So, it’s not titled Vol. 1 because it’s my first Valentine’s Day, nor is it my first Valentine’s Day with a girlfriend, but it’s titled Vol. 1 because I have a feeling there will be a couple posts with multiple pictures.  :)  I did pretty well for myself this year in gift preperation, and it sounds like Lauren did as well - so why not share some pictures and such displaying our talents?  :)

So, the big gift from me this year is a big ol’ blanket.  Seriously, they’re pretty simple to make, though relatively time consuming.  All you do is pick out some felt (or something softer) at your local fabric shop and then follow the directions!

1. Purchase approximately  2 1/2 yards of fabric.  I hate throw blankets because they’re always too short, so if you’re making your own make sure it’s nice and long!  Also, the blanket will be more fun if you buy two different patterns/colors and tie them together.  It’s also warmer, and it allows you to have felt on one side (usually where you have a fun pattern) and something softer on the other side like fleece.

2.  Line up the fabric so that both pieces are overlapping well and then cut slits about an inch thick, and long enough so that you can tie the fabric together.  One tip is to make sure you take into account which sides of the fabric are stretchy…  You won’t need to cut strips quite as long on the long edge of your blanket, thus not sacrificing overall width.  The corners can be tricky but you can either cut a square off the corner of try to do a diagonal tie at each corner.  Either way works.

3. Make loop ties, tying the strips from both pieces of fabric together.  It’s pretty simple - you make a loop and stick the ends through the loop and pull…  ’nuff said.

4. Once you’ve tied all the strips together going around the blanket, cut the ties so that they are even going all the way around.  You probably won’t do this perfectly, but that’s OK.  Just cute the ends so that the strips from each piece of fabric end up being even.

And you’re done!  It’s really a pretty simple process, but it’s fun to make and I don’t know a single girl who hasn’t gone “awwwwwwww….” when their manfriend has made one and given it to them.  I know I won some pretty good points this Valentine’s Day!  haha…

Anyway, I should take some pictures of stuff that we made at Color Me Mine last week.  And apparently Lauren is finishing up something pretty neat, so maybe I’ll take some pictures and post those as well.  I kinda like spoiling people, so Valentine’s Day with a womanfriend is always a good time of year.  :)

It’s been a fabulous week since my last posting! I wanted to write this last weekend, but I’m glad I held off because it’s a little more exciting to hear the good news rather than speculation on good news!

From the looks of things, I’ll be heading to Houston, TX sometime this summer to start work for ExxonMobil! I don’t know if I could be happier at this point with this opportunity… Back in the Fall I was a little hesitant to head down there since I felt I could head home with a lady friend and be closer to family and the culture I love in Chicago, but now that I’m single (for now) Houston’s singles wards are appealing. Oh, and the biggest factor is that Jason and Erin are going to be down there, so I have psuedo-family in the area. I have plenty of other friends working for Exxon, but with Jason and Erin there I feel 100% comfortable transplanting myself and making the big move.

Some of the things I love about ExxonMobil:

• I can change jobs w/i the company - I don’t have to go on a major job search when I get tired of what I’m doing and I want to try something new
• They spend a LOT of money on IT, so I know I will have plenty to work with and I won’t be struggling to find resources like if I worked at a smaller organization
• The pay and benefits are SICK! My starting salary is right up there with some of the highest I’ve heard friends from across the country getting, and the 401k and pension plans aren’t anything to scoff at either.
• They have a vested interest in making sure I’m happy and that I have everything I need. They despise turnover, so they’ll make sure I am trained, content with my job, and moving in directions I want to go.

Added benefits:

• It’s very possible I could be moving into my first home w/i a year’s time. This will most likely depend on whether or not I get married anytime soon, because I’d rather rent and save if I’m single - but the option is definitely a possibility since the cost of living is significantly lower.
• The weather in Houston will let me play year round! I certainly love the snow, but at about this point in January I really wish I had the warm weather back so that I could be sitting on the front porch, playing outdoors, and walking to school w/o feeling like my arms are going to fall off!
• I mentioned this before, but having a strong support base in the area will be GREAT! I have several friends down there who I am excited to be working with and living around.

There are other things to definitely be excited about, but those are some of the bigs ones.

In other news, we’ve had a lot of fun around here recently. Last Saturday we held our first annual (and possibly last) Prohibition Remembrance Day party! We had the house filled with root beer, apple beer, nacho dip, and fun lovin’ Mormon kids! Honestly, it was a ton of fun. We read about the Prohibition Amendment, it’s sad demise, and how Utah blew it for the rest of the country (tsk tsk…).

My buddy Kevin hosted the party with me. Talk about a good kid! You’d be hard pressed not to think he’s great, I’ll leave it at that… I met a bunch of his friends, including a young lady who may or may not have caught my fancy… HA!

Oh, and here’s a picture just to give you idea of how much non-alcohol was consumed…