Cameron {and} Bethany

the start of a LONG month.

2011-05-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have heard of so many people doing the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, so I thought I might give it a try. Right now my mom and sisters are into getting healthy and fit so what better way to, by doing this 30 Day Shred together! Half of us are doing the 30 DS and the other half are doing their own things, however, we are still doing it all together. It is so much easier to work out and lose weight when you have support. We started a secret Facebook group of just us Banner girls so we have a place to lend support and updates of our fitness status. So when does this start?? Monday!!! (Good thing the double birthday party/Mother's Day events are Sunday.) That day is going to be the start of a very, very long month. But, hopefully rewarding! Not only am I going to be doing the 30 DS, but I am preparing for a Dash for Diabetes 5K that happens in TWO WEEKS!!

My dieting secrets:

Make your own rules that fit your own lifestyle and body. Dieting is different for everybody and the results are never the same for every person. It takes time to figure out what works best. I cannot tell you how many different dieting techniques I have tried!

Set goals. This one is pretty huge. Never set vague goals or put time constraints on the goals. You will only get discouraged if you start seeing yourself behind in your goal. Weekly goals are awesome! I'm sort of against making goals on how much weight you want to lose. It's best to just have a target weight, but don't make it a priority goal. Instead make goals that can help you lose the weight, they are more fun. Such as, no sweets for 30 days (that one was difficult for me!), run a mile under 10 minutes, drink 64 fl. oz. of water per day, etc. You get the idea.

Have rewards. I find it a lot easier to finish a goal if I know there is a reward for me in the end. Since I am doing a lot of working out this month, I am allowed to have a piece of candy IF I workout that day.

Those are the main ones that have helped me lose weight thus far. Do you have any tips of your own?? Only a little more to go! GET FIT!

The Pilot.

2010-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to do a much needed shout out to my main man! Over a month ago he passed his Private Pilot stage check and officially became a Pilot, or Airman from what the FAA calls it.

(No, I didn't make this cake. It's an ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins. I would have done a much better job...not bragging or anything. Just saying.)

LOVE YOU, CAM! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!

new gift idea.

2010-09-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

A while back I caught a clip of Good Things Utah where a guest came on and taught how to dress up some gifts and make them extraordinary. Whenever she is at a thrift store she buys old plates and tea cups with matching saucers to use as a way to gift some treats. You can put some cookies on a nicer looking plate that only cost you 50 cents instead of an ugly paper plate. So when I was at the D.I. looking for cheap frames to refurb. I found a few things I could use as gifts. So here is my version.

The one I liked the most from Good Things Utah was the teacup with a cupcake sitting inside, clear wrapping paper, with a bow. However, I didn't have time to make some cupcakes, so I just bought a bag of candy and filled the cup and saucer. Best part; All together it cost me $4 and it took me maybe 5 minutes to put together. If you want to go further you can tie on a little tag. I thought it turned out so cute! What do you think?

All wrapped up! Forgive the ugly sad bow. I really wanted to use this ribbon, but when I looked in my ribbon box I only had a little left. Sad, I know. All my other ribbon seemed to clash so I had to use this one. Hope this gives you good ideas to use for thank you's, birthday's, or even just thinking of you gifts.

The summer I haven't shown you: Lake Powell

2010-08-12T20:08:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pictures from our vacation in Lake Powell this year. We went to the Indian Ruins one afternoon. I think Kimi got a couple pictures of me wakeboarding so I'll have to post those later. So look for more pictures!

This photo makes me laugh. It reminds me of Dale Gribble from King of the Hill...haha!

Standing infront of the Indian house.

The summer I haven't shown you: Campout Movie Night

2010-08-12T20:00:00.001-07:00

For Debbi's birthday we had a campout {slash} movie night in the backyard. Oddly, our tent was the biggest and we only had two people....haha! We decided to let Cooper sleep outside with us in the tent. That won't ever happen again. It was a rough night because he freaked out with every little sound. All together, it was such a fun night!

The summer I haven't shown you: Hogle Zoo

2010-08-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

It only took {three} years of begging Cameron to take me to the Hogle Zoo. Finally we went, and on the hottest day of the summer! We definitely won't go back for a couple more years. There were no lions, tigers, or bears....what kind of zoo is this?? However, in 2012 there will be a new bear exhibit (probably why there are no bears right now). So we'll probably go back then.

The reason for Cam going...THE TRAIN.

The reason I wanted to go...ZURI the baby elephant.

And just some cute penguins.

The summer I haven't shown you: Tracy Aviary

2010-08-12T19:41:00.001-07:00

This is our little adventure to Tracy Aviary which is inside Liberty Park in downtown SLC. We both decided that it was a little better than going to the zoo. We will probably be going back before the end of the summer because we want to see the bird show and feed some birds. We went a little too late in the day to get the chance to do that. So I'm sure there will be some more pictures from Tracy Aviary coming soon.

Cam infront of the Pelican Pond.

A worker feeding the huge, HUGE Andean Condor. This bird is 51 years old and has a 10 foot wing span. His name is Andy.

Love the color of the head on the King Vulture. Not so sure about the bird itself.

My favorite...the Toucans!

The summer I haven't shown you: PCMR

2010-08-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Park City Mountain Resort to ride on the ZipRider, Alpine Slide, and Alpine Coaster. It was so much fun. We both agreed that by far the Alpine Coaster was the best. If you are ever in Park City, I suggest going to the resort. There are also a few other things for little kids like the trampolines and more.

On the lift headed to the top of the ZipRider.
On the ZipRider!!! That is Cameron ahead of me. Although I ended up beating him in the end. Haha! Also take a look at the coaster below. That is someone headed up to the top of the coaster.

Cameron getting ready to go down the Alpine Slide.

The view while going down the Alpine Slide.

Taking a nice and easy ride up to the top of the coaster.

Next time we want to go to the Olympic Park and try the Zip line there. We heard it is a lot longer and steeper. Look out for pictures!

Let's play a game...

2010-07-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Where's Cooper???

Remember a long, long time ago I told you about how Cooper likes to sleep in weird places? Well....he still does. I promise this was not staged and this is the way we found him.

It's been {three} years.

2010-07-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

A little late for this post, but better late than never! Cam and I celebrated our THREE year anniversary on June 1st. I can't believe how fast time flies!! And what better day to celebrate finding out that we are adding a new addition to the family, but on our anniversary!! Haha....just kidding. Don't trust me for atleast a good two or three more years. This year we laid low on celebrating and just spent time at the cabin for a night and then ate at the BEST steakhouse in SLC. If you haven't been yet, then you need to try Donovan's. It is soooo good! Pricey, but good. I am so grateful and blessed to be married to a guy that completely understands me and supports me in everything I do. I am still so excited to be spending the rest of eternity with him! Love you Cam!

The Missionary

2010-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

My nephew, Stephen, entered the MTC yesterday. He will be serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Jacksonville, Florida area. He is the first missionary out of the Banner family and will for sure be showered with plenty of packages and mail! He is going to be such a great missionary! Good luck Elder Banner, we love and miss you!

Side note: With Stephen being dropped off in Provo, we were able to spend time with my brother and his family. We had soo much fun hanging out and love every chance we have to see them!

Are you sure this is May??

2010-05-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Really?? It snowed 2 days ago and it is now May! My toes are FREEZING from the 40 degree weather I keep getting hit with while guests go in and out of the hotel and it is May! I had to drive to work this morning wear my winter coat and blasting the heat and it is MAY!! Seriously.

I am moving here......

Anybody want to come along???

Stick-to-itiveness

2010-04-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to do a shout out to the most amazing husband and soon-to-be dad!! I love you, Cam and I am so grateful for all the love and support you show me. Everyday I come home from work and have to deface my smile from being so nice all day so thanks for putting up with my bad attitude on a daily basis!! You're the best!

For those of you that haven't heard yet, Cam flew solo on Monday!! You are doing an amazing job with school and flying, Cam! I'm so proud of you!

P.S. Pilots are hot.

Did I forget to mention that I was joking about the soon-to-be dad thing?!? April LATE fools??? If you know us at all, you know that we like to trick people into thinking we are having a baby. Hope it worked... :)

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So I am reading a book for my Principles of Management class and another word for persistence that they used was stick-to-itiveness. This is how I feel at this point in school. I only have 8 credits left and all I can do is stick to it and get it done. It just feels like senioritis all over again!!

check them out.

2010-03-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

So my sister-in-laws have the best blog!! Head over to If You Could and take a look around their blog. They save me so much time on finding new projects to do and they always find the cutest things! Don't forget to grab a button from them and become a follower!

Click here:

getting there.

2010-03-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

We still don't have very many holiday decorations and could definitely use some more, however, we are getting there. I recently added a couple more decorations...actually the only two spring decorations we have.

Yes, another mod podge project. I was going to put the letters of 'SPRING' on the blocks, but after a little while I decided that I like them better stacked.

After I made an Easter wreath (sorry I don't have a picture), I had a few painted eggs leftover and thought they could make a cute indoor decoration. So I found this little basket at Jo-Ann's for only a couple dollars, added some ribbon, and there you go. Turned out pretty cute for only costing a few bucks!

Where did this dog come from??

2010-03-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

I swear Cooper is just too smart for his own good! In this picture he is trying to get up to his toy alligator that is sitting on the window sill. How he saw it, I have no idea! It's too bad he put a hole in it and started to spread batting all over. He can have it back after I sew it.....when I get to it.

Also, I am trying to teach Cooper some cool tricks. So if you have any suggestions let me know. Right now we are working on 'rollover' and 'play dead' which he almost has down pretty well. (I can't wait to show his best friend, Emily.) The only rule is that it has to be physically possible for a small dog to actually do the trick. Right now I have been receiving things like: put a tutu on him and teach him to twirl, or balance a beach ball on his nose, or jump rope. Thanks again Judy. The jump rope I may try. First I need to teach him to jump. Then he can jump rope and jump through a hoop!

Crayon Tin

2010-03-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Currently, I teach the five year old children in Primary at church and they LOVE to color. I had three small boxes of crayons and they were getting pretty beat up, so I kept trying to think of something cute to put them in.

This is what I came up with.

I started out with this plain white tin that I bought at JoAnns for only three dollars. They have different sizes and either white, red, or plain silver.

Next, I mod podged scrapbook paper on the top and side of the lid. You can also use fabric for this as well, your preferrence. Tip: fabric does sit more flush when you mod podge. Paper tends to wrinkle very easily. My sister made fun of me because I love to mod podge so much, but it is just so dang easy and it makes things so much cuter! Thanks Judy.

Then, I mod podged the side of the bottom. I didn't go all the way up because I was afraid of the lid not fitting very well. If you want to be even more safe, you can spray the tin with a clear coating at the end.

Problem solved.

These tins can also be used around the house. For receipts, small craft items, or even to hold things in your kids' rooms. You can also dress them up as much as you want! I left mine simple since it will be crammed in my church bag. You can add lettering and labels, whatever you want. Use your imagination!

super STUDENT award.

2010-03-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Before leaving work the other day, I noticed a silver coin on the floor in my backseat and thought it was a quarter. My lucky day! However, it wasn't a quarter. Bummer! Instead, it was a little silver coin with a smiley face on it that said "SUPER STUDENT AWARD". I have to admit it made me feel good, even though it really wasn't for me. I'm guessing it was left under one of the seats from when I got the car last June. It still made me think that I am ALMOST done with school...atleast for now. Only eight more credits left after this semester, which is done in four weeks!!! So I thought, I need a little inspiration for this last stretch and something to get me through. So...

{drumroll please}

This is my inspiration.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Working for a hotel with plenty of locations and amazing deals is pretty awesome. Hopefully in 9 months you can find me sitting in one of those chairs. We'll see.

The Latest.

2010-02-22T08:29:00.001-08:00

{more finished projects just for you}

For the first one, you can find the tutorial I used by clicking on the Make It and Love It button on right of my blog. I wasn't quite as ambitous as the lady that I stole the idea from. She first sewed the gold fabric and then stapled it on, I just folded and stapled. However, I think it still turned out cute! Matching pillows to come soon!!!

I have to thank Cam for cutting all the wood I needed to make these!!! I think he would be a little more annoyed by all of my craft projects if I didn't give him so many opportunities to play with all the power tools. That seems to make him accept them more!! So thanks Cam for being so helpful!

I am pretty proud of this next project. I have been working on this beauty for a couple of weeks. Although, it shouldn't have taken so long...thank you work and school. I finished the actual headband a few days ago and then I made the flower last night. The great thing about the flower is that I made it into a pin so I can remove it and exchange it with another. So now I just need to make tons of different flowers. Not to brag or anything, but I think it is way cute. And they will make great Christmas gifts next year!

craftiness.

2010-01-31T22:21:00.001-08:00

So, I've been feeling really crafty lately and have a couple of projects in the works. This is the first completed project. Sick of trying to figure out where to put all of those invitations?? Problem solved. I mod podged {i love mod podge projects} the paper onto the painted and distressed wood, mod podged paper onto the clothes pins, used velcro to stick the clothes pins to the wood, put the vinyl lettering on {thanks Kimi for using your cricuit to make the letters}, and then used twine to attach the two pieces {thanks Cam for drilling the holes}. I think it turned out pretty cute!!!

Don't be afraid to dress up your clothes pins!

If you want to try one out for yourself and have any question, please feel free to ask!

Kailey's Baptism.

2010-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

(sorry-the photo is out of focus)

We were able to go up to Rupert to spend time with the Banner family for new years. We had so much fun seeing everyone and watching A LOT of football! On the 2nd we were able to go to Kailey's baptism. She did so good and looked so pretty! Congratulations Kailey!!!

I can't believe Kailey is already 8 years old! This is the little girl that I remember:

merry christmas.

2010-01-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to show off one of Cameron's Christmas presents! He started school today at UVU, majoring in Aviation Science. I decided to get Cam a new Pilot headset so that he doesn't have to borrow the community headsets at UVU. I found it disgusting to think of Cam having to use a headset that had someone else's mouth touching the mic. I was able to successfully surprise him after making up multiple lies and twists. I think he looks pretty good! I am so excited for Cam to be excited about doing aviation...and it doesn't hurt that I have always been crazy about planes and collecting little planes forever! I can't wait to see where this little adventure takes us! I'm so proud of my Pilot!

We are so blessed to have such great families to spend the holidays with! We love Christmas time and the opportunity to celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ's birth. We are so grateful for Heavenly Father's gift in sending the Earth his Only Begotten Son. We hope your holiday was as great as ours!

Happy Birthday Cooper.

2010-01-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

So Cooper turns 1 today! Well, more like 7 in dog years. He has graduated from the Purina Puppy Chow and is now on to Purina Little Bites! He is starting to understand some commands finally! The biggest ones are: OUT, DOWN, TREAT, OUTSIDE, and well, that's it. As you can tell he is a pretty stubborn dog, but slowly getting the hang of things. We didn't do much for his birthday since we will be out of town for the night, but we went to the Doggy Bakery yesterday and got him some treats.

Number 19.

2009-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

That's right. I'm Aunt Bethany again. I am really contemplating on if I should just call them by their numbers since this is getting a little difficult with all the names and birthdays!!! Stephanie and Austin have been waiting to adopt for 2 years. A week ago they got a call saying they were matched up with a birthmother. So exciting!!!

Meet Andrew Shawn Allred. Born on December 10, 2009 at 7:20 pm. 6lbs. 5oz. and 20 inches. Congratulations Stephanie and Austin and welcome to the family Andrew!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T14:47:00.001-08:00

Can you believe Halloween has already come and gone??? This year has gone by so fast, and the next couple months will only go by faster! We hope you all had a great Halloween! Now we can't wait for the holiday season. Food, parties, surprises, and lots of goodies!!!

One of Cam's pumpkins.

One of my pumpkins.

Cooper all dressed up for the festivities!

Number 18.

2009-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Kamden Tucker Bennett
September 18, 2009

7 lbs. 4 oz. 19 inches

Judy gave birth to her first boy!!!! This makes number 18 for me being Aunt Bethany! I couldn't make it up to Idaho to see him, so I can't wait until the next time we go up there! Welcome to the family Kamden!

Drum Roll Please

2009-08-23T14:54:00.001-07:00

We got our season tickets in the mail! Can you believe football season is already here? In less than two weeks we will be sitting in Rice Eccles Stadium cheering for the Utes...again! We can't wait! GO UTES!

Cooper all grown up!

2009-08-18T13:45:00.001-07:00

Look at how different he is from being just a puppy to full grown! A few things to know about this dog: He thrives for attention acting like he never receives it, but trust me, he is spoiled. He sleeps in weird places. He hates to be groomed, but loves to be clean. He thinks he is human or a cat, he can't decide. And he is a little OCD...If something is out of place or knocked down, then he will bark until we fix it.

A few pictures to prove my points:

This day I was paying more attention to the laundry than him, so he jumped in the basket.

I found him here sleeping in the closet...who does that???
Here he is satisfied to be clean, but trust me, it was an Olympic event to get him this way! He is starting to get more used to the blow dryer now!

Anthony Lake 2009

2009-08-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Every year at the same time my family has a reunion in Anthony Lake (eastern Oregon). My dad's family has been doing this for over 50 years. All of my dad's sisters and brother go up with their kids and grandkids, so it can get pretty crowded up there. This year we had 70 people there at one time! It was a lot of fun to just relax and catch up with everyone that I haven't seen in two years. Cam went fishing and caught quite a few and I even taught him how to clean it himself! I had so much fun sitting around the campfire talking and laughing over old memories with my brothers and sisters. Out of my family, we had 7 of the 8 kids there at one time. Some went later in the week and some left early in the week, so we only had one night where everyone was there together. We definitely missed Bill and his family! Hopefully in a couple years we can get everyone there together!

The lake is so pretty! These were taken at 7am when no one was on the lake so the surface was so smooth and calm.

And this is Gunsight. A mountain that I have climbed at least 5 or more times in my life.

2009-08-18T13:06:00.001-07:00

2009-08-18T12:45:00.001-07:00

Once again, we went to Rupert, Idaho for the 4th of July. We were able to go to The Square for dinner, but only after we watched the lawn mower races. Yes, the lawn mower races. It was a fun to watch them race, but the drag races were a little too loud. On the morning of the 4th, we watched the parade. It wasn't as good as usual, but still worth it. And of course, the highlight of the trip was lighting the firworks that we had smuggled through two states. We bought the illegals in Evanston, Wyoming, then smuggled them into Utah and then into Idaho. Well worth the trip! See Slideshow above!

And here is a little video of the Mexican Horse Dancing!

Amazing...I love it!

2009-06-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Be sure to read the following before clicking on the link. Though I couldn't accurately download the video clip, I don't want to make the same mistake of inaccurately warning you of what you are about to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3d6SFcDys

This is a performance of Love Story (by Taylor Swift) meets Viva La Vida (by Coldplay) played on the Piano and Cello. I think everyone could use some amazing music to appreciate and brighten up your day! And even if you haven't heard these songs you will still love it! Enjoy!

Warning- You are going to fall in love with this guy and possibly be tempted by some unexplainable force to go to his website to listen to more of his amazing creations.

The Introduction

2009-05-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bethany, Paint Brush.

Paint Brush, Bethany.

It has been about 3 or 4 years since I have picked up a paint brush and really tried to make something look decent. Yesterday I decided to try and get back into art and this is the finished product.

I've made it a goal to stick with it for a while and keep creating new things. I have to admit, though, it felt good to use my artistic abilities again.

Deja Vu

2009-05-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2007

May 22, 2009

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So, on May 5, 2007 (my bachlorette party), Sarah, Ashley, and I were stuck in the backseat and took the picture on top. This past weekend the three of us went on a roadtrip to Boise for a friend's wedding and ended up in the backseat again when we were helping with wedding stuff and thought it would be great to take another photo. I believe we are even in the same car.

Happy 21st Birthday....

2009-05-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

....AGAIN!!!

So, Cam was having trouble dealing with his 24th birthday thinking that being 24 is old! What will he think when he turns 30?!?!? He was so upset that he was parading around saying that he couldn't wait for his 21st birthday.

His birthday turned out to be a success. I sent him this Candy Bouquet (great idea for a guy's gift by the way) to his work and started planning out a surprise birthday date that was requested by the birthday boy.

Cameron can be sort of a picky eater (maybe not as picky as me) and I didn't trust myself to pick a place to eat. I made Cam pick that part of the date and we ended up at Ruby River Steakhouse. The food was great! Next came the surprise....Nikelcade!!! Cameron is always trying to get me to spontaneously go to Nikelcade and I thought his birthday was a good day to give in. Surprisingly to me...it was kind of fun! The highlight of the night was picking out our prizes from all the tickets we won. We won 375 tickets and spent it on bouncy putty, water snake thing (in Cam's hands in above photo), and fake mustaches...yes mustaches. All together it was a great night!

We tried to get a family photo, but Cooper didn't want to cooperate. We thought this one was pretty funny though and had to share it with you!

Hope you had a great Birthday, Cam!!! Love ya!

i LOVE....

2009-05-14T12:43:00.001-07:00

SuMmEr TiMe!!

1. Watermelon

2. Wearing Flip Flops

3. Barbeque Parties

4. Swimming

5. The SUN

6. Tanning

7. Fairs and Carnivals

8. Summer Vacations

9. 4th of July Celebrations

And my favorite...

Thunderstorms

Cinco De Mayo!!!

2009-05-05T21:40:00.001-07:00

If you know Cameron, then you know that he LOVES mexican food. So what better day to celebrate with some good mexican food than CINCO DE MAYO!!! We started the night out with delicious chicken fajitas, then watched Nacho Libre to go along with the mexican theme. While at the grocery store today, I saw these tiny ceramic masks that I thought could work as mexican fighting masks. So we painted those while watching the movie. Notice that Cam made one look just like Nacho Libre's mask!

When did we get a cat?!?!?

2009-04-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

For some reason Cooper seems to think he is a cat. He likes to climb all over the place and sit on the top of the couch or our shoulders. But, you can't complain, he's too cute!

My Mosaic

2009-04-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this on my friend's blog and thought it was way cute! It's fun to see which things describe you and then compare them to others.

Rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).

b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).

d. Save the image and post it on this note!

Questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What is your favorite color?

4. Favorite drink?

5. Dream vacation?

6. Favorite hobby?

7. What you want to be when you grow up?

8. What do you love most in life?

9. One word to describe you?

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year and we were so grateful for the warm weather! It was great to spend time with the family eating Easter ham, hiding/looking for Easter eggs, and coloring eggs. It may have been a little crazy at times, but when are holidays not crazy??

We have so much gratitude towards our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he went through for us. We are grateful for the power of the Atonement and the chance we have to return to our Heavenly Father.

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(On a more funny note)

Cameron and I bought each other the same chocolate bunny without knowing until we found our baskets on Easter morning. When I bought Cameron's I was thinking I would have to eat a little bit of his since I love Dove chocolate, but I guess now I won't have to! It is a HUGE improvement from last year. Last year, Cam went to the store the night before Easter and all the chocolate bunnies were gone so I got a chocolate cross. It was pretty funny and he ended up taping it on the wall for a few hours. While we were at the store this past week we saw a chocolate cross and were tempted to buy it for fun. Too bad I never got a picture of it!

We hope you all had a great Easter and had as much fun as we did!

We got a puppy!

2009-03-19T14:52:00.001-07:00

Meet our new little puppy. He is a 10 week old Morkie. Meaning, he is part Maltese and part Yorkie. We were told that he would be about 4lbs. at most. He is the sweetest, cutest, cuddliest little thing! He instantly connected with us so he follows us everywhere. We only have one problem. We have no clue what to name him! We are willing to take any suggestions that you have to offer. We always wanted a Morkie and we were planning on naming it Morkie, but we think that would be better for a girl than a boy. So if you have any good names for him, let us know!

Now Boarding...

2009-03-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

My husband is so sweet! This may surpise some of you, especially his sisters! I thought I would share the latest sweet moment from Cameron. These moments happen quite often, but I usually don't share them. So I was getting ready to turn off the lamp the other night before falling asleep and I see this propped up against it. Call me blonde, but it took me a while to figure out it was fake. Cam figured that with all the surgery stuff happening that I needed a trip to Idaho to see my family. So this Friday we are headed to Good ole' Rupert!

Love you Cam!

Just like Grey's Anatomy

2009-03-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Once I found out that I had to get surgery I was hoping that it would be just like Grey's Anatomy. And it kind of was. Surgeons talking personal issues in the hall, a transplant across the hall, it was great! I just wish school was like surgery. You get put out, you wake up (what seems like 30 seconds) and it's over. If only....

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Of course Cam had to get his money worth out of this surgery so he took about 10 pairs of these...

I also got away with a little gift from the hospital....I love scrubs! Sorry about the picture, I look horrible!

Saturday morning I woke up and saw flowers on the table! My mom and dad tried to come down for the surgery, but because it was an outpatient surgery I told them that it wasn't worth it. I figured I would just sleep all day. So instead they sent me some flowers. It was so sweet! Thanks mom and dad! Love ya!

California, Here we come!

2009-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Cam's parents treated the whole family to a trip to Disneyland this year. It was my first time even going to California so you can only imagine my excitement! We probably went during the best week. It rained the first day, but that didn't stop any of us. In fact, it was great because there were absolutely no lines to wait in! The longest line we waited in all week was for about 25 minutes! We had so much fun hanging out with the family and going on rides! We did get the chance to go on a couple of rides with all 17 of us on the very last night. We went on Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion. It was so great to do something with everyone! Thanks everyone for such a fun vacation!

This was probably one of the most memorable moments. Amy, Ryan, Cam, and I went on the Peter Pan ride when it busted while approaching the end. They even turned the lights on while they tried to fix it. I have to admit it kind of took the magic away. The funny part was at the beginning when I turned to Cam and told him I felt like something was going to break. Some of the rides make some scary sounds. Poor Amy and Ryan, they were about six feet in the air while Cam and I were only about three. Thanks Amy and Ryan for going on rides with us!

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We had so much fun on the new Toy Story ride! Check out our glasses! This was probably the longest line we stood in all week and it was about 25 minutes. At first I was killing Cam in points, but in the end he won!

Splash Mountain was so much fun! This was the first time we went on it the first day. After we were done, they asked us if we wanted to go again since no one was in line. We turned it down, but later regretted it. Who can say they went on Splash Mountain twice in a row without ever having to wait in line? Well, on the last night at about 11:30pm, Ryan Omer, Cam, and I decided to go on because there wasn't a line. It was freezing outside at the time too! After we got done they asked us if we wanted to go again so we jumped on it this time and went a second time! We got soaked, but it was completely worth it. It was so much fun!

Here are a few pictures with some characters. I know, we're adults.

I thought that Toontown was really cute! I felt like I was in a cartoon.

Cameron only wishes he worked here instead of with Zions.

Since our flight out of Long Beach wasn't until after 7pm, we all went to Newport Beach. We did a little shopping at Fashion Island and then took off for the beach. I finally put my feet in the ocean! My experience: it was cold. Even though the water was freezing, we had so much fun just hanging out together! We tried to find the rest of the family at the beach, which became a little adventure! We went to H street, but it turns out that Ryan said 8th street. Finally we got there and 5 minutes later it was time to go.

Thanks Roger and Debbi for a great vacation! We had so much fun! We Love you both!

the LOVE survey

2009-02-12T15:09:00.001-08:00

I saw this on one of my friend's blog and thought it was cute.

And especially with Valentine's Day coming up, it fits perfect!

♥ What are your middle names? Bethany Lynne and Cameron Alan
♥ How long have you been together? We have been married for 1 year and 8 months
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? We knew about each other for about a month, but really only knew each other for like a day
♥ Who asked who out? I think...he asked me
♥ How old are each of you? I am 21 and he is 23
♥ Whose family do you see the most? Definitely his since they all live here. Mine are a little far away.
♥ Do you have any children together? not yet...
♥ What about pets? Names? no pets right now...
♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? probably not having enough time together
♥ Did you go to the same school? no
♥ Are you from the same home town? nope....we are from different states

♥ Who is the smartest? Depends on the subject....but I think I rule! Ha Ha
♥ Who is the most sensitive? Probably me...Cameron likes to make jokes instead
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Chili's for lunch every friday...its kind of a tradition.

♥ Who has the craziest exes? Cameron for sure!!! Except Lacey! She is the only one I like.
♥ Who has the worst temper? There's very very little experiences with this one, so I would say we are the same

♥ Who does the cooking? When we cook it's usually split and we both try to help
♥ Who is more social? I am for sure....I may be quiet and shy at times, but Cameron is Anti-Social
♥ Who is the neat-freak? Me, but I have been slacking because of school
♥ Who is the more stubborn? probably me
♥ Who hogs the bed? I sleep diagonal....enough said
♥ Who wakes up earlier? Cameron. I scheduled my classes in the afternoon for a reason
♥ Where was your first date? HaHa. Lunch at the food court at ZCMI...going back to who's more sensitive....
♥ Who has the bigger family? I have 7 siblings and he has 4

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not really, but I'm not a huge flower person

♥ How do you spend the holidays? um....depends on work and school schedules but usually with either side of the family
♥ Who is more jealous? probably me especially when it comes to his CRAZY exes....
♥ How long did it take to get serious? well it took 8 months until we decided that we were going to get married

♥ Who eats more? him
♥ Who does/did the laundry? We both do the laundry...He's good at starting and I'm good at finishing. I think he runs out of clothes before me!
♥ Who’s better with the computer? probably him
♥ Who drives when you are together? Usually him, but every once in awhile I will

Thanksgiving with the Banners!

2008-12-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was so much fun! Cam and I were able to go up to Idaho to have Thanksgiving with my family. We had 6 of 8 Banner kids there and 10 1/2 out of 16 1/2 Banner grandkids! It was great to see everyone, although we did miss the ones that couldn't make it. Hopefully next time we can all be together, but sometimes that can be difficult. Cam and I also had fun going to our favorite mexican restaurant in Idaho, Aguilas, and going bowling with my family a couple days after Thanksgiving. Cameron was so excited because he finally got over 100 and he also beat me!!! Here are a few pictures of us enjoying Thanksgiving!

Can you tell we are sisters??? We even part our hair on the same side. HaHa!

Getting Stephanie on her good side!

My nephew Stephen acting a little crazy! Can you believe I have a nephew who is 18 years old!!

My mom and dad after a long day of cooking, cleaning, and kids running around screaming....and they are still smiling!

Tyler, Kennedy, and Hayden enjoying some pie!

Kailey looking all cute.

Haha...This would be Judy sucking in to look skinnier (which she doesn't have to even do!!) and Hollie not quite ready for the picture.

Judy talking into the walkie talkie with the little kids.

A close up of the infamous Hollie Hitler! Double H strikes again! Ok, so her name really isn't Hollie Hitler...it's just a name I called her when I was little because I thought she was so mean for trying to brush my hair before school. Now I am begging her to do my hair! Thanks for the amazing hair cut HH!

This is my nephew, Dillon. You could usually find him here at any point of the week.

This is my dad's annual after-dinner-Thanksgiving-nap!

My oldest niece, Bridget, with my youngest nephew, Kyler.

I don't know if Bobby was happy to see me....But I needed the picture!

Kailey, Megan, Bill, and Joclyne.

And this is the Allreds (Austin, Tyler, Stephanie, and Megan) at the Rupert Square for lights and fireworks the day after Thanksgiving.

Go UTES!!

2008-12-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

This season was a GREAT season! The Utes went 12-0 and were invited to the Sugar Bowl against Alabama on January 2, 2009. The best game of the season was the game against our rivals BYU. We stomped on them winning 48-24. It was great to see the pictures in the Deseret News the next day of both Austin Collie and Max Hall getting personal fouls against them for pushing Utah players around in frustration of their own mistakes--that's not having any class! And watching the Utes break up BYU's "haka" dance was great! The 2008 season was PERFECT! I can't wait for the Sugar Bowl to come!

All the fans on the sidelines waiting to charge the field

Sweet Victory!

Amy and Ryan at the Oregon State game

Oregon State game

First home game against UNLV

Morgan and Cam at the UNLV game

Fall 2008

2008-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by, especially the fall. I know I am a little late posting these picutes, but here are some photos from Halloween and the pumpkin patch!

Tanner (the pirate), Cannon (the parrot), Josh (prince charming), Morgan (butterfly), Lindsay (a flapper girl), and Emily (Snow White)

In the maze at the pumpkin patch

They made it!

This is so funny! Cannon got his foot stuck in the fence and Emily helped to pull it out, unfortunately his shoe stayed!

The Omer kids

Lindsay's Pumpkin

Josh's Pumpkin

Morgan and Emily's Pumpkins. I think Morgan is excited!

Tanner and Cannon

Tanner feeling for his BUMPY pumpkin!

Cannon's Pumpkin

My Pumpkin

Cameron and his pumpkin

Starting to carve the pumpkins on Halloween Eve

2008-12-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

Cameron and I are totally addicted to claw machines. Since July we have won 4 stuffed animals and we almost got a watch...that one was a difficult loss. Here are a few pictures from one victory. We have now decided that we will own a claw machine when we have our own house and we'll make a little money off of it from all of our kids' friends.

" 'Stockton to Miller' Checkout"

2008-11-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

So, I was at work today and at 8 a.m. I noticed that John Stockton stayed last night and was due to checkout this morning. Yes....THE JOHN H. STOCKTON from the Utah Jazz. He was seriously my favorite player when I was little. So anyways I was getting excited, but then remembered that we had another John Stockton that stayed with us a couple months ago, but it was not THE JOHN H. STOCKTON from the Utah Jazz. So I looked at his reservation and noticed that he was from Spokane, Washington (my birthplace!) which is where he is from. So then I was totally convinced it was HIM. At about 10:15 a.m. I received a phone call from MRS. STOCKTON wanting to know when the next Mass was at the Cathedral of the Madeline. And then I remembered that Stockton went to Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington which is a private Catholic university. So, then I was beyond convinced that it was surely HIM and I was on the lookout! It sealed the deal when I actually saw him walking up to the desk to checkout. Unfortunately, I had some Xango lady trying to sell me a product for like 20 minutes and I was unable to check him out. Instead my manager, Scott Miller, checked him out. I now hate Xango more than I ever did before! And now he can't stop giving me grief about it because of how excited I was. He hit me hard by saying, "Did you see that perfect 'Stockton to Miller' checkout?" Jerk! Well, atleast I was within 2 feet from THE JOHN H. STOCKTON! I have worked in the hotel industry for over 2 years now and have met 4 famous people/groups...if you can call them famous. I first met Sugarcult in July of 06, Tyree from Real World Denver in December of 06, the drummer from Poison in August of 08, and Stockton today. None of them are extremely famous, but its better than any other regular Joe that comes in to stay at the hotel.

Surprise!! Happy Birthday Lindsay!!

2008-10-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the birthday girl to arrive!

Here she is!!!

I think she was a little excited about her DS game!

Opening more presents!

Cameron acting like Cameron. He apparently is getting eaten by a snake.

We had so much fun surprising Lindsay for her birthday! Thank you so much Lindsay for a great night! Hope you had a fabulous birthday!

The mission

2008-09-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

So Cam and I have this contest going on. If I lose my desired weight by the end of the year then I get to go skydiving and if Cam loses his desired weight then he apparently gets a vespa. Although, a vespa is a little expensive so I am trying to talk him into something less expensive. But, cross your fingers for us "enduring to the end." Let's see who makes it!

So long, Rupert

2008-09-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

After a couple months of contemplating and a day of tears, we decided to give Rupert away. Guinea Pigs live longer if they have a cage mate to play with and we knew we didn't have time to take in another Guinea Pig. One pet is enough for us. So on Saturday, Cam took him to the Humane Society. Rupert was definitely the cutest Guinea Pig! Last night Cam and I were talking about some of the things that Rupert would do while we had him. Whenever we would put him in his little play cage in the livingroom, he would always squeal when I left the room and wouldn't stop until I came back. Just a couple weeks ago he started to squeal when I came home from work and I wasn't even downstairs yet. I don't know how he knew it was me! And Rupert LOVED oranges! We would give him a slice, then next thing we knew it's already gone! One time we took him to the park to run around, but by the time we were ready to go we couldn't catch him! Some guys from Peru decided to help and after we finally caught him they started to explain about how they eat Guinea Pigs in their country. Ew, gross! Rupert will definitely be missed, but atleast he gets to play with other Guinea Pigs now!

August is almost over!!

2008-08-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe August is almost over! August is my favorite month! It's the last bang before everything. The ending of vacation! Here are a few things I enjoy about August!

Thunderstorms are amazing!!! I love the bright flashes followed by the loud cracks of thunder! Its so fun! Unfortuntely, I haven't seen any good ones here in Utah, but Rupert can get some pretty nice ones!

I have, however, seen a good rainbow in Utah which was about a week ago! I tried to take a picture, but I was driving at the time so that didn't work out too much. They are so beautiful though!

MMMMM....watermelon! August has the ripest watermelon. It is so good! I could eat watermelon everyday! And the best is eating watermelon at BBQ's and swim parties!

Of course, we can't forget that the best thing about August is my birthday!

I love wearing flipflops and if you are anything like me then you will even wear them during the winter at times.

It's school time!!! I love school shopping. Clothes, school supplies, new hair-dos (and don'ts), new people...I love it!

Basically I ♥ August

Go Bees!!!

2008-08-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

For my birthday we went to the Bee's game! It was so much fun as usual. Roger was able to get us tickets. You can't beat a free night at the ballpark! We sat front row right infront of where the batters warm up so I was able to see my favorite player, Freddy Sandoval. I was so tempted to ask him to get me a baseball with his autograph. But, what 21 year old does that, right? Haha. Then again, I asked to go to the zoo for my birthday! Overall, it was a great and relaxing night!

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker
jacks, I don't care if I never get
back,Let me root, root, root for
the BEES, If they don't win it's a
shame.For it's one, two, three
strikes, you're out,At the old
ball game."

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2008-07-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

We went up to Idaho for the 4th of July to see my family which was a long awaited trip. I missed my family soo much! It was good to see about half of my family. It's hard to see them all at once. Eight kids and we are spread out between four states. But, when we do get together...it is crazy fun!!! So on the night of the 4th we went to a Professional Bullriding Competition. It was so exciting! And scary!! Some cowboys of course got hurt from being stomped on by the bulls. And we had so much fun dressing up for the occasion. And believe me it's not cheap being a cowboy or cowgirl. After the competition, we went back to my parents house to set off all the illegal fireworks we bought in Evanston. Now we know which ones to get and which ones to leave behind. We still did a good job for our first year with illegals. All in all our 4th of July was tons of fun!

He kept getting his hand caught in the rope! Scary!!!!

The clown from West Jordan, Utah.

Lake Powell

2008-07-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

So this year was my first Lake Powell trip. I loved it! We had so much fun! Cameron was patient with teaching me to wakeboard. I finally got up...it was amazing! I really enjoy watching Cam wakeboard. He definitely is better than me. I loved sleeping on the top of the houseboat. The stars were amazing to see. Its HUGE out there! Here are some photos to enjoy!

We got to see some of the Indian ruins. Its crazy how many people fit into their little homes!

Looking up the ladder from the downstairs room.

Can you find the lizard?

The view from the house.

Love ya Dad!

2008-06-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

I wanted to give a shout out to the most amazing dad in the world! My dad is amazing! The biggest lesson I learned from him(with the help of my mother) was to gain my own independence. They made me get a job, pay for dance, pay for my wants, and at first I hated it, but now I'm so glad they did. I don't know if I would have been able to move away from home if it wasn't for that. My dad is a "tough" guy. I have never seen him cry...get a little teary eyed maybe, but never cry. He's definitely good at being the man of the house and the support for everyone to lean on. My dad is just like any other guy and leaves it up to the wife to buy most the gifts and all the greeting cards. For some reason my dad went out of his way to buy a Valentine's Day card for me when I was about 16. All it said was Love, Dad. Nothing special. But, it meant so much to me because it isn't like my dad to do something like that and when he does do that...you know it means a lot to him too. My dad is a huge example for me and I am so grateful for him and for his worthiness to hold the Priesthood. There is nothing better than a father's blessing. A couple summers ago when my depression was at its peak, I couldn't get to sleep and by 3 am I was in tears with frustration. My mom woke my dad up to give me a blessing and it was probably one of the best I have ever had. The tears instantly stopped as soon as the blessing started. I not only felt my Heavenly Father's love, but my dad's love for me as well. After the blessing was over he gave me a hug, rocked me back and forth and within seconds I was asleep. Those two memories of my dad showing his love for me will definitely stick out in my mind more than any other memory for years to come. So, thanks dad for being the best!

one year later.

2008-06-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Cameron and I decided to go back down to Las Vegas for our one year anniversary. We had so much fun! It was nice to just relax and spend a lot of time together. Our favorite thing to do together is driving in the car. We almost never listen to the radio because we are talking so much. We have been that way since we first started dating so it's always nice to go on a long trip and be able to talk about everything. We never once get bored with each other.

First we stopped in St. George for the first night of our trip. We were blessed with the opportunity to go to the Temple together for a session.

St. George Temple.

One of my favorites was when we went to The Venetian for the Gondola Rides. Our Gondola Singer was hilarious! He was such a great singer except when he got to his Britney Spears song and started to dance. He was definitely entertaining! And we can't forget that Cam walked away with $160 after playing for 15 minutes on the blackjack table!

Here are a few more photos from our trip for you to enjoy!

After eating at the Rainforest Cafe.

We loved the Dolphin Habitat. They are so cute and extremely smart! One of my goals is to swim with some dolphins.

We won some BFF bracelets at the New York arcade since I can't gamble...yet!

Lions are my favorite animals. These white lions were gorgeous! I now want to be a Lion Tamer.

The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay was really cool to see. And that picture with Cam in the reflection is pretty cool....I must have some photography genes in me!

Our cake was amazingly good! Not too bad for being a year old. And Cameron even ate some. I started to think that with all his grossed out comments he wouldn't try any. But, he liked it!

2008-05-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

On Friday, May 23rd we went to the Bee's game with Cam's family and got to watch the fireworks afterwards. While the fireworks were going off they were playing American themed music for the memorial holiday. It started to get me thinking about how often we take our country and our freedom for granted. When 9/11 happened, it seemed to bring everyone together, but only for a moment. Every passing day we take our country for granted more and more. I definitely feel honored and have great gratitude for those that fight for our freedom everyday. I also started to think about how irritated and disappointed it makes me to see bad things happen in the world. Every night on the news I hear about another teen fight caught on tape, or who said what against who in the Presidential Elections. It kills me to see everyone against everyone. Aren't we all on the same team? Setting all the bad stuff aside, I'm still proud of where I'm from. I'm still proud of the people that live in America. Because with all the bad news, you still have good news. I mean, there are 800,000 charities in the US alone so there is good around us, I just wish we could hear more good, and less bad. I hope that my kids can enjoy their country just as much as I do. I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial's Day!!

Cam's Birthday Party

2008-05-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

So I know its been three days since Cameron's birthday. I'm a little behind. It was a really great day and Cam was pleased by the end of the day. And you all know how hard it can be to please him during social events. Cameron was able to get in the pool and play some basketball with his dad. He was lucky I didn't play him. He would have gotten schooled! Haha! We also had a BBQ and watched him open his presents. Overall it was a good party.

I wanted to tell Cam that I think he is amazing. And he never fails to make my day, everyday. I love him for how much he supports me in everything I want to do. And I want him to know that I support him in anything. Even his playstation...as you can see in the picture (I dressed up in his team colors and cheered for him. And I have even made signs before). I know we're weird. But thats why I enjoy spending time with the boy. He's my best friend.

RUPERT

2008-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Since we do not have any children to blog about and to show cute pictures of, we are going to introduce RUPERT to all of you! He is getting so big! And a little more stubborn than he used to be too! Although, he is warming up to us and realizing who we are and what we do for him. He's not scared to poke his head out of his house when we are in his room anymore. Which I have to admit is a huge improvement for him!

Congratulations!!!

2008-04-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so I guess there are a couple of congratulations in order. One, congratulations to you for being invited to our blog. And two, congratulations to me for finally getting it up! I figured I needed to get this thing going so everyone can see what we are up to. My family and friends are all spread out leaving me alone in Utah, so this will be a good way for everyone to keep tabs on me. As for Cameron, well, he doesn't share his life too much with his family so this will help them to also know what is going on in our lives. Enjoy!