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

Tagged! Again....

So, I often read other people's blogs and see the tags and think, "That was fun to read, but I don't think I will do it." But I always end up doing it! I am such a push over! So, here's another one...

Here's how it goes:

You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don’t have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you’ve been tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and answers.

Middle name: Michelle (here it goes)

M: Music Lover

I would love to say that I love all music, but that is not true. There is a lot of music that I really do not like. But when I find an artist I like, I tend to stick to them. I love to see bands live, and love it even more when I know the lyrics to the songs they are singing. I love to get a new CD and listen to it till I know all the lyrics to all the songs. Then I like to listen again for phrases that stick out at me. My Fall Out Boy CD is number one for that right now.

I: Intelligent


I don't want this one to sound like I am boasting or anything, really. I do think of my self as being relatively intelligent. I can hold my own in most conversations. I know what a lot of words mean. My spelling isn't great, but I can usually figure it out. I like learning about the world and how things work. I understand most pop culture references, even some that were before my time. It may not sound like much, but it makes me feel good about myself.

C: Cautious
I over think a lot of things because I don't want to make a wrong decision. Some things I go over and over in my head to see if there was another way to go. Some times I do all the figuring in my head before I say anything out loud, and sometimes I say everything out loud in hopes of getting another opinion. Now, I know that some of you are thinking that I am anything but cautious, and in some respects, that is true. I love to do crazy things, and say crazy things, but in the long run, I am a very rational person.

H: Helpful

Sounds like a nursery answer. "How can we help our family?" "Doing the dishes!", "Cleaning our rooms", "Not hitting our brothers even though they totally deserve it!". Right? But I love to be helpful. I love to know that something I have done has made some ones life easier. I am not a door mat though. I will not just let you tell me what I have to do. And I will not volunteer if I do not think I have the time and energy to do it. "When we're helping we're happy!"

E: Empowered

I am not actually sure what makes me empowered, but I like the ways it sounds, and in the definition it sounds like I should have a super power of some kind, and I like the way that sounds.

L: Little

I am a small person. Two people at work today commented that I am short. One even asked me my height. In high school I thought I was 5' 4" but when I started going to the doctor more after I got married, I found that I am actually 5' 3". I am shrinking at 23. Yay. Not that it is a bad thing really. If I was much taller, I would be eye to eye with Nik, and I like that he is taller. I always liked that I was the favorite dance partner when we were learning swing, though that did result in lots of bruises. It was still tons of fun!

L: Lollipops

I hate lollipops.
There are maybe two kinds of suckers in the whole world that I like. The idea of pure sugar that tastes like cherry cough syrup, on a steeek, does not appeal to me. I like Dum-Dums (no comments from the peanut gallery) and I really only like, maybe 3 flavors, and only for about half the sucker. Oh well.

E: Extra

As in extra E, cause I did this one already. I did the extra L, but you can see what happened there. I was obviously not made to have such a long middle name. It should have been Eve or something. But even then there is a extra E. I am doomed to the extra E. At least my first name just has one. Oh! And my last name only has one. But that means I have 4 E's in my name. I am totally hoarding all the E's. Maybe I will do it on purpose now. Name all my kids E names, with double E's in them. That way there will be no E's for anyone else. Hahahahaha!!!

Oops.

Ok, someone else's turn now.

(Oh, and just so you all know, I originally miss spelled Intelligent up there.)

Poll Results

Well, its unanimous. Indiana Jones is the Must-See movie of the summer. Now, there are many more movies coming out in the months ahead, and I obviously just picked the ones I am interested in. Please feel free to let me know if there are other movies you are waiting to see. I know that Nik can't wait for the new Batman and that my brother Jeff is salivating over Iron Man.

Thank you to all those who voted, and keep checking back for the next poll!

Human Stupidity

It is time to vent about work. Everyone, please take this as friendly advice for the next time you go to the bank.

As most of you know, I work at a bank. Or a Credit Union to be exact. I have been here for just about 3 months now, so I figure I have the gist of the job figured out. There are still some things that I haven't mastered and some things that I don't need to know because of my lowly teller position, but for the most part, I get it. And I definitely know what bugs me.

1. The sign that says "Please wait here for next available teller" is not there to look pretty. It is serious. Please wait HERE until I am available. I do not become available just because the last guy leaves. Besides possibly still having his personal account information up on my computer, there are things I need to do to finish up the last transaction before I am ready for the next one. And nothing is more nerve wracking that having some stranger watching from less than two feet away. Please, wait at the sign until I call you over. Promise it won't be more than seconds.

2. If you are depositing large amounts of cash (which I hope all of you are able) please know how much is there. Count it three times if you have to. When I count it and you don't know how much is there, you have no room to pitch a fit if I put the wrong amount in you account. To freakin' bad. Also, the deposit and with drawl slips are there for a reason. It provides us both with proof of the transaction. If there is a problem and you didn't fill out a slip, there may be nothing I can do for you. From the other side, if you don't fill out a slip and my drawer is off, I might get in trouble if we can't find the outage. Be kind, rewind.

3. Our security measures are in place for a reason. We had you set up a password for a reason. We ask you your password for a reason. Please do not get mad if I ask you your password. Just give it to me! Anyone who has suffered from fraud of some sort, should appreciate this action.

4. For all intensive purposes, you only have one account number. Yes, I know, many of us have multiple accounts at multiple banks. But here is what I am getting at. When you come to me and say "I want to move some money into my checking." That is not a different account. That is a different suffix. Quit telling me you have four accounts. You have one account that has a savings, a checking, a money market and you have a car loan (for example). Its all under the same account. Trust me.

5. No matter how funny you think you are. When you are getting $50 cash back and I ask you how you want it back, you do not say "In hundreds." Its not funny. You are not so much more clever than me that I will think "Oh, he wants hundreds, I should pull some out of my drawer." I know you are just getting $50, and if you don't say something I will give you two twenty's and ten. Deal with it.

6. It is not my fault your checking account is in the negative. When you opened the account we told you that if you spent more money than you had we would charge you a fee. Every time. If you wrote 5 checks and the third one takes your account in the negative, so you are charged 3 fines, it is not my fault. You should have been watching your money closer.

Ok, I guess that is enough venting. Please take this information to heart, and feel free to pass it around. Maybe some day people will learn.

True color?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Orange

You're a bold, confident orange. A warm, powerful color that indicates a strong, welcoming personality, orange is the mark of people who are social and extroverted by nature. Vibrant, with an upbeat attitude, you have a bright, inviting demeanor. Energetic and fun-loving, you're a real friend-magnet. Your easy charm and unassuming manner make you the sort of person people want to meet and get to know better. Well-rounded and fun to be around, you enjoy helping others, so it's no surprise that orange also symbolizes attraction. Orange is an extraordinary color — for an extraordinary person.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Catch up #2

Told you there would be more. There is always more.

Wrestling

Nik is teaching little Noah to wrestle just like the big boys. Spencer has just about mastered the art of living room wrestling and just won the Belt in a 2 on 1 tag team match with Noah. It was intense! Here are some pictures from a recent match in F's living room in which Allie decided to step in and help Noah.

The back breaker!
In the pain!
Pile Driver!
Then Allie steps in to help Noah...just in time!

You can see that Allie is a natural as well. This should be interesting....

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Painting!

The following pictures are some refference shots we took last night for another painting Nik needs to do for class. I picked some of my favorites and I am going to ask all of you in blogger land to help us pick the best one for Nik to paint. Please take in to account the lighting, contrast and value of the objects in the shot, and the composition. Also, if there are parts of one that you like, let us know. You can just reffer to them in numbers. Thanks for your help!

Look forward to the feedback!

Oh! If you haven't read the Catch Up from below, check it out!

Catch up

Today I am going to use my very long, slow day at work to play catch up with the photos and events I have neglected in the last couple weeks. There are still some pictures on my camera of things like Sofia's blessing that will have to wait some more, but most of the stuff should be here. The events are in no particular order.

Angie's Bridal Shower!

My sister-in-law Amy threw this great shower for her bestest of best friends Angie who got married last month. It was a swingin' party and we played all sorts of fun games and ate some great food. Amy even got me my own pizza with out tomato sauce, so I could eat too! Here are some pictures from the night:

This is Angie, doesn't she look so cute in her boa!
Here is some of Amy's (and my) family that came to support the bride. They have known Angie's family since the dawn of time.
These are the friends of the bride, but unfortunately, I do not remember their names. I do know that cute, pizza covered smile belongs to my niece Kara.


One of the games we played was to make toilet paper wedding dresses. I had never actually done this before, but it was so much fun. Our team had two models, one is Kristin, (two above) my niece, and the other is future brother in law, Gerold's, daughter (directly above), but I can't remember her name! She was so cute though!
This is Kristin's dress all done! Blushing bride!
Here is Angie's dress all finished. Her group went all out! It was amazing.

I am not posting pics of the gifts, some of them are not appropriate for the younger audiences. They were good though!

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Pizza Night!

We were invited over for a date night at our friend's Stephanie and Dan's house. Well, kind of. They were house sitting for Steph's parents and it was at their house. Big house. Very big house.

We started the night with a tour, which lasted a couple hours. That's another poke at how big the house was. Then we got our pizza on! Dan made this amazing dough and we got to roll it out ourselves. We all brought a topping (Nik and I brought pepperoni and artichoke hearts) and when the dough was rolled out we loaded on the toppings. As we finished Dan put them in the oven. Below are pictures from that night!

Here is the gang rolling out the dough.
Spencer, his wife Jess and our hostess Stephanie.
Miss Lisa and her Date. Some one fill me in on his name...
Nik is being some sort of Vogue pizza maker here. I think he would call himself Iron Chef Nikimoto.
Spencer showing off his mad pizza skills. And amazed on looker Jess.

It was good times.

I guess that's all for now. But there will be plenty more coming up!

Best Night Ever!!!

I have no idea how to start this post. So much to say...

We found out before we left that we would be able to take our camera. So I am already excited. I worked in the morning, then helped Lou in the afternoon, then Nik came with dinner and we hung out til we needed to go home and change for the show. Admittedly I am nervous that we would be late because we left Lou's the time the doors opened. There were two opening bands, MuteMath (pretty good) and Alanis Morisette (Amazing) so I knew we wouldn't miss Matchbox 20, but after we left Lou's we had to go home and change, then we hit a bunch of traffic and took some wrong turns, not to mention the mad house that parking was. I still can't believe that the E Center gets away with asking $10 for parking.

Anyway, we made it just as MuteMath was going on, but spent that time looking for ear plugs because we forgot ours. I was so mad! I even thought about it! But the only place that was selling them was the Merch desk, and they were $2 a pair! Rip off! Last time, the concession stands had them for a buck, but this time they were all out. We settled for wadded up toilet paper. Oh well. It helped a little.

We were back in our seats before MuteMath was off stage and didn't leave the for the rest for the show. Alanis Morisette was amazing, but Nik looked like he was in pain for the majority of it. He says he likes some of her stuff, but he is like me and only knows what is on the radio. She played all of that, plus a lot of stuff that I had never heard before. She really is an angry girl rocker. Some of those songs were pretty heavy. Good though. Oh, and during the MB20 show they said that she is being inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame today. I am sure that the moose and geese are happy to have her. Sorry, that was mean. I like her and I think she deserves this. Yay for Alanis!

When the main event started I got really excited! Matchbox 20 was my very first concert. My mom got me tickets for my birthday in high school, but didn't necessarily want to come with me, so she had my best friend Talina come with me! It was great! And this time I was with Nik! Yes, that is a good thing. I was so excited to have my camera. We have been to three shows lately that we didn't know we could bring our camera too. I didn't want to miss this one! The couple in front of us was recording all of the songs on two different cameras. We started talking to them and found out that they were at the Mika show too, and had some videos up on YouTube. I am going to look for their stuff from last night while I am at work today. I only recorded bits of the songs that were my favorite. Took lots of pictures though. Which brings me to the rest of my post. I am going to leave the description of the show to my photos. They are nothing amazing, and I couldn't move around to get a better shot. But they were tons of fun to take. Enjoy!

This pink boa is from when she sang part of the Fergie song "My Humps". This version has been on the radio and is like 7 minutes long. Luckily she only sang the first verse. Funny though.

I have never really found Rob Thomas attractive, but he doesn't look half bad with his hair shaved. Just a thought.

This is right at the end of the third encore song "Push". I had been waiting all night for this song, and when the show ended and they hadn't played it yet, I was so sad. I had to wait till the end of the end! Put they played it!





The guy playing the guitar in the back is from SLC. Yay!