R & R

I enjoyed some much needed (and much appreciated) Rest and Relaxation this past weekend with a quick jaunt to Sin City with my good friend Simone. Simone and I used to travel together a lot before we both got married, so it was fun to enjoy a girl's weekend away (just like we used to do back in our single days :)

We did a lot of walking, a lot of shopping (new jeans for me and some Valentine's Day presents for the kids :) Oh, and A LOT of

eating. Too bad THAT part of my Vegas trip doesn't stay in Vegas! (Heaven knows I don't need those extra calories--but the Tiramisu from Maggiano's was worth it!)

Thanks Simone for suggesting the trip (and for being such a good friend :)

Sundance Swag

Just wanted to show off some of the "swag" I got from the Sundance Film Festival tonight. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to be a volunteer at the Film Festival this year (ya know, in all my free time :)

Anyway, its been awhile since I've volunteered anywhere (OK, the last time I was a volunteer, it was for when the Olympics came to town. In 2002. Tehani was one.) I've actually volunteered for the Film Festival in the past so I realized that this might be just the gig for me. I mean, I'm definitely not ready to get into a "long term" volunteer relationship right now. The Film Festival only last 10 days. I can handle that kind of commitment, right?

I'll let you know how my new "relationship" works out (oh, and if I see any cool films :)

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Happy Anniversary

So my parents celebrated an anniversary this week. Being married myself, I've become more and more impressed with the great marriage that my parents have. They should be on Dr. Phil or something--either that or at least write a tell-all book sharing the secrets to a happy marriage...

Anyway, in honor of their 41 years together (and no, that number is not a typo) I wanted to share with you some of my fondest memories of their marriage:

I can say in all of my years in living at home, I never ONCE saw my parents fight (For all I know, they fight like cats and dogs now but as a child, I never once had that thought that my parents didn't love each other :)

I never heard either parent under cut or undermine the other. Don't worry, I still followed the #1 rule of being a kid and made sure to go ask my Dad after my mom said no (It was pointless, since he always backed her up. But I asked anyway.)

My Dad always remembered my parents anniversary. And my mom always got red roses. I'm sure at one point in time she got just a dozen (you know, like normal people do) but she has now worked her way up to two dozen. I guess after you've been married for anything over 20 years, you deserve more flowers....

I am pretty sure my mom has every card that my father has ever given her (No she is not a hoarder, just sentimental I suppose/hope)

Right before I left for college, my Dad used to try and gross me out by kissing my mom in front of me and saying loud enough for me to hear, "Slip me the tongue, honey!" I'm sure the two of them thought they were being so funny. I pretend that I was disgusted but I actually thought it was the cutest thing in the world)

Anyway, here's wishing you guys a Happy (belated) Anniversary. Here's wishing you forty more years of happiness (and slipping each other the tongue!!)

2010: A Year In Review

I can't believe another year has flown by! (Exactly WHERE does all the time go?) And since there are only a few hours left of 2010, I wanted to take a minute to post about the top stories from the year. No, these aren't the "news stories." These are the REAL stories--things that have been important and made a difference over the past 364 days...

EMBA--Can I tell you how glad I will be when I put on a cap and gown in eight months? There are times that I have felt a bit overwhelmed, but I don't regret the decision that I've made to go back to school. I've learned a ton and as hard as this may be to believe, I know that this is making me a better person. This was definitely the right time to go back to school.

Extreme Makeover: Family Room Edition--No Ty Pennington did not come to visit, but our TV room finally received a long-overdue makeover this past summer (thanks to my mom for taking the kids on a cross-country road trip so I could paint without my two little helpers) And while it might see silly to include "redecorating" on the Tevaga Top 2010 list, we've spent a lot more time together in this room as a family now that it has been redone. So more family bonding time = my new TV room makes the list :)

My Dad's Retirement--I never thought my dad would ever actually retire, but it was just a few months ago that my dad made the decision to hang up his white hardhat for good. And although his resignation involved the words "take this job" and "shove it," I'm very proud of my father and his long career (If you live in the Chicagoland area, I can GUARANTEE there is not a day that goes by that you don't drive on a road that was built by my Daddy :) Anyway, the reason I'm including this on the list is because we managed to pull off a surprise party at the Bolder Ridge Country Club for my dear old Dad. In general, I know these parties don't usually turn out as surprises. But he was surprised (I have photo proof :)Spending time with my family--Norm and the kids and I were able to take a couple of trips to Chicago this year. And Cynthia and her family came out for a long-overdue visit. Add in the fact that my mother flies (or drives) over for random visits anytime she wants and you have Family Bonding Overload (aka FAMILY BONDAGE :) Seriously though, I'm glad that even though we live far away from my family, we're able to spend as much time with them as we do.
Gettin' Schooled--The kids also started a new school this year. I was a little traumatized when I learned that the private school they had attended for the past four years was closing down (you'd be traumatized too--school was scheduled to start in something like four days!) Anyways, they've both adjusted just fine to a classroom that has more then 10 kids in it :) They've both made new friends and I haven't received any calls from the Principal's office--LIFE IS GOOD!
(Oh, and they are actually learning things too--so LIFE IS REALLY GOOD :)
Well, that's about it. What's in store for 2011? Heaven only knows. But I do know one thing, my goal for 2011 is to have fun and to make sure I get all of the important things done on my "To Do List"...
Which means spending more time with the people I love!!

Happy New Year. I hope the next year is even better than the last :)

A Visit From The Cheeseheads

Yes, Cynthia was born and raised in Chicago but I've discovered that it doesn't take long to turn someone into a cheesehead...

We're glad that Cynthia, Ken and Charlotte got to spend some time with us for the Christmas holiday. I figured that the kids would get tired of having a two-year old in tow but they loved, Loved, LOVED spending time with her (Our poor cat, not so much-Neko spent a lot of time over those nine days hiding out in the basement from a feline-obsessed toddler.)

Kobe says that his favorite memory is being slapped and bitten by Charlotte. (And lest my sister thinks I am making this up, I just asked Kobe and that is all he could come up with--apparently he is a glutton for punishment :) Tehani said she was glad that Charlotte was here for Christmas.

And I say that I am glad my kids aren't two any more...

Even with all of the craziness, the visit was too short--and way too much fun! Thanks for coming to play in the Utah snow with us. We miss you guys already :)