Hawaii

So APX took us to Maui from the 13th of Dec to the 20th of Dec and we stayed at the Grand Wailea resort on the West side of Maui and it was amazing! APX chartered a plane out to Hawaii for everyone. They provided breakfast and lunch for us everyday (lunch was out of a cabana by the pool everyday) and then they took us to Duo's on Tuesday night for dinner and Nick's Fish House for dinner on Wednesday. They also took us to a magic show on Friday night in Lahaina which was very entertaining and very funny at the same time. While we were there we went snorkeling several times, whale watching, the Road to Hanna, Mark went diving and just hung out and enjoyed the island. What a great trip and APX is an amazing company! Thank you so much APX!!!

Boarding the plane at the Millionaire Airport in Salt Lake.

Last time I went to Hawaii I never received a Lei but this time once we pulled into the resort they were waiting for us with the Lei's and I was so excited!

Our awesome room......

Mark enjoying the view from our balcony.

The view from our balcony.

There are gardens and ponds all over the resort grounds.

Enjoying the beach.

Looking at the resort from the beach.

They had amazing sunsets!!!

Our view from where we at breakfast every morning.

Snorkeling at Turtle town....

The swimming pools at the resort.

Dinner at Nick's Fish House.

The dessert that they set on fire.

Looking at our resort from the ocean.

Whale watching.....

The jeep that we rented and our trip on the road to Hanna.

The bridges on the Road to Hanna were so small that only one car could drive on it at a time.

They had those little shack shops all over the place.

Blowhole....

Black sand beach....

Lava tube......

Swimming in the seven pools....

We drove all the way around the island.

The best macadamia nut ice cream ever!

APX took us to a magic show and it was really good. The Calkin's, Seegmiller's and the McConkey's.

The view that we had every morning from out bed.

Lunch by the pool.

Snorkeling again.....

I walked around on the lava rock looking at the pools in them and the fish that got stuck in them.

The yummiest Hawaiian ice shack....

Waterfall in front of our resort.

It rained the entire last day so we just walked around front street looking at the shops in Lahaina.

Christmas Treats

So as a family we made neighbor and friend goodie plates. We had a lot of fun doing it and I think that I over did it! We made sugar cookies, fudge, chocolate bark, chocolate suckers and oreo chocolate covered balls. It was all so yummy and I had to make a few extras for us to eat, which we did!!! We love our friends and family and hope they enjoy the treats.

Hadley and mom making suckers.

Hadley loved frosting and putting sprinkles on the sugar cookies.

Mark was the master ball maker.

Handcrafted chocolate suckers.

White chocolate peppermint and milk chocolate bark snowflakes that I handcrafted.

The assembly line.

Hadley is ready to deliver with chocolate on her face.

The finished product......

APX Sub for Santa

So APX has started a tradition 3 years ago where we raise the money and buy Christmas presents for Sub for Santa children, this year we were able to raise (from employee donations)over $100,000 and were able to provide Christmas to over 1,200 children. We split up into teams and I believe that I had the best team out of the bunch, my team alone shopped for 63 children while other teams only did 15. The first day we went shopping for all of the children, then the next night we wrapped the gifts and then we had the amazing opportunity to hand deliver them to the families that we shopped for. What a humbling experience, it makes your realize how blessed you really are! I love the company that I work for and the opportunity to serve like and put others before ourselves. What an amazing way to start he Holidays!!!!

Thank you APX!

Tyler was so great, he shopped for 12 children on his own.

The Shipleys....

Our awesome team members!

Paying for our many items.

Hadley was good during the shopping.

Ben and Mark shopping like crazy!

The bed of Lauren's truck is clear full of gifts after we were finished shopping and heading back to the APX gym to drop them off.

These are the gifts that my team bought for just our children, we had 63 children to buy for.

All of the gifts for the children that we bought for.

Lauren hiding in the gifts that we were taking to our families.

Out delivering the gifts to our families.

Tyler Allred and Manny Guiterez were being Santas delivering the gifts to these families.

We had the best team this year!

Hadley was helping wrap and it was so cute...

We had the service techs from all over the U.S. helping us wrap the presents. We couldn't have gotten them all wrapped without them.

Nutcracker

Hadley was in Hot Shots Dance Studios preformance of the Nutcracker and right before she was supposed to come on stage the battery in my camera died so the only picture that I have is this one of her after the performance in her Nutcracker sweat outfit holding the flowers her dad gaver her after it was over. She was a candy cane and I am so bummed becasue she was so cute and did such a good job!!

Christmas Tree Decorating

So on November 29th we as a family decorated the Christmas tree and I think that it turned it so pretty. Hadley was so funny because she has this princess ornament that is especially for her and she kept moving it all of the tree because she was never satisfied with where it was at. It was a great family home evening activity!

The finished product........

Hadley and dad...

Halloween

So Halloween this year was very eventful this year. I ended up getting the flu on Friday and was out of commission all weekend so I didn't get to participate in any Halloween festivities. My parents came up for the weekend and on Saturday everyone went trunk or treating at the church and since it was raining they transferred it in doors. Then that night my family celebrated my sister Hannah's and Mark's birthday's, which I was unable to join in on. It was so sad because I was in bed at home by myself.... Hadley was a candy corn witch this year and she looked really cute but a little disheveled because I didn't get her ready this year.

Crewe was the cutest shark ever....