Bad Holiday Tradition

Unfortunately, our newest holiday tradition is getting into car accidents. Around this time last year, we were in this accident, when a car pulled our right in front of us on State Street the week before Christmas.

Yesterday, Tanya and I both left work and headed to our final planning meeting to choose the colors and finishes for our house. I got there early and was waiting for Tanya when I got a phone call from her saying that she had been in an accident and to come and help her.

She was driving on I-215 by Valley Fair Mall when a car came darting through traffic. He cut off another car and then starting swerving into Tanya. She moved to avoid contact with him, but he basically ran her off the road. She tried to get back, but lost control, went off the freeway, into a ditch, hit a cement wall, and was flipped around. The air bags went off and the car is totaled.

The driver that ran her off the road just drove away. Are you kidding me? There have been way too many bad accidents and deaths lately by hit-and-run drivers. How can you possibly do that? What if she had been seriously hurt and needed his help?

Fortunately, the other car that he cut off right before Tanya followed him, honking and trying to get him to stop. They even pulled up to him at a light, and were honking and trying to get his attention, and he just ignored them. They got his license plate, make, model, and a very good description of what he looks like. The police even have his address, and are going to try to find him. I really hope they do, because if not, our insurance will have to pay for all of it!

We are very lucky that Tanya is relatively okay. Her car could have easily rolled, or she could have been much more hurt when she hit the wall. Her neck really hurts, she jammed her wrist, and has burn marks and stuff from her seat belt. She is also shaken up and claims that she never wants to drive away. We know that God was protecting her. The bummer now is that she loved that car, and it will be really hard to find a replacement (they don't even make Elements any more). I guess everything happens for a reason. She's way more important than any car.

December 5th

Monday was our 3rd wedding anniversary. I really can't believe it's been 3 years! I had a student ask me the other day what it is like to be married. She wanted to know if it got boring being married to the same person and seeing them everyday. I can understand her logic, but it is so crazy how it seems like the more time I spend with Rodney the more I love him. And when I think that I could not love him more, somehow I do. Sorry for the sap . . . I am just so lucky to have him in my life.

We celebrated mostly on Saturday. After spending the day picking out finishes for our new house, we went to an ah-mahzing dinner at Cucina Toscana. Neither of us had ever been there. It was so nice and really delicious.

We had dessert at home and exchanged gifts. Rod isn't really a greeting card kinda guy so I made him a slideshow with pictures from the last 4 years (dating, wedding, marriage). I also got him the cologne he wanted. He surprised me with a beautiful right hand ring and tickets to Kelly Clarkson . . .  I'm not even ashamed of it.

here is the slide show . . .


Untitled from Tanya Rasmussen on Vimeo.


On Monday (our actual anniversary) I went to work as usual. I have one class of 7th graders that I am really close to and they figured out that my anniversary was that day. A couple of girls made me a PowerPoint presentation - yes PowerPoint - that was full of pictures of couples, cartoons, glittery hearts, and cheesy poems. It was addressed to "Mrs. Rasmussen and Husband". It was the cutest thing I've ever seen.

When I got home from work these were waiting for me

We had a nice dinner at home. I tried to make something that resembled our wedding dinner (mahi mahi, kahuku corn, salad, and sparkling cider).

I'm so glad that I have my boo. He is more than I could ever ask for.

Home Sweet Home

This week was crazy! We've been house hunting for a few months now. We've put offers on several houses, but were always outbid. On Monday, we put an offer on a house in Herriman that we liked okay, but weren't completely sold on the neighborhood. On Tuesday, we put an offer on a house in Suncrest that we liked, but it needed some work and we weren't sure about living so high with the snow. On Wednesday, we found out that we got both of these houses!

Meanwhile, we had started to look into building a house. We always thought that building would be too expensive, but when it came down to it, it actually made a lot of sense. We had a big decision to make, and we needed to make it by Friday! To build or to buy?

We crunched the numbers, made spreadsheets, met a few times with the home builder, walked through the model and lot several times, and finally made the decision. We are going to build a house at Thanksgiving Point! My office is moving into a brand new building at Thanksgiving Point next month, and it's close to Tanya's parents and the freeway.

This is the house that we're building: (actual color may vary - depending on what we choose)

It has everything on our wish list, we get to choose exactly what colors and finishes we want throughout the entire house, and we played hardball to get a great deal on it. Yesterday we went to the design center and started choosing everything. It will take about five months to build, so we're already looking forward to May! As fun as it was looking for houses, it will be nice to have our nights back.

Tanksgiving.

When I woke up on Thanksgiving I couldn't stop thinking about last year. Rod went surfing, we went to the beach, and then had a great meal with new friends and an ocean view. Some tears were shed for my former life, and then I remembered the best thing about living in Utah - our families. This year we spent our first Thanksgiving with Rod's side of the family. Between Ster and Cheryl being on the East Coast and us being in Hawaii last year, it was our first Thanksgiving together! We had fantastic food (Cheryl is ah-mahzing) and had a great time. We also had a fatty nap (Rod's favorite thing in the world) in preparation for our midnight shopping. 

That night we went out to my parent's house to sleep over. Brock, Court, Rod, and I headed out in hopes of finding a cheap flatscreen TV. We went to Walmart first because the deals started at 10. We got there late and there was already some crazy stuff going down. People pushing and shoving for children's toys. We couldn't see any TVs, and we knew the real deal was at Target, so we decided to abandon our Walmart pursuits and head over there. 

When we got there the line looked like this:

And the store wasn't opening for an hour! 

We were pretty sure that we would not be getting a screaming deal on a TV, but we decided to stick it out anyway. It wasn't too cold and we were having fun talking to the people around us (you really start to bond standing in line together). 

As midnight approached, some not so sneaky people were trying to get into the line. My brothers (half joking/half dead seriously) started telling these line-cutters to go to the end of the line. Apparently that made the 40 something moms behind us upset. They started telling us that we were terrible people and that we should try having some Thanksgiving spirit. I ignored them and told my brothers to stay out of it. These ladies would not stop heckling us! When the first lucky customer came out with her TV, the meanie mom (as we will now refer to her) started telling the guys that they weren't gentlemen because they didn't rush over to help her! That's when I told her to shut up. I lost it. She was a bully!

We finally got inside the store and thought we could escape her bullying once and for all. 10 seconds later she found us and started chasing us with her cart. She was literally ramming Rod's ankles with her cart! She then says to us: "I bet you guys aren't even married!" We informed her that we were and she replied "well that's too bad your husband doesn't own a razor!" Whaaaaat? We were so annoyed and confused.  She then said "I hope you don't have kids!" We said we didn't and she said "Well I have 5!" Rod said he was sorry for her kids ha ha. She was crazy. Her friend then ran up to us crying and said "You have no idea what she is going through!" That does not give her the right to bully us! Then just when we were on our way home she shouts across the entire store "Don't beat your wife when you get the in car!" We didn't even turn around. I have never been so livid in my life. The whole way home I couldn't even figure out what just happend. We were all shocked. Not to mention we went home empty handed. Moral of the story: Black Friday is evil. I'm so over it and I will NEVER go again. No deal is worth that! 

Besides all of that we had a great long weekend. We saw movies, played games with family, and hung out with friends. As we speak, we are listening to Christmas music (A Very She & Him Christmas is my favorite this year) and Rod is setting up our Christmas tree! 

He's pretty darls. . . Even when he's frustrated. 

House Hunters

The time has come - we are ready to buy a house!

We've been perusing online for about 6 months to see what's out there. We've watched hundreds (literally) of episodes of "House Hunters," taking mental notes about what to look for, what gives a house value, and what our priorities are. In August, we started driving to a different area every weekend to get a feel for where we might like to lay down roots. In September, we started going out with our realtor (Tanya's Uncle) to look at houses.

The Good: it's a great time to buy, interest rates are rock bottom (supposedly even lower than during the great depression), and there are a ton of houses out there for a really good deal.

The Bad: because it's a great time to buy, it's so competitive! It seems like every house we are interested in already has multiple offers on it. Almost everything out there is a short sale, and many of them are not in great condition. Short-sale sellers aren't as motivated as they would be if it were a regular sale, and it can take a REALLY long time to go through.

Our Wish List: a master suite with large bathroom, lots of windows, a nice yard, a feeling of space (not being too cramped around neighbors), views, wood floors (these are hard to come by), 2 stories, room to put a dance studio in the basement, a gas fireplace, a porch, room to grow. We may not get all of these things, but there are some things we won't compromise on.

We have narrowed our search a lot and now know that we really like the Suncrest area of Draper (up on the mountain), Herriman, and Riverton. The first house we put an offer on was in Suncrest. It was a modest home with amazing mountain and valley views, but needed a lot of work. We were immediately outbid. We put an offer on a 2nd home in Suncrest, and it is at the bank right now. We also put an offer on an amazing home in Herriman this week, but we don't think we will get it. It's pretty much our dream home but it had at least 7 offers on it when we put one in!

We could be homeowners in a month, or it may take another 6. Whatever happens is meant to be. In the meantime, it's pretty much a big, crazy game of gambling and waiting!

No pictures yet - it's too soon - but we'll update if anything happens. Wish us luck!

My Only Offer

We went to the Mates of State Concert last night. It was our first time seeing them - loved it! Their music is fun and I love that they are a couple. . so cute. Small venue made it even better! Cheers to a great night with friends.

5 Years

This month marks the 5 year anniversary of my Mom surviving breast cancer. They say once you reach 5 years you are "cured," so it is a pretty remarkable milestone. I love my mom and I am so glad she was a fighter. We threw her a little party to celebrate. Congrats mommy!

In other news, Rod and I are having a lot of fun shopping for houses. We don't know exactly how soon we will buy. Could be soon, could be in 6 months. All I know is that it makes me really excited! We were planning on waiting a little longer, but the interest rates are just ridiculous right now. Even if we don't have any furniture, we'll have have a cute little house (and hopefully a cute little dog!)

We both love our jobs. It's so nice to make money doing what we love. I recently (slightly against my will) started coaching the girl's basketball team. The girls are sweet, so I've ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

Today's snow made it feel like Christmas. I have to admit I'm a little excited. I want to start Christmas shopping - especially at the new stores that opened so close to us. I refuse to wait in line to give a store money though, so we won't be visiting H&M for a little while.