Mikado

Yay for fun new restaurants! Last night we went to dinner with our new friends in the ward, James and Sarah, and a couple of their friends who just got engaged on Christmas Eve. They were fun people, and it was a great night.

James and Sarah already had plans to go to the Mikado with their friends but really wanted us to come, so we tagged along. We had never been to the Mikado (Japanese food and sushi), so we were excited to try it. I was actually worried a little bit because of how picky I am with food, and I don't like sushi. But it was a success! I got pork dumplings and what they called Asian fries, which were ginger mashed potatoes wrapped in a thin flour tortilla-like shell. They looked like fried straws. But they were delicious! And they had a spicy sauce to dip. Next time I am getting two orders of these. Nik got a crab, albacore and cream cheese roll that was fried too. I'm not sure if it is still considered sushi if it is fried, but I guess the meat was not cooked, so maybe it does. But anyway, he LOVED his choice too. Sarah got the Edamame (sp?) which I had never had before, and was pretty impressed by. It was fun to eat too.

The friends had to ditch out early so after dinner we went back James and Sarah's place and just talked for a while so Nik could update their computer.

It was a great night and we are so excited to have some new friends! We will have to go back to the Mikado soon. Anyone want to come?

Christmas!!

Merry (late) Christmas to all my friends, family, and blog stalkers! I have not down loaded my camera yet, so you will have to wait for the pictures of me in my glasses with my hair sticking up on one side. Suspense.

We started our morning early(ier than I wanted to) and got our gifts exchanged. Nik gave me 3 CD's (Sarah Berellis, The Killers and Fall Out Boy), The new Viva Pinata: Trouble on Pinata Island (or something like that) and a beautiful black pea coat that I love! It was definitely the hit of the day. I got Nik 2 CD's (Thriving Ivory and Paramour), The Dark Knight, Wall-E, a motorized pumpkin carving device, and tickets to 5 Utah Utes Basketball games (come to find out one of the games was on the 20th of December, so we obviously missed it. I need to see if they will switch it for me). The tickets were the hit for Nik. I am glad he liked it.

After gifts we hurried and dressed so we could get to breakfast at my parents house. Traditional blueberry muffins and hash browns. Mom made eggs for everyone else, but I just ate my weight in muffins. My brother (and me and Nik) got mom a Wii Fit, so Mason and Nik spent the morning making fools of themselves on the balance board. It was great to watch. Nik says he wants one now.

The fam was off to St. George early, so we took off to Jeanne's for Nik's family Christmas. It was a fun gathering, and only marginally chaotic with all the little chillin's. We were not prepared to exchange gifts with the siblings, so sadly we did not have a gift for Lou and Ten. But we made it up to them last night. And I think we were a hit! Anyway, Al gave us all these really cool hand made pottery salt dishes. Very chic. Jeanne gave her kids their childhood stockings filled with goodies, and a little clamp lamp. I was given the 7th season of Gilmore Girls (completed my collection) by Amy, and Nik got the new Die Hard and Young Frankenstein.

We had left over clam chowder and crackers for lunch (don't mock it, it was amazing chowder). Nik and I had to take off shortly after lunch due to a bunch more pieces to solder and needing to pack for our trip to St. George that night (more on that later).

I will admit that by the time we got home it did not feel like Christmas anymore. It was bleak and rainy and I was tired and stressed. We had so much left to do and such a little amount of time in which to do it. When I look back, it was a great day. We saw a ton of family, a few friends, and a lot of each other. I am glad we got to share the holiday with the people we loved.

Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you

To all of you who restrained your texting urge, and called me instead. I was able to make it all the way to the end with out going over. It is a small victory.




You may resume normal messaging.



Thank you.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Last night we all had a great opportunity to see not only the Nutcracker Ballet at Capitol Theater, but to see Kristin dance in it! She played a Blue Soldier during the mice battle. I will admit that because I have horrible eye sight, I did not see which one was her, but all the little blue soldiers did a good job, so I know she did well.

We were lucky because all of the family was able to come to this showing. We sat with Audrey and Kara on one side and Lou and Jeanne on the other. Nik and I both had a couple of "tall" people in front of us, so we got to watch it with our heads together in the middle. It was romantic.

Afterwards we gathered in the lobby for pictures and mingling. We couldn't stay too long cause I had much more soldering stuff to do (I was up till 12:15 doing those stupid pieces). But we stopped for dinner at Village Inn before heading home, and had one of the worst dining out experiences I have ever had. The restaurant smelled like old cigarette smoke and B.O. Then it took them 45 minutes to get us our food, and it was not even cook right. My hash browns were not even close to brown, and my bacon was grossly limp. I sent that back. And I know they just stuck it in the microwave, cause it was all curly on the plate when they took it back, and it was all curly on the plate when they brought it back, it was just more crispy now. Oh well. It tasted alright.

Overall it was a good night. I had never seen the Nutcracker before. I was a little disappointed that Clara does not wake up from her dream. Nik says it is part of the mystery of the show, to not know if it was really a dream, or if the Nutcracker really did come to life. I think, it was a dream and that it is time for her to wake up. I want to know what happens when her parents find her on the couch in front of the tree with a nutcracker doll that is not hers. Oh well, you can't always get what you want.

Weekend

It has been a long time since I have posted a catch-up blog. So here it goes...

Friday: In the midst of a huge storm, Nik and I came right from work to Bonzai for a dinner with Lou and Ten, Ten's brother and sister-in-law, and their financial advisor, who is a really cool guy. After dinner we went to Dairy Queen.

Saturday: We woke up semi-early and made a sad attempt to clean our house. But the house was really bad and even a sad attempt made me feel better. Now it just looks like it needs to be cleaned. After cleaning we went to Lou's and carpooled to Charlie's play, Babes in Toyland. I have never seen this play before, so it was a real treat.

After the play we treated ourselves at a new cupcake/coffee shop called Diva's on 33rd So. BTW: Christi, I have been meaning to ask you if you have ever been here, cause it totally reminds me of a "you" kind of place. It was really tasty. I will not dream about the sticky buns.

We raced off to IKEA to do some last minute Christmas shopping (which was only half productive since Nik was with me and he is my primary worry right now). Later was the Christmas Shindig of the year at Sami's house! It was great to see people I love, and some that I have not seen in a long time. It was a great party Sami!!!

Sunday: Nik had a ton of Scout stuff to get done, so I did not see much of him at church, but I sang in the choir during Sacrament meeting. Which is a big deal for me, I don't sing. It was fun though. I never realized how big our congregation is! We were completely full!

I did some soldering stuff and took a nap, then we headed to my parents for a Surf and Turf dinner. Nik was beside himself with excitement. I'm not a big fan of the 'Surf' part, but the 'Turf' was very good. I did more soldering while the rest of the family watched It's a Wonderful Life. I like that movie, but I had a ton of stuff to do. We left mom's before the movie was over cause we had Jake and Crew coming over for some Rock Band. A good time was had by all. I had to kick everyone out at 11:30 cause I am old and tired. It was passed my bed time.



Well, it was a busy weekend, to be followed by a busy week. I am very much looking forward to our trip to St. George, it promises to be both relaxing and fun-filled.


Ok, I am off work and heading shopping and then to see little Kristin in The Nutcracker Ballet at Capitol Theater!

I love the snow but...

This is ridiculous!

Copy Cat

Hilary posted this on her blog not long ago, and I found it to be so hilarious, I wanted to share it with the rest of you. Personally, I think the Twilight movie would have been better if it had been made this way.

End station, here I come!

I won the transaction contest at my office (over 1600) so I get to pick my next spot! I am so excited to be back at the end of the row. I like being by the loan officers and taking a break to scan receits. It really will be a happy new year.

Its that time of the year again!

SCROOGED!!!

Last night my family got together to watch our holiday classic, Scrooged. This is something we have done for as long as I can remember. The first time Nik watched it with us Dad made bingo cards with quotes from the movie, just to torture Nik I think. Well, this year my cousin Jesse is in SLC for school and joined us, so break out the bingo cards! Mom did it this year and even had prizes for all of us! It was a great time! I got bingo first and my prize bag had a dice game called Swap! It looks pretty cool!

I think the best part was knowing a quote was coming up and anticipating its delivery. Here are some of my favorites:

"I never liked a girl enough to give her 12 sharp knives"

"The bitch hit me with a toaster" (sorry if that offended anyone)

"All day long I listen to people give me excuses why they can't work. My legs hurt. My back aches. I'm only four."

Frank Cross: Grace, what in the hell is this?

Grace: Oh, it's a painting, one of my kids did. See, there's Santa Claus and there's Mrs. Claus. Frank Cross: Honey, how many fingers does Mrs. Santa Claus have here?

Grace: Eleven.

Frank Cross: Eleven. Right. [rips it down]

Frank Cross: It's crap. Lose it. I don't want it on the wall.

"I don't mind you shooting at me, Frank, but take it easy on the Bacardi "

"Now I have to kill.....all of you!"

That is just a small sampling of the awesome quotes this movie has to offer! I hope you take the opportunity to see this Christmas Classic!

If you really love me

You will stop texting me till the end of the month. Thanks.

The results are in.....

And it scares me.

Last Friday I had some tests done at the IMC.  An ultrasound of my abdomen (gallbladder, spleen, liver, etc.) and a HIDA scan.  For those of you who don't know what a HIDA scan is, they inject you with a radioactive fluid and track its progress through your system until it reaches your gallbladder.  Then they inject a small amount of a hormone that your body produces when you eat a fatty meal.  This is what helps them determine if your gallbladder is functioning properly.  The whole process takes about an hour and a half.  And you can't move.  You have to lay on  your back, perfectly still, for an hour and a half.  Fun.  They take minute long pictures of that radioactive stuff, so if you move, it blurs the picture.  I tried to sleep, it didn't work.  Even better, after an hour, they tell me that the camera they were using is not working properly, so I have to walk across the hospital (not a small feat, if you have seen the hospital) to the cardiology room so we can use their camera.  At least it got me off my back (no comments from Kersten).

The last half hour was better cause they let Mom come in with me.  This last part was when there was a possibility of pain, so I was nervous.  They said it could rival what I normally suffer, and that is pretty bad.  But luckily I was virtually pain free.  

Long explanation, but I got my results today.  Turns out my gallbladder is not functioning properly, and the solutions is to have it removed.  Yep, I get to have the same surgery my Mom had not two months ago.  

Truthfully, I am scared.  I have never had to do anything this serious before.  I have never had any surgeries, I have never had stitches, no broken bones, not even a serious illness.  I feel very lucky to have gone 24 years with out any major problems.  But it still scares the, well, the you-know-what out of me.  Everyone told Mom it was going to be an easy surgery, something she would be back from in a matter of days, if not less.  She didn't even have to stay in the hospital over night.  But we all know how that turned out.

So now what?

Ghost Town, A Review

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

Ricky Gervais is a freaking genious. And Greg Kenear is no shmuck either. It was a great mix of laugh-out-loud comedy, and subtle heart warming-ness.

Here is the story: Ricky Gervais plays a self-centered jerk that comes back from his colonoscopy able to see dead people. Not the disfigured kind like in The Sixth Sense, they are all normal looking. Greg Kinear is one of the ghosts that is trying to get him to do some unfinished business he has with his wife. I can't say much more with out ruining the funny parts, but just know that we laughed out loud through most of the movie, but were not disapointed in the ending.

You should see it.

A Genealogy Poem.

"I saw a duck the other day,

It had the feet of my Aunt Faye.

Then it walked, was heading south.

It waddled like my Uncle Ralph.

And when it turned I must propose,

It's bill was found like Aunt Jane's nose.

I thought, "Oh, No!" It's just my luck.

Someday I'll look just like a duck!"

I sobbed to Mom about my fears,

And she said,"Honey, dry your tears.

You look like me, so walk with pride.

Those folks are all from Daddy's side."

Overseas Christmas

Talina sent me this in an email the other day and I thought it was such a good idea that I decided to pass it along via my blog. Xerox is printing and sending Christmas cards to our troops over seas. All you have to do is go on the site, pick a pre-designed card (all designed by children) and pick a message to send. And voila! Off goes the card. Its a good thing.

http://www.letssaythanks.com/

Its a Christmas Miracle!

Well, its more like a cooking miracle. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a cook. I can make spaghetti, french toast, and pancakes. Not a lot of options. I am also afraid of meat. I am always afraid I have not cooked it properly, and that I will make everyone sick. So Nik cooks the meat. So....we don't often have meat. We survive mainly on cold cereal (me) and frozen dinners (Nik) and eating out.

Well, a couple days ago I was blog surfing and found this easy recipe for Cheesy Potato Soup. Now, I LOVE cheesy potato soup. And so does Nik. So I knew it was just a matter of time before I tried it. Since I was off early yesterday, I figured it was the perfect time to try my hand at soup making. The only things we were missing were the potatoes (important) and the onion.

From start to finish, it only took half and hour. And it was delicious! Best soup I have had in a long time. Very thick and creamy. Nik ate all the left overs before the night was through.

This is where I found the recipe. A big thanks to Little Birdie Secrets for sharing their ideas with us. Please give it a try and let me know if you make any cool changes to it!

(oh, that is not my picture of the soup, but that is basically what it looked like)

So you think you know everything?

"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.

Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.

A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years.

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.



Now you know (almost) everything!

Worthless Christmas Trivia

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I really like wrapping gifts, but I am usually running late, and turn to gift bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I would love to have a real tree every year.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as there is room.

4. When do you take the tree down? When we need the space again.

5. Do you like eggnog? Blech.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Barbies and My Little Ponies

7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad. And Nik this year, I have exhausted all my resources.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Mom.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I now have two. A Willow Tree from Kayleen and one from Chile from Jeanne.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I don't really do either. But I love to receive cards in the mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I got a bunch of ugly clothes from mom one year, but they were just to hide the Mall gift certificates she had really gotten me. And that was pretty cool....

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Muppet Christmas Carol! oh, and Scrooged.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I see something I need to get.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Don't remember.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies and fudge and blueberry muffins.

16. Lights on the tree? Of course.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Hark the Herald Angles Sing.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to be at home, but if my family is abroad, then I want to be with them.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course! Can you?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Wrestling mask.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? the one from grandma and grandpa M* on Christmas eve. The rest in the morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Working with the public.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? eclectic.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? not dinner, breakfast. Blueberry muffins and Canadian bacon. Or regular bacon.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Jewelry. Or my second bedroom cleaned out.