A Little About Gretchen

1.) What I was doing 10 years ago: December 1997

I was 12 years old...so I was in 7th grade...which lets face it, it was kinda an awkward phase for everyone. I remember 2 of my best friends started hanging out with a "naughty" crowd, so it was a big transitional phase where I was trying to find myself and true friends. I was also getting ready for Christmas.

2.) Five Years Ago: December 2002

It was my senior year at PHS! I was just getting back together with Larry for the 2nd time. It was a fun and very restless time because I was trying to decide where I was going to go for college. Part of me wanted to stay with friends and go to southern Cali, but a bigger part of me wanted to go to BYU....because that had been my dream ever since I can remember. I’m so thankful that I chose BYU....otherwise I would not have met my Jake.

3.) 1 Year Ago: December 2006

It was my first Christmas with Jake as a married couple. We flew to Paradise for Christmas and Boise for New Years.

4.) Yesterday:

Going to 1 of my 3 classes that day....ooops =) The semester is basically over and I had studying for finals to do.

5.) 5 Snacks I enjoy:

Wheat Thins with string cheese
Fruit snacks
Any candy
Ice Cream
A smoothie

6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 Million:

Buy Jake a really nice car, buy an SUV for the snow, purchase 3 beautiful homes...1 on the beach, 1 in the mountains, and 1 in some quaint and peaceful suburb. Put money away as college funds for our 4 children, invest, donate money to charity, and put Jake through medical school and purchase him a private practice.

7.) 5 Locations I would run away to:

Hawaii
Italy
Paris
Sunriver
Lake Tahoe

8.) 5 Bad Habits I have:

Checking Facebook everyday
Picking my nails
Not going to the gym
Not keeping in touch with old friends
Not reading my textbooks

9.) 5 Things I like doing:

Snuggling with my hubby
Dancing
Watching movies
Watching my favorite TV shows
Shopping

10.) 5 TV Shows I like:

Moonlight
House
Dancing with the Stars/So You Think You Can Dance
Bones
Extreme Home Makeover

11.) 5 Things I hate doing:

Dishes
Brushing and blow-drying my hair when its wet
Cleaning the tub
Homework
Finding a job

12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment:

Jake
Getting ready for Christmas!
Coming home from work/school
Eating
Spending time with family and friends

My Firsts

First Friend: My first friend would have to be Ashley Manwill. We met in Sunbeams in primary...which means we were about 3 years old. We have remained close friends ever since....We lived together for 3 years at college and she was one of my bridesmaids in my wedding. She has been such a good example to be throughout my life, I love that girl! (She's the one in purple.)

First Time to Disneyland: Hmmm...I have been to Disneyland probably like 6 times. My first time I can’t even remember because I was about 4 years old. But I do remember how much I loved it, especially when I got stuffed animals. My favorite rides would have to be Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and most recently Indiana Jones.

First Memorable Gift: I was 5 years old and it was Christmas time and I was walking through a department store with my mom. We came across this beautiful teddy bear that was so soft and cuddly...and my mom bought it for me. During the car ride home I remember holding it and naming him Gummy Bear, because he was soft and sweet just like the candy. I slept with Gummy until I reached college age...He still sits on my bed as decoration =)

First Time Wearing Makeup: Well...I started dance lessons when I was 3yrs and had to wear makeup for our annual performances. In high school I wore blush and lip gloss...it wasn’t until college that I started wearing foundation and the whole works.

First Birthday Party: My parents always had wonderful birthday parties for me. The first one I remember I had like 5 friends who came over for a sleep-over and breakfast party. We had abblesceivers and eggs...yum!!

First Car: The first car I drove was a Chevorlet van (aka the shag’n wagon, hahaha) My guy friends named it that because it had a tv and a backseat that lowered down flat like a bed, haha. The second car I drove was my mom’s Ford Explorer. But the first car that was actually mine was my beautiful little Acura Integra. My parents bought it for me my junior year. I had it for a good 6 years but sold it this past April to help pay for my fabulous Toyota Camry!

First Job: My first job was working for my dad in the summers at his office. I would do filing and help change out his old folders to the new system they were implementing. My first non-summer job was for the MTC Dining Services. Jake and I started working there together Fall of 2003. That was fun being able to see my friends who were there training for their missions.
First Car Accident: I have been in a couple of fender benders, but nothing serious (knock on wood)

First Concert: I went to a Brad Paisley concert with my parents and lil bro.

First College Roommate: Serena Dickenson! We were roommates from summer of 2003 until winter of 2004. I loved being her roomy. (She on the far left in this pic)

First Airplane Ride Alone: Flying to EFY in Provo when I was 15 years old.

First Time I Met Jake: I was in line at Jamba Juice in the Wilkenson Center of BYU when this cute boy behind me spoke to me (aka Jake)... "Can I ask you a question" He said, "sure" I replied. He then asked me a question I had never heard before "Does your toe ring hurt?" I told him I could hardly feel it. We talked for a while and he asked if I could sit down and talk for a while. We talked for about an hour and he asked for my number. Let’s just say I am soooo glad I wore a toe ring that day!

First Kiss with Jake: We were watching a movie....The Ring I believe....in the clubhouse of Glenwood. The movie ended and we were snuggling on the couch. He went in to kiss me and I moved my head (I was scared! He was an RM and I was a little freshman) He then said "I won’t kiss you if you don’t want me to"....I really did want him to, so I told him, and then he kissed me. Sparks flew and we were inseparable.

First Home with Jake: Our little 1 bedroom apartment #101 at College Park. It was perfect for newlyweds, but after a year we were ready to move on to a bigger and better place.

First Real Job: Still haven’t had one of those yet.....

First Time I Realized I Wasn't a Kid Any More: Walking out of the temple on July 7, 2006 and realizing I was married to the man of my dreams. Also...recently when I realized my college days are almost over. I can’t believe how quickly our lives pass before our eyes.

Brandon's 19th Birthday

We woke up yesterday morning and found a pleasant surprise of snow on the ground! We got about 6 inches, which was a wonderful birthday present for Jake's brother Brandon! Above is a picture I took of the beautiful snowy scene from our balcony.

Jake and I went to the Christmas Around the World dance performance yesterday afternoon. It was a wonderful performance, but it really made me sad not to be out there with them. It was the first time I watched CAW without being in it. Its one thing to watch a performance, but its another to be performing. Dance has been a part of my life for so long, its hard not to be involved in it for a semester. Anyways....Jake and I coincidently had seats right next to my friend Kathy who was on SPAC with me in 2006. It was fun to sit next to her and exchange fun memories and comments. My favorite dances would have to be the ones from the Philippines and China. The Philippino dance included tininkeling, which was really fun to see. That is when they use the long poles that they swing together and make individuals dance and jump through them...kinda like jump rope on the ground. It reminded me of my oldest brother Ronnie, when he was on a dance team that performed dances of the Philippines. I also enjoyed the Chinese dance because it was very lyrical and smooth, Jake made a comment that he thought it was ballet. It was fun to see all of my friends out there who are still in folk dance, all of them are on PAC now, which is really exciting for them.

After the performance we carefully drove home on the icy roads and Jake stopped to pick up Brandon on the way home. We then took Brandon out to dinner at Applebee's (which is right across the street from out house), and came home to finish watching the BYU vs SDSU football game, which BYU won. BYU is ranked 19th in the nation! Which is awesome!

On Monday Nov. 26th Jake and I put up our Christmas tree for Family Home Evening. We bought the tree before Thanksgiving because Kmart was having a sale! We got a very good deal because our tree is just perfect! It took a couple of nights to finally get the lights and decorations up, but it turned out to be a very lovely tree. One minor difficulty that occurred while we were attempting to put up our lights was the power went out in the neighborhood from about 7pm to 4am! Which wasn't very good seeing as how it was the coldest night of the season....it got down to the 20's that night. But thankfully we were able to keep warm. (Below are some pictures of our Christmas tree)