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.

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.

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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.

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.

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?

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....

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!

I have a cure for Leprosy!

For the last few months I have had this spot on my eye lid that closely resembles Leprosy. Well, I'm not sure HOW closely it resembles it, but either way, my skin was falling off and it was not pretty.

When I was in high school I got a funny rash called Pitoriosis Rosiea (I am sure I spelled that wrong, but it is as close as I am going to come), which translated from Latin means Red Spots. Origional huh? Anyway, ever since that went away I have had periodic red, flaky spots about the size of a dime. I didn't think anything of it till I got a couple of bigger, redder spots. I finally went to the doctor and he said it was Leprosy. No, not really, he said it was eczema. And he gave me a cream to put on it to make it go away. I was skeptical, but it seems to be working. I have less of a creepy red spot. This might be more of what Steph was talking about with TMI, but what are blogs for, if not to share our most intimate moments with people who hardly care?

Gifts

I forgot to mention in the Anniversary post the gift I/We received. Nik gave me the new Jason Mraz CD. I did't even know it was out! It is pretty good. So far there are only one or two that have really stuck out to me, the rest are pretty mellow, which is ok, it just takes longer for me to warm up to them. He also got me a cute little green watering can for my house plants. It is so great! I have just been using cups from the cuppord, and this works so much better. I think the plants might just survive the summer.

My parents were way too generous and got us tickets to the upcoming Dave Matthews Band concert out at USANA in August. Nik is freaking out. He is so excited. Dave is his favorite band and he has missed them coming the last 2 time. The sad thing is that the last time Dave came (two years ago) he came with Jason Mraz, my favorite artist. And we missed it! Bummer. This show should be a good time though, it is my first Dave concert. I am glad it is with Nik.

I married him for the adventure.

Or at least that's what he tells me. I will give this warning now, this WILL be a long post. You've been warned.

Sunday, May 18th was mine and Nik's 2nd anniversary. We had made no plans except that I took Monday off so we could have a full day together. Some time late Sunday afternoon we received confirmation that we could indeed go to Nik's cabin. Which we weren't expecting. So we hurried and packed our bags, told Charlie that we would not, in fact, be making it to his dinner that night, and headed off. We left about quarter to seven and after stopping for gas and picking up the key from Nik's aunt, we were on our way.

Shortstop: Did anyone hear about the accident up Parley's Canyon? After being pulled over by the police, a man sped off and crossed the median and headed straight into a tanker. He was killed. The resulting accident closed east bound Parley's Canyon (all 3 lanes).

That accident was "supposed" to be cleaned up in a couple of hours, and we left at least 3 hours after it happened, so when we saw the police cars blocking the entrance to the canyon, our spirits sank. We were not out of ideas though. We turned around and I called my Dad. He was kind enough to check UDOT for us and found that they really had no idea when it was going to be opened. We tried our luck again with the other entrance, and found no police blocking our way, but quickly found that that did not make a difference. We were stuck at Exit 133. Just short of the East Canyon exit. Numerous cars and semi trucks had pulled off to the side as to not get stuck in the lines of traffic backed up from mile marker 137, where the clean up was taking place. We pulled off as well and Nik got out to talk to some of the people there and heard a rumor that the road would be open at eight. It was now 7:30. Wait in the car for at least a half an hour, hoping it would open, or turn around and find something else to do. We chose something else. What else, though, we didn't know.

Nik suggested seeing a movie to pass the time, so we headed down to the Gateway and found that not only were there no movies playing before ten, but nothing is open on Sunday! I know, I know, Sabbath, we talked about it. So with nothing open, and no plans for a place to stay (besides giving up and going home, which was not acceptable) we took out the trusty Lappy and sat outside the Apple Store (the suck, but they have WiFi) and looked up hotel possibilities. While Nik was on the Lappy I called Dad again to see if there was any progress on the road in the last hour and a half. Nope. Nothing. He gave us the website and we looked at the traffic cameras and saw that none of the semi's that were stopped with us had moved. It was now nine o'clock. We decided to stay someplace nicer, since it had been a bad evening, and after all the possibilities, it was only a little more to go to the Anniversary Inn than say, Little America. And they still had some cheap rooms available, so we headed to 5th south. They were really nice and we went right up to our room. I didn't know that the AI went that high up. We just kept climbing! It was a beautiful room though, The Rose Garden Room. It even had brick walls. The bath tub was huge, and since we were both exhausted, that was the first thing on the agenda. We put in Indiana Jones number 2 while the tub filled (it took forever!) and after the bath we were both so relaxed that we barely made it through the rest of the movie.

Despite being very relaxed, I still didn't sleep very well. Foreign bed and all. The next morning they brought us breakfast right on time, and we took another bath. And this might give my mom a heart attack, but, seeing as it was our anniversary, we did the typical anniversary stuff, and near the end we may or may not have called a friends house. I had my phone on the bed. I will not mention who it was, just in case they didn't know it happened. But if it was you, we apologize, it was an accident.

Not wanting to go right home, we went back to the Gateway and saw The Chronicle's of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Nik REALLY wanted to see this, and I was "meh" about the whole thing, but I was surprised. It was a really good show. The prince is cute, which doesn't hurt, but the story was interesting and as Nik pointed out, the children are much better actors, so you sympathize with them more. There were good fight scenes and there is one that is a little sad. Good show.

After the movie we walked around some of the shops and got lunch, then headed back home. I took a little nap while Nik played video games and then we headed out again. To Target! With nothing particular on our shopping list, we weren't there too long, but we did buy a paper shredder. And Nik bought me a little green watering can as part of my "Versary" present. A couple more stops and we were back home. Nik made some great burgers for dinner, and even though my twice baked potatoes didn't work out, I figured out a way to make something work, and we had a very fulfilling dinner.

All-in-all, it was a great weekend. Thank you Nik for making me so happy for the last two (or more) years. You are a wonderful man. I love you so much, and I always will.

So here we are, 11:07pm, on the eve of starting full time at work. I should really go to bed. Oh, and stay tuned for pictures of the adventure. Didn't have a chance to download the camera yet....

Poll Results

So, who plays the sexiest superhero? Looks like it is Christian Bale, hands down. Well, of the 7 people that voted, he had three votes, and the other four were split between Robert Downey Jr. (my choice after Ironman) and Hugh Jackman. That one surprised me a little. Poor Val Kilmer (as Batman in Batman Forever, alongside Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris O'Donnell, and Drew Barrymore) didn't get any votes! I remember he was quite the heart throb after that movie came out. Maybe it was the hard rubber muscles. I know thats what I liked. I guess that is part of what I like about Ironman too, only his suit is hard metal. Not quite as forgiving. Maybe if we could get Mr. Downey Jr in the Batman suit....oops. Now I am day dreaming. Back to the post. Congradulations to Christian Bale, the new Batman. I look forward to your movie this summer.

Come On, Eileen!

You know how sometimes you are just having a bad day, and then you hear a song on the radio and suddenly your whole day is better? That happened to me today. I was feeling pretty crappy, and not happy about needing to go to work feeling so crappy, and half way to work I hear this song. Part of the "90's At Noon" on 101.9, which I usually don't listen to because I despise most 90's music. But not as much as most 80's music. But that is besides the point. Anyway, I hear "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners (don't you just love one hit wonders?) and my whole out look on the day changed! Suddenly I was feeling marginally better, work was going to be ok today, and I was pretty sure that Nik and I would be naming our first born daughter Eileen. I haven't brought up this point with him yet, so everyone wish me luck.

I have linked you to YouTube and the music video for Come On Eileen if you click on the title. I think you all know how that works. I hope this song brightens your day like it did mine! Come On, Eileen!

Friendly Get Together, Flower, Adventure

Like I mentioned before, my friends and I had a Friendly Get Together Saturday night.  Not a ton of people came, but it was a good time anyone.  Everyone brought food, so that was good, and it was fun to catch up with the people who came.  Here are some pictures from that night.  Not good pictures, but at least it was documented.  Notice how many little kids there are....

This is Rachel, her husband Cameron, Kathryn, Denise holding her youngest Rachel and her oldest son Jonathan in the front.  Jonathan is SO cute!  Denise has another son, Alex (not shown) and they all came to play with me a couple weeks ago, and we had so much fun!  I love those little guys !
Here is Denise again with Rachel, there is another picture of Rachel down below, she is such a happy baby!
I wish I could remember this name, but the little boy is Richard and Maria's son and the girl is Cam and Rachel's daughter Megan.  They are both adorable.  And possible betrothed. 

This is Richard and Maria.  That is their son's head at the bottom of the picture.
From right to left: Aaron, Kimber (Matt's wife), Matt (Kimber's husband), Vance, and Denise again.
Denise's adorable daughter!  She was so happy that day!
Steve and Annie, they are engaged.  Getting married on August 5th in the Salt Lake Temple.  We set Steve off to "bond" with the boys after this and the girls went to visit Sami who couldn't make it to the party.  I think Steve will get along just fine with our other husbands.  Good pick Annie!  Oh, and you can see Christi's back and Nik's head in the picture also.  

Sorry there aren't pictures of everyone, I was trying to do them incognito and I didn't get around to everyone.

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Here is my flower:

Isn't it beautiful!  I stole this plant from Emilee's trash can when she was moving last summer.  It had 5 green leaves to start with and only went down hill from there.  By start of winter, it was all dead.  No green at all.  I was heart broken!  I hate killing plants.  Mom convinced me not to throw it away because it was a bulb, and might come back.  So it sat on my side table for months, and sometime in February it started to look a little green again.  And in March it got a leaf, and in April it got a stem and a couple of days ago it bloomed!  You can imagine my  excitement!  It was all I could talk about for days!  And here is a picture of it for all to see.  I was going to post a picture of me with the pretty flower, but Blogger is sucking with picture posting tonight, and I am out of patience. 

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Tonight Nik and I went on an adventure.  I suggested we go for a walk because it was so nice outside and we ended up walking around the neighborhood, up to the church, and following a path that Nik only suspected existed.  It leads from the church out to 3rd east and then to Gordon Lane.  Where we live.  He said that his scouts take this way home and had always wondered where it came out.  Here are some pictures from the adventure:

Yes, it involved climbing through a couple holes in chain-link fences.   Ok, I lied, here is A picture from our adventure.  STUPID Blogger!  The rest of the pictures are of Nik hiking through wooded and overgrown trails  Oh well.

Thanks for tuning in!

Finally

So I got everything sorted out with my new phone and now it works wonderfully and I am having a great time figuring out all the cool stuff it does. Because of the pedometer feature I know I walked over 2000 steps yesterday. That was probably a good day though, because I went shopping and to a movie, where as today, I didn't have to work till 2 and I just sat at home all morning. Lazy butt. Oh well. Cool phone.

As Nik mentions in his blog, we got to see Ironman last night! It was such a good movie! I am totally hooked on Robert Downey Jr. now. I may love him more than my husband. No, that is a little extreme. But it is close. Ironman was a good movie and an even better superhero movie. Nik is right, superhero movies have fallen short lately, and this one definatly steps up. Go Lucasfilms!

Quick update on Jeff. He is doing great now! He is even back at school for half days now, and his teachers have been great about letting go some of the past homework, so I think his grades are actually better than when he left. He still has a lot to do though. He had a Dr.'s appointment yesterday and they removed the staples and told him he has to shower everyday and repack the wound stuff. I don's ask questions about the wound stuff. He doesn't think he should be back in school yet, but I think that is normal. Mom is ready to have him back full time, I'm sure. He came with us to Ironman. It was for his "birthday." Meaning it is not his birthday yet, and we will probably do something else too, but this is what he really wanted to do. It was a kind-of surprise. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I tried repeatedly to blow it. Luckily Jeff is just a little dense and he didn't figure it out right away.

Tomorrow I have a big get together with my friends from high school, or at least I hope it is big. I planned it with a friend and informed everyone through Facebook, so I am hoping that everyone remembers. I do still have some directions to give, but I if everyone that expressed interest shows up, it will be good enough sized. More on that later!

At&t Giveth and At&t Taketh away

As some of you know, I have had my eye on the Sony Ericksson W580i cell phone from At&t. I fell in love with this little phone months ago but, alas, we could not afford it, even at its sale price of $50. But I knew that soon we would be able to afford it, so I did not give up hope. And like clock-work, we received our first tax return! After ok-ing with Nik that, yes, I really could buy the new phone. I headed down to the Spring store nearest me and walked right up to the place where the display was last time....and it was gone! No more phone! Not that easily deterred, I started looking around and found that the phone was not on sale anymore. The cheapest I could get it for was $129! Now, as reasonable as that may be for a phone, it is not reasonable for me. I was heartbroken. I would never get my phone now!

Feeling slightly hopeless, I decided to check online to see if there were any deals worth looking at. Surprisingly, no one was selling anything of worth in the classifieds, but I did find something on the At&t website. A refurbished Sony Ericksson W580i, black, for $19.99. Sweet! I followed all procedures and ordered it over the phone. Total: $21.57. SWEET! Screw Spring!

My brand new, used phone arrived yesterday afternoon to much excitement. As I was on my way to work, I couldn't look at it till after dinner. It is so cool! But I had to activate it before I could really do anything. So I followed the directions on the booklet on how to do it over the Internet. To no avail. Being very anxious to use my phone, I just called the 800 number. After a 20 minute conversation with a nice lady named Monique, we figured out that some how the SIM cards got mixed up and one had been shut off, but it was the wrong one, so my new phone won't work. I will find out tonight if I have to send it back or if there is anything I can do on my end. Oh well. I will have my new phone soon.

Way Behind

So all this stuff with Jeff has got me behind on my posting. Also, our website is down for a while, so I don't have a place to put up my pictures, so that makes it hard to post at work, which is where I usually post. But I am going to attempt to post, with out pictures.

St. George

The weekend of the 12th we went down to St. George to celebrate my mom's 50th bithday. It was a great weekend and a great party. So many family members came! It was really great. It was good for me to see how many actually came because I was the one planning it and it was a devil of a thing to plan. I am just glad that we weren't keeping it a secret from mom. We had the shindig at a great park that had a great play ground for the kids. And Nik.

Sunday we took a trip to Zion National Park to see the sights. Nik planned to do some out door painting and I was hankering for some picture taking. We drove around for a while and went on a "short" hike to an Outlook. It was a really great hike and not too strenuous. We drove a little more and found a place for Nik to paint and for us to eat lunch. After eating Dad and I took a "walk" to take some pictures. It was a beautiful place to talke pictures too. I was trying to get the hang of depth of field on my new camera, and some of them worked out. I got some good ones anyway. I will tell you though, I paid for that "walk" the next day. I could hardly move. I walked like I was pregnant because my legs would move properly. And the dive home the next day was a plesant experience, I tell you what.

Speaking of the drive home, Nik and I stopped in Beaver for dinner and gas, and just as we were getting in the car to get back on the road a guy from the tire store on attached to the gas station knocked on our window and pointed out that my back tires were on the verge of blowing. We agreed to let him put the car on up to take a better look (trust me, I was warry too. I didn't want to get scammed, but I also didn't want a blow out. My spare would not get us back to Salt Lake) and he showed us where the tires were worn down to the buffer. It was a little scary. We had just had the tires rotated, so the wear that was showing on the insides of the back tires was created on the outside on the front. Fearing that we would not make it back to SLC on these tires we deliberated and decided that I would need new tires soon anyway, and that we might as well get them here, and not risk getting stranded on I-15. I was still a little wary, but we went a head and did it.

The funny thing is, we had been complaining that my car would shake vilolently when we approached 82mph (not that we would EVER go over the 75mph speed limit). And as soon as we were back on the road with the new tires, nothing. No shaking, no matter how fast I was going. Yay! Nik commented that even though we forgot to say a prayer before we left St. George, we did pray that we would arrive at our destinations in safety before we left home. Maybe this was the only way we would make it safely. The car runs great now!

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Curtains

Yesterday Nik and I both had the day off and decided to make the most of it. Besides going to Costco, and having family night with Noah, we finally hung our curtains in the bedroom! I mean, Nik hung the curtains in the bedroom. I watched. Then took a nap. Its hard work watching someone do something that manly. They look amazing! I am been wanting curtains in the bedroom to help block the light in the morning. While it is easier to wake up when it is light outside, and I usually have to get up around 7 am, I don't ALWAYS have to, and its those days I curse the heavens for it getting lighter earlier. And I look back on fond memories of the sun making its way into our eyes at 5 in the morning during the summer, and I wanted to nip that in the bud before it nipped me. I win! Great, great curtains.

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Short Movie Review

In the last couple weeks Nik and I have seen a couple movies. The first was "21". The story of the MIT card counters. I loved this movie. I will admit that it was a little slow in places, but I loved the cinamatography and the characters. Especailly Jim Sturgess, who played the main character. You may remember him in such films as "Across the Universe" (if you don't remember him in that movie, you need to see that movie) and, well, that is probably it. Oh! Wait, it says he was in "The Other Boleyn Girl", but I didn't see that one. He's cute. Very cute. Kevin Spacey was in it too and he was amazing. But he can really do no wrong in my eyes. I love Kevin Spacey. If you are not familiar with the story of the MIT card counters, it is worth a look into. It is a good story made better when you know it is true. I have seen many a documentary about these kids, and the theatrical version is a good second. I give it a B.

The second movie we saw just last night, "Juno". Now this movie I LOVED!! It was a little weird, it had a strange sense of humor, but I love strange humor. We heard a lot about the sucky sound track, but I actually liked it. I think I liked it because it added to the just-offness of the story. For those of you who do not know this movie, it is about a 16 year old girl (Ellen Page, or Kitty Pride from X-Men 3) who gets pregnant and decides to adopt out the baby. The story evolves as her Dad and Step-Mom, Best girl-friend, best guy-friend (also the father), and the adoptive parents-to-be become involved in her and her pregnancy. It has a good ending. I give it an A-. I want to see it again just for all the great lines. I think a couple of my favorites are: "I think this is the most awesome discarded living room set I have ever seen." and "Thats right, doctors are sadists that like to watch the lesser people scream." If I got that last one wrong Lou, please correct it. It was a great line!

Ok, thats all for now. Sorry it was so long!

Quick Update

Some of you may remember that Jeff has been sick. Well, there is more. But first, here is how it started. He may not be happy with me for tell you all this stuff, but oh well, he's sick, what's he going to do about it?

A week ago Sunday Jeff started to get sick. Stomach flu. Yuk. He was really sick Monday and Tuesday and on Tuesday mom took him to the Doctor (I hope that date is right) and the Doc confirmed, its the Flu, but its a really bad strain and he will be sick for a while.

He was still sick Wednesday, but mostly from intense pain. Mom and Dad started checking for rebound pain and home and Jeff said there was none. He was filling better enough on Friday to come down to St. George with us for the celebration, but didn't do much else. He missed out on Zion, and breakfast with Grandma Dumas, but he did come to the movie. He spent most of the weekend in Grandma Mitchell's recliner.

We all came home on Monday and he seemed at least as good as he had been all weekend, but mom said she would get him another appointment for Tuesday.

He woke up early Tuesday morning sick again, he couldn't even keep water down. This was worrying, so mom took him to Granger Medical and they suggested Primary Children's. So up they headed.

Late afternoon yesterday they did and CT Scan that revealed a burst appendix and a bowl obstruction, and something else, but I can't remember what it was. He was put on the schedual for the next available surgery time that night. Around 7:00pm.

As of last night at 11:00pm-ish Jeff had successfully come out of an appendectomy surgery.

As of this afternoon, he was running a fever that they can not get down, and he still can't eat or drink anything till he body gets up and running again. But he want's to play his DS. So Nik and I will be bringing him our charger, so he can at least have some fun while he is stuck in bed. They had him walking around a couple times today, he didn't like that much. They think he could be in the hospital for about a week.

Ok, there it is. If anyone has any other questions, or would like to go see him in his invalid state, feel free to give myself or my mother a call. Please keep him in your prayers.

Poll Results

This was a close one. It looks like most people would rather be golfing or reading a good book. Maybe at the same time. Personally, I am not a big golf fan, but I know quite a few people who like the sport, so I guess that is a reasonable use of time. I like the reading a book idea, but if I really had to choose, I would rather be shopping. But I want to have the money to support the habit. Which I don't right now. Oh well.

Thanks for participating in the poll, and stay tuned, Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!

FIVE

5 years ago I was ... getting ready to graduate high school, killing time after the AP tests, hanging out with my friends all the time, Working at Bath and Body Works, registering for SLCC.

5 months ago I was ... Helping Lou get her house in order for the baby, doing minor Christmas shopping, struggling with being out of a job, spending too much time at my moms house, helping Nik register for school.

5 hours ago I was ... sleeping, yep, that's about it.

5 minutes ago I was ... helping members, calling the Call Center, counting cash, thinking about the girl scout cookies I am going to order, talking to a friend at work about the GS cookies.

5 things on my 'to do' list today: lots of laundry (I probably have 5 loads to do), Taxes, maybe shopping, turn in Nik's paintings to the Art show at school, order the GS cookies.

5 recent pieces of mail I've received: Haven't checked the mail in days....GQ magazine (for me), Entertainment Weekly (for me), Coupons, Bank statements, credit card offers.

5 things I would do if I became a billionaire: Buy a house, a new car (maybe three), pay off parents house (maybe by a new one), same for Grandparents, donate a bunch.

5 of my bad habits: popping zits (I know, you wanted to know that), chipping off my finger nail polish, never doing the dishes, never putting clean laundry away, vacuuming.

5 good memories: Any time at Grandma Great's house, when we went to Disney Land (Splash Mountain to be specific), my 21st Birthday party, my wedding in the Temple, any time I get to hold the baby!

5 films I watch over and over again: The American President (I watched it last night..."Good, cause if that was an 'undecided', we need to work on our people skills"), She's The Man, Batman Forever, Any Harry Potter movie, Gilmore Girls (isn't a movie, but I watch it all the time).

5 places I've lived: Only 5? Oak Harbor WA, LaVerkin, U of U Student Housing, Em's Basement, current semi-trash appartment

5 songs I love: Hum Halleluiah (Fall Out Boy), Love Song (Sarah Berellis), There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Figured it Out Yet (Panic! At The Disco), Love Today (Mika), Push (Matchbox 20).

5 jobs I've had: Jr. Zoo Keeper, Checker/bagger, fake receptionist, real receptionist, barista in training (and now teller)

5 things most people don't know about me: I can't whistle, I love to do the laundry, I love the smell of foam (like Nerf foam), etc.

5 things in my virtual shopping bags: Black MacBook Pro with green carrying case, pink Sony Erickson slide phone (soon to be a reality), new 400+ thread count sheets that won't rip when we adjust them, Matching front-load washer and dryer, Spring work wardrobe from Kohls.

5 books I love to death: Midnight in the Garden Of Good And Evil, Angels and Demons, The "Full" series, The "Gem" series, The Nanny Diaries.

5 things that are out of place around my house: Everything is out of place! I haven't cleaned in weeks!

5 films I want to see: The New Batman, Wall E, Mrs Pettigrew, Kung Fu Panda, Indianna Jones.

5 things I love to eat: Ice cream, smothered flank steak, mac and cheese, cold cereal, pop corn.

5 destinations I'm dying to see: Europe, Oak Harbor, New York, Greece, Chile

5 scents I love: Nik, my bed, my Grandparent's house, my Grandpa's roses, clean clothes

5 people (who are not blood relations or in-laws) who have had a positive impact on my life: Talina, Ben, Mrs. Kelsey, Hal, Bishop Loertscher