I’m serious; it was only a joke.

Birthday Party

2011-08-01T09:35:00.007-06:00

Our little guy had his first birthday this weekend and we had a little get together at our place.

This was about as interested as he got in the cake

The other kids loved it though

Kimball loves the pool

John, Kara and Amy

It was scorching outside. This has been the hottest July on the record books.

Kristie and John (Max Man's parents)

Mandy and the ladies

Making his wish

Gifts with Evan

Gifts with the kids

Max wouldn't miss this party

Some of the party people

We love you Kimball!!

The Park

2011-08-01T09:27:00.001-06:00

Max

2011-07-11T10:15:00.002-06:00

We had Max over this weekend and Kimball was in heaven

Well, dreamland I guess, until we told him who had come to see him and he popped right up

These two are best buds

Where I generally find Kimball

2011-07-11T09:59:00.003-06:00

Checking out his book library

Sampling book #1

Exchanging for book #2

Getting comfy

This must be a good one

Busted, here he comes

There is 'No place like home' for the 4th of July, unless it's Obama's..

2011-07-11T09:52:00.003-06:00

Our faulty attempted at a 'quick' family photo before dropping the bug off at Mandy's

Mom and baby had to do

Our good friends John and Kara with Miles

11 Months old

2011-07-11T09:43:00.003-06:00

Kimball turned 11 months old and we ventured out to "Ted's Bulletin" to celebrate.

Apparently the package of letters and numbers doesn't come with two ones, so an "I" had to do.

He loves to give us cheesy smiles.

Father's Day

2011-07-11T09:39:00.003-06:00

In true Young tradition Kimball wrote his dad a "love note".

Baby Pics

2011-06-29T10:22:00.003-06:00

I was looking through a bunch of pictures and ran into the three baby pictures I have of myself. When I saw them I was shocked by how closely they resemble my little guy. Here are a few pictures I absolutely love:

K's favorite little froggy-finger puppet can frequently be found hanging out of his mouth, resembling a little puppy. A great photo taken by Krisitie.

Kimball's funny face

My first birthday

My older sister Allison and me

10 months

2011-06-29T10:11:00.002-06:00

Kimball is actually two days away from being 11 months, but here is his 10 month photo. He has begun to stand up in the middle of the room and hang out there for a few seconds. For the last three weeks he has been working on his front two, bottom teeth. They are sooo close to coming out but are enjoying the confines of his cute little gums for now.

It begins....

2011-06-08T06:52:00.004-06:00

This morning while watching the Today Show, Carole King was performing "You've Got a Friend" for Meredith Vieira on her goodbye special. I started crying as I normally do, and got to thinking that the little baby sitting on my lap would "have a friend..." forever in me (super lame mom moment) and started singing the song to him.

Kimball looked right at me and started laughing. Hysterically.

Adorable Videos

2011-06-07T10:13:00.004-06:00

Warning: These videos are sickeningly adorable. You may feel inclined to procreate after viewing them.

Kimball laughing (he does this at least once everyday. He is such a happy little guy):

Kimball and the doorstop:

Kimball's first time in the pool:

*Don't judge how annoying Kimball's mom is in the background. Poor boy.

First Dip in the pool

2011-06-07T10:08:00.002-06:00

Kimball was in heaven; He could not get enough of kicking and splashing. I don't know who was having more fun, Miles or Kimball.

First time to the Beach

2011-06-07T09:41:00.007-06:00

*Thanks for all the pics Christine!

DC Zoo

2011-06-07T09:38:00.002-06:00

Easter Sunday

2011-04-25T09:19:00.003-06:00

Easter was a beautiful day here in DC. We enjoyed church, a BBQ with friends and then snuggled our little JFK Jr. to bed. Kimball caught a cold last week and wasn't feeling well towards the end of the day.

We missed our families and their Easter Egg Hunts, but hopefully they saved an egg or two for us. We will see them in just over a week!

Happy Easter!

8 months

2011-04-07T16:14:00.002-06:00

We tried to get a picture of Kimball holding a sign that read, "8 months". It didn't work so well. This is how it ended up (in reverse order):

And yes, we still own the lay-z-boy Miles stole from his parents house. He just can't let go of the "marsh", short for marshmallow.

Happenings

2011-04-07T15:45:00.002-06:00

How we found Kimball one morning. We decided to lower his crib after that.

Through the window in our stroller.

And I'll leave you with some pictures of The (freezing) Cherry Blossom Festival.

smile

2011-04-07T15:39:00.004-06:00

So, I know every mom thinks her baby is deliciously cute, but come on...

(thanks Liz)

I am in big trouble

2011-03-21T13:52:00.000-06:00

So, I don't know why the video is sideways, but hopefully I'll learn how to fix it soon.

I can't believe I am at this stage. I have already caught him trying to suck on the computer cord, taking off the knob on our TV stand, and "boinging" the door stopper, not to mention bonking his head on EVERYTHING.

pray for me...

Nana and Papa come to town

2011-03-21T13:37:00.002-06:00

Bath Time

Walking around The Mall in DC

Lunch at the Gadsby's Tavern

The Waterfront in Old Town

Mount Vernon

Thanks for coming to visit. We miss you already!

What we have been up to: January - Now

2011-02-14T10:00:00.008-07:00

Checking out our rental (He is so helpful)

Starting to sit up on his own (beginning of January)

First (and only) time wearing his size 9 month outfit..ohh those lips!

Watching "The View" in bed

Same day, avoiding the "Activia" commercial

Same day, loves to eat my chin...

Trying to crawl

Trying his hat on in for our trip to Palm Springs

This is what happens when you have big lips! (he can't use this brand)

Every little boy needs a coon skin cap! Thanks Nana and Papa.

Getting off of the metro

He's huge

Same day, shopping

New Jams

bursting out of his 12 month onsie

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T16:09:00.001-06:00

Thanks baby Spence for the hot dog costume!

Newport Rhode Island

2010-11-03T16:03:00.002-06:00

Lobster for Miles birthday at the Officer's Club
Fury in the sink for his bath

Walk down to the beach

Out on the beach

Our trip to Boston

Driving across the country

2010-11-03T15:57:00.002-06:00

Getting ready to leave
On the road

Stopping in Iowa for Kimball's first UofU game

Kimball was amazed at Kyle

Stopped in NYC at our favorite Pizza place

birthday pictures

2010-11-03T15:50:00.003-06:00

Here are some photos of Kimball we took on my birthday September 28th.

Thanks Annie!

More..

2010-11-03T15:30:00.004-06:00

Eating at Mystic Pizza
Saying goodbye to our home in CT

I came home while Miles spent some time on a ship somewhere..

Kimball loves tummy time

and sleeping with his arms up

I also got to hang out with friends

What we have been up to:

2010-11-03T14:41:00.010-06:00

So, my belly grew...

and Kimball Miles Young came July 31st (8lbs 4oz 21 1/2 inches)

His nickname is Fury (don't mind the goop on the pillow, that was from the vacuum sore on his head)

His daddy loves him

Miles, his dad Kimball (our baby's namesake), and Fury

Going on a walk in CT

My beautiful baby and hansom hubby

No description needed

We had Kimball and Miles left just a few days after to attend Officer Candidate School in New London Connecticut. We followed a week later and lived there for 5 weeks.

Isn't our baby adorable!!

Mr. Miles Jr.

2010-03-06T09:31:00.003-07:00

Miles and I are beyond excited about our new addition. Our baby boy is due the first few days in August!

Spaz

2009-11-09T11:13:00.003-07:00

Member how I told you about this?

Well...want to see a desperate foolio on the woman who holds the #1 spot of the New York Times Bestseller List's, blog? Click on the link and scroll down to the bottom picture. She's right smack in the front looking...desperate. You can't miss her.

YIKES!

Costume

2009-10-30T15:05:00.003-06:00

Some people might not call this a costume (just ask the Sophomore Tyler) but I beg to differ. Can't you tell from the picture I am FANATICAL?
Happy Halloween!

What the...

2009-09-25T12:23:00.004-06:00

So, I am a resource teacher... Special Ed, if you will. I know most of you are picturing disabled children like, Down Syndrome, or blind, or the like, but that is not the case. The majority of my students are everyday normal kids who have fallen behind. Occasionally I get a Napoleon Dynamite type, and boy are those my favs!

Let's visit an experience I had today with one of them, and let's call him Tommy.

I had on Wednesday visited with Tommy and his mother during Parent-Teacher conferences, and on Thursday just happened to see the two of them again while going to a meeting. Quite the coincidence, but nothing too exciting.

So, today... Tommy was late for class. He came in a little hurried and sat down at his desk. I was working on my computer when Tommy stood up and said, "Mrs. Young...Mrs. Young!", very urgently. I quickly turned around to address him when a huge grin came over his face. I was confused. "Yes Tommy? What do you need?" was all I could think to say. He then, very shyly said, "uhm, my mom really liked your shirt you were wearing at Parent-Teacher Conferences."

To which I laughed a little inside and thanked him for the complement.

This response was not satisfying Tommy. He was acting as if I needed to finish my sentence and move on.

*Crickets chirping*

He then finally said, "Well, my mom would like to know where you got your shirt so she can buy it."

WHAT? HUH? The same mom that had taken TWO treats from my treat bowl (while mind you, both of her sons knew it was only appropriate to take ONE) would like to know where I bought my shirt? This is bizarre.

"Well, I got that shirt at a store called Ralph Lauren."

"Write it down please. My mom told me I have to have you write it down on a piece of paper." was Tommy's reply.

....Is this really happening?

I take out my post-it-notes and write RALPH LAUREN and go to hand the paper to him when he says, "And also, write down where you got the one you were wearing yesterday....she liked that one too."

I love my job.

Calm

2009-09-16T15:16:00.003-06:00

My life feels calm
I can hear the crickets
I can breathe
I have time to burn things in my crock-pot (HOW IN THE WORLD DOES THIS HAPPEN 3 TIMES IN A ROW?)
I can read my book club book
I can enjoy the fall
I can relax

Doug came to NY

2009-09-09T15:38:00.003-06:00

Craig's little brother Doug came to visit Craig in August, and it was so much fun getting to...eat with him. These pictures explain it all.

Here we start with a Nathan's hot dog at Coney Island:

(Don't mind the scragglemuffin in the blue hat. I was trying to blend in with the crowd o.k.)

Next was on to Shake Shack. Yes, we loved that place.

And what is a NYC visit without Magnolia's Banana Pudding? Here we are sitting on the tables outside of the Lincoln Center and the Temple enjoying our fix.

More Rents

2009-09-09T15:28:00.002-06:00

On our way out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Battery Park: Had to snatch this photo for my nephew Ron who is completely obsessed with Spiderman.

Hold. the. phone.

2009-09-03T12:35:00.002-06:00

Pioneer Woman is coming to King's English...yay.

The rents do NYC

2009-07-22T07:26:00.006-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the adventures we have had so far:

The view from the top of the New York Athletic Club. (Miles and I stayed there last year so we just took my parents up there this year.)

On our way back to the apartment, we ran in to a super exhausted subway performer.

Inside the MET

On top of the tour bus.. in the rain

Eating at a Moroccan restaurant. It was so delicious!

Tonight, my parents are going to David Letterman, so be sure to watch.

Happenings

2009-06-26T10:14:00.003-06:00

Life in New York has been quite relaxed in the last few weeks. Last week I walked around the Upper West side with Natalia (but pronounced Natalie..I know, I was confused too). We found the garden where Meg Ryan realizes it is Tom Hanks she has been writing to online in You've Got Mail.

Later that night we met up with our husbands and dined at the FIRST pizza place in America, Lombardi's. It was good pizza, but does not compare to Orem's own Pizzeria 712. If you haven't made it down there yet, you are missing out.

Other than that, I haven't been doing anything picture worthy, but here is a list of a few things to take note of:

*Wo Hop was not as good the second time. Miles visited this popular Chinese place in China Town with people from work, but when we went back it was no good. I don't know if it was the
couple of homeless Asians with death promising-hacking coughs, or the cockroaches we almost smashed walking along the sidewalk, but the food just did NOT do it for either of us. We had to walk through Little Italy to cleanse ourselves of our creepy experience.

*Jogging. I LOVE being in New York. I know this may come as a shock to some, but I feel so much more safe jogging/walking around my neighborhood here in New York, than I do my neighborhood in Orem. I live right near two busy streets in Utah county, and no one walks/jogs. So I feel strange doing it there. Plus it doesn't help to have had this experience. Here, I live right near Riverside Park. It has beautiful views of the Hudson and tons of little ones with their nanny's and such at parks. I LOVE it.

*Shakespeare in the Park. It is a free show every night here during the summer in Central Park. I've heard that this is so fantastic, it is worth the wait all morning for free tickets. This summer Anne Hathaway and others are preforming Twelfth Night. I went yesterday to see if I could get tickets, where I learned that it was the opening night, so they weren't giving away any tickets for the showing. It was a beautiful day yesterday so I wasn't discouraged at all about making the trip down to the park because it was so warm and sunny. I sat and read my book and watched all the cute kids play, I was seriously in Heaven..... well, until I got home and realized I was FRIED. I seriously have a problem. Is there some type of AA meeting for women who love to abuse their skin no matter how horribly they get burned?

I am seriously loving my time here in New York. I am so lucky.

new adventure

2009-06-15T13:21:00.004-06:00

My cousin Craig is out here working and we have relied on him to help us with food recommendations. We know that we can always count on the food being cheap, which gets Miles all hot, so it is perfect!

He suggested this pizza place just down a few blocks from our apartment. I don't know what the name of the place is, but the charge $2.50 for a HUGE slice of cheese pizza. It is delicious. When we we went with Craig, he had already finished his slice before we even sat down with ours, so he bummed .25 cents off of us and went back for round two. WOWZA!

This is a pic of the time Miles and I went back just the two of us, and this is the extent of our photography ability:
We were trying to get the pizza and both of us in the shot. Just didn't work out all that well.

This one however did. I'm so lucky.

Whew...

2009-06-15T13:00:00.007-06:00

Time seriously flies out here. Last weekend my dearest Camille {one of my dearest and oldest (not in age, but in time) friends, who knows probably more embarrassing things about me than I'd like to admit, and also got married last summer and I haven't even seen her since.} came out with her sister and I was lucky enough to spend a few hours with her.

This is us outside of Magnolia Bakery. This has become one of my diet staples, unfortunately. (That might explain why all of my pictures look like I am pregnant..I assure you I am not.)

And this was the next day when we all met for s'mores. ummm hmmm.

Thanks for letting me tag-a-long Camille!

An NYC Weekend

2009-06-08T11:47:00.003-06:00

Saturday started out with a walk through Columbia to get to our subway stop. It was graduation on Saturday and so they had tons of little parties and lots of balloons.

We then waited in the subway for literally 1/2 an hour. Now that may not seem like a long time, but ugh... it is so sweaty and gross down there, that half an hour is way to long to be waiting. I guess on the weekends they do all sorts of construction, so you never know when the subways are going to be functioning. So we hoped in a taxi (since my cousin Craig and his friends were waiting for us at dinner) and took it to the next subway stop.. waited... and of course, our subway line showed up (which means if we would have just waited longer, it would have eventually shown up) YAY!

So we made it to the Shake Shack and ate our delicious meal.

After dinner we decided to walk around Times Square. This was probably a bad idea considering it was Saturday night. There were SOO many people down there, but I guess you have to do that at least once!
This picture below ended up being super cool because of the reflection on the van, but there was a sad reason it was there. A few of these cars had been parked outside our building all day long, and we had a bunch of NYPD Blue guys walking around our neighborhood all day. The reason they were there turned out to be a sad one, but not any real crime, so don't worry mom. :)

Anywho, our lives here in New York is pretty fabulous. We are excited that we get to be here all summer long!

5th Ave and Times Square

2009-06-02T10:43:00.004-06:00

Okay, I am not creative. Not really at all. Plus I was all alone and was trying to look like I knew what I was doing (i.e. not a tourist, because.. ya know, I live here now) so these pictures are not cutsie.. ootsie or tootsie... just point and shoot.

My day:

Just a stroll through Columbia's campus (notice all the kiddo's on the left)

A subway tour down to Times Square...and the Naked Cowboy! (I think he stuffs..)

Marta's recommendation:

ooh ooh good. The cake on this thing was fantasmic!

St. Patrick's Cathedral along 5th Ave (you know this is where JFK and Jackie were married..)

After shopping at Bloomingdales, H&M, Tiffany's, FAO's, Anthropologie and such on 5th Avenue, I walked through Columbus Circle and saw this homeless man doing "magic".

A view of Columbus Circle.

Miles and John (Miles friend who lives here) met some strange looking boy with bangs at the local Pinkberry to finish up the night!

Cleaning

2009-05-31T21:14:00.005-06:00

Well, we didn't get out and do too much today. I'll let these pictures explain why:

We did however, get invited over to our friends the Nelson's for some excellent Indian food and brownies! I made sure to take a picture of us on the subway... very awesome. ha.

We made it!

2009-05-30T13:39:00.002-06:00

Here is our new home for the next 3 months. No, I am kidding, but this is across the street! This is Columbia's campus and we live literally across the street from this place.

It is good to know that there is a lot of security around. :)

Here is a view of our front room. Complete with a doggie bed.

All in all our place is really great. There are a few strange things here and there (including an 8x10 picture of the female owner 9 months pregnant exposing her naked belly, along with old socks and underwear left in the dresser drawers.) but nothing we can't chuck into a box and hide for a bit.

So far today we have done some exploring, ate lunch at a little place down the street, and plan to clean this place (think dog hair and dust).

p.s. For those of you who don't know why we are in NYC, Miles is working here for the summer at a law firm. So far so good!

Spring Break

2009-05-30T13:33:00.002-06:00

This year for Spring Break, Miles and I went down to St. George and visited Zion's National Park. These pictures are of Angel's Landing once we made it to the top!
It was a fun hike, with tons and tons of people. Some parts were scary so I wouldn't recommend the hike for kids younger than 10. The weather was a little chilly but perfect for hiking. Miles of course ran into some people he knew, but it was fun to have a vacation, just the two of us.

Britney Spears Concert

2009-05-30T13:20:00.002-06:00

Andrea and I went to the Britney Spears concert a few months back, and although Britney was no fun (wouldn't even acknowledge all of her fans) we still had a Blast-o-Rama!

Britney in her strange outfits being dragged across the stage.

Andrea's friend a co-worker Stephen really wanted this picture. So we did it. It turned out to be one excellent pose... I'd say.

The only real way we could tell what was going on down there.

The Pussy Cat Dolls (really great).

At dinner before the show... YAY!

Valentine's Day '09

2009-05-30T13:13:00.002-06:00

Now that I have uploaded that picture, it is obvious that the quality is horrible. Oh well. Here we are before driving up to Cucina Toscana in SLC.During dinner. It was super yummy. And yes, Miles and I matched our outfits on purpose. :)

Movie Day

2009-04-10T10:50:00.002-06:00

Remember in high school when the teacher had a movie for you to watch all period long? It was the best! No homework and no thinking.

I never really realized how much the teacher loved it too!

Today's presentation:
Unstrung Heroes
{Side Note: I always hated it when the teacher couldn't get the t.v./vcr to work properly. Now that I am on the other side of the story I understand that it is the CRAPPY equipment teachers are given. That's what I am telling myself anyway.}

Forever Bronze

2009-04-08T14:38:00.003-06:00

So, years ago, while I was still living at home with my parents, still didn't have enough money, still used their car, and still went tanning, I had an upcoming dance/formal to attend. Now, I can't quite remember if I was in high school or if I had graduated and was attending a Greek function with Miles, but that doesn't matter. What really matters is that I needed to go tanning. (I have since given up on those things due to many a burned bum and neon face, but I still hadn't learned at that time.)

I only had two days before the actual day, and I was a pasty gangster as usual. Side note: During high school I would go to great lengths to get free tanning. Remember how they used to give you the first time for free, just to get you hooked? (You've got to know it's bad if they are doing that) I traveled all around Holladay, (Forever Bronze, Electric Beach, Coco Cabana, the one by Nordstrom Rack, the one by Liquid Joe's...) just to get a free tan, and every time you go you have to fill out that stupid paper work saying you won't sue and basically that you shouldn't be tanning. Yeah, Yeah, I knew what I was doing. I read through all the fine print including the clause that says, "NO tanning two days in a row." I don't remember which salon told me that, but it stuck in my head all of those years.

Now, bringing you back to the task at hand. I needed to go twice. So day two I walked in, and noticed the man (what type of dude works at a tanning salon anyway) working behind the counter was the same man from the day before and a little alarm went off in my mind! "EMILY you can't go two days in a row! He will send you away.", I told myself. I then had an Ah Ha moment. "It's all good. I'll just tell him my name is Amanda". I had frequently used my sisters names when I went to salons, just in case I hadn't previously signed up there (I lost track as to where I had actually signed up or not). It was genius. I walked up to the counter and proudly told the man my last name, and then when he asked for my first, I just fibbed and said, "Amanda". Perfect... no problemo, he bought it. ha ha. I am so sneaky. He then replied, "Seven dollars" (or however much I was supposed to give him) and I froze. I started to get frantic. Money? This thing is going to cost money? Shoot... where is my money? I looked in my wallet.... no cash. All I had was a credit card that on the back read, "See ID". Awesome. DANG-IT. If I give him this credit card, he won't let me tan... I'll have Emily's ID, not Amanda's. So I had another brilliant idea: I'll run out to the car and see if I have any cash out there (right...). Just as I had suspected. No money. I did however, have a check. I thought that was my best bet. I wrote the check and handed it to him with MY NAME, Emily, on the front and prayed for the best. He asked me if I had ID, as this was not Amanda's check. I told him that I didn't have one... ANOTHER LIE....but that she was my sister and she wouldn't care.

Although he let me in the tanning booth, I had a feeling he didn't quite believe my story. I was terrified. I just knew that the second I walked out of the tanning booth I'd be surrounded by police men waiting to take me to the station for writing a faulty check that was actually mine. Thoughts were running wild through my mind; Do these type of crimes stay forever on your record? Will I ever be able to get a good job? What the heck was I thinking? I should have just ran out of there, right then! After my burn fest had ended, I threw my clothes on, peeked through the door to be sure the man/whatever type of man works at a tanning salon, wasn't sitting out front, and scurried out of there faster than you could say, felony.

I went to the dance and the whole experience was soon forgotten.

Fast forward to Sunday during family dinner, my mom started asking my sister some strange questions. I didn't quite catch the conversation, so I interrupted and said, "Wait, what is going on?" My mom then started explaining a very confusing conversation she had on the phone with a young man from Forever Bronze. She said she had received a call from nice young gentleman wondering if it was okay if Amanda was using a check with Emily's name on it. My mom, being confused, simply said, "ugh... I think so." and thought nothing of it. After crying my eyes out with laughter, I explained to my family how idiotic I was and why this was all happening. My sisters looked at me like I was crazy. They reminded me that tanning salons do NOT care if you go two days in a row. I guess I need to stop reading the fine print. We all had a seriously good laugh.

Honestly, that is one of the most ridiculous situations I had ever been in. I will never forget it, and needless to say, I have never returned to Forever Bronze.

Mustache / Moustache / useless info

2009-03-23T16:50:00.002-06:00

How to spell:

There are two accepted spellings, with or without the "O" : mustache/moustache. (The growth of hair between the nose and mouth.) Source

Americans usually spell it mustache and pronounce it either MUH-stash or muh-STASH; moustache is a variant for some Americans and is preferred by the British, who use both pronunciations as well. Source

tennotsocutethingsaboutme

2009-03-19T14:33:00.010-06:00

Andrea tagged me, and I have lots of not-so cute things going on, so I decided to join in on the game. Hmm, Where do I start with this thing? Since I am keeping it real.. here goes.

1. I have a mustache. I know what some of you out there are thinking... "Finally, I've been meaning to tell her!" Sorry guys, I already know. And no, my mustache does not consist of coarse dark hair but because my SKIN is permanently tan on my upper lip. Yay! Thanks birth control for leaving me with a beautiful shading on the upper lip. I apparently will NEVER get rid of you. I try very hard to disguise you, but the truth is... there is no hiding it!

Exhibit A (no makeup very scary):
What is that beautiful dark Charlie Chaplin mustache doing on such a lady? OH... its moving in to stay.

2. My mornings. Not-so-cute. Poor Miles wakes up happy and chipper and I can barely muster up enough politeness to say hello. I absolutely hate waking up in the morning, and don't mess with me if it is still dark outside when I do.

3. McDonald's. My favorite fast food restaurant, hands down. Oh, those yummy little chopped up onions on your hamburger and the crispy outer shell of their long skinny fries. Just add a vanilla cone and dip those warm fry babies in for the most delicious treat!

4. I have favorite students. I am much easier on them than I am with the obnoxious, defiant, and disrespectful students. I guess that makes sense, but I feel guilty about it sometimes.

5. One of the biggest reasons I shy away from having my own children.. sleep. I'll never be able to sleep in again.

6. I avoid my ever-so-nice neighbor. I try to run inside my house as fast as possible. I know. I am the worst. Let me tell you a few reasons why. 1) She leaves her door wide open, so when I walk up the stairs, she is sitting in plain view (watching television) and I can't avoid saying hello. 2) Once I do say hello, she quickly gets up and picks her cats up and walks them over to me and tells me to say hello to them. 3) I am usually just getting home from work and holding groceries/laptop bag/cereal cup from before work/purse/keys. I really don't know what is wrong with me. I am anti-social I guess. Speaking of her, she is my new Visiting Teaching Companion and I am off to do some V.T. tonight with her. Which leads me to number 7....

7. My old Visiting Teaching Companion bothered me. Why she insisted on staying for 2 hours each time we went, was BEYOND me. We also had some inactive women on our list who she consistently was trying to trick into letting us come over. Once while visiting other women she said, "I just want to stop by and show (inactive women#1) this picture I have of her." I thought that was easy enough. Come to find out, inactive women #1 had told my companion that she didn't want us to come over, so when we knocked on the door (which had its T.V. blaring) there was no answer. Ugh, I really could go on but lets leave it at that. She was coo coo for coco puffs.

8. My roots right now.

9. My scar I now have above my belly button. I wish it was a little more centered... just to be symmetrical.

10. I can be a couch potato.

my week

2009-03-13T15:31:00.003-06:00

Sunday: Flu. It was horrible.

Monday: Flu remnants. (That's what I told my school anyway)

Tuesday: Slid on the ice while driving and hit (I'd prefer the term, tapped instead) the car in front of me at a stop sign. The worst part... It was a police car.

Wednesday: Had a folder I needed to give to my sister. Went home and couldn't find it. Went back to school to see if it was there. Searched everything... gave up, put my coat on and decided to look in one last place (a basket of work to be returned to students) it was there. Don't ask me why I put it at the bottom of a basket full of students work.

Thursday: Made myself some cereal in a cup on my way out the door. Set it down on the table to kiss my slumbering husband goodbye and LEFT my cereal AND cell phone sitting on the table.

Friday: Did a hand stand in class.

I don't know when I lost my mind. But it is definitely GONE.

Citizen Blues

2009-03-04T14:24:00.006-07:00

I do not buy regularly priced designer jeans. Now, that is not to say that I never have before...

One spring day in the year of 2004 I had just purchased my first pair of truly designer jeans ($187..worth of designer jeans). I was feeling good. I wore my 'tall' shoes that day so that my new jeans wouldn't drag on the cement as I walked across the University of Utah campus. I'm not going to lie. I was feeling pretty good. New shirt, new jeans, freshly dried hair (I love freshly cleansed hair) who cares that I had missed my first class...I was lookin' good. Campus was pretty dead considering class was just about to end, so I walked along with the sun shinning on my face and the warm breeze running through my squeaky clean hair.

I knew Miles would be coming out of the building I had parked near, so I walked towards where he was going to be exiting. As I started walking down the long set of cement stairs, I noticed a strange looking person coming towards me. He looked like he might have been one of those homeless dudes that live at the library, so I became a little weary (because you know, the UofU is so scary and ghetto. Ridiculous I know). So I looked up a second time (I had to keep my eyes on my feet..member, I am wearing my 'tall' shoes), notice that he is looking at me, flip my hair away from my face and.... BAM! I was on the ground. Don't even ask my how in the world I ended up on my knees at the bottom of the stairs, but don't you worry.. I had ripped both knees wide open, skinned my poor little patellas and palms, not to mention the bruises.

Humiliation flooded over me. "That did not just happen." I said to my self. The creepy guy (who turns out to be so-not-creepy at all) turns around and says, "Wow, are you okay?". As I kneel there 'praying' on the ground I am thinking, "No, I am not okay... This is the first day I decided to wear my new $187 pair of jeans and I just RUINED them in the most humiliating way possible.", but of course I Cooley said, "Yeah, yeah..." and ran off. Oh the humiliation.

Needless to say, I don't ever buy expensive designer jeans at full price (or walk around campus in my 'tall shoes' avoiding eye contact with wanna-be creepers). I am however, a huge fan of Down East Outfitters where I can buy designer jeans at a discounted price, but I HATE searching through all of their stuff.

Chelsea reminded me about a new website that some of our friends put together. It is a website with a 'deal a day' on bargain priced designer jeans. They are the real designer jeans and priced super cheap, so bookmark the site and check it out regularly for great deals!

http://www.citizenblues.com/index.php

{And just cause I am keeping it real... I still continued to get my usage out of the torn jeans. I would wear them with the holes. My mom hated it. They weren't retired until the night I went to Classic Skating for a party in 2006 and was racing someone on those dumb blow-up obstacle courses, and the jeans ripped from the crotch to the outside of my leg, exposing my bottom. That was the end of those...}

Teaching..or preaching...or a little of both

2009-02-27T12:54:00.004-07:00

Being a high school teacher never surprises me. I am always running into something I didn't plan on bumping into. For instance, just today:

Mr. P literally RAN (full speed mind-you) right into me in the hall. My reaction, "P!!! You just took me out!?" to which he replied, "Well, I caught up with Mark....." As if I should be proud of him for doing so. ugh.

or

While we were talking about genes and chromosomes in Biology, Mr. A just could NOT stop laughing. He just couldn't handle all the talk of 'mating'. Never-mind the quarter-size hickey he had on his neck.

Yesterday:

Mr. O decided it would be funny to mimic me when I tried to say, "Oh, I am so sure" but it came out, "Oh, I am sho sure." by saying, (oozing with sarcasm) "Oh, are you SHO SURE?", two or three times. That was fun.

or

When I had to go to the seminary building to give a student an envelope and when I asked to see the student the seminary teacher said to me, "And...WHO are YOU?" as if I were a student. Ha. I replied, "I am a teacher from next door....{Insert famous black girl exxxcaaauuussseee-me-but-you-did-not-just-say-that-to-me, look}". That was awesome.

and last, but certainly not least:

When I asked my kids if they had any fun Valentine's Day plans a few weeks ago Mr. C replied, "Yes, actually. I bought my girlfriend a gift certificate to Victoria Secret and we are going to go to dinner, go pick something out from VS, and then go home.". So I replied, "Great. Well. We know Mr. C is going to have good night...anyone else?

3 months ago I wouldn't have had very many good things to say about my job, but the past few weeks I have been totally enjoying it. Here's hoping the enjoyment sticks.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-27T11:12:00.004-07:00

Miles and I met in January of 2003 and have spent each Valentines Day together since.

February 2003: The night before Miles left to Palm Springs with his family (their annual trip) we went hot tubbin...

February 2004: Just like the year before, we celebrated the night before he left and I had pre-made chocolate-dipped fruit (which turned out to be a disaster) and brought over a lame Blockbuster gift certificate. We made dinner together and I received some fantastic jewelery.

February 2005: Hmm. I am sort of drawing a blank with this year. I know that it was the first year that I went to Palm Springs with the Young's, but I can't quite remember how we celebrated before hand. I know I lived in "the duplex" and I am sure it was quacktastic. {I'll get back to you on this one.}

February 2006: He picked me up from Nevada Manor, we dropped off Valentines to the girls I was a nanny for, ate at Cucina Toscana and exchanged gifts. I gave him super-lame clothes, and I received my very own diamond...on a ring.

February 2007: Miles surprised me with a couples massage at my favorite little salon, and then I came home and made meatloaf. ha ha. Miles loved it.

February 2008: I was as sick as a dog. I had taken the previous two days off of work, and felt horrible. We went to this little Korean restaurant by our house and then came home and watched "Once". I must try to watch that again because I was so miserable that night. I received the most adorable tulips and Miles received a University of Utah flag to fly down here in P-town.

February 2009: We journeyed up to Salt Lake to dine at Cucina Toscana once again. We also stopped in at Maggie Moo's for dessert (my favorite). I received a gift certificate to the best little nail place ever and Miles received lots of lovin all week long. (In the form of love notes.. come on people)

My 25th Birthday Weekend

2009-02-18T17:08:00.007-07:00

So after learning all of this devastating news, we decided to try to not freak out until we had facts. Unfortunately it was really hard. My birthday happened to be that Sunday and birthday festivities were all about.

The optimistic nurse I spoke to was desperately trying to get me "not to worry" over the weekend, because, "You just never know...it could be nothing", but on Saturday morning I woke up a mess. I was absolutely sick. I was crying, moping, and laying in my towel on my bed after getting out of the shower for hours. My worst mistake was searching out horrible things online (which I would never recommend doing) all having to do with kidney cancer and tumors. All of this put me over the edge. I could not take another minute without knowing exactly what the doctor saw.

I decided to be that crazy lady who bothers their doctor on the weekend. I called my doctors office and hallelujah MY doctor was the one on call that morning. A doctors cell phone...it was like receiving liquid gold. I immediately dialed his number. no answer. shoot. I left a message.

"hmm hi, doctor..... this is Emily Young. I received a call yesterday from your nurse informing me that you think you might have found a tumor in my kidney. I am quite concerned and I've tried to get in with the Urologist that you recommended, but he won't see me until next Thursday, which is a whole week to wait..and really I just don't know if I can wait to hear from an actual doctor, so if there is any way possible that you could give me a call, I would be MOST APPRECIATIVE....oh yeah, I am so sorry to be calling you on your day off... really. Thanks again my number is...

I know so very eloquent.

But he called back! Right away actually. He was so fabulously nice! Oh joyous cell phones! He let me know that the tumor he saw was VERY small. In fact, the size of the tip of your pinkie. He wanted me to get it checked out and that he himself was going to call the Urologist and see if he could get me in any earlier. It was such a bittersweet conversation. Was I supposed to be excited about this? Happy that I'd heard that yes indeed, he saw a tumor and that he was going to get me in sooner with a doctor who may or may not tell me awful news?

That night we went up to Salt Lake to spend time with Miles family and give Kim (and I) a blessing for our health. Kim was scheduled to meet with some other doctors the following week to know where to go from there. It also happened to be my Mother-in-law Laurel's birthday so we decided to hang out as a family.

Life just feels better when surrounded by family. Although I am not related by blood to the Young's I truly believe I belong with them. I used to not believe that we had just ONE person we were supposed to be with, but I am beginning to believe in that more and more. I love him. I love them.

The next morning (my birthday), Miles and I went up to Sundance for their brunch and just spent some time together. Later that day we met my family up at our grandpa's cabin in Heber. There we celebrated my birthday with dinner, dessert, and another priesthood blessing. Is there anything quite like a father's blessing? I don't know about you, but my dad is the real deal. I love him.

With my 25th birthday down, I knew I had a long road ahead of me but after the past few days, felt like I could handle it. Funny how that happens when your surrounded with love.

P.S. Don't judge me on those pictures. It was a no-make-up weekend.

Peru

2009-02-09T14:43:00.005-07:00

Miles had an internship this past summer down in Lima, Peru. He was down there for 6 weeks and I joined him during week 5. We had an excellent time! Although we had spoken on the phone/Internet every night, (thank you Skype) we obviously, hadn't seen one another for all that time.

When I finally made it to Lima I had to wait for about 30 minutes while my baggage got to the correct place. This part was the most nerve-racking of the whole deal. Who knows what is going on behind those sketchy, black, car wash-looking flaps, or even if my bag has made it at all! I also knew that 100 feet away, behind a barrier Miles was waiting on the other side for me. I was so anxious.

I finally got my bag and walked over to the line that everyone was forming, in order to leave the baggage area. Here you have to walk through what looks like subway turn abouts...hmm how do I explain this? It is more like Subway-Turnstile-Roulette. Here, this picture is about right. Minus the cleanliness and the business suits.

When you get to the turnstile you push a button and you will either get a green light, which means... move ahead, or a red that means, "You are the sucker that gets to have your bags ripped open by some dude you can't understand because he is speaking Spanish to all of his friends while rifling through your 'unmentionables'. " Guess what I received? Red.

With out too much trouble from my little hombre, I was finally able to walk out of the baggage claim. They have the outer room all cleared off with railings so that the taxi drivers don't mall all of the travelers for business. I was frantically trying to spot the tall, blond gringo from the masses, when out of some fantastically cheesy chick flick, I see Miles dart under the railing and start walking towards me. I was so excited! I ran towards him just like you see on basically every love story movie. You would have thought he had been fighting in Iraq or been rescued from a sinking ship into shark infested waters (his worst nightmare), but no. I just hadn't seen the kid for 6 weeks.

That was probably my favorite part of the vacation, even though we had an amazing time! The picture on top was during one of our tours in Cuzco. The people there dress up in traditional Peruvian dress and stand there with llamas. They are hoping you will take a picture with them for money. Although I felt creepy asking to take a picture with two complete strangers.. children, none-the-less, I did feel like I was helping the family out in some way.

Word of warning: steer clear of the llamas. They are very stubborn and if you try to get them to stand in a certain position when they don't want to, you will most assuredly get spat at in the face. That unfortunately happened to the mother of those two little kiddos. Not fun.

Miles and I were also able to see Machu Piccu while there, and that is by far, one of the most amazing things to see. How in the world did these people build all of that, on top of a mountain? Oh wow, it is really a must-see. We had a blast.

And member how I am all "keepin' it real", now-a-days? Well, I must include, that right after this picture was taken we got into a little squabble, if you will, over whether or not we were going to waste the whole day with a hike (that one Mr. Young had already done before) or were we going to stick with our ENGLISH tour guide so that we could learn all about why this place is there, what-means-what, or where in the world Carmen San Diego is and so on. So, I only tell you that.. just cause I'm keepin' it real...

Friday

2009-02-06T15:12:00.004-07:00

Learning that I had a kidney tumor at 4:30 pm on Friday afternoon wasn't what I had in mind for a great weekend. I was in shock. I gathered my things here at school and thought I'd get home and tell Miles. Unfortunately he called as I was walking in the hallways.

"So, what did they say?" miles asked. "hmm well they said that the thing on my liver was nothing but they found something else." was my response. Miles continued, "What do you mean? You are kidding right?"

I was trying to get out of the hallways where kissing teenagers, friendly handicapped janitors, and bustling teachers would be out of ear shot, but Miles persistence made me stop right there in the hallway and tell him. " I have a KIDNEY TUMOR! The nurse was really happy for me actually. Isn't that great?!"

After a little more clarification we decided to talk when we got together. I wanted to get the heck out of school and back home where we could actually talk face to face. Luckily for us (sarcasm), Miles car was broken down, so I drove over to BYU and picked him up.

I am afraid we were both in shock and sick with worry at the prospect of what life could bring to us on Monday. The nurse assured me that the doctor told her the tumor was very small and it could be nothing, but that we needed to see a Urologist and gave us the number of the recommended urologist. I tried to think positively, but could not help but cry.

We had a lot on our minds considering that Friday wasn't only my dooms day either. Miles father had some strange things show up in his blood a month prior and was waiting to hear the results that same day.

On our way home from BYU, Miles mother called to let us know, that yes indeed, Kimball had cancer.

worst.day.ever

Seven Eleven

2009-02-05T08:00:00.005-07:00

Mrs. Couch tagged me, (and all the kids are taking the BSCT test) so here goes:

7 things I want to do before I die:
Experience Motherhood
Travel to Europe with Miles
Own a home that doesn't have popcorn ceilings, astro-turf on the porch, or MIRROR coated walls
Live to see a healthy 85
See Asia and Australia
Take cooking classes
Run on the beach in a bikini and not feel any jiggle (fat chance of that happening...pun intended)

7 things I cannot do:
Draw (thanks for reminding me Manda)
Watch Horror Movies (I second this one too)
Get up from my alarm on the first ring
Get up in the morning when I am supposed to
pull myself away from blogging
refrain from singing the words to songs that I know when I hear them on the radio (not that it sounds any good)
Justify spending money on washing my car. And no, I won't just do it myself.

7 things that attracted me to my spouse:
First, it was his kindness. The way he looks at your eyes when you are speaking with him.
A very close second was his abs/good looks (no I didn't see the abs..not until the hot tub, but once jokingly I just nudged his stomach, and..uh-hem he had my interest. :)
He was/is a genius.
How he had so many friends.
His love to travel.
How he wouldn't let me get away with my shenanigans.
Oh yeah, his height.
*I really could keep going, but I'll stop with the seven*

7 things I look forward to every day:
When the bell rings at 2:15pm (that is just Monday through Friday)
When Miles gets home from school
Lunch (Manda thanks)
Checking blogs (ditto)
Dinner with Miles
Getting into the Tempurpedic at night...
TV on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night.. (sad...don't judge me)

7 books I love:
Little Women
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
To Kill A Mocking Bird
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Why do Men Fall Asleep After Sex (answers funny questions like, "How does the Asprin find the pain")
Cook Books
Anything Berenstain Bears

7 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
Little Women
Wedding Crashers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (but always fast forward through Milly's song in the woods)
Pride & Prejudice, the A&E version
Our one family home movie
Far and Away
Napoleon Dynamite... it speaks to me...okay? I just love it.

7 sites I Visit Everyday:
Gmail
Blogger
Google
Maybe Hotmail
hmmm Maybe Facebook but my school prohibits that site..
can't think of any others
WebMd? (not everyday..)

7 People From Whom I'd like to hear 7 Sevens of their own choosing if they can be bothered:
Apes
Sarah Metcalfe
Andrea
Rach
Camille
Lizzie
Starr

The not-so-pretty

2009-02-02T08:28:00.002-07:00

So, my life is NOT perfect. Although I have tons of amazing people and things to be grateful for, there are still crappy things that happen to me. Just like I am sure every single person who reads this blog, would agree..that they too have 'bummer' aspects of their lives. The biggest 'bummer' I've been dealing with all started on a beautiful warm morning in Hawaii.

A painful "panic attack" found me and then quickly left. This happened a few other times and then this past summer (two years later) they started happening more frequently. One night, early in September while Miles was gone in New York, I woke up experiencing the worst attack I had ever had. It lasted from 3am until 7:45am, so I called my 'Women's Health' doctor and she told me to come in that very day. After a VERY thorough evaluation, and by very thorough, I mean this one question, "Do you feel like you experience dread?" to which my reply was, "Well, I guess I dread getting up in the morning for work, but other than that, no.", She decided to prescribe some anti-depression and anxiety pills.

This just did not sit right with me. Yes, I had just started a very HARD new job and yes, I am NOT a morning person, but NO I don't feel depressed or anxious continually. So I chose not to fill the prescriptions and decided I would wait to see what to do next. Luckily I happened to have yet ANOTHER attack a week later and finally took myself into the E.R. to get checked out.

They had me get an ultra sound of my abdomen and sure enough.. I had gall stones in my gallbladder. In the mean time, they also thought that they saw something "strange" on my liver. GREAT! After a CT scan, the nurse from the doctors office called me very chipper-ly and said, "Oh Emily, I am so glad I got a hold of you! :) It looks like the mass we saw on your liver just ended up being some fatty tissue!! :) But, it was sssooo great that you came in, because it looks like we found a TUMOR on your KIDNEY!! :) I mean, this is just a blessing!!! :)".

I was sick. "What?" was the only thing I could muster out of my mouth. "Are you serious? No, wait, the thing on my liver is nothing, but you found a tumor on my kidney?" The kind nurse was trying her best to calm me down and give me all types of personal stories about how you shouldn't worry about something until you really know what it is...EASY FOR HER TO SAY!

This all happened on a Friday and I had to wait until Monday to talk with the doctor.

( The night I finally went to the E.R.)

Getting Real

2008-12-05T15:40:00.003-07:00

So I read Betsy's post today about how she felt bad sometimes after reading every one's blogs. Can I just give her a major what-what (while raising the roof) !! I am so on board with you Bets. Although I am addicted to reading other's blogs, I have most definitely had my days where reading other's blogs makes me feel sick. Why you ask? I dunno, maybe because it is all about rainbows and fairy tales, baby blue birds and bows.

When I post something on my blog (which is VERY rare) I don't usually decide to post about how I had a fight with my sister, or the lesson I planned for school totally sucked. Oh no, I post something about how much fun I had doing this, or that, or who knows what. And why? Because who wants to tell the world that they had a fight with their husband last night about whether or not to put the crock pot in the basement (detached from the house) or keep it upstairs where it is READILY AVAILABLE. Well not me of course, I mean, heaven forbid I would be that lame to fight over something that trivial, but then share it with the world? No thanks.

The blogs I love to read the most are not the blogs about the home-made curtains so and so made, or the beautiful creations some child made for their mommy blogger. The blogs I love are the ones who laugh at themselves, and give me something to laugh at.

With that said, I think I have turned a new leaf. Who knows how often I'll post something or if I will actually follow through, but I am going to try to be more realistic in my blogging life. And boy, do I have a lot of un-fun, un-flattering, not so dreamy things I could talk about.

Wow. That feels nice. I think I am going to start liking this blogging thing a lot more.

and guess what... no picture! gasp!

*disclaimer: I just came back and re-read my post and it sounds a bit harsh. By NO MEANS did I want to offend anyone with the way they blog. I absolutely love reading about every one's life, so please no one take offense!

Thanks

2008-11-06T14:18:00.005-07:00

This year I am thankful for so many things, but without a doubt, this Thanksgiving season I am thankful for medical technology and health care. Life is hard enough with school and work and tough decisions, but must we add bad health to the mix? While I am NOT thankful for all the health issues that have manifested throughout both of our families, I AM so very thankful for our availability to doctors and hospitals.

Here is hoping for a healthier 2009!!

Early Mornings

2008-10-23T07:28:00.002-06:00

Mornings have always been a tough area for me to tackle. I absolutely DREAD getting up in the morning. I have vivid memories of my mother coming in to wake me up for preschool and my mind started to grumble. I'd lay there and say the Pledge of Allegiance in my head, sing a song, say the date (All of the things we would do at preschool), in hopes that I had procrastinated getting out of bed long enough that my mom would say, "You know what? Preschool is actually almost over, you may as well go right back to sleep." It never did pan out the way I hoped it would.

My older sister Amanda never struggled to get up quite like I did as a child though. We shared a bedroom, and on Saturday mornings she was right there to wake me up for Saturday Morning Cartoons, just so I didn't miss anything...or so that she wasn't alone..either one works.

All through junior high and high school I would sleep until the absolute LAST minute possible. High school started at 7:30 a.m. and there was NO WAY I was getting up earlier than 7:00.

Nothing changed during college, and even now that I am back in high school. I loathe getting up in the morning. Some mornings I'll have had ample sleep time, but just can't will myself to plant my toes on that carpet. Sometimes I think it is a mental thing, because in the morning, everything is black. All that I have to do during the day is starring me in the face and the thought of making it a reality is just so.. ugly.

This morning was no different. Being to my place of "business" by 7:15 A.M. is PURE TORTURE. Even as I write this and look at the time (7:47) I am stunned I am here. So tell me, what were you doing at 7:15 this morning?

Scratchy Tags

2008-10-02T14:50:00.003-06:00

My favorite Couch tagged me, so I thought I would play along:

6 random things about me.....

1. I have never had a bloody nose.

2. I have bungee jumped off of a 200 foot bridge over a raging river in the Costa Rican jungle. {Won't ever do that again!}

3. I have Gall Bladder disease. Pesky little gall stones..

4. I can eat Tostitos Lime tortilla chips all day everyday, and while Miles was in Peru, I ate just that for dinner...more than once.

5. I spent 13 hours at work yesterday...Parent Teacher Conferences..ugh.

6. I am eating at the cheesecake factory tonight for book club.

{More to come on the eventful birthday weekend}

teaching

2008-09-22T10:19:00.002-06:00

So I've been teaching High School Resource Math for the past month. Teaching is such a hard job, I have a new appreciation for all of those teachers I had over the years. There have been so many crazy stories already, it would take me hours to just type them all out, but generally speaking, teaching is a great experience. I can tell that I make a difference to some of the kids, and I guess that is the main idea right?

Never thought I'd be back in High School, but here I am.

ABC, its easy as...

2008-08-28T11:11:00.003-06:00

Wow, what a summer I have had! Let's start at the very beginning...

I balled my eyes out at the Salt Lake Airport at 5:00 AM while Miles boarded a plane headed to Peru for 6 weeks
Spent the next 5 weeks alone in Provo and weekends at my parents house (helped nurse my mom back to health after a total knee replacement)
Flew to Peru to meet Miles and visit Machu Piccu (absolutely unbelievable!)
Spent the 4th of July at Spencer and Kate's cabin
Pulled out weeds for Miles Law School professor (Remind me never to agree to weed anything in Heber...
A last minute trip to Boise and McCall, Idaho to visit Miles sister and her family
A last minute trip to New York, where I won front row tickets to Wicked in the lottery
And last but not least, I STARTED A NEW JOB! (more to come on that)

Long time no talk

2008-05-13T22:38:00.002-06:00

Hmm. I haven't posted for a long time. Rachael reminded me of this, but I have a hard time deciding what to post about. Here are ten recent things floating around in my mind:

1) Miles told me this quote, and I love it, "Assume positive intent"
2) When husbands leave you for 6 weeks to go to Lima, Peru..it is no fun!
3) Family reunions in St. George are filled with fun surprises, but always fun to be with family.
4) Summer makes me gitty!
5) Book club is by far one of my most anticipated activities of the month.
6) My father means so much to me. I Would be DEVASTATED if I had lost him.
7) My husband is 1/3 lawyer as of the end of April.
8) NPR is my new favorite radio station.
9) Perspective is everything
10) Meeting Miles in Peru at the end of week 5 will be absolutely FABULOUS.

Tag........I'm it

2008-02-28T22:17:00.002-07:00

I was tagged by Mrs. Couch, and I don't want to disappoint, So, here goes:

5 things i was doing 10 years ago:
one. trying to endure Mrs. Grover's home room class in 8th grade
two. loving a boy named Nick Sorenson
three. preparing for my first Virginian summer
four. video taping "hottie talk"(our version of "the view", except strictly about boys in our neighborhood) with Andrea and Melissa and "mystery star reporter" with liz
five. being so insecure it was painful
*
5 things i was doing 5 years ago:
one. beginning college..oh how i wish i would have studied a little more that first year!
two. had just starting hanging out with my now husband
three. planning the most adventurous, fun, amazing, trip to europe with Anwea
four. experiencing one of my favorite years of life (to date). jill, erin, linden, kaci and sarah made it lots of fun.
five. ditching a missionary for above mentioned love interest

5 snacks i enjoy: only 5?
one. candy
two. licorice
three. gummy anything
four. nachos
five. cheese
*
5 things i did yesterday:
one. made reservations for a party for anwea
two. went to my favorite class at the gym.
three. went home for lunch and saw a sex change operation done on the TYRA show. YUCK!
four. got 9 hours of sleep
five. made dinner and watched Jazz game with above mentioned husband
*
5 jobs i've had:
one. A Clean Impression. thanks to amanda's love for dry cleaning, my mom swindled me into taking this sweat shop job.
two. "runner" Xscape Day Spa. gotta love the homosexual spa manager who constantly sent me over to "The Store" to buy him razors with the money from the till. don't worry, i'd slip myself some gummy bears in every once in a while.
three. nanny. best. job. ever. i nannied for the most beautiful, sweet, fun, lovable, smart, little girls ever. and their mother is someone i long to be like and miss chatting with almost every day. can you tell i miss that amazing job? come back nielson's......
four. fruit stand manager. second favorite job. (maybe it had something to do with the fact that the nielson's, the above mentioned family, created the job for me) i got to "lay out", eat fruit, and read all. summer. long.
five. nanny. wost. job. ever. worked for an evil devil worshiper in park city who owns a very popular restaurant up there that i won't mention for fear of ever having to speak of them. lets just say they still owe me $400, and I am NOT willing to go get it.

5 things i would do if i had a million dollars:
one. quit, quit, quit
two. invest
three. travel
four. buy miles a new car
five. remodel my parents home for them
*
5 tv shows i like:
one. arrested development
two.the biggest loser
three. celebrity rehab
four. the office
five. real world/road rules challenges (i haven't seen one in years though)
*
5 things i hate doing:
one. moving!!!!!
two. waking up
three. cleaning the toilet (which by-the-way, i think should fall into the list of "manly duties" men are inclined to do, like, taking out the garbage and fixing broken things. I mean, aren't they the ones dirtying it anyway? i've been trying to implement this in my house...trying, is the key word. just a thought)
four. listening to the foreign guy at work eat his peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which by the way he calls a P&J...not pB&j) every morning for breakfast (with his mouth opened) and then proceed to slurp his hot chocolate and BURP to follow it up. yup, hate that.
five. vacuuming. i absolutely loathe the sound of the vacuum.

5 biggest joys of the moment:
one. being in the same room as my miles
two. blogging
three. my dishwasher, washer and dryer, second bathroom, and cable (i know, your sick of hearing about it)
four. having time to read
five. bed time

10 things about me..

2008-02-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

1. when laying on my back in bed, the covers can NOT be touching my neck. I have to have them up around my face or else I feel like I am being strangled.

2. i hate crumpled up napkins. i will avoid touching one at any cost. why must people crumple them up? i prefer to fold my paper napkin instead of wad it up, you never know what might be lurking in the next crevasse. i know i am crazy...i just hate it.

3. ok...i am going to say it for the whole world to hear....i like to eat cooked carrots with ketchup. there. i said it. please don't judge me.

4. i love to play card games, board games, any type of game. unless people get too competitive, than it isn't fun anymore.

5. i have an extremely hard time wearing v-neck shirts and i've have had this problem since i can remember. i find them to be absolutely hideous on my body and it has turned into somewhat of a phobia. i have begun wearing scoop neck and other variations, but the v-neck, i just can not do.

6. i never knew how much pure love i could have for a dishwasher and washer/dryer. you try going without either for 4 years. not fun.

7. my 2006 self would kill me for saying this, but..i miss school.

8. life without the porcupine is just not as complete.

9. i make 'monsters' or german pancakes every sunday.

10. i absolutely love: charleston chews, maggie moo's ice cream, sugar daddy's, doughnuts, anything gummy, and bubble gum. yum.

{oh, and i have tasted the most disgusting hamburger on the planet, please reference the picture above}

Last month

2007-12-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

1) Started a new job
2) put 6,000 miles on my car (not exact, but close)
3) ate a double dose of turkey
4) attended my first christmas party of the season
5) bought a condo

You know, the usual....

Ahem...Provo

2007-10-25T10:32:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is right. Provo. It has been haunting us since January of this year. We fought it all winter, spring and summer. In August, Miles gave in and started commuting down by bus. Over the last few months we have been prying ourselves away from the gravitational pull towards the Happy Valley, but I am afraid we were captured.

On Monday I will be joining Miles for the commute each and every day. We are still warming up to the idea of moving down to P town, but I am sure over time we will be sucked in by the Provo gods. But putting all joking aside, this move might be really good for us. Neither miles nor I have ever lived out of Salt Lake City, and it might just be fun to have a new interesting experience.

Let me know what type of experience you have had with Provo, or if you have any pointers.

Uruguay

2007-10-24T17:42:00.000-06:00

So, exactly one year ago today, Miles and I were in Uruguay. Here is a little exert from the e-mail I sent home. I love reading through those e-mails, but I am sure others don't. So, with that said....

When we made it to our hotel, Pasada Del Flor, we were so relieved to see it. It was so beautiful. Maybe I like it so much because it reminds me of our place in the Nevada Manor. All of the rooms face one another and there is a court yard in the middle.

This place doesn't have all of the fake dogs and stuff, but it does have a lazy cat that lays in the sun all day long. It is really quiet here, which is a nice change from Buenos Aires. We were starving, so we went to a little place that the girl working at the hotel told us the food would be fresh at. While looking at the menu I asked miles what ¨Anana¨ was because when I took Spanish in junior high, our pervert teacher told us that it was pineapple. I love pineapple pizza, so I got sorta excited. Miles informed me that it was mustard. I was sorely disappointed to say the least. So when the server came by I asked her just to be sure, and she assured me that it WAS pineapple! WOOHOO!! Not only was I excited about the scrumpcious food I was about to partake, but I knew a word that the Spanish student didn't! Thank you Mr. Provoste. I felt so smart. My high was taken from 10 down to a 2 when they brought it out though. It turns out miles had been right about the mustard. Yes my pizza was pineapple, but it had mustard drizzled ALL OVER IT!! What in the heck is all that about? Mustard on Pizza? SICK! It did turn out to be okay though. I just scraped it off, and lucky me, condiments are not the same down here and the mustard was some type of gelatin, so it came off easily!

Here are some of the rest of the pictures we took while in Colonia, Uruguay.

Wednesdays

2007-10-24T12:52:00.001-06:00

America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, and good friends. My favorite is the last of the three. I can't wait until 7:00.

Change

2007-10-23T12:27:00.000-06:00

Change. I don't like it, but it is coming whether I like it or not. Help!

Catch Up

2007-09-29T17:58:00.000-06:00

Sun Valley

Baby Spencer's birth

And a Rockin' Cowboy Party for Annie's 5th birthday

And here are some cute pics of all the little kidos. Hayden's picture is a bit old, but it's all I had.

The three little girls...

Baby Kate and the Fourth

Mr. Hawke and the Tatester

And the newest addition..Jr.

Oh my goodness!

2007-09-14T10:07:00.000-06:00

So, I know, I have been M.I.A. lately. I have been doing lots of fun stuff though, so I am here to let you in on a bit of the fun stuff!

On August 17th Miles and I celebrated our first anniversary!

{I have to just take a second and put a thought out there to all you married women. I remember when Miles and I were dating, I would get ready and when he got to my house *BAM* there I was. Showered, blow-dried, painted, blushed, shaved, dressed, lotioned, and perfumed. Now when we go out to a nice dinner, he gets the before, during, and after. For some reason I really hate this. I don't know if it is the woman inside of me that only wants him to see the finished product, or if it is the O.C.D. talking. Do any of you feel that same way?}

But, anyway, we were off on our first anniversary date.

I made sure that the fan was here in the picture because that fan was our saving grace this summer. Oh yeah, there is Miles. Because there are just the two of us, we had to take turns being in the pictures. Miles has a problem with taking pictures and not being silly. So here in this one he is doing that dance move where you cross your hands across your knees while you open and close them. Isn't that...cute, well he is.

We started out the night at Flemmings down at the Gateway. The food was pretty good but the best part was that we were there so early that we were literally the ONLY people in the restaurant. I should have taken pictures of the steak and potatoes because those were the good parts. This picture is of the greeting/bread basket.

After dinner we went down to the other end of the mall and saw "Superbad". I know, very romantic. And NO it was NOT romantic. Immature and shocking, YES.

Following the movie we stopped at Maggie Moos on the way home. Oh how I love that ice cream shop.

And even though we didn't eat our wedding cake on the exact night, we did eat it a few days later, and here are a few pictures of that:

I just have to say that my cake was so incredible. It was so beautiful and tasted amazing on the actual day, and still looked fantastic and didn't taste too bad a year later!

It is strange to think that we aren't "newlyweds" anymore, but I am so excited for the rest of our lives, that I think I can live with "the ol' ball and chain"!

So,

2007-08-15T18:44:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything. And there are many reasons why, but instead of getting into all of those, why don't we just plunge right into some pictures and captions of what I have been up to....

#1) Pyott Family Reunion

Here is my dad, Tatum, Hayden, and Kate with pregnant Amanda on the train ride.

And my grandma (on the left) and her sisters singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

#2) Lake Powell

We went with my sister Allison, her husband Daren, and a bunch of their friends.

We did some of this....

Miles did some surfing off the back of the boat...

After a bit of waiting I did a little of this... (look closely and you will see one seriously terrified person...don't worry I made a human pencil out of myself before I hit the water)

And I did a little bit of this too. I know, I look like I am a true dare devil there. ha.

So, there is the recap. More to come soon.

I made it!

2007-07-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

I finally found some friends that I could sucker into going to Lagoon with me! Yippee!! It was quite enjoyable I'd have to say, especially the new ride, Wicked. That thing is so, super fun!

Poor little Andrea would start to cry almost every time we went on a ride, bless her heart, but she kept on going and going. Thanks for such a fun night!

Here are some of the nights attractions...sorry for the shotty camera work.

Here we are in line for Colossus:

and the last ride of the night...the Terror Ride!

Don't we look scarred!

Too Cool

2007-07-18T09:51:00.000-06:00

Okay, I just have to get something off of my chest. What is up with all the haters out there? Yes, I am talking to you, you-all-high-and-mighty-too-cool-for-school-nah sayers! What is up with the disdain for Lagoon? Yes, I do understand that there is the more than just the occasional wife-beater with cut-offs wearing, beer coozy drinking, mullet-sporting, father of three, making out with his pregnant wife. But I mean come on, it is so much fun! Unless you want to fly or drive to Cali, Florida, or somewhere they've got a Six Flags, you can't find entertainment like Lagoon.

Have you all forgotten where you came from? The days spent at Stake Lagoon Day, sweating, waiting in line for Puff the Magic Dragon? Now can we all get down from our high horses and admit that we can't go another summer with out the rush you get waiting at the top of the Rocket for the free fall, or the chance to trick those people with how much you really do weigh, and what about that squash you feel while riding the Musical Express listening to Savage Garden? Okay, I guess I didn't make it sound too appealing, but this whole summer I have been dying to go, and not even my own husband will act enthused by the idea. So, do I have any takers?

Gone Fishin'

2007-07-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

So, because I have a lot, and by a lot, I mean hours, upon hours, upon hours of lag time here at work, I have become obsessed with The Pioneer Woman. She is funny, happy, goofy, stylish, hip, an amazing photographer, and in love with her family. I tend to find myself wanting to switch lives with her, just for the day. I wonder if I would love working on my house and yard, home schooling my children, baking wonderful dishes, and watching my four children as young as 2 1/2 years old ride horses all day long. One thing that The Pioneer Woman does that have got the wheels in my brain turning, is photograph and talk about her Marlboro Man. That is the name she has chosen to refer to her husband as, and which I think is absolutely adorable. Even though it is a cigarette brand name, the name is perfectly matched for the man.

All this Marlboro Man talk has got me thinking about my own Marlboro Man. Although my husband is not a rancher, cowboy, father of 4; He is a rough, tough, breathtakingly handsome, oh-so-intelligent, kind-to-the-core, Renaissance Man.

The heartbreaking part of the whole story is that my Renaissance Man and I don't cross paths often enough. While I am away at work, he is...he is...hmm...what exactly he does, I don't quite know; Go out to lunch with friends, golf, bike, mow his parents lawn, water their plants, work out, run errands...all of which I wish I were doing with him. And about an hour before I get home from work he is off to wait tables until about half an hour before I should be in bed to get to work on time the next morning. (a goal I have yet to reach after 7 months of working here) The point is, that we don't get to be with one another all that much, so last weekend was quite the treat.

Last Saturday we had all day long with each other! Can you believe that?! Well, I definitely couldn't, and in my gleeful, whims of happiness I totally had a brain fart and agreed to do "whatever he wanted". I was really regretting my decision as we walked back to the car from purchasing LIVE earthworms for ME to fish with. But, not to worry, that feeling didn't last long and boy, did I have a good time. I of course, was the first to snag one of those slimy suckers but was too slow and let the poor unfortunate soul, wiggle off of my hook. To be honest, I was secretly happy I didn't have to grab the little guy and take him off myself.

Here are a few pictures of my Marlboro Man on this particular evening. I don't know how any woman could resist such a specimen.

(Please click on the photo to enlarge it because this size doesn't do the pictures justice. Well, unless you are worried what it might do to your heart)

The Fourth

2007-07-09T13:47:00.001-06:00

This is Miles mother looking ever-so festive,

Miss Gracie playing in Hannah's water dish,

And here they are looking like twins!

Tatum is 1!!

2007-07-02T09:58:00.000-06:00

This is the beautiful Tatum. On Saturday she turned One years old. Her mom threw her one awesome party up at my grandma's house this weekend. Here are a few of the highlights:

Kate in her muscle/princess swimsuit.

Hayden in his muscle swimsuit.

Jenny with new baby William.

And just so you know, my man CAN!

All these pictures were taken with my new Canon SD750. Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Questions

2007-06-28T13:26:00.000-06:00

{this is me questioning... Taken by Anwea long ago}

Spend the money on the car, or get rid of it?

Splurge and get our own internet access?

Should I hang all of the pictures, the new print?

Buy a window AC unit for our bedroom?

Should I be freaking out Marta?

Will my rolls turn out?

Do I have enough chairs?

How to fill up Friday night?

How long before we know?

Which digital camera to buy?

What do you think?

This Weekend

2007-06-25T12:18:00.000-06:00

We kicked it off by meeting my parents on a double date, down at Rumbi's Island Grill, then venturing over to Trolley Square to see if we would like to see any of their movies. None of us were too excited over their selection, so we decided to part ways with the rents.

Miles and I then went home to continue watching our DVD of all the season 3 episodes of The Office. (and if anyone asks, we don't know where we got it. It just showed up at our house one day. ha ha)

Then on Saturday Lizzie, Andrea and I went down to Gateway for a fun filled day of shopping eating, and leaving Lizzie's number for Bobbie at CPK.

The highlight though, was this little number I picked up from Anthropologie.

This little piece of heaven came in handy on Sunday when miles and I had to speak in church. (insert weary look here) I of course cried the entire time, and read VERBATIM from my papers. UGH! I am the WORST. At least I had a new dress. Immediately after our talks, we drove down to Lehi for baby Isabelle's blessing.

Of course she is bigger now, but has that same basic look to her. She is the real slice of heaven!

All in all we had a wonderful weekend!

I have been TAGGED

2007-06-25T11:05:00.000-06:00

My sister Amanda loves these crazy survey deal-i-o's, and invited me to do one of them. So here I go:
5 Things I plan to do before I die: (I found that this was really hard for me to do. So, sorry my answers are so lame. I don't think I have ever really thought this far ahead..or something.)
1) Go to Australia
2) See Asia
3) Own a home
4) Have a cabin
5) Swim with dolphins

5 Things I can do:
1) Cry when I am speaking in front of people...I am the worst
2) Jog until the person next to me gets off of her treadmill
3) Lay out for hours
4) Make a killer batch of German Pancakes or Monsters
5) Listen to others pretty well

5 Things I can not do:
1) Public speak
2) Put my hair in a pony tail anymore *sniff, sniff
3) Touch crumpled up napkins, straw covers, paper towels, etc.
4) Stay awake through late night movies
5) Get a tan

5 Things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1) Height
2) Stature
3) Ambition
4) Humor
5) Abs (ha ha, just Miles)

5 Celeb crushes:
1) Brad Pitt
2) Smith Jared from Sex in the City
3) Matthew McConaughey
4) Enrique Iglesias (if you have seen him in concert, you will agree)
5) Christian Bale

Newsies

2007-06-22T13:15:00.000-06:00

Lizzie inspired me. Gotta love the Newsies.

My Dad

2007-06-20T10:59:00.000-06:00

50 things I ADORE about my father:

Daddy daughter dates to the gas station for Gummy Worms.
Helping him around the yard (except mowing the hill! I hate that).
Buzz games back in the day.
Young Men/Young Women activities, always having a friend there.
Dates to Mimi's Cafe.
Swimming in the pool with him.
Holding his big, tan, hand while walking to church.
Playing the finger game during church.
Playing Slug bug everywhere we went.
Taking me fishing.
Biking with me up to my Grandma Shirley's.
Jogging with me.
Watching nature shows on Sunday's in the cool basement.
Watching my soccer games and cheering me on.
Racing to see who can get in their "jammies" faster.
Playing Sorry late at night.
Watching him shave and sing "Down go the mean old pokies".
Experiencing Trek with him.
Going to the University of Utah games with him.
Asking for "High sky" on the swings.
"Swivel hips" on the tramp.
Picking up apples at grandma's
Playing "First one to see a cow gets a prize" or "First one to see Lagoon...a house"...etc.
Shredded Wheat with nutri-sweet and raisins.
Our Pug noses.
Instantaneous defense/panic/worry mode he jumps into when I am in distress.
Dropping me off for school in the blue van and kissing his check every year until college.
His teary eyes when telling a touching story.
His adoration for his own father and especially his mother.
Playful days with the grandchildren.
Summer BBQ's on Sunday's in the backyard.
Samoan presentations for my second grade class, slap dance and all.
He dresses up every Halloween to hand out candy.
When he kisses my mom.
His love for his pets: fish, bird, and lets not forget BUDDY!
How, when it is the right moment he can be a total goof-ball. (that's where I got it)
Tagging along with him on sales calls, when I had the Chicken Pox. (my mom was smart and had me take a bunch of read-a-long-to-tapes-books, and I'll never forget..Have a gratitude attitude!)
Taking me to lunch or dinner on my birthday.
Picking me up from school when sick.
When we found "Schmeg" in our 5 year old ice cream we were using for Root Beer Floats.
The noise he makes when something he deems inappropriate happens on the television. it sounds like: mmmmmmmM.
His blue eyes that we share.
His hatred for Perms and love for brownies. The combinations he receives every couple months through my mother.
During road trips we can be in the middle of no where and he will have been out of "Talk Radio" range for 2 hours, but we still continue to listen to FUZZ.
When opening gifts, he will always feel, shake, smell, and then guess what the present is, and usually be right.
His amazing athleticism at the age of ...60. He could out run, bike, hike, any of us or his friends, for that matter.
When he used to get in the gorilla mask and creepy hands out and torment us until Amanda would have a break down.
When he exclaims, "Alright!".
His drive to give his children and wife a wonderful family and a comfy place to fall.
How I'll always be his Spesh.

I love you dad, I hope your Father's Day was fantastic!

{thanks to Andrea for the pics. Best non-bridesmaid EVER}

You MUST

2007-06-14T14:37:00.000-06:00

Go and check out my sister April's blog right now. My nieces and nephews are the most beautiful people in the world. And of course I am not biased! Go. Now.

In an 'Absolut' perfect world

2007-06-14T10:40:00.000-06:00

So I stole this from Dooce, but I thought it was so fun. And no, I do not support Absolut!

We are back

2007-06-13T14:25:00.000-06:00

Last night we returned from our trip to the east coast. I took the bulk (which didn't end up being very many) of our pictures with our digital camera. These two pictures are from my camera phone and I will post the rest later. Here are two pictures of NYC highlights:

The Empire State building lit up at night, taken from the Brooklyn Bridge. {click on it to see it better}

And the sale room at the anthropologie near Rockefeller Square! {note how organized and beautiful it is!}

DUKE

2007-06-07T12:40:00.000-06:00

We went on a small walk around campus today and while Miles is meeting with people, I decided to show you a few pictures (I took with my camera phone) while out and about. This campus is unbelievable. It looks like something from Europe. All of the buildings remind me of cathedrals. Here are a couple of Pics.

P.S. IT'S HOT!!!

Wish us Luck

2007-06-06T12:37:00.000-06:00

Tonight Miles and I are off on a red-eye flight for back east. We will be visiting a few law schools and playing of course. Our first stop is DUKE, in North Carolina, Second is University of Virginia, in Charlotte, and then to NYU in NYC. We return next week, but I just can not wait for a fun new adventure. Does anyone know any fun things we should do in NYC, or D.C. Let me know!

Movies

2007-06-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

I find that each year I evolve more and more into a bigger and better prude. I find myself wanting to stand up and leave the theater more often during movies (something I would have NEVER, EVER done in high school, or even a few years ago in college). The latest experience I have had where I felt like I wanted to get up and leave, was when Sarah and I ventured over to Movies 10 and waisted two hours watching Because I said So. A movie that most people felt the same disdain for, which you can read about on my sister Amanda's blog.
{note: I did stand up and walk out of The 40 Year Old Virgin because Miles and I were there with his FATHER, sister, and her husband. But I would be leading you on to believe I am better than I really am if I didn't inform yo0u that I later rented the movie....and watched the whole thing}

But even that experience wasn't going to keep me from seeing movies that I knew deep down I wouldn't enjoy, such as: The Departed, Blood Diamond, Smokin Aces, and I know everyone will hate me for saying this but, Dreamgirls.
{another note: I absolutely hated that movie. I am sorry, but if I wanted some lady to scream at me for 3 hours straight I would have gone and asked my landlord if I could use her master key (after locking myself out...again). And that is what Jennifer Hudson was doing..."NNeeeeveer gonna leave me NNNEEEEEEVVVVVERRRR" Ugh, that is the one movie I sooo wish I would have walked out of!}

Now, I am sure most of you are thinking to yourselves, "She has no idea what a good movie is. Her artistic taste and blah, blah, blah,". And you know what? I completely agree with you. You are probably right on. I love walking out of a movie feeling happy and satisfied. I love the perfect ending, no violence, and the fru fru. So, for all of you out there who are closet lovers of the fru, fru, here are a few of my most recent favorite movies:

1) Stranger Than Fiction

This movie was So refreshing. It had a new story line, great actors, and was thoroughly entertaining.

2) The Painted Veil

This movie was so beautiful. The cinematography was amazing, and it was a new version of a love story. It didn't have any nudity, sex, violence, or bad language. I loved it. {that's the prude part of me coming out}

3) The Pursuit of Happyness

This movie was by far the best movie all year long. I am sure everyone has seen it because it would be a travesty if you haven't. It knows how to pull on your heart-strings, and if it didn't affect you, you must be dead. Please, you must watch this movie.

There have been a few other movies that I have liked this year: Casino Royal, Music and Lyrics, and I am hoping to like Knocked Up. I know....I'll have to bring my prude detector.

Sarah Silverman

2007-06-04T12:52:00.000-06:00

I love this! The end of the song isn't the best, but I love it still the same.

Repost

2007-06-01T12:43:00.001-06:00

Miles and I took a trip to Hawaii the day after we got married, and spent some time learning how to surf. The waves were a bit wimpy, but it was cool still the same. Here are some fun pics:

This was when the 55 year old stoner, surfer was explaining to us all the dangers and what-not.

These are a few pictures of me attempting to surf.

And here is Miles.

Mr. Beck

2007-05-31T15:57:00.000-06:00

You know when you are up in the mountains, or somewhere in nature and you just can NOT find words for something. That is how I feel right now.

oh yeah, P.S. I met him at The Grand America last summer.. and shook his hand. We totally shared a moment.

BikesandWines

2007-05-25T15:08:00.000-06:00

While out to lunch today with my Sole Sisters I started reminiscing about the trip to South America Miles and I took last fall. They were asking me about my likes and dislikes, and I remember such an awfully hilarious day Miles and I had. This is an e-mail I sent home the day after. It's Long, but well, I think it's funny.

Subject: OWIEEE!

Hey ya´ll,

I am sure you could have guessed by the subject line that I am in pain. Yes pain. Not pain from being homesick, or pain from and illness, or even an accident. No, I am in pain because of the never ending, slow moving, grief inflicted day that I endured yesterday. Miles and I thought it would be a great idea to sign up for a tour of the vineyards here in Mendoza. (This was a good idea) We found a tour where you rent a bike and get to ride around visiting the different wineries, as you please. It was called ¨Bikesandwines¨. And we signed up for this one. (This was a bad idea) We thought that it would be fun to get out and do something athletic and see some cool stuff. They had the tour with lunch included, or you could just find a place and get your own lunch. They described the lunch as being sort of, light like cheese and grapes. So we decided to opt out of the lunch (another bad idea). We woke up a teeny bit late so we weren´t able to eat the free breakfast at our hotel before we had to be around the block to where the bus came for us. (another bad move). We ran over to a little kiosk thing and bought two little yogurts and a thing of orange juice. Once walking back to the spot where the bus was coming we started to open our yogurts. After a few tastes I realized that the yogurt we had purchased was some type of yogurt that helps you stay ¨regular¨. (horrible move) This was not going to be a good thing for us to eat some type of laxative right before we went on a bike ride. So we ditched the yogurt. (probably a good thing) So we boarded the bus and headed down the freeway about 10 minutes to a little town. When we got out of the bus, it wasn´t quite like I had imagined it. It was very ¨industrial¨ looking. But I figured that we would probably ride to the quaint part of town where all of the vineyards were. The boy there got us all ready and informed us that if we wanted to eat at the place that everyone else was, that it was okay. We just had to pay there. But right before we were about to leave he said, ¨Make sure you are back by 6:15 p.m., that is when your bus leaves!¨ Hmm...? Did he just say 6? Miles and I were both a bit shocked that we would be riding these things for 8 hours, but figured that since there were about 7 stops all with tours to take, that the tours would take most of the time. Ha.
The road that we were supposed to stay on for the course of the bike ride was a road that reminded me of thirteenth east. But picture it with less cars, and more semi´s. Oh yeah, the road wasn´t big enough to let two cars going opposite directions pass each other, so the bike riders were supposed to ride on the dirt road next to it. covered in baseball size rocks. I know I've told you about all of the crazy drivers, well, they also honk their horns for EVERYTHING!! To say hi to friends, to tell you to move over, let you know they think you are hot, or sometimes on a whim they will just honk. ya know, to be polite. Well, I don´t know if some of you know this, but I am EXTREMELY jumpy! I flinch at any and everything. So, needless to say, this was not fun for me to be on a bike, narrowly being missed by semi´s honking their horns at me while dust and dirt was flying everywhere. We had only been riding probably one minute when I had a really bad feeling about the whole thing.
The tour included a chocolate factory and an olive oil factory among all of the wineries. The olive oil one was all the way at the bottom, so we figured we would go their first, and make our way back up. We stopped at a supermarket about a 1/3 of the way down the road and bought two banana´s and a crazy dry loaf of pre-packaged bread with chocolate chips in it. Yummy! We both remarked that our legs were feeling a bit...ummm, I dunno, sore. But we got back on our bikes and started making our way down the road.
It took forever. I don´t know what the heck the ¨Bikesandwines¨ people are thinking, but I was continually flabbergasted by how the road just conveniently got longer and longer. We finally made it to the olive oil company. I was excited because I have always loved those, ¨how peanut butter is made¨ movies from Mr. Rogers and stuff. Once we were there, they informed us that we were going to have to pay 5 pesos each for the tour, and of course, it was only in Spanish. (¨Bikesandwines¨ told us that all of the cost was figured into the price, and that there would be English tour guides. hmmm) We paid it and headed out on our tour. 30 seconds later we were finished, and back at the beginning. Okay, maybe not 30 seconds. It was probably more like 5 minutes. They showed us the old machines and a new machine, and that was it. We did get some really yummy bread with sun dried tomatoes and oil though.
This was basically the routine at all of the places. Pay a small fee and then see ya later. It was really refreshing to stop though. My bottom (your welcome mom) was crying with pain. The pain slowly moved into my thighs and then to my knees and don´t forget my swollen hands. We decided that the place where everyone else was going to eat was probably our best bet at a decent lunch so we went over there. we had to buzz the gate and a nice lady said,¨You have voucher?¨ We told her ¨no, but that they had told us that we would be able just to buy lunch.¨ I bet you can guess what happened. Yup...they were too full. We had just biked out of our way to go to a place where we weren´t able to eat. We didn´t let it get us down though. We just pulled out our loaf of bread and started gnawing on it. Good thing we kept it.
By this time both of our rears were aching like crazy. So we decided to walk our bikes. We also thought that would kill some time considering it was only 2-ish by then. Little things like this kept happening, but for both of our sakes I´ll just say it was one heck of a long day. By 5:30 p.m. my legs were no longer able to move, and neither of us were comfortable sitting or standing. We got home, showered, ate, and went to bed. We both feel pretty good today, well except for our new stomach bug. Oh the joys of travel!
Now, with all of that said. I am having such a wonderful experience. During our time yesterday (walking the bikes) we talked about how crazy it is that people actually live in ¨destitution¨, or that is what we would call it. There is no underground sewer, no sidewalks, GRASS, no garbage pick-up, hair dryers, nail polish, deodorant, warm showers, cars, carpet, lazy boys, washers, dryers, dish-washers, or any of the things we take advantage of. And these people LIVE here their whole lives. This is LIFE for them. day after day and guess what, they are happy. So, for this Thanksgiving, I am not being thankful for those things, but I am thankful for the wonderful husband I have. Because no matter how many times I ask him to spell words for me, he still answers nicely. I can talk for hours and he still acts interested. I can complain about our hotel, city, clothes, shampoo, food, feet, or just about anything, and he acts sympathetic. He reminds me to be nice, when he thinks I am being to harsh, in just the right way. He makes me feel loved, accepted and wanted every day, and for that I am thankful. For the fact that I can always count on my family and friends. That I have three homes full of people that will love me no matter what. I have nieces and nephews that are clean and healthy and beautiful. So this year, I am so thankful for all of you.

love,

{Picture Miles and I there in the picture but without the beautiful scenery, tandem bike, or the smiles}

I love The Office!

2007-05-22T15:41:00.000-06:00

The second annual RONIVAl!

2007-05-21T13:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I am back. The Ronival was bigger and better than ever this year. Here are a few pictures:

This was the view of the "front party". Most of the adults were out here with small children to play in the big tiger. Oh, and for the fun drinks under the blue tent. The line for the dunk tank was out of control later on in the evening.

Here is a close up of the bouncy tiger. It looks like a blast, but I didn't throw myself in there, but I wanted to.

There is Ron...his first horsey ride! That is his proud papa, Nick there on the left. {note, the sign up on the building reads: "Welcome to the Ronival! Sponsored by Budweiser ha ha}

This was the party in the back. The first two slides are water sides, and the third is a large obstacle course. Miles and I tied 2 to 2 when we raced each other. My arms still ache.

No Ronival is complete without 3 Birthday cakes. I personally thought the white cake was the BEST!

The food was brought in from some yummy BBQ place. It included: BBQ beef sandwiches, hot dogs, baked beans, meatballs, chicken kabobs, pasta salad, fruit, and veggies. YUM!

And then there was Coxy the Clown. A friend of Nick's that learned how to make balloon animals. Last year he did so well, they had to have him come this year. They also had a magician, but he was just an old guy and not dressed up, so he didn't make the picture cut.

So, all in all, the Ronival was out of control this year, but so much fun!

The Ronival!

2007-05-18T11:45:00.000-06:00

Later today I am taking off to Boise for Ronald Sabala's second Birthday party. That is him at my wedding last summer. He turned two today. Last year for his first birthday party, Miles suggested they throw Ron a RONival, instead of a Carnival, and I guess it stuck. Last year the party included 3 blow up castles similar to this..

One of the kids favorites was the dunking machine,

Most everyone enjoyed a family friend dressed up as a clown, except for Miles, who HATES clowns,

And last but certainly not least, the adults favorite part..

This year I think there have been some upgrades. They are bringing in ponies, a magician, and face painting. Done by none-other-than ME! So wish me luck on my new adventure this weekend!

jogging, bikers, ashley poulton and sheriffs?

2007-05-16T11:45:00.000-06:00

So last night I decided to jog from my apartment over to my parents house to watch the Jazz game with my super cool cousin Craig. I didn't think much of anything about the jog, but made sure Craig new that I would be jogging over, ya know... just in case something happened. It was such a beautiful day with PERFECT running weather and I couldn't have asked for anything more refreshing. I was running south on 20th east past Evergreen Junior High School and on through the neighborhood.

As I came to the funny four way stop where Siggard meets 20th east, I noticed two cyclists. I didn't get a good look at the second one but the first one got eerily close to me with his bike. He was turning west down Siggard as I was running south on 20th. Because he was so close to me, I got a good look at his face and what not. I felt a little strange about it, but just kept running. I was thoroughly caught up in the run and enjoying "Born in the U.S.A" by Bruce Springsteen and was 'feelin the burn'.

About a block down the street, all of a sudden I felt by bum being grabbed just like you would grab a cookie sheet out of the oven, with your palm facing up. It was a forceful grab, and it threw me way off guard. The person grabbed my bum again, and at that moment, I started a thought process that went as follows: "Is that Miles? No, he is at work. I guess it could be someone like Leigh Cornu because her mom lives close"...and I turned my body away from the person, only to see that it wasn't anyone I knew. It was the boy on the bike that had gotten strangely close to me earlier. I immediately started to scream! "YOU *BEEP *BEEP GET BACK HERE! YOU LITTLE PIECE OF *BEEP," and much much more, but I think you get the picture. The jerk had snuck up on me in BROAD DAY LIGHT, on a really busy street, and he would have had to have been balancing on his bike next to me because I was jogging so slow. After I started yelling expletives he slowly turned his bike around and started riding away. My thoughts after that point were: "I should sprint after him and push him off his bike. But I am exhausted, I've just ran about three miles. If he hears me coming after him, he will just take off on his bike!" Sadly, I just let him ride away. I kept looking for the other biker I had seen with him, but he was no where in sight.

Needless to say I was horrified. One of the craziest things was that there wasn't ONE person around, NOT A SOLE. Not one car drove by, or dog barked, it was completely SILENT. I was left all alone and still had the last bit to run to get back to my parent's house. I decided to keep running. At that point I was hyperventilating but thought to myself, "just get home". I got across 39th south and saw another girl jogging my way. It was Ashley Poulton. She lifted her arm up to say hi, and I ran over to her. She was the first person I saw that I knew. Looking back, I am sure I looked like a lunatic because tears just sprang from my eyes. She was running towards the road that I was groped on, so I told her, "Please don't run that way, change your route. Some guy just grabbed me." She could see that I was really upset and offered to jog me home, but I assured her I'd be okay.

The whole rest of the way home I was constantly looking behind me to see if the guy was coming again. It was the WORST feeling ever! I have never felt so helpless and violated at the same time. I made it home safe and sound and walked inside to find my Mom (and I can NEVER hold back the tears from her) and Dad sitting at the kitchen counter, and before I knew what I was saying, tears were streaming from my eyes and my dad was on the phone with the police. Not soon after that my dad drove off in his car to...I dunno...beat them up? Obviously he didn't find any of them, but was able to calm himself down enough to at least come back and eat dinner. We waited for the police man and when he came he made me describe the little...jerk (your welcome mom).

{And here is his description. Just so you all can be aware}

Male: 18-25 yrs old

University of Utah cycling shirt

Black spandex biking shorts

White helmet

Black sunglasses

Fair skin

Small genitals HA! (sorry mom)

The officer also told me to always carry Mace, a cell phone, and change up my jogging routes. So pass on the information.

I know this doesn't sound very scary, but it was. It was soo horrifying to be screaming, and not to have anyone hear me. It also made me feel like I have NO power in situations like that. Every girl needs to be careful, tell your family and friends where you will be jogging or walking and always call the police if something does happen.

{and yes, that is me in the picture}