Danish Pastries

One of the best traditions that the Martin's do every year a few weeks before Christmas is spend a morning making Danish pastries and then the rest of the day eating them (they're best the first day). We make an assembly line and all of the little kids get involved with their own tasks. I don't know why we only make these once a year because they are soooo yummy!

There were only so many jobs though, so some made the sacrifice and watched sports instead. ;)

Unique L.A.

Ryan and I took a quick trip down to Los Angeles this weekend so that Michelle and I could participate in a design show called Unique L.A. that was held in the California Market Center in the fashion district. This was a LOT of work, but it was so nice to at least enjoy a little sunny, warm weather and play-with-nephews-time in the midst of it all! It was such a fun atmosphere at this event and crazy to see how creative some people are. We had a lot of fun at the show, met some great people with nice comments and helpful tips, and learned a lot of things we would add/do a little different at future shows.

Also, if you need a last-minute Christmas gift (or if you're way ahead of the game, a Valentine's Day gift) for a wife, girlfriend, mom, mother-in-law, sister, child, niece, nephew... really, anyone.... go here. :)

Aprons, aprons, everywhere....

Our business card passer-outer wearing his little boy monster apron. People pay so much more attention to a cute little boy than a bunch of adults.

Another cute "behind-the-scenes" helper.

Who wouldn't want one of these cute cake boxes with cute ribbons holding a cute apron under their Christmas tree this year?

This was during vendors-only time, but shortly after the doors were opened this place was swamped all day long (and it was a maze in that place... very easy to get lost). It helped that we were right next to the cafe area that sold the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever and right next to a popular chocolate booth that had lines all day.

I was kind of dreading coming back knowing that not only do I have to work all day everyday this next week, but I have to pack everything. Our moving dates have changed a little bit. The movers are coming in exactly one week (the 20th) and Ryan and I start driving ourselves to Ohio on the 25th. Yep, Christmas day. It's a long story, but the short of it is that we save a TON of money by leaving on the 25th instead of the 26th. I've only had one breakdown so far and it was a few days ago, so I'm sure everything will be fine and go smoothly and the blizzards will pause as we drive across the entire country smack-dab during the middle of winter......

Moving

It's official, so now I can make the official announcement. We're moving to Ohio. Never in a million years did I think I would ever live in Ohio again! Ryan got a new job doing HR for MARS (the chocolate, not the planet) out in Washington Court House, Ohio.... or what I like to call the middle of nowhere. Thankfully MARS flew us out there to check out the area and we found a nice Columbus suburb to live in that takes us just about 6 miles outside of downtown. Now I have a better chance of finding a job myself and we can make friends with people that are younger than the age of 70 and that drive cars, not tractors. Aaaand, we may or may not have relatives move very close to us... but that's only 99% official. So we can't make that announcement yet... but they would regret not coming. Just sayin'. ;)

Ryan is actually working in MARS' petcare division. Did you know that MARS makes pet food? They do Whiskas, Pedigree, Royal Canan, Wal-Mart brand, Kirkland (Costco), etc. They also make Uncle Ben's rice, Gum (orbit, extra, wrigley's), Dove chocolate, M&M's, Snickers, Starburst, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, this is all happening very fast as Ryan starts December 27th (working just one day in a year gives you a whole complete year of vesting... so we chose that start date instead of in January), and then we start the trek out on January 1st. It's bitter-sweet. We hate leaving our family and friends here in Utah, but it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up and exactly the next career step Ryan has been looking for. I am so happy that Ryan is so excited about this position and I can't wait for our adventures in Ohio!

This is where they actually make the pet food. Believe it or not, there are offices in there, too.

And everyone can keep in mind that we will have more than one bedroom where we live, so plenty of room for visitors! :)

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving today was great! I was definitely thankful to not have to wake up to an alarm, that's for sure! Ryan and I went up to Sugarhouse with my family and we had a ton of fun just hanging out, playing games, talking, and lot's of cooking and eating, of course. Oh, we also had a very impromptu family photo shoot at the beginning of the day (hence the non-coordinated outfits and bright-red, freezing noses... but none of that stopped us!).

We also had our family "Thankful Tree" where we wrote down what we were thankful for. Our lists were long, but some of what was included this year were family, friends, the Gospel, decent health insurance, heated blankets, and football. I love this part of Thanksgiving because it makes you stop and think a little bit more about what you're thankful for and you're reminded that it's the small, simple, everyday things that are the biggest blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

Jazz

Two nights ago, Ryan and I got emails announcing $5 Jazz tickets for Wednesday night's game, and a few minutes later we had a date planned!

We started out the evening by doing a little shopping at the Rack (thanks to Groupon- $50 for $25!) where I also ran into my old roommate, Betsy, who now lives in Washington with her cute kids and husband- which was such a fun little surprise! Then, we grabbed some of our favorite chinese take-out, Pei Wei, and ate that at home.

Next, Ryan had the best idea ever to take Trax into downtown, which saved us traffic and parking hassles and allowed us to just talk and relax the whole way. Despite the fact that our seats were basically in China, the Jazz game was a ton of fun and we had a good win over the Hornets.

Regarding this next picture, read it and weep- like I did. On our way home, we realized that the temperature was only 3 degrees (but it went back up to 5 before I took this pic), so of course we stopped by Wal-Mart to stock up on our Stephen's hot chocolate (chocolate raspberry and white chocolate...delicious!).

Randomness

Yesterday I had to make a quick trip to the store. It was pouring rain, so I pulled my hood up, got the key ready, and made a mad dash for the car. I hopped in super fast and then just sat there for a minute before I realized I was sitting in the passenger seat. Apparently I forgot Ryan was at work. Then I proceeded to sit there for another minute laughing all by myself about how dumb I was. I felt like everyone was watching, even though I'm sure not a single soul saw (say that 3 x fast).

.....

The bulb in our T.V. popped yesterday so we had to order a new one online that will take a couple days to get here. That's fine, no big deal... thankfully I weened off of television shows (read: The Bachelor and SYTYCD don't start for a few months) so I can handle that. But couple it with the fact that I am without a car today and I got off work at 1, I am bored to death. I have no new books, it's cold and rainy outside, the apartment is cleaned, laundry is done, dinner is made, and my eyes can only take about .2 more seconds of looking at a computer... what the heck do I do now? Well, blog about it, apparently.

.....

I went to my monthly orthodontist appointment and came away with good and bad news. Bad news: my teeth hurt worse than ever. I don't think they've ever been yanked that hard... we're talking a large, post-surgery gap between two of my side teeth were completed closed by the time I walked out of that office. Ouch! But I'll get over that because the GOOD news is that the doctor said I only have 3 more months of braces and that these bad boys are coming off in February, which is way sooner than I thought! Wahoo! I can finally kiss Ryan again... jk. :)

"You serious, Clark?"

Could it really be true?! I actually cheer for a team that wins?!

That's incredible.

It's been fun looking forward to watching the Giants games and trying not to have a heart attack in the 9th inning of every 1-run victory. It had been 56 years since they last won the World Series. I remember the 1989 earthquake that postponed the Giants vs. A's World Series for 10 days--which the Giants lost. I also remember the 2002 World Series heartbreak when the Giants led the Angels 5-0 in the 7th inning of game 6 only to lose the game and eventually lose the series as well. That seems to be the typical ending to each of my team's seasons every year (in every sport). But, not this year. Finally, I had one team come through for me.

Go Giants! 2010 World Series Champions!