Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Welcome TANNER!

Well I have been dying to see my new nephew since he was born about a week and a half ago!  I've been real busy with work but I managed to get a quick day off and I drove down to St. George on Wed with my bestest Mollie and came back the same day.  It was very fast but it was worth it.  Russ could not come with because he was in school.  poor thing.  

Anyways, Oh my goodness he is sooo cute!  His name is Tanner Patrick Mulally.  And he is the SWEETEST!  He was so tiny and cute and I just love him!  Sorry madison you have some Cute competition now.  Those Mullaly's make some cute cute kids!  

I held him lots and i smelled his breath (because Nikki told me she loves to smell his breath so I tried it out.)  We took some pictures of him and he only peed like twice.  haha.  I LOVE HIM.  I'm so sad I don't get to see him ALL THE TIME!   Nikki, Jake and the Gang are moving in with my parents to save up some money.  I'm so sad because now I will never get to see them!!!!  AHHH!!!  How am I ever going to be the favorite Aunt that way!?  Anyways, take a look at him.  I love him!

Russ thinks it's weird that I take pictures of baby butts.  But  I think it's the CUTEST!














Thursday, October 16, 2008

ROY - the AMAZING photographer.



So It has taken a while for me to post this. (sorry Selena)  BUT as we can all see by the beautiful pictures we see on our blog, Selena is an AMAZING photographer.  

In Highschool she was in yearbook.  Then she graduated from NAU with a bachelors degree in photography.  And now she is working at a studio in West Jordan UT and continues to amaze me at the beautiful pictures she takes.  

About a month ago Selena Joined the PPA (professional photographers association)  Since there is no such thing as a Master's degree in photography.  They have created the PPA where through print competitions you earn "merits"  Basically,  they rate your picture 1-100 and if it scores above an 80 than your receive a "merit" after receiving so many "merits" you receive the Master Photographer award.  It is very difficult to obtain and requires a lot of competing in competitions. 

So there was a Intermountain Regional competition (kind of like a warm up for the national competition.  You can enter your prints there and if they merit there then they will likely merit in nationals.)  Selena and her boss Mark both entered 4 prints each.  Of Selena's 4 prints 2 merited and a third received a 79. (Her boss only merited 1 of 4)  One of her pictures won 3rd best wedding candid and perhaps more importantly, She was rewarded "ROOKIE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR" for the Intermountain PPA.  Meaning of all the new members that joined this year, she is the BEST!  Some people started calling her "ROY" down at work... "rookie of the year".  I'm very proud of her.  She is very talented and definitely has a gift for taking good pictures.  So let's all tell Selena how amazing we think she is.  She deserves it!

CONGRATS SWEETHEART YOU'RE THE BEST!!!

(This is Selena with her 2 plaques for the awards she won)

And here's some of Selena's amazing pictures we've all seen before on the blog but let's look at em again...  cause she is so amazing.


















I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART! YOU'RE THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER EVER!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

kill me now. it's already snowing.

Well it is cold here.  It is winter weather this week, like the weather that is supposed to come in November.  I am not a happy camper about it.  It snowed this weekend.  ew.  I had to work this last saturday, taking family pictures all day (8 families ) in the mountains.  Being the troopers we are we still managed to get all the shoots done even if it was snowing.  but don't worry, i was prepared.  I had long johns on, 2 pairs of socks, boots, pants, a shirt and then a zip up hoody, and a jacket, don't forget the beanie and the scarf and gloves.  Yep, I stayed toasty that is for sure.  But it was so so cold!  

Russ and I gave talks in church this weekend.  Having worked on Saturday in the mountains in the cold from 7:30-6 I was beat when I got home at like 7:30.  So I started writing my talk on the bed.  bad idea, fell asleep.  Russ finished his talk and discovered that I had fallen asleep.  He came over to wake me up and tell me to write my talk but as most of my close friends and family know, you do not wake Selena up when she is sleeping.  You will find a very grumpy monstrous person.  So that is exactly what Russ found.  I was so grumpy I was yelling "i'm not giving a talk tomorrow!"  "Russ call the bishop right now I am not giving a talk tomorrow!"  I'm too tired and too stressed and scatter brained I can't even think to write a talk right now!"  Russ convinced me to think about it go to sleep and try writing it in the morning.  So I did.  I felt much better in the morning, got up at 8 and wrote my talk until 11:30.  I only got to practice it twice before I got up to give it at church.  haha, it wasn't bad but i had not given a talk in church since I was in young woman's so i was quite nervous.....

Then after church Russ and I went on a nice sunday drive up to the mountains in Provo Canyon.  The clouds were beautiful, the sunset was beautiful and there was SNOW UP THERE!!  And We saw this horse on the way up.  I made Russ stop so i could pet him.  Oh ya, and Russ forgot his shoes on this little adventure and his jacket.  dumby.  haha, i was all bundled up.  Russell's sweat pants are very warm!!  It was so freezing up there!!!  I'm not ready for this weather!!!











Russ took the one below!















oh ya, and here is some funny faces with the wide angle. i think they are pretty hilarious!



Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Premier of a clean house and a sweet husband...

Well things around the Sorensen house have been a little hectic lately.  Russ and his school work (this week he has 3 tests!) and me and work (it's our busy season right now) We just have our hands full and finding less and less time to spend together.  i know I have been a little grumpy with this tight schedule but have been trying to make the best of it.  I kind of feel like a robot.  Get up, got to work, come home, do some more work, and go to bed and do the same thing over the next day.  I know I post lots of FUN pictures but FUN doesn't happen often during the week.  

After conference this weekend I decided to make some goals.  I was going to get the house clean once and for all!  So on monday, I work a 8.5 hour day, came home, when to water aerobics (SO FUN!) while Russ was doing homework and immediately started cleaning the entire house when I got home.  until midnight.  Russ helped me at the end but it was a long day, with no FUN at all, but it looks nice.  I didn't quite make it to clean the bedroom but at least the majority is clean.  We will post that when we are finished with it.  

But I was saving the best for last.  So last night i went in to work at 10 and didn't get home until 9:30.  I was EXHAUSTED.  I dont know if I am getting sick or not but I was not feeling 100% and I fell asleep right when I got home.  Russ didn't get home from school until 10:00 and found me sleeping.  I fell asleep in my clothes so he helped me get into my pj's and tucked me in.  When I woke up this morning after having an amazing 12 hours of sleep, I started walking to the bathroom and there was a surprise!  Russ had decorate in honor of our first date.  I started reading everything that he wrote and I started getting so happy and emotional, and you guessed I started crying.  I told Russ I reminded myself of my mom.  If it is a "good one" there should be tears.  So I sat on the floor and didn't know what to do with myself.  It was pathetic but it really brought me so much happiness.  With all our business Russ managed to do something nice, something sweet and it really brought my robot life back to life.  Thank you Russ.  That was the sweetest thing ever.  I didn't even remember what the date was or what special event happened just a yea ago.  Can you believe it's been one year already!  I'm so glad that I have chosen to marry such a special man.  We really are good for each other.  He makes me so happy.  I'm pretty obsessed with him.  I really would be lost without him.....I'm sorry if this is too mushy for blogging but I'm in such a in love, mushy, I love my husband and think he is the greatest mood.  Russ, I LOVE YOU!




Here is the living room, we are currently storing Ryan's love sac so it takes up our entire room.


Mom here is the picture of the presidency you sent us....



Our new TV.  





Look at the sweet messages he left on the balloons...there was also a sweet message hidden in letters that spells out "Can I Kiss You?"  That was our first kiss on our first date Russ asked to kiss me.  how sweet =-)


Our Kitchen




All of our frames with no pictures in them yet.  We need to get those stranger families off the wall...



Decoration corner



The bathroom (brooke the walls look nice because of you!)





"It all started one year ago... and now it will never stop"  See why i was crying!


LOVE THIS!  LOVE RUSS!



How sweet is this!??!?!


I LOVE BEING MRS.  SORENSEN!!!!!!!!!!