Nothing is better than going {HOME} for the {HOLIDAYS}

December was a whirlwind as previously posted, but we were able to go home to Twin Falls for Christmas! Honestly, the meaning of family changes so much once you get older. We truly enjoyed spending time with family for the holidays! Here is the recap :)

 

First off, the drive down to Twin Falls was HORRIBLE!!! Our 7 hour drive turned into about 10. We hit a huge snowstorm, a lot of traffic, and then a fatal accident to which we were stopped for an hour straight! Needless to say, we were SO happy to finally get there out of the car!!

 

Christmas Eve brought tubing and skiing at Magic Mountain with both families. What a fun day :) It was freezing, but we had a blast and have a few pics to show for it :) Trent, Riley, Dallin, Justin, and my dad skied while the rest of us tubed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long cold day in the hills, we came back to my Grandma Rice's house for Christmas Eve festivities! We had a super yummy meal with more food than we could handle (surprise surprise!) After we ate, Sherri brought her pipe chimes for Christmas songs, our favorite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to jumping back and forth between families on Christmas, we started Christmas morning at 7:30am!!! Ya it was way way early which is why we look dead in a few photos :) We did Christmas morning at Jordan's parents house and then went to my family's house. Here is a summary of Christmas in photos :) Our first Christmas a married couple!

 

Jordan was spoiled between the families and me :) He got several dress shirts for work, new puma shoes, a Playstation 3, a HUGE tent, camping chairs, a car bike rack, and much more :)

 

I was spoiled as well between the families and from Jordan! I got lots of cricut stuff, jewelry, and new FHI straightener, silver jeans, music, a red electric can opener, my laptop from black Friday, and much more :)

 



 

 

We finished off Christmas with going to see "Parental Guidance" with both families!! Soo hilarious! GO see it. You will love it!

 

We are sad to see the holidays go, but look forward to all the wonderful things to come in 2013!

 

 

 

Our first Christmas Card!!

We have made it to December and it has been a ride!

 

We started out the month in the TriCities in Washington while Jordan trained a new guy. It was super fun to shop in a big city and enjoy all the yummy chain food. Our hotel was super nice too! While Jordan trained during the day for a couple of days, I got to shop till I drop for Christmas presents and stuff for our house! We had a blast :)

 

This weekend we will be in Spokane for Jordan being on call for the weekend. What can I say, we are all shopped and big citied out! I won't be surprised if we hibernate in the hotel room doing absolutely nothing but relaxing just because we can :)

 

The following weekend, we will be heading to Twin Falls for Christmas with family! We are so excited and can't wait to see everyone!

 

In the meantime, I am running around frantic trying to finish wrapping, neighbor gifts, laundry, and packing. Tis the season right?!

 

This Christmas is our first year as a married couple. I was super excited to be able to send out a Christmas Card and carry on the tradition of a Christmas poem with it :) I was very happy with the way our poem turned out!.... not so much the card though, but hey there isn't much you can do with a Christmas card when the backgrounds are of Hawaiian flowers and beach right? Better luck next year that will have a "matching" formal session for pictures for our card :)

 

Hope all is well with your busy Christmas Season! Below is our Christmas card and poem if you didn't get one and would like to read :) Enjoy!

 

 

As 2012 draws to a close, we take time to reflect on the year;

We have been extremely blessed in our endeavors, and wish to spread some good cheer.

7.7.12 was the beginning of forever, the best day of our life;

We celebrated with family & friends, finally being husband and wife!

Our first hurdle after getting married required quite a move,

Jordan’s job moved us to Lewiston,ID, and we slowly found our groove.

We were home long enough to unload our stuff, about a week to be exact;

Then traveled to beautiful Hawaii for our honeymoon, and had a fun week that was jam packed!

The trip included snorkeling in the ocean, the bluest water you have ever seen;

We also swam with green sea turtles, it really felt like a dream!

We hiked through the rainforest, and zip lined through the trees;

It really was a different world, and always above 80 degrees!

Our tour guides were amazing, they really were a hoot;

Needless to say, there were an infinite number of pictures to shoot!

Sunsets and sunrises were to die for; Our dinner cruise was a blast;

It was all so surreal, and our week we spent there flew by too fast!

Reality soon kicked in, and Jordan returned to work;

Selling chemicals for Ecolab, which definitely has its perks!

His territory is doing great, he has had much success;

Meeting and getting new customers, he is very busy nevertheless!

Elise took time to settle in, and get the house all put together;

We were thrilled to hear that Lewiston brought quite warmer weather!

Elise soon began the job hunt and was grateful to find the perfect position;

She fit right in as the dental office administrator, and it has been a great transition.

Her photography has taken off as well, she really loves doing sessions on the side;

Shooting for families, seniors, and children have been quite the ride!

We participate in a volleyball league and love to play games with friends;

We love weekend getaways, the fun never ends!

From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas season;

For the birth of Christ the Lord gives the holiday much reason.

May you find room for the Savior in your life, as there once was none in Bethlehem;

Spread the Christmas spirit, cherish family and friends!

Love,
Jordan & Elise Martitz



Yummy Holiday & Good Friends :)

Thanksgiving was such a success this year! The past few years I have spent Thanksgiving in Montana with Jordan, BUT this year I was so GRATEFUL to not have to do all the cooking by myself :)

 

We got to spend the holiday with great friends and had such a fun time! In previous Thanksgivings, I had always made a glazed ham instead of turkey because they are SO big for only a few people. This year however, we attempted to make BOTH for our big crowd.... and we SUCCEEDED!!! Jenika and I had never made a turkey before and we hit it out of the park :) It was super yummy and moist! The ham was also fabulous. We had so much food.... and that is an understatement! Oh and P.S. we were all feeling super comfy clothes that day, so if you are reading this post and wondering why we are all in sweats, no judging! lol

 

We spent the rest of the day playing games and then braved the crowds at Black Friday with the Jeppsons :) We made it out alive and got everything we wanted!

 

 

Showing off our stuff job ;)

 

 

The boys were on stand by while the girls slaved away in the kitchen

 

Jenika was feeling Extra silly AFTER the turkey prepping went well ;)

 



Jenika and Kim scoping out the snack situation ;)

 

 

 Our group playin some serious games!

 

 

Jenika and Jordan Jeppson

Us :)

 

Alright alright now that the most recent holiday has been blogged, time for an update on everything else that has been keeping us busy!

 

Jordan recently was gone for 2 days to train a new guy in the Tricities! I did miss him lots, but while he was there, he sent me a picture of the beautiful Columbia River Temple! Looks a lot like the Spokane Temple that we are close too, but nevertheless, I thought it was beautiful!

 

 

Some friends of ours, Kim and Greg Hemmert, have been expecting their first little baby girl and She finally arrived! Baby Remi is as cute as a button and I love to snuggle her! We went and saw her at the hospital and I couldn't get enough of her!

 

 

I also got to do Baby Remi's newborn pics! Despite her being super NOT cooperative for pics, we managed to get a few breathtaking shots of this sweet girl :) Here is one from the session. More pics to come!

 

I got to love on her some more while the Hemmerts were at our house for Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for friends with babies! It has been quite a while since I have held such a NEW newborn. Such a precious little girl! Can't wait to have our own someday :)

 

 

 

Drumroll!!!........We finally upgraded our furniture! We have been looking for a while for new couches in Lewiston and Spokane. We now have a large sectional and a recliner! We are loving having more room to sit on and I love the look of them! We also got some bookshelves for our DVDs and to decorate the living room with. I am SO happy that our house is starting to feel "fuller" and more "homey!" I also bought some curtains for the living, but they have yet to make their appearance. Soon hopefully!!

 

 

 

Looks comfy right? We love them:)

 

As far as everything else, our volleyball is wrapping up in a few weeks and we are diving head first into Christmas shopping. Whew!

 

The next month is going to be super super super hectic, what else is new right?! We may be going to the TriCities for a weekend, Jordan will be on call in Spokane, and we will be traveling to Twin Falls for Christmas! Can't wait to see family and enjoy the holidays :)

 

Hopefully our Christmas card will be out and about soon! I am having a blast designing cards for photography clients!

 

Enjoy and savor the Christmas Season.....Happy Holidays from the Martitz Family!!!

 





The last {18} days in pictures & Random tidbits

 As usual it has been a few weeks since I have caught up the blog! We have had quite the busy little while and several pics to prove it :)

It has been getting super cold in Lewiston! I broke out the vests, coats, and hats a little early, but anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a fan of the cold!! No one says that you can't be cute all bundled up though ;)

My job at the dental office is going great! It is very stressful at times, but I am enjoying it. We are in the middle of doing a conversion to a different dental software and going more electronic! I am so excited and will be sooo relieved when everything is situated :) The dentist I work for is based out of Joseph,Oregon and also has a practice there. He flies into Lewiston a few days a week to see patients and the other few days of the week I play catch up on isurance billing and claims. A couple of weeks ago, we got to go to Oregon for training of the new software! Jordan came too and it was a fun little getaway :) On the way we saw TONS of deer literally arms reach away! It was great to see and I had to snap a pic. Also we woke up to such a pretty view outside the hotel!

 Deer we saw on the way :)

 The beautiful view outside our hotel room!!

I was so excited to go to the pumpkin patch a few days before halloween, and it ended up completely pouring that day! So instead, I stayed warm inside, and baked cupcakes to take for all the girls at training in Oregon. I took my time making them super pretty and the packaging perfect. I was one proud baker! Spice cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting was the final product and they were OOBER good!!

We joined a rec volleyball league a little bit ago and play a couple nights a week on a team with some friends :) At first I was super apprehensive and didn't know if it would even be any fun, but we are having a blast! We were undefeated until our last game where we lost by 2, but we have a rockin team! The only downside to playing is well.....bruises. I was never an avid volleyball player, so my wrists and arms aren't exactly "broken" in! So that being said... check out my battle wound.....

This was even AFTER a week of healing! It got all green and nasty.... This is looking good compared to where it started out at! Its a blood sport, but we love it :)

We love Costco...That is about all to say about this next pic :) portion and freeze for two people! Gotta love their good deals!

So I'm sure you all are sick of hearing about politics and all that garbage, but for me, this year's election was very personal. Due to lovely heath care reform from obamacare, our bebefits went from super great to super super scary for next year! When we sat down to look at them for Jordan's open enrollment which was a few nights before the election, I just sat and stared thinking, "Am I missing something here????" I hoped and prayed that Mitt Romney would win so that this country could get back on track. With the road Obama is leading this country down, it is scary to afford daily life let alone a family. Among the many benefits of Jordan's great job with Ecolab, his Health Benefits were top on the list. Like I mentioned, those are now in the toilet due to Obamacare. This adds stress to being able to eventually fulfill a longtime dream of both of ours to start a family down the road. I was deeply saddened to see that our country is dumb enough to put Obama back in and unleash more evil and damaging things to this great country that so many have worked so hard to build. After the election Tuesday night, I just sat on the couch and cried. Now more than ever, prayer, food storage, and following church leadership counsel is essential. I saw this on Pinterest and though it was rather appropriate. Apparently common sense isn't so common in this world anymore!

My ring has been at the jewelers for the last week for its annual inspection and cleaning for the warranty. I have felt NAKED!! It has been such a weird feeling! I wore a little ring while it was away and I didn't realize how heavy my wedding set was till I didn't have it! It is a beast! I absolutely LOVE it though and everytime I look at it, I remember the handsome man that I get to spend forever with <3 Speaking of handsome man.... My hubby surprised me at work with panda for lunch on Friday, AND brought me my beautiful ring from the jewelers! He was all dressed up and looking sharp too! He is a keeper for sure :)

This weekend, Jordan is on call in Spokane again! Man 5 weeks have snuck up on us again... It feels like we were just here! We are for sure making it worth our while though while we are here. We have been looking to upgrade our couches and get an entertainment center so we can finally put our living room together. It is so bare! Our little town of Lewiston doesn't have much to offer in the furniture department, so we are searching all the furniture warehouses here in Spokane in hopes to have some pretty new living room furniture delivered! Day 1 was tiring, but pretty successful so far :) We are super pooped! We enjoyed a super yummy dinner at a new place called Boston's and then hit the bed to relax! Can't beat a weekend getaway with your best friend!

Love to all and and to all a goodnight ;)