Strut Your Stuff

Yesterday, I got a phone call from a lovely lady in our ward that went something like this:

Ann: "Stephanie, are you pregnant, I know that someone in the ward is?"
Me: "No, I'm not...?"
Ann: "Are you available tonight?"
Me: "Yes....?"
Ann: "Would you like to model jeans in a fashion show?"
Me: "Sure!"

Can you tell which one is me? I made my way to the Sun Coast hotel to meet the designers. Apparently, 4 of the 8 models that they hired bailed last minute and they needed girls to fill in that were size 5- 7, which I'm not. After meeting the designer he started throwing jeans from their new line at me. Alas every pair was too big. For the first time in my life I had a designer tell me I was too little and he wanted me to go to In and Out and eat 2 double cheese burgers. He finally decided to put me in a "not so blinged out pair" You could tell these were hot off the press sample jeans. They had yet to put a top button in and had used them as a scrap piece of paper with the note 3 pizzas written on the inside of my bum, but they were glorious!

Kylee (one of the YW in our ward) and I had a lot of fun! The best part however was getting two free pairs of jeans, one of them being the ones I modeled, part of their new line. I would have been happy to keep the ones without a button but they said they'd get me another pair. I'm super excited! No, this does not solve my ever evolving jean problem under my bed, but I'm sure I can find a home for them!

Dear Kayla, We Love You!

Back on his mission, Jakob bought a maple leaf belt buckle. The belt since then has fallen apart. We tried to find several replacement belts but the buckle was always too narrow. So the hunt was on for a replacement buckle. Obviously I wouldn't find one here in the States so I turned to the internet for some answers. You can find anything on there right? WRONG! Not one site on the internet sold plain metal buckles with a maple leaf. Needless to say, Jakob was disappointed. That is when I called up my good friend Kayla (whom lives in Canada & is a welder) and asked her if she could do it for me, as if she has nothing better to do with her crazy schedule! I think she did a fabulous job!!! Would you believe it's her first buckle ever? Jakob absolutely loves it! Thank you Kayla!!! You are the best!!!

It's Not Just A Blog...

What is that you ask? It's my very own blog book!! As most can tell I post more often than the average blogger (usually 2-3 times a week.) For me, blogging isn't just so people who are far away can keep up with the random adventures that take place in my life, it's my journal. Once upon a time, I used to write in a journal every day. I did this for 5 years until I started blogging. I find blogging to be much easier than writing plus I find I take more pictures this way and all I have to do is upload and, at times, edit them. The only thing I didn't like was it was all on the computer and I didn't have a hard copy. While looking through The Cutest Blog On The Block I discovered I could print out my blog! Problem solved!!! I Printed off 2009 and will be printing off 2010 next month. You can choose between hard or soft cover, write a dedication, customize your layout and preview the whole thing before you order. It was so simple and I absolutely love my book!

S is for Snow

Pictures like these are the reason I love Las Vegas. At this very moment it is 65F in our apartment and I am wrapped up in a blanket with the space heater aimed at my toes. I am as some would say, a lizard. Don't get me wrong I love the snow, it's the cold I do not like. My Father is 5' 11", which makes this hill a good 6 feet tall. Yes, that is a lot of snow for Canada. My home town of St. Albert has had an unusually warm winter; hence all of the powder. You can tell it's going to be a warm day when nice fluffy flakes fall outside, the colder it is the less snow. Weird, I know.

Granted, the previous picture was a snow bank so here is some untouched snow on the back deck. It has almost filled it entirely! It's so pretty but I'm thankful to be on this side of the pictures.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
John Ruskin

Desert Shopping

While on my way to Mom and Dad Toblers; I noticed something on the side of the curb that looked as though it had some potential. Now I admit I love desert shopping as much as the next gal, but I also try to retain some form of dignity by not shopping in broad daylight while the owners are still standing in their driveway. Once it was dark Mom Tobler and I went to get a closer look. They had 4 CD racks in perfectly good condition. When I saw them however my thoughts immediately went to shoes. I simply couldn't control myself. I grabbed 2 and placed them in Jakob's Lumina.

After a month of not being able to get into our laundry room I finally chopped the rack in half and put them together. Is it the fanciest? No. Is it stable? Yes. Does it hold all of my shoes? No, but I don't think that will ever be possible. Is it better than what I had before? YES! We can finally move about our laundry room without having to move the previous shoe rack. I'm very pleased with the end result and even more pleased with the price: FREE!

*Bang, Bang*

The other day Jakob asked if I wanted to go shooting. I have been putting off learning how to shoot his gun for awhile now. I figure man time is man time and they don't need a clueless female ruining their fun, plus I don't like loud noises. This time however it was only going to be Jakob, Bill and I; begrudgingly I agreed. If we're going to have a gun in the house I had better know how to use it! As we were pulling up Bill asked me if I was excited and I said "Well the Patriotism isn't overflowing within me if that's what you mean." My heart was beating a mile a minute, I was so nervous! My idea of fun did not involve lethal weapons. Did you catch how I said "did"?

I came to find that I really like shooting. I'm not good by any stretch of the imagination but once I got over my nerves I had a good time. The shotgun scared me half to death but with time I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I loved shooting hand guns, not in the same way Jakob does after all he could spend the entire afternoon shooting in the desert. His Sig was a little heavy for me, but I really liked it. Dad Toblers 22 was my favorite however, just the right size. In the very distant future I'd like to get the Sig Mosquito. I had a really good time and am looking forward to going back and practicing.

A Crowd for "Christmas"

With crazy work schedules across the board the Tobler family decided to defer the "Christmas" gathering till after New Years. We headed down south to Florida and stayed with Jakob's eldest brother Chad and his darling family. We had such a wonderful time filled with precious memories.

I must say that I simply adore this picture of Violet! It just shouts Anne Geddes to me. Simply darling!

Is there anything so simple, unique and stunning as a snowflake? I think not. Snowflakes fascinate me, not the ones made out of paper, but the frosted one-of-a-kind fluffy snowflakes that cascade down outside. Each one unique from the others. This little girl has energy and even though it didn't feel like winter outside it was nice to create some "Mommy, Daddy & Baby" snowflakes during quiet time.

Charlie is the newest member of Dad Toblers band! Watch out America, Charlie Tobler is soon to be the new Jason Mraz (or whom ever you listen too).

This little princess also doesn't like to have her hair done... unless you trick her that is. Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeff got her a princess crown and earrings to match her princess shoes, excellent opportunity to pretty up her hair. After she paraded around showing everybody how adorable she is, grandma caught her standing on the changing table looking at herself in the mirror. So precious!

Let me start off by saying I love the beach! The ocean freaks me out but there's nothing more relaxing than hearing the ocean waves ripple and roll up the beach.

How can that get any better you wonder? Toss in people you love, laughter, a camera, and a couple of kites you'll have yourself a masterpiece.

Exhibit A: Love, Laughter and camera with a hint of craziness.

Jakob's and my kite skills are a little rusty lousy. After stealing Dad Tobler's already flying kite I promptly crashed it into the ocean. The definition of skills: n. Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience. I seriously lacked the experience. How hard could it be?!

What a handsome fellow! We just love Charlie! He's such a good helper, gentle, honest and cute too!

Baby Lucia, the lone baby on the beach. Yes, we know she's adorable!

Exhibit B: A Family with a Firm Foundation

The one morning that I "worked out." I've decided that working out is by far going to be the hardest thing for me to start doing! The thought of physical exertion is simply exhausting to even think about let alone get done! I simply NEED a work out partner and no you're partner in life does not count (well mine at least.) Janet would be a perfect work out partner... now all I need to do is move to Boston. No big deal... right?

Chad and Janet took us on a kayak trip with the full potential of danger. Allow me to explain my fear of the ocean: Big animals + little me + dark water = fear. A river chalk full of alligators, manatees and little fish ranks high on my list of scary things. But as Jakob's sister-in-law Amy says "sometimes you've got to put on your big girl panties," so onto the river at dusk we went. I had mixed emotions but it was loads of fun (even though Jakob and I fought about steering the boat the whole time)!! In the end we saw a ton of fish and a mighty large turtle (no alligators *phew*). As cool as it would have been to see some "wild life" I'm almost certain I would have had a heart attack!

We had such a wonderful time bonding with our nieces and nephew. We love them dearly! Thank you so much to Chad and Janet for welcoming us into you're home! Getting together with the Tobler Clan is always an adventure filled with joy and laughter! We are anxiously awaiting the next get together. We Love You All!! Thank you to all who have made our holidays special!

Imagine

One day for no reason at all Jakob sat down at his horribly ugly but fully functional desk and started drawing. Boy, my man (sorry Stefani I couldn't resist) can paint!

Of the three he's done this one is his favorite. He's getting all fired up for his website Studio Stew which he's still creating. I'm sure once we find a place to make copies for a good price he'll be up and running!

We have yet to name her but I think she's stunning. I can't wait to see what his next one will be! He's almost got Robert Best's style down so he'll be creating his own soon enough. I've already found pictures of gowns I want him to create. It'll be really hard to sell the originals if we ever get to that point. I want to keep them all!

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

No Kidding! I'm so thrilled I can't even explain! This is what I woke up to this morning...(well after Stu called to tell me to look out our window.) For a second I almost thought I was back home in Canada! I've been rather homesick lately and this was just perfect taste of home I needed. I was hoping for a white Christmas but hey, I'll take what I can get but the best part is... it's still not -40F. Beautiful.

New Years Resolution

I believe that an unwritten goal is nothing more than a dream, so for the first time in my life, I'm going to write down my resolutions. Plus then I have you, my readers, to hold me accountable. I'm not going to write down anything crazy like work out everyday because I know that just simply will not happen! A goal should be realistic and achievable. With that in mind here are my top 10 goals for 2011!

1. Nothing less than a B in my school work. This is totally realistic! I have officially registered for the spring term at our community college. I'm going to be studying business, yes I realize that is not dental hygiene. As for an explanation... I'll simply say business will be the better choice. :)
2. To work out 3 times a week. Working out is really hard for me. I simply have no motivation other than a heart that feels as though it's going to explode after climbing the stairs. I want to be healthy...
3. Which brings me to my next resolution. Not eat as much junk food ie. candy and soda. Unfortunately I'm a sucker for both!!! I'm not exactly sure how to measure this one?? Perhaps allow myself to indulge once a month? I think this will be more of a mental transition.. "Just say no to the candy jar!"
4. Keep a clean and organized house! This one is all about forming habits. Putting dishes in the dishwasher, putting clothes away at the end of the day, folding the laundry right after it's finished. I'm almost positive this will be the hardest one by far!!!
5. Magnify my calling. Being a primary chorister is hard (not as hard as Nursury leader but still) being a fun-choister-who-has -pictures-all-together-with-fun games-included is even harder. My goal not to simply be there with the little ones singing along but to teach, lead and feel the spirit. No big deal right?
6. Enjoy the small and simple things. Too often I get caught up in life's hustle and bustle that I don't take time out to enjoy life's little moments with my husband.
7. Scrapbook my wedding. I love card making but scrapbooking is really hard for me to do. I always worry that it won't be good enough or it'll be out of style in 10 years. This year my goal is to fall in love with scrapbooking!
8. Watch where I spend my money. Yes I am thrifty, but $1 here and $10 there adds up even if it is a steal of a deal. My goal is to budget and learn how to do the finances. Let's be serious the first time I wrote a check was 7 months ago! I'm pathetic!
9. Learn to cook. Having the schedule that Jakob and I do makes it really hard to have "family dinner". As most know I don't really like to cook. Baking I love but cooking not so much. This year I'd like to cook and have one "family dinner" a week. This one is going to be hard but I'll try my best!!
10. Sew 5 dresses this year. This will be fun!!

There you have it. my top 10 for 2011. I can't believe 2011 is here already!! This year has simply FLOWN by! I'm excited for 2011 however. As it's been said before "What an exciting year to be a Tobler!" Happy New Year to all! May it be filled with sunny days, precious moments and wild adventures!