Corinne's Crazy Life

Merry Late Christmas and Happy Early Birthday to Me!

2012-01-18T10:07:00.002-07:00

As we speak, these people

are bringing this

to ME!

I am so excited!

Salad Time

2012-01-17T12:34:00.003-07:00

One of my goals following a Dec. where I ate many things I shouldn't have was to try to eat more vegetables. I always start out with great intentions when I go to the grocery store and buy a ton of vegetables. However, they usually end up going bad because I am always in a hurry to eat dinner between work and whatever else I am running off to do. Even the pre-cut salad is involved in this. I have to add stuff to it before I will eat it, but this usually takes so much time and I end up with storage containers of all types of stuff in the fridge that ends up going bad. It is ridiculous. I can't tell you how much money I have spent on vegetables that usually end up in the trash.

Back to the goal of actually eating the vegetables I buy in a way that satisfies my hunger and doesn't end up with me snacking on all kinds of things later. I am not on Pinterest, but a friend of mine posted this salad idea on Facebook that she found on Pinterest. Basically, you pre-make a bunch of individual salads for the week, but they are so cool looking that it made the idea fun.

Here are my 5 jars of salad that I made last night. I did taco salad type ones as well as regular ones with chicken. In my taco salad ones I put hamburger, garbanzo beans, olives and lettuce. I will add a little shredded cheese and salsa ranch dressing and maybe crumble up a few tortilla chips. The other salads have grilled chicken, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, a few garbanzo beans, olives, and lettuce. I plan on adding some feta cheese to these and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The ones on Pinterest had the salad dressing in the bottom (not touching the lettuce), and you just shook them up. I figured since I go home every day for lunch, I could skip that part and just add it later.

Voila, the quick salad that I WILL grab when I don't actually have time to assemble something for dinner. These are supposed to stay good all week. We will see how they turn out. Tonight is my first test. I will eat one of these in between work and going to the temple.

UPDATE: So good & easy, but holy biggest salad ever Batman. I must remember not to fill the jars quite so full. I couldn't even finish it and had to throw about 1/4 of it away.

Book Club

2012-01-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got a invite from one of the other leaders in YW to join her book club. I was so excited. As much as I love to read, it is kind of surprising that I have never been in a book club before. I went to the first meeting last Thurs. night at Krave (I have been told that this isn't just an excuse to go get ice cream. They do in fact read and talk about books). We each picked a month and a book for the group to read and discuss at the next meeting. I think I signed up for Oct., but it could be Nov. I didn't have a book chosen yet though. Any recommendations?

For January, this is the book we are reading.

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to be very close to Bin Laden with a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive. This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors. A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

I am really excited about it. It sounds interesting, and I have always been fascinated by the military. I will let you know how it turns out.

Day 24: What I would find in your bag

2012-01-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

I AM going to finish this 30 day challenge even though it is taking me forever. It can be a New Year's resolution that I actually accomplish.

So what would one find in my bag or purse? Mints, Mints and more mints. I love mints and have to have a variety of them in my purse for any and all moods and occasions. However, I don't do gum.

Here is a list of the ones currently in my purse.

Peppermint Velamints--I remember these from when I was young and found them at Hurst last week. Love them. Interesting because I usually don't like Peppermint mints. I am more of a Wintergreen girl.
Opened pack of Wintergreen Icebreakers--These are my go to minty mints
Unopened pack of Wintergreen Icebreakers--For when I run out of the opened pack. I can't be stuck without minty mints.
Unopened pack of Fruit Punch Icebreakers--Mmmmm fruity mints for the fun times. Maybe I haven't had too many fun times lately if they are still unopened or maybe I have been eating ...
Fruit Adventure Tic Tacs (as seen in the post below. Aly loved the sounds they made and chewing on the container)--Another fruity mint for the fun times and for the nieces and nephews. Mostly the one niece that I see a lot but I am sure the other ones would get them too if they lived closer. Sydney always points to my purse and says "Tany". I am training her well.
Wintergreen mints in the Mount Vernon collector's tin--I have to buy mints in a cute tin whenever I travel to a new place regardless of how much they end up costing. We won't talk about how much I spent on a stupid tin of mints at Disneyland. My friends know this as well and are on the lookout for mints when they travel too.

The other day my purse felt pretty heavy and I couldn't figure out why. Then I counted the mint containers. Every so often, I have to consolidate because it gets to be too many.

Also found in my purse:

My wallet with way to many receipts that I need to write in my checkbook
My camera that needs it's battery charged
My phone
My glasses in case I need to drive at night or go to the movies. I never wear them any other place
My keys
Hand sanitizer
5 things of chapstick/lip gloss
A tiny little hair brush. The other day I pulled it out in front of Sydney, and she loved it. I tried to put it away but she wouldn't let me. She took off with it and went over to see Zoe. I was very quick to make sure she didn't try to comb the dog's hair. That would not have made me very happy. I don't think she ever would have gotten mints again.

Fall Vacation: The Rest of the Days

2012-01-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

The last few days of my DC trip were just as fun as the first few. On Saturday, it started to snow and was pretty cold. I didn't quite plan for that, so my clothes were not necessarily snow appropriate. We decided to go to the mall to avoid any outdoor activities. We weren't the only ones. The highlight of the mall activity had to be entertaining Aly while Chris and Lindz tested out the beds.

Aly has discovered the power of mints. Mmmm, so tasty. Even if it is only the container.

That night we went to the ward Halloween party. I must say that our little owl really did have the best costume. She stole the show.

The only remaining thing on my list that I had to do this trip was to take a drive to see all of the fall colors. We were going to drive through Shenandoah, but unfortunately, it was closed due to snow. At the higher elevations, a lot of the trees had already lost their colorful, fall leaves, but we still managed to see some pretty sights. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon activity. And yes, as you can see, there was definitely snow.

That night we also went to the Manassas battlefield to attempt to get some family photos. My abilities are not excellent and it was pretty cold, so they weren't totally successful. I did however really like this one.

And this one.

And here is mine which I am not totally in love with.

On my last day, we didn't really have any plans, so we decided to go downtown to see a few of the monuments that I hadn't seen on my last trips. First we went to the Iwo Jima memorial. It was really cool to see. They had everything blocked off for a marathon, but we finally found our way to the monument.

I also wanted to see the new Martin Luther King Monument and Lindsay thought it would be fun to go see the Roosevelt Monument on the island. That didn't turn out quite the way we had planned. We circled the monuments a few times and couldn't find a place to park near the Martin Luther King Monument. I ended up taking a picture in the car to prove we had actually passed it two or three times.

As for the Roosevelt Monument, we eventually discovered the difference between Teddy and Franklin. They are in two totally different locations. Lindsay was driving, the GPS was trying to navigate, I kept getting us lost, and Lenee was on the phone trying to tell us how to get where we were really trying to go. It was an absolute adventure. We eventually found the island.

We really were so glad to be there.

As we were leaving, I spotted a place that might be fun to take a picture. However, there was a little miscommunication and Aly just ended up on the gravel in the middle of the road. Don't ask us how that happened. I am still not sure. But we did get this really cute picture before the truck started driving up the road.

On our way home, we stopped for lunch and ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and pretty much made fools of ourselves. Or me at least.

Aly loved the ice cream.

This is our first attempt at documenting our visit in front of the sign. Then I fell while trying to squat, take a picture, and not pull Aly over with me. Super graceful.

Better!

And you can actually see a sign in this one.

We also went to the old train station in Manassas. We were once again looking for the perfect picture taking location. Let's be honest, when were we not? That was half of the fun of vacation. I can't tell you how much we laughed on that last day getting lost all over DC and stopping on random back roads to take pictures. I had a great time.

Later that night we went to dinner and Lindsay decided to see how Aly liked limes.

Mmmm these are kind of good.

And fun to play with.

Or not!

I had so much fun visiting, seeing the sights, and playing with Aly. I am sad I don't get to see everyone until next summer.

I was messing around with my camera taking self photos, and I will be honest, I kind of love this one.

Fall Vacation: Day 4

2011-12-27T12:03:00.001-07:00

We have now totally past fall and are halfway into the winter season, but I still need to finish up posting about my fall vacation to DC according to my sister. She is sick of looking at Day 3. So, on to day 4.

On day 4 of the vacation, we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. This was another thing on my must-do list because it seemed like a super fall-y thing to do. We went with Lindsay's in-laws and some of their Carmedic partners. We were very lucky that it stopped raining enough to allow the ground to somewhat dry out and for us to enjoy the day.

Welcome to our tour of the pumpkin patch and our many picture taking opportunities. Chris was realizing it is even worse when there are two of us spotting ideal locations.

We sat in a really big, yellow chair and took a picture.

We sat on a hay bale with pretty flowers and a pumpkin and took a picture.

We took pictures on the road to Oz.

We took pictures of the corn.

We took pictures in front of the corn field.

We took pictures pretending to eat the fake giant corn.

We took pictures getting my fortune read. In case you are wondering, the psychic rooster predicted that I would soon experience two eligible men fighting over me... and what do you know? She was right.

We took pictures of me and boyfriend #1.

And then we took pictures of me and boyfriend #2.

I will let you guess which boyfriend won the battle for my heart.

We took pictures on the hay ride.

We took pictures of pretty fall leaves.

And last but not least, we took pictures of all of the fall pumpkins, squash, and apples in bins at the pumpkin patch.

I had such a good time at the pumpkin patch. It more than lived up to my expectations. I am so glad we got a chance to go. I am sure Chris was just as happy by the time we got through taking all our pictures.

Fall Vacation: Day 3

2011-11-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

One of the things that I really wanted to do on this trip to VA was to go to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. I had heard from a lot of people that is was really cool and fun to see. We had planned to do this early in the trip on a day when Chris was working since there were other things we wanted to do on the weekend. Unfortunately for us, the day we had this planned, it started to rain. The forecast called for rain the whole rest of the week, so we decided to take our chances and make the drive hoping it wouldn't be too bad by the time we got there.

When we started our, the GPS told us it was only a 30 minute drive. However, knowing my ability to get lost anywhere, it shouldn't come as a surprise that even with the GPS, we didn't take the right freeway and the drive ended up being an hour instead. However, I thought it was really fun since we drove through a lot of old towns and got to see a lot more than the ugly freeway. We also found a Krispy Kreme that we had to visit on the way back.

I loved Mount Vernon. It was so pretty and peaceful . . . and wet. It rained for the first hour we were there, but then it cleared up. Unfortunately, the hair damage had already been done.

And thus commences the large volume of Mount Vernon pictures.

Exterior pictures and pictures of the tomb. The white house at the top is a picture of the home from the back lawn. The red brick house is the greenhouse. I loved the design of the bushes.

Interior pictures. They said that the home is painted in the same colors as in George Washington's time. I have no idea how they made these colors back then. The picture with the solid white bed is from George Washington's bedroom. He died in that same bed. There is also a picture inside the slave quarters.

Standing on the back porch with the Potomac in the background.

On the back lawn with a view of the pretty trees and a cute kid.

View of the front of Mount Vernon

Trying to get a picture of Mount Vernon and not get our hair wet. Not so successful.

The rain finally cleared up a bit so we talked a security guard in to taking a decent one.

Me and George's carriage

Me and a big plaster mold of George's head at the museum

Pictures down by the wharf.

We walked down to the tomb and wharf, but decided to take the bus back because it was a loooooong way back to the house. I was really surprised at how extensive the grounds were. But everything was so pretty. I am really happy we suffered through the rain, because it was one of the places on my list to definitely visit.

We finished at Mount Vernon a little earlier than I thought we would, so Lindsay suggested we drive to Georgetown and visit the cupcake store where they film TLC's DC Cupcakes. I got a coconut and a key lime cupcake. They were both REALLY good and they give them to you in a cute little pink box. Yes, we got cupcakes and Krispy Kreme. It was vacation!

Georgetown was really pretty. We walked around a few fun stores and took some pictures in from of cute buildings. Then we headed home to relax after an exciting Day 3 of vacation.

Fall Vacation: Day 1 & 2

2011-11-11T15:41:00.001-07:00

Day 1: I was super excited for my fall vacation to visit Chris, Lindsay, & Aly. I was even more excited that I found a direct flight without any layovers that arrived in DC at 3:30. It was going to be perfect. I was going to get there early enough that we could do my hair that afternoon and hit up Taco Tuesday at Cafe Rio. The vacation part would then commence. Ahhh, the best laid plans.

I had arrived in Vegas on Monday night to stay with Neil & Sara. Neil was going to drop me off at the airport on his way to work. After a nice little visit, I checked my flight time and headed off to bed. The next morning we got up and made it through morning traffic and arrived at the airport at 7:33. Perfect timing since my flight departed at 8:30. Wrong! I went to check in and found out that I couldn't. I had actually looked at the time for my return flight from DC instead of my departing flight. My flight left Vegas at 8:00 and since I wasn't there 30 minutes before departure, I was bumped to the next available flight . . . at 1:30. Yes, since I was there only 27 minutes before the flight, I got the privilege of waiting 5 1/2 hours until the next flight. Also, it cost me $75 extra. Lucky for me, Sara was nice enough to come pick me up. I rented a locker at the airport for my bags, and we went and did a little shopping and had an early lunch at Cheesecake Factory.

I finally arrived in DC at 9:00. I didn't get my hair done that night, but I did get Taco Tuesday. Thanks Lindsay. Then we stayed up until 1:00 visiting. It was so much fun.

Day 2: We had to do hair on Wednesday morning since I told Lindsay I wasn't going to be in any vacation pictures until it looked cute. Since that occupied our morning, we decided to do a little shopping in the afternoon (Hello, Charming Charlie and Forever 21). As part of our afternoon shopping trip, I insisted that we visit this magical place Lindsay talks about. It was certainly a "Unique" experience.

Remember Lindsay, everyone's trash is not always your treasure. I really wanted to buy this doll, but since I only took a carry-on, there wasn't room in the luggage. Darn!

Here is our self portrait in the rain. We had to document the occasion after all.

To Be Continued . . .

Halloween Fun

2011-11-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am a little late with the Halloween post since I was on vacation. Yay! This is my attempt to catch up before I write about all the fun I had in VA.

For one of our activities in Oct., the Young Men and Women got together for a Halloween party. I was informed that as a leader I was supposed to bring a treat and dress up. Yuck! I don't really love dressing up for Halloween. I think it is because I feel like people are looking at me and I don't love the attention. However, I decided to be a good sport. I looked online for a Halloween treat to bring and here is what I discovered.

Yep, my contribution was a plate of fingers. I dipped pretzels in white and butterscotch melted chocolate chips and used sliced almonds for the fingernails. I think they turned out rather well.

I thought long and hard about what I had at home that I could use for a costume since I didn't really want to go purchase something that I would never use again. I happened to remember my awesome tattoos sleeves from years back when I dressed up as a prison inmate. I didn't have the prison outfit any more, but I could certainly pull together something sort of resembling the tatted up biker chick. Behold the awesomeness!

Yes, I have a lot of makeup on. You should have seen how much work it was to get that black eye makeup off.

And also as a bonus, here are some pictures of my Halloween decorations.

That is the extent of my Halloween celebration in St. George.

Sydney's birthday

2011-11-06T15:09:00.001-07:00

This year for Sydney's 2nd birthday, we attend a little party at Sara's mom's house. It was fun to celebrate Sydney turning 2. She was a little more excited about the birthday party this year than last year. I think she understood a little more that all the presents were for her. Since she got the play kitchen for her birthday, I decided to get her a set of food. I found a great deal at Ross (would I go anywhere else).

We had good food and ice cream cake. The birthday girl even did a good job blowing out the candles.

However, Sydney wasn't really into having her picture taken that day. She wouldn't crack a smile for anything.

Example 1

Example 2. She was really not having it at this point.

Here are a few happy birthday party attendees.

And the cute birthday girl herself.

My Extravagance

2011-11-06T14:45:00.003-07:00

So I didn't manage to resist new furniture for long after my last post about it. It really wasn't my intention to buy some within the next few weeks, but it just kind of happened. I went with my friend Trudi to help her find a mattress and couch for her new apartment and found a little extravagance of my own over Labor Day weekend. The good news is that they were having a really good sale so I saved money. That is what I tell myself to make me feel less guilty. Anyway, the couches were delivered the next week, but I had to wait for 4 weeks while they made the chair and pillows.

While I waited, I searched for a new rug (since the one I had was plain brown and that would have been way too much brown in my living room) and new accent pillows. I wanted to make sure that I could still match my decorations and red curtains with the new furniture since I didn't want to replace everything in my living room. I was a little nervous when they first brought the chair in since it is a lot more traditional and fancy than what I have had before, but I really love it now. Here are a few pictures.

Like I said, I really love it. It is all the fall colors that I love. I am even used to the yellow now.

Day 23: What is something you crave

2011-10-13T17:53:00.000-06:00

Something that I crave is junk food. I know it is not good for me, but salt and sugar continually call my name. Sometimes I am really good at resisting them. Now is not one of those times. Lately I have been on an ice cream kick. I hadn't had ice cream in a really long time, but I went one night with a friend to this new ice cream shop by my house and it has been all downhill since then. We won't even talk about the Ben & Jerry's shop I discovered while I was at a seminar in Vegas at the Sunset Station.

Now we have reached Halloween season. I don't love Halloween at all, but I do love Halloween candy like Sweet Tart Skulls & Bones. They come in the cutest little package and are oh so tasty. But then after I am done eating them, I have to offset the sugar with some salt. It is a vicious, vicious cycle that I must escape.

Day 22: What makes you different from everyone else

2011-10-13T17:48:00.000-06:00

I think this question in pretty impossible to answer. I don't believe there is one specific character trait or thing about anyone that makes them different from another person. I believe it is our specific collection of character traits, talents, experiences, etc that make us different from other people. There might be other people that like the same things I do, but who have experienced these things in a different way or at a different stage in their life. Thus, none of us are exactly alike, but uniquely different. That is what makes life so interesting, and at times, hard.

Day 21: Something you are proud of

2011-10-04T16:15:00.000-06:00

Lately I have been attempting to cook new recipes. I usually don't cook since it is hard to make the right portion size to not end up with leftovers for a week. But I actually really enjoy it, so I have been making more of an effort. I made the following recipe last week and it turned out really good. I got it from www.thesisterscafe.com.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9×13 and one 9×9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! (I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

I also like to try the recipes from www.ourbestbites.com and http://crockpotgirls.com/. I am becoming a regular Martha Stewart in the kitchen (slight exaggeration)!

Day 20: Share a picture from your day

2011-09-27T17:51:00.000-06:00

These are actually from last week. I had every intention of posting this a few days ago, but somehow that just didn't happen.

These are some of my favorite bushes. A few times a year for about a week, over 100 (Not an exaggeration. I stopped counting once I reach 50) of these bushes bloom along Snow Canyon Parkway. I love them so much I even planted one in my backyard. That is the one in the top left corner. These bloom in the spring and fall in pale and deep purple. When I pulled off the road to take a picture, I looked over at the view. It was so beautiful that I had to take a picture of that too.

Here are a few more things that I enjoyed today. I saw this book a while back at Walmart but didn't want to shell out the money for it. I reserved it at the library and after the 14 people ahead of me finished reading it, I finally got too. I really liked it. It was kind of fascinating and of course I stayed up too late reading it.

I did however buy the new Lady Antebellum cd. I love it. I have pretty much been listening to it all day at work and in my car. I highly recommend this one.

Since this one isn't on my home computer yet though, I have to listen to something else. That means a little Matt Nathanson. I don't know why I love him, but I really do. I bought his new cd a few weeks ago and that one is pretty great too.

There you go. A few pictures from my day. Super exciting, right?

Day 19: If you had 3 wishes, what would they be

2011-09-20T12:19:00.000-06:00

Wish #1--That my house would magically stay clean. Wouldn't that be awesome? Cleaning is the worst, but a clean house is so nice.

Wish#2--That I would magically be skinny no matter what I eat. I say this as I sit contemplating what I have that is healthy in my fridge to eat for lunch and trying to avoid the regular Tues. morning doughnuts that someone always brings to our office. By the way, he is not my friend.

Wish #3--That I didn't have to work every day. I am pretty sure it would get boring to never work, but I would even take a 4 day work week. It would just be nice to have an extra day to get things like #1 done. But then I would probably complain that there is still not enough time.

Notice how all of the things that I wish for involve avoiding some form of work or effort. Yep, I am coming to the realization that I am just naturally lazy.

Day 18: Nicknames Part 2

2011-09-13T09:55:00.001-06:00

I remembered another nickname that comes with a funny story.

So a while back, a few of us were hanging out at an FHE activity at the park. My friend K*** (name changed to protect him in case this is not entirely legal) started randomly looking up people there to see if they had ticket/arrest records. He is an attorney and has access to these types of court records. He put in my name and didn't come up with anything stating that my record was clean. I happen to know that this isn't entirely true. I have had one speeding ticket in the past for going 30 in a 25 in Pine Valley. I know. Ridiculous.

Anyway, I thought it was weird that it wasn't showing up, so I asked him how he spelled my last name. D-E-C-K-E-R. What? Who?

Apparently, in all the years we had know each other, K*** thought my name was Corinne Decker. Since that time, I have become Decker. Half of the time, when I call Trudi, she answers "What's up Decker?" And when I run into K***, he refers to me as Decker too.

Day 18: Nicknames you have & why you have them

2011-09-12T19:48:00.000-06:00

I don't really have any nicknames. My mom has said that when I was a baby Grandma Donna tried to call me Cori, but she set her straight real quick. She told her my name was Corinne and I wouldn't know who she was talking about if she tried to call me Cori. I guess that was the end of that one.

At one point, I think some of the younger siblings called me Nin since they couldn't really say my name. Amy has been known to refer to me as Rinnie Roo. I have no idea where that one came from. Now, my favorite nickname is Auntie!

Day 17: Plans/Dreams/Goals you have

2011-09-01T11:54:00.000-06:00

And I am back after taking a break from my not so 30 day challenge. We are going to rename this the "30 posts over an unspecified length of time" challenge.

So this one feels a bit like one I already did on goals, so I was trying to think of some different things to put here. That is why it has taken me so long . . . or at least that is what I am telling myself.

Plans/Dreams/Goals

Trip to DC in the fall--I can hardly wait. I have always wanted to go back east in the fall and since I have a free place to stay (thanks Linz and Chris) now is the perfect time. On my list of things that I would like to do are visit Mt. Vernon, go to an actual pumpkin patch, drive through the mountains to see the fall colors and go to the pier to see the Atlantic ocean. Hopefully I can make these things work out (Hint, Hint Linz!). This one is definitely a plan with specific dates and places.
Finish the temple work for all of the family names--This is a plan/goal. I still have a ton of names so it is probably going to be a multi-year goal since I don't want non-family members to help with the names. I am kind of being weird about that one. I do need some family help though since half of them can't be done by me.
Buy new living room furniture--This is definitely a foolish dream. I don't need new furniture. I shouldn't buy it. I just want a change. I have been successfully talking myself out of this one for 2 years. Finger crossed that it remains a dream and doesn't actually changes into a goal/plan until it is needed.
Get my CPA license--This is a goal, but maybe a long-term one. I have passed the test and have the hours and someone willing to sign off. I still need to take an ethics exam and something else, but haven't yet. I am not sure why I am waiting, but don't feel any urgency. Maybe I should get on it.
Go to Minnesota--This has been a dream/goal of mine for years. I really want to visit Minnesota for family history purposes.
Go someplace new next year--This is my goal for 2012. I want to take a trip to a place that I have never been next year. Most of my trips in the past 2 years have been to places that I have visited before. They have been awesome, but I want to try something new. Minnesota would qualify, but I am not sure if that will be my destination of choice next year.
Go on a date--This is more of a dream at this point. Before the ward ended, I had hit a nice place where I actually was going on a few dates. It was fun. I have never been the biggest dater, so it was a new experience for me and I was quite enjoying it. Sad fact: Since then, nada! It is seriously hard to meet single guys in the family ward who aren't using a walker. So, my dream is that once again, I will discover a dating life.
Attend Singles activities--In an attempt to make the dating dream happen, my goal is to attend some mid-singles activities. It is so hard though. It feels really awkward to try to socialize now because I haven't really in the last year. Plus, these activities don't have the best attendance and male/female ratio. Wish me luck!

I Am Crafty Like That

2011-08-28T16:14:00.000-06:00

Don't die from the shock, but this weekend, I crafted. It's a miracle.

I have been wanting to get lamps for my nightstands for a while. Since I canceled my home phone and no longer have a phone taking up space, I thought it was the perfect time to get those lamps. Also, I was going to IKEA and needed something to shop for.

I found really cute lamp bases that I loved, but no such luck on the shades. I tried all of the stores in town when I got back as well and couldn't find anything that was screaming buy me. However, I was watching a movie the other day and saw some lamps that I loved and thought I can make those. Lindsay has taken over my brain!

I was looking for some shear cream material for my craft but never really found what I wanted. At the store, I decided to go in a different direction. Here is photo evidence that I actually created something cute.

Lamp base from IKEA

Standard off white lamp shade

Second set of lamp bases that I had to buy to get the standard off white lamp shade. Apparently they are only sold as a set at Kmart and no other stores had the right size. It actually cost less to buy the set. They have since been delivered to the DI.

The raw materials

All add up to . . . . . . .

I am AMAZING and apparently crafty this weekend.

Find me an "A"

2011-08-28T15:15:00.000-06:00

A group of people from my old ward still get together every other Monday night for FHE activities. This last Monday we did a photo scavenger hunt and were supposed to take pictures of one thing that started with each letter of the alphabet. Here are a few of the pictures with yours truly.

Y--Because no one else wanted to volunteer to be in this one
I--No that is my bag of ice.
L--This lamp post is a nice place to rest for a minute.
N--Somehow his nails look better than mine
C--Corinne in a car on Comanche Rd.

Park City Getaway

2011-08-28T15:05:00.000-06:00

Last Weekend, Trudi and I went to Park City for a quick trip. I really wanted to go see the band Parachute in Springdale in June but I was in California. I kept looking to see when they were going to be around again, and we found tickets for a concert at the Deer Valley Ski Resort for Parachute, Michelle Branch and The Goo Goo Dolls. Since it was on a Thurs. night we decided to stay through the weekend.

On Thurs. we drove up to Park City and went to the concert. The concert was a lot of fun. I loved Deer Valley. It was really pretty and relaxing to sit out on the lawn and listen to great music. I don't know if I would love it as much in the winter though. I am sure it is really cold.

I wouldn't mind staying here. Each room had it's own balcony with a hot tub. Our hotel wasn't this nice, and I am sure it didn't cost as much or we totally got the bad end of that deal.

I am not sure how people get to this hotel up on the hill. It looked to me like the only way up was the little tram. It was pretty cool.

I love how the lights turned out in this picture.

And here is video of Parachute and the Goo Goo Dolls. Not that you can see them exactly, but you can hear it.

On Friday, we drove down to Salt Lake to go to IKEA and later that night we walked around Park City's historic main street and ate dinner. I loved the buildings on main street.

We went to the Blue Iguana for dinner and ate out on the patio. It was beautiful. The weather at night was so nice and the town is so pretty.

On Saturday, we went shopping at the outlets. Of course I enjoyed that part. The outlets were about 10 min from our hotel. I saw this old barn on the way and had to stop to take some pictures since I loved it.

Hold On To Your Derby Hats!

2011-08-28T14:15:00.001-06:00

I recently attended the demolition derby at the Washington County Fair. It was a ton o' fun. This time I noticed all of the derby hats or special derby hairstyles present. For example:

The Rat Tail

The Ninja Turtle Hat

The "I am masqerading as a woodland fairy" buns with ribbons

The "I thought I was going to the Kentucky Derby" derby hat

and best of all

The Hat n' Mullet

The derby was a lot of fun. It is always great to see cars smashing into each other. I love it when the wheels fall off or they end up on top of the barriers. Here are a few pictures and video so you can live the experience vicariously. Enjoy!

Jack ! Pot!

2011-08-22T14:47:00.000-06:00

Oh, I absolutely hit the Jack! Pot! today on my lunch break. I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and was browsing through the $5 movie bin. I always have to check, because you never know what hidden treasures you will find in the bargain movie bin. It must have been my lucky day because I found this gem.

If you are asking yourself if I really bought this, the answer is absolutely yes. Have you ever seen Courage Mountain? It is worth every penny of the $5 I spent on it. Who cares that I have no idea what that other movie is even about.

So really, there is a story behind this one. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times my friend Kristin and I watched this movie when we were 12 or 13. We would always talk Mom into taking us to the Smith's video rental to pick out a movie to watch. Every time, we got Courage Mountain. We probably rented this thing enough times to pay for it more than once. We LOVED it!

One Sunday a few weeks ago, I was flipping channels, and this movie was on. I will admit I stopped to watch it. It is kind of cheesy (hard to imagine I know) but it was also kind of nostalgic. I posted on Kristin's Facebook reminding her of our obsession with this movie. At the time, I wondered if you could find this movie on DVD since it really is pretty entertaining and clean. Imagine my surprise today when I found this treasure. I didn't even think twice.

Bonus: This movie stars Charlie Sheen before he became a superhero in his own mind.

Day 16: Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day

2011-08-16T10:27:00.000-06:00

I really want to switch lives with one of the Jetson's. I think this every morning as I have to get ready for work. What I wouldn't give for their little machine that takes you from just out of bed to ready to leave the house with no effort on your part. Seriously, someone needs to invent that thing already.

If I had to pick a real person, I would probably pick one of my ancestors. I think it would be fascinating to live one day of their life to see what they were really like and the challenges they faced. It would be really fun to meet all of their (and my) relatives. I would miss my flush toilet though, but I could survive for a day.

I would also consider switching lives with Pres. Monson's personal secretary or assistant (I am assuming he has one). I would get to meet all of the apostles, but without so much of the responsibility of being one.

Day 15: Something you could live without

2011-08-12T15:51:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about what I could live without. It is harder than I was originally expecting. I thought I can live without work, but that probably isn't true. I think we need work to give us something to challenge us and fill us with purpose. Also, it makes the non-work times so much better. If I had every day off, eventually I am pretty sure I would get bored. It might take a while, but I would get there. Then I thought, I can live without vegetables, but that isn't true either. I actually quite enjoy vegetables. I couldn't live without summer, because I have too many cute summer clothes that I really want to wear in the winter. The same is true about winter. I think we need all the seasons of the year so that we can appreciate the others. Kind of like work.

So in the end, here are a few things I could probably live without.

Onions--The flavor doesn't really outweigh the texture
Halloween--No good can come of it unless you are a small child
Grocery Shopping--I wish healthy food would just magically appear in my fridge so that I didn't have to go to the grocery store and be tempted by all the food that I shouldn't eat
Soda--I have been doing pretty well living without this since Apr. I have had a few sips here and there, but nothing like the DP I used to drink.
Stress--Yeah, I would really happily live without it.

Wedded Bliss

2011-08-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share a few of the pictures I took with my camera from the wedding last Saturday. I used Chad's camera to take many of the pictures, so these are mainly from the reception when I had plenty of time to take pictures with both cameras. Everything turned out beautiful, and we all had a wonderful day even though we missed those who weren't able to come.

The happy couple. They both looked amazing and so happy. Congrats Chad & Kelcie!

A few pictures from the luncheon after the sealing. Everything looks so good. We had Cafe Rio style salads. The topiary balls were set up on the head table and the rest of the tables had these cute vases with colorful flowers. Notice the super cute cupcakes on the tables as well.

Pictures of the cake. I love the big pictures on the stand next to the cake table. It is a great picture of both of them.

The pictures you have all been waiting for. Corinne at the wedding.

Here are more random pictures from the wedding. Neil and Sara, Sydney in her new hiding spot, the parents and siblings at the reception, Hot Ethan! Chad looking a little tired of shaking hands, and cute Zayne.

Toward the end of the reception, I had taken about as many pictures of the reception and flowers and food as I could ever need. Also, I certainly didn't need to hit up the food table again. So, I started playing photo shoot with Sydney. here are some of my favorites.

It was certainly a wonderful day!

Day 14: A picture of something you ate & 10 favorite foods

2011-08-08T21:36:00.001-06:00

For dinner I ate some leftover cafe rio salad from the wedding luncheon. Mmm, mmm, good!

Here is my list of 10 of my favorite foods:

Hamburgers--I love a really good hamburger. This is the food I always want on my birthday. It is quite convenient that I get a free Red Robin hamburger every year as part of the birthday club. Best deal ever!
Pineapple-- The best pineapple I ever had was in the Caribbean. Hawaii had some good ones too. In St. George, I have to go for the Costco ones.
Oatmeal--I pretty much eat oatmeal every day that I actually eat breakfast.
Beef Jerky--My snack of choice. I am not a huge meat eater, so I figure this is a decent way to get protein.
An apple with that spreadable cow cheese on it--Love this as a snack too. It is healthy plus you get the sweet and the salty together.
Turkey sandwiches--The ones you make after Thanksgiving with the leftover turkey and a little cranberry sauce spread on the bread. So good!
Chicken Green Chili Salad from Bajio--No explanation necessary. I like it so much I even eat the onions in this. It is probably the only time I will ever eat an onion.
Mom's Potato salad--It is the only potato salad I like to eat.
Cucumber--I don't know why I love cucumber, but I do. It is so refreshing and crunchy.
Sugar--Yes, sugar is a food. It just happens to come in many forms and I pretty much love all of them. Unfortunately!

Day 13: Put your iPod on shuffle & share the first 20 songs that play

2011-08-04T18:09:00.000-06:00

This is a true shuffle of all the songs on my ipod so we might get a mixture of songs I listen to everyday, Sunday music, Christmas music, etc. This should be entertaining considering the random mix of music I listen to.

Our Kind Of Love--Lady Antebellum
Somewhere a Clock is Ticking--Snow Patrol
Take Me Away From Here--Tim McGraw
Orange Sky--Alexi Murdoch
House of a Thousand Dreams--Martina McBride
Stars are Blind--Paris Hilton (Oh the shame of actually admitting this is on my ipod)
Skies of LA--Celine Dion
I'll Call Ya--Chris Brown
She Is Love--Parachute
Magic--B.O.B.
Something 'Bout Love--David Archuleta
Stab My Back--All American Rejects
You Should Know Better--Andy Grammer
Uncharted--Sara Bareilles
I'll Be Home for Christmas--Michael Buble
Christmas Hymn--Jon Schmidt
Open Season on My Heart--Tim McGraw
Milkshake--Kelis
Mi Ancla--Mindy Gledhill
Sing for the Moment--Eminem

Interestingly, not a single church song or soundtrack song in the mix. I have a lot of these on my ipod too.

In Honor of this Week's Events

2011-08-03T10:15:00.000-06:00

Hey family--Check out the new posting on our other blog if you didn't get the e-mail

In Honor of this Week's Events

Day 12: A book you love

2011-08-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

So this is a substitute topic because the original was to write a letter telling someone something you could never tell them. Am I the only one here who sees the problem in this? Seriously, I can't tell one person something but will post it on the internet for the world to see. Yeah, not happening.

So you get to read about a book that I love instead. I had a hard time narrowing it down since I don't really have favorite books. How can you pick when you read so much? However, this is a book I first read a number of years ago and loved. It is called Daughters of God: Scriptural Portraits.

This book details all of the women found in the scriptures from Eve, Emma, and Mary to the daughters of Onitah (Abraham 1:11). I bet you have never heard of them. I hadn't either until I read this book and they are only mentioned in one verse, but the author uses their story to demonstrate the high price we should place on virtue.

As I read this book, I was amazed to see how many women are mentioned in the scriptures and the great examples they can be for us. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. If you are related to me, there is probably a good chance you have received it as a gift at some point. If not, let me know. Christmas is coming up.

Day 11: A picture of your room & share a secret

2011-07-27T22:34:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures of my room which I absolutely love. Every time I get tempted to change it, I realize I just can't.

Also, a secret about me is that I sometimes cheat at games especially mini-golf. The weird thing is that I don't cheat to win. A lot of times it is just to see if I can get away with it and if the other person is paying attention. Sometimes, I do it when I am playing with someone who is super competitive. I think part of it is that if I take games too seriously, I can be one of those annoying, super competitive people, so I just have to have fun with it and try make the other annoying person lose. See? It isn't all about winning for me.

Day 10: A picture of something you dislike

2011-07-26T19:12:00.000-06:00

Brussel Sprouts--Yep, I pretty much think they are nasty.

Bugs are nasty too. Once, when Ethan was about 3 or 4, I tried to make him kill a bug because I didn't want to. We won't talk about how old I was at the time.

Stagnant pond water. No explanation necessary.

The end.

Day 9: A Story about a blind date

2011-07-25T11:38:00.000-06:00

So I was having some problems with the real Day 9 topic which is why I haven't posted since Friday. Good excuse right? I have switched up the topics a bit so that I can keep thinking about the original Day 9. You will see it sometime in the future.

In the meantime, on to substitute Day 9. I had to change this one too since it was a story about a past relationship and those are few and far between in my life or maybe even slightly non-existent considering my dating past. Instead you get a blind date story since I have plenty of those to share. Actually, this isn't really even a true blind date story since it wasn't a set up. It was just a guy I didn't know at all. But here goes.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Corinne who was attending Singles Ward #1 before it was dissolved and long before Singles Ward #2 was also dissolved. I am sensing a pattern. Anyway, I was attending church over by the college. One 5th Sunday, we were in the combined meeting and some random guy sat down next to me and started chatting. According to him, we had met before. According to me, I had no idea who this guy was. He seemed a little offended that I didn't remember his name. Turns out it was John. Can't imagine why I would forget that one. I have a bad blind date history with guys named John. Cut to the parking lot after church. As I was getting into my car, John comes running out the door to stop me and ask me out. Sure. Why not? He didn't seem too weird.

Before we go any further, let me explain my first date philosophy. Dinner and a short activity are just fine. It doesn't need to be a marathon. Keep it around 2 ish hours. Sometimes it is good to leave them wanting a little more rather than eliminating all question about further dates during hour 6.

Back to story. So he picks me up and we go to dinner. This is when he proceeds to tell me that he is working part-time living on a friends couch because he had overstayed his welcome with a family member and another friend. When pressed about a plan for the future, it pretty much sounded like more of the same. Hmmm, that's not promising. On to mini golf. It was okay. Typical first date get to know something about you stuff. Not great, but not too bad either until I mentioned actually liking Lord of the Rings #1 during the movie portion of the discussion. Just my luck, The Two Towers was playing at Flood Street that night and he though we should go since I liked the first one. Keep in mind my first date philosophy. We had already met the first date requirements and this activity would put us over the top of the 2 ish hour window. Way over. Each one of those movies is like 8 hours long . . . or maybe 3. Also, this was a Wed. night. I would not get home until after 11:00. I kindly told him that I didn't think it was a good idea since I had to work the next morning. Rather than just accept that and move on, he started to question how early I had to go to work and tell me that 11:00 wasn't too late to stay out. Hmmm, not the best impression. Eventually, I won and he took me home after mini golf. Over all, the date was okay and at that point, I wasn't creeped out by the guy. I just kind of felt like we didn't have much in common, and I wasn't really interested in a 2nd date.

You must be wondering what makes this such a great story. It was all post date activity that elevated this date onto the list.

Back at church on Sunday, I was sitting by myself at the end of the 1st row of folding chairs in the overflow section of the chapel. There were about 6 empty chairs to my left. Church was about to start when John walked in and saw me. He headed toward me to sit down. I started formulating in my mind how I would tell him he was a nice guy, but I didn't really think we should go out again. Wait . . . maybe I dodged that bullet. He sat down in seat #6, the farthest one from me. Church starts. We begin singing, and out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. I look over and John is now 1 seat closer to me. That's weird. We pray. The bishop starts in on the announcements, and John moves over another seat. Really? This is making you look way weirder than if you had just come in and sat down right next to me. Now you are creeping me out. This continued with him moving progressively closer until I got up and went to the bathroom. I think I hid out in there until classes started and then dodged him for the rest of church.

Looking back on it, he probably was just nervous and trying to talk himself into approaching me again, but at the time, I felt slightly stalked. So note to self, if you want to talk to someone, just do it. Don't sit down 6 chairs away and move progressively closer every few minutes. Creepy and stalkerish is not a good look on anyone.

Day 8 (only a little late): Short term goals for the month

2011-07-22T15:42:00.000-06:00

Who didn't guess that I wasn't going to be able to keep up the posting everyday? Not really a surprise to me. I was going to try to catch up, but have just decided to continue on from here.

Goals for the month:
1. Lose 5 lbs. Totally doable.
2. Get back on the minimum 3 day a week gym schedule to help with goal #1.
3. Start walking again in the morning. Also to help with goal #1.
4. Clean my house and closet.
5. Read the scriptures every day. I got out of the habit and need to get back. 1 week already down.
6. Buy paint for my living room wall and consider actually painting.
7. Finish this 30 day blog challenge even if it takes me a little longer than 30 days.

Day 7: A picture of someone/something that inspires you

2011-07-19T21:36:00.000-06:00

This seemed quite appropriate in light of Pioneer Day coming up this weekend. In the past, I was never really all that interested in the stories of the pioneers. I always thought it was kind of boring--lots of walking. However, in the past year or so, I have read a few books that have told some of the stories of the pioneers and have become so inspired by them. I now have a very difficult time listening to pioneer stories, songs or videos without becoming quite emotional.

In the Ensign this month, there is a talk that was given by Jeffrey R. Holland a few years ago when they were doing regional conferences. I remember listening to this broadcast and loved it at the time.

Here is my favorite part:

"What are we seeing in these examples of faithful pioneers? It is what we have seen down through the dispensations of time and certainly down through this dispensation. We are seeing what we saw when the Saints fled New York and Pennsylvania and Ohio and Missouri and then fled their beloved Nauvoo across an ice-bound river with the temple soon burning in the distance. It is what we saw when those same people buried their dead in large numbers at Winter Quarters, followed by leaving isolated graves, sometimes as tiny as a bread box, in Wyoming near Chimney Rock or at one of the many crossings of the Sweetwater River or in a snowbank at Martin’s Cove.

What we saw then and what we see now among the blessed Saints the world over is faith in God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith in the Prophet Joseph Smith, faith in the reality of this work and the truthfulness of its message. It was faith that took a boy into a grove of trees to pray, and it was faith that enabled him to get up off his knees, place himself in God’s hands for the Restoration of the gospel, and ultimately march toward his own martyrdom scarcely two dozen short years later.

Little wonder that faith always has been and always will be the first and abiding principle of the gospel and of our work. It is the heart of our conviction that the work not only should go forth but that it also can and will and must go forth.

I don’t know how else mothers and fathers could leave those babies in those makeshift graves on the plains and then, with one last look, weep their way forward toward Zion. I don’t know how else a woman like Belle Smith could set her children at the edge of a cliff and muscle her wagon down the perilous incline. I don’t know how else Samuel Claridge could sell all he owned and head off to build Zion in the desolate Muddy Mission. The fundamental driving force in these stories is faith—rock-ribbed, furnace-refined, event-filled, spiritually girded faith that this is the very Church and kingdom of God and that when you are called, you go."

I saw this picture in an online article at the Deseret News and really loved it.

I also quite enjoyed this blog post that was mentioned in the Deseret News.

Day 6: A hobby you have

2011-07-18T22:22:00.002-06:00

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, but one hobby I have is doing family history research. I love finding out personal details about my ancestors and connecting with people who have spent hours researching their ancestors as well. It is a wonderful feeling when you discover a person who has information that you have been searching for but never thought you would find. It is also beyond wonderful when someone sends you pictures of your ancestors like this.

Family History Blog Post

I feel such a connection to these people who have come before me that only increases as I find out more about them. I don't really know why I got started doing family history work, but I love it.

Day 5: A picture of somewhere you have been

2011-07-17T23:16:00.000-06:00

So once again, I cannot do exactly as the challenge says and limit myself to a picture of one place I have been. So I am adding one collage with pictures of places I have been.

1. View from my hotel room in San Franciso, CA on a road trip with Amy and Dallin.
2. Trip to Disneyland with Trudi and Shelbee.
3. Gettysburg, PA with Mom, Chris, Linz & Baby Ali.
4. Ensenada Mexico cruise with friends where I am wearing the infamous SexyBack shirt (see Day 4).
5. A stop on the Road to Hana in Maui on Hawaiian cruise with Amy, Shelby & Michelle.
6. Birthday trip to Encinitas, CA with Amy and Nicole.
7. Getty Museum near Malibu, CA on road trip with Amy and Dallin.
8. The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas with Neil.
9. The White House in Washington DC on a family trip to visit Chris and Linz.
10. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on a cruise with friends.
11. The Mauna Loa plantation in Hilo, Hawaii.
12. The floating market in Bangkok, Thailand with Amy, Tyler and Jamie.
13. The Laie Temple with Amy and Michelle before our cruise.
14. Catalina Island on our family cruise.
15. Visiting Corinne, Utah with Neil and Sara.
16. Riding elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand with Amy.

Day 4: List songs 15(ish) songs that represent your life's soundtrack

2011-07-16T18:40:00.001-06:00

Songs that inspire me:
1. "Crushed and Created" Caitlyn Smith--We are crushed and created, we are melted and made, we are broken and built in the very same way . . . What I thought would destroy me, leaves me stronger in it's wake. I'm not the me that I started with.

2. "We Carry On" Tim McGraw--We carry on when our lives come undone. We carry on because there is promise in the morning sun. We carry on as the dark surrenders to the dawn. We were born to overcome. We carry on!

3. "Feels Like Today" Rascal Flatts--I know something is coming. I don't know what it is but I know it's amazing.

4. "Settlin" Sugarland--I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything.

5. BYU Fight Song--Go Cougars!!

6. The Star Spangled Banner

Song about home and family:
7. "The Best Day" Taylor Swift--I have an excellent father. His strength is making me stronger. God smiles on my little brother(s) inside and out he is better than I am . . . You are the prettiest lady in the whole wide world . . . I love you for giving me your eyes for staying back and watching me shine. I had the best day with you today.

Fun Songs
8. "Milkshake" Kelis--No inspirational words here. It just reminds me of cruises with Amy and a mormon white boy dancing.

9. "SexyBack" Justin Timberlake--Another fun cruise/vacation song. Amy talked me into buying a song that says "I brought sexy back". I made the mistake of wearing it in Ensenada thinking they wouldn't be able to read it since it was in English. Not true! So this became Corinne's song.

Christmas Songs
10. "Shine On Us" Hilary Weeks--Lord let your light, light up your face, shine on us. That we may be saved. That we may have life. To find our way in the darkest night. Let your light shine on us.

11. Oh Come, All Ye Faithful--any version that still sounds like the traditional Christmas song

Primary Song
12. I Wonder When He Comes Again

Spiritual Songs
13. "I Will Rest In You" & "Small Enough" Mindy Gledhill--These are two of my favorite songs from her "The Sum of All Grace" cd. I couldn't pick just one.

14. If I Only Had Today (the entire cd but especially Faultless, Tender Behind the Mercy, When You Least Expect It & Take Me There) Hilary Weeks--The whole cd makes me cry. It is incredible.

Favorite song about Life
15. "This is our Life" Mary Beth Maziarz--This is our time. This is us making things to somehow leave behind. What will we leave behind to show that this is our life?

Day 3: A habit that you wish you didn't have

2011-07-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

I am horrible at taking care of my personal finances. I never balance my checkbook. Most of my bills are on autopay now because in the past I would usually pay my bills on the last possible date before they were late. In some cases, I didn't make it and I incurred some late charges that were absolutely unnecessary. This is still the case on the bills that I haven't switched over to autopay. I have to schedule it on my work calendar to remind me to pay my bills. I have never even tried to set a budget for myself and actually live by it. It would really help me I am sure, because I shop way too much and spend money that I don't need to. I just never want to do it.

Personally, I think this is a consequence of being an accountant. You would think that would make me better at managing my personal finances when in fact it is the exact opposite. I never want to do it when I go home because that is what I do all day long. I need to figure out how to change this very, very bad habit that I have developed.

Day 2: A picture of something that would be really, really difficult for you to live without

2011-07-14T13:29:00.001-06:00

So Day 2 challenge is to post a picture of something that you cannot live without. The first thing I thought of was the TV/DVR. Yeah, it is a sad, pathetic commentary on my life. I watch way too much TV. Half the time, I just turn it on for noise. After thinking about it for a while, I decided it isn't really something I cannot live without. It is just something that would be really really difficult for me to live without so I am choosing not to give it up. Sounds much better that way, right?

The good news is that it at least looks cute in my living room entertainment center.

Day 1: A Recent Picture of Me and 15 Random & Current Facts

2011-07-13T14:40:00.003-06:00

I needed something to blog about so I found this 30 day challenge to do. Not sure if I will actually finish it in 30 days, but Day 1 looks promising. I actually completed it on Day 1! Yay for me . . . and for you of course since now you have something to entertain you for a few seconds.

So this is a recent picture of me taken in San Diego

and here are the 15 random & current facts about yours truly. I chose to go with current, because there are so many random facts I could put down here.

1. I tried cooked beets for the first time two weeks ago. They were not nearly as weird as I thought they would be, but they are still purple/red. I don't know if I am cool with that.
2. I stopped drinking soda at the beginning of April. I have only cheated once or twice with really small sips, but there are days I could really use a DP.
3. I love teenage girl movies and will watch them all. They are just so happy and who can't use more happiness in life.
4. My latest "thing" is sundresses. I am wearing one today. I can't help it. If I see a cute one, I want it. I went through a skirt thing, a purse thing, a jewelry thing. I am always in a shoe thing. I just don't have room left in the closet for any more things.
5. Now that vacation is over, I am counting the days until football season starts. I am really having a hard time with this NFL lockout because it is threatening my enjoyment of the greatest time of year. They best be working their issues out pronto!
6. I am in the mood to redecorate something. I am trying to resist getting new furniture and have been for about a year because I don't need it. So I have to find something else to change at my house because it is about that time.
7. I cannot read one book at a time. I used to be able to read one book seriously and another one here and there for variety, but it has gotten really bad lately. I am currently in the middle of about 4 books: Gods and Generals, The Comstock Lode, I am Number 4 and whatever other book I pick up because I don't want to read one of those. I am having book commitment issues.
8. My gas tank is currently on empty because I hate getting gas. I need to get married just so someone else can pump gas at the gas station. Also, take out the trash. I think those are relationship requirements now. Interestingly, it makes me really uncomfortable to let the people at Fabulous Freddy's pump my gas.
9. I do NOT like pastels, yet there seem to be quite a few of them on this new background of mine.
10. My favorite pizza toppings are pineapple and olives. Random combination, but it totally works for me.
11. It really annoys me when people do not pull over for emergency vehicles.
12. It also really annoys me when people throw a huge fit until they get their way even when they knew ahead of time the policies and procedures. I am dealing with one of those today.
13. I love to sneak out of work a little early and go to a matinee by myself. It feels so empowering.
14. I would rather watch a movie in the theater with other people than on TV. I think it has something to do with the community experience. However, if given the choice of a movie or a TV show when I am at home, I will usually pick the TV show.
15. I have not been to Ross in a week and a half. I think this is a pretty big accomplishment considering the last time I was there was to return something and I didn't purchase a single thing.

Graduation Day

2011-06-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Ethan who came to Provo with his mom and dad to attend Corinne's graduation from BYU. We all thought it would be pretty cute to make Ethan put on my cap and that crazy neck thing that I think they call a hood that you have to wear when you get your master's degree. Trust me. It is weird and no one can figure out how to put it on. Everyone thought this was a great idea except Ethan. He wasn't so excited about me playing dress up with him. However, I got this super cute picture.

How time flies. Two weeks ago we attended Ethan's high school graduation where he got to dress up in his own cap and gown rather than mine. It was a really great graduation ceremony with probably the most entertaining graduation speaker I have ever heard. I am so proud of Ethan for all he accomplished in high school and know he will do great in college too.

And here he is actually graduating so you can experience it too.

Hawaiian Birthday Bash

2011-06-07T21:05:00.000-06:00

Once again, I am totally behind on posting and am just now getting to the pictures and videos of the 90th birthday party that we threw for Grandpa. It was a lot of fun. The decorations looked great and the food was good. The Hawaiian hula dancers were even better.

Here are pictures of the food and decorations for your viewing pleasure.

Me & Makayla. The flower in my hair is actually a flip flop clip-on flower.

Grandpa, Neil & Chad

The family group shot. It was wonderful to see everyone who lived close enough to make it to the party.

And since the dancing was one of the best parts, I took these short videos to remember the fun.

A lot of posts

2011-05-06T00:16:00.000-06:00

There are four, count them, four new posts following this one. Make sure you scroll all the way down and read them in order since it will make much more sense that way and I like things chronological.

Yes, I was a busy girl last night when I should have been in bed sleeping.

The Real Reason for our Trip

2011-05-06T00:13:00.000-06:00

So the trip was so fun. We had a great time shopping, site-seeing, just hanging out, getting our hair done, etc. But the real reason for the trip was so that I could meet this little cutie and Grandma could hold her again. It was totally worth it. Aly is so cute and I can't wait to see her again in a few weeks.

Really? Another person with a camera? I always have to look cute.

Look at that smile. Someone likes me.

The lighting isn't great on these ones because the blinds on the sliding glass door were open, but I love them. So here they are.

This is one of my favorites.

Aly's new toy journeyed all the way from Disneyland. Yes, this was purchased months before she was even born, but I was thinking ahead. I can't visit without bringing gifts.

Time to stop with the pictures. Too many! Seriously, I love this picture. It just cracks me up.

Friday's

2011-05-05T23:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is in fact a whole post dedicated to TGI Friday's. We became regulars at Friday's during our DC visit. Our first night in DC, we decided to go out to dinner since we hadn't gotten any groceries and also because we were on vacation and vacations are for eating out. Chris and Lindsay had coupons to Friday's that they had been given on their last trip and it was just down the street from their apartment, so we were off. My dinner was awesome. I got a dish that Chris recommended and wasn't disappointed. We even sprang for dessert and ate way too much. The food was great, but the best part of the night came with the check. Three more $10 off coupons to TGI Friday's. Since there isn't one in St. George, it was pretty obvious that Chris and Lindsay would be eating there a few more times.

Fast forward 24 hours. We had spent the day in DC viewing the cherry blossoms and hadn't bought groceries. Still nothing to eat for dinner. As we started talking about what we were going to do for dinner, we drove past Friday's. Hmm, $30 dollars off. Good food. No need to shop. Great story to tell about going to the same restaurant two nights in a row. DONE!

That's right, this picture was taken on our second trip to TGI Friday's. Of course we had to document the experience. The best part, guess who got more coupons. Unfortunately, a third night wasn't in the cards for us.

DC Trip

2011-05-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

Last year we went a little early to DC and all the trees were still bare in all their winter glory. This year when I knew I was going to go again, I decided to wait a few weeks so that I could view the cherry blossoms. I had heard from a lot of people that it was really beautiful, so I figured that would be a great time to go. I loved it. Trees everywhere were covered in so many white blossoms. It looked like snow. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. You almost have to be there to truly appreciate how wonderful it was.

Another thing that I have always wanted to do is to visit Gettysburg. When I realized that Gettysburg was within driving distance, I was really excited. It was an incredible experience. You really can feel the spirit there. I loved it. I could spend hours visiting battlefields and learning about history. I love to imagine the people's lives at the time and how the events that happened impacted them.

This is part of a mural inside the cyclorama theater depicting the view of the battle of Gettysburg. You stand in the center of the room up on a platform designed to look like the bluff over looking the battle. They have built walls and cannons on the side of the bluff that tie into the mural. It is really cool and creates an incredible feeling as you listen to the sounds of battle and the narration of the events.

Standing in front of a wall in the museum covered in the pictures of soldiers that fought at Gettysburg and in the Civil War.

Another cool thing in the museum is this window with the Gettysburg address that allows you to see the scenery outside.

Mom, Pres. Lincoln, and me. We are friends now.

Catching Up

2011-05-05T23:25:00.000-06:00

I was reminded today that it is time to update my blog. I thought a new background would be sufficient but someone wasn't going to let me get away with that. So, here goes. A lot of posts about what has been going on the last few months.

First off, here are a few really cute pictures that I took of Micah.

Mar. 2011

Hmm, is that a frown I see? You love Aunt Corinne. I buy you cute clothes. I think that deserves a smile. Then again, you are a boy. Maybe that isn't the way to your heart. I will keep working on it.

Apr. 2011

Check out this cute boy.

Warmer Weather

2011-04-13T14:21:00.000-06:00

I love it when spring time arrives and brings the promise of warmer weather. I have learned that we all need to take a few moments to look around and treasure the little signs of spring that we are blessed to see every day.

Like this tree in my front yard that sprouted new leaves within the last week.

And the pretty yellow flowers on my neighbor's lawn.

That the digital temperature display in my car reads 74 and not 44 like last week.

That this guy chose to lay out in my parking lot during his lunch break.

That is all!

Odds and Ends

2011-03-21T18:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a while, so there are a few things to catch up on. Clear your schedule. This might take a while.

A few weeks ago I had to give a lesson in primary about faith. That inevitably led to buying seeds to give to the kids in my class to plant. While at Lowe's buying their seeds, I was bit by the Spring planting bug. I bought a little herb planting set. I was so excited at first because it appeared fool proof and I was actually having some success in growing something. I decided to branch out into flowers and a tomato plant. Yeah, not looking too good for me these days.

Exhibit A

Before--Herb plant #1 at week one appears to be growing. Nothing yet on Herb plants #2-4
After--Herb plant #1 definitely not looking too hot. Herb plant #2 growing. Nothing yet on Herb plants #3-4. I don't think this is how it is supposed to work.

Exhibit B

Before--Flowers on day 1
After--Flowers one week later. How have I managed to kill half of my plants once again?

Exhibit C

So far there is no after. This is my tomato plant. Third time's a charm, right? Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Speaking of Primary...

Here is a funny quote by one of the Sunbeams when asked if he needed help from the teacher, "I can do it myself. I am FOUR!"

And another amusing quote that I see everyday on my way home from work on the sign of a store that sells pots. "We have more pot holes than I-15."
Moving on...

After the parade of homes, I am thinking about painting a wall in my living room. The whole room is just too big to paint all of it, but I want a change. I am not sure yet what color though. I picked up some paint samples at Lowe's on planting day but still haven't decided. Any thoughts?

I told you there would be lots of odds and ends and randomness today.

I am totally into March Madness this year. I have not traditionally been a big basketball fan, but this year BYU has an incredible team and a player that is so good. I started watching/listening to the games in late Dec. and have been following the team since. A few weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to buy a ticket to the MWC Tournament in Vegas and go down for a game. They didn't play their best game, but it was a lot of fun. Especially the New Mexico fan behind me with the pencil thin mustache who couldn't quite decide if he was cheering for BYU to win or not. We are now into the NCAA Tournament, and I am following it for probably the first time ever. I must say, it has been pretty entertaining since I actually have a team to cheer for. BYU just made it into the Sweet Sixteen. Hopefully they can win a few more games.

Throughout all of this, I have read some pretty funny signs by fans supporting our star player, Jimmer Fredette. My two favorites are "Fredette about it" and "We came, we saw, we Jimmered."

And last but not least . . .

I signed up to run a 5K this Sat. This is something I have thought about doing for a few years, but I never really thought I could or would since I really don't enjoy running. But I am excited. I have been getting up at 6 a few times a week to go walk/running with Amy to train. That's right, I am doing two things that I hate--getting up early and running. However, I feel so good after and have time in the morning to actually eat and read the scriptures before I go to work. This getting up early thing is amazing.

The End!

Special Day Take 2

2011-01-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hope you have the best birthday yet! Love you and miss you tons.

It's a Special Day

2011-01-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a wonderful birthday. A brother as great as you deserves it.

Cute Little Voice

2010-12-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

Linz--I took these videos for you while we were in California so you could see how cute Zayne and his little voice are. Here he is making different animals sounds and saying everyone's name (Ama, Papa, Uncle, Dada, Mama, Keyla). Toward the end of the week we finally got him to say Auntie. Hope you enjoy!

Total Randomness

2010-11-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't take any pictures over Thanksgiving weekend on my camera (I took them all on my mom's camera), this is not going to be a post celebrating the holiday fun. Rather, this will be a post of thhree totally random thoughts and happenings of yesterday. Enjoy!

Random Thing #1--Why is it that with over 2,000 songs on my ipod, it chooses to regularly play two of my least favorite songs? I have a playlist that functions as my alarm. The ipod is supposed to randomly shuffle ALL of the songs on my playlist, but I find it frequently replaying the ones I don't like. Or maybe I just remember those ones better. What about all the good songs? Why not play those every morning? Nope! Instead, I once again had to listen to "Inside You Heaven" by Carrie Underwood and "Rockin Robin" by the Jackson 5 while getting ready for work yesterday. Don't ask me why these are on my ipod. I have discovered I dislike both songs immensely, but apparently it is just too much work to remove them from either the playlist or the ipod. Instead, the ipod should just know that these are not favorites and stop playing them so much. Is that too much to ask?

Random Thing #2--In the winter, I can't stand to wear shoes without socks or at least nylons to keep my feet slightly warmer. I get so cold in my office if I don't. For quite a while, I have been intending to buy new knee highs to wear with my heels and dress pants since my last remaining pair was pretty trashed. Once again, apparently this was too much work. I know there have been many times I have thought about it while at the store and just decided to wait until next time. Well yesterday, this situation became urgent. Since it is so cold in St. George right now and I was wearing brown dress pants and don't have brown boots to wear with socks, I had to resort to heels and the knee highs. What to do?

The good news is that a few weeks ago I discovered an old package in one of my drawers while going through stuff to donate to the DI. Solution found! I opened the new package, slipped those babies on and was out the door. Soon after, I began to notice something suspicions. Those knee highs were quickly becoming anklets. They would not stay up at all. After a few times of messing with them, I realized that they appeared to be disintegrating. The band at the top had a sticky elastic substance on it that was at one time supposed to keep them up but was now just rubbing off on my hands whenever I touched it. These were not like any knee highs I had worn before. After further consideration, I realized these must be older than I originally thought. I will let you decide. Here is a picture of the package.

What year do you think there were made? Also, now that I think about it, where did these come from and how on earth did they end up in my dresser?

Random Thing #3--By lunch I had reached the end of my "nylon" rope and decided to go buy some new knee highs at K-mart. I bought a package of 3 pairs for a total of $3.20. Since I don't carry cash, I used my card. Yes, for $3.20, I did in fact use my card. The cashier at K-mart asked to see my ID and made me sign an actual receipt. Really? Are you serious? ID and an actual receipt? Who does that these days? If I spend less that $20 at Walmart, they don't even make me sign the little machine anymore. Same with Jimmy John's. I get that you are trying to be vigilant and watch for stolen cards and fake money and whatever else especially during this holiday season . But if I were to steal a card and go shopping with it, do you really think that I would go to K-mart to buy knee highs for the whopping sum of $3.20? I am pretty sure I could find other things to buy with a stolen card! Shopping is not a problem that I have.

The End.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2010-11-03T22:12:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures from Sydney's 1st birthday party that I took. We had a lot of fun. Sydney didn't so much want to eat the cake but she was sure having fun playing in it. I love the one of her hands in the cupcake. And here is a few more of the birthday party attendees. Also, that green turtle was a gift from yours truly!

And last but not least, my favorite picture of the bunch.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!

Thriller Night

2010-11-02T21:00:00.000-06:00

My annual Halloween celebration is never very exciting other than the trip to Thriller. Chad and Ethan went with me this year, and we had a great time. Ethan did find a new girlfriend while we were there too. We managed to get a quick picture of the four of us before she had to run off to dance in the opening number. She sure is a cutie!

I have been to Thriller too many times to count, and I always enjoy it. But it is really fun to go with someone who has never been before. I think Ethan really liked it.

Weekend in Provo

2010-11-02T20:53:00.000-06:00

It is a well documented fact that I LOVE BYU football. However, this year, my team is testing the depths of my devotion. I was really excited at the beginning of the season because I was determined to actually go to a game this year. It had been way too long since I had attended a football game in Provo. As an added bonus, the St. George branch of the family had agreed to go with me. Then the season started but the winning didn't. It was going to be a long trip if the team couldn't manage to beat San Diego, and I was pretty nervous that everyone would be mad we made they sat through the long car ride to watch my team lose. In the end, they didn't let me down. It was a close call, but they managed to pull off their 2nd win of the season. The game was really intense and we all had a lot of fun cheering for BYU (I think).

Not to worry though. It wasn't all football, all the time. We threw in a few additional activities to pass the time until the game started. We discovered the joy that is WinCo. I had heard rave reviews about this grocery store and finally got to experience their incredible bulk aisle.

We also took a drive up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance, and Aspen Grove to see the fall colors and have a picnic with our tasty sandwiches purchased at the WinCo.

Weekend in Provo = Success!!

The Work & The Glory

2010-10-28T17:18:00.000-06:00

It is official. I have finally finished the 9 volumes, all 5,266 pages, of The Work and The Glory series.

You might be wondering why this is such an accomplishment that I feel the need to blog about it. I will tell you and since I apparently can't tell a short story, it is going to take a few minutes.

I first began reading these books when I was a student at Pine View Middle School. For those of you that might not understand the significance of that statement, that was before 3 years of Pine View High School, 5 years of BYU, and 8+ years of working at Ence Homes. Wow, now I feel old! At the time, only the first 3 volumes had been released if I am remembering correctly. I waited patiently and eventually read volumes 4 and 5 as they were released. I never finished, but I give myself a pass on this one since they weren't all available at the time.

Jump forward about 6 or 7 years with me. I didn't remember too much about the books and decided I was going to read them one summer while I was home from college and working at Beasley Business Services. Awesomest job ever! I really only did payroll and whatever the boss gave me to do since I was a temporary, non-experienced accountant. The boss went out of town, and I took the books to work and read at my desk for about a week. This time I am pretty sure I made it past book 5 and most of the way through book 6, but I couldn't finish because I knew what was coming at the end of it. Hint: The title of book 6 is "Praise to the Man".

At this point my memory becomes hazy, but I am pretty sure that I started the series again post college during the early Ence days when the movies were coming out. The multiple readings begin to run together after some point. Once again, I hit the brick wall of book 6.

A few months ago, I watched the movies again and determined to read the series all the way through to the end without stopping this time. I had reservations about my staying power. I got through to book 6 and it took a while, but late one night, I eventually finished it. There might have been some crying involved. Once I passed book 6, it was like some sort of miracle happened, and I became fascinated with the story. Now that I think about it, it was probably just way more interesting since I hadn't already read it 3 times. Needless to say, I finally finished, and I am so happy that I did. I have always loved the early church history stories up until the death of Joseph Smith and even took a class at BYU, but I could never really get into the pioneer stuff. I thought it was the boring part where the pioneer children just walk, and walk, and walk, and walk and walk . . . and hunt chips for wood of course. But it wasn't. I am totally intrigued now with the planning and the events that had to take place to move all of those people across the country. I will have to do some studying on this.

The only question remains, what to read next?

The Nate Berkus Post

2010-10-21T12:35:00.000-06:00

Last Monday, I stayed home from work because I wasn't feeling well. What does one usually do when staying home from work? Watch hours and hours of daytime TV that working people never get to see otherwise. Bad news! I discovered the Nate Berkus Show which now records every day for my viewing pleasure.

FYI--I heart Nate Berkus. A few years ago I saw the picture in the upper right hand corner and fell in love. However, I was too cheap to spend what was required to get that exact look for my bedroom. The colors did serve as my inspiration for my current bedroom decor though. If I had unlimited funds, Nate Berkus would be decorating my home. I could definitely live in all of the pictures above. I love all of his stuff.

Yesterday's show was all about gray being "in" thing for 2010. They covered decorating with gray (which was surprisingly beautiful), wearing gray, going gray. Just so you know, I am so 2010 today wearing gray and white and an awesome silver & gray necklace.

Warning: Product Placement Ahead

2010-10-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk to my product placement blog entry.

While it might not look quite this good in the actual bowl in real life, this is my new favorite thing--Quaker Instant Oatmeal Hearty Medleys Apple Cranberry Almond. I know! Could they have made the name any longer? However long name = super tasty breakfast in about a minute. That's right. Pop this baby into the microwave for 60 seconds, and you are good to go.

How much do I love this stuff? I have gotten up early every day this week to actually eat breakfast BEFORE I leave for work, and I have been on time everyday. This is unheard of for me. Quaker must be doing something right because they are accomplishing miracles.

Bonus: While looking for a picture for my product placement blog, I discovered they also have a Quaker Instant Oatmeal Hearty Medleys Banana Walnut. Mmmm, I must try this one too.

Halloween 2009 Murder Mystery Dinner

2010-10-15T12:37:00.001-06:00

As I was giving my blog the Halloween makeover, I realized I never posted the pictures from the murder mystery dinner we did last Halloween. As many of you know, I am not in any way, shape, or form, a lover of Halloween. I usually put up a few decorations and go to Thriller at Tuacahn, but that is about the extent of my Halloween festivities. Last year, we decided that we wanted to actually do something Halloweeny and the best excuse to get people to dress up would be to host a murder mystery dinner. I have to say it was probably my favorite Halloween in recent years.

As you can see, we really went all out on the table decorations and the photo opportunities. This was supposed to be the last sailing of a cruise/pirate/treasure hunting ship. I am sure the skeleton in the life jacket and the anchor are making more sense now. I was the Senator's wife who loved her jewels as much or more than her husband. Our daughter, Marilyn, also attended the dinner. You can see our awesome family photo on the bottom, but what you can't see in the collage is that we are definitely an LDS family. In the actual full picture, there is a photo of Joseph Smith sitting next to me on the fireplace.

Also, I will not tell you how much I spent on the fake purple jewels, but they were my birthstone so I couldn't resist. Maybe those will have to make a repeat appearance this Halloween at church.

It really was a lot of fun. I totally recommend throwing a murder mystery dinner if you have never been to one before. I have a few that I am willing to share. Come to think of it, it might be time to do another one!

Adventures in Primary

2010-10-10T14:56:00.001-06:00

Forget saving the cheerleader to save the world. Someone needs to focus on saving the cheerleader's teacher. Two weeks ago, on my second Sunday in Primary, I started to feel a little better. I was starting to think I might be able to keep this class of mine under control. I didn't realize it was all because of one tiny little cheerleader who wasn't at church that day.

Today she came back, and lucky us, it was just in time for the Primary Program. I have always been quite entertained watching from the audience on Primary Program Day. The little kids always look so cute and are super entertaining. The view is much different from the front. Sure you've got the wigglers and the criers and the kids who want to make faces and wave at their parents. It's the hitters and opera singers you need to watch out for aka. "The Cheerleader".

That's right. She was kind of wiggly and noisy during the first 2/3rds of the program, but towards the end she had reached her limit. Not sure why she decided that she needed to start hitting and punching the little kid next to her, but that resulted in him running crying from the stand down to his parents. Shortly after, the cheerleader decided it was opera time. Not to worry! She didn't ruin the Primary songs, but she did prove a little distracting during that one poor child's talk. Luckily for me, she was sitting on the end near her grandmother who was the one in charge of her for the duration of the program. If she had been near me, I cannot imagine what further havoc would have resulted since I have absolutely no control over this girl. Overall though, I was quite impressed with how well the program went. I was envisioning so much worse if you can believe it.

Needless to say, when we got to sharing time, I was already a little frazzled. There I discovered that instead of the manageable class of six I have been drawing the past few weeks, I got nine. Yes, you did read that right. Nine! How to keep track of them all? Well, in an attempt to promote some order and reverence, I made the cheerleader sit on my lap. Big mistake! HUGE!!!! All I will say is that at some point thereafter, I started noticing a suspicious wet spot developing on my lap. I will let you draw your own conclusions.

The good news is they have gotten me an assistant teacher. I wasn't sure I wanted one, but after today, I can use all the help I can get. In the future, all children will be sitting on her lap not mine. Welcome to Primary my fellow teacher. Adventures await you!

Bonus: I was asked by the Class Clown today if I used to go to the "alone" ward. That's a new one.

Welcome to Primary. Prepare to self-medicate!

2010-09-19T15:19:00.003-06:00

Day 1: I begin to understand all the sympathetic looks I was getting when parents come up to me last week to introduce their little angels to me. I am also starting to think that prolonged exposure to my little CTR 5 class may have an effect on my desire to ever have children. Seriously, who knew kids could move that much or talk that fast? Certainly not me. They keep telling me that they will get me an assistant if I need help, but I am not sure I want someone else there to witness my total lack of control over this Primary situation I seem to find my self in.

Meet the future graduating class of 2023. That's right, they are pretty much all represented in my not so little class (supposedly there are 10 regular attendees. I only had to deal with 6 today. MAYDAY!)

The Cheerleader/Popular Girl--Honey, it's not nice to say other people are weird, especially in front of their daddies. I know you are a little hyper, but can you please sit on the chair and not crawl under it. No, you cannot sit with your back to the rest of the class at the desk. We are all sitting in a circle today so we can play a game. Yes, you are very cute and have pretty blonde hair and look so grown up in that outfit. No, we don't need to talk and be the center of attention all the time. Someone else can help teacher today too. And on, and on, and on. Go Team!

The Quiet Boy--You were so quiet I almost forgot you were there. So did everyone else in Primary. They kept asking if you were new. I think I could count on both hands the total number of words that you spoke today. In fact, when I asked if you could tell us about a time you told the truth you said "I don't really talk." That is a new one. Can you please teach it to the chatterbox sitting to my left who keeps going on about how his dad is going to let him watch Star Wars 3 after church and playing with his light saber and shooting people? I keep trying to tell him we don't talk about shooting people in church, but I don't think he can hear me over the sound of his own little voice. I wish he were more like you quiet boy.

The Class Clown--You are quite a little entertainer aren't you, but I am going to bet that singing the Primary songs in you normal voice will be much better than in the baby voice you keep using. Maybe if I move you to the other side of me, you will be a little less entertaining since you are sitting next to quiet boy. Ack! How do you even manage to entertain quiet boy and turn him into not-so quiet boy?

The Popular/Athletic Boy--Oh, you play soccer and you scored two goals. You play baseball too? Wow, you are going to be so popular in high school. I can already see you get along with pretty much everyone. I sit you next to the class clown, you start having imaginary sword fights. I sit you next to the chatterbox, you both start talking even faster. I even see you befriending quiet boy. However, I sense some animosity between you and Cheerleader. Don't worry. That won't last long. You two will be dating before you know it.

The Smart Girl/Valedictorian--Yes, honey. I know that everyone else is being irreverent. I am about to lose my mind, but thank you so much for sitting quietly with your arms folded. You and I understand each other very well (I was you after all), and I am sure you are going to be the one who wins most of the "reverent" bribes I will be using in the future.

Pool Party

2010-08-10T17:53:00.000-06:00

This is the sort of thing that happens when you get three mostly adult people in the pool with too much time and way too many blow up kid toys. Picture time!! As you can see, we were having way too much fun and that was before we started water jousting with the blow up ponies and jousting sticks. We were pretty civilized about it at first, but as the day went on, we starting aiming for the head of our opponent. The ponies were a little worse for the wear by the time we finished. But it sure was entertaining.

Cowboy Up

2010-06-30T15:45:00.000-06:00

So I got the delighful pleasure of spotting this baby on my way to lunch today. It was just too good not to share.

I am not really sure what statement the owner is trying to make with this one. However, I am going to take a guess and say it was something along the lines of "You can take the biker off the ranch..." Seriously, could there be two more opposite images than cowboy and biker?

What do you think he was trying to say?

Ken's Dating Tips - Video 1

2010-06-08T13:50:00.001-06:00

I saw these last night and thought they were pretty much hilarious. Oh Disney Pixar/Toy Story creators, how I heart you!

Ken's Dating Tips - Video 2

2010-06-08T13:49:00.000-06:00

Ken's Dating Tips - Video 3

2010-06-08T13:48:00.002-06:00

Hey, that one guy made a funny

2010-04-16T09:24:00.000-06:00

So have you ever watched the preview for a movie you never had any intentions of seeing and started considering actually going because of one really funny line? I have. I saw this preview the other night when I wasn't skipping commercials which is so not like me. But one part literally made me laugh out loud, in my house, all alone. I even rewound to watch again and have seen it many time since then. See if you can spot the line I am talking about and then check the comments to see if you got it right.

Seriously though, if you don't catch it, we might need to have a talk.

More DC--The Botanical Garden

2010-04-01T13:09:00.005-06:00

Another fun stop on our tour of DC was the botanical gardens. They were having their annual orchid show, and we spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of the flowers. Here are a few of my favorites that I took.

Don't worry. We also took a few with actual people in them. I hate to go visit somewhere new and return with a ton of pictures but none to prove that I was actually there.

Our modeling shot. Incredible, right?

And one of my favorites:

While we were taking pictures, a security guard walked by and asked if Linz and Ethan were brother and sister. He said he could see it through the eyes. And then for some reason, he figured they needed official badges. I love this picture becuase it is so them. Their expressions are perfect and make me laugh every time.

Arlington National Cemetary

2010-03-25T19:49:00.003-06:00

The first stop on our DC trip was Arlington National Cemetary. My mom's boss asked her to stop and put flowers on her father's grave, so we were able to drive up into the cemetary and really see how big and incredible it was. We also stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watched the changing of the guard. It was pretty amazing. These are just a few of the many, many pictures that we took.

Old Tree, New Tree

2010-02-28T11:27:00.006-07:00

When I first bought my house 5 years ago (yes it really has been that long), I didn't have backyard landscaping. So with the help of my great family, I bought 3 trees, mutiple plants, tons of rock and more grass that I ever thought I would have to mow. Good news is that although we are not professional landscapers, we did a pretty decent job and this year I finally got the patio installed and patio set up so I could enjoy my backyard. There was just one problem--an ugly blight on my hours of enjoyment. One of my trees never quite lived up to its potential and it had to be the one planted right in the middle of the yard. Over the years, I have not-so-affectionately referred to this tree as the stunted, hunchback one.

Exhibit A

She's a beauty, right? So from what I can tell, she started with so much potential but then the spindly trunk of this tree burnt to a crisp and wouldn't grow anything anymore. But the branches were still somewhat okay and kept sort of blooming creating the delight pictured above. It was staked once upon a time, but the stake was preventing the back half of the tree from ever growing anything, so I removed the stake. Yeah, that didn't really help. That is when the hunchback look began.

Anyway, the retarded tree was ruining my enjoyment of the new patio so she had to go. Behold, my new pride and joy. Bonus--It was on sale for $65 dollars. Hopefully I won't be able to kill this one.

Thanks to Dad and Ethan for digging the old one out and planting the much heavier new one in the rain.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T17:24:00.008-07:00

To all my Special Valentines:

My dear family, friends, and blog stalkers that I don't know

Here are few special valentines this year to show you how much you mean to me.

I think this guy went to the University of Utah.

A few Valentine's Day Words of Wisdom for the ages

And last but definitely not least, everyone can use a Valentine's Day sweater.

Wall Decal

2010-01-31T21:11:00.004-07:00

I have been toying with the idea of a wall decal in my house for a while and thought I would try one out. I had no idea how much work they were. Seriously, one hammer (for moving the wreath down), one pencil, one tape measure, one level and many tries later, here is the result.

I am not sure it is entirely straight because all of those are separate pieces (each word and letter=it's own special decal), but after more than an hour, I am decently satisfied and don't want to mess with it anymore. What do you think?

P.S. If you hate it, I don't want to know. After all that work, I might end up hating you ;)

Surprises

2010-01-14T21:01:00.005-07:00

So today I got the coolest surprise. Most people know that I am a huge fan of family history. I have a bunch of information online at ancestry.com about my ancestors, but this information is not available to the public. If anyone wants to see it, they have to send me an e-mail so that I can give them permission to view the info. Today I got a request from the granddaughter of my Grandpa's sister. She was really interested to see my family tree so she could share it with her grandma.

I am always willing to share, so I said yes. In return, as I said, I got the coolest surprise.

Wedding picture of my paternal great-grandparents Rudolph & Martha (couple on the left) and his brother Louis and an unknown woman.

Picture of the Lunow family at Great-great grandparents (Albert & Emelia) 50th wedding anniversary. Martha is the second from the left on the back row.

Picture of the Moenke family--3rd Great-grandparents (Wilhelm & Rosalie) with their children. Emelia (great-great grandmother) is the one on the right in back.

She sent a few others along with a few stories her grandmother has told her and has also offered to send me her grandmother's phone number and address if I am interested. Like I wouldn't be interested.

2009 in Pictures

2009-12-31T13:42:00.003-07:00

Here is my Pictorial Year in Review. 2009 has certainly been fine!

1. Dec. 31, 2008--Let the party begin

2. Jan. 1 2009--No, we are definitely not too old to be playing with fireworks, but we appear to have lost our celebratory hats somewhere between 2008 and 2009.

3. The beach in January--my definition of heaven

4. The birthday trip--one station wagon, two days of shopping, three birthday girls, four new pieces of luggage, and at least 5 new pairs of shoes (or something like that). We left California with a lot more clothes and a lot less money.

5. Murder Mystery Dinner #1--Happy birthday Corinne! Love, the murderer (bet you can't guess who).

6. New nephews are great!

7. Catalina here we come. Look out!

8. Well that just looks like a bunch of trouble. Good thing the family was along on the cruise to chaperone.

9. We sure look nice all dressed up for dinner. Luckily we didn't get flooded out or dad wouldn't have gotten to eat his daily serving of Chocolate Melting Cake. That would have been worse than the flood.

10. The Getty in LA was the first stop on our marathon road trip. One last hurrah before 2/3 of this group found lives. Dang them.

11. This has to be one of my favorite pictures ever and I had no idea the zoom was still on. Every now and then brilliance comes unexpectedly.

12. Never a dull memento! That pretty much sums up the whole trip.

13. Please refer to #12.

14. If only they had selected me to actually drive the spike in the reenactment. That is the only thing that would have made the whole visit better.

15. My first and probably last trip to visit Corinne, UT home to Utah's first and only "house of ill repute" according to this very big historic sign.

16. Dixie Rodeo Roundup. YEEHAW!

17. The bridal shower, the friends, and most importantly, the new patio. It was a momentous occasion.

18. New nieces are pretty fabulous too.

19. Murder Mystery Dinner #2--Happy Halloween and thanks for the excuse to dress up cuz you know I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

20. The mostly there family picture from Thanksgiving.

21. The girls at Thanksgiving. We were so happy to see Lindsay.

22. Wow, my hair sure looks great. I must have the best hairdresser EVER! Linz is looking pretty cute too.

23. The end of an era. But it was a good ending.

24. Congrats Neil!

25. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Hope 2010 is even better for all of us.

My Favorite People

2009-12-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite people from 2009

My Thanksgiving Wish

2009-12-01T15:49:00.004-07:00

My Thanksgiving wish this year was that the BYU-Utah game would be a classic and that BYU would win unlike last year. I guess I must be living right because my wish definitely came true.

This year's game ended great and has resulted in the following motivational poster. I always love these so I figured I should share.

Way to go Cougars (all except that Holy Max Hall Press Conference, Batman)!!

I Bleed Blue

2009-11-23T22:04:00.002-07:00

I love rivalry week. Go BYU!

And yes, that top left picture would be the famous Beck to Harline touchdown in 2006 and I just might still have this game saved on my DVR. Don't judge. I only watch it when I am really depressed and need cheering up.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm!

2009-11-23T21:15:00.009-07:00

I love when people use phrases like "udderly ridiculous" on the KSL comment boards. It makes me laugh. It's like a "moo point".

Also, I love going to Bajio and grabbing napkins with the Quizno's logo on them. No lie! This is a true story. A few weeks ago this actually happened to me. As I looked at the Bajio/Quizno napkins wondering how this situation came about, the following scene played out in my head.

Manager in Training Extraordinaire (MITE)--It looks like we are running low on the napkins. Can you grab some and do a refill?

Employee #1--No problem . . . Actually there does seem to be a problem. I can't find any napkins. But, I can run to the store and pick some up.

MITE--The napkins from the store are way too expensive. We get a much better deal when we buy in bulk from the supplier.

Employee #1--But we need napkins now. I can just take $5 dollars and get enough to last until the next shipment.

MITE--As the manager in training, it is my job to try to cut expenses. We can't waste money on store napkins. I have a better idea. Why don't you run next door to Quizno's and grab some?

Employee #1--Seriously?

MITE--Yes . . . but you better take this $5 dollars and buy something while you are there so you don't look so suspicious when you grab that stack of napkins.

Thanksgiving Can't Come Soon Enough

2009-11-18T09:32:00.002-07:00

I got this delightful surprise in a text message last night. Apparently this is his new favorite toy according to my sister. He is getting so big. I can't wait to see them next week. I am counting the days. Thanksgiving just needs to get here already.

Baby Love

2009-11-14T10:27:00.006-07:00

I had a great time on my trip with Mom to Logan to visit Neil, Sara, and Baby Sydney. She is just the cutest thing ever, and so tiny. But I might not have made the best impression. She wasn't too happy with me when I came up with the bright idea of playing photoshoot with the baby. We dressed her all up and used props and spent most of the time trying to get her to stop crying. In the end, it was pose the baby, get a picture or two, Sara calms the baby, rinse and repeat. However, we did get a few really cute pictures (if you follow Sara's blog, some of these are a repeat).

Here are some of my other favorite pictures.I don't like being naked in a basket Aunt Corinne. You are mean!

Mmmm! This blanket sure is tasty.Argh! I can still see you with my pirate eye.
Someone sure has Daddy wrapped around her finger.

Not very hard to do at all.
Sydney & Aunt Corinne

It was really hard to leave. I am glad I get to see them again in a week and a half for Thanksgiving and that they will soon be moving closer to St. George. I suspect I might be visting a little more often.

Patio Pictures

2009-10-24T20:35:00.001-06:00

Who would have thought I would be so in love with my new patio cover and furniture? Seriously, I am so happy with it and wonder why it took me so long to get everything put up. Today, I spent a few hours out in my backyard eating breakfast, drinking hot cider and reading a book. Heaven!

This past week, I also hosted a bridal shower for Amy outside. I put up lights and lanterns (as seen above) to create a little additional atmosphere. It was so much fun and everything turned out so good. I will judge it a smashing success.

Grrrrr!

2009-09-29T09:49:00.005-06:00

Some days I feel like this at work.

Other days I feel like this.

I will let you guess which kind of day it is.

That is all!

Queen of the Dixie Roundup

2009-09-22T22:29:00.004-06:00

So my big adventure last week was attending the 75th annual Dixie Roundup. I was so excited to finally have an excuse to take the tags off my cowboy hat after more than two years. Amy and I originally bought these to take on a cruise but we both forgot to pack them. I didn't realize how very few cowboy hat opportunities I would have once I missed that one. But the time finally came. I was a little apprehensive about the whole idea. When I first put it on, all of my curled hair was down. I was seriously sporting the Pageant Princess/Rodeo Queen hair under that hat until I pinned part of it up. In the end I was quite pleased with the result.

Seriously, I was probably more excited about the hat than the actual rodeo, but in the end, we had a lot of fun. They did a whole pre-show thing with the tank, helicopter and tons of American flags. Since I am not a regular rodeo participant, I am not sure if this is usual or in honor of the 75th year. It was still pretty neat. Also, I was fascinated by the huge 6 matching horses pulling a wagon. They stood 6ft 4 inches tall. It was incredible. Like I said, good times!

Things that made me happy this weekend!

2009-09-08T16:06:00.011-06:00

1. Sleeping

2. Visiting with Neil & Sara and the rest of the fam that still live here

3. Chilling with friends

4. Finally seeing Aida

5. Imagining this guy doing his thing in the background behind the actors

6. Making fun of this movie late one night

7. Reading this book

8. And in case you didn't hear-- #20 BYU upsets #3 Oklahoma

Logan Pictures

2009-09-03T21:43:00.009-06:00

On my recent trip to visit Neil and Sara in Logan, we went to Promontory Point to see the re-enactment of the driving of the Golden Spike. It was really quite interesting, and we had a good time. While there, I experimented with taking pictures on my camera. I wanted to create that old feeling in the photos, so I eventually switched to taking sepia pictures rather than color or black and white. I love this feature on my camera but haven't really had a chance to use it before. This was a perfect opportunity and I am pretty happy with how some of them turned out.

Here are a few of my favorites.

We also stopped in Corinne, Utah. Everyone always asks if I have been there, and now I can finally say yes. I have indeed driven down the one road in Corinne. I am also pretty excited about the fact that it was home to Utah's one and only house of ill repute.

I am so glad I got the chance to visit Neil and Sara. We had a great time just being together and trying to plan a bbq in the canyon and walk in the unpredictable weather. We weren't too successful at either one, but the result might have been even better.

Finally Joining Sara's Game of Tag

2009-08-26T11:36:00.010-06:00

What is your current obsession?

City by Sara Bareilles. I bought her cd on itunes because I loved one of the other songs. I "discovered" this one while driving up to Logan last week and have listened to it way too many times since then.

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love?

Adam Sandler movies

What are you wearing today?

Black pinstripe dress pants, black shirt with a white wrap thingy over the top with black and white earrings. Kind of working the black and white look today if you couldn't guess.

What's for dinner?

Chinese chicken salad? I so need to go grocery shopping and that is pretty much all I have left to make.

What's the last thing you bought?

Far and Away on dvd for $5.

What are you listening to right now?

Itunes Library DJ--current song playing Lady Antebellum "Love Don't Live Here"

What do you think of the person that tagged you?

She is definitely my favorite (and only) Sis-in-law ;)

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?

By the beach somewhere

What is one of your hobbies?

Shopping, BYU Football

What are 3 things that annoy you most?

People who say they can't do something who haven't really even tried yet.

Unresolved problems (I think this is why I am a good accountant. Must find that last $1).

A messy desk/office especially one that I didn't create.

What is your favorite color?

Green

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

Hmm, this is pretty much an impossible question for me to answer since I love to shop as I am sure everyone knows. However, one outfit I do wear a lot is a tan corduroy skirt, black button up shirt with black sling back, peep toe wedges.

What is your dream job?

Actually, right now I kind of wish I had the skills to be a photographer or I would love to work in a history museum.

Describe your personal style.

I am not sure how to answer this. I dress professional most often for work, but I will pretty much wear anything I think.

What are you going to do after this?

I am going to go home for lunch and meet the patio guy who is going to give me a quote for a patio so I can set up the table and chairs that I have owned for 3 years that is still in a box in my garage. Yay for progress!

What inspires you?

Beautiful music and scenery

What are you currently reading?

I just finished a book called Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz and totally enjoyed it. It was about this 15 year-old that gets recruited to be a spy after his uncle is murdered.

What delighted you most today?

Sleeping in an extra 10 minutes even though it made me a little late for work.

By what criteria do you judge a person?

Is it bad if I say by how much or how little they annoy me? Actually it is really based on how quickly I feel comfortable enough around them to really be myself.

If you could pick a talent, what would it be?

Dancing.

Best Vacation Ever?

I can't pick. They have all been great in their own way.

My Question: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I would have to go with over 60 not counting flip flops. I told you I like to shop

I don't really know if there is anyone left to tag, but if you haven't done this and are reading mine, please feel free to consider yourself tagged!

The rules: 1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.Tag eight others.

Dinner and A Movie

2009-08-12T10:40:00.000-06:00

Can life get any better? You be the judge.

1. Dinner--Corndogs. Your vegetable and meat all wrapped up into one handy treat on a stick. Such a balanced, healthy meal.
2. Drink--Diet Dr. Pepper. Also totally good for you since diet=healthy.
3. Dessert--a Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt ice cream cone. Balancing out the meal with my dairy and fruit. I was so sticking to my diet last night.
4. Movie--17 Again. Seriously, I love this movie. It makes me laugh. Also, let's be honest, I find Zac Efron kind of attractive. It must be the man bangs. Don't judge.

5. And last but not least--another beautiful 14 seconds of New Moon.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - Teaser Trailer

2009-08-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

The A's Game

2009-08-05T13:05:00.004-06:00

Also included in our road trip weekend of fun was a trip to an A's baseball game. To my knowledge, I have only been to one other MLB baseball game in my life. I was in 3rd grade when I got to go to a Dodger's game courtesy of my teacher for being such a good student (not like I am bragging or anything). Now I love going to football games, so I figured I was sure to have fun here too. Hmmm.

Well, in the beginning it was kind of boring, but once we hit the sixth inning and the A's really started to score, the game got a whole lot better. Luckily, they won. Games are not super exciting when your team loses. Especially to the Yankees (cuz as a huge baseball fan, I totally hate them! ;)

We did get to sit by some die-hard A's and Yankees' fans. That was half of the fun. They were quite vocal about which team they wanted to win. Kind of like me when I am cheering for BYU!

Anyway, we had a lot of fun.

Brown and Black--To Mix or Not to Mix?

2009-07-28T16:21:00.002-06:00

That really is the question. I have always been a strict, no mixing kind of girl, but Stacy and Clinton (TLC's What Not to Wear for the uneducated) swear that you can mix black and brown since they are both neutrals. I have had my doubts. I am usually a follower of their fashion rules and they have not really led me wrong in the past, but this really requires a leap of faith.

Well, today is a huge day for me. You got it, I mixed! I am currently wearing black pants (not stright black though. They are kind of woven with white but I am not sure how to explain it) with a white shirt with brown detailing, a brown, studded belt, and brown flats. I think it looks pretty cute, but I stood for quite a while evaluating the color combo before deciding to leave the house. I finally walked out since I couldn't afford to be any later to work, but I must admit that I had doubts. However, after consulting with my fashion advisor at work and my mother who stopped in, I think I have managed to pull off the correct mixture of brown and black. A small step for Corinne, a huge step for Corinne's fashion rules!

California Road Trip--The Getty Villa

2009-07-28T13:25:00.003-06:00

On the first day of our California road trip, Amy, Dallin and I went to the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. It is a museum featuring ancient Greek and Roman statues and art. It was pretty cool. It was really interesting to read about the culture and beliefs of these ancient civilizations. Also, you only had to pay for parking so it was a pretty sweet deal. If you look closely you can see us assuming the statue position as well as a perfect example of our favorite summer activity (hint: it involves a pool and floatie).

But what is a trip to the museum without a stop at the children's center. Let's be honest, we really are just 30-year-old kids, so it was perfect for us. We probably had more fun than the younger kids to tell the truth. So at the children's center, they provided vases and markers for us to create our own ancient art. Here is an example of our efforts.

Corinne's Ancient Art--Of course I was required to leave my mark showing we had been there to visit. Isn't this what the kids always do? My second work of art is dedicated to my father and his tireless efforts to find me a date ;) As you can see, I have no artistic abilities.

Amy's Ancient Art--A BYU bowl dedicated to yours truly and a garage door because someone has a "thing" for a garage door installer.

Dallin's Ancient Art--His of course had to be the most complex. I am going with art work dedicated to the Transformers who have been asked to save New York from the running of the bulls. Don't ask me how he came up with this.

Father of the Year Award

2009-07-02T12:53:00.003-06:00

So my dad can pretty much make or fix anything and everything. I have always known this, but sometimes, you get to experience it first hand.

Example #1: I have to mention the packing miracle. After building a pretty sturdy moving trailer, he was somehow able to get all of Lindsay and Chris's stuff packed into it. I am ashamed to say that for a moment I had doubts about whether he had that many skillz (yes, when you approach his level, it is always spelled with a "z"). It seemed impossible, but in the end, he pulled it off. On top of that, he managed to secure the tarp down just right so that they only experienced a slight tear after the long drive ensuring that they totally won the "Battle of the Tarps" with Chris's brother.

Example #2: I went over to my dad's work today to get him to hook my new car up to the computer so I could get the keyless entry code. After getting that all taken care of, I stood around in my super cute, extremely uncomfortable high heels (the things I suffer for fashion) pouring out all my woes upon his listening ear. I began to notice something was not quite right with the shoes. The inside sole was coming loose and slowly, stickily sliding down toward the toe of the shoe. Not good! Dad said it looked like it was about time to get a new pair of shoes. I don't really need this type of excuse for shoe shopping, so I should have been happy except for the fact that these are new shoes. It is only the second time I have worn them. I resigned myself to fighting this all day, but I forgot who I was with. Dad pulled up his little rolling stool for me to sit on so I wouldn't break my neck removing the shoe, covered the seat so my work clothes wouldn't get dirty, and proceeded to fix the shoe. I did not know that Ford specializes in high heel repair too. I don't think the other guys there knew either based on their expressions. But wow, my shoe is fixed. All in a day's work!

Like I said, serious skillz!

How Adorable!

2009-06-24T16:31:00.002-06:00

So I got this picture sent to me today on my phone. All I have to say is cutest nephew EVER!

Happy 16th Little Brother

2009-06-22T22:44:00.004-06:00

Hmmmm, I am pretty sure I can still call Ethan "Little Brother" even though he is totally taller than me now because I remember when he was still pretty little. He sure was a cute thing then. . . and now too.

We celebrated Ethan's 16th birthday last week. I can't believe it. Like I said, I still remember when he was a baby. He is such a great guy and so much fun to be around (not like a regular teenager at all). We are lucky to have him as part of our family. Hope you had a very happy birthday Ethan!

How was our cruise you ask?

2009-06-09T12:21:00.001-06:00

So I just got an e-mail from my travel agent asking how our cruise was.

It was…eventful. I think that is a good word for it. My family had a lot of fun, but I don’t know if you could say the same for the rest of the passengers and crew. On the second night of the cruise, a pipe in the pool on Deck 10 broke and flooded the dining room on Deck 8 and some of the rooms below. Luckily for us, we had the early dinner so we weren’t in the dining room when it happened unlike those at the late dinner. Another plus, our rooms were just up from those that flooded so that was good news for us. I guess major repairs were required since they shut the dining room and the pool down for the rest of the cruise and every time the elevator stopped on Deck 8, you could hear the saws and drills going. My mom and dad even saw them carrying on the new rolls of carpet to fix the ship.

All those who were supposed to have dinner in that particular dining room were served at the buffet for the remainder of the cruise which I thought worked out fine. We weren’t complaining but others were. To make matters worse, the second pool on the ship was also empty until the last day, so a lot of people were upset. But who would want to swim when it is overcast and like 50 degrees out? Seriously, so cold!

In the end, they gave everyone another $50 credit on top of the one we got for not going to Ensenada for the swine flu. If only we had known it was refundable. We spent many hours at the perfume counter looking for ways to spend our ship credit when would could have had the cash. Sigh! At least we smell good.

I have been on a lot of cruises, but certainly not one like this. Like I said, we had fun and enjoyed ourselves. WooHoo! The bonus for us is that we certainly now have a lot of memories about this particular cruise because what is a vacation without a little crazy involved.

Carnival Paradise Flood in the Elation Dining Room

2009-06-09T12:16:00.001-06:00

And another video!

Post-Vacation Blues

2009-06-03T09:36:00.005-06:00

So I have been wondering how soon is too soon to begin planning my next vacation. We had so much fun on our family vacation last week, but I am ready to go again. Vacation never lasts long enough.

Please feel free to follow the instructions below. I would be forever grateful!