I love St George Houses

To be completely honest, I am not a huge fan of the Southwest style homes.  But the St George style home is one of my favorite!!  

We absolutely love our home in SunBrook.  It is a beautiful new home!

And the only thing I love more than our home, is when our home is sparkling clean.  

I just wanted to thank our House Cleaner, Monica, of "Monica's Professional Cleaning Service, LLC".  She does such a wonderful job cleaning our house.   Thank you, Monica!  You not only have a friendly disposition, you are very hard working and leave my house sparkling clean and fresh!

I am allergic to dust mites and when I don't keep my bedroom super clean, I suffer from sinus infections.  Monica takes extra time in my master suite (which is half the size of the house!) and it looks perfect when she is done.  My house has never been so clean as when Monica leaves!  

I really appreciate that Monica Freeberg and the service she provides.  I appreciate that she listened to what was important to me and spent extra time helping me create a clean and healthy environment to sleep!  Thank you.  

You can learn more about Monica's Professional Cleaning Service, LLC at http://monica.sfreeberg.com  or you can call her at 435.862.5987.

Another reason I love living in St George are the beautiful homes, and the wonderful people who provide great services to help me care for and maintain my home.  Monica you are awesome!  THANK YOU!

I LOVE ZION'S NATIONAL PARK

Magic Illumination by Jen McBride

Okay, I'm not exactly an outdoor enthusiast. I don't love camping and I definitely don't love roughing it.  I prefer a condo and hot shower, to a tent and sleeping bag. Call me crazy.  Seriously, call me CRAZY!  

But I love the fact that I can get to Zion's National Park within an hour and I don't have to camp to enjoy the spectacular beauty of Zion.  It is literally in my front yard.  

Some people don't realize that Zion is practically deserted during the winter months butit is just as breathtaking as during the more popular seasons: Spring, Summer and Fall.  

The majesty of Zion is awe inspiring and humbling.  How was something so beautiful made by sand, wind and a little water, one day at a time.  Amazing.  

This is a photo taken after the moon rose on Saturday, Jan 10 2009.  

Buffet at The Village Bank

Jared & I love The Village Bank!  Too be honest, this is the first bank that I've really loved.  

One of the benefits of living in St George, Utah is to be able to bank at The Village Bank which is independent and not tied to the economic crisis.  It is locally owned and provides EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE!  The manager and many of the employees know us by name.  They not only smile when they greet us, they take the time to find out what is going on in our lives. 

WOW!  That just doesn't happen very often in today's FAST PACED SOCIETY.

And I've never been to a bank that has a CHRISTMAS BUFFET on Christmas Eve.  HAVE YOU?  Seriously, there was shrimp, fruit, veggies, scrumptious cheese with crackers, and even yummy desserts.  THANK YOU for the delicious food at the Christmas Buffet VILLAGE BANK.  You are our favorite bank in the whole world!  

Oh... they also give away fresh baked cookies on Fridays.  Yep, you guessed it.  My husband always takes our 5-Star Professional Window Cleaning Deposits in ...on Friday!  Not only is the building beautiful, the service is exceptional and they offer many extra's! 

We love living in St George, Utah and we love banking at The Village Bank!

DIXIE DIRECT CARDS

One of the reasons I love St George, Utah is because of the Dixie Direct Card.  

The Dixie Direct Card offers amazing deals for restaurants, entertainment, and golf in St George.  Jared & I have had a Dixie Direct Card for the past 2 years and just got our 2008-2009 Dixie Direct Card!   We love the Dixie Direct Card and our FREE coupons!  It provides inexpensive and Fun Date Ideas!   

This year the book has 3 Pages of Free Coupons.  One of those coupons is 2 free lunches at Ruby River.  Yes, I said, "TWO FREE LUNCHES at RUBY RIVER."  So, Jared & I went and had lunch last week FOR FREE at RUBY RIVER!  

Ruby River has a fun and relaxed atmosphere.  The service was great and the food was awesome!  The sweet potato is more like a dessert than a vegetable!  We had a great date for Free!  (Well, we did leave a great tip for the server.  Jared was a server in another life! )

You've got to check out the Free coupon pages.  You will find over 20 free items.  You won't believe what people are giving away FOR FREE!  

You can learn more about Dixie Direct Cards at    www. DixieDirectCard.com

We love Dixie Direct!  

(Yes, 5-STAR Professional Window Cleaning has a great offer this year for new customers!  Check it out!)

Funny Face Photography... Have you heard of them?

A year ago, I attended a "What Kids Want Expo" at the Dixie Center and met a local photographer Deborah Ouzts of Funny Face Photography.   Hanging in her booth was a large framed canvas of a photo much like the one above.  It was breathtaking!!!

I saw it and I wanted it!  Only I wanted a silhouette shot of my family, just like the one I was staring at in the booth.  I was VERY impressed with all the photos that were chosen to display.  The photos were not only gorgeous, but full of life and personality.   I booked Funny Face Photograhy for our McBride family reunion held in St. George, Utah in November of 2007.  

We had a large group, about 27 people-Grandpa, Grandma, their 8 kids, spouses and grandchildren.  Mike and Deb are a great team, easy going, and brought the best out of the small children in the group.  They showed up early and were prepared for us when we arrived.  They took shoots of the whole group, individual families, couples, and grandchildren.  They gave everyone digital copies of all the images.

This year, the siblings all got together and printed one of the family prints on a large canvas and framed it for Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas.  The picture at the beginning of the blog is that photo.  Tears came to grandma and grandpa's eyes when they first saw the photo.   Grandpa said, "This is timeless!"  Grandma just covered her heart with her hands.  She was speechless and crying!

I, too, have this photo printed on Canvas (by PRINT IT on Main Street) and framed displayed in my home.  My print is 24 by 36 inches and is the focal point in the room.  It is a timeless piece of art that I will always treasure.  

One of the best things about living in St. George, is having the opportunity to meet and work with people like Mike and Deb Ouzts of Funny Face Photography (and Nathan of Print It).  They provided excellent service, went above and beyond the call of duty.  They showed up on time, provided digital copies of all the images to all 9 siblings, and were positive and fun people to work with.  

If anyone needs a photographer for a family photo, for weddings, or any event, I recommend Funny Face Photography.  Check out more of their amazing images at funnyfacephoto.com.  There phone number is 435. 467.4321.  

Mike and Deb, You are Awesome.  Keep up the Great Work!  

P.S.  Nathan at Print It is also AMAZING!  

If you have a digital image you need printed on photo paper or on canvas, go talk to Nathan at Print it!  He provided a high quality product at an affordable price, along with great friendly customer service.  

Print It--- is located at 55 North Main in St. George.  The phone number is 435.652.1005.

Check out Nathan's photography in the shop next door!  He does Beautiful Work!  Perfect for any home in St. George.  

I Love Living in Saint George, Utah

I love living in Saint George, Utah!  

I am not a native of St. George!  My husband and I moved to here in August of 2006.  But the longer I live here, the more I fall in love with St. George's unique beauty and the people who live here.  

St. George is a unique desert in the southwest corner of Utah.  It is surrounded by majestic red mountains, Zion's National Park, and Snow Canyon State Park.  People travel from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the unique canyon walls forged by the Virgin river, in Zion's National Park.    

But there is more to St George than the Red Dirt, Red Mountains, the canyon's of Zion, Snow Canyon State Park, lakes, sand dunes, and historic sites.  St. George, Utah is not just a place on a map for tourists to visit once in a lifetime.  St. George is a place to call home.  It is a place to raise a family, and/or to retire.  It is a place where neighbors are friends, and where people take the time to smile and say hello.  And when they ask you, "How are you?" they really want to know.  

I never planned on living in a desert, but now that I am here, I can't imagine living anywhere else.  St George, Utah is Home!  I love living here!  

Periodically, I would like to share with you some of my positive experiences and adventures in St. George, Utah.