Saturday, December 29, 2007

Home from the Holiday's!

So I know I should be blogging about all of our holiday fun before I blog about us being home, but don't worry, I will be blogging it all in the next couple days. We had the best time in Ohio with Larissa, Spencer, Cole and Jack! I will be sure to post lots of pics soon. While in Ohio, Larissa was kind enough to show me how to make home made bread. She has such a great recipe and it was so easy to make. So today I decided to attempt to make it on my own! Hopefully I will get better with practice...and I also want to try a wheat too...so we will see. But I had fun making my first batch. I only made two loaves but they turned out pretty good and we even used the bread to make sandwiches! So here's a little photo diary to document my plunge into the world of home made bread.

This is me kneading the dough, just like Larissa taught me.

The finished product! They look a little funny, but boy does it taste good!

Finally, we have the taste test. Andy was kind enough to taste the finished product for me, and as you can tell by his reaction...he was quite pleased!
My dad always told me I needed to learn more home making skills. Well, this ones for you dad.
Love
Meliss

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Since Andy's Been Home...

Well I have to first off apologize for not blogging in about FOREVER! I am not sure how many of you read our blog regularly, but if you do...sorry for my neglect. Things here have really looked up since Andy has been home. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to have him around...my days are a million times more enjoyable. I know Andy is really happy to be home as well. Since he has been home we have celebrated our 1 year anniversary of meeting, his birthday and a nice visit from our good friend Bob. We also had a freak snow 'storm'. I am not sure if it can really qualify as a storm...but there were at least 2 inches of snow, which I imagine is a lot for this area. Don't worry, I only tripped once while going down our front stairs and the snow and ice have since melted. I do so much better on dry ground. Here are some pictures to document what we've been up to the last couple weeks!

Andy is sure glad to be home, and like I said before, I am real happy to have him back! I know that he wanted to blog a little for himself, about his experience in Oklahoma so I won't go into too much detail. But as you can see below. I don't think he misses Fort Sill one bit!


The weekend that Andy got home from Oklahoma we had quite the snow fall. It was so pretty and really made us feel like it was Christmas time. All the girls in my YW class were hoping that they would even cancel school. I RARELY remember them closing school in Idaho for a mere 2 inches of snow, but I am sure this is quite a sight for these Missourians.




Then, on this last Tuesday, December 18th, we celebrated Andy's 25th birthday. In celebration he really wanted to have an Ugly Sweater party. He insisted that we go to Good Will and get ourselves some ugly sweaters. Andy's was a gem (as you can see in the pictures), I am pretty sure the sweater he wore was an XL and it looks spectacular on him. Mine on the other hand was a nice fleece pullover with cute little snowman on it. I was pretty hesitant to buy it, but Andy reminded me that it was his party, and I was to do as he asked and wear the sweater. Overall we had a great time. Bob surprised Andy at the party. He flew in all the way from Atlanta, GA and Andy couldn't have been more surprised. Not to mention, Bob won the prize for the ugliest sweater, I am sure you would agree! (I know several of our friends have a couple pictures from the party as well, so once I get a hold of them I will add them to the post).







Tomorrow we head for Ohio to spend Christmas with Andy's sister Larissa and her family. We are really looking forward to spending the holiday with them. Thankfully, we got our camera back today, in working order..so we will have plenty of chances to take pictures and update the blog. We are also dropping Bob off at the airport tomorrow morning. We have had so much fun having him here, he even started his own blog, everyone should check it out. http://bobonthecob.blogspot.com/




Merry Christmas to everyone. We love you all.
Meliss

Monday, December 10, 2007

Tagity Tag Tag...

Well Kara McAffee tagged me to fill out this fun survey. I have done one similar to it before, but this one has some different categories. So here goes!!

4 Jobs I have had in my lifetime:
1. A cashier girl at Kathy's Hallmark (I don't know what the official title is).
2. A price tag putter on'er at Slusser Wholesale
3. Office Manager at StrikePoint Trading
4. House Wife, since I can't find a blasted job!

4 Films I have watched over and over again:
1. She's The Man (I know, but its always on HBO!)
2. The Santa Clause
3. Elf
4. The Devil wears Prada....(I love the clothes!)

4 TV Shows I watch religiously:
1. The Hills
2. America's Next Top Model
3. How Clean is Your House?
4. Anything on FOOD Network

4 Places where I have lived:
1. Idaho Falls, ID
2. San Diego, CA
3. Orem, UT
4. Fort Leonard Wood, MO

4 of my Favorite Foods:
1. Sushi
2. Frozen Yogurt
3. Fried Rice
4. Any Fruit!

4 Favorite Colors:
1. Green, its my favorite color!
2. Black
3. White
4. Blue

4 Places I would love to be right now:
1. To Oklahoma (sounds crazy, but that's where Andy is)
2. New York City
3. Out west, close to family.
4. California

4 Names I love but would never use on my own kids: (how about 4 names I love, and will use)
1. Winston (Andy and I both love this name)
2. Lillian (Andy has always wanted to name his daughter this)
3. Nina (Don't ask me why, but its a favorite)
4. Stone (My dad teases me about this one)

4 People that I am tagging and they MUST do this same thing:
1. Amy
2. Monica
3. Shawna
4. Allice

New Music I Heart <3

There are a couple of artists that I have run across in the last few weeks that I am really loving. The funny thing is, most of them I found off of television commercials. Sometimes you can find the greatest songs there. Here are a few of my favorites...

Forever Thursday
'How Can it Be'

I first heard this song on a JCPenny ad. I love the sound of the artists voice, and the song itself is very relaxing. You can check them out on Itunes or myspace. http://www.myspace.com/foreverthursdaymusic You can also find the video for this song on YouTube.

Landon Pigg
'Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop'

I heard this song on A Diamond is Forever commercial, and love it! You can checkout his website at http://www.landonpigg.com/ or on myspace! http://www.myspace.com/landonpiggmusic

Also, check out these other artists on Itunes!

Rufus Wainwright, Deb Talan (who is one part of the duo 'The Weepies' which is also one of my favorite bands). Enjoy!

The Story Behind Melandy!

I got this off of my friend Brittany's blog, she knows how much I love doing surveys so I decided to snag it and fill it out myself - enjoy!

1. Where did you meet your husband? Andy and I met in Nordstrom. I went with Greg and Allice to pick him up and that was the meeting point. It will forever be my favorite store,(for many reasons)ha. (He did add me as a friend on facebook prior to our meeting though).

2.What was the first thing you said to your husband? Probably something like, "Hi nice to meet you" I stuck out my hand for a shake but he went in for the hug.

3. Where was your first date? Hummm that's hard, Probably to a movie and dinner at the Cheesecake factory. I was SO exhausted that night. If you ask him, it might be the gym. That was the first time we spent time alone together.

4. Where was your first kiss? In a little play 'ground' near his parents house. We had gone on a walk, but we both knew what was coming. ha.

5. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement? We got engaged at the beginning of March and married at the end of June...so about 3.5 to 4 months...so pretty short. Felt like forever though.

6. Where did you get engaged? Our apartment at Newport Village. It has been the site of two engagements. Ours and Greg and Allice's. Its a special place. He had a whole cute set up! With the help of Greg and Allice, there were candles everywhere and he had gotten my favorite sushi!

7. Where were you married? We were married in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was awesome, and such a beautiful day (kind of hot though).

8. . How was the reception? It was good. We had one in Idaho Falls the following day and then an open house in Carson City, NV in July. They were both wonderful. Thanks to the help of all our families.

9. How was the Honeymoon? It was the greatest time. Naturally. :) We spent our first two nights at a resort at Snowbird, it was beautiful! Then we went to a resort in Palm Springs, got to go to Disney land and a Dodgers game. Plus the beach. We had so much fun. Then the second week we were up at a resort in Napa Valley, and were able to go to San Fran a couple times, once even to see the Giants play the Dodgers. Andy loved that game! The Dodgers won by 9 points. Sweet Victory. Third week we spent in Carson City...since that's where our Open house was. :) Fun times.

10. Extra info..... Andy and I have only known each other for a year. I know it sounds crazy, but we are coming up on our year mark...and it has been the best year ever. I always said that I would date at least a year before thinking about marriage, but sometimes, as cliche as it is, you just know.



What's his name? Andrew Bryan Stockhoff

How long have you been together? One Year

How old is he? 25 this next week!

Who eats more? He does for sure, which I like.

Who said I love you first? He did, although I had to catch myself a couple times before from not saying it myself. Not that I wouldn't have, but it was nice to hear it from him first. sigh.

Who is taller? He is...by about 5 inches.

Who sings better? He does, he might deny it but its the truth.

Who is smarter? He is, no question.

Whose temper is worse? I don't think either of us have much of a temper.

Who does the laundry? Usually I do, but there have been times we have done it together. And sometimes he will fold.

Who does the dishes? Usually me, but again...he will load or unload sometimes. (I don't have a job, so its not like I have other things taking my time).

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does, I like him to be closer to the door in case we have an intruder.

Who pays the bills? We both pay them. Andy is good at keeping track of the money though. I am not.

Who mows the lawn? Andy does, I think he likes it b/c its the husband thing to do :) I have attempted once but got so burnt out from doing the front yard I didn't even attempt the back. Too late now, its dead!

Who cooks dinner? I do on most occasions. Unless is Spaghetti, Andy likes to make the sauce.

Who drives when you are together? Andy, unless I am taking him to work.

Who is more stubborn? Me, by far.

Who is the first to admit their wrong? I would say we are pretty equal on this one, we will both admit it.

Whose parents do you see the most? Well we currently don't see either sets of parents. But over the course of the relationship, we have seen his more.

Who kissed whom first? He leaned in...but I was leaning myself.

Who asked whom out? Well if you count the gym as our first date then it was me, I invited him to come with me.

Who proposed? He did, it was the first and last time I have ever seen him choke up.

Who has more friends? I would probably say him. I have my closer friends...and then acquaintances.

Who is more sensitive? I would have to say me. I am a girl after all. Andy doesn't cry, I do all the time.

Who has more siblings? He does. 6 in his family only 4 in mine.

Who wears the pants in the family? We do equally, which I think is important. But I liked Brittany's answer...the Army wears the pants. So true.

Anyone who wants to add it to their blog, its fun!
Love Meliss

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Our Holiday Greeting Card...

So since we aren't sending out Christmas cards this year...I figured we would do something a little more unconventional! Check us out! Enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1180351981

And Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Josh and MOTAB

For those of you who haven't heard the new Josh Groban Christmas CD, here is a sneak peak. Andy and I bought it a while back and fell in love with it, after listening to the whole CD we soon realized the last track on the CD Josh sings with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Here it is, O Come All Ye Faithful.




May we remember the real reason for Christmas.

Love
Meliss

What a Cutie!

I don't know about you, but one of my most favorite part of this time of year are the clementines!! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get my usual Cuties from Costco like I have in years past, but luckily...the Commissary carries them!! In short. I have been eating clementines like its my job. If you haven't had them, and you like oranges, give 'em a try. They are delish!

Holiday Cheer

Well, if you have been reading our blog...you know that our camera is broken. I have really been wanting to put pictures of our Christmas tree up on the blog...but didn't really have a way. Then tonight, I remembered an old digital camera I got in like 2001 (yes it looks more like a brick) but hey, it worked! So I used it to snap a few, very unprofessional, shots of our tree and other fun things. Hope you enjoy them, as much as I enjoy sharing them!


This is our front door step. I put up garland and lights all by myself. The rest of the people on are street must be scroogish, we are the only ones who have decorated!! (Minus the Eggleston's they are leaving before Christmas, tear.)


Our tree all lit and pretty, sigh. It makes my living room my favorite room in the house!



Lastly, the living room in all its glory. I really don't have many Christmas decorations yet. But overtime we will collect. Since Andy is at BOLC in Oklahoma still I had to put it up all by myself. Hopefully that doesn't become a tradition :) but I still had fun. I even watched ELF and sipped hot cocoa to make it real special!
Happy Holidays!



Monday, December 3, 2007

I stank and so does my breath.

So today started off as a pretty normal day...I get up, do a few things around the house and head to the gym. Pretty typical, almost to the point to where, if I had a stalker, he would know exactly what I was doing on most days. Anyway, I had a good sweat. I love working out...it really makes me feel good. Especially when you break a good sweat, so I felt accomplished. After coming home I made myself a nice bowl of mini wheat's and chit chatted with my mom a bit. I soon realized my own stench and decided I better get a real start to my day, and hop in the shower. There I am, scrubba dub dubin my hair when all of the sudden my water completely goes out. That's right, not a single drop in sight. Super! Here I am, stinky with no way to remove the stench (unless you count an Italian shower, which involves heavy doses of Eau de toilette, or as most of us know it, perfume). Needless to say I still have yet to take a complete shower today. My hair is sticky, pulled back. I have not a stitch of makeup on and I am wearing my comfy pants. Its the definition of homeliness. So for those of you who might of come over to visit me (which wouldn't be many) its a good thing you didn't...its not a pretty sight. Whats the culprit you might ask? The fire hydrant between our house and the neighbor left of us is being replaced...they wanted to change the color from tan to red. Whatever happened to good old spray paint? Heck, I would have painted it myself if they would have just asked. When I called they said they hoped the water would be back on by 4pm but they weren't sure. Its about 3:52 and I still have not a drop, its been off since about 11am. The joys of living on post. I am embracing my stinkiness and declaring this my day off!