CHRISTMAS 2009

December 24-December 25,

Christmas Rocks! We get to celebrate it two days! My family has always celebrated it on Christmas eve and Garrett's family the "normal" way on Christmas day. Although, I am strongly for Christmas eve Christmas's, I do enjoy day two as well. Here are some pictures that capture a tiny glimpse of those magical days.

The Marvin'sThe Joneses

Thanks for Keepin' up with us!~ The Joneses

Catch up time again! Christmas 2009

wow. I really need to get better about this blogging business. You'd think I could clear a small amount of time to do this!

December 22, 2009

We have gone to the Balian Ice Cream house every year since sophomore year of high school....12 years ago. :) This year we decided to drive down Christmas Tree Lane also. I don't think I've been before and if I have been, I don't remember it ever. It was really fun and we enjoyed just driving around and looking at all the christmas lights in Hastings Ranch and Sierra Madre.

Thanksgiving & Then Some!

November 24, 2009
We bought a new car! My scion had been paid off for almost a year when we decided it was time. It started out as being my new car since we planned on selling the Scion Xa to my parents. We test drove every SUV under the sun. It finally came down to the Nissan Rouge and the GMC Terrain. The Nissan was a nice car but it did not offer as many bell and whistles as the GMC. We bought the metallic black in the GMC Terrain. It is a really nice car. However, the car has become Garrett's full time car. Don't get me wrong, I love the car but it is huge! I was driving something more like a micro machine and have bumped up to some kind of monster truck! We are considering buying a new Scion that I can scoot around in and selling our Mercedes. Time will tell where that story ends. As for now, I love riding in the new car and Garrett loves driving it.
November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving and Grandmas birthday!
Let me start by saying that I love Thanksgiving! I like it way more than Christmas! I think it is awesome that in this country we celebrate and give thanks for what we have been given. I really enjoy the time that is celebrated with family and friends. Christmas is a great holiday and if there was more focus on its true meaning in our society than I would probably like it more, but I feel like Christmas shopping and peoples focus on presents takes away from what Christmas really is. Thanksgiving has no expectations and is therefore WONDERFUL! I really enjoy celebrating my thankfulness for what God has provided for me and my family. I love that people are Thankful and that they take this day to remember what they have. Thanksgiving was great at both my parents and Garrett's parents house this year. It was very relaxing and exactly the kind of day that reminds you of everything you have to be thankful for. It was also my Grandma's 89th birthday! It turned out to be a very nice, quaint party for her that day as well.November 27, 2009
We went bowling with Molly, Dan and Jenn @ the Block in Orange. It was super fun and Jenn worked us all in bowling that night. Who knew she could even bowl at all?

Until Next time...Good Luck Keeping Up with us~ The Joneses

Cont.

October 16, 2009

Anaheim had its annual Car Show, that we always attend. If you know Garrett at all you know that he has a serious condition I mean love for cars. He knows about all the different engines, which ones are faster, which ones are...well you get the drift. Due to my stupidity in the subject, I can not begin to explain everything he knows. This years auto show was a little un-eventful. The lack of stability in the economy forced the auto show to have much less cars than previous years. Garrett was bummed that some fairly large makers were not there. We did get a chance to see Bumble Bee from the movie Transformers and a concept car from Chevrolet to bring back the awesome Corvette Stingray. We also ran into Molly at the event. She was there promoting her Dad's new SMS Challenger. It was nice to find her there and get a chance to hang out. Here are some pictures from the day.October 24, 2009
VEGAS! Although I was super sick in the days before leaving for vegas, I had so much fun! Garrett's little brother, who is not so little anymore, turned 21 on Oct 11. A trip to vegas was needed to celebrate! We were only there for a very quick weekend, but it was a great trip. I learned how to play Roulette and it was AWESOME! It didn't really take any learning, it's a game of luck! I seriously loved it! Garrett asked why I liked it so much and I told him it was because it took no brain power like all the other "table" games in Vegas. :) We also got a chance to hang out with Mom and Dad (Jones) and watch a pretty good Beatles cover band. Before coming home on Sunday we decided to go to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. It was a fun museum with a wide variety or "natural history." Garrett forced me to go inside of some kind of hut made of real animal fur, most of which had the heads still attached. I was seriously freaked out, the heads were looking at me and I got claustrophobic. He was highly amused and to his luck, he had the camera in his hand in that brief moment of humiliation. The pictures tell the rest of the story.








Next are the pictures from the Natural History Museum in Las Vegas. October 31, 2009
Halloween! Garrett decorated for halloween at my parents house again. We had about 60 kids this year, which was not as much as previous years, but more than some people get. We dressed the dog up this year as a witch, since she is not the freindliest dog it seemed fitting . She hated every minute of it, but we got a good laugh.

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November 7, 2009
Grandma moved to Brea! After a long few months of cleaning up Grandmas house, the big day finally arrived. Grandma was so excited to get into her new place and have everything in it be new. All of us were concerned that she was making to many major changes in her life, but she insisted that she have all new furniture and an all new life! She did and it has been really nice to have her so much closer to us. After a seriously long day, she still looked this happy to be in her new place on the first night.
November 10, 2009

Sadie Rae arrived on Saturday Nov 7, 2009 while I was moving grandma into her new place. She is the first born of one of my best friends Jessica Brown(Davis). I have know Jessie since I was five years old. We met in kindergarten at Maple Hill Elementary. Although her Mom held her back that year (since she couldn't fingerpaint) we have always stayed close. She had her beautiful daughter with her wonderful hubby TJ, who I adore as well. Here I am meeting Sadie for the first time and also a picture of G and I on Newport pier after leaving Hoag Hospital.

That's if for now. Be back soon. Almost caught up!

Good Luck Keeping Up With Us~ The Joneses

An attempt to catch up...

July 5, 2009 to October 1, 2009

July 13, 2009

Our second anniversary already? Really? Garrett and I have been fortunate enough to have Disneyland passes for the last few years and we have made it a tradition that we go for our anniversary. We went to disneyland the day after we got married and then have gone each year since then. It is always so much fun to go with G to disneyland, but for some reason our anniversary "date" is always better.

After spending the whole day at Disneyland, we were exhausted and went home. For our anniversary we had to give each other linen. Personally, I think linen is a lame gift, HOWEVER I did get a really awesome blanket from G that I totally love. I bought him some large guy sized beach towels. How manly can linen really be? I did the best I could. Maybe underwear would have been better. :) or more practical at least. Anyway. I didn't just get a blanket I got tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Orange County Performing Arts Center! We went three days later on July 16. It was seriously AWESOME. I have seen a number of great musicals but this one was so much fun... It even had a flying car! Three hours before the musical I had an appt to get a tooth pulled, which I did not want to reschedule. So, here I am in all my glory, gauze in month an all. I still loved every second of it.

Moving right along.
July 21, 2009

CHELSEA GAME! Garrett's parents bought tickets for all of us to go see an english premier soccer game at the Rose Bowl. Chelsea played Inter Milan and won 2-0! There was 84,000 people in the rose bowl that night and it was so awesome to be a part of.

The whole month of July was beautiful at the beach I took as many opportunities as possible to get to go and watch the waves and soak up the sun. I took my mom a few times and we sat and watched the waves at a place called the Wedge, where they were about 10-16 feet tall. Mom took this picture of us and I thought she did a good job holding up the camera in front of us.

August 1, 2009

Garrett's family had a bbq with Lyle's brothers. It was a really great night, we ate in the back yard and the weather and food was perfect. It was fun to get a chance to hang out and catch up.

August 15, 2009
We went to the beach for Lacie's birthday and got the chance to hang out the whole day kid-free! We love their kids as if they were our own, but it was really fun to have the freedom like old times. We rented a surrey, which is a four person bike and rode it the beach. Then we went out to lunch and the mall!

Garrett and I saw Fiddler on the Roof at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on August 18, 2009.Miniature Golfing on August 21, 2009. Final Score Garrett 62, Jessica 64. Super LAME. Stupid Hole # 17. I had him until dumb Hole # 17. A rematch is in order sometime soon!

Next in our adventures was my Dads birthday on August 31, 2009. We went to San Clemente that weekend and then also had a party for him at the house. It was really fun and San Clemente was BEAUTIFUL!This picture here was made small do to all of us wearing no make-up. haha.We saw Legally Blonde at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on September 9, 2009. It was of course a great performance. We were happy to see Becky Gulsvig in her role as Elle Woods and it was incredible to say the least!

September 20, 2009

Garrett and I went to Burbank, CA. Our good friends were getting married there so we went for the weekend. The wedding was a blast and we decided to see what Warner Bros. Studio looked like.

Next time I will catch up with the rest of last year!

Good Luck Keeping Up With Us~ The Joneses