The End of 2012

I know this post is a little late, being that it is now the middle of January, but I have been meaning to get around to blogging for over a month now, so here we go...

 This past year has been absolutely amazing for us! I moved to Utah, Marshall has now owned his company for over a year, we were sealed for time and all eternity and we have had the most fun starting our lives together. Not to mention a ton of fun trips we have been able to take this year. 

Since the last time I blogged, Marshall and I have been to Cameron Park, CA to visit his family for Thanksgiving, then we had the best December ever here in Utah and Christmas with my family in Vegas, and finally ended the year with an awesome New Year's Eve party with great friends. We have had a VERY busy holiday season (hence the late blog post) but every minute of it has been the best. 

The week before Thanksgiving was my last week working as a dental assistant. Since then, I have started working with Marshall to learn how his business runs. On my last day of work, my sweet husband drove all the way to my office and brought me two dozen pink roses. I am the luckiest girl!

Thanksgiving in Cameron Park 

For Thanksgiving, Marshall and I were fortunate enough to take almost a whole week to visit his family in Cameron Park, California. We had a blast! I really lucked out in the in-law department and had so much fun getting to know my new family better. This was the first time I had ever been to where Marshall grew up, so it was fun for both of us to take a trip down Marshall's memory lane. While we were there we went with the whole family to Apple Hill to pick out a Christmas tree, and to enjoy all of the fall festivities. Marshall and I were also able to spend a day wondering around San Fransisco. This was such a fun trip and we can't wait to go back again this year.

Our First Christmas

This was our first married Christmas, so we were really excited for all of the fun the holidays hold. We picked out our first Christmas tree together, and had so much fun decorating our house. We did as many Christmas activities we could think of and were able to spend a lot of time together and with family. For Christmas, we went down to Vegas for a week to spend time with my family. This was the first time Marshall was able to spend any quality time with my brothers (which I think could be kind of scary), but by the end of the week, I think Marshall was having more fun with them than he was with me. Our first Christmas together was amazing and I hope all of our Christmas' together will be the same. 

 This Christmas ornament is filled with dried rose petals from my wedding bouquet and the bow is the ribbon that was wrapped around the stems of the bouquet.

 This is a tree skirt that I saw on Pinterest and decided to make. It turned out better than I imagined and look so pretty under our tree. 

Buying our first Christmas tree together

 We loved our first tree together! Our condo looks so empty without it now.

Below is a picture of our first Christmas ornament.

 Our wreath was also a craft I saw on Pinterest. I made some changes to their design and love how it turned out!

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, Marshall and I hosted a party at Marshall's home theater store. We had some great friends over and a ton of fun. We all watched the ball drop at midnight and toasted with some Martinelli's. This was also the first New Year's Marshall and I were able to smooch at midnight. :)

 We made a really fun photo booth, so everyone was able to take funny pictures to remember this New Year's Eve with.

  We are so excited for all of the adventures we already have planned for 2013. This is going to be another big year for us. We are hoping to buy our first home, go on a fun vacation to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, visit our families again and start our own little family. We really have been blessed beyond measure this past year and feel so grateful for all that we have. 

Happy New Year!!

October!

 October was a fun month in the McKinnon home. I love all of the fall festivities that begin in October, and I love Halloween. I was able to go down to Vegas to visit my family and while I was there, my mom and I took my niece and nephews to a pumpkin patch. It was so much fun. I miss these cute little munchkins every day I am away from them. I really do treasure the time I get to spend with them since I moved to Utah. All three of them have such personalities that there is never a dull moment. I can't wait to see them again for Christmas!

 The same week I went down to visit, Jonny's school had their Trunk or Treat, so I was able to go to that with them. Jonny was Wolverine (and very eager to pose for pictures), Christopher was Captain America, and Anella was a lion. They were definitely the cutest kids there!

 The Saturday before Halloween, Marshall and I had a Halloween party. The night before the party, we carved our pumpkins and decorated the house. This was the first time I tried to follow a pattern to carve my pumpkin and I was so happy with the results. Marshall always follows a pattern, so he is already an expert at carving. At the Halloween party, we had a doughnut on a string contest, bobbing for apples and a costume contest. We had so much fun and were glad for the good friends and family that were able to come. 

 Marshall was very helpful with the decorating, but didn't last too long with the spider webs, so his webs were a little bunched up, but it still worked. (My spider webs are to the right of the door, Marshall's are to the left. haha)

For our costumes, I was Little Red Riding Hood and Marshall was the Big Bad Wolf that had already gotten to Grandmas house. (That's why he has her nightgown on.)

On Halloween day, Marshall took the day off of work so we had a lot of fun that day. We went to Ihop to get pumpkin pancakes for breakfast...

We went to breakfast right after we woke up, 

so Marshall wasn't too crazy about the idea of me

 taking his picture, so this became our compromise.

After breakfast we went to check out the new, huge sporting goods store, called Scheels. The store is so big that they have a ferris wheel inside. 

 After Scheels, we went home so Marshall could take a nap because he was sick, then we got ready and went to Gardner Village. I have been wanting to go here since I first heard about it a couple of months age, but haven't had a chance, so Marshall took me. The village has an old mill and a bunch of little houses that the mill workers used to live in, that have all been turned into little shops and bakeries. I LOVED IT!!! It reminded me so much of the east coast. 

They already had Christmas decorations out in all of the little shops, so Marshall bought us this cute Santa ornament for our first Christmas tree together. He is so sweet!