Friday, June 27, 2008

Old New Friends

I am just so happy I can't resist blogging. It may sem stupid, but I am so happy to have my High School friend Auschel on my blog list now! Ever since high school we have have tried to keep in touch but having lunch every now and again and catchign up. It always feels like it has only been days since we talked last, and we could probably talk for hours (and I think we have, on occation). We have been trying so hard to be "friends" again but we haven't found a time. I am so excited to be able to keep up on her life in between lunches.

Oh, and Auschel, how long has my blog been linked on yours? Have you been blog-stalking me?

Friday, June 20, 2008

Photos












These are just a sampling of the pictures I have taken over the last couple weeks. The first two were from Grandma Billie's birthday part, and I took so many that I could never have picked a sane amount to blog about, so if you are curious if your family was included, please visit our Photo Gallery. And yes, I know, there are two pictures of Allie here. I love these pictures. So there.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Fun-Filled Weekend

This weekend was SO busy! Its a good thing I accidental fell asleep on the couch Saturday afternoon, or I would never had made it.

Friday night Jeff slept over to help me out at our neighborhood yard exchange Saturday morning, and he and Nik played games for a couple of hours before turning in. Jeff and I got up early and loaded up the car. Down at the church the bowery was PACKED! So...much...stuff...And it was even better because it was free! We donated, so I didn't feel bad looking around.

Jeff found a tie with Marvin the Martian (my favorite Looney Tunes character) all over it, and a shirt...I think. I found a bunch of clothes for my niece and nephew and a Frisbee and some racket balls (hehe) for me, and a pair of pants for Nik. Over all, much more left the house than came back in. I good thought. I did go yard saleing afterward, but still, didn't buy too much more stuff. I mean, we got rid of a dresser. And I didn't buy any furniture. Tempted, but no. I did, however, find a running stroller for the F* family. I hope they have a good time running!

After the shopping spree I had an hour or so before I needed to be at Liz Longakers baby shower, so I changed my clothes and wrapped the gift. And sat. Sitting is good.

The shower was a good time, and I hadn't seen a couple of the ladies in a long time, so it was even more fun. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Cute prego Liz!
This is what we gave her. I had one bag with baby meds and one bag with clothes and stuff.
I died for these little sandals.

This has baby Snoopy going camping on it and went with some camo-green overalls.
This is the other Liz as we are playing a very disgusting candy bar game. This supposedly melted white chocolate Reeses looks a little too real for my comfort.

**********************************************************

After the shower I had a few more minutes to spare (this is when I fell asleep on the couch) then I changed again and met Laurie and Kersten at their house before going to Annie's house. Annie and her kids are new friends of Lou and Ten and now, new friends of mine too. We walked (about 3 miles straight up hill...I am exagerating a little, but not much) to the park where there was an out doors festival with all kinds of booths and such. The main attraction for us was that Peter Breinholt played and took requests for about an hour. The kids weren't as engaged, but then the zoo people came out and brought so super cool animals out for the kids to see and touch. Below are some pictures, including one of Noah and Lily (Noah's girl friend), holding a REALLY big snake!
Peter B.!
Very scrunchy baby. She fell asleep before we even got to the music.
Noah and Lily at the end of a huge snake. They were both very brave and held up their end like pros!
Nik thought he would be funny. And it may have worked if I had actually done the Photoshop stuff we talked about.

Annie's son Jacob(?) was very into Sofie that day. But I think it was mostly her pacifier.


I guess that is all for now. I went crazy taking pictures last week, and I hope to post a bunch more, but I think I have made you suffer enough for now.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

What is a Meme?

I have been blogging for more than a year now, and I have yet to have that term explained to me. And I refuse to use it on my blog till I know what it means! Wait... I lied, I refuse to use it anyway. Kind of like how I won't use IM speak. Lisa, it took me months to figure out what ROFL meant. I don't even talk like that over IM, or text. I like full and complete sentences. It leaves much more room for snide or sarcastic comments that you just can't get with abbreviations. For those of you that do prefer to shorten your words for lack of time, or whatever, more power to you. I understand. But I do not conform.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Have you?

I stole this from Laurie's blog, and I hope you all steal it from me! Here is a list of 200 things, bolded are the ones I have done.


1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula (no, but I have held a hissing cockroach)
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
(right now I do)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
(well, it wasn't quite midnight, but it was late, and dark and kind of scary)
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone(it was verbal sparing, but it was still a fight)
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without knowing their native language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people(I hope so)
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (mini-golf count?)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (I am sure that Cabo was a 5 star)
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma (I tried, but I passed out)
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
(duh!)
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend

199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter


Now, What have you done?

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Guilty Pleasures

We all have them. Things we don't tell our friends or family that we do, or watch, or read, or think about. He are mine:





* "See You Again" by Mylie Cyrus. Now, I originally could not stand Mylie or her alter-ego Hannah. But we changed radio stations at work and they play this new song. And now I am hooked. Here are some choice lyrics from the song

"The last time I freaked out, I just kept looking down, I st-st-stuttered when you ask me what I'm thinkin' 'bout. Like I couldn't breathe, you ask what's wrong with me. My best friend Leslie said, 'Oh she's just being Mylie'. The next time we hang out, I will redeem myself. My heart, it can't rest till then. Whoa-oh I, I can't wait, to see you again."



* "Handlebars" by Flobots. This song is weird. Ok, just weird. Amy says it is a throw back to Eminem, but it doesn't swear. So there you go. It is very laid back, and the rhythm is very simple. I urge you all to check it out on YouTube. I would have you linked here, but since I am at work and work as banned YouTube, you are on your own.

* Most people know this one, but I am addicted to the Food Network. Good Eats, Iron Chef America, Unwrapped, The Next Food Network Star, Guy's Big Bite, Diner's Drive-in's and Dive's, Throwdown, etc. There is rarely a show I do not want to watch. I don't know if it makes it better or worse that I do not cook in my every day life. Periodically Nik and I will come across something we really want to cook, and it has gotten better since we got the grill, but usually it is cold cereal and frozen dinners for us. But I really do know how to cook. I get the techniques, and whatever. I just don't really like to do it. Maybe that will change when I have kids and I HAVE to feed them and I am not running home from work just to eat something unhealthy just in time to not make anything real for dinner.
* America's Next Top Model. I don't know what it is about this show, but I am hooked. I WANT to know what those 95lb 18 year olds are going to do to each other next. Maybe it is more morbid fascination, but either way, CW has my viewership. Sometimes I think I could get the same satisfaction by watching The Hills, but I just can't bring myself to actually watch that one.


* One Tree Hill. I am still not sure why I am so into this show. It is just 28 year olds playing 21 year olds in a world that doesn't exist. Allow me to demonstrate. The season finale went a little like this:

Luke: "I hate you Peyton, even though I did propose to you, I want Lindsey, who just left me at the alter because she says I still love you, back."

Brooke: "Don't take my almost foster baby with a bad heart who just had surgery back to Mexico yet, I haven't had time to use her to get a man!"

Nathan: "I don't care if my father Dan is dying, I will not let it stand in the way of what I am not calling a basketball comeback"

Haylee: "Nathan, as my husband and the father of our 4 year old (do the math) I insist you do something you like so that you will get out of the house so that I can do something I like."

Peyton: "Fine, I love Lucas, but I am not going to get in the way of him Linsdey. I will just tell him I still love him and let him decide. That is big of me isn't it?"

Ok, thats not even all the characters, but at the end of the episode, you really want to know who Lucas called while at the airport! Is it Brooke, Lindsey, or Peyton?


Wow, I am starting to sound pathetic. I will stop now. But I would love to hear what your guilty pleasures are....

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Marshmallow faced babies, meditating wrestlers and dogs with birthday hats on.

Since I am so behind, I will do one of those all encompasing catch up posts we are all so familiar with. Well, here goes...

For Memorial Day my friend Sami had a bunch of us up to her family's cabin. Sami origionally told me it was only about 30 minutes outside the valley, but when we met to carpool up there, she revealed it was in Oakley. Ok, so for those of you who know your Utah geography, Oakley is NOT 30 minutes away. More like an hour or more. Oh well, we made it. We roasted hot dogs with her sister's friends and then roasted marshmallows before it got to cold to be outside. We only stayed a couple of hours cause I was in the car with the child (I rode with Vivian and Xander), but we weren't the only ones with kids, so it wasn't a big deal for us to leave early. We all had a good time, and it was fun to get out of the city for even a little while. It was very pretty. Oh, and as we were leaving I managed to sprain my ankle about 10 feet from the car. Go me. I was also carrying Xander and I pride myself on not falling on the child as I fell. Viv even said it was kind of graceful how I got to the ground. Lucky for me Vivian is an EMT and was able to take good care of me and get me to the car with no problems. The pain went away pretty quick, but came back about half way down the canyon. Glad I wasn't driving. I was a big gimp the rest of the day (though I did manage to play some Rock Band with Viv and Jake when we got home) but here I am a week later and I am mostly better. Similar to being mostly dead, so no going through my pockets for loose change.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the outing.







Later, on Memorial Day Nik's family had a party as well. Since I was such a gimp I had a good excuse to just sit on the couch and hold the baby. I have such a hard life. I wasn't much hungry so I just watched everyone else. It was a pretty sweet get together and Nik and the kids were happy cause they all got to wrestle. There was even a surprise ambush by Emilee and a retaliation by Kersten. It was an intense match. Here are some pictures of the night:


Nik taught the boys to meditate before they wrestle, the is about as serene as they got. They even said "ohmmmm." It was pretty cute.

Sofie looks so cute in this picture, Kersten, not so much.


Finally, we had a birthday party for our good friend Spencer Slade the other day. It was supposed to be up the canyon, but it was on the second day of that first crappy week-long storm we got, so Spencer's Wifey imporvised and we had it at his parents house (which is fine, they live up the street from us) and used their new fire pit to do the same tin-foil dinners we were planning for the mountains. It was so much fun! And there was a great turnout. Spencer is truely well loved. Jess even made some delicious strawberry short cake. A good time was had by all. Happy Birthday again Spencer!





Poll Results

It's that time again! That fun happy time when we find out what you all thought about what ever stupid question I asked this month!

A little back ground: I started thinking about this a couple weeks ago when Nik convinced me to see Prince Caspian for our anniversary, and all I could think of was, well, at least the prince is cute. It was a surprisingly good show though. I recommend it to everyone, even if you didn't like the first one. I didn't really like the first one. Then a friend came into work and I mentioned my newly developed crush on Robert Downey Jr. and he said that he only saw the Tomb Raider movies cause Angelina was is grey spandex.

So, the question was, have you ever seen a movie just because the main character was attractive. And a special thanks to Mom and Lisa who actually told me what movie(s) they had seen! It looks like everyone who ready my blog voted! That makes me very happy. And the results are that we are all more than a little shallow when it comes to our entertainment. Only two of the voters said something other than Yes. Good for you for answering truthfully, but I encourage you to see some stupid movie just because of the eye candy. You will be surprised how much better the movie is!

Well movie go-ers, keep movie going and we will talk about Sex and the City soon!