow came up with this "great" idea to make a sugar-free cake. She enjoyed the frosting but at some point arrived at,

what seemed like under-cooked substance below and immediately decided she was ready for her balloon again. Mom gets an F (at least my mother-in-law thinks so...)

She excitedly opened every gift and made each gift-giver feel appreciated (yae, good girl!).

Her favorite item was her little doll. Ryan and I purchased her a fish tank. So far Mom has abandoned 2, murdered 3, and sucked 1 fish up in the filter (it lived). She likes it though, if you ask her about them she will run as fast as she can, shouting gibberish, and body slam the tank.




Ella has made some real achievements over the past month. I've been trying extremely hard to get her to kick the bottle and drink her milk from a cup with a straw. She 100% refuses the sippy cup.

So finally after reading on the Internet and scanning every blasted book I have, she just decides she's done.
Just like that.



We bought her a pink potty- I figure if I set her on it once or twice a day, read her a book and she happens to go- well then, I'll make a big deal out of it. Maybe, just maybe, she'll figure it out sooner then later and voila- no more diapers. Simple, right? Well this is my plan anyway.



So... She pooped on the potty this morning (and the crowd goes wild!) Woo hoo! It's true. I'm not lying. Guaranteed I'm more excited then she is. I start screaming and jumping around and clapping and all the hoop and holler- the whole time shes looking at me like...

"It's freaking poop. Don't get your panties in a wad."

Californ ie ae ~We're back!

... We're back! In more ways then one. Something about that cool ocean breeze just clears your thoughts and brings you back to a simple state of mind. Thank Goodness.

I tell you it couldn't have come at a better time- my dear, dear Gramps finally passed away on February 17- sad to say, it was a blessing. The poor old guy- seriously. In all of this I've learned that dealing with some family members and witnessing a persons life deteriorate, can make you physically ill. I am grateful to finally move on to the next chapter of life.

On a good note, Ella is walking! I'm a bit late telling you this- she started walking back on like the 12th of Feb- but it's still exciting! She started giving kisses & blowing them too!

We left for So Cal last Wednesday and stayed until Sunday. I managed to get us a $7 hotel room- both there and on the way home. Primm Nevada folks, that's where its at!

Our time spent in Newport Beach with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jon (Mom too) was fantastic! Carol is a phenomenal cook and I managed to snag a couple of her recipes! She gracefully took us on breathtaking, daily walks around the harbor, through the bay area and some of the residential areas. TO DIE FOR! Seriously, I could live there.

The whole reason for our trip was that my Gramps (Mom's dad) is getting old and recently very sick- he had a bout with MRSA- which I found out, is a highly contagious, anti-biotic resistant infection. Luckily he was removed from the isolation area of the hospital just after we left, the MRSA was finally gone. He still has his wits about him and my Aunt Carol is on her game as far as keeping him mentally active- he's 78 and playing solitaire on her computer- how awesome is that!?

Farrah, my VERY good friend and neighbor, took care of our shoopies while we were away. Lucky for us, she lives across the street and loves dogs. They weren't nearly as happy to see us as they normally are when we leave and come back- we think she fed them steak and cookies... but they're not telling.

Walking and Waving!

Well here we are- our newborn baby is almost 11 months old. She waved bye-bye to her daddy last night on her way to bed and she took 4 steps between us today.
I always hear my friends talk about how sad it is and how they wish these babies would stay newborn forever- I have to say I disagree. I find sheer enjoyment in watching her little brain grow and to see that look of "I get it!" in her eyes.
She sings this "da dah, da dah, da dah" song, and she knows exactly how it goes because I'll sing it to her and she'll say it back! Early forms of communication- incredibly exciting!
Ella and I are going to learn to swim. I signed us up for swim classes- we'll be attending every Saturday for the next 4 weeks. Ryan will be standing in for me while I'm at the Modbe Fashion launch next week. It took some serious negotiations to get a commitment from him. Can't blame him... he'll be the only dad at the water park with his baby girl!

I'm gonna be a runner!

Ok so this morning I did it! I went running!

Yesterday we went by The Salt Lake Running Company and got me a new pair of fancy running shoes! I've decided that I'm going to put them on my night stand in a fancy pose

something like this...

then when I wake up I'll ask myself... Am I worthy of THE running shoes?

I hope (with inspiration from my friends Farrah and Robin) to be competeing in all of the 5k's I can this year! Oh and I'd like to burn that 20 something extra pounds I have OFF!!! Wish me luck!