December 2011

Lots has been happening around here! 

Another semester is in the books!! And it went pretty well for both Brad and I! There may have been some A's and class high scores mixed in there somewhere :) 

We had a blast a few weeks ago when a bunch of our friends drove down from Logan to go to Brad's game.  Jordan, Megan and I went shopping before the game and then we all went out to dinner after.  Very fun and we are so grateful for such fun friends!

 In between all the basketball games and things, we have been busy in the kitchen.  With cookies of course, but also with one of Brad and I's favorite meals- Risotto! It is quickly becoming our specialty as we are getting quite good at it.  Dare I say we've mastered it?? This one was a sun-dried tomato basil risotto with a herb-crusted, pan seared Halibut.  Haha. Doesn't everyone have that for dinner? I like to cook :)

uh- yum!

We went to Seattle! Well technically Bellevue, which we absolutely love! It was so much fun to be with Charley, Meri and Mel! Continuously munching on cookies (why do I not have a picture of this), went to Mel's games (yes she plays both JV AND Varsity-woo woo!), went to visit Cam and Erin & their 3 boys who are adorable, I went on a trail run with Charley which was really awesome and fun! (and by fun I mean the thinking your heart might beat out of your chest kind of fun- I loved it!), ate to our stomach's content at a Brazilian steakhouse, had early Christmas presents, and relaxed!  What a fun trip!

I know it is hard to see but that is really Brad and Charley in the Smartcar.  It can be done people!

Pike's Place! We love it!! Cioppino, lots of samples, smoked salmon, the cheese factory, farmer's market, all the yummy, yummy fruit! Who doesn't love Pike's place??

French Pastry Shop on the Pier

And sadly, we missed Jeff, Shaina, Jay and Rose by one day!! Dang it!! We came home to have Christmas with the Schaaps! This includes my favorite: Christmas Eve Sushi Night!!! I absolutely love this tradition we've had in my family for MANY years.  I love rolling sushi, and I try to pick up a few new tricks every year.  This year was a complete success! And I'm a little worried that the student might become the master! Brad tried rolling one and was a pro! He's so Japanese- I'm so proud!

 And on to Christmas day!
We were able to talk to Robbie on the phone for an hour and it was sooooo much fun to hear his voice! We had both Grandparents there to say hi and he just sounded so happy to hear our voices.  It is getting to that point in his mission where we are just ready for him to come home!! 6 more months! We can make it!

We went to church to hear my mom play flawlessly in the choir program.  What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas by listening to Beautiful Christmas music in the Lord's house.

The very familiar Charlie Brown Christmas Shirt.  If any of you have seen Brad in this month of December, he was most likely wearing this shirt. Haha gotta love it.

 For any of you who know my dad, you know the DeWalt shirt.  Haha. Brad and I thought we would be SOOOO funny and make him his own for Christmas.  We designed and ordered this shirt a few months ago and have been bursting at the seams for him to open it.  It is Hilarious!!! On the Front: StEVE on the back: GUARANTEED TOUGH.

So Funny! We were all laughing SO hard when he opened it.  The best part about it is that he looks totally normal wearing it because we are so used to him wearing the similar dewalt shirt. Hilarious. What is with our family and wearing shirts a lot? haha

We had a wonderful Christmas and are still enjoying our break! Hope everyone had a great Holiday!!  

Lyssa's Wedding and Christmas Time!

 Well the day finally came that these two got married.  Alyssa and I have been good friends for a while and also wrote missionaries at the same time.  It's our sad little bonding saga.  Haha.  Just kidding.  Lys and I were roommates at Utah State and she's one of my very best friends! Let's just say that through it all- her and Jake have been a long time coming.  They were married in the Draper Temple on December 3 and it was a beautiful day!!

Mr. and Mrs. Poulson

(stole this off Felicia's facebook- thanks!)

Keep in mind it was FREEZING this day. Oh. my it was cold. She's in short sleeves!

 Congrats Lys!! It was also really fun to see a bunch of friends we haven't seen for a while! Wedding receptions are great for that reason! 

Also....
Brad and I got our first Christmas Tree!! Woohoo!! We found this cute little guy and knew it was perfect :) Nothing better than the smell of that tree when you walk in your house!
(Cough, Cough BLAKELY!) haha 

 And tada! Now it feels like the Christmas season :)

 AND (this is a post with a lot of great things in it) 

AND we got to go to the First Presidency Devotional last weekend! We were lucky enough to get the invite from our great friends (Curtis & Lindsey and Tim & Tim's date Ali) who we never get to see anymore! So we were very excited to go!

 And yes, Brad and I were freezing so we came all bundled up!

 So much fun! We had a blast!

Sidenote- Brad and I came to the First Presidency Devotional 4 YEARS AGO!! Crazy.  We were not dating then, but I think we both wanted to be :) Here's some throwback pics for the fun of it... 

Haha this picture sums it up- Crazy-eyed Matt and Tai in the background!

How young do we (by we I mean Brad) look? Haha this in 2007, if we only knew...

Now B & I are 5 finals and 3 days away from Christmas break :) Bring it on!

Thanksgiving!

Aw Thanksgiving... A Holiday that our nation can agree on.  Finally! We can still call it Thanksgiving and not some politically correct version (i.e. Spring Spheres instead of Easter Eggs) 

 In a extremely short line or two, I'm unbelievably grateful for all that I've been blessed with. First, and most importantly my husband who is my biggest blessing ever. I love him with all that I have.  My family is wonderful.  I'm grateful for my education, my knowledge I've acquired, and for all the small things that make big differences.  I'm grateful we have a Holiday to be grateful!

And as for the turkey side of it, Thanksgiving around the Schaap house is no joke.  We break out the smoker for the turkey, have a pie contest, and all end up in a turkey coma.  And as good as the meal (and the leftover turkey sandwiches) is, the prep and the quality family time are the best part.  I love the time in the kitchen with my family! Yes, cooking is my favorite hobby, but I love the funny interaction that we have while we are in the kitchen.  There always tends to be funny, irrelevant arguments happening while 20 things are going on.  Makes me laugh! And poor Brad has been thrust into the middle of it! However, I think he likes it :) 

Here's some pictures! 

These little beauties went in my (prize winning) pecan pie!

Brad was taking action shots of all the pies.

And when he wasn't taking pics, he was doing some artwork....

Apple!!

Lemon Meringue- Gpa's favorite

Brad's Beautiful Sour Cream Blueberry Crumble Pie

Yummy....

That's a winner.

Smoked

Roasted

Because everyone needs two turkeys right?

The Lineup.  Mom entered a Banana Cream in there too. As did Costco with a pumpkin.

Thanksgiving was really quite relaxing, amongst all the kitchen chaos.  I loved it and had a great time.  Just missed my little brother! 

 

And Bonus- Brad had a double header that weekend too! 

You tell em B!

Ok, so I'm no sports photographer, but I love to watch him play and love going to games! Great weekend overall!

Now back to studying... Dang it!