Update

For anyone who is interested, Mom's surgery was at 7:30 this morning and everything went smoothly. But they are still at the hospital because she is having some pain still. She is also having a hard time coming out of the anesthesia, so she is still pretty groggy. Please keep her in your thoughts today.

***Update #2:  Mom is home now and still pretty out of it.  She was in a lot of pain at the hospital so they gave her as much pain killer as they could, but eventually sent her home.  She is sleeping its effects off now.  Hopefully she will be up to a lunch partner tomorrow.

I'm Rich!

A couple days ago I got this amazing, life saving email:


We are pleased to inform you that your e-mail address
has won the Swiss On-line Lottery. Therefore you have
been approved for a lump sum payout ( £750,000.00 )
Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds Sterling in
the Swiss On-line Lottery program in October 2008. The online cyber lotto
draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 21,000 email
addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked by an
advanced automated random computer search from the
internet, no tickets were sold. After this automated
computer ballot, your e-mail ID emerged as one of the
winners in the 3rd category.


You are thereYou are therefore been approve to lump sum of £750,000.00(GBP).

I just want to thank all the little people that helped me get to this prestigious place. I plan to move to Switzerland so I don't have to convert the currency. I will buy a big house, a nice car and Season 7 of Gilmore Girls. But don't worry! I will share the wealth! As soon as I get my money, I will send each of you a check for $25 cause you are so important to me.

Don't hate me cause I'm rich.

Couch Envy

Yesterday I was especially bored at work and started couch shopping on KSL.com. Now, Nik and I do not need a new couch, but neither of us would turn it away if it showed up on our door step. So I found this awesome sectional with the sticky-outy part, like a chaize lounge, and sent it to Nik. He agreed to let me go look at it last night. Here it is:

When wer got there we quickly realized that a couch this size was never going to fit in our tiny front room, no matter what the nice sales man said. Just for fun we let him show us another sectional that might fit better in the room. Let me just say, that I have now found my dream couch. That thing was amazing! WAY over our price range if we bought the whole thing, but they sell it in individual pieces, so we could make it more affordable. Its like a Lego couch. The corner, and armless pieces are completely movable, so you can make it as big or little as you need to. And it has an optional ottoman that when you arrange the pieces just right, it looks like an oversized day bed. Very awesome. Even Nik was in love with it and we spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how we could 1) afford the thing, and 2) fit it in our room. I don't think either of them are a reality, but the couch is REALLY cool! Here it is:

Ahhh....someday....

Really?

I recieved an email recently regarding one of our esteemed Presidential candidates. I'm sure that none of you are strangers to this kind of email: someone has "witnessed first hand" something un-American or un-Presidential and proceeds to tell you why this is SO un-American or un-Presidential that you have to "send this to as many "Americans" as possible to make sure the evil stops here.



Does that sound a little crazy to anyone else?



Please tell me that we are smarter than that. Please tell me that we do not turn on our computers and base our entire voting strategy on an email. And that we do not, in general, believe everything that comes through, just because it came from a friend.





Next time you get an email, or hear a story that sounds just a little off, or maybe a little far fetched. Take it with a grain of salt. And if you feel like that about the email, chances are that others you know will feel the same (or in my case, stronger) about the email, and don't pass it on.





Stop the mud slinging. We all have our opinions and that is great. I even enjoy a friendly debate every once in a while. But don't thrust your opinion on me if I did not ask for.

This Post is Brought to You by the Letter K

If you want to play too, leave me a comment and I will give you a letter, then you list ten things that start with that letter. Lou gave me K.


Ten things to do with the Letter K:

Kindness: This is oh-so-important. Whether you spend your day on the phone, face-to-face with everyday people, or if you stay home with your kids. A little more kindness in the world is a good thing.

Kellogg's Cereal: I live on cold cereal, and even though I am not brand specific, Kelloggs is a good representation of my obsession.

Kitty Cats: Oooo...soooo cute! I want one so bad! But alas, I have an apartment and a husband that tell me no.

Kohl's: This store is one of my new favorites. I have always liked to go with Talina and her sisters, but lately I have been turning to it for my own needs.

Kooky: Like me!

Kris Kringle: Santa Clause, Papa Noel, Father Christmas, Sinterklas, whatever you call him, he is pretty amazing, and a staple tradition in our family.

Kudos: Love to get them, love to give them. (and eat them...good granola bars...)

Katharine Hepburn: Classic beauty, amazing actress. I wish I had been around in her hay-day.

Kryptonite: This one doesn't even need an explanation. If you don't know what it is, come out of the cave you have been living it, its ok, the big shiny world is really a nice place. We have pancakes.

Kookaburra: "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he. Laugh Kookaburra, laugh Kookaburra, gay your life must be."

oh, and a big shout out to Mom who sent me a HUGE list of K words when I was majorly stuck. And, *thanks* Lou, for giving me such a sucky letter. Nothing good starts with K! Except Kathy, my mom, who I already pointed out is awesome.

Rock Bands Live Tour

Thursday was the sweet-awesome Rock Bands Live Tour at the E-Center. We arrived in time to miss the first band, The Cab but had some time before the next band to watch some of the Rock Band enthusiasts practice in hopes of being able to play on the stage. After checking out the Merch desk we took our seats for Plain White T's.

I will admit that while they are not my favorite band, they put on a really good show. Lots of energy and the music is fun. Plus they were all dressed hard-core emo.

Next WAS my favorite band, Dashboard Confessional. I have loved Dashboard for years and years now and was so excited to finally see them again. And they did not disappoint. Chris Caraba is just as attractive as ever (below) and they even sang the new Pink song So What. And did a mighty fine job of it too!

Headlining was Panic! At The Disco. And I love Panic! I was so excited to see them for the first time, and it was a little disappointing. I do not have their new album yet, but from what they played at the show, I know it is a little more mellow than the first one. And that is cool, I like the mellow. But the band themselves did not really bring their A game. It was fun to sing along with the songs I knew, but they just didn't have what was necessary to keep me interested in the new stuff. Cool light shows and screen effects, though. By far the best part of the whole show was when they covered the always famous Shout! made famous by Joey Dee & The Starlighters. The crowd went nuts! I took a video, but it is not very good quality and I can't get it at work. So you will all just have to use your imaginations.
All in all, it was a good show. I am glad I went and I am even more glad that Nik humored me and sat through the whole thing without complaining! Love You!

It does not matter if you deposit an even amount of money into your account. It makes more sense to deposit the change, than it does to get it back in cash. Plus side of not having the change: it does not weigh down your pockets or wallet or purse, you don't have to worry about it spilling out when you take other things out of above items, but the best part of depositing the change is that it is much less stressful for me, and I end up still liking you by the end of our time together.

5 Tag!

5 Years Ago:
1. Just Graduated from High School
2. Just started at SLCC
3. Hanging out with Vivian like, everyday.
4. Working at Bath and Body works
5. still reveling in my first cell phone.

5 Things on my list for today...
1. Shower
2. Unload the dishwasher
3. Watch some TV
4. Hang out with Talina?
5. Babysit Xander

5 snacks I enjoy...
1. Lorna Doon Cookies (thanks Mom)
2. Cold Cereal
3. Craisins
4. Ice cream or popcicles
5. toast

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire...
1. Buy a cool house with a Pool
2. Buy mine and Nik's dream cars
3. Pay off parents house
4. set up college funds for kids
5. Save

5 places I have lived...
1. Oak Harbor WA
2. Cedar City UT
3. Salt Lake City UT
4. Cottonwood Heights UT
5. Murray UT

5 Jobs I have had...
1. Zoo peon
2. Checker/Bagger
3. Bath and Body Works
4. Office Assisant
5. Teller

Oh, now I can tag 5 people... who will they be?
1. MOM!
2. Alison
3. Auschel
4. Mimi
5. Sami! You better do it Sami....

Win this Quilt!

I took this from Lou's blog, who took it from her friend's blog, so here is on my blog! And I hope I win! Check out this blog to find out how you can get a chance to win too!

Do you get it? (beware, its long)

Ok, now I don't know about you guys, but I was more than a little confused about what this "buy out" thing meant to me.  I hear people talking about how they are all for it and that there was no other way to revive the economy.  Then I hear people who were so against the action they almost changed religions out of spite (that was an out of the blue example, and I have not talked to anyone with that specifically).  So what is it and what does it mean?

Working at a credit union I have some extra information given to me about once a week.  So here is a very watered down explanation of what the Government Buy-Out.

From 2001-2006 the Housing Market was at its peak and that meant low interest rates and a rapid escalation of house values.  That brought a lot of new and first time buyers which led to Mortgage Lenders inventing some creative loan practices.  This happened cause those Lenders got a little greedy.  They saw an open market with lots of people looking to buy, so they found ways to get them the money.  In 2006 24% of the loans made were to "sub-prime" or sketchy borrowers. 

What happened when those sketchy borrowers couldn't pay?  The Lenders had to get rid of the loans (sell them) or risk going under (which we know happened anyway to a couple banks).  To do that you don't sell a certain number of mortgages.  You break them down in to when the different loans come to maturity, and sell that.  So, buyers would bid on 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, and so on.  So one bank does not own an individual mortgage.  So now, your mortgage loan could be partly owned by big wigs in China, London, Rome, etc.  No one knows where they ended up. 

So what does the Buy-Out have to do with all of this?  When those mortgages started to go into foreclosure, and the banks could not keep up, the government stepped and gave them some money to cover the problem loans.  Some people think this was the only way to do it, that our economy would have come to a complete halt and crashed down in a flaming ball of bad suits.  Some people say that it was a pointless gesture cause the stupid people who got those sketchy loans are just being let off the hook.  And the banks are just going to turn around and do it again.  

Now that we have covered that, what do we do to make sure we are not caught in the middle of a "financial crisis".  The first thing is to save.  I know that a lot of us are living pay check to pay check and we need the bulk of our money for other things.  But we should all make an effort to save money.  Do you think you could spare $5 or $1o dollars a month?  Or a paycheck?  Its not much, but in an emergency, wouldn't it be nice to have that extra $50 or $60 dollars for gas or groceries.   

Next, take a look at your loans at banks.  Interest rates have dropped quite a bit in the past months, and now might be a good time to refinance your car loan or look in to a Home Equity loan to get that work done on the house.  When doing this, look into Credit Unions as a bank alternative.  They are more stable right now, and will generally have lower rates anyway.  

Third, try to get credit cards paid off.  I know that this is easier said than done.  And if it is a choice between saving the money or paying down the cards, pay down the cards.  Less interest in the long run.  And then you will have the card in case of emergencies.  

And last, if you think you are spending beyond your means, make a budget.  I can recommend a couple of expert in this field.  (Talina, I'm talking about you.)  This will help you regulate your fun spending and make it easier to get the important bills paid first.

I hope this was able to help a few of you.  I know this can be a scary time, not knowing what the dollar will be worth from one day to the next.  How many times have the General Authorities told us to get out of debt and be thrifty with our money?  These are not just passing suggestions.  It is so important to get out of debt, stay out and save money for the future.  I don't think I can stress that enough.  

Memo to Humanity

This is a link to a re-post my Mom did that I agreed with so fully, I wanted to make sure that even those that do not regularly read her blog, do at least this once. It is that important. If more people would take this to heart, my job, and life in general would be unmeasurably easier.

http://kathydumas.blogspot.com/2008/10/manners.html

Into the Woods

Last night Nik and I attended the much anticipated (by me at least) Into the Woods play at Hale Theater. I have been looking forward to this play since we purchased tickets back in like, March. We have had a magnetic calender on our fridge with the date written in to remind us every day.

I won't bore you with the details, but it was a pretty amazing play. It is hands-down my all-time favorite play and I just about hyperventilated when I saw it was coming to Hale. The only thing that could have made it better, would have been Bernadette Peters playing the part of the Witch herself. But oh well, we can't have everything.

Review: Hale had a great turnout, like always, and that helps the atmosphere to be a little more exciting (even though this night was filled with Blue Hairs). All the parts were well presented and believable. The decorations were sweet! If you have not seen the "new" Hale stage, it is all movable and stuff, and they took full use of it. Tree trunks and leaves everywhere so there was a great ambiance. Nik mentioned that the music is a little repetitive, but I kind of like that about the show, you always know the tune, just the lyrics change. And it get stuck in your head very easily, so that could be good or bad.

If you are fan of this play, comedy, or musical theater in general, this is a must see. It runs through November 29th.

Temple Grounds and some missing gifts

Nik reminded me that I have not mentioned what he got me for my birthday. And then I realized that I did not tell you what my mom got me either! I suck! Ok, so here it is. Nik surprised me with a sweet new green iPod Nano (the one that plays video) and I already have the Sex and the City the movie on there. Its pretty awesome. And Mom got me a ton of stuff! She made me a couple of shirt pillows that look great on my couch and are very comfortable. She also made a few bubble scarves. They are hard to explain but they are cute. Some nail polish, and polish remover, clip-on devil horns, a tiny (super soft) black cat figurine, and a Pyrex pan with my last name etched on it just about round off all the gifts. Except one. Last night my new friend from the ward Ashley, brought me over a birthday gift. Ashley, that was brilliant! I laughed out loud reading every one! She made me a box of "Take Out Gilmore Girls" It was a chinese style take out box filled with hand-made paper fortune cookies complete with GG quotes in each one. IT WAS AWESOME! Here is a picture.

And last night Nik took the scouts to the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Joseph Smith Building. Afterwards we took a walk around Temple Square and through the Visitors Center. Here are a couple pictures I took on the grounds.

Enter the Terrible Two's

This adorable little girl is Allie, and today is her second birthday. Allie is an amazing child with constant music in her heart and dancing in her soul. She is very loving and always wants to be a part of what is going on. She is a little social butterfly. One of my favorite things about Allie is her curly hair. She has some of the most beautiful curls on the back of her head and they fall in ringlets if play with them for a minute. Gorgeous.

I took this picture at the combined birthday party we just had and it is the first time I have seen Allie look nervous about having her picture taken! She is still super cute though, and I love her pink dress. Happy Birthday Allie!

Happy Birthday Nona!

I don't know how old she is today, but a Happy Happy Birthday to my step-mother-in-law Kayleen English! This is the only picture I have of her ( I am at work and have limited access to photos) and I stole it off Dad English's blog. I hope that Charlie is giving you everything you want today Nona! Happy Birthday!

And it is

It's 11:01 pm and we are with out water.  Hope thats better in the morning.

Happy Birthday to Me!

First let me say, I felt so loved yesterday! I got numerous texts and phone calls and emails and Facebook messages, I didn't know so many people cared it was my birthday! Thanks everyone!


The day started with a call and a song from Kayleen (step-MIL) then Nik made me my favorite, french toast for breakfast. It was delicious! I could only eat 2 pieces, but I may make him make it for me more often, I think he does it better than I do!


Then we went to Costco and Nik picked out some beautiful multi-colored roses for me. They look awesome on our little table. I love them!


Later that afternoon we met my parents and younger brother at the zoo! I love the zoo! Are you ever too old for the zoo? I hope not. I took a bunch of pictures, and mom and dad took even more. I want mom to blog some of the ones she took of us, I took more of the animals....Here are my favorite of the pictures.

That night we went to dinner at Lone Star in Sugar House, then Nik let me look around in Down East. Found some skirts that I will have to splurge and get soon....

Happy Birthday me! Thanks again to everyone who expressed their love for how amazing I am!

It's the Pancake Breakfast, we do it every month.

I know I am late, but here is a picture of my cool friends and I at the first ward function since Talina and David moved in. Vivian posted about this way closer to the actual date, but I am a little slower than Viv sometimes.





And here is Nik and his new toy. He has been wanting a Nerf gun for as long as I can remember. So we finally broke down and bought him one. He keeps the house safe from the Ninjas. Love you Nik!

Birthday Party #2

Last night we had a combined birthday party/dinner for the September birthdays on Nik's side. Yesterday was the real birthday of Amy and the early birthday for me and Audrey. My mother in law made delicious lasagna for everyone else and Al (stepfather-in-law) made me some great chicken Alfredo. I was amazed cause usually I am not a big fan of the Alfredo sauce, but this was really good! I ate a whole plate! There was also broccoli, home made bread, salad and three kinds of home made jams. My favorite was the crab apple. Go figure.

After dinner we had cake and ice cream (provided by Amy) and exchanged gifts. We got Amy some (in my opinion) sweet awesome hair accessories and Audrey wall and car chargers for her iPod (which, unfortunately did not make it in time to give them to her last night, but they should be in this week, so no worries. Here is what I got:

Above is from Jeanne, a great olive green purse and matching scarf headband. I love them both!

This game is from Audrey and Danny, I already made Nik promise to play with me. I love Warner Brothers!

This is a combined gift from Emilee and Amy. The picture is from Em's recent wedding and we both look GORGEOUS! The books are some that the library Em works at was going to get rid of and she snatched them for me. Fraggles are my favorite. And season 6 of Gilmore Girls. I am only one season away from the complete series....

Below are some of my favorite pictures from the evening. Check out my web gallery for the rest.


(this picture is great cause just moments later Christopher puts a handfull of grass on Sofia's head. And she just looks at him like "why would you do that?")

PS: I don't think I have one photo of the cousins where everyone is looking at the camera. I hope Jeanne has some....