We are still Alive

I would just like to start off by saying The Lynes family is STILL ALIVE!
I can't even remember the last time I posted, but I'm sure it was eons ago! With finals and Christmas break, life has been pretty hectic for us, so I'll try to catch you up to speed.

We survived finals, and might I say that it was SO NICE not having to worry about clean checks and moving out simultaneously.  I love being married! We left for Iowa as soon as we could escape, and boy did it take forever to get there! 18 hours in one day is ROUGH.  I think Jack and I were about to lose our minds by the time we got to Andy's parents' house.
Christmas was good to us, this year!
I got a new phone (the iPhone thank you very much) from my parents, a new hair dryer WITH a diffuser attachment (that has already gone missing) and a hot glue gun from Andy (I asked for one...CRAFTS!), and some clothes from the Iowa parents, which were MUCH needed (my shopping income has disappeared since getting married, but the sacrifice is worth it).
Andy got a home tool set from me, the entire Harry Potter trilogy on Bluray from my parents, and some wonderful clothes from his.
As far as joint gifts (which come once you get married...woohoo!), we got a Bluray player, a popcorn popper (Andy is a popcorn-eating monster), Mario Kart, and a new Scrabble game. We scored big time!

We had to come back to Idaho the day after Christmas (not fun) so that we could do AFY Winter.  It's a 3 day youth camp that Andy is the director of.  The youth stay at Badger Creek, which is the school's wilderness retreat at the foot of the Grand Teton Mountains (a.k.a. BEAUTIFUL).  We got the lucky task of being the chefs. Yikes. Needless to say, we got little sleep, but it was a very rewarding experience! And we got to go snowboarding for free. How can you pass that up?
Jack was going to stay at a kennel service, but apparently a dog has to have a special vaccine to stay there, which we did not know about until it was too late! So naturally, he got to come.  I think our dog was born to be in the snow.  HE LOVES THE SNOW!! He was jumping around in it like a mad man, which is saying something considering it was up to his shoulders.

After coming home, we have been recuperating until the semester starts on Wednesday. Last night we stayed home to start our Harry Potter marathon, and fell asleep in the living room before we could even see the new year chime in.  Are we getting old or something??

Life is wonderful.  I'm so excited to see what the year 2012 has to offer for our little family of 3.

CRAFT TIME!
My latest DIY projects have been fun! I made some homemade dog treats for Jack, and he LOVED them! The only problem was they got moldy pretty fast.  So, I'm thinking next time I'll make fewer and keep them refrigerated.
I also tried to make these S'more Cookies. They were okay, but they do NOT look like the picture.  At least mine didn't!

The next big project I have is to liven up our living room. It's cute, but very brown and green.  Our kitchen table is very round and simple.  The chairs are white, so I want to paint it.....TEAL!! I think it would really pop! I'm also planning on making some bright wall art for our very bare wall.  I'm thinking maybe something like this or this. Either way, it will hopefully look good! I'll keep you posted!