Happy Anniversary - 1 YEAR!!

We made it!! (haha) Travis and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary this past Sunday, December 16, 2007. He surprised me a few days before with these beautiful flowers. We have truly enjoyed our first year together and love being married. We are grateful for the time we have spent living in Sahuarita and for the chance it has given us to get to know each other better. On a personal note, I am so grateful for Travis. He is more than I could have ever asked for and I am so lucky to be his wife. He is such a gentleman and I appreciate so much the respect he gives me as a woman and his wife. He keeps me laughing and I appreciate too, as well, that he is willing to put up with me. Ü We look forward to what the future will bring and many more years together.

Mesa Arizona Temple

My two younger brothers, Cody and Bradley, were able to go through the temple last night in preparations for their missions. It was such a neat experience to have my entire family in the temple together. I am grateful for the blessings of the temple and the opportunity to have one so close.

Cody will be serving in the Florida Tallahassee mission (English)

Bradley will be serving in Chile Concepcion South mission (Spanish)

They both report to the Provo MTC on Feb 27, 2008!! GOOD LUCK!

Pictures of Baby Crew (Finally...I know!!)

Crew will be 1-month-old tomorrow! Here are some pictures finally.

Don't you just LOVE his cheeks?!?!

Crew Maxwell Mortensen

My brother Ryan and his wife Tisha welcomed a baby boy, Crew Maxwell Mortensen, on Thursday, November 22, 2007...5-1/2 weeks early!! He is doing well and is so cute with chubby cheeks. CONGRATS!!

Crew Maxwell Mortensen
Thurs, 11/22/2007
8 lbs - 13 oz
22 inches long

**I'll add pictures when I get some on my camera.

Mesa...Here We Come!!

CONGRATULATIONS TRAVIS!!! I am so proud of my husband. He is very much a gentleman and such a hard worker. He was offered a position for employment with Okland Construction and decided to accept it. He starts the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend.

So, after what seemed to be a crazy busy year in Sahuarita, we are moving to Mesa. The biggest question is...when will we have the time? Also, where are we going to live? I know these questions will have to be answered at some time, but we are excited for the change. It will be nice to be close to family and friends...and for me (Brooke) to actually know how to get where I'm going. Ü

No laughing...Halloween Pics

No...not Brooke, it's Dorothy!!

Girls from Work

Melinda, Taren, Andrea, Me

Here are just a couple of pictures from work. As most of you know, I work on a Pediatric floor. Most of our patients are babies and therefore, didn't really appreciate our efforts to dress up. But, families got a kick out of it.

Take a close look at Andrea's costume (orange suit). She is the dressed up as the man from the game, Operation. Classic!!

Happy Pumpkin Day!!

Robin & Paul (my in-laws)

Mr. Serious...

"My" pumpkin...and the 1st time I have been to a Pumpkin Patch

So fun!!

Hurry, take the picture!!

Meghan & Steven

HAPPY * HALLOWEEN

A few weekends ago, Travis and I went with part of his family to Apple Annie's Pumpkin Patch in Willcox, Arizona. It was so fun and the first time I had ever been to a pumpkin patch. Besides all the pumpkins, they had many other vegetables, yummy kettle corn and a variety of fruit preserves, honey and salsas. It was great to be able to spend time with his family. I hope to make this a tradition in our family and do it every year.

I hope that everyone has a very safe and fun Halloween. I, unfortunately, have to work tonight, but I know Travis will have fun passing out candy to the kids!

No Camera Cord...

I accidently left my camera cord at my parent's house last time we were up in Mesa. Therefore, I have nothing to post currently. I like to post with pictures and not having that cord is key in that process. Ü I will post again soon.

Carly's 1st Birthday...and an Update!!

My friend, Jamie's, cute litte girl CARLY

(on her 1st birthday...9/30/07)

Last Sunday evening, Travis and I spent some time at Johnny and Jamie Hammond's. As the picture shows above, it was their little girl, Carly's, 1st birthday. She is too cute and I just want to squeeze her when I see her. She came 7 weeks early at birth and is doing great. It was fun to watch her celebrate and we are glad we were able to be there. (check out http://johnnyandjamie.blogspot.com/ to see more cute pictures of her on her birthday)

As for an update, life stays alot the same around here. I spent this past week up until Wed night helping watch my niece Rylee. My sister-in-law, Tisha, was put on activity restrictions due to her pregnancy. Her little boy thinks he can come now...and she still has 2 more months. Very scary!! I had a lot of fun but Rylee can be a handful. Travis is hard at work hoping to complete the service station/car wash (by Nov 1) that he has been the building superintendent for since March of this year. It's crunch time and he is working VERY LONG HOURS. I don't always agree or like it, but he is a true example of someone that gets the job done regardless of what it takes. I do appreciate all his hard work and love him for his example to me.

**Just a side note - Travis may be looking to find another job in the next month or so. We won't know for probably another month at the most...but keep your ears open. If you hear of anything, let us know. He's open to anything.

Trav's 23rd Birthday!

SURPRISE!! This is the crowd Travis walked into at Claim Jumper

(He had no idea...his wife is awesome! haha)

Travis & I

Mom & Dad Fenn

Rachel & Ryan Manzo

Landon & Bri Stewart

Steven & Meghan (Trav's sister)

David & Jackie Hatch (Trav's cousin)

Jeremy (Trav's brother)

Jeremy & Nicole Sherman

I racked my brain for a while to try to figure out how to do something fun and special for Travis for his birthday. He can be an easy one to shop for sometimes, but I do struggle sometimes as well. I had pretty much figured out his presents, but wanted to do one more thing. Then came the idea to make reservations for dinner at Claim Jumper and have everyone secretly be there to surprise Travis.

Every part of it ended up working out 10 times better than I thought. His family was there and well as friends, that another friend, had recruited to be there, only letting me know a day before that they were coming. All 16 of us made quite a crowd. When we walked up to the table, Travis was totally surprised. He had no idea. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done...trying to keep it all a secret from him.

I know that Travis had a great time and really enjoyed himself. (I did too!) Thanks again to all of those that made the effort and traveled to be there. The night and surprise couldn't have been the same without you. I love you Travis and Happy Birthday!!

Trip to Utah (Sept 6-10)

Amy, Travis and I on top of the Conference Center

The inside of the magnificent Conference Center

Travis, Pres Hinckley, Me (Boy do I wish he was the real thing)

Mini "Knoxville Tennessee Mission" reunion

(these are all missionaries Travis served with)

L to R: John Hadlock, Jed Smith, Travis, Chad Parker, Kurt Hansen, Michael Dayton

Amy (hottie!) and Travis

Me and Brigham Schlappi (Too Cute!) Provo Canyon

Ryan, Steph, Cassie, Me, Travis

Brigham Schlappi (1 month old)

Drew Redd's Wedding Open House

(Trav served with him too)

Dayton, Hansen, Fenn, Redd, Smith

Sunday Lunch at the Smith's

Me and Amy

I am one word...a slacker. Either way, though, I am posting this now...so no complaints. Travis and I made a trip to Utah, September 6-10. We never imagined that the trip would be so enjoyable and so rewarding. We traveled over 490 miles in our rental car and were able to see so many people and places.

To begin with, Amy picked us up from the airport and our jaws hit the floor. Amy looked fabulous! Not that she hasn't always, but she has lost 50 pounds in the last 6 months or so...and WOW, she looked amazing!! We then spent the rest of Thursday and all day Friday with Amy. We went to dinner, shopping in Park City, up to Salt Lake City and drove around to see the nice homes in the area. We were so excited for this time to spend with Amy.

On Saturday, we made a trip to Provo to see Stephanie, Ryan and Brigham Schlappi. Brigham was born on July 27, 2007 and this was our first time getting to see him. What a cute little boy and so good too! I don't think he made a peep the whole time we were there. We enjoyed lunch with them and then headed back to Amy's to get ready for Drew Redd's wedding open house. (He is a missionary Travis served with). The open house was in Farmington, Utah and it was very nice. Travis was able to see Drew and meet up with a lot of buddies from the mission.

Later Saturday night and a majority of the day Sunday, we spent time at Jed Smith's parents home. (another missionary buddy Ü) His mom was up at midnite making us snacks and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on Sunday. Travis and his missionary buddies (along with most of the rest of us) stayed up until 5 am Sunday telling stories about the mission. The good, the bad, the spiritual...and the list could go on and on. It was so neat to have that experience and I know that all that were there benefited from it. We are so glad we were able to have this time to share...especially Travis.

Sunday night we enjoyed dinner at the Schlappi home and made a trip following, up to Provo Canyon. Neither of us had ever been there and it was so pretty. Cassie, my good friend, was in town as well and got to spend time with us Sunday too. Monday, we had lunch with Amy, got a tour of where she works and sadly, very sadly, headed home by airplane and then by car from Phoenix.

This is definitely a trip we will remember and were so glad that we took it. We loved all that we got to see and that whom we got to see.

Happy Birthday Steph!!

Happy 25th Birthday Stephanie!! You are such a wonderful friend! I hope you know how much I appreciate our friendship. I do wish we lived closer to each other, but hopefully that day will come. I will get to see you next week and I am so excited for that. Have a MOST WONDERFUL day!! I love you Steph!!

I LOVE my Travis!!

Travis deserves a lot of credit having to live with me. I can be a real beast sometimes and he just puts up with me like a champ. I know he doesn't check out our blog very often, but I want him to know how much I love him! I appreciate all that he does for me every day. Not a single day goes by when he doesn't serve me...even after he has had a long day at work. He treats me like gold and I truly appreciate all that he does for me. He is amazing and I don't tell him that enough. I LOVE YOU TRAVIS!!

Other than my love for Travis, our lives are so very busy. Travis works close to 10-hour days and is so tired by the time he gets home. Most days he wants to just get his dirty clothes off, shower and relax. He is a good sport though when I have other plans for him on some nights.

Lucy and Rosie, our weimaraners, are doing great. They have their moments when we want to either give them away or lock 'em up forever, but we love having them around. They add quite a dynamic around here. I have grown to love them and having them being a part of our lives. I get excited to come home and see them. And I know this feeling will be even greater with kids, but until then, the dogs can fill in that void.

This past weekend, I made a quick trip up to Mesa, to attend a funeral of a neighbor boy that I was also friend's with back in the day. He unfortunately and very sadly decided to take this own life. His name was Chris Alexander and he was 24 years old. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. It was a well-attended service and alot of great things were said. I am so grateful I made the effort to go. He will be missed.

Travis, on the other hand, made a trip down to Benson, and then to Wilcox, to rope with David Hatch, Jackie's (Trav's cousin) husband. He had asked him on numerous occassions to go, but has not had the chance. According to David and Travis too, he is a pretty good cowboy already. He knows how to ride and just needs a little polishing on his roping skills. He hopes to be able to go alot more in the future, and I plan to join him too. I want become a better rider. I'll start there and work my way up.

Well, that seems to be it for now. I wish I had more pictures to post, but I don't. Hopefully soon!!

Our Puppy Graduate

Lucy graduated last night from her 8-week "beginner" puppy training class at PetsMart. Isn't she cute?!? Haha!! We were laughing so hard as pictures were being taken. Anyway, she did learn alot as well as her owners too. We are going to use the skills we learned to teach Rosie and then will eventually put the two puppies in "intermediate" class together.

Besides Lucy's class, we have been super busy. With Travis working close to 10-hour days and myself working nights (7p-7a), we end up pretty tired around here. We do get out and go to a movie or dinner occassionally, but definitely not as often as I would like. Ü I am excited for a trip to Utah we are making in a few weeks. It will be nice to get away and be able to visit with family and friends in Utah.

Quick Update

Stephanie did have her baby!! YEAH!! And SO EXCITING!!

Born July 27, 2007
1:44 am

Brigham Ryan Schlappi
9-lb, 10-oz...BIG BOY!!
20.5 inches long

Stephanie and Brigham are doing great. Our thoughts and love to the three of you, Ryan, Steph and Brigham.

Babies, Babies, Babies!!!!!

We started off our day with an exciting phone call from JOSH & TRISH sharing the news that Travis and I are going to be "Uncle & Aunt" again. So exciting...and she's due sometime in March 2008. Their first, Braden, is nearly 18 months.

We also have my brother, Ryan and his wife, Tisha expecting a baby in December 2007. That makes child number two for them. Rylee will be 2 in September.

I received news today as well that a friend of mine is pregnant and due in the Spring of next year. I am choosing to not share her info at this time...because her husband's family does not know yet...but CONGRATS!!

Then comes an EARLY or LATE CONGRATS to RYAN & STEPHANIE SCHLAPPI!!! I need a huge update on these two, but I heard through the grape vine (not the best way)...that Steph's water broke today. So...she may still be in labor or may have already delievered. She had a due date of July 30 or 31...and was expected to have a BOY!! I know they had a few cute names for him, but were going to wait until he arrived to make one permanent.

All in all, CONGRATULATIONS to each of you and your cute families. We love you all very much and can't wait to start a family of our own. Let's see...who is out of the loop here??? US??? You think!?!?! We decide on a dog instead. GEEEEEE...we'll get there, I promise. Ü

**Also, I can't forget my good friend, Shara, due in September 2007 with a girl.

And then, There Were TWO!!

No, NOT Lucy...this is Rosie

Our New Puppy, Rosie

Lucy (red collar) staring down Rosie

MEET ROSIE! We ask ourselves..."What were we thinking?" We're not quite sure what we were thinking. Purchasing her was definitely a push from me (Brooke). We had been talking back and forth with the owner for about a week and were finally able to go see her and her sister last night. The parents were also on site. Once I saw her, I fell in LOVE. We forgot so quickly how cute Lucy was as a puppy...but also HOW MUCH WORK a puppy is. Anyway, she is a Purebred (AKC) weimaraner, just like Lucy except Lucy is not AKC-registered. We hope the two of them will get along and become good friends. If not, we may be posting a "DOG FOR SALE" sign. Ü

New Toy

This one is nice, but not what I want...

Our choice...2008 Yamaha Raptor

Must have protective gear - helmet, goggles, etc

Brent/Brooke's choice - 2007 Honda TRX450R

After MANY HOURS of discussion and thought about this purchase, Travis and Brent decided that they just needed to "look" at the ATVs. This then led to "trying" each one out. They were not able to test drive them, but they made their way around the store sitting on the choices - Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. At some point, Travis ended up on one side of the store ready to buy a Yamaha Raptor and Brent on the other to buy a Honda 450R. I'm not sure how excited Brooke was with Brent but I was pumped and Travis even let me pick out which one we were going to get. We are very excited to have our new toy and look forward to excursions to the Dunes, Benson, Sycamore, etc.

Golf n' Stuff

Totally diggin Trav's very wet hair-do

Olivia, Jeremy, Me, Travis

Olivia and Jeremy

This past Saturday night, Travis and I went out with his brother, Jeremy, and his girlfriend, Olivia. We started the night out on the wrong foot and it just seemed to go downhill from there...until we made it to Golf N' Stuff. We had just had dinner at Fuddrucker's prior to our golfing experience. There were a ton of people golfing Saturday night, but we did slowly make our way around one of their two 18-hole courses. It was muggy outside, but Jeremy did manage to hit TWO HOLE-IN-ONEs!! Both guys beat the girls at number of total strokes, but we had a good time.

The GREAT TIME came when we decided to do the BUMPER BOATS. All of us determined it had been a long, long time since we had been on them. Each boat had its own "go" button and "sprayer" button. Yes, I said sprayer button. We were SOAKED by the time we were only minutes into our ride. Travis and Jeremy...I wish I could have video-taped them. They were both laughing hysterically and Jeremy came out literally dripping wet. You can see in the pictures above how wet Jeremy was. All of us got our share of being soaked. Olivia and I had such a good time as well. Thanks Jeremy and Olivia for the fun night!! We are so glad to be able to spend time with you! We love you both!