for our new blog go to http://lizaconnolly.blogspot.com/ I miss you old blog!!!!!!

Our first Easter together!!! We played the Greek egg cracking game, we'll have to post pictures next year because we forgot to take them. I taught TJ how to say "Christ is risen" in Greek which TJ excitedly tells everyone a little different every time. Being away from home on Easter I wanted to have my mom's scalloped potatoes, unfortunately I forgot/didn't know you were supposed to soak the potatoes in cold water, and well as you can see when I opened the tin foil a couple hours later, I was horrified at our mud colored potatoes which we served at family dinnery, yikes!

Here we have some awesome flowers outside our front door, I have no idea what they are called but when it is snowing they look like tulips and when the sun comes out they look like this


One of my best friends gave us a sushi set from Japan for our wedding, TJ surprised me on our 3 month anniversary with a tulip and sushi stuff, this was our first attempt, Thank you Neals!!!


TJ and I are both taking photography classes right now, this is TJ's eye, I may be a bit biased but it is the most light filled beautiful eye I've ever seen. That is the first thing I ever noticed about him, sigh.

This was my first time skiing, an awesome outdoorsy couple in our ward The Graphs told us about free skiing after 3 at Alta and told me that her skiis really wanted to get out on the slopes, I came home one night and TJ had picked them up, neither of us had been skiing or snowboarding since 2004/2005 ish. We went up and down the bunny hill a three times and then headed to the greens. I was worried about hurting my knees but after a while I got over-confident. Eventually I didn't turn one skii as fast as the other and flipped over my head, I was so impressed that my knees didn't get hurt that I gained a little more confidence and learned to turn my skiis appropriately. I LOVED skiing!!!! Thank you Graph's and TJ! Oh and in case you were wondering what kind of goggles TJ is wearing those would be swimming ones, but I hear TJ is a pretty mean skiier which doesn't surprise me because he is gifted in every physical and athletic way.
Besides that we are just working and going to school, TJ is done in 2 weeks and I graduate in one month!!!

Oh haha, I forgot to mention that on Wednesday I chopped off 12" and donated them to Locks of Love, SURPRISE!

This Valentines day, our very first together, TJ had a very special surprise for me.  While on my mission I fell in love with songs by Peter Breinholt, well two of them as I was an LDS missionary I had a limited collection of music.  I had no idea who he was or even his name back then.  Since I served at Temple Square I was also called to serve in a second mission for 4 1/2 months, I was called to some very small towns outside of Las Vegas.  During this time I stopped by an LDS bookstore, that had a really great deal on used CD's, I actually looked at Peter's and read some of the lyrics, it was an autographed copy and I was tempted to buy it, I concluded that there might be some romantic lyrics on it and that is not what you need to think about on a mission.  So I put it down.  Later in Colorado Springs a dear friend of mine was listening to him in her car, I was so excited because I could mainly only listen to Jack Johnson and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir when I returned from my  mission.  Everything else seemed really crass.  She ended up buying me the CD, from then on I have found him more and more inspiring.  Which leads me back to the present.  Peter Breinholt was holding a fireside and I was going and nothing was going to stop me!  The Sunday before the fireside, TJ and I were called to a new responsibility with the young single adults at church, which would require us to be with Steven Covey instead, also a great opportunity I might add!  So we went to see Steven Covey, I was sad that the time that I would get to see an inspiration for me had passed but knew it would come again.  So Valentines Eve, TJ took me to see Peter Breinholt, it was a wonderful experience!  He is this skinny, kind of nerdy looking guy by most peoples standards, but he sure knows how to put on a great show!  TJ and both left inspired to create music and words of our own.  There were also some other artists with extremely moving music.  At the end of the show, we were able to talk to him, as TJ's family is friends with him as well as one of my other favorite singers.  So funny how small the world gets.  During the concert I also reflected on all the past failed relationships that led me to TJ.  I liked myself through all of them but am grateful for the road that has helped me grow into a much stronger person than I ever thought I could be and that has led me to the man of my dreams in a most blessed and wonderful life.  Things usually turn out better than you think they will, trust me!  Sometimes I have fears about my future but as President Stewart (my 3rd mission president) taught, "99% of our fears will never be realized so, KILL THE PIG (your fears) with faith".

Welcome TJ

On the 20th of December I became Elizabeth Connolly.  It was the most perfect and joyous day of my life.  I loved first of all marrying the man of my dreams for eternity.  I loved having our families together and being able to let them meet as well as just enjoying having the people we love most and know us best with us on that day.