Brandon & Christina

A Year of Changes and Beginnings

2012-01-29T15:52:00.004-07:00

As we reflect on 2011 and all that has happened in the life our our small little family as well as our extended family, we can't help but smile at the new beginnings that have brought in 2012. Little Ava was born on December 23, 2011 and has forever changed our lives. She's a little fussy at times, a little crazy at times, a little reverent at times, and a little adorable all of the time.

We went in for a three and a half hour photo shoot with Amber Crowley at her three week birthday and for the first hour and a half baby Ava was a little bit fussy. Eventually she calmed down and we couldn't be more pleased with how her little pictures turned out. A special thanks to Amber for being so patient and professional during the whole session!

BYU Basketball

2011-03-20T08:48:00.010-06:00

My apologies to the approximately 3 people who read our blog. We have been either 1) too lazy, 2) too busy, 3) too unexciting, or 4) too selfish to let others know what we have been up to!

Lately its been Jimmer Mania, Jimmerica, Jimmer Jammered (whatever your favorite Jimmer phrase is) at our house, between the tournament games here in Denver and the televised games we have been enjoying BYU basketball.

A basketball game wouldn't be a basketball game without professionally crafted signage portraying the image of the one who reigns in Provo at a place they call the Marriott Center:

It is quite possible that the time and thought put into this poster (although simple in appearance) was well over 8 hours, a full work day. Just to make me happy Brandon continues to hold it up as we are watching the televised games from our couch.

We had a great time at the BYU v. Wofford game (thanks to Jason, Michelle and little Jack for sharing your tickets)

Jack was mesmerized by Brandon's pepto-bismal colored shirt, Brandon insists on wearing shirts that allow family members to easily spot him in a crowd.

As mesmerized as Jack was with the pink shirt I don't think any fan was as infatuated as Christina was with "the Jimmer". I think we went through about 15 photos just to get a picture of "the Jimmer" facing us or the back of "the Jimmer's" head. Seeing as the camera was at capacity I am sorry for those of you who did not get to see those 15 wedding pictures, they have now been replaced with what appears to be some part of Jimmer's head/back/shoulder.

Aloha

2010-07-03T14:57:00.021-06:00

Sometimes in our daydreaming we imagine what it would be like to pull a tiny morsel of heaven down to earth and enjoy it for a little while.... This is the best that I could imagine (please do not try to zoom in on the picture as the abs only get more defined and larger):

...but in all honesty, we spent a wonderful 7 days in beautiful Hawaii this June and enjoyed every minute of it. The lush gardens and greenery of the state didn't cease to amaze us and we are soon hoping for a tropical climate in Colorado to come our way...

Usually Ron doesn't like to travel further than Tooele, Utah on vacation, but he was willing to make an exception this time, which turned out to be to our advantage as most thought he was a local Hawaiian due to his extremely fine tanned skin.

Each of the pristine beaches were our favorite part of the trip, and at least once a day we found ourselves soaking up the sun and waves of the North Shore

Every day we found ourselves venturing further out of our comfort zone and into the small surrounding cities to taste the local cuisine; Pizza Bob's, Matsumoto's shaved ice, The Tree House, and of course all of the little "restaurants on wheels", the best being this little Brazilian bus that sold Brandon's favorite brazilian treat! (Unfortunately one night led us to McDonald's as it was the only place open late)

We took multiple trips to the Aloha Stadium as the flea market bargains were too good to pass up! Brandon was a super good bargaineer as his experience in Brazil enhanced his skills and fine tuned his keen sense of pricing. (Case in point, the coconut below was purchased for $10, a steal of a deal ;)

We were awed by the reverence of Pearl Harbor, and grateful for those men and women who served and serve to protect our freedoms.

Hopefully we can make this trip a yearly endeavor as the first time went so well!!!

P.S. A special Mahalo to Ron and Patty for keeping us laughing each day and making the trip a little more memorable!

Mr. Michael Bublé

2010-05-23T19:04:00.011-06:00

We have been in love (I use that term pretty loosely for Brandon, a little more strictly for my part) with Michael Bublé since 2004, we once drove 5 hours just to see him perform in the quad cities in 2006. So needless to say when Christmas rolled around this year Brandon knew exactly what to get for Christmas in 2009, "call me irresponsible", but I can't get enough of him!

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed every minute of the concert "feeling good" from start to finish, from the vocal performance, to the outstanding band, to the ambiance of the evening, and finding out later that Michael is indeed a conservative! Brandon is sooooooo lucky that Michael "hadn't met me yet" before he proposed in May of 2006....

At one point he came out and performed in the crowd right near where we were seated, my heart melted like the fourth of July, we couldn't help but "smile" as he wooed us with his words

Brandon was texting his brother throughout the evening asking him if "he could sing as beautifully as the man", "of course" would come the reply. Although I will say Michael might have a slight advantage on the Standifird men, when it comes to whistling, you just don't mess with the Standifird duet of Brandon and Jason. Often times Brandon tells me he would like to perform whistling duets with his brother at various firesides and meetings throughout the country.

The stage lighting and show were spectacular the entire night

How fitting that the tour was called the "crazy love tour" because we are both so crazy in love (again Brandon prefers to use the term love in reference to "love of all men") and can't wait for "everything" he might bring us on his next tour.

Thanks for the memories and we will do "whatever it takes" to see him next year!

P.S. Brandon still has "all of me" despite all the things I said about Mr. Michael Bublé...

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T18:47:00.005-06:00

Please enjoy the central meaning of this day from our good friends "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
He Lives

Work, fun, & relaxation

2010-03-29T20:04:00.018-06:00

Well Brandon has been relatively busy with work these days, I say relatively because he has been home pretty often during busy season... I'm not sure if it is a blessing or a curse! I will say one thing, the man loves his hammer, and at times I have to remind him that it is ten o'clock at night and the sound of the miter saw coupled with the sound of loud hammering isn't condusive to a harmonious neighborhood. Needless to say he has made some great progress:

His latest accomplishment is wiring the bedroom for electricity, thankfully he understands that live wires carry a current and can cause electrocution and sometimes death. We are both very excited to have a bedroom to sleep in during those hot summer nights when we can't turn on the air conditioner, because we don't have one....

We have done a lot in the past few months, traveled to Utah then back to Colorado, then to California where we once again spent the new year with Mickey Mouse and company,

We did experience a lot of new places, the Griffith Observatory -

The Hoover Dam -

And the always famous -

After all these years of searching and pondering Brandon finally came to realize who his Disney character truly is...

This is the moment he found out that he had more in common with a tiny cricket than we could have ever imagined or hoped for.

But while we are on the topic of pests, here is Christina in true character...

We love spending our time together and when all is said and done we are still King & Queen of the castle!

"Real Men"

2009-11-15T17:08:00.004-07:00

Well Brandon took up a personal project.... it was the basement. I think this is an important step for him, its time for him to be a real man. Real men use saws, they use hammers, they have steel-toed boots, they bleed and don't care. So, needless to say Brandon has accomplished all of the above in just a few short weeks, and the proof is in the pudding:

Vacation

2009-07-16T18:45:00.013-06:00

Have you ever been to Altamont Utah? Chances are no..... What about Neola? Again, chances are better that you've been to Spain and gotten tagged by a charging bull... We however, spent a better part of 7 days in "God's Country". Below is the photographic evidence of the event.

The wonderful city of Neola slogan "Move no more" we celebrated our independence in this great city, and despite the fact that the parade was 20 minutes long and covered two city blocks, it was fantastic; small goats, veterans of war, rodeo queens, otter pops that opened from the bottom as you were eating them from the top, fire engines, a fly over by 8-10 jets (and by jets I do mean crop dusters from the local area), and many other sights and sounds.

Here is a picture of Brandon pretty much just commanding this powerful twin engine vessel. Look at the way it effortlessly glides across the water. The look of worry on his face probably comes from the realization that if, heaven forbid, a squall came up quickly, five passengers is a heavy burden to swim to shore. Although, the transformer swim trunks would no doubt provide him with the ultimate strength of the one whom the trunks bear - Optimus Prime.

Speaking of Squalls... Here is a real doosy that could have caused some serious damage to a small vessel...

We spent the entire vacation enjoying those "finer" things in life...

Time with family.

Horseshoes. (Brandon's first toss went backwards nearly injuring a small child to which he was quoted as saying "whoa")

Playgrounds.

Fishing.

and each other.

Here is what has been going on...

2009-01-04T19:01:00.011-07:00

We took a weekend getaway over to Glenwood Springs, a much needed break from the scuffles of the real world. The natural hot springs were therapy to the body and soul as we soaked in the mineral rich water of the earth. Christina enjoyed a relaxing day at the spa while Brandon washed the car and took one last dip in the healing pool, (I'm not sure he can be healed from his everyday craziness).

We arrived home only to realize that we were in need of a Christmas tree, Brandon wanted a charlie brown tree, while Christina was a fan of the more traditional tree... Below is the picture of the traditional tree. It took awhile to get it into the house, at 8 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide it was no easy task, luckily Brandon has been working out (in his dreams) and hoisted it like it was a candy cane

Christmas Vacation took us to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, and we are both too exhausted to describe the Christmas Vacation so just enjoy the photos...

2008-10-19T19:40:00.007-06:00

PUMPKIN FUN!!!

We thought that carving pumpkins for family home home evening would be an excellent idea, we had decided that we would have some adventure this year and head over to the "Rock Creek Farm" patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins. It was muddy, cold, and the the rain was falling, which equated to the perfect fall day... After what seemed like an hour long process we found two perfect pumpkins one large and round the other tall and skinny. We loaded them into the trunk of the car and headed to the booth to pay; $7 dollars for one or $12 for two, we couldn't have found a better deal. After a little hot cocoa at Starbucks (just hot cocoa), and about twenty minutes of Christina scraping mud off of her shoes in the parking lot we returned home.

Here is what the "perfect" pumpkins look like... (if you look close I am still in work slacks).

It is a long and delicate process, that of carving pumpkins, it requires 1) patience 2) a steady hand, 3) the perfect canvas and 4) the ability to concentrate...

Brandon really excited....

And finally the finished product....

Brandon's pumpkin was supposed to be a witch and it really looked good for one night, however, the elements have taken hold of the poor little pumpkin and slowly but surely it is shriveling into a mess of ruts and gashes. (If you look closely you can make out white teeth in the background).

Philadelphia

2008-08-01T09:02:00.011-06:00

Christina and I needed a little break from Colorado and we decided to take a vacation... first stop wonderful Philadelphia. What a great time we had exploring this historical giant in our nations founding.
Good ol Robert Morris... He was known as the "Financier of the Revolution". He once graced the likes of the thousand dollar bill...
Here is a photo of me with the First Central bank built in Philadelphia in 1795-1797 a time when each state had its own currency, the need for one currency was as great as ever.

What would a tour of Philadelphia be without seeing the old Liberty bell, another symbol of our country's freedom and efforts...

One of the key historical sites - Independence Hall... here the United States Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 177, and the Declaration was read aloud to the public in the area now known as Independence Square.
We had an enjoyable time in Philadelphia and hope to return soon...

July 4th

2008-08-01T08:23:00.011-06:00

There is nothing like the Provo parade for the 4th of July. It is one of our favorite holidays, Brandon gets to wear the festive shirts that he so diligently searches for each year. This year if you look closely you can see an eagle, the American Flag, and the statue of liberty all in one... Wow!

The big event this year for the stadium of fire was none other than Miley Cyrus ( Brandon really wishes we could have purchased tickets for this event....) Just think thousands of screaming girls

For the the 4th of July this year we went to Utah for the Provo parade. This year the big attraction was the WWII M16 Hellcat tank. We always enjoy our time at the parade watching the bands, the old war veterans, the floats, and the crazy

and of course what would a parade be without the curious little monkey...

It's been awhile...

2008-04-05T19:25:00.002-06:00

Finding the time to write on this thing in the past 31/2 months has been nearly impossible. With Brandon working until all hours of the night during busy season and myself trying to fit five hours of statistics lessons in every day and then take four tests within ONE MONTH (my suggestion would to not try to do that right before a deadline)! We are so happy that statistics and busy season are over! I never really know what to write about on here. First of all, I'm not the type who likes to publicly share details about my life with whoever wants to read it. I don't want to give too much away to people that don't need to know but then again I don't want to write things that are totally boring. I'm sure I'll find a balance as I get more into this, provided that happens.

Here are a few updates for those who care to know!

*We love the neighborhood! Our neighbors are so kind and friendly. Today G'Angela just opened our back gate and came up to the patio door to ask us if we wanted her patio table because she didn't have enough room. It was really cool and she just stopped by.

*Brandon has been coming home early! Busy season is over and he can start to "enjoy" work a little more while normalcy is starting to be established in our lives.

*Finally we have a washer and dryer! They are fabulous! Our pink laundry room is quite unique and adds a lot of value to the home I'm sure.

Welcome to Broomfield

2008-01-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's been about a month since we've moved into the new house. It's so beautiful and so perfect for us. We have plenty of room and feel so comfortable in it. There is still a lot of decorating that needs to be done. I just stare at my empty canvas all day and imagine what I will create. There are too many ideas. I'm just holding off doing anything until we have enough money saved up in our house decorating budget. I already know what colors I am going to paint the bedroom and bathrooms. I'm going to need gold, River Mist, Fairytale Pink, Limonata, and either Rosy Cheeks or Very Berry. Brandon has been so good about handling our budget. Every Sunday, he opens up his spreadsheet and gives me an update. Broomfield is a nice place to live, even though I think Brandon and I both miss our respective hometowns. We've met a few of our neighbors. Doug has been so good to us. He lets us borrow anything we could possibly need. We are hoping to make some more friends around here. They'll probably all be older than us but that's cool. Hanging with oldies can be way fun.

Our First Home!!!

2007-11-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

We feel so overwhelmed about buying our first home, Brandon doesn't enjoy spending money and often thinks of so many other things where the money would be better spent (that's the accountant in him), but we both loved the area, the home, and especially the ward. Our search for the home began close to one year ago when we began looking at places to live and prices that we could afford. We drove to Denver multiple times in order to find exactly what we wanted. Well after about 100 hours of looking online, touring sites, driving 5,000 miles, and talking with dozens of sales associates we narrowed our search to one location - Broomfield Colorado. Our first home is a far cry from the mobile home that Mom & Dad Standifird lived and was a little closer to the condo that Mom & Dad Potts lived in, although we didn't live nearly as close to our tennis courts... Our closing date will potentially be November 30, 2007 and we couldn't be more excited to be moving into our little home for the Holiday's.

Life is Good

2007-10-29T20:19:00.000-06:00

We have been married now for 1 year and 2 months; what a fabulous ride marriage has been!!! Sometimes we look back on the last year and think how blessed we have been! The magic started on August 18, 2006 in the Mt. Timpanogos Utah Temple. Brandon was really sweet and shed a lot of tears during the ceremony and in the end we were sealed for time & all eternity. The thought of that makes us happier and happier each day. I don't think we either remember much of our wedding day but we do remember how happy we were and how excited and nervous we were to begin our journey together! Oh what a journey it will be!!!