New Year's Eve 2007

Oh, we get crazy on New Year's Eve!

Bee wasted me every time!

Peppermint random snaps and euphoric thank yous!

from the brain of Bee....

So, I was "tagged" a while back and my immediate reaction was "oh great, I have nothing interesting to say about myself." Therefore, putting off the task at hand.
But, after digging a little deeper into the well of truth- I found a few things many people may or may not know about me. So take it/me for what it's worth.
I hope you enjoy reading my various quirks, and discover something new about yourself.
* I love creative people and to be inspired by them.
* I see showers as a necessary enemy, because then I know I have to get ready. Recently, I have been using a new body wash and it has turned into my "shower dessert", my motivator.
* I am the world's best dawdler (when I don't want to do something that needs to be done).
* I love to sing out loud and am trying to be more free in doing so in the car, even when someone is watching.
* I believe there is a mighty power in words and relish in those found in great, wholesome, captivating books. Try it for yourself!
* I love to have a new project to accomplish. It's a vacation for my brain, a special treat.
* I obtain great happiness in peppermint ice cream.
* I believe in chivalry and manners. It shows a person's character, their title to who they are.
* I have a unique habit of cleaning public restrooms. I grab a large quantity of paper towels and wipe down the counter tops and faucets, a trait Joshua has now absorbed.
* I believe in thank you cards and the smile that occurs in receiving two little written words!
* I love jewelry, jackets, stars & bubbles!
* My fetish= stationary!
* I receive a sense of euphoria when I don't follow a recipe and it turns out a masterpiece.
* I love to randomly snap my fingers!

Christmas Day with J & Bee

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Thanks for all of our wonderful Christmas cards and presents. We had a great Christmas so we thought we would post a few pics to give you an idea of what our day was like.

Christmas morning at our place means a sweet treat and some chocolate milk, but our much anticipated Monkey Bread breakfast didn't turn out so well. However, the chocolate milk was simply divine. I would like to know where they keep the chocolate cows. Do they graze on coco beans?

We had a joyous time opening presents!
(we didn't even have any mistletoe!)

Then we headed to some friends for Christmas dinner and some games. The food phantom struck again and the carrots got a little too toasty so instead of carving a turkey, we carved the carrots. Although Bee didn't care for the new dish, J liked the smoky flavor (probably because it reminded him of a delicious tinfoil dinner).

And that's how we do it in the VA.

We hope ya'll had a very merry Christmas!

The Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple

It's been said that there are 3 "must see" events in the D.C. area during December. "The Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple" is one of them.

We headed north to see what the temple had to offer and enjoyed a performance by the Virginia Bronze Bell Choir, dozens of nativity scenes from various countries, and, of course, the lights...

They also have a live Nativity performance outside the visitors center. We caught the tail end of one the night we visited, but lucky for us, they left the camel behind for everyone to pet and feed. However, it had parked in the fire lane and was quickly ushered out.



While enjoying the Visitor's Center, we were approached by a very nice sister missionary who told us about the Book of Mormon. While she was talking, Bee kept wondering to herself, "why doesn't she know we're members of the church?" When the missionary finished, she asked if we had ever had a chance to read the Book of Mormon and J told her he had read it many times. Then she asked if we were members of the church. We told her we were and then she said we "looked too stylish" to be members.

A Night in Bethlehem

For this year's Ward Christmas Party, we dressed in biblical attire, sat on the floor of the gym, and watched a live nativity scene.
We had a great time!
Here are a few shots of the event....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEE!

Bee's Birthday!

Today is Bee's birthday and I want everyone to know that
I love Bee.

She is such a fantastic friend, shining support, wonderful wife, exquisite example, beautiful bride, and much more. I am so thankful that she was led into my life and that she gave me a chance to talk her into dating me. I look forward to every chance we have to be together and celebrate life.

What a lot of people don't know is that I first met Bee just before her birthday, so her birthday marks an anniversary of sorts for us. Since we first met, we've spent a lot of time together and I have been privileged to see some of the many things that make her so great. Here are just a few...

She has many hidden talents


She makes the best homemade popcorn


She's always keeping things tidy and clean


She practices good hygiene


She grows and hand picks all of our food


and flowers...


She's got some real nice dance moves


She's a hard worker


She has wings


She is a great support system


and she's hot


Is there any wonder why I lover her?

Thanksgiving 2007

The feast was fantastic!


Usually, during Thanksgiving, my eyes are too big for my stomach, so this year I tried a new approach...


Sometimes I wish I could eat at the kiddie table again.


We also had some fun strolling around at a local park...

Service with the Youth

For our combined mutual activity on Wednesday, our Priest Quorum decided to do service at the Bishop's Storehouse.

We had a great time unloading pallets, stocking supplies, packaging nuts, stocking the frozen goods, etc.



We have a great group of youth and we know that they felt the Spirit as they served. They were so happy to do service and actually suggested we do it again, but maybe that was because the storehouse workers provided a bunch of sweets for refreshments =>

Youth Temple Trip

So last weekend, we took our youth to the Washington D.C. temple...visitor center. We reserved a theater to watch the Joseph Smith video and arranged for the missionaries to provide a quick devotional. One of the sisters was Sister Snelson, from Springville, UT. She was all excited to ask me if I knew of any Hoffmanns in Springville, but when I heard her name (and verified it with the name tag...good thing they wear those things in public), the conversation quickly turned to the Snelson mystery. Apparently her and Brooke had always been asked if they knew each other's families, but they had never met. Anyway, the visitor's center trip was great.

We followed it up with some chili cheese dogs and then made our way back home.

It was a great visit and well worth the 4 hour (on a good day - which this was) round trip.

One of our YW brought a friend who was so amazed when she saw the outside of the temple. She kept saying, "wow, wow, wow." And her friend (the one who invited her) kept saying, "you're giving me the chills." I got the chills too. She was expressing how I feel every time I see a temple. But it's interesting how we tend to take some things that really are amazing for granted. I want to be a person who will always say "wow" when I see the temple.