The Adventures of Karen and Dave

Life in Photos

2011-08-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, old apartment!

Moved to a new place!

Karen's graduation

Memorial day

Family Reunion


Scottish festival

New dog!

Another reunion

Working in the garden

Dave's birthday

Hanging out

Landscaping

2011-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Moving into a home without a finished yard is both good and bad at once. First of all, you might think it's just a lot of work and hassle. It's just SO much less complicated when everything is already done for you. But then, there's also this excitement that you get from starting with a clean slate. Like opening a fresh notebook--so full of possibilities, with pages ready to be filled with your creative ideas.

So although I'm none too thrilled about looking outside and seeing rocks and dirt and more rocks, I also feel inspired. I gaze out the window and start thinking. "I could plant honeysuckle along the back fence." "That would be a great place for a big vegetable garden." "Someday, I'll put a nice shade tree in that spot." I look out there at that wasteland and see potential.

But for now, I know that there's not a lot that can be done. We've built a temporary fence around a small section of the yard, planted a little raised garden, and grown wildflowers in an area of the yard. Dave dug a firepit just for fun, although I'm scared to use it since we live right next to an open field. And we've done other work, like weeding, around the property. But it is still far from finished.

Dirt, rocks, weeds...yay!

We moved into a house with a huge yard. HUGE. Like, what the crap am I going to do with all of this space huge. It really is a bit overwhelming. One thing that has helped me decide a starting point, however, is the fact that I do NOT want to maintain an extensive lawn. I enjoy having a verdant grassy area, sure, but if we put in sod all over the property our work to care for it would never end. So I've decided that xeriscaping a good chunk of the property would be the wisest choice. I plan to xeriscape most of the front yard, using desert-friendly plants, rocks, and dirt over the area. In the backyard, I want an area with grass just outside the back door and porch area, but I only want it to extend to a certain point. Then, one of the most exciting ideas: an English country garden with gravel paths, beautiful flowers, benches, etc.

Kind of like this!

Right now, though, all I can really do is dream about it, and make it happen little by little. I've been told to take it one step at a time, and eventually it will be done. Like that poem by Shel Silverstein about eating the whale, you know? One bite at a time...

And this is one whale of a big yard!

end of one road, start of another

2011-01-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

I just began my final semester of school, in which I am taking two poetry classes. One is advanced poetry, where I'll be writing. The other is a literature class, so I'll be reading tons of poetry and occasionally writing about it.

I can't believe I've come this far. Yes, it took me a LONG time, much longer than it probably should have. But here I am! After years of balancing family, work, and school, I'm almost done with my education.

It's bizarre to consider that I won't be in school soon. I won't be a student. That may seem like no big thing, but that's how I've identified myself since i was like 6 years old, all the way until now. And soon, I will be entering a new part of my life.

So just what do I intend to do? A lot is still blurry. For an English graduate, it's not 100% clear what you'll do (at least not for me). I don't know for certain where I'll end up and just what I'll be doing, but that's my next step: to find a job where i can use my skills. We will see this spring what's out there.

I know it's taken me a long time to get here, and my journey didn't always have specific direction. Sometimes I wish I could have just KNOWN in the beginning that English was my path, so I could have rushed my way through it and I'd be long done by now. But you know what? It's okay. There are reasons, sometimes, to take the longer road. There are things to learn on the way, and I have learned a LOT.

"If I had known the real way it was,
I would have stopped all the looking around."

But that knowing depends
on the time spent looking!

-Rumi

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hope 2010 was great, and that 2011 will be amazing as well!

Update in Photos

2010-12-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Zoo (late summer)

Gingerbread houses (Thanksgiving break)

Put up the tree

Festival of Trees (early December)

Utah State Fair (September)

Thanksgiving Day, 2010

Beauty Picks of the Moment

2010-08-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Okay. I realize that I'm not what you'd call "glamorous" or anything--I'm just pretty normal, really. But I do (surprise!) like to look good. It's been a battle over the years when it comes to trying various beauty products and either liking or hating them (but so rarely loving them) and when something really, truly works, it's time to celebrate! Or, at least, it's time to give these products some serious recognition.

I go for a low-maintainace beauty routine. I spend my share of time in front of the bathroom mirror, for sure, but I'm not the kind of girl to primp and paint for an hour every morning. 20 or 30 minutes, and I want to be done and out the door. So I'm always looking for easy ways to improve my routine, and I think a lot of ladies out there feel the same.

So here are a few of the products I've tried and loved in the past few months. They definitely deserve a try if you're looking for something new (and easy!) to make your morning routine easier.

1.) Maybelline Gel Eyeliner. This stuff is SO amazing, and I'll tell you why: pencil liner just isn't heavy-duty enough to last, and liquid liner is not forgiving enough. When I try to use a pencil, it can be like I'm carving into my skin since I have to push so hard just to make it show up. Plus, it's usually faded in a few hours. Liquid liner is better, but it can have a mind of its own. And...have you ever tried to apply this stuff if your hand is even just SLIGHTLY shaky? It's everywhere! It's not very easy to get off, either, if you DO mess up.

Enter gel eyeliner--a happy medium between pencil and liquid. It's easy to control like a pencil, but bold like liquid liner. It's SO EASY to apply with the included brush, and it's difficult to mess it up, no matter how clumsy/shaky/clueless you might be with makeup (me!).

2.) Covergirl Outlast Lipstain. I hate lipstick. HATE! So much. I mean, it's gone after an hour or so, a casualty of drinking/eating/licking my lips/whatever. And it's sticky and gross and it comes off on everything. Lipstick and me, we just don't get along.

That's why I tried this stuff--lip STAIN. What is lipstain, you ask? Imagine a really expensive crayola marker that you use to color your lips, and you've basically got the idea. This stuff is easy to use, it looks natural, and you won't lick it off in ten minutes. It's certainly not perfect...it doesn't last all day or anything. But it's perfect for people who hate feeling a sticky layer on their lips and would prefer a very thin lip covering that won't come off on anything.

3.) Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream. How do you feel about frizzy hair? Not a fan? Thought so. Neither am I, but I've fought with it for, like, my whole life. I don't mean that my hair poofs into an afro, but when I want it straight, little hairs tend to rebel and curl in a most hideous way. No hairspray or flatiron can tame those menace strands.

Oh, leave-in conditioner--why have I shunned you for so long? If I'd realized that THIS would be the solution, I wouldn't have snubbed it over and over again! I wasted my time on sprays and shampoos that just couldn't cut it. But THIS stuff...it works!

When my hair is still damp, I just work a blob of this stuff in, then style as usual. No, it's not a match for 100% humidity, but on a normal day when my hair would start getting frizzy, this stuff helps a lot. My hair is sleeker and more manageable.

4.) Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo. If I had to pick one favorite beauty product, this would be it. Holy. Freaking. Crap.

Many hair experts tell you to wash your hair every other day. WTF? My hair is just GROSS on the second day. I've always been a "wash my hair everyday" kind of girl, even though it sucked more time from my day. I've tried dry shampoo before, but without much luck--its weird smell and high price forced me to step back.

But this stuff? AWESOME. You don't have to wash your hair in the shower on the second day. Just shake, spray, wait a minute, then brush it out. Oil? Gone. Odor? Gone. Guilt over buying expensive hair products? Gone (this stuff if cheap!). And as a plus, it adds body to your hair! Some days, I don't even need to style my hair after using this, just a quick brush and I'm good to go. It seriously saves me like 20 minutes on my routine. Love.

Playing Catch-up (in pictures)

2010-06-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial day. I made these decorations to stick in the grass by the graves of my grandparents.

Close-up of the decorations.

Memorial day.

Dave finished this puzzle on his own...except for the 3 pieces I helped with :)

The garden that I helped my mom plant.

This is too amusing...

Fish at Cabela's!

Cascade Springs!

Yay for Summer!

2010-06-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

The great outdoors! Good food! Family and friends! Hobbies!

And...free time!

I am in love with summer. We're having an awesome time, and the best is yet to come! We are excited to do some traveling and also explore some more local destinations that we've never been to before.

We've both been hard at work on our hobbies and spending some time outside (hopefully more, now that the weather's a bit nicer).

Here's what I've been working on:

I love, love, LOVE making jewelry! Ever since I got my stamping kit, I've been going crazy with different jewelry designs and styles. I'm hopefully going to sell some, but we'll see. If you are interested, I can hook you up ;)

But anyway, things are great! I'll let you know when something a little more interesting happens...or maybe I'll post some pictures to kinda catch up on here.

New stuff!

2010-05-23T20:24:00.001-07:00

Yay, new toys!

I am FINALLY getting my metal stamped jewelry kit! Hurray! I am way too excited about starting a new jewelry-making hobby :)

Life...

2010-05-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

...is great!

Summer vacation begins in less than two weeks. As soon as next Friday arrives, Dave and I will be free. FREE!!! Free to spend time together and start the summer fun!

We've been looking forward to this summer break, and I think we've both earned it. I've been schoolin' full time and workin' part time, and Dave's been busy as ever teaching. It was be awesome to have a break from things. We plan to take several trips, go on hikes and outdoor adventures, and work on projects that are important to us. For example, I really want to finish writing a novel by the end of the summer. It's going to be tough, but it's something I really, truly want to accomplish. I know that Dave really wants to hike to the top of several peaks in the area, and he's getting ready to take that on.

So there you have it.

Hi!

2010-05-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Just popping by my good old blog to say hello! One day I was just like, "oh yeah, I have a blog!" So I checked, and yeah, it's still here. Even after like a bazillion years.

I'll be back soon with more.

Winter Projects

2010-02-08T20:51:00.001-08:00

Fall and winter are my favorite seasons for getting creative and crafty! Besides the fun of making Christmas and Thanksgiving crafts, Dave and I also came up with some great ideas for decorating the apartment with cute and inexpensive homemade items.Take, for instance, this star and the pictures surrounding it:

No, this picture was not taken during an earthquake, and our apartment is not slanted :)

Anyway, we were checking out the local craft supply outlet (aka I was pretty much going nuts and buying a bunch of awesome supplies at said outlet) when I found a really huge, cool-looking barn star. It had been made to look rusted and worn, which was neat, but I wanted to paint it to match the kitchen...so that's what I did! As for the surrounding pictures, I cut them out of a calendar of antique crate labels and framed them with dollar store frames. Looks pretty kickin', huh?

Our next project was, oddly enough, inspired by two things: a blank wall space and the pattern on my purse.

After moving our bookshelf, we ended up with a pretty boring blank space on our wall. Instead of buying a painting to go on this wall, I decided that I wanted to decorate it with something Dave and I made. I actually had started to think about the pattern on my purse, and with that inspiration I came up with this:

(this picture was taken in the middle of the project)

Dave and I bought some picture frames on sale, and then went home and drew the design on with pencil. After that, we got painting and had a blast! We each took a canvas and painted over the pencil outline with either red, black or gray paint (to match our living room color scheme). It turned out great, but we are still working on some finishing touches (since we noticed some things were imperfect after putting the paintings on the wall). It was so fun to do that together! I'll post the finished product soon.

And...my latest obsession? These stamped-metal necklaces:

(from etsy.com)

I LOVE these pendants! Not only do I want to buy one, but I have this crazy notion that I could start MAKING my own! It looks like supplies for the project would be a little expensive at first, but I'm really excited at the thought of starting! Once I get going, I'll even make one for you if you want! ;)

That's it for today!

Holidays

2010-01-03T22:47:00.001-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been amazing. AMAZING!

How are we supposed to, like, stop spending all of our time together and do things like work and go to school again?

Then I have to remind myself that the reason we do those not-so-fun things is so we can have those amazing, awesome times. Ugh. It's hard, but we've got to stick with it.

I just need to think of summer. See, that's the BEST part about Dave's job--he gets a 3 month break from work! I don't know if school will be possible in the summer for me, so WHAM! There's more time we'll have together. We just have to endure a few hellish months to get to the awesomeness.

Anyway, here's a recap of what went down the last little while:

Christmas celebrations with our families
Snow...deadly, deadly snow
Dr. Who with my sisters
30 Rock, Haibane, Nutcracker and Fruits Basket marathons!
Played with dreidels
Saw Avatar and New Moon. At least Avatar was good...
Celebrated our 4th anniversary!
Worked on my writing
Video games!
New Year's eve parties
I caught a cold :(
Went out to eat waaaaay too much
Two new rats!
I passed my classes ;)
Visits with family
Relaxing drives
Shopping!
Fun in SLC

Yeah, so as you can see I'm going with a list instead of elaborating on all the wonderful events of life lately.

I hope everyone is doing fine, and may this new year be a great one! I know I've said "no resolutions!" this year, but in truth I have a few goals that I am bent on accomplishing. Good luck to those of you who have goals set for the new year...it's going to be sweet!

(Coming soon: creative projects update)

Stick Figure Guy

2009-12-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

This guy is a celebrity. I mean, he's everywhere you look, either showing you an example of what you should do or warning you of what NOT to do.

I've never met him, but I sure respect some of the crap he goes through just to keep us safe. Here are two examples of this guy's selfless actions:

Thank you Stick Figure Guy. You make the world a safer place for the rest of us.

At Last

2009-12-17T22:11:00.000-08:00

Finals are done. No more school until January! I'm pleased.

This semester has been difficult, but rewarding. I took a poetry class that was very valuable, and I feel like I have come a long way because of it. I took a Topics in Literature class that just blew me away, and I know that I will never forget the readings and experiences from that class. My early American lit class isn't one that I particularly cared for, but I won't complain. And Humanities was interesting...at least I got a much-needed break from English courses two times a week.

Dave is great! He is getting into the teaching groove and developing his style. He used to come home stressed out, which made both of us a little touchy. Plus, our differing schedules made for less time we got to spend together. But now he's enjoying his job a lot more and we are able to adjust our lives so we get to spend more precious time with each other.

We moved our home base this October so that Dave could be closer to work and to upgrade to a nicer place. We loved our little place, but it was time to move on. We now live in a beautiful apartment that is more than we could have ever asked for, with all the features that we always wanted to have but could never afford before. But don't get the wrong idea--we got a steal on this place. We love it here! Of course, weird neighbors always make the dream of owning a home more and more desirable.

One of our two pet rats, Smudge, passed away last month. We were really upset about this, and didn't think we'd get any more rats to keep our remaining rat, Cecil, company. But we caved, and have since added two baby rats to our family :) These guys (Vivi and Dash) are great pets and we have a lot of fun with them!

We bought a new car before we made our move. It's a Hyundai Accent, and Dave has loved driving it to work. He totally offered it to me to be nice, but I figured that he deserved the new car since he has a career now :) That leaves me with the old Cavalier, but she's still running strong (although those new tires did cost a bundle...sigh).

We are coming up on our 4th wedding anniversary this December. Exciting!

So things are great! Sorry for the lapse in posts--I just didn't have the time or the energy. I'm going to try to do a bit better.

Look out for another update that delves into our recent creative projects!

Staying Fit

2009-12-14T13:38:00.001-08:00

I feel as though I've put this question out there before, but here goes: how do you stay fit during the winter months?

If I go running outside rignt now, I'll die on the ice. We can't exactly put a treadmill in our apartment. I'd love to be able to run more than anything, but at this point it looks like our only option is an exercise bike (since they are somewhat quiet).

Thoughts?

(p.s. Update is coming up soon!)

Hello

2009-11-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

...how are you?

Local Stupidity: Home Cooking...Babies?

2009-09-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

I know what you're thinking: "OH MY GOSH! These people are cooking babies!"

Exactly.

I think a revision of this title is definitely called for.

Oh, wait...this IS the revised edition. Well, I hope no babies were harmed...

Joining Forces

2009-09-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

So I have this blog called Local Stupidity, and I love it so...but...I can't really expect to keep that going when I'm barely breathing life into this main blog anymore, so...

I'm not going to get rid of Local Stupidity, but I'm abandoning it for now. Instead, it will join forces with this main blog. I'm going to start posting my hilarious findings every once in a while right here for everyone to enjoy.

Edge

2009-08-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

We are right on the edge of something amazing.

You know how, in many marriages, the couple starts out with goals? And then there is usually one big goal that is what will make just about everything else in their life plans possible?

We are moving into a new stage of our lives.

We're still in transition. It's not like the hard times are over, but the end is in sight and we are pushing through to get there. In fact, this might turn out the be the hardest part of the journey. But we're so close, and we know we can do it!

We are really excited to be at this point in our lives together. So many dreams are going to be possible for us soon!

It's good to be alive.

Lack

2009-08-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

As in lack of ideas. Lack of inspiration. Lack of ability. And a general lack of interest.

Pretty much that is how I feel about this place. And the "this place" I mean is this blog.

I love to write, and I think that from time to time I come up with some pretty good stuff, but you wouldn't know that from reading this blog lately. I don't have a lot to say here. My life isn't exactly brimming with the exciting stories you'd read elsewhere. And although there is a lot I want to say, this is not the place to share it.

I've been neglectful of this place already, and with school starting in a week you can bet that things will only go downhill. Not sure what will happen.

So, to all two or three of my readers, just don't expect a lot.

But you never know. I might get some kind of inspiration 0ut of nowhere.

You'll know if I do.

See ya.

So...

2009-07-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

...would you ever consider living in this house?

(P.S.: Believe it or not, the inside is very cute. Well, mostly cute. It has, indeed, been remodeled. But you know how old houses have "quirks," like random rooms that are so bizarrely shaped you wouldn't know how to situate anything in there. And a creepy/possibly haunted storage room, under which an Indian graveyard may or may not be located. And a 1-inch gap between the back of the kitchen counter and the wall. And...oh, but really, it has character, doesn't it?)

Scottish Festival

2009-07-11T23:14:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the Scottish Festival in Payson. This is one of my favorite events in the state to attend and I am pretty excited about my Scottish heritage and all that crap (although, from what I hear, the Macdougall history isn't all rainbows and puppies...I guess we were kind of jerks...) and I get even MORE pumped when this little fest rolls around each year. I love the festival and luckily I was able to share the festivities with family and friends.

Some pics:

Oh, sweet bagpipes!

Dave trying the Ginger Beer that Clan MacDonald was selling. It's like ginger ale, really, just a lot more...ginger-y.

Me, mid-swig. I'm a big ginger fan so I loved this stuff!

Some of the Celtic dancers doing their thing. Most of these girls had their hair done up in these really tight curls that bounced around when they danced.

Sisters from Clan MacDougall! Woohoo!

King Dave. He looks kinda out of it, though.

Oooh boy, caber toss! Here is a series of pictures showing you the process of tossing the caber. Getting ready to lift...

Lifting the caber...

Getting it balanced...

Running forward, getting ready to throw...

And...after the toss.

This guy is preparing to do the sheaf toss. At first, we all thought the announcer called it the "sheep toss." Good thing it's not. Poor sheep...it would have been stabbed with a pitchfork and thrown over a 20-foot-high bar. haha. PETA would have been there in an instant.

We had a fun day, but we're tired! (I look emo but I was just concentrating too hard on taking the picture)

My parents were in town for this, so my whole family attended and had a great time!
Dave and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Celebrations

2009-07-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

This week has been very full of events.

We spent a lot of time with Dave's family this week. Dave's brother and sister-in-law were in town, and we had a great time seeing them for the first time in about a year. We all enjoyed Aiden's birthday party and ate a lot of ridiculously delicious food and played some seriously fun games (Apples to Apples, anyone?). Oh, and of course there was Little Shop of Horrors. Um, need I say more? :)

We didn't do a lot for the 4th of July, but it was good times. We had a little get-together with family and friends, and we watched some stuff and had fun eating and chatting. I didn't get to see any fireworks, and that was a let down...but I do have reassurance in knowing that in this state the use of fireworks is stretched out for nearly a whole month, and on the 24th I'll probably get to go see some. I don't know quite what it is, but it just feels wrong for me to miss fireworks on Independence day! Like...something's missing!

Today, Dave and I went on a hike and it felt great! We try to go hiking as much a possible, although I've been recovering from bronchitis for the last 2-3 weeks and so I'm just getting back into physical activities like that.

This evening, we had a wonderful time celebrating my friend's birthday. It was actually a joint party for her, her mom, and her grandma who all have birthdays close together in July. It was such a great evening and we're happy to have them as our friends!

Pictures? There aren't any, really, since my camera isn't working so well. But I may have a few things to post soon.

Arizona Trip: June 2009

2009-06-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Arizona to see my family last week. Like the last time we went, there were 5 of use crammed into a little Civic. Oh, the fun. Here are some pictures and descriptions of the trip.

~Day 1: Traveling~

Our first stop on the road. Ris and Jana try on stupid hats at the gas station.

Oh, it's Nedra's, everyone's favorite restaurant! I forgot if this was in Kanab or Panguitch.

We made the traditional stop at the Wal-Mart in Page. Ris and Jana found these crazy weird candy bars called Wazoo bars while we were in the store stretching our legs. They were perfect, since that is Jana's nick-name! As we sampled the odd bars, we all proclaimed them to be disgusting...but then I started craving them like crazy! I actually had to buy a bunch on the trip home. I'm so, so ashamed.

Is there anything classier than eating out of the back of a car in the Wal-mart parking lot?

We made it! Here we are, hanging out in my parents' kitchen.

~DAY 2: Shopping and Family Party~

Since my camera was being a pain, i don't have any photos from this day. BUT...I will use a thousand words to try to describe the joy. Or a hundred, whatever.

In the morning, we watched the movie "Howl's Moving Castle" together, since we read the book for our little book club. After we watched and finished discussing the book and the movie, we all (besides Dad, who had to work) went out to Trader Joe's near the mall. They don't have one of these fabulous establishments where I live, so it was quite a lot of fun. After the store, Jana and I spend a little time in the 2-story Forever 21 store. It was heavenly. Words cannot explain. TWO STORIES OF CLOTHES! Luckily, even though we found some cute stuff we were repulsed by the super-long lines and just went home. We needed to get there for the family party anyway.

Our cousins and aunt came over for food and swimming. We got to say hi to some family members that we hadn't seen in a while, and it was nice to chat a little and enjoy some great food and fun.

~DAY 3: Out of Africa Park and Tonto Bridge~

Today we drove an hour or so out of Phoenix to visit the Out of Africa wildlife park and Tonto park.

Because of the amount of people that needed to be transported, my parents rented a van to cruise in. It was cool, as far as vans go, and SO much more comfortable than the Civic.

Dave applies sunscreen.

This park is a place that keeps many types of wildlife. Many of these animals were rescued from unfortunate circumstances, or were not wanted at zoos. It's a really cool place where you can watch shows (the animals are untrained though--they have just learned to kind of accept the humans) and go on safaris through a huge savanna-like area.

On the tram inside the park.

Tiger splash! This was a show where tigers and humans kind of played games and jumped into the pool. Very fun!

A giraffe on the safari.

This camel, Humphrey, is kissing my dad!

There was also a bear show, where the bears got a turn in the water!

That bear in back was fascinated with the camera man.

After out of Africa, we made ate and then made our way to Tonto Park. It closed as 7, and we were cutting it close since the distance to there from the wildlife park was longer than expected. But even though we only spent a short time at Tonto, it was soooo worth the effort to go.

Tonto Natural Bridge. Without a doubt, this is one of the most enchantingly beautiful places I have ever seen.

That old guy in the hat was working at the park, supervising to make sure no one got hurt on the rocks. Lucky guy--it was such a beautiful place to be. He said, "I have the best office in the world."

Jana. Observe how her butt is covered in green. That's from algae/moss stuff that she got all over her when she slid down a rock.

It was a fun day. Some of us wound down by taking a swim in the pool before bed.

~DAY 4: Going Home~

Today was Father's Day. We were able to stick around long enough to wish Dad a happy day, then say goodbye to everyone. Then it was back on the road again.

Group shot of the awesome back seat people. We are exhausted from a fun trip!

We had a great time! It had been a while since we'd been on a trip like that, and it was a fun and much-needed vacation. Although I fear we are still recovering from the claustrophobic travel conditions...

Before 30

2009-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Someday, I'm going to turn 30.

I think most people consider this to be a major milestone in life, but it makes me a little bit nervous. I'm not saying that 30 is exactly old, since it's not at all. Really, that's not my point. I guess I'm saying that 30 is when I think of REALLY being grown up, being responsible, being mature. You're not in your carefree, partying 20s anymore. You're...30. It's not a bad thing at all. It's just different.

Anyway, I am going to turn 25 soon. That means 5 more years until the big three-oh.

I started to make a list of goals the other day, just for the heck of it. It just started as a list of a few things I wanted to accomplish in the very near future, like graduating with a Bachelors degree or going on a cross-country road trip (hopefully!). But the list kept expanding, and as it did I began to wonder when I shoiuld plan to have all of the goals on this list accomplished. The number 30 just popped into my head, and so that's what I decided on.

There are nearly 40 items on this list now. Some of them are silly, others personal, and a few quite serious and important. I don't know why exactly I started the list in the first place, but I keep thinking that making these goals will help me to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life, to try new things and hopefully expand my abilities. I'm not usually good at keeping goals, but I hope that with each one that I check off I'll feel more motivated to continue on to another, and another, and another.

Five years...that's a long time, and I hope these years are full of learning and adventure.

Things I Like

2009-06-03T15:23:00.001-07:00

Nail Polish. It's summer, and it's time to dig the flip-flops out of the back of the closet and show of your toes again! I love the warm weather, and lately I've found how fun it is to have colorful toe nails to show off! I'm not really into paintng my fingernails (they are too wide and don't look good with polish on them) but my toes look cute with a coat of sparkly, pretty polish. I've been messing with different colors to see what looks best. Nothing finishes an outfit quite like polished toe nails.

Samsung Netbook. These itty-bitty laptops, designed especially for portable web surfing, are one of my favorite things these days. I've decided that I want to get one to use for my writing and other things. Yes, the keyboards are smaller, but on this particular netbook the keyboard is nearly full-size, and should be a great portable companion for my writing, homework, notes, and internet stuff. I am still saving my money for one of these, but as far as laptops go they are instanely affordable.

Memorial Day

2009-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, the sisters (and Dave) got together and made the annual pilgrimage to Syracuse and Provo.

We went first to Syracuse and placed some flowers on my grandparents' grave. It already looked beautiful, surrounded by all kinds of flowers and a peacock feather. We put two forget-me-not plants by the gravestone, perfect flowers for the occasion. The city, although it is becoming more and more developed, is still so much like I remember it as a kid. The cemetery still has that field to one side of it like I always remembered. And the new houses that are being built haven't completely taken over the scenery or eliminated the small-town feel.

We did the traditional lunch at Subway and traveled to Provo, where we left more flowers for my other grandparents and uncle.

It doesn't matter how much time goes by...it still stings.

I don't normally think of Memorial Day as a sad day. I don't think it's supposed to be. But there are definitely some strong feelings there when you realize that memories are all you have left of a person.

* * *

Today, Dave, our friend Tyler, and I went on a hike in Lindon. I guess it was my first official hike of the year. I think I did pretty well, and my body feels great after all the climbing, walking, and near-death experiences. Well, not too many of those...but I did wonder once or twice if I'd fall off the edge of a cliff as I tripped or slid on rocks.

I want to go on hikes as often as possible. Dave and I both love nature walks and Dave especially enjoys hiking and pushing his body climbing and such. I'm still not in shape yet, but I'm working on that! I want to go hiking or swimming at least every week.

Things I Like

2009-05-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to write about anymore. Our lives here aren't overly exciting (despite what the blog title claims), and I'm not about to let loose my uninhibited random thoughts and feelings (heaven forbid!) as interesting as those might be. So to keep things interesting (for me at least) here's a new idea: Things I Like.

I am 99% certain that I have stolen this idea from someone else, but in the Blogging World there isn't much left that's original anyway. Every week or so, I'm going to list things I'm into lately and maybe talk about them. This could mean books, movies, products, food, music...you name it!
Here we go:

Retro Swimsuits. I really love these 50s-looking swimsuits! The halter straps and the neckline look so classy, and these swimsuits are sexy but at the same time cover your butt. I have been altering my swimsuit to looking like one of these suits...can't wait to wear it!

Sunflower Market Bread. This bread is fantastic. Not only does it taste amazing, but each slice only contains 50 calories! Most bread has close to 100 per slice. I don't feel guilty eating a while sandwhich when I use this delicious bread! Mmmmm!

Dove Energy Glow Lotion. This lotion works pretty well. If you use it, over time your skin will darken just a little to make it seem sun-kissed and more tan. I don't use a lot of it, but it has been easing the transition into summer by making my legs not so shockingly white. It's inexpensive, and I like the smell, too.

Bob Hairstyle. I have been scared to cut my hair really short for a while, but a few weeks ago I went ahead and did it. Ever since I have been wishing that I did it sooner! A bob haircut (like the example above) is cute, trendy, and pretty, but what I didn't realize is how EASY this style is to care for! I spend no more than 10-15 minutes a day on my hair now. Plus, my hair requires less shampoo and styling products. Yes, I admit that I sometimes wish for long, flowing locks, but I am really enjoying short hair right now!

Keane Concert 5.12.09

2009-05-14T20:50:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was a magnificent day. I got to see my favorite band live, singing to me only a few feet from where I stood. It was a beautiful thing.

The band was Keane (which surprisingly few people I know have actually heard of), and the night was amazing. My sisters and Dave came along (all of us like the band) and basked in the sweetness of their music as we partied into the night at Kingsbury Hall. Our seats were pretty near the back, but after the band came onstage we all rushed down to the front to get as close as possible. From where we were, we could see the lead singer (Tom Chaplin) really well, and he actually tended to hang out on our side of the stage the most (lucky us!).

My sisters. We're on our way to the show! Jana is enjoying a Dum Dum.

Heading for Kingsbury Hall. I'm getting my cell phone ready for the concert (I took some pictures with my phone, but most of them are crap).

Okay. So this is a video of part of the concert. I didn't take this--I found it on youtube. But it gives you an idea of what it was like to be there :)

After the concert, we were all full of energy but starving, so we stopped at IHOP. It was terrific. Dave thought it would be funny to pose for this picture. Ew!

More IHOP post-concert FUN!

So after the first opening act finished, we started to talk to this couple sitting behind us. They had actually been able to go to a meet-and-greet with the band, and had ended up with 2 signed pictures. I talked to them about the band for a few minutes, and they VERY kindly gave me one of the pictures! I was ridiculously excited--what nice people! I am a very, very lucky girl.

I love concerts! :)

Graduation

2009-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was a really big day: Dave is now officially a college grad! It was really exciting to attend both commencement ceremonies (one for the School of Education and another for the whole university). Here are some pictures from the day:

Me, Mom and Dad at the School of Education Commencement.

The big commencement. This is when the graduates were walking.

Dave and his parents.

Dave and his mom. She also graduated that day (from a different school), so they got to celebrate together!

Me, my sister Larissa, and Dave after the first ceremony.

Dave, looking slightly confused but still adorable.

Me chillin' after the commencements. Congrats, Dave!

Dave and me with mortarboards. I also graduated with an AS in English, but I didn't walk in the commencement--I am waiting for my BS. But Dave's mom let me borrow her hat for a few minutes :)

It was such a fantastic day and we want to thank everyone who came! We also want to thank everyone who helped Dave achieve the dream of getting his degree! We love you all.

CONGRATS, DAVE!

2009-04-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

We are very excited about Dave's upcoming graduation, but there is more great news!

Dave was offered a job across the lake teaching 5th grade at a brand new school!

YAY! We are so excited! He accepted the job this morning, and we are both just freaking out with how awesome it is! Thanks to everyone for your kind thoughts and words of encouragement to Dave! We both appreciate you all.

Park and Lake at Sunset

2009-04-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Dave and I went on an adventure to our favorite park and then on to the lake. The sun was just going down by the time we reached the water.

I know that a lot of people take sunset pictures and that they are really "overdone" as far as photography is concerned. But being there at the lake to experience this sunset was just amazing. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I hope you can at least get an idea of the beauty we were able to experience.

Duck pond at the park.

The sky and water were the same pink and blue colors. It felt like there were two skies.

Love of my life.

I hope that the spring weather sticks at last and Dave and I can get outside more often!

At the lake, Dave and I took a calm walk down by the water. Many people were out fishing, and one guy even offered us the fish he'd caught. Although I've been fishing before, I don't exactly know how to gut or fillet a fish, so we kindly refused. Nice of him to offer, though.

We walked out a little further and more and more people were fishing. As we reached a certain area, we heard music playing. After a few moments, we realized that one of the cars was playing really, really loud music, and the lyrics were really, really racist. I turned to Dave and was like, "Uh, wow. Are these people serious?" I was a little surprised that no one else around us seemed to care. Instead of getting closer to some anti-black rally or whatever, we headed off in the other direction.

Maybe I'm naive, but...I guess I thought that kind of racism was dead, that people were all generally accepting of others. It's the person that matters, right? Not the stereotype that is given to them by others. Race, class, gender, religion, education level, outward appearance...so many things will cause others to pass judgment that is not necessarily fair. People are meant to be unique. What if we were all exactly the same?

Enough of my emotional vomit. Well, at least the lake was really pretty :)

April 1st Ethics

2009-04-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

When I was a young, bright-eyed school girl (oh, about 2nd grade) a very memorable April Fool's Day event happened to me.

During school that day, my teacher told the class that we would be allowed to leave early. You can imagine the excitement that swept over the group of children. An unplanned early-out day? It was a miracle!

I held the excitement in me all day, and around the scheduled early departure time I started packing up my backback.

Then the teacher got the attention of the class and made the devastating announcement: "April Fools! You don't get to go home early. Let's get back to work."

So my question is this: is it okay to lie to a bunch of little kids (or anyone) just because April Fool's day is designated for pranks and jokes?

I'd say an actual PRANK takes a lot more thought than just lying to someone and saying "April Fools!" to make it okay.

I could get into the ethics and questions of lying to kids/people for various festive reasons (Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc.) but that's a whole other subject that I really haven't come to a conclusion about yet.

It just doesn't seem right to use a certain day of the year as an excuse to lie.

Or maybe I'm just bitter that I didn't get to go home early from school that fateful 2nd grade day.

Discuss.

News

2009-03-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of new stuff to share. I just thought I might as well update.

It is turning into spring, and that means more outdoor adventures! Dave and I walked around our favorite park for the first time in months, and it feels wonderful to step outside and not need a winter coat!

Dave is going to graduate in May, and we are both so excited! He's worked so hard to get his degree and I'm happy for him. I am still working my same old job and going to school, but I might be getting some freelance writing work on the side. Nothing that pays too well, but it would give me some experience and a bit of extra income.

Nothing else to say, really. We are having fun hanging out with each other, and also our family and friends when we have the chance. We are happy--what more can we say?

KEANE!

2009-02-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

I am going to see one of my favorite and most beloved bands live in May! Keane is coming to town, and Dave and my two sisters are coming to the show, too! I have wanted to see these guys live for years, and I was kinda afraid it would never happen. Total dream come true!

Just thought I'd share :)

Rednecks for a night

2009-02-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Dave called me at work and informed me that he had been given free tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy in SLC on Friday. My reaction was something like "...you mean that redneck guy? Um, okay." Hey, if nothing else it was a free date.

So we did just that--we turned it into a date. We went out to dinner and then drove up to SLC. The event was in an arena (kinda a big venue for a comedian, right?) and we forked over like $6 just to park, but hey, it was a free thing in the first place, right?

So we found our seats (pretty decent ones, actually) and we tried not to stand out as so different amidst the rednecks, cowboys, and hunters that mostly populated the arena. The opening act (for a stand-up comedian...?) was what could only be described as a country boy band. They were okay, I guess. Even though it wasn't our crowd, Dave and I were starting to enjoy things. When Foxworthy came out to wild applause and started telling jokes, though...it was hilarious! I didn't realize this guy was so funny. I don't think you have to be a redneck to appreciate his humor, although admittedly some of the humor was lost on us.

All in all, it was a great evening and we thought it was quite funny.

On My Mind

2009-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

*So Jessica Simpson gained a few pounds. Why does the media have to act as though the world is ending because her butt is bigger than it once was? I don't understand this obsession. It's like...you've got the magazines and news screaming that this is some kind of sick, awful injustice to humanity. I'm relieved that no one cares about me enough to take pictures of me for a magazine and spread the news that I'm a blimp each time I gain a pound or two.

*I have made it one more year without submitting to the Ugg fashion trend. So many times, I almost bought a pair of knock-offs but in the end I just couldn't do it. Now spring is almost here, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

*I love IKEA. Have I ever mentioned that before?

*I have been walking to school and work in the mornings, and I wonder why I have never thought to do this before. Getting the exercise makes the day go SO MUCH better, and I feel a lift in my mood and performance at school and on the job. Besides, the bus sucks in comparison, and walking gives me a chance to just listen to music and think.

*I am so tired of hearing the neighbors' dogs barking when they go outside to take a pee/crap. And I'm tired of the fact that sometimes the dogs aren't put on a leash, and their owners scream frantically as their pets run toward the road and won't heed the desperate, pleading calls. Seriously, your dog isn't listening to you, and if you don't want then to become a pancake, PLEASE leash them!

*I don't know if it is just people around here or everywhere, but I have noticed that etiquette is mostly non-existent these days. I went to a play at the school where Dave is student teaching, and the families in the audience had zero respect for the performers. Yes, it was a sixth grade play, but the audience could have paid attention. And stopped staring at their cell-phone screens. And taken out their headphones, NOT talked loudly, or yelled and giggled obnoxiously...and held in their gas. Good grief. It was like a zoo.

8 Things

2009-01-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

Jamie tagged me, so here we go:

8 TV shows I like to watch:
1. The Simpsons
2. What Not to Wear (too bad I haven't seen it in a loooong time)
3. Seinfeld
4. Red Dwarf
5. Jeopardy!
6. Dr. Who
7. The Office
8. M*A*S*H

8 things that happened yesterday:
1. Watched part of the inauguration.
2. Took the bus to work.
3. Played with the pet rats.
4. Wrote 2 papers for school.
5. Played "Mario Party" with Dave.
6. Ate dinner (sandwiches!)
7. Went to Savers (I love that place)
8. Had S'mores.

8 Favorite places to eat:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Mi Ranchito
3. Olive Garden
4. Old Spaghetti Factory
5. Kneaders
6. Los Hermanos
7. China Bowl
8. Subway

8 things I’m looking forward to:
1. Continuing my work-out routine and seeing results.
2. Spring!
3. Deciding on a career.
4. End of the semester...and it only just started :(
5. Dave starting his career.
6. Finishing my Bachelors degree.
7. Getting a dog.
8. Finally finishing a novel and publishing it!

I tag everyone who is reading this...let me know when you post it in your blog so I can read!

January

2009-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have updated Local Stupidity with a delightful post on local punctuation misuse. Yes, it could even happen in your happy little town.

So, it's January, and we all know what that means: resolutions. I hate New Year's Resolutions. I don't know why I do. I think the problem may be that I know that resolutions made at the start of the new year never work out--at least, not for me. So instead, I've made goals. Plain, simple goals. Yes, I have just changed the word for them, but that's what seems to work for me best. These goals just happened to come to my mind at the start of January, so you could conveniently call them resolutions if you wanted to.

1-Work out at least 2 times a week. This goal sounds small, I know, but it is entirely realistic. I can work out that much, and it's even better if I can manage more (which I may manage some weeks). Recently, with the cold setting in, my work-out amount has plummeted to something like "0 times per week," so this will be wonderful for my health. Slimming down wouldn't hurt a bit either, if you ask me.

2- Stay within a budget each month for personal spending. This won't seem like a problem for most of you, but it certainly is for me. You may be shocked to learn that I love clothes. With the joy I have for shopping, this is a mandatory goal if I ever want to save money ever again in my life.

3-Spend at least 15 minutes each day for recreational reading or writing. No matter the amount of school, homework or work I might have for the day, I am forcing myself to either read or write something for fun every day. This goal should keep me from going insane, with the added benefit of getting more reading and writing done that have nothing to do with school or work.

So here's to the new year! I hope it is great for everyone, and that you are able to meet all of your goals (or resolutions) for 2009.

Merry Christmas to All

2008-12-30T10:06:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas was fantastic! This is my favorite time of year because of all the time that I get to spend with family and friends. Dave and I were able to enjoy time with both of our families, and it was a great holiday indeed!

The tree

It just wouldn't be Christmas with my family unless something like this happened...

The stockings were hung by the...um, kitchen table with care.

Opening a present!

A gift from my sister to Dave.

My parents, opening a painting that I made for them.

Dave's new friend, Gus.

My little sister made matching scarves for me, my sister, and my mom. Here we are, posing with them on!

Hope you had a lovely Christmas this year!

On the 28th, Dave and I celebrated our anniversary. It has already been three years since we tied the knot, and there is no doubt that this year has been the best of our marriage yet! We have grown so much together and love one another so much.

To celebrate our big day, we went out to dinner at the Olive Garden. Italian food is kind of a tradition for us, since that is what we had to celebrate on our honeymoon (before we both got really sick with the flu--no relation). It was beyond the boundaries of scrumptious! After, we spent the evening in SLC.

Have a happy New Year!

On My Mind

2008-12-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Playlist Pick:

Allemande by Keane

~I am so ready for the semester to end. I say this every semester. Then school starts again, and I'm all excited to start over new. Then, about half way through, things start to drag...and the cycle starts over again. Oh, school...why must you tease me this way?

~On that same note, I'm glad I am finally taking another creative writing class next semester. And adolescent literature should be fun, too!

~I was fortunate enough to get a massage last weekend, and in the midst of it, it hit me: maybe I still DO want to do massage therapy. Maybe.

~I miss being able to WRITE whenever I want to. And no, school papers do not count.

~I take public transportation almost every day. Once in a while, I happen to see this particular bus driver who looks exactly like Santa Claus. Today I saw him again, and I attempted to take a discreet picture of him with my cell phone but the guy kept watching me and I couldn't do it. I don't want to end up on the naughty list!

~I like blog posts like this because they don't have to follow a specific topic, and my mind is wandering too much for a real post.

~Dry cleaners charge too much. Who can afford to pay $12 to wash a jacket on a regular basis? Not me.

~I'm going to work on a paper now.

The Festival of Trees

2008-12-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Dave and I went to the Festival of Trees. It is a huge event where people display trees that they have created and sell them to benefit the Primary Children's Medical Center. It is very magical to walk through a forest of themed trees and soak up the holiday spirit. I took pictures of some of my favorites:

A Noah's Ark tree that I thought was adorable!

I have a certain love for bugs (unless they are in my apartment).

This isn't actually one of my favorites, but I had to show this. You may not want to believe it, but this wasn't the only Twilight tree there. I'm being quite serious.

We ran into an old friend!

This was disturbing. They drew eyes on Marley with a pen, and Scrooge didn't actually have any eyes at all, just gaping holes. And they aren't looking at each other. Odd.

There was an area with various gingerbread houses. This was the best one--I can't even begin to guess how long this would take to construct!

Hands down the coolest tree there. It's made of glass, reminiscent of Chihuly's work.

A girly tree with shoes on it. It's like a dream come true!

A freakishly anorexic Santa dances with the lovely Mrs. Claus.

And...a Pez tree!

We were so glad we went, and we hope this will become a Christmas tradition for our family!

Thanksgiving (part 2)

2008-12-05T08:30:00.001-08:00

The situation in the back seat on the trip to AZ.

Stopping to eat in a parking lot in Page.

Hanging out with my family

Food can be beautiful!

Awww!

Dave bonds with Ralphy

Kitties! These guys are real lap cats these days.

Farewell, Arizona!

Thanksgiving (part 1)

2008-12-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, Dave and I were grateful for the opportunity to visit my parents in Arizona.

We debated about how many cars to take. My older sister, her husband, and my younger sister were all going to AZ, too, so we wanted to carpool. In the end we chose to take one car, since we wanted to save as much money on gas as possible. We crammed 5 people into a little Honda Civic, and we will not make the mistake of having so many people travel in one car again. I'm not going to say the drive was terrible, but...well, it wasn't a pretty sight, or a jumping-up-and-down happy experience. When there is no space for you to move your legs, you become a grumpy person, simple as that.

We arrived on Wednesday night around 8 or 9pm and hung out for a while before going to bed. Dave and I got to sleep on a mattress on the floor of the living room, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. The worst of it was that the cats tried to sleep on us.

On Thursday, some of us spent time in the kitchen cooking for the big Thanksgiving feast we would have later with my aunt and cousins (and 2nd cousins). I made a few fun things like cranberry sauce and sweet potato crunch. As it turns out, my extended family has become so large that my aunt held the Thanksgiving meal in a church cultural hall. Kind of strange, but it worked.

We arrived around 3pm and said hi to our relatives. We made some finishing touches on the food and then we were ready to eat. Oooh yeah, was it good! It was great to spend time with relatives and enjoy a great meal! Several of my cousins sat around a table afterward and worked on the "plan of attack" for Shop Til You Drop, a tradition in my family, although it is a crazy one. I had already flipped through the ads and knew what I was interested in (although there wasn't much I was really planning to buy...it was mostly about the "family bonding" aspect of the whole thing). I haven't really done this Black Friday thing, I mean, REALLY done it, in years, and the plan was to get up at 3am and be at Kohl's before 4am.

That night, we played games with my family and watched "Fiddler on the Roof" (I know, it's a real Thanksgiving classic, right?) as we munched on delectable leftovers and enjoyed each other's company. The three of us insane people who were going to go shopping in the morning tried to go to bed early.

At the crack of 3am my mom woke up my sister and me, and we were off on our shopping adventure. First we stopped at Kohl's, where my aunt was holding a place in line outside the door. As we entered the store, the shoppers were remarkably courteous and no one was trampled or shoved at all. We found what we needed and moved along to the next stop: Wal-Mart.

Now, we all know what Wal-Mart is like on any given Saturday, so just try to imagine the vision of horror that played out on Black Friday. It was like the flood gates opened and people completely lost their self control as they raged down the aisles. I felt like I was stranded on a tree limb amidst a flash flood as I stood guarding my mom's cart with my sister cringing by my side. Ah, commercialism. It's SUCH a wonderful thing...

Okay, a little overdramatic, perhaps. Anyway, we made a couple more stops before we were too exhausted to go on. I didn't buy much, really, but it was really fun to hang out with my mom, sister, and other relatives.

We arrived back home around 8am, just as the rest of the family was waking up. I collapsed onto the mattress and slept for a good 3 or 4 hours before I was ready to be a functional human again. Ship Til You Drop is not for the faint of heart, I assure you. (Honestly, it is only for the very insane)

We spent the day visiting relatives. That evening we went to see my cousin and his fiancee. Some of us stayed later and played games with them and roasted marshmallows in their fire pit, and it was a blast!

In the morning, Larissa and her husband went to visit family, and Jana, Dave and I went to Trader Joe's to shop. That night I made dinner (veggie soup) and we watched "King Kong" (I needed to watch it for my theory class) and played Phase 10.

We left in the morning. It was a tough ride home, but we made it! It was sad to leave my family in Arizona.

So, all in all, it was a wonderful holiday!

Sick

2008-11-21T07:44:00.001-08:00

We are both sick. Dave is mostly over it, but for me the illness is at its worst.

Dave is almost done with his field work for this semester, and I am just chugging along the best I can through the end of the semester. I don't know what it is, but I'm so burned out from school and I am dying for a break. Thank goodness for Thanksgiving next week! That will be great: we are visiting my family, and it will be a fun and (hopefully) relaxing time!

I have been getting quite excited for Christmas already. I know that the holiday has been hitting the stores earlier than ever this year, flooding them with Christmas tunes and decorations the moment Halloween left us. I can honestly tell you that this has made shopping extremely awkward for me for a few weeks, and a little aggravating. I mean, it isn't about the holiday spirit at all--it is about pushing consumerism up as early and as much as possible, getting customers to think about buying more, earlier. I hate that. I love Christmas shopping, but I don't like to be shoved into the holiday season a month early. I am starting to feel hints of the Christmas spirit now, but I am not going Christmas shopping yet, and the tree is staying in its box until after Thanksgiving.

We are probably going to have a simple Christmas this year. Last Christmas, we splurged a lot more than we should have, and even though it was great fun it is just not happening again this year. I don't really believe that spending a ton of money on gifts is really the way it should go anyway, but it feels good when you get something for someone that they really, genuinely appreciate, without a thought for what it costs.

You know, we shouldn't have to feel guilty for not being able to spend a lot of money on people during the holidays, but we do. When I think about the massive spending and stress and commotion it doesn't make any sense. Isn't that the exact opposite of what Christmas is supposed to represent? Most people just feel guilt about what they didn't do for people instead of joy for doing what little they were able to manage. I am as caught up in this as anyone...and these realizations are making me feel a little disappointed in what this holiday has become.

My birthday

2008-11-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

It was a rockin' party!

Great food and sweet presents!

The birthday girl (wearing a necklace that was a gift from Dave)

It was a wonderful birthday!
(yes I know, this post is like 3 weeks late)

A few thoughts

2008-11-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

*My grammar class is ruining me. When I am reading anything (particularly non-published works) I am constantly asking myself, "Is that correct?" I do it with my own writing as well. It bothers me. I don't have all of the grammar rules memorized yet, but I'll remember that I learned it at one point or another and I will just wonder about it.

*When I am pregnant, I do not want people to touch my belly. I don't know, is that rude? Personal bubble, you know?

*I am fed up with Twilight. It is okay of you like it. I am not judging you for it. I just can't stand hearing about it anymore. And if I hear the name "Edward" one more time....

*I am too addicted to shopping for clothes. I bought a bunch of new fall clothes, and therefore blew my spending budget for pretty much the rest of the year. I feel bad, but at the same time I am loving my new clothes.

*I really am not trying to be negative. I am quite happy with life right now, so don't get the wrong idea :)

*I think that I am starting to like those Ugg boots. Sort of. A little. But I could never wear boots over my pants like most people wear them.

*I think that I am also becoming fond of leggings (!) but certainly not the kind with stirrups. WHY?!

*I am soooo excited for Thanksgiving this year! We are driving to AZ to spend the holiday with my parents.

Okay, one of these days I'll make a legitimate post about something people care about. One of these days...

Update...

2008-11-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Local Stupidity has been updated (finally!).

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

I am not very good at keeping things up-to-date on this blog, but in all honesty there isn't much to say. We are working, going to school, etc. Who wants to hear about that? Nobody.

But Dave will be starting his student teaching next week, so that's exciting...

Anyway, I hope everyone has a sweet and spooky Halloween! I am sure we will post pictures of stuff/costumes soon, so...hold your horses (...where does that saying even come from?).

Fall Photoshoot

2008-10-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

(The water here was so clear...you could see everything on the bottom)

(WHAT a babe!)

(Apparently, we ended up at the park where the Heber Valley Railroad begins)

(Dave chucking a stick in the water. Looks like the Caber toss!)

(Your cliche railroad track photo)

(Dave climbed up a rock wall a bit and then proceeded to look cute as he posed for a photo)

(Dave actually had to help boost me up onto this boulder)

We took a little walk in the mountains and shot some pictures. It was a beautiful, warm day.

Rock Canyon

2008-10-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

(stupid poses are always a necessity of our photo shoots)

(The trees are changing color)

(juxtaposing the "natural" beer can with.... nature. Why must people litter?)

The Lake

2008-10-08T09:45:00.001-07:00

We visited the lake over the weekend, and had a delicious picnic on the shore. We noticed some guy out in the water near the reeds, and didn't think much of it until we heard a few gunshots. I realized then that it was duck hunting season. We didn't stay much longer... I didn't really feel like getting shot would be a good way to spend the weekend.

Just by the way

2008-10-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd just mention my love for thrift stores. They may be dirty and musty, but the challenge of searching through the junk at the thrift store for cute clothes is like a treasure hunt. Where else can you buy three adorable shirts and a pair of pants for less than $20? :)

Hair

2008-09-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

A few people have asked to see my new hair cut, so...here you go.

We live in a beautiful place!

2008-09-28T21:23:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Dave and I went to the mountains for a stroll and a short hike. After, we had a delicious lunch.

(A nice shot of Dave)

(A lady on the trail saw us taking pictures, and she offered to take one of us.)

(Here I am, devouring my sandwich. Nom, nom, nom!)

(Nature, in all its lovely delicateness)

(A nice view of Dave's behind as he makes his way up the hill)

(The trees were starting to change color!)

Questions on my mind

2008-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

When oh when will the ice cream trucks go back to their garages for the season and stop playing "Turkey in the Straw" over and over and OVER again every evening?

Is it possible to analyze a text too much? I don't think my lit theory teacher thinks so.

How much longer will it stay warm(-ish)? Is it sweater season now, or not? And...how much longer am I allowed to wear flip-flops?

When will I get to go back to Disneyland? I want to live in a childish fantasy and wait in line for magical rides for a week.

Do people still follow that "no white after labor day" rule? And...what does that apply to, exactly? Shoes? All clothes?

Why did Halloween merchandise show up on the seasonal aisle of the grocery store at the beginning of September? I swear it didn't used to be that way...

That does it for now.

What to say?

2008-09-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here is an update. Dave and I are sick. It's some kind of food poisoning, I assume. We have both been overwhelmed with reading for school, but of course we made plenty of time to play Super Mario Brothers 3 yesterday. It's not like we could really get up and do anything else, since we were all ready to vomit and all (which I did, by the way, later that night, since you want to know). But we totally beat World 6! We are awesome.

It might be nice...

2008-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

...if I updated at least one time a week.

So...happy Tuesday!

I go to classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they are my especially busy days. Dave is busy, well, EVERYday. We have been remembering quite quickly how hectic it is to be back in school and working. Wasn't summer so nice? *sigh*

And you know what? Advanced Literary Theory is, in reality, as difficult as the name makes it sound. Just by the way :)

Life and School

2008-08-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

Fall semester has begun. Life is interesting. Those sweet, warm summer days that we savored are almost completely behind us, and it's not easy to let go.

I tend to get nervous when fall comes. I don't know what it is exactly, but I'd guess it has to do with "back to school" anxiety. Even though I don't have to endure the sheer terror of middle- and high-school ever again, the worry still returns to me automatically each fall. That's not to say that college isn't hard, but it doesn't cause the same stress.

I'm moving up in school. Instead of taking silly classes like math and English 1010, I'm now getting into real English courses, or what one might call "upper division" classes. How about a class called Modern English Grammars? Or even one called Advanced Literary Theory? Well, both are on the menu for this sememster, and I think I'm going to have a lot on my plate.

Dave, on the other hand, will probably have a lot of fun this semester. He's getting into stuff that he is really going to use when he starts teaching. He's taking a class about PE, and another where he'll learn how to get hired as a teacher. I'm excited for him!

So that's our little "update" on life and school.

Also, I recently realized something about Dave and me. We always seem to get into stuff at least 2 years after it has already been popular. For instance, our game systems are all outdated compared to whatever is new these days (not that we play that many games, but still, I'm trying to make a point here). We finally gave in to the cell-phone obsession years after everyone else already had them, and we still don't have unlimited texts or anything like that. We don't have video iPods, or even iPods at all...just our little 1-gig mp3 players, which most would laugh at. And of course, there is our most recent past-time: watching "The Office." It was new 3 years ago, but we have only just started to watch it and discover it's sweet, sweet goodness. We finished the 2nd season last night...and we LOVE it! :) Hopefully we'll have enough time to watch more before the semester really gets into full swing and we have zero time to do anything like that.

That's it for today. Love you all!

Dave and Karen at Bridalveil Falls

2008-08-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

We went a little bit up the canyon yesterday to go for a walk and have a little picnic. This is one of our favorite spots. I know scenic pictures are a dime a dozen, so mostly here are some pictures of us hanging out at the falls and even climbing up them a little bit. The water was so cold, but actually quite refreshing. There were so many people there, too, wading in the water. It was so pretty up there, so no wonder so many people wanted to check it out.

In other news, I am now a college graduate. I've been working toward my Bachelors but since I had the credits for my Associates as of the end of Spring semester, I figured I might as well get it. So now I have an Associates degree. I guess that now I have something to show for all those years I've spent going to classes, huh?

Deer Creek

2008-08-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Dave and I really wanted to get away on a little "vacation." At this point, I suppose it was more of a need than a want. But where do you go for a change of scene when you can barely afford gas as it is?

We drove up the canyon a little ways and reached a lovely reservoir called Deer Creek. Mostly, this is a great place for water sports, and people with boats, and we most certainly do not have a boat or a jetski or anything. But we figured that it was the closest thing to "the beach" as we were going to get. We explored the area, looking for a good place to set up our blanket and get ready for a swim. Mostly, we found steep, rocky beaches. We tried another part of the reservoir and saw a wonderful little cove with a private dock donned with "no parking" signs, but this wasn't a very good spot to set up camp either. Eventually we found an actual beach, and although there was already a family hanging out there, Dave and I set up our stuff a little ways away from them and got ready to get in the water.

It felt cold at first, but not too intolerable to swim. Once we grew used to the temperature, we thought the water was perfect. We swam around the shore (wearing water moccasins to protect our feet) and followed the rocky edge to the little cove we had found earlier. The water was nice and warm here. We decided to climb onto the dock and lay in the sun for a while, staying until we'd almost entirely dried off. We swam back to the beach after that, passing a kind of reservoir "coast guard" boat with a policeman in it. He watched us but didn't say or do anything. Once we reached our blanket again, we walked back to our car to fetch our cooler so we could eat lunch. As we passed the cove from the land, we noticed that the policeman's ship was parked by the dock where we'd been lying in the sun. He had missed us "trespassing" on his private dock by a matter of minutes...I'm glad we left it when we did :)

We ate and then returned to the water with one of those blow-up rafts you're supposed to use in a swimming pool. We floated around for a while longer and then started to get tired, ready to head home.

The unfortunate side-effect of staying in the sun too long hit us after we got home: we had both managed to get pretty nasty sunburns despite our efforts to put on sunscreen. We had a great time anyway, and felt at least a little more ready to face another week after our mini vacation.

Threes

2008-08-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Local Stupidity has been updated.

Here is something I found on another blog and have decided to waste my time utterly filling out (hey, I'm at work, and bored!).

3 Joys:
1. My family and friends. This, of course, includes Dave :) And I really love hanging out with my sisters on movie night, and board games with family.
2. Our new apartment.
3. Going on walks with Dave, and talking about stuff together.

3 Fears
1. Death.
2. Complete darkness. Especially when out in nature, like the forest or desert at night.
3. Bugs!

3 Goals
1. Publish a novel. Then, publish more.
2. Have a family.
3. Get my Bachelors in English.

3 current obsessions
1. Shopping, and clothes in particular. But when ISN'T this an obsession of mine? Someone might be proud to know that I have sworn off buyng clothes for a while...and it's hard. I'm pretty terrible, but shopping makes me feel better...
2. Flip-flops. I don't think I've gone a day this whole summer NOT wearing them.
3. Dessert food. I'm especially into pies lately...and those 100 calorie cheesecake bars.

3 Random and surprising facts about myself
1.I just had two more cavities filled...and now there are so many fillings in my mouth that I have completely lost count. Yes, that means double digits. And what's the worst part? I take really good care of my teeth!
2. I always have to wash my feet before getting into bed.
3. The place where I work smells like sewage right now and I want to throw up.

Maybe I should

2008-08-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little tired and sluggish lately. It's hot out, and it's hot all day at work, and I just come home and want to crash on the couch or the computer and do NOTHING. It's too bad. It's summer, and I have more spare time than I usually do, but I end up wasting the little time I have vegging out.

So I'm making a promise to myself, and I figure that having it somewhere in writing will help me keep the promise. I am going to work on my writing projects EVERY DAY from now on, no matter how little it is. I have so many neglected writing projects, mostly due to lack of inspiration, but nothing helps to get you thinking about writing and brainstorming more than sitting down in front of the document and thinking about it. Like I said...it might not be a lot or writing each day, but anything is better than nothing!

I'm never going to reach my goals if I keep saying "someday I'll get it done..."

Picture Post

2008-07-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

Last week, we took a hike up to the falls in P.G. It was beautiful up there! Although I am sure that looking at pictures of scenery is exactly what you want to do with your time, I couldn't resist posting some of these nice shots.

It's Family Reunion time!

2008-07-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am not the biggest fan of the family reunion. It is nice to see some family members who you rarely get to talk to once a year at the good ol' reunion, but generally they are too much for me. At your typical reuinion, you're thrown into a world of vaguely familiar faces, truly bizarre pasta salads, and silly games that are supposed to promote "family unity."

I am a person who likes to stick with the basics when it comes to who I "hang out" with. I have my close friends and immediate family (with some extended family members here and there) with whom I regularly associate. For me, that is just fine. I don't have time for a large social network anyway. But at a family reunion, you are expected to just be friends with people who are supposedly your family (whether you remember ever seen them before or not). Of course it's just like regular society, meaning there are cliques and different age groups associating with one another, so naturally you aren't going to be best buds with EVERYONE there. But there is that family thing that implies that ALL of us at the reunion are supposed to like each other and be able to at least talk a little and get along. That doesn't really work for me, I guess. I carefully cultivate my few friendships and am quite loyal to my friends and family, but I don't like the idea of acting like I care about almost-strangers for one day a year, just to appease. NO, I'm not a jerk...I just don't like THIS conversation, which thirves at family reunions:

(this takes place after the "so how are you related to me?" conversation, if needed)

Relative 1: "So, what are you up to?"

Relative 2: "Oh, you know. School and work. You?"

Relative 1: "Oh, the same thing."

(awkward silence)

Relative 2: "So..."
Relative 1: "Nice day today, huh?"

Multiply this by, like, 20, and there is a family reunion for you.

Naw, it's not REALLY that bad. But we did have 2 reunions in one day, which makes it twice as bad, you know? I do love my family, though...I just can't deal with a huge group of relatives wanting to make small talk, only to do the same thing at the NEXT reunion...

ANYWAY, it was nice because my mom and dad came down from AZ for the day of festivities. My dad even wore his kilt to his side of the family's reunion, since we are part Scottish. We ate food and visited and then some of us hiked up a hill to a place where we used to play as kids. It was very hot out that day, and so after that little excursion most of us were ready to go home and change and relax before the 2nd reunion.

Reunion #2 was not as nice as the first. It was for a much more extended family, and I knew almost nobody there. At least the other had family there that I saw more often and knew better. We also arrived pretty late, and only the most bizarre of food choices remained for dinner. You woudln't believe the kinds of things my relatives on that side come up with! And yes, most of them really do involve Jell-O.

That night and the next day was spent playing games and visiting with my immediate family, since my parents were only able to stay for a couple of days. It was lovely, though, while it lasted.

Pop Quiz

2008-07-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

Would you rather:

a.) Wake up in the morning and find that your hair has shaped itself into a Mullet hairstyle that is permanent for an entire week (it also resists hats or other forms of covering it up), or

b.) Wake up to realize that your non-dominant hand is paralyzed and is unusable for an entire week?

Explain.

News

2008-07-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

I have fallen in love with this site: The Daily Plate. Tracking everything I eat has made me want to eat better, and at the same time it is a cause of stress that worries and/or motivates me.

I went to the Scottish Festival on Saturday. Regrettably, I didn't get to stay very long, but the time I did get to spend there was enjoyable. I want with my friend and her family. We looked around the booths and watched part of the Scottish games (such as the caber toss). Afterward we had a delicious and fattening breakfast at the good ol' IHOP. Mmmm, pancakes.

Picture Post

2008-07-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Freedom Festival. This was not the worst of the crowd, trust me.

Dave at the festival, imitating our forefathers (...er, mothers?).

Me at the Malt Shoppe, where we ate afterwards.

Our little squirrel friend. I think Dave named him Sam, but I could be wrong on that.

Scenery from our hike.

Weekend of Celebrating!

2008-07-08T12:31:00.001-07:00

Hey! Time for an update, or at least something more than a shameless promotion of my new favorite restaurant. I mean, come on!

Friday was the 4th of July. I had really wanted to go to a parade. Yes, you may be thinking that parades are stupid but I can't help it--I still enjoy them, and I really wanted to celebrate the 4th somehow. But I wasn't thinking when I stayed up late the night before. We slept in through most of the parade, but I really wanted to go out anyway so Dave and I went to this Freedom Festival thing they were doing.

Downtown was obscenely crowded and it felt like an armpit as we wound through various food and souvenir stands. We didn't actually buy anything, we just looked around and tried to enjoy the festive atmosphere. It was kind of fun but we decided after a short time that we were ready to go home for lunch.

That night, we went to watch fireworks in P.G. They were okay, but we kinda got there a few minutes late and ended up parking right behind a street light. D'oh. That night Dave went to hang out at a b-day party for a friend for a while, but I was too tired to go.

On Saturday, we did our shopping and errands for the week. The best part was my best friend's birthday party that night. We had an awesome time eating and hanging out with friends and family and watching presents get opened. We had such a good time! Oh boy, that food was sooo good, and there was so much of it!

Sunday, we went on a hike up the canyon a little ways. We stopped to eat at a park and fed some squirrels. You'd be surprised how many there are up there, and they watchyou while you eat and come over when they feel comfortable enough. They were adorable! I wonder if we were spoiling them by giving them food, but I guess they've become used to it, living in a park and all. Later we watched a movie at home and relaxed.

Hmm, turned out to be a pretty boring post. Sorry! :)

(Pictures to come soon)

I heart noodles

2008-07-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a really yummy restaurant, Noodles and Co. I have a love for noodles and this place has various kinds of noodle dishes, from Asian to Italian and more. You can pick what you want on it protein-wise (chicken, tofu, shrimp, etc.) and you pick how big you want the portions to be, etc. They are really good, you should try it out!

101 Things about Karen

2008-07-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've seen this on several blogs lately and have decided to do it myself.

101 Things About Me

1.) I've been wearing contacts since 8th grade, and I think that was a big turning point in my life. My glasses no longer took over my face, and I felt like a new person from then on.
2.) Soda tends to make me feel sick, but I still like to drink it... I try not to so much, though.
3.) I'm very scared of insects, but mostly the ones with a lot of legs.
4.) My favorite food is pizza, preferably with LOADS of veggies on it.
5.) I grew up listening to oldies, and The Beatles have been my favorite band since I was 12. I used to have posters of them all over my room and I collected any Beatles-related stuff I could find.
6.) In 5th grade through Jr. High, I was really into dolphins.
7.) Because of #6, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer or a marine biologist back then.
8.) I started writing when I was pretty young, like grade-school.
9.) I won a prize in a poetry contest when I was in 5th grade and was asked to read my poem in front of the entire school. Surprise! the poem was about a dolphin. I didn't get first place, though--these braniac twin sisters both did better than me. I was a little jealous, if you can't tell.
10.) My elbows used to be really, really dry when I was a kid.
11.) I used lick my nose all the time in kindergarten. Pretty sure I had some kind of OCD problem...I still do repetitive things sometimes, just not so weird as that.
12.) The Simpsons is probably my favorite show ever. When it was new, my family would watch it together. Later on, I'd stay up late enough to watch it during my school days, and then go to bed.
13.) I liked MASH a lot in high school...so much, that I'd tape it in the morning and watch it as soon as I got home from school.
14.) My first celebrity crush was Mario. Like, from the video game. But give me a break--I was in first grade!
15.) I have never broken a bone.
16.) I've never liked sports very much. I dreaded going to PE most of the time because I wasn't very good at sports.
17.) I was on the swim team and the diving team (does that count as a sport?).
18.) I love thrift stores (but not the dirty feeling you get after spending time in one).
19.) I have worn corrective lenses ever since I was a toddler.
20.) I can't go more than a couple hours without feeling hungry--my body is programmed to snack.
21.) I was born in Seattle, WA. Maybe that's why I love the rain!
22.) Living in the suburbs near Seattle, my best friends were two boys who my sister and I would play with in the forest. They weren't allowed to watch tv, and I always thought that was strange. 23.) I used to collect baseball cards.
24.) My friends and I used to play with Hot wheels cars at recess.
25.) I was a pretty pudgy kid starting around 3rd grade. I finally slimmed down when I became a teenager.
26.) One day, around age 7, I wanted to see how mad I could make my mom, so I took the huge American flag my parents had for Cub Scouts out of the corner and spread it out on the floor. I called my mom into the room and then proceeded to do cartwheels on the flag. Turns out my mom could get pretty mad!
27.) I have asthma.
28.) My favorite color is burgundy or dark red.
29.) I played with My Little Ponies and Barbies growing up--they were my favorite toys.
30.) I love shopping for clothes and could do it for hours and hours.
31.) I would rather be too hot than too cold.
32.) I love Monopoly.
33.) I do not like snow or snow sports. Sometimes it's nice to look at through a window...as long as I'm not in it.
34.) My first car was a 1988 Honda Accord named "Lugnut." That car had a real personality. I miss it sometimes!
35.) When I'm sad I go shopping as therapy.
36.) I love the ocean.
37.) I am afraid of the sound of a balloon popping.
38.) I met my husband at high school at a dance where we were both with different people.
39.) I used to take piano lessons, but I quit after 2 years because I hated it. You know, I don't really regret it, either.
40.) I was in the audience for "The Price is Right" shortly before Bob Barker retired.
41.) My big dream right now is to publish a book.
42.) I kind of want to be a famous author...but not all the time.
43.) I find organizing to be fun.
44.) I'm really shy around new people in large groups. I do have some social anxiety, so I probably come across as kind of anti-social sometimes, but I swear I'm not trying to be rude!
45.) My family has never had a dog--we've always owned cats and various small critters.
46.) As soon as we get a house, the first thing Dave and I are doing is getting a puppy :)
47.) I've been on the floor at a concert once...and it was indescribably a m a z i n g !
48.) I like to create home-made cards.
49.) I suck at most "domestic" arts, like sewing and cooking elaborate meals.
50.) I do love crafts, though!
51.) In July, I'll finally have my long-drawn-out AS in English!
52.) I didn't want to go to college but my parents insisted that I go right after high school. I'm so glad they did--more for the experiences than anything.
53.) I'm still best friends with my best friend from high school.
54.) I'm scared of children (more specifically, ones I don't know).
55.) I like some video games, like Final Fantasy and Zelda. This might make me a nerd...
56.) Mostly I like games you can play with your friends, though.
57.) My husband and I have played Mario Kart 64 together just about every day for the past 2 months...or more.
58.) I love to go for walks with Dave.
59.) I love to be right, but I don't always HAVE to be right.
60.) I may be the middle child, but I think I'm the most spoiled.
61.) I like cows.
62.) I like to mix cereals.
63.) I don't like to drink milk anymore.
64.) I like babies but don't really know anything about them. I've never changed a diaper.
65.) I once kept a garter snake as a pet...I loved that little guy! He'd weave between my fingers and stick his little tongue out. I was devastated to find him dead one day with no obvious reason. Since then, I decided never to keep a pet I found in the wild. I hate the idea of taking them out of their natural world and forcing them to live in a small space just because I want to look at them.
66.) I hate to eat food that is old. Like, 2 days is usually my limit for leftovers.
67.) I am drawn to old and abandoned buildings. I've explored a couple but have this unsafe desire to go inside more of them.
68.) I'm not the fastest learner because my mind gets so easily distracted. It wanders when I should be paying attention.
69.) I like pet rats.
70.) I love water and have a constant desire to play in every stream or river I see.
71.) Even though I look angry most of the time, I promise I'm not--that's just my neutral face.
72.) My feelings are easily hurt. I often take things people say the wrong way.
73.) I actually like some anime...but very little.
74.) I need to feel loved and accepted.
75.) I almost never eat meat products, but I don't really like to call myself "vegetarian." I guess I don't like the label. I am who I am, that's all.
76.) I am usually worrying about something.
77.) It freaks me out to put my face right under the shower head.
78.) I bite my nails when I'm nervous. When I start, Dave always turns to me and asks what's wrong.
79.) I also have an annoying habit of wiggling my leg when tense.
80.) I'm kind of scared of horses, but I still love them and think they are beautiful.
81.) I like the smell of bacon.
82.) I am afraid of messing up.
83.) I'm scared people are always judging me, even though I know that, realistically, people probably don't care.
84.) I rarely admit it, but sometimes, I can see the beauty in myself.
85.) "American Idol" annoys me.
86.) I am afraid of offending people or hurting their feelings.
87.) I wanted to grow up to be a princess or a mermaid.
88.) I think I am pretty accepting of people and their choices in life. I would hope they would be accepting of me, too.
89.) Laughter, to me, really is the best medicine. I love how Dave can lift my mood just by saying something funny or random.
90.) I'm an English Major, but the idea of that doesn't seem like ME. I guess I really hate labels...
91.) I have a pretty bad memory, but I tend to remember strange details that most people forget instead of the obvious things.
92.) It bothers me to have to sleep away from home. I just have too many things involved in getting ready for bed. I hate packing up my crap to take somewhere else, hoping I didn't forget anything. Sometimes I'd try to get out of sleepovers when I was younger because I just didn't want to deal with the hassle.
93.) I hate the idea of relying on medication. This makes having asthma even worse for me.
94.) I'm afraid to be a parent.
95.) I don't believe in the idea of a "soul-mate" necessarily, but I can't imagine finding anyone more perfect for me than Dave.
96.) I have been "in love" with several guys, but have had very few actual relationships.
97.) I automatically judge the intelligence of people based on how well they can use punctuation when they write, especially if they don't use ANY. And yes, I acknowledge that I myself and not perfect with it all the time.
98.) I am not a fan of mayonnaise. You put it on my sandwich, I'm not eating it. Simple as that.
99.) It is completely astounding to me that I found someone who was able to deal with my issues and want to MARRY me despite them.
100.) Although this list is overflowing with much negativity, I am a generally happy person and want to be optimistic most of the time.
101.) It has taken me over a week to finish compiling this list.

Local Stupidity

2008-06-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Local Stupidity has been updated :)

This just in...

2008-06-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dave left me a voicemail a minute ago and reported to me that the tenants who were planning to take our contract are still going to take it. It is too late for them to back out because they're already planning to get out of their current apartment. They are going to move in to our old place and live there for the last month of our lease.

I feel so bad!

That means they have to go through the utter hell of moving TWICE within ONE MONTH. They'll get incredibly cheap rent for that time, at least, but then they have to leave and find somewhere else because they can't pay what rent will be after the increase.

I feel SO bad!

I know we aren't exactly the cause of their plight, but if it weren't for us they wouldn't be in this situation.

How do you get rid of that kind of guilt? :(

Well, at least we now know that they're taking it and we don't have to freak out over selling the contract to someone else...

Crap, Crap, CRAP.

2008-06-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a little stessed and hopefully blogging about it will help me relax.

While cleaning out the old apartment this morning, a neighbor said 'hi' to me and while we were talking she casually mentioned the raise in rent.

"What?" I asked in horror. "They're raising the rent?!"

"Yeah, didn't they tell you?"

"No! They didn't tell us anything!"

Apparently, they are raising the rent by $50 starting this August. I had no idea! Freak-out mode commenced--no one had mentioned this to us, ever!

We have new tenants lined up to take on the last month of our contract, and then they'll sign on again for a year. But they are expecting to pay $50 less per month, so now we are a little worried. What if they choose not take over the lease? If they don't, we'll have less than a week to get it sorted out and find someone else. But the WORST part of all this is that the manager is on vacation, so we're totally stuck even if we DO find new tenants. They can't sign a lease because the manager isn't there and we can't contact them. Regardless, rent is due on the 1st. If we get hit with the rent for the old apartment because we could not get a hold of the manager to sign up new tenants, I will NOT be very happy.

Is there some sort of legal thing that would get us out of having to pay that rent, since we could not get a hold of the manager? If anyone knows, PLEASE tell me... :(

Moving Adventure

2008-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a crappy adventure. That is, the act of moving is crappy. Being MOVED IN to the new apartment is great.

I was going to proceed with a string of complaints about how much moving sucked this weekend, but then I read my SIL Jamie's blog and was updated on her awful moving experience and now I feel like I have no right to whine about things, since our move could have been much worse :) (hope things are going well now, Jamie!)

I really hate moving. I have been 100% stressed-out trying to get everything done. We had help loading up our 14' UHaul with our belongings, so we were very grateful for that. Everyone seemed pretty exhausted by the end. It was still awful at times, though... our sofa just didn't want to fit through the door, so we had to take it off and everything, carefully balancing the sofa up on the balcony railing as we tried to maneuver its massive upholstered self through the doorway. Everything else fit alright, though. i just watched all of the big furniture get moved and bit my lip and paced back and forth and wanted to curl up in a ball.

At this point, all of the big things are moved and now we just have some junk that is still on the floor at the old place. We'll have to clean it out once the stuff is gone. But as long as ANYTHING of ours is at the old place, I can't stop worrying about having to move it. I am hoping that cleaning the old place isn't too bad, but we'll probably have to devote several hours to the task.

More than anything this weekend, I learned that I own too many things. As I finished packing things the day of the move my stomach was a ball of stress. Item after item was shoved into a box or a bag or wherever they would fit, and all of those would have to fit in the UHaul and be unloaded and carried up stairs and a place would then have to be found for them in the new apartment. I swear there were like 10 garbage-size bags of clothes and shoes that were MINE. WHY do i need to own so many articles of clothing?

I have really decided to dedicate myself to SIMPLIFYING. I've said it before, but this time I'm absolutely serious. If there is not a place in our new apartment for something, and I'm not going to be needing it in the next six months, it is GONE! I feel so tied down.

So the new place is nice so far. We do live next door to a house with dogs, but they are fairly quiet. I had to take a cold shower because our gas was not yet hooked up, and THAT was shocking. But mostly things are fine. It's all falling into place.

Update

2008-06-18T11:47:00.001-07:00

Local Stupidity has an all-new, very stupid update for you to enjoy.

It's HOT!

2008-06-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'd forgotten just how hot it can get around these parts. Any moment that the the AC isn't on is a moment I'm in misery.

We had a lovely weekend, though. I went swimming for the first time this year. We sat out by the pool in the sun, and then jumped in the pool for a while. It was cold at first, but that's what you want, right? It felt incredible!

It was Father's Day on sunday so we went to see Dave's folks and have dinner. After that we went up in the hills for a little while and looked down over the valley with the breeze blowing and all the green trees and grass below us, and the sun hitting everything in glorious gold, and I felt so peaceful and at ease at that moment. It was one of the most tranquil moments I'd ever had. I held Dave close and we enjoyed the view together until it was time for us to go home.

I need more calm moments, I think, especially right now. It is instinct to begin flipping out at the prospect of moving, and even though there's really nothing to worry about I can't help but fret about moving day. I want it to be over, and just be living in the new place already. But it's going to be worth it, and Dave keeps telling me it's going to be okay, blah blah blah.

I'll post pics of the new place as soon as we've started moving in :)

Our Feathered Friends

2008-06-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last year, after spring had started, Dave and I noticed some activity going on in a hole in the roof overhang of our apartment. As it turns out, a family of birds had taken up residence there. A momma bird had laid (...lain?) her eggs in there, and soon they hatched into adorable little squeaking chicks!

This year, the momma bird (and I guess her mate, too) returned, and raised another little flock of babies in our roof. Here are some shots:

(Here is the hole. If you look at the large version of the picture, you can see the babies sticking their heads out!)

(Either the momma bird or the daddy, watching over the babies from afar)

(momma feeding the babies! It was kind of an awkward angle to get into the nest. Sometimes she'd just feed them like this and fly away instead of going all the way in.)

In case you were wondering: why, yes, baby birds squawking all day, every day, for nearly a month IS annoying. The older they grew, the louder noises they'd make. And each time the momma would bring more food, they'd start making all the noise they could. Lucky for us, they flew away about a week and a half ago, and things are once again quiet around here.

Don't get me wrong, though...we loved having them live in our roof. It's just that there comes a time when kids finally need to move out!

Where's my Electric Car?

2008-06-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we watched the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" for movie night. With gas prices the way they are, I think I became especially hysterical as I watched this movie. I mean, we HAD electric cars, and there were people who WANTED electric cars, but they went away anyway, crushed and destroyed, so no one got ANY! NO ELECTRIC CAR FOR YOU! HAHAHA!

Enough maniacal caps-lock screaming. I just think that Electric cars are such a good idea. I know they aren't perfect, but for most people such a car would suit their needs very well. And no oil changes, fewer parts to maintain, and no more gas! It is far cheaper to charge one of these puppies than it is to fill up a gas

tank...by, like, a TON. Just watch this movie and you'll see why I want one so much. Plus, check out the car on the left. Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?

ON ANOTHER NOTE: I went to my 5-year high school reunion last weekend. Let me tell you, it is beyond strange to think that I've been out of high school that long. Dave went with me as a guest, but it was fun for him because we went to the same school and he's only a year older then me, so he knew people there. It was okay. I don't know if I should feel old or not.

The moving day is coming soon. That is very exciting! I've been packing some things and getting ready by cleaning and getting rid of some of the things we don't need/can't fit in the new apartment.

Memorial Day

2008-05-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's a tradition on Memorial Day for my family to drive to various cemeteries and put flowers on the graves or our relatives. Okay, I guess it really isn't so unique a tradition since this is kind of what Memorial Day is for...

Anyway, we made the trek through the rain and visited graves and left flowers. It was a little bit emotional for me, but I was glad we did it. I felt...respectful, I guess.

Moving on

2008-05-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

We listed our apartment on craigslist this last Tuesday afternoon and were overwhelmed with the interest in it: we had at least 15 calls that evening alone, and several emails. I guess we weren't prepared for that, as my guess was we'd get one or two calls by the end of the day :)

Last night Dave and I went to sign our new contract. We are VERY excited about the new place--it is going to be perfect and we love it. We can't wait to move, but it will still be another month.

We showed our current apartment to two people so far, and the first people were very interested. We introduced them to the manager this morning, and I think they are for sure going to take the contract. Still, I worry. What if they change their minds and leave us high and dry...you never know, things come up and stuff happens. What if, what if, what if? I want it all to work out perfectly without any snags, but we'll see what fate has in store. Sure, moving is a risk and it's highly inconvenient, but where would we be if we never just went ahead and took a chance once in a while?

Don't get the wrong idea, though. I am completely stressed out about this and my anxiety has been much worse than usual. I have had a knot in my stomach the last three days straight and I might lose it if anything goes wrong. BUT... Dave and I feel that this is right, that we belong where we are going. And that's exciting!

So it looks like the move will take place in late June... should be enough time to get everything together, right?

What happened this weekend

2008-05-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I took Friday off work and Dave and I babysat our nephew that morning. He was so cute! I hung out with my sister that afternoon, and we had lunch and ran errands. We had movie night that evening after Dave came home.

This weekend, Dave and I decided to go for it and hike up to the Y on the mountain. Miraculously we made it, with me only almost dying a few times. I am out of shape and had to stop at regular intervals, but we made it to the bottom of the monstrous letter and looked down on the city and felt pretty accomplished. On the way down my shoes gave me blisters and we both ended up getting a little bit sunburned, but it was worth it!

We are looking forward to next weekend, which is Memorial Day. Yay, three-day weekend!

I hate when things are up in the air!

2008-05-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

We are trying our darndest to move.

We've been wanting to get out of our current apartment for months, hoping to get lucky enough to find one on a bus route that will take us to school/work. Plus, we are just so ready to move on to something else. We've been in our current place for nearly two years, and it has been very good to us. It's just that we both feel very strongly that we need to be somewhere else.

We finally found the perfect place. It is right where we need it to be, is an easy walk from a bus stop, and is a very nice and clean apartment. It is smaller than we have been accustomed to, but we never used that second bedroom of ours for anything but storage anyway. If we moved, it would force us to get rid of A LOT of our junk, but I consider that to be a perk.

We took a good look at the place and we like it a lot, but the landlady just went out of town and so we can't do anything about signing a contract. We just have to hope that when she returns, we are the first to contact her about our interest in the place.

But what's the worst part? It turns out we may have less time than we realized to work everything out. We may only have a couple of weeks total to sign the new contract, sell our current contract (know anyone who needs a great, cheap apartment?) and get ready to move and then actually MOVE everything. Oh yeah, I'm freaking out just a little.

If we just KNEW we had this new place for sure, I could do everything needed to get ready and we could sell our contract. But right now nothing is certain and I am just so worried!

Why would you do that?

2008-05-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Brought on by this story about a boy left alone in a car while his parents went shopping, I feel very annoyed at the fact that people do this sort of thing all the time and feel a rant coming on. Why would you do that? Why would you leave your precious child ALONE in a HOT CAR while you do your shopping? I'm not a parent, but it makes no sense to me that you would want to put your kid at risk of kidnapping, over-heating, dehydration, or even escaping from the car and getting lost.

I guess this story bothered me so much because I know it happens all the time, like it's no big deal at all. This weekend alone, I saw it happen twice. Once Dave and I walked past a car with kids sitting alone in it in the Smith's parking lot. Then, later on at Target, I saw a whole SUV full of young children without a parent. The worst part of this? THE CAR WAS RUNNING!

It doesn't seem right to me that people would do this to their kids. Just take your kids INSIDE THE STORE with you, or leave them AT HOME with someone watching them. Am I out of line?

Weekend Adventure

2008-05-05T20:30:00.001-07:00

We were really busy this weekend. We saw a lot of people and did a lot of things and had some fun, but we needed some time to ourselves, too. So we took to the hills and did some exploring.

We hiked a little ways up a canyon and had a picnic. There were loads of rock climbers and other people strolling along the trail and it was a perfect day. We both got a little bit sunburnt.

We still want to go camping but I'm scared. I REALLY don't like being cold, and I'm worried that at night it will get really chilly no matter how warm the day is. Guess what, I need to shut up and go anyway. Whine, whine, whine.

One Word

2008-05-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

I found this on Mike and Jamie's blog and had to try it:

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Dave
3. Your hair? Down
4. Your mother? Sweet
5. Your father? Genious
6. Your favorite thing? Love
7. Your dream last night? Money
8. Your favorite drink? O.J.
9. Your dream/goal? Happiness
10. The room you're in? Warehouse
11. Your ex? Over
12. Your fear? Death
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Elsewhere
14. Where were you last night? Home
15. What you're not? Brave
16. Muffins? Poppyseed
17. One of your wish list items? Movies
18. Where you grew up? Arizona
19. The last thing you did? Shipping
20. What are you wearing? Sweater
21. Your TV? Home
22. Your pets? Toads
23. Your computer? Nice
24. Your life? Crazy
25. Your mood? Glad
26. Missing someone? Husband!
27. Your car? White
28. Something you're not wearing? Ring :(
29. Favorite Store? Target
30. Your summer? Scorching
31. Like someone? Dave
32. Your favorite color? Red
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Worry
35. Who will/would re-post this? Huh?
37. Bath or shower? Both
38. Holiday? Christmas
39. Writing utensil? Pen
40. Vacation activity? Disneyland
41. Bedding preference? Warm
42. Pet peeve? Closed-mindedness
43. Cookies? Please!
44. Eggs? Scrambled
45. Favorite thing to do on a rainy day? Listen
46. Your biggest strength? Caring
47. Favorite thing about school? learning
48. Most awesome gift received? Original
49. Neighbors? Strangers
50. What do you collect? Clothes :)
51. Oldest kept item from childhood? Toys
52. Greatest indulgence? Dessert
53. Your house? Apartment :(
54. Fruits or vegetables? Fruit
55. Quiet or loud? Quiet

Fitness goals

2008-05-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are trying to make some goals so that we can get in shape. We are actually trying to (gasp!) put limits on our sugar intake and portion sizes. Plus, we've been jogging together 2 or 3 times a week. We should be able to keep that up all summer... I hope :)

Oh, and grades came in... we both did well. I passed math, at least, and as always Dave got terrific grades!

When is free ice cream disappointing?

2008-04-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

When you don't get any of it :(

It was free cone day at Ben and Jerry's, and so Dave and I drove down into the depths of BYU-area rush hour traffic (a.k.a. petty much what hell would be like) to get to the one and only Ben and Jerry's shop I know of in the valley. I could almost taste the sweetness of the iced-dairy dessert, but...it was not meant to be. The Ben and Jerry's was GONE.

Who closes a Ben and Jerry's? How sick is that?

And even better--in its place was a Sub Zero ice cream place. WHY? WHHHYYY?! (by the way, Sub Zero ice cream isn't even that good. So there.)

I was mad about the whole thing, so we went to Macy's and bought a pint of Cherry Garcia. Not free by any means, but delicious nonetheless.

What the heck, here's a post

2008-04-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

It is the beloved week of finals, and let me tell you, it's not a picnic. I'm all done, myself, but the memory of the week shall forever stay with me, haunting me. Well, no, it wasn't that bad. For creative writing, my "final" was to bring something ready to submit to a literary magazine/journal. So packed up a few of my poems, all pretty in an envelope and ready to go. My math final wasn't so nice. It was your typical math final, you know? There are so many things to remember from the beginning of the semester that there was NO WAY I was going to be able to recall everything. Plus, I don't have the greatest memory... Anyway, I finished the test, and I think I may have passed. I then proceeded directly to the bookstore, where I was grateful beyond words to hand in my crap-happy textbook for a fistful of cash. Nice. I guess we can go to dinner to celebrate the end of the semester without guilt!

Dave is still pushing along through his finals. He techincally gets the summer off from school, except for one math class. I might take a class, too, if funds permit.

What else? Oh -- we want to go camping soon. I haven't been since girls' camp in young women. We would probably just go for one night, though, so it wouldn't be the same. I can't say I've ever been a big fan of girls' camp. I mean, for the first day or maybe two it's fun, but then your hair is all greasy and there are no showers, and that is NOT okay. Everyone stinks and I'll tell you, you're in pretty close quarters with the other girls in your tent. So a camping trip where I can say "Okay, let's go home now" would be terrific.

So, any ideas?

2008-04-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

I went through a time about a year and a half ago where I lost a decent amount of weight by making some changes in my diet (Dave, too). It felt great to lose the weight, but recently I've hit a rut. I kind of stopped losing and just stayed within the same weight, give or take 4 pounds in either direction.

Recently I feel a lot less healthy. I've been staying on the higher end of what I usually weigh, and haven't been able to easily get rid of it. I'd like to lose 10-15 pounds at this point. My diet isn't the best...I have a love of sweets, and on top of that I have a job that is more sedentary than my last one. I fit 2 workouts a week into my schedule, and then do some walking to and from school. I eat 3 meals a day with a few snacks here and there. But you can bet that I have at LEAST one serving of candy/sugary junk food a day. I really feel deprived it I don't have any sweets at all, so...

My question is: what can I do to still get the satisfaction of sugary foods without being horrible to my body? How much can I safely allow myself in a day? And, how much do I need to be working out to lose weight? ANY tips you guys have would be great. Thanks!

In other news...

Dave and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to the play "The Miracle Worker." It was a very neat show, very well done. Lots of yelling and screaming, though :) Gave me a headache.

Simplifying?

2008-04-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

We re-arranged our front room last night on a whim, and it looks so much better now. In the process I realized something: I want to simplify things. I mean, we have so many things in our apartment that we don't use. I'd say that we could get rid of 75% of the crap in our spare room, and we'd never even miss it.

I'm thinking that over the next few weeks I'm going to try to get rid of as much as I can. We own too much, and what good is it going to do us? I'll tell you one thing, it'll be a pain when we move. Getting rid of clutter is hard, but it feels great when it's gone and you realize how much open space you really have.

Banquet and stuffed creatures

2008-04-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

We went to a banquet for Jana last night, since she was accepted into some scholarly society because she was on honor roll at the Y. I had never been to anything quite like that before. They had some people speaking (not very exciting, really) and a yummy dinner. The catering staff came out and served everyone the same meal, except for the three of us since we told them we were vegetarian. Everyone else had some kind of chicken, but we had curry over rice...and it was some of the best I'd ever had! I know Jana wasn't all that in to going in the first place but I think we all had a good old time. We even got brownies. Mmmm.

Afterword, Dave wanted to take me somewhere I'd never been before: the Bean Museum. I guess I'm the only one in the world who hasn't gone there before, but I don't know how much I was missing, since it's mostly a bunch of dead, stuffed animals just kind of hanging out. The ones in the basement were mostly just laying on their backs or in jars. At least the animals upstairs looked alive, you know? It was a lovely little date though, all morbidness aside.

My thumb is doing okay. Still hurts a bit, and wearing the bandages on it is so restrictive (ie, working and showering). Monday I'll take off the bandages and see how it's healing :)

I wish I hadn't done that...

2008-04-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I sliced my thumb open.

I was attempting to pry open a can of olives with one of our beloved can openers, and because it didn't open the whole lid after several tries (we only use the highest quality of hand-held can opening devices in OUR home!) I set to work trying to physically pull the lid off myself. Well, it started to come off, alright...very suddenly, which caused my thumb to slide right onto the blade-like side of the can lid.

I moved swiftly to the sink and put the cut under water. As I saw the amount of blood coursing out and the deepness of the cut, I admit it--I absolutely lost it. I don't quite know what it means to go "into shock," but I started shaking and crying and sure felt like I was. Dave ran in to save me, and it's a good thing, too! He helped me to get a paper towel to hold against it and put pressure on the cut. I sat on the couch shaking and flipping out for ten minutes, and then Dave helped me put bandaids on the afflicted thumb. It had stopped bleeding by then, but it was such a deep cut we decided that I'd better see a doctor about some stitches :(

I could not stop shaking to save my life the whole way to the clinic. I tell you, I have to wonder: if that's the way I react to a little (okay, not so little) cut in my thumb, how will I ever someday handle the joys of child birth? We got there and a nurse saw me almost immediately. As she took my blood pressure, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Are you under stress or something?" she asked.

"Uh, well, I did just slice my thumb open!" I held up my shaking hand.

"Oh! Because in the past your blood pressure was fine but now it's...not so good."

I had to laugh at that through the pain.

The doctor came in to have a look. He was a nice guy. Thankfully, he told us that the cut didn't seem quite deep enough to need stitches, and he would put 'steri-strips' on instead to help it heal without an ugly scar. He also found that I was over due for a tetanus shot--oh joy of joys. I was given the shot (not as bad as I expected, but I WAS a little distracted with the gash in my thumb) Then the doctor cleaned out the cut and put the tape on, and then wrapped it up.

On the way home Dave treated me to a banana split (a well deserved one, I must add) and we went home and actually eat the dinner I had nearly killed myself preparing. No, I did not get blood on anything while making it.

So the steri strips need to stay on for a week. That sucks...my thumb is practically useless for that time, and trust me, I need that thing! Try getting dressed without using one of your thumbs. Seriously, try! And typing isn't very easy either. Plus work isn't going to be a cake-walk. BUT...at least I didn't need stitches, right?

And no, it's not an April Fool's joke. I wish! :)

Phones

2008-03-27T14:21:00.001-07:00

Look, I'm not going to lie to you. This post has about as much worth as an empty roll of toilet paper, but here I am at work and need something to do.

Dave and I got two new phones, and they are amazing. All we had to do was sell our souls to the Verizon company for another two glorious years, and voila--new phones. Doesn't it sound worthwhile to you? It didn't to me, either.

My phone is a Motorola W350. Stupid name, but great phone. Unlike my old LG craptastic phone (which, by the way, was about as basic as cell phones get), the new phone can take great pictures (for a phone) and is much sleeker and more user-friendly. I'm really excited about it, obviously. I have come to like it so much in the past 2 days that I have decided to keep it even though I could tecnically send it back and take advantage of a free Chocolate phone (which they are pretty much giving away from Verizon right now). The only issue is you can't upload custom ringtones without jumping through some hoops, but we'll see what can be done. Well, and the fact that I think Verizon is still ripping us off, but oh well. Everyone is about ripping people off these days.

Why do we waste so much money for the convenience of cellular phones? Wait, I just answered my own question.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a lovely, sunny, beautiful day today--perfect for Easter Sunday!
This morning, Dave made french toast for me and we checked out the Easter basket that my parents sent home with us (covered by a bag so we couldn't see the contents until easter). My mom has always found the cutest little stuffed bunnies/animals for us ever since we were little kids, and this year was no different (I mean, of course, that the Easter bunny does, not my mom...). We were also given some delicious candy in quantities that will keep us on a constant sugar high for at least a month.

We went on an adventure in the afternoon to the mouth of a canyon where we hadn't been before, then drove around to look at some neat houses. A little later, we went to see Dave's family and have dinner/play games. Good times!

And on an easter note...thank goodness spring is here at last! This is my kind of season, not that winter crap we've been dealing with for the last 4 months or so.

Our Spring Break Trip: Day 5

2008-03-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

We left the next morning. It was sad to go, but we had definitely had an amazing time and had made many memories. We forgot to check the weather, though, which was a problem when we neared Flagstaff. We were practically in a blizzard for quite a while going up and down the mountain. We encountered snow again later, slowing our progress a fair amount. It took us longer than planned to get home, but at last we arrived

(This is what the weather turned into!)

(In Page, after having a break for lunch at Denny's.)

(what a freaking awesome picture!)

~The End~

Our Spring Break Trip: Day 4

2008-03-17T20:29:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the big day: The Renaissance Fair! My Dad wore his full Scottish get up, including a kilt. He looked quite dashing. The rest of us didn't dress up, but after we got there I sort of wish I had. What other chance do you have in life to dress up like a dork in a poofy skirt and medieval garb, anyway? A lot of people there were authentically dressed, and it made the experience that much spiffier. Maybe I will if we go next year. But anyway, it was great fun. We saw a guy who swallowed swords and other acts, and watched a jousting tournament. The funnest part was probably just walking around, though. The shops were awesome and I liked cruising around and seeing what interesting things we could find. Unfortunately, the traffic getting out of the fair was horrendous. There were like 4 accidents on the freeway and we had to wait to leave the parking lot for a good hour or more.

(Sword Swallowing--this guy was really fun!)

(Holding a goose!)

(Jousting!)

(Mom and Dad)

(Me, getting a picture taken with a fairy named Twig. She gave me a sparkly blue pebble.)

Our Spring Break Trip: Day 3

2008-03-17T20:03:00.001-07:00

The next morning, Dave went to work with my Mom (who is a teacher) so he could observe her class. When he came home, we went to the mall together and got some lunch. That night, as soon as my Mom got home from work, we left to go see the Titanic exhibit in downtown Phoenix--I've really wanted to see it and it just happened to be there. Lucky me! My Dad is really into the Titanic too, and he had a great time. It was sobering though--it was fun to see the artifacts but depressing to think of the tragedy and all of the people that died, you know? It was eerie. At the beginning of it, each of us was given a "ticket" with the name of a real passenger from Titanic. At the end of the tour, you could look at a large list of names to see if the person on your ticket lived or died. My person survived, but unfortunately Dave's did not make it. :( After the exhibit, we went to a place near my Dad's office that is practically an outdoor mall with stores and restaurants. The palm trees were lit with blue lights that night and there were beautiful fountains and music. How lucky is my Dad to work right next to a place like that?

(It was too cold to swim, sadly.)

(The Phoenix Science Center.)

(The outdoor shopping area near my Dad's office.)

Our Spring Break Trip: Day 2

2008-03-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

The next day, my Mom took the day off and we went with her to a bookstore and Trader Joe's. For those of you who don't know what Trader Joe's is, I'm sorry for you! :) It is one of the neatest and spiffiest stores ever, with an inexpensive, generally healthy food selection. I love that place to bits, but unfortunately there are not any where I live and likely never will be. Anyway, that night we picked up my Dad downtown at work and drove to Mesa to see the Easter pageant. It was such a nice night!

(Middy and Ralph, the most awesome cats to walk the earth)

(Dave is being so nice to Ralphy)

(A crazy, blurred picture taken at the pageant...makes it look more like a rave than anything.)

(Me with my Mom at the pageant)

(Silhouette in front of the temple.)