THE MARRIED FOLK | killing time in provo | being awesome | eating food | cooking stuff

home sweet home

2012-01-31T09:31:00.002-07:00

We've been running around California and Vegas for a week, and today we'll be heading back home.

Although I've been enjoying the lovely warm weather, I can't wait to be home and to sleep in my own bed.

Another gift for a Sunday

2012-01-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

As always, please feel free to add your own caption in the comments.

phriday

2012-01-27T23:22:00.001-07:00

Phriday = Photobooth Day! Three cheers!

What I looked like after three and a half hours of emails this morning. Proves how popular my boss is.

What the babies looked like after arriving in Californ-I-A for a day (ish).... Two babies, two sisters, and one dad in a five seater car.

dear blad,

2012-01-26T22:59:00.002-07:00

On Tuesday I went to watch Kellen's middle school basketball team play against my old junior high.
Apparently, when I walked into the gym, both his coaches stopped and said, "Ho-ly purple."
Kellen: "That's my sister."
Coaches: "Really?!"

I'm sure they were shocked that my ultra-conservative brother had someone who shared his DNA who also had crazy lady hair.

It was the perfect way to end my stint with purple hair.

Hoping California is sunny and bright...

love.me.

Silent Sundays

2012-01-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to add your own caption in the comments.

Red Rock Advanced Walking

2012-01-21T10:36:00.001-07:00

While in Vegas, we went on a little "advanced walking" (it wasn't hike-y enough to call it hiking) trip. We ate some Capriotti's (mmm... Capriotti's, I tried the Capistrami which was delicious) and headed out about an hour before sunset.

We carried babies and had photo ops, and I even sniped a picture of my little brother (he's in that "don't take pictures of me" phase).

{when you're already carrying a half sleeping baby, you "incorrectly" use your moby wrap like a sling to support your arms. naturally.}

Bowlin'!!!

2012-01-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

We took a little bowling trip to prove our major athleticism (or lack thereof). The best part about bowling? Making up names of course.

I obviously had a high score of most gutter balls in a row. Trust me, I was trying. ;)

photobooth friday

2012-01-13T23:13:00.001-07:00

no, this isn't really a new series per se (i reserve the right to change my mind though),

but it IS friday, and this IS a photobooth shot (or four).

our bad luck came in the form of a screaming baby for a twenty minute car ride to red iguana,
but then we were blessed with good luck in the form of a child asleep before eleven thirty...
weird, the way things work.

the best way to spread Christmas cheer...

2012-01-12T23:48:00.002-07:00

is by posting all my fantastic photos on January 12.

Part 1: Christmas Eve at the Royals... (and no, I do not have a pregnant belly. That, my friends, is a result from slouching. Don't slouch.)

Part 2: Awaking Christmas morning at the Horito household (lest you be confused, we have now changed locations).

Growing up, my mom always bought us pajamas for Christmas Eve. Naturally, I carried this on for my child and bought him some pajamas for Christmas Eve. So did both his grandmas. Basically, our kid is the best dressed sleeper on the block.

Brad surprised me with these killer headphones! (well, as much as you can surprise me. I was surprised when he told me about them in November. Yes I ruin Christmas.)

My little brother's friend got him this 2nd place trophy. And my little brother's new thing this year was "couple's gifts" hence our bounty of Jones Soda. Score!

These jokesters trying to throw unthrowables. They also made my brother open about a thousand presents of random attic items before giving him his real gift.

Part 3: A return to the Royals for even more Christmas splendor.

Just your usual tongue scraper and Jimmer dvd...

Talking to Brad's little brother who is on a mission in the Philippines.

Feeling a little more festive?

real friends meet their friends in parking lots to say hi

2012-01-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

and meet ninjas and let their dogs pee and stuff.

thanks dude.

anniversarymas

2012-01-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

For anniversarymas, I asked to be able to sleep through the night. So we left my baby at my parents' house and booked a room at the Aria.

When Brad proposed, he had cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Last summer, I decided that we should get cheesecake as an annual anniversary celebration so that one day we can try them all.

This year, we checked Snickers and Chocolate Coconut off of the list.

The whipped cream was just ok (sad face), but the crust was fantastical!

Unfortunately, the blackout curtains failed at blocking out the light (hello sunshine), but they were really awesome and fancy with a magic button remote on my nightstand!

Yay for 4 years of my Mrs status and for no BCS lameness to ruin our anniversary!

happy new year!

2012-01-01T17:31:00.002-07:00

here's to more blogging, more adventures, and more photos of the kid.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T08:30:00.002-07:00

Oh, you wanted to see our cards from this year?

check it.

My favorite card yet.

PS Buy yourself a Christmas Eve gift like I did... Hue & Hum Christmas Digital Download. You won't be sorry (unless you realize that you should have been listening to this since Black Friday like I did).

Nailed it.

2011-12-22T08:59:00.006-07:00

haha. Nice pun.

Remember how killer my nails looked when I was checking off my Christmas list? In case you don't, here's a refresher:

I finally got around to trying out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects. A fellow "Nail Polish Whore" (as she liked to refer to herself/me) told me I HAD to try them, but I could never bring myself to drop the 9 bucks to do it. Then I spotted this plaid set at Target one day...

I have been OBSESSING over them since I spotted them! I seriously asked Brad to look for these every time he ran errands to Wal-Mart, but they never existed. I thought I'd gone crazy. But last Friday on a trip to Target during an epic errand running adventure, I found them! I'm not crazy! I think they're a holiday special or something...

Anyways, I tried them out and here's my thoughts:

Pros:

No drying time! Dude guys, I have a baby. This leaves no time for painting/drying nails.
Awesome plaid! I was dying to have plaid nails for Christmas.
2 in 1! There are 16 strips in a package, but the strips are long so if you're a cheapo like me and you also like short nails, you can use one strips for two nails! Bam! I used less than half to do all my fingers!
If you don't screw them up, they don't chip for a long time. It's been almost a week and they look pretty nifty (except for the spots where I figured there would be issues).

Cons:

It takes some skill to put them on... If you look closely at my nails you can see the imperfections on the edges. I'm sure that if I keep this up though, I'll get better at it.
Minor imperfections during application = easier chipping two days later. And you can't just fill the holes with polish.
Application is not super fast. However, they don't smudge and you don't have to wait for them to dry so it still ends up being shorter...

I'm psyched about my nails... Have you ever tried them? What were your results?

Have you seen this?!

2011-12-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

I want this giant magic sparkly light ball to celebrate Brad being home for as many days as he was gone. And the ninja's 4 month birthday.

Here's to never being a married-single again and to a baby who goes to bed before 1:30 am!

I'm still a blonde...

2011-12-18T08:54:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, I realized my hair needed some love, so my friend Laura hooked me up. We go back to good old drama-filled note-writing days of high school (yep, she recently found evidence of this, and yet, she's still nice to me... Yep, she's that nice).

I'm like a new person now...

I forgot how much fun PhotoBooth effects can be.

She has a killer blog with some killer plans for P-town. MK+A love? Secret insider tips and tricks? Games of true or false and salacious gossip/hair stories? Yep. They're there. And she's kindly accepting virtual friends so you can follow her and feel as cool as I do. (Plus there's a giveaway going on that ends Wednesday...)

Christmas Spirit vs. Holiday Cheer

2011-12-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we head out to Vegas after a whole twelve days of living in our new place this month.

This week consisted of half of those twelve days so they were pretty, pretty busy.

Getting into the Christmas spirit by making and plowing through a list of things to do before Christmas:
1 | Tree up. 2 | Design and send Christmas cards. 3 | Hang up our sexy door hanging. 4 | Play Christmas music. 5 | Check out Christmas lights in our area. 6 | Get steamed milk and/or hot cocoa from the Cocoa Bean. 7 | Take the kid to Santa. 8 | Watch Elf. 9 | Make killer video of the kid to a Justin Beiber Christmas tune. 10 | Listen to the Christmas Devotional. 11 | Find and eat a McDonald's Holiday Pie. 12 | Take a photo on Christmas day.

I added 1, 2, and 3 to the list because they were already done. And 4. Tonight, we did 5, 6, 7, and 8.

I always see this house from a distance so we checked it out up close. It's like a mini temple square but you can sit in your car and be warm.

Dude, check out my nails in this photo (but don't look too closely). I've been obsessing over these in my brain all month long.

Luckily we ate at Cafe Paesan tonight. They had a Santa so we could bust that off of our list.

I also cleaned the living areas in our house so it doesn't feel like a disaster zone.

I always put too much on my plate at Christmas time. I think it's hereditary. This results in an anxiety-filled breaking point that my mom refers to as "Holiday Cheer." This surfaced on Wednesday night/Thursday morning when I freaked out that my house was claustrophobically small which inspired me to clean out the whole living room. The result is definitely a peak, but the process to get there was not so great. I woke Brad up at 3:30 am to tell him about it....

me: Are you sleepy a lot or a little?

brad: A lot. Why?

me: I just cleaned the living room and it looks SO GOOD and I want you to see it.

brad: I'll look at it in the morning.

me: Ok. It's seriously amazing. Like, you're going to walk into the hallway and piss yourself it's so awesome.

That, my friends, felt like Christmas morning anticipation.

I just really feel like blogging right now.

2011-12-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

And so, here are some random, unimportant tidbits I'd like to send out into the universe verse verse.

Apparently for myself.

1 | We're in Vegas this week. Yay Vegas!

2 | I have come to the conclusion that when you have those days where you just wake up feeling ;( that the cure is junk food. Hearty junk food - like fast food. None of the weak potato chips stuff.

3 | I think I'm going to do one of those 30 days 30 items challenges that were all the rage like three years ago. Why?

a. I'm basically going to be living from a suitcase for at lease 20 of the next 30 days.

b. I wear the same thing almost every day anyways so this way I have an excuse for why I'm wearing the same shirt as the last time you saw me.

c. It will force me to get dressed on days where I would usually just hang out in my workout clothes from noon until ten thirty.

4 | This is my outfit today. The photo is very non-descript, but you'll see plenty of these items over the next 30 days so I'm not too concerned. It consists of a 3/4 sleeve sweater I got on super sale while I worked at Macy's, my sexy GAP tee that is basically my dream shirt for fall, and the most comfy but legit looking corduroy leggings by HUE.

5 | BYU-Idaho bans skinny jeans WHA??!! Opinions please.

you know you love me...

2011-12-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

We watch a lot of tv around here...

So, tonight we were doing our ritual FHE of watching our guilty pleasure Gossip Girl.

You know you'e watching it too. Don't lie.

So let's talk... Chuck?! Whaaa??? Hello Misha Barton/Marissa Cooper. If he dies from a car accident, I swear the show will tank within half a season.

And now I have to wait until January to find out what the moron they have in mind. A Blaire love triangle? Please.

xoxo...

unpacking priorities

2011-12-03T22:44:00.001-07:00

naturally, my first priority was making sure my tree was up!

hopefully I'll post my pre-unpacking pics soon because i think they're funny. it looks like we moved into a storage unit.

2 fun facts about this tree/photo:

1 | i got this tree for a KILLER deal in like february while i was working at macy's... the price tag on the tree says $250 aka uber expensive. but, using my associate discount, some coupons, sale days, and extra coupons, i got it for something like $12. yep. TWELVE DOLLARS. i know. impressive. brad thought it was the stupidest, most pathetic tree in the world, but i think it's amazing and perfect. i'm in LOVE with the minimal amount of branches.

2 | i took this photo using the tutorial at unskinny boppy. looks pretty sexy eh? no photoshopping. at all. i think my iso was like 1/40 or something whatever that number is... follow her directions because it's really understandable. also, she uses the word "mamarazzi" which i am officially in love with.

i'm currently preparing for a trip to vegas and trying to make our home livable. i'm REALLY excited about trying to make this temporary house an awesome space!

moving day!

2011-12-01T10:00:00.003-07:00

Today is moving day.

Moving.

I do not like all the spiders I have been finding.

I do like that I have been down-sizing stuff. It's so refreshing.

Moving.
I hate packing.
How do I have so much stuff even when I've been down-sizing?!

fashionably late.

2011-11-30T11:55:00.002-07:00

On this the last day of November, I'd like to post our killer Halloween get-up: Brad = ghost, I = witch, kid = skeleton. Brad was gone cruisin' on the Saturday of Halloween celebrations so I kept it low-key this year. Oh, and I never have time to do anything anymore. haha.

Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to hear about our epic fail Halloween dinner or our Thanksgiving weekend sometime before Christmas arrives....

.thanks.giving.

2011-11-24T12:14:00.001-07:00

Naturally, on a day dedicated to thanks, I have to give a shout-out to my AWESOME baby.

Aside from when I'm REALLY busy and trying to accomplish something (which happens for about ten minutes of every day), all I want to do is hold my baby forever.

At UVU's Best Dance Crew last week

This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the most fabulous ninja in the whole wide world and the knowledge I have that we'll be together forever.

I'm also grateful for this guy:

He's pretty awesome too and takes good care of me and the kid.

And the house. ;)

As a side note, I'd also *like* to be grateful for a magic wand or some fairies of some sort to magically pack the house up for me.

T-7 days until I don't have to worry about a spider biting my baby but I do have to worry about where I'll stick all my stuff!

farewell my friend

2011-11-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

time for a new header.

goodbye old header.

11.11.11 11:11 am

2011-11-15T14:38:00.001-07:00

Just chillin with the dude, talkin to my mom on the phone.

I made all my family take pics too, so those will be coming with our 11:11 pm pics.

Glitterati and Astroboy

2011-11-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, our friends opened up a new store in Orem, Crafty Wood Cutouts. At first, I didn't think it would be up my alley, but boy was I wrong. All I can think about it what to do next. My favorite thing is that since they are unfinished, you can make them your own style or preference.

Check that - I think my favorite thing is that they don't take a lot of time to finish, so I don't have to add them to one of my piles of unfinished projects.

Check that - I think my favorite thing is that they sell this magic spray that you spray over glitter so it doesn't shed and turn everything you own into a glitterfest.

Regardless, here is my magical creation. I am so excited to sport this baby on my door come Black Friday. I've gotta bust my butt over there to get the turkey for this month.

I know. You're drooling at all the glittery goodness.

Seriously though, you should go get your own then show me pics of what you make. Because I also love seeing how people make their stuffs too.

And since no post is complete without a photo of the ninja, here's one that Brad iPhoned the other day:

When Brad facebooked it, someone said he looked like Astroboy.

hahahaha. ;)

Not many ups and downs for a week by myself

2011-10-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

Tonight we had a Halloween dinner so we could dress up. I kept it super simple this year for our costumes - a ghost, a skeleton, and a witch. Hopefully those pictures will get posted soon! Until then - here's the peak and the pit of my week without Brad (he was on a cruise in the East Caribbean).

The simplicity of making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. This will now be your peak as well since I'll share with you the easy recipe.

Ingredients:
one 15 ounce can of pumpkin (the one in the photo is 29, so I just eyeball half the can)
one spice cake mix
one-ish cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the pumpkin and cake mix. I like to do the cake mix in sections since these are SUPER thick.

Add chocolate chips. Once again, I eyeball it so that it looks like a cup of chocolate chips, maybe more since I like chocolate.

Since the batter is super thick, this is my awesome method of making the cookies:

Spray a tablespoon with PAM. Scoop out some cookie dough.

Plop the cookie dough onto the pan. I respray with PAM every two cookies.

Throw those babies in the oven for 14 minutes. Bam. Awesome cookies.

I ate almost every single one of those. Gross. My diet this week consisted of: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal, lentil soup, margherita pizza, leftover waffles, and eating out. The healthy options negate the unhealthy ones, right?

Also, tomorrow is Halloween!! SEND ME YOUR PICTURES OF YOUR BLACK NAILS! Just a webcam pic will do - but I've only received one thus far and I know that there are more participants than that, this IS the coolest celebration of the year...

Dear Kuck,

2011-10-29T01:50:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I've written a blogletter to you, but since you've been gone for a week, it seems appropriate...

The ninja and I have been surviving just fine, despite his runny nose and my constant paranoia.

Most days, I've spent the majority of my day in bed with my bestie.

On this particular day, he fell asleep in my armpit. Each time I tried to move him, he'd nuzzle his way back in there. Weird kid.

The key to my married-single mother survival comes from our pals Donna and Tom:

Each day, I do at least one thing to treat myself.

Here's what I've been treating myself to...
Monday | Pilates with Loriol while Brea babysat. Oh, and Awful Waffle.
Tuesday | A trip to Target (and a sweater!) and steamed peppermint milk from Starbucks (to be enjoyed with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies). Mmm.

oh you know, just your average blurry photo...

Wednesday | I honestly can't even remember anything that happened on this day... I daresay that the whole day was spent inside the house?

Thursday | Costco pizza and a Halloween dinner plan.
Friday | pumpkin pie milkshake and fries for dinner. Oh and lots of online shopping.

Enjoy your last day of no responsibilities/eating awesome food/sleeping because when you get home, I own you.

This is the face of a boy who knows that he just pooped for the fourth time within a thirty minute period. And that his mother will now have to change a fourth diaper within a thirty minute period. You can tell he's apprehensive about the fact that he just pooped. I happily changed it (and actually laughed a little), just like you will happily be changing every diaper until 2012. ;)

love.the best d-a-m-n-f (the f is silent just like the n) wife ever.

freaky friday

2011-10-22T01:39:00.000-06:00

Brad and I mysteriously swapped hair colors today.

I must say that in all my life, I never imagined that I would be a blonde... or could be a blonde for that matter...

I think I'm drinking crazy juice.

A Little Lady and A Shade Review

2011-10-16T23:27:00.000-06:00

Finally, the peak and the pit of last week.

The peak this week was definitely getting to meet my cousin's little baby! And being reassured that my baby is growing - it doesn't seem like it until you compare him to a little newborn! My mom came up last minute to come meet the little girl as well. And luckily, my cousin's girl is sleeping and such like she's supposed to - no crying nightmares all night long! I hope no one else ever has to experience that one.

My mom, my niece, and my ninja.

The pit this week was the fact that I ordered this sweater and it doesn't work. I've been eyeing the Chunky Open Cardigan from Shade for about a month... I want a really comfy, chunky, longer than my booty sweater for winter and this one seemed perfect. Except when it came in the mail, it just wasn't meant to be.

Perhaps it's my post-pregnancy size, but the cardigan seemed to be what would happen if I wore a blanket all day. It didn't drape right, it made me look like a monster, and it was a bit on the itchy side. The front seemed like there was WAY too much fabric for it to lay properly on my body. I REALLY wanted to love this, but unfortunately, I couldn't make it work.
So I'm back to the drawing board... Any suggestions are appreciated.

This and That

2011-10-10T20:22:00.000-06:00

Today, I ran to Barnes and Noble (NEWS FLASH: Moleskines are 20% off!!). They have this new "recommendations based on what you bought" that prints off after your receipt.

Apparently, my purchase of a Moleskine and these sticky arrows makes me a candidate for New Moon and Celtic bookmarks? I'm not really sure how they calculate these recommendations...

I also made this awesome french toast for lunch. I purchased some real maple syrup on Saturday for some maple vinaigrette, and oh my gosh, it's so good.

And... She and Him emailed me the premiere of their first track for their Christmas album! I'm so unbelievably excited about this. I'm going to order it on vinyl because I always LOVED playing the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas vinyl at Christmas time. And, Zooey Deschanel's voice is PERFECT for Christmas.

Tomorrow, I get to meet my cousin's little girl! I'm so excited. It's been a lot of fun being pregnant together, and I'm sure it will be fun having little babies together!

baby it's cold outside

2011-10-07T21:29:00.000-06:00

Everyone needs a bear suit like this. I took him outside for a walk in the cold so he could go to sleep, and after five minutes, he fell asleep... for 3 hours.

Cool weather! I've been dying to pull out my sweaters and boots and jackets and to wear my leggings without sweating! Of course, my blazer is a bit snug since my shoulders have broadened, but luckily I also got to visit the doctor, and he ok-ed me to work out again so I also got to run and hit up the gym!

It's October?! Fall (or apparently winter) is here and I've missed out on all my favorite September/early fall traditions - Oktoberfest at Snowbird (no bratwurst?!), the Utah State Fair (no deep-fried treats?!)... ok so maybe I only have two. Luckily, the ninja is cute and all cuddled up in his bear suit and sleeping as I write this, so it makes missing out on my favorite gastronomical events seem worth it.

welcome fall winter!?

2011-10-06T22:00:00.003-06:00

I woke up to rain and a nice chill in the air which made me happy. So I dressed up the ninja in this cozy bear suit (he's so cuddly to hold and feels like a soft puppy) and made this healthy soup for dinner (who knew I liked lentils!).

Oh PS. Utah, snow?! Wtf?! So much for my fantasy of fall.

Double PS. Pre-baby, I always thought it was a cop-out when people had a baby and suddenly all they did was post pictures of their baby. Well, now post-baby, I know why. First, I'm still much larger than normal and my face is still wide. Which is fine but not as motivating for me to take self-portraits. Second, babies are cute. Face it. And if you don't think so, you're lying to yourself.

time check

2011-10-04T23:43:00.000-06:00

Yep. Usually I'm asleep by this time. Especially since our baby "went to bed early" aka will be waking up in like thirty minutes.

Instead, I've been staring at our newborn photos since they arrived today.

Seriously. Skye is amazing. If you're having a baby, contact her ASAP to get a session!

YAY BLACK NAILS OCTOBER!!!

2011-10-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

Yes I'm screaming that!

Send me photos of your black nails all month, and I'll post them on Halloween like I did last year.

Don't have black nail polish? Stop by my house because my black nail polish runneth over.

{PS I've been playing with actions in Photoshop and it's super fun! This one is My Plastic Eye.}

The Peak and the Pit, Volume 1

2011-09-30T16:22:00.000-06:00

I have recently become obsessed with Keeping Up with the Kardashians thanks to my summer roomies:

And, since I'm breastfeeding all the time (seriously, if you have a favorite sitcom, let me know so I can watch it), I have a lot of time to keep up with my "friends". While doing this, I discovered an awesome tradition they had as children: every night at family dinner, their dad would have them go around the table and say the peak (best part) and the pit (worst part) of their day.

And so, in honor of my new obsession, every week (on Friday? just once during a calendar week?) I want to pick the peak and the pit of my week since we all know blogging this every day would a: never happen, and b: become extremely dull and monotonous. I love weekly traditions, like McKinley's Viral Friday, and I'm positive that you will look forward to hearing about my week every [Friday] as well.

Drumroll please....

This last week was a REALLY good one, so it's hard to pick just one peak... but I think the winner is... My baby SLEEPING! He used to sleep 8-9 hours A DAY (out of 24 my friends), but now, thanks to a visit to a chiropractor last Friday, he has the capability to sleep 15! Hooray! Apparently he had 3 vertebrae that were really out of whack and causing him a lot of discomfort.
{PS If your baby is super cranky, not sleeping, and just being a punk, I HIGHLY recommend a chiropractor. AMAZING. Seriously. We went here and it was only $17 aka the BEST $17 I've ever spent. They also have $12/30 minute massages and $25/1 hour massages which is cheaper than the massage schools here.}

I love napping with my baby... I know it will backfire on me one day, but it seriously is my favorite.

Tomorrow my baby will be six weeks old! Although I'm really excited because he's old enough/weighs enough to start understanding life, it makes me sad because he's getting so old so fast!

Remember when he looked like this?

Our newborn baby - our newborn pictures were finished this week! That could compete for the Peak spot...

A Daily Double: Let's Discuss

2011-09-28T17:00:00.002-06:00

[Since I've been MIA in the blog world and my child is taking an epic nap, I decided to post twice today.]

I've been debating whether or not to release the baby's name on the internet. Why? It somehow feels safer if his name isn't out there. I realize that a lot of people do it with no problem and a lot of other people do not like it while another lot of people have private blogs to protect their children.

So I ask you:

Do you keep your children's names/your blog private? Why or why not?

Images of the ninja by Skye Johansen. She's a baby whisperer and takes magical pictures of babies.

Happy Birthday Brad!

2011-09-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mr. Bradley's Golden birthday (27 on the 27th).

I had this FANTASTICO plan to throw a little show (lots of cover songs, Brad playing with his siblings/Carlos/cousin/etc) in a venue, but then this baby came along and there wasn't much time to put it all together... so instead, we had a potluck picnic in the canyon, which I personally think was pretty killer (I've been craving a little nature picnic so it was perfect for me).

Our baby was perfecto and slept the whole time we were there...

While I grilled (ah yes, I was a successful steak griller - for the record, I like top round steak with Yoshida's marinade)...

And these golden balloons marked how to get there...

For Brad's "cake" we had peanut butter mousse in chocolate crust with chocolate ganache and oreo cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes...

All I wanted was meat, picnic blankets, and lively conversation. Success.

Apparently your golden birthday marks the best year of your life - so here's to awesomeness, lots of money, and exciting adventures!

to the world,

2011-09-14T20:06:00.001-06:00

First, I would like to apologize if I've been avoiding your calls/texts/emails (although usually I'm really good about responding to emails). This whole baby thing is a constant roller coaster of thoughts/emotions/moods. For example, my day usually consists of the following feelings:

- excitement | about being a mom, a need to find clothes that are suitable for breastfeeding, the newest episode of Project Runway.

- anxiety | about whether or not my baby is eating enough, whether or not he will sleep at night (or during the day - he is finally taking his first nap for longer than 15 minutes today and it's 8:00 at night), whether or not I will be able to shower.

- exhaustion | from the four hours of sleep I got last night, from the fact that everyone keeps saying "sleep when your baby sleeps" except that only works if your baby will sleep, from the seemingly constant feedings that the baby needs.

- overwhelmed-ness | because of all the above reasons.

- accomplishment | from the idea that I can function and have a baby, from the plans that I make to accomplish things (that rarely ever come into fruition), from the days that my baby sleeps at night and I get a consecutive four hours of sleep.

Basically, it's an up and down of feeling exhausted and overwhelmed then fully functional. This whole being a mom thing is a lot tougher than I'd ever imagined (and I was imagining it to be quite tough).

I'm looking forward to the day that my days are predictable and I feel functional.

Until then, please accept this virtual image of my child as my assurance that we are, in fact, still friends, even though I may not be responding to you.

Ahh yes... my baby asleep. Something that has been a bit of a rarity today. Please let this mean that you will sleep REALLY well tonight.

Fare thee well.

2011-08-31T19:35:00.000-06:00

Today my mom left. Having her here has been like magic.

I'm proud to say that I haven't broken down in tears (yet).

How can people return home from the hospital without their mom there to take care of them? I have no idea. I certainly would have had a mental breakdown.

Words can't even express how grateful I am that she's been here for the past two weeks.

Thanks mom. I love you.

And we thought you'd get here today...

2011-08-29T19:30:00.001-06:00

All I can do all day is think about this little guy...

I always thought people were exaggerating when they said you never know something something about loving a lot until you have a child... but I really love this little baby.

I can't believe that:

a - over a week ago, you arrived, when

b - I totally thought I'd still be pregnant right now, and

c - how much bigger you are!

I swear he's changing every day... it stresses me out.

we welcome you to munchkin land!

2011-08-22T15:21:00.001-06:00

I kept on saying that if I was lucky, the baby would come on Friday, but I honestly didn't think he'd make his royal entrance until this week.

Well, surprise. last week I woke up with labor pains, went the the hospital, and lovingly was in labor all day until 11:30 pm when I started pushing so the little ninja could enter the world at 2 am!

And now, the little ninja:

Don't worry - he really didn't look like a zombie. Yes his eyes were red and swollen, but the lighting + angle of this photo = weird colors. The moral of this photo: check out his HUGE conehead!! Seriously. I thought that was just hat, but nope, his head was like a giant torpedo.

My niece and my baby! She's such a good poser. haha.

The Little Ninja.

I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to enter the ninja's name into cyberspace yet, so for the time being, I will continue to refer to him as a ninja until I make a decision (if you could do the same, that would be fantastico!).

PS Brad did and does hold the baby. However, he took all the photos that I have so any photos of him + baby are on someone else's camera and it's not really at the top of my priority list right now to find them...

Brad's Back!

2011-08-16T17:28:00.002-06:00

In case you weren't aware, Brad is FINALLY home... More pictures to come one day when I'm not lazy.

Luckily, Brad being home has magically decreased my levels of anxiety from crazy cat lady to normal crazy. Last week, I would just go over to-do lists for hours every night until I finally couldn't keep my eyes open anymore around 3 or 4 in the morning. But, the house got cleaned and packed a little (thanks Brea for doing 90% of this), and the baby corner got mostly put together, so I'm feeling pretty good.

Now I'm obsessing over some design projects (like our overdue family album).

(a peek at an unfinished spread in said album, which is sidetracking me from more important and time-sensitive projects for the [hopefully] soon to be arriving child)

But... the IMPORTANT PART!

Yes friends, these lovely lovely 9 months are coming to a close and eventually there will be a little ninja gracing the world with his presence and more importantly, exiting my body so I am no longer an alien being attacked by a parasite...

So... Let's play a guessing game!

Guess when the baby will actually be coming. A prize will, in time, be mailed to the winner... leave a way for me to contact you (I can comment on your blog if you read your comments or leave an email address)...

Besides the due date, here are some other helpful tips:

- I'm 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced for those of you who know what that means (I still don't really... haha).

- My induction date in case I go over has been scheduled for September 6. If I make it to September without having a baby, there is a likely chance that I will die.

- As stated above, my due date is August 29. I'm measuring "perfectly" for where I'm at, whatever that means... I'm guessing it means I'm "on schedule"...

My guess is... Friday. And by guess I mean hope...

Although I can't decide which I want more: the baby to not be in my stomach or Brad to have to suffer the awfulness of having a pregnant wife.... Decisions decisions.

dear kuck,

2011-08-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

It's really weird to think that this whole separation thing is coming to an end... I find myself thinking polar thoughts.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe he'll be home in 5 days - that's SO soon! I have so much to do!"

contrasted with

"Oh my gosh I can't believe he'll be home in 5 days - that's FOREVER and the baby isn't going to come FOREVER after that and HOLY CRAP I'm stuck in this in-between!"

Just a little heads up - I'm a monster. And I get tired ALL THE TIME. And I'm a crazy person (ask Tia and Brea).

Check it:

Yep, that's the belly. Three weeks and counting.

love,
the shiz

a little gift

2011-08-08T07:10:00.001-06:00

I found this gem with last year's three-legged race pic... I rather like it.

holla atcha girl.

let's do the time warp again!!

2011-08-06T09:54:00.001-06:00

The day after the family reunion, we had our own sub-family reunion at my Uncle Fred/grandpa's farm.

Love the foods.

Fred finds the most legit hot dogs. Can you even call them hot dogs? They have like peppers or cheeses or other fancy-type things in them...

During the sub-family reunion, my Aunt Janet and my mom threw showers for their nieces - my cousin and me.

What's so funny? If you get offended easily/grossed out easily, I would skip the rest of this little blurb.
We are all laughing because a particular cousin of mine who was a giver of this gift exclaimed, "What that REALLY is is a hemorrhoid pillow!" Ah yes, we are very open about our bodily functions.

That's my Aunt Janet behind me, and that's the FREAKING AWESOME sweater she crocheted for my little ninja.

Once it got dark, it was time for fireworks... My uncle has it down to an art so that there are ALWAYS fireworks going (in the air and on the ground) simultaneously so none of us lose our attention too quickly.

This image is probably of one of two things: the twins getting the next generation to dance and watch their shadows on the wall... or trying to time the genius idea of jumping over the fountain fireworks when they are "low".

belation part 2

2011-08-04T11:51:00.000-06:00

Another fourth of July classic:

On our way to the cabin in Island Park, Brea gave herself a patriotic, gum-wrapper grill.

procrastination + laziness + vacationing = 1 post in july

2011-08-03T00:51:00.000-06:00

don't worry. it's not that i've lost my conceit.

so... let's do the time warp again!!

July 2 - family reunion in Idaho Falls.

A picture of Risa and her baby... oh and me? That's basically how I was all day. Sitting in a chair like a bum, dying from the "heat" and icing my feet.

Family tradition: come up with the most embarrassing looking games possible. This is my mom demonstrating the "wear a nylon on your head with a tennis ball in the toe and try to knock over water bottles".

Kellen rocking the nylon look.

Taking a shot of my belly/shadow.

The three legged race has become quite a big deal... it's kind of competitive and probably the most participated in activity.
Tia and Brea don't run it like a fun activity in which you deal with your legs being tied together. They run it like a race. Most people say "inside, outside, inside, outside" while running. Tia and Brea say, "long strides! pump your arms! keep on your toes!" like it's a sprint race.

Dayna and I tried it out too (we had to basically beg Corey to let Dayna play and assure him that we'd run REALLY slow).

Tia and Brea dominated for the second year in a row. We really need to make a "you can't run with your twin" rule.

It reminds me of last year, in which Tia and Brea BARELY beat me and Brad. Lame. However, the line judges didn't see it so we didn't get any street cred, but luckily my cousin captured this image to prove our superiority. (Tia and Brea are crossing the finish line; Brad and I are on the far right of the image, just barely behind them... maybe we need sprint practice.)

That's what it looks like to have a three + four legged race...

Don't worry... there's PLENTY more where this came from...

belation.

2011-07-09T00:16:00.000-06:00

I realize that the fourth of July was Monday, and it is now Friday/Saturday, but we were REALLY proud of our ability to write backwards, and I've been roughing it in the wilderness at my uncle's cabin (which, the cabin is nicer than my house... so "roughing it" translates into "I had a lack of cell/internet service" more than it applies to our actual state of being) which means that my tardiness is obviously excused.

Without further adieu, prepare to be impressed.

PS Tia was there, taking the photos:

the end.

2011-06-30T18:29:00.001-06:00

Today was my last day of work. I'm pretty sure it's better than Christmas! Especially since Christmas meant one day of relaxation then a long drive to come back to work! I survived a holiday retail season.

Things I will miss about working:

- co-workers aka my only friends for the past three months

- a discount

- a paycheck

Things I will not miss:

- working

- waking up in the mornings

- fetching shoes for people

- avoiding heat stroke under the AWFUL lamps in our area

Mike snagged this photo of me working a couple of Saturdays ago. Please say I didn't always look this shleppy at work (but I probably did - that is in the primary heated spot).

I have to make my last shopping trip tonight to take advantage of my discount for the final hours that I can!

The other reason I'm glad it's my last day of work:

I planned my last day to be at my 7 month (ish) mark! So that means I "only" have 2 more months left of hauling around this ninja in my belly! I'm hoping it goes by fairly quickly...

oh baby!

2011-06-15T22:35:00.001-06:00

I'm SUPER excited that my little niece won a cute baby contest today! She's pretty cute.

Also on the baby front, my belly is getting SO FAT... I need to find a camera and show that monster off soon... Until then, I guess I'm supposed to register for baby stuff, which is ironic because most other people have had babies and I know nothing about the stuff you need for babies, so it doesn't really make sense for me to pick out baby stuff.... Which is why I'm about to make the following public service announcement:

CALLING ALL MOMS/FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF MOMS/PRESENT BUYERS FOR MOMS:

What are some awesome baby things? You know, things that you could never live without?

Good diaper brands?

Things that are AWFUL that should be avoided at all costs?

Most convenient things?

Did you put your baby in baby gowns/was that a win?
Or even non-specifics, like "your diaper bag can never be big enough" or "always be sure to have sanitizer on hand" or "I slept in my glider for days" or something like that...

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

crash: a travesty

2011-06-08T22:26:00.000-06:00

This image is NOT mine.
Oh what?
My hard drive crashed? You can't get anything off of it? Thanks genius bar (but really, the genius bar was fabulous even though their diagnosis was anything but).

And so my life came tumbling down.

The pictures of May cake 1 aka Davide's birthday? Gone. Photos from Alaska? Also gone (I really can't talk about this. I can't even believe I could type it. I'm seriously distraught.). The Sunglasses Game photos from Alaska? Same fate.
Not to mention countless programs, files, randomocities, etc.
I've died a little bit inside.
{This post COULD'VE been accompanied by a picture like this, but why would I tie a negative connotation to something I view so positively?}

To Whom it May Concern:

2011-06-03T12:57:00.000-06:00

It is true that I am carrying a baby in my belly. This is not a rumor that I fabricated for my own personal enjoyment. Quite the contrary. In fact, I am growing a little ninja who used to love my spine but now loves to kick me in the ribs/hips.

Proof:

Six down, three (long) months to go.

Why haven't I posted any pictures? Well my friends, I was very determined to track my belly's growth on a weekly basis, but then I got lazy... plus my belly proved to grow at a REALLY slow rate so it wasn't anything exciting.

This is either my 16-ish week or my 20-ish week picture... I can't remember...

I swear to you that I was feeling quite large and it had grown a lot at this point, but you see, nothing really to talk about.

to kuck,

2011-06-01T23:32:00.000-06:00

Thank you for the lovely Alaskan gift! You are so thoughtful; it's exactly what I would have picked out - Alaskan jade. It definitely will always remind me of my trip to Alaska. I absolutely love it!

You're the best!

love.the.best.wife.ever

Brad and Whitney's Great Alaskan Adventure

2011-05-30T02:49:00.000-06:00

I finally kind of finished compiling my pictures from my trip to Alaska last week. And by kind of I mean after a couple of hours, I just got antsy and said, "Yep, that's as good as it gets."

And so, here is a miniature photographic journey of my visit to Brad.

It'd been about 6-ish+ weeks since he'd left, and it was about 1 week before I officially hit my third trimester (that, my friends, is today and three months seems like a LONG TIME to have to be pregnant still)... Aka it was the perfect time for a jaunt to the 49th state.

We ate A LOT on our trip... Numbers 1-5 of my list of things to do in Alaska consisted of eating.

{Because you care about my eating details: Top row, L-R: My breakfast at Gwennies of sourdough pancakes, delicious bacon, and half a plate of scrambled eggs; Brad's apple cinnamon stuffed french toast at Snow City Cafe; my Kodiak Eggs Benedict (eggs benedict with a crabcake on it aka one of the best breakfasts of my life) at Snow City Cafe (I've been dreaming about this dish since I found out Brad was going to Alaska and I researched it out).
2nd row, L-R: reindeer sausage, which is just eh... not really good; Brad's breakfast at Gwennies (after this meal, Brad "decided" that we shouldn't order the same thing ever i.e. he shouldn't just copy my order. Also, he asked me, "How do I order fried eggs, you know, so they cook it on both sides?" to which I replied, "Fried eggs."); a pasta invention I made on Sunday night that I was pretty impressed with.
3rd row, L-R: Rockfish fish and chips at Bear Tooth Grill = best fries ever; my crab sandwich at F Street Station; Brad's magically delicious macadamia nut encrusted halibut at Bear Tooth Grill.
4th row, L-R: Brad's AMAZING halibut fish and chips at F Street Station (fries = subpar, fish = magic in my mouth); the best meal ever at Double Musky (the Cajun/Alaskan/seafood restaurant), crawfish dip (oh my best thing I had the whole trip... maybe) and crab stuffed halibut.}

On day one, we hiked Flattop Mountain, which I'm sure no one really thought we'd hike ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP... just to like a viewing platform. But I kept on feeling like if I came that far, I might as well finish... three hours later, we arrived at the top.

About halfway through the hike, I took Brad's picture. The mountain behind him is the mountain we climbed.

At the top, it was freezing, so I hid behind this rock wall that people had built up to block the wind.

On day two, we took our little getaway car on a road trip down scenic Seward Highway (also on my list) to visit some sights. We actually loved this little toy car and were sad to see it go.

We visited Portage Glacier...

And had a quick picnic in Chugach National Forest.

We also visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center which is like a cross between Yellowstone and a zoo. We liked that you could drive it because our legs were shot from mountain-climbing aka "hiking" the day before.

I mainly just wanted to see bears... and luckily I got to see them play fight, and I got to see one pee!
As we were driving through, Brad got all enthusiastic and said, "Oh!! I heard about these!"
So I got excited that he had heard about something that we were seeing like I am some sort of a fairy godmother and asked him what...
He replied, "Wild tractors!!"
Yes, I still fall for his sarcasm.

Day three had a lot of me walking while Brad worked and I got to see lots of pretty Alaska (although these photos are a compilation of pretties from the whole trip, not just from day three).

Day three was the magical Double Musky day aka best food ever. We then topped it off with this sunset around 10:30/11 on our way home (but it wouldn't get dark until about midnight thirty).

While Brad worked on Day four, I walked to the Anchorage Museum to get a bit of Alaskan history, culture, art, and the awesome Imaginarium Discovery Center.

Check out how hot my baby is... yep, that's me in the heat sensor image thing they had there.

Then on the last day, we woke up, went to the airport, and had the world turn back upside down as we return to single-married life...

Acknowledge how many pictures of food there are and how few pictures there are of the both of us... yeah. I'm pretty sure I posted every picture of us together too...
What can I say? We take our eating very seriously.

just visiting

2011-05-24T01:14:00.001-06:00

Been away from blogging while preparing for my Alaska trip!

Currently enjoying lots of foods and hanging out with b-rad.

We're also starting up The Sunglasses Game... so you should play too.

lazy days

2011-05-14T22:29:00.000-06:00

I'm too lazy to post pictures of actual things, but seriously guys,
PLAY THE SUNGLASSES GAME WITH ME!

I swear I have more friends than this...
email your address to thesunglassesgame@gmail.com.

{The Sunglasses Game is basically a conceited chain letter in which you get mailed a pair of sunglasses, take your photo in them, and then mail them off to someone else; I collect all the pictures and we look at ourselves online. Awesome, right?}

to el kuck-o,

2011-05-05T14:00:00.001-06:00

According to Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the unlikely victory of the Mexican army over the French in a little battle. Apparently it's an American Civil War holiday and not really celebrated in Mexico; Californian Mexicans/Latinos invented the holiday in honor of their support of "the fragile cause of defending freedom and democracy"...

{well that's a fun fact}

Ironically, this year, Cinco de Mayo also commemorates my one month anniversary of being a "free woman" aka a semi-single lady i.e. it's been a month since you left for Alaska.
I prepared for this holiday by giving my hair a much needed update (seriously, 6 1/2 months?! No one should have to wait that long between haircuts):

I should have taken a photo of how long it was before... because it was LONG. I look much less like a bum now.

Just thought you should see the new me so that you aren't shocked when you pick up this stranger at the airport in Anchorage...

love, el jefe

PS I also may have "celebrated" by getting myself some new clothes... I thought I'd be able to make it without maternity clothes, but I can't handle getting dressed because everything makes my belly hurt... so I broke down and bought some. Good news: I look pretty good, and I got a good deal.

MAY DAY!!

2011-05-01T16:54:00.000-06:00

In order to attempt to have The Sunglasses Game go more throughout the summer and less into winter, I'm thinking we'll start a little earlier this year.
I have just ordered this year's glasses, so hopefully they look as cool in real life as they do in the picture.

If you want to play,

send your address to thesunglassesgame@gmail.com.

I'm also experimenting with an idea so that hopefully the glasses will make it to everyone...
I'll be sending out multiple pairs of the same glasses. Some packages will have different instructions.

Group One will be done the same way as in years past: send them to whoever you want and email me who you sent them to with the photos.

Group Two will have a schedule with a deadline for you to mail the glasses to the next person. We will see which method works better.

There may or may not be a third group with other ideas (Rachel, are you going to be in Spain all summer? We have to powwow about an idea I have).

So, in addition to your address, please send me good times for you to get the glasses (i.e. right before an awesome trip, right around a significant event, or bad times like NOT July since I'll be gone that month or NOT August because we're moving). Also, let me know if you prefer group one or two or you don't care.

The general rules are the same...

SUMMARY:

We're playing the sunglasses game - you take a photo of yourself/your friends and lovers wearing the sunglasses and we make a giant collection.

IF YOU WANT TO PLAY, EMAIL thesunglassesgame@gmail.com WITH THE FOLLOWING INFO:

1 | Your name and address

2 | Times to send or not to send you the glasses

3 | If you prefer group one or two (optional)

other things we did BBL (Before Brad Left)

2011-04-28T23:43:00.000-06:00

Visit the Museum of Paleontology (Lick Poop!)

Which we found to be mostly full of plastic replicas of actual bones that are not on display.

We also went bowling with McKian + Z, Bregan, and Cody, which turned into magical cosmic bowling...

ooh! And then Brad and I took pictures in this photobooth which was only ONE DOLLAR instead of three (there was a magic credit for $2 already in there).

This is the upside down version of me and Blad at the airport before he left for grood.

Then he left and I cried and I was SUPER embarrassed. True.

Now on the weekends, I get wasted and go clubbin... you know, livin up the single life!

March Cake

2011-04-23T11:41:00.000-06:00

I asked Brad what kind of a cake he wanted for March since he was leaving, and he had only one request: chocolate. Real original Brad. I wanted something less boring so I searched through Food Network and found this cake. It's a chocolate cake with a cheesecake filling. Yes, I made a freaking cheesecake to stick in the middle layer.

It had some almond extract (liqueur, but I swapped for some extract instead - if you do this, you only need like 1/10 of the amount) so it had a sweet nutty flavor to it. The cake was REALLY rich but also REALLY good. The cheesecake in the middle was a nice touch.

*In case you were wondering what's with all the cake, I read on some blog that some person was making a cake a month as a New Year's Resolution and decided to adopt it. There are hundreds of cake recipes I always want to try, but we never have an "occasion" to make cake and you don't always want to try something new on a birthday or something. So now, I will test all those new recipes and hopefully find some new favorites.

Guess what else! This is the THREE HUNDREDTH POST. An accomplishment or a sign that I need a life?

dear kuck mckuck,

2011-04-21T10:01:00.002-06:00

Because of all the organizing/bed hi-jacking/refinishing/rearranging that I'm doing, our house is kind of a disaster right now. Disaster/hurricane/tornado - except all these words don't really express the extremity of the situation.

Moral of the story: count your many blessings that you're missing out on the clubhouse effect (what Brea calls our house because "it feels like a treehouse since there's stuff everywhere).
I look forward to the day that I have a pristine home and can give you an HGTV-style big reveal of how awesomely organized everything is...

love,
the best wife ever

this is how we do it

2011-04-18T12:10:00.000-06:00

When we found out we had about two weeks to spend together before reverting to semi-single life, we decided to try to make the most of it. Unfortunately/Luckily Brad and I have one common passion (we have a few, but this is EASILY our favorite): Eating... So we spent a lot of our spare time eating together....

****

I found out it was Mardi Gras mid-day and decided we needed to hit it up in style... so we used a Groupon from sometime ago and went to our favorite burger stop: SmashBurger.

I got to eat these lovely beauties (I craved french fries like the plague for a good two month period):

We followed that up with a trip to Yogurtland, which lives up to the hype and has pretty freaking good yogurt.

My magic pink yogurt - I think it was guava passionfruit or something?, pistachio (the BEST ever), and coconut with sprinkles, mochi balls, and a lychee (the Yogurtlandia-ese man said it's like a cross between a mandarin orange and a pear - good description and it's really good too).

Blad's pistachio, strawberry, chocolate something or another with blackberries and the best cheesecake bits he's ever had.

****

I also started seeing pictures of food and wanting to eat them... this was crusty grilled cheese with invention Italian sausage soup (I looked up about three recipes then made one up with things I wanted to go into it).

****

At Malawi's Pizza with the Rat and Jason... I think I left with atherosclerosis but it was dang good.

****

For the first day of spring we busted out the grill and had steak Asian kabobs... I LOVE grilling our own steak.

****

Every year during spring, Lobsterfest happens at Red Lobster and every year, Brad sees the commercials and wants to go. So, compliments of Discover cashback (if you don't do this, let's talk because it's the BEST thing of my life), we dined at Red Lobster and Brad had lots and lots of lobster.

We also tried the lobster bisque which was DELICIOUS. I had some sort of crab alfredo dish that I literally ate like 3/4 of the crab off of then picked at the noodles because I was so full. Then, after we boxed the leftovers (complete with the AWESOME biscuits), I forgot it on the table. Lame.

****

We also had to eat some J Dawgs - I got extra pickles so that I could eat one by itself and one with the hot dog... also fantastic.

****

Oooh, this was a good invention too. Beef stew with a puff pastry top. I looked up a bunch of beef stew recipes... Then I think I ended up going with a Paula Deen recipe. I got some stew beef at Target - it's some fancy angus beef pieces and OH MY GOSH THEY WERE SO GOOD.

You just crush the top in kind of like a pot pie... so easy yet so mmmmm...

****

The day before Brad left, we had buffalo wings at Rocky Mountain WingShak - the ONLY place to get good buffalo wings in Utah. XX Hot Garlic Parmesan and Hot = magic in my mouth. The tater tots? Also magical.

****

On our way to the airport, we hit up Thai Lotus in Salt Lake for some good Thai food... their lunch specials are SUPER awesome and super cheap. I forgot my camera in the car, so Brad took them with his phone (I think), and I don't have access to his phone, so you'll just have to imagine how good that food was....

dear blad,

2011-04-14T22:57:00.000-06:00

Since I'll hopefully be asleep by the time you get off work, I thought I'd write you a [public] letter because I'm awesome.

I know you've been concerned about my eating habits since you've left. Especially since it has mainly consisted of things like donuts, candy, potato chips, a few leftovers, noodles, bread, Taco Bell, french fries....

Just so you can be comforted, this is what I had for dinner the other night:

PastaRoni with chicken and tomatoes and a butter lettuce salad.

I don't know if I'm just out of habit cooking or what, but oh my gosh the PastaRoni was so good.

love.me

yet another rhetorical true or false statement

2011-04-13T14:40:00.001-06:00

The last post was true too (even though Brad tried to throw everyone off with his comment).

Maybe one day I'll have funny true or false stories that might actually be false...

Until then, here's another "true or false" statement:

We just found out that we have to move in August.

The same time that the baby is due. ;)

Yep. I'm loving life right now!

{This is a picture of a sign I saw on our Christmas Eve drive to Vegas. It's at the Casablanca in Mesquite and says, "Hit a Royal, Get a Bonus!" Appropriate, no?}

true or false: absence makes the heart grow fonder?

2011-04-05T08:01:00.002-06:00

alright... so that last post was true. woot.

so, knowing that i will soon be great with child, is the following true or false...

brad is selling alarms again this summer.

in alaska.

without me.

starting today.

{cute map huh!}

Things You May Have Missed Out On...

2011-04-01T23:08:00.027-06:00

In honor of my good friend Laura Mitchell (yes I know your last name changed, but I like to call you Laura Mitchell), we're going to play a little game of TRUE or FALSE.

Is the following scenario True, or Falso:

On Christmas Day, I gave Brad the best gift ever: a little stick with a little message - yes (or something like that).

Then, in January, we got to see the little nudger, which basically looks like this:

(that is a smudged charcoal drawing - similar to ultrasounds)

Then, in February, we heard a little heartbeat, which sounded like moving sheet metal... or a doppler tornado or something.

Then, in March, the little parasite turned out to be el nino aka a little weiner aka a boy.

(which, do you guys remember the old calling card commercial? ... "Weoddababy Itsaboy" - You have a collect call from "Weoddababy Itsaboy." Would you like to accept? - No - ::click:: - Who was that? - Joe. They had a baby. It's a boy.)

Now, since I know you've all loved my previous "big announcements" and April Fool's Day posts, I ask you,

is this story TRUE or FALSE?!

Pi Day 2011

2011-03-28T22:42:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came and ate pi(e), brought pi(e), and celebrated pi.

Unfortunately, Tia's camera transfer botched out McKinley's picture and anyone/anything else that was photographed after that... But, that IS McKinley's arm and her number WAS three, and hopefully, no one came in after her....

V-Day Love Oh and why these blank posts are happening.

2011-03-24T21:07:00.000-06:00

A lot of pictures follow.

V-Day Love Part 1 - Shirley Temples with heart shaped ice cubes, cute centerpieces, chocolate dipped strawberries, lots of red, cheesecake... oh and the rat and jason.

Part two. Valentine's Day brunch with B-Rad's Fiz-am. Orange juice, fruit salad, biscuits and gravy, coffee cake, and... more chocolate dipped strawberries. I didn't take a group picture. Brad doesn't really go for them so I didn't subject his family to constant photo ops.

(PS February cake = coconut something coffee cake. Really good. And I love coffee cake.)

Part 3 with the Brad. Chinese take-out (and the Slam Dunk contest had to wait a week since they didn't schedule it around Valentine's Day like they usually do). Also, Krispy Kreme donuts. Which I also love. mmmm... donuts.

Oh... and about those blank posts. I make them in order to motivate myself to post by certain dates. Then, on Tuesday, I spilled water on the Mac (which almost ruined my marriage), then I left my takeout at Red Lobster, then I downloaded a virus onto the pursetop... so, those got posted blank.

Good news: the Mac and the pursetop are ok.

Bad news: We never got those Red Lobster leftovers. And I had only eaten like five bites. Oh, and the posts got posted blankly.

Good news: I have deleted the old posts that are blank, and also posted this post, so it looks like things are getting better.

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-03-16T11:05:00.002-06:00

{Oops! Sorry I posted this sans post... It was an attempt to motivate me to post, but instead, I ended up posting blank....}

Why I Love the Super Bowl:

Things not pictured: Tres Leches Cake, French Dip Sandwiches, Veggie Tray (mmm... ranch)

Yes, I love the Super Bowl because it means LOTS of good food.

And friends...

BYU Basketball

2011-03-13T10:35:00.000-06:00

The only good thing about the awful frigid winter here: BYU basketball. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend too many games due to my work schedule, but I took work off/made room for a few...

BYU vs. SDSU. In all its epic glory.

And BYU vs. UNLV.

What?! You may have noticed my white shirt... I know right? I was just as surprised as you are. I mean, I have worn my red, "Real Mormons are Rebels" shirt since 2006 (before that it was just red), so why abandon it now? Well, my friends, a very good (but overtold, according to Brad) story:

In 2008, I was talking to my dad during the what I think was the first round of the NCAA tournament (in my brain, my dad had tickets; Brad and I were just married; Brad couldn't go because of school, but I was free to attend.... but there wasn't a round of the tournament in Salt Lake that year that I can see so I'm not sure when/where this was - can someone figure out the brain glitch here?!) Anyways, I was talking to my dad, and he asked me what I thought about BYU that year. I remember telling him eh/eh, but there was this freshman Jimmer Fredette who I thought was pretty awesome. How do I remember this minute detail? My exact wording was something like, "I like this freshman, Jimmer Fredette - he's got balls." I recall this because of my dad's reaction, "Balls?! Since when does my daughter say something like balls?!" "Well, he does," I told him. I was surprised that he was surprised by my usage of the word "balls"... as if it was the crudest thing I've ever said.

Fast forward to now: I still love Jimmer, and consequently, I've grown quite fond of BYU basketball (Davies was my next potential fave, and Emery is a winner). I felt such a weird abandonment of myself to wear white, but I felt a surge of betrayal if I wore red... So I conceded. And I felt REAL good about it. The end.

And BYU vs. Wyoming, senior night.

Yep, that's a sideways picture of elephants from last year's trip to San Diego Zoo. Because this last game was during my boycott of taking pictures. In case you were wondering: it was great.

Pi Day Embrace your Inner Nerd

2011-03-10T08:05:00.006-07:00

Come to Pi Day!! It's one of my favorite holidays.

Let {us} Eat Cake

2011-03-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

I saw somewhere in the internet world that someone had a goal of making a cake every month.
I always have a LONG list of cakes I want to try, so Brad and I adopted that goal (I make the cakes; he does the dishes and eats them).

January's cake: Hot Chocolate Cake

It's a really rich chocolate cake with cayenne pepper in it. I love it. It would have a really rich chocolate taste with a warm sensation in your mouth after you swallowed. Amazing. It's a complete experience.
It's from Country Living's Great Cakes recipe book, which is really hard to find (my mom found me one and gave it to me for my birthday - this book is a GIFT, pure magic).

Sundance 2011

2011-03-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

Back in the end of January, we/I enjoyed the Sundance Film Festival.
This one time we went up to Park City and saw Manchester Orchestra perform.
This would have been my DREAM set if:
1: Middle-aged, trashy idiots weren't all trying to pick up on each other the whole time,
2: Danko Jones hadn't burned out my eyes/ears before (oh my gosh, I've never witnessed anything so crude EVER),
3: People would have SHUT UP!

Since Brad humored me last year with seeing LOTS of movies (and since he didn't volunteer this year), we didn't hit any up while in Park City. Oh and it was FREEZING. We did, however, hit up Wendy's for some DELICIOUS french fries... the new sea salt thing? Awesome.

While volunteering, I got to see a few flicks....

In a Better World - This was a really fascinating movie that makes you think about war/violence/revenge/peace and how far is too far vs. how far is effective. I really enjoyed it. If you're wondering about the rating, they say the f word in Danish a few times... and have some hospital scenes that might be considered gory (I'm kind of immune to a lot of hospital things).

Troubadours - This documentary is about the singer/song-writer movement of the seventies. I loved it. It's exactly what you would expect from it, but in the end, you just feel good about the idea of creating something close to your heart. I was quite surprised to see how family-oriented Carole King was/is.

Grab - I have this weird obsession with Native American culture, so I was DYING to see this movie. I have to say, I wish that Parker Posey wasn't narrating it because I actually hate her voice. The subject matter is interesting, but it did feel like it was moving pretty slowly. Probably because I was hoping for it to be a little more cultural and was disappointed how normal the people are. Not that it's a fault or anything - it's just a racial stereotype.

I really wasn't in a big movie-watching mood this year (which is lame). I am dying to see Abraxas. I was quite bummed that there weren't as many documentaries that I was dying to see (I still haven't seen Exit Through the Gift Shop and Teenage Paparazzo from last year - which I still REALLY want to see). All in all, I love the Sundance Film Festival.

The end.

you make me feel like blogging!

2011-02-23T10:55:00.003-07:00

{to the tune of: you make me feel like dancing!}
I don't really know who makes me feel like blogging, but there's something in the universe tugging at me today saying, "Blog, my little friend! It will make you happy!"
I'm all about being happy so here we go...

{photo by Angie - which is entirely unrelated to this post (except that I just said "happy" and I look happy), but I believe that almost all blog posts should be accompanied by a picture, so here ya go.}

Unrelated blog thoughts that have been tumbling through my mind:
- I miss my camera with the SD card. A: it took clearer pictures, and B: you didn't need a cord to transfer them. Laziness wins out and I don't see the point in posting blurring pictures if it takes an extra effort.
- A wise friend once told me this: "The internet exists for me." Which is true. Although I enjoy blogging, I don't really feel bad for not blogging because the internet exists for me and I am not a slave. I do, however, feel bad for YOU because I'm sure you miss me while I'm gone.
- Thank you Utah for not being FREAKING FRIGID all February. I have enjoyed being able to go outside without donning my winter coat and/or freezing my face off.

Oh boy I just realized I have some goodies in store too... besides V-Day Love, there is also something I have to finish composing in my brain about a welcomed betrayal against my past (UNLV vs BYU), a photographic essay of my new hobby (sniffing steam), and a little surprise project that will hopefully be ready in about a month.

hhhhhharry!!!

2011-02-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

While I was out today, I passed by the dollar theatre. And Harry Potter 7 is playing there.
Due to this fact, I figured it was about time that I retire my beloved Harry Potter header.
Until June/July when I make an epic new one in preparation for Harry Potter 7 1/2.
Which I am already REALLY excited/sad/anxious about.

food + friends are all my blog posts about eating?

2011-01-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

After the new year, we reunited with friends at the Bombay House.

I was mostly excited that our curry came out in little metal dishes (the best curry I've ever had in New York came in little metal dishes, so I associate the two together).

We followed dinner with cards and cupcakes, best combo ever.

marriage is what brings us together this day.

2011-01-28T10:11:00.002-07:00

We celebrated our anniversary by going to Tuscany in Salt Lake (I told Brad that all I wanted was to eat somewhere that we wouldn't eat unless it was a special occasion).

I loved the food and the dessert and eating. It was a little pricey, but really good. Brad had a meatloaf that had pulled pork in it which was a cool twist and really good. I had a pasta special that had a wine sauce (my favorite), butternut squash, and sundried tomatoes. For dessert, we had a banana cream pie that had a coconut crust. I LOVE eating dessert. Seriously. We never really order dessert unless it's a special occasion, but it's one of my favorite things.

Fun fact: Mark Eaton (former Jazz player) is one of the owners.

Check out the awesome Harry Potter glowing menus. Magic.
The third anniversary is the leather anniversary... I got Brad a belt (he needed a new one) and he got me some snowboarding boots and a charm for my charm bracelet (I get one every year).

byu beats sdsu... holla!

2011-01-26T23:36:00.001-07:00

We interrupt this trip down memory lane for an imperative current event.

BYU BEATS SDSU.

Yep. I even wore white for the whiteout. I think this is a lifetime first. And I was lucky I found a white shirt (and we still need a new camera).

ahh the sweet victory. No we did not [flood the court - what is the term for this in basketball?].
a: it was far, b: I didn't want to die.

Also related:
BYU/Jimmer owned Sportscenter (which we've been watching for the past hour and a half).
Part two of above.
Kevin Durant likes Jimmer.

I predict that tomorrow's headlines will read something like this:
"Jimmer Ends Aztec's Perfect Record."
Why? Jimmer had 43 out of 71 of the Cougars' points. Jimmer has lots of hype. SDSU's perfect record ended. (Not to mention Jimmer got WORKED... did you see the giant claw scratches across his shoulder?! Enlarge the below image.)

And, although I've been on team jimmer forever (and still am), you've gotta give it up to the rest of the team... Hartsock and Emery were rockin' today in non-shooting areas (and Emery's little steal-dunk-block/steal?! amazing), Anderson only had 3 fouls and had 2 points!, and Davies had a great game.

Also, did anyone else get REALLY annoyed by the lack of reffing the first half of the game? It was like the refs realized at 5-7 minutes left in the first half that they'd just been WATCHING the whole time, and they'd completely forgotten about their JOB to MAKE CALLS. Oops.

{PS. Dear Neil Anderson - Cool Cougar?! You couldn't think of a better beverage than that?! Seriously? A Cool Cougar? I think I had an elementary school t-shirt that said that along with something like "don't do drugs".}

So it's a new year.

2011-01-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

New Year's Eve is one of my favorite holidays. Lots of family and lots of food. This year was a little lower key, but I still love it.

clockwise from top left: dancing in the attic - Thriller, Serene doesn't like head spins, Sacre Bleu - our crab that Brea had my dad buy from the food crab place because she wanted it as a pet, food, more food, midnight udon noodles, Blad, Britney, me.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: A Royal Christmas

2011-01-23T21:52:00.001-07:00

Our families live twenty minutes from each other (which is both a blessing and a curse),

so after Christmas morning, we scurried over to the Royals for part two of Christmas.

Clockwise from top left: David in his Christmas blanket, Brad playing with a bag, Jordan waiting to be given his presents, Mike telling Maralea that she'll want to return this Christmas gift (jewelry), me sleeping on the floor in our Christmas blanket.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: The Best Part about Christmas

2011-01-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

My two favorite things about Christmas? Christmas cards and wrapping schemes.

This year's card was a combo of photoshopping and some minor crafting skills (i.e. sewing along the top edge).

I've been looking forward to this wrapping scheme since Christmas last year; I bought the paper and everything last December. Each present had a silhouette of the recipient on it.

One of my favorite wrappings yet.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: Christmas morning

2011-01-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

This year, Kellen kindly let us sleep in until about 8 (hallelujah). Then the Christmas madness began.

{clockwise} Brea is fat so she got a bunch of workout dvds for Christmas, my mom compared her silhouette to her actual face, my mom also made a turban out of a bow (guys - are you seeing where this comes from?), Kellen's smallest present came in the biggest box, and Lauren Bucks that she made for my mom.

Me and Brad and our early morning happiness.

These jovial scenes were followed by a fantastic breakfast with the Holleys and some Black Ops for the boys. Then, Brad and I traveled to the south side for part two....

The Ghost of Christmas Past: Christmas Eve

2011-01-13T18:43:00.002-07:00

I am excited to embark on a journey into this Christmas past because there are lots of pictures and lots of awesomeness.

We begin this saga with Christmas Eve.

The above photo is taken at 1 am after we had finally opened our Christmas Eve pjs and about the same time that my mom suggested we read Luke 2

(me: Mom, there is NO WAY. I've been up since 4 am Vegas time... I think my eyes are going to fall out of my head.).

The evening's previous excitement:
Favorite foods dinner with the fam at the other Horitos'.

{L-R, top to bottom} Prime rib and those bacon waterchestnuts, spam musubi and rolls, chocolate molten cake, sushi (rolled by my mama), Star Wars cookies, wedge salad, my dad's holiday outfit (holiday as in I think he wore that the whole time I was home), Serene being smothered, and some post-dinner jumping jacks.

This year, we had a lovely production of A Star Wars Carol - basically a Star Wars take on the Christmas Carol, complete with Darth Vader (Scrooge), Luke Skywalker and the Jedis (that guy - the Tiny Tim dad and family), The Han Solo of Christmas Past, the Storm Trooper of Christmas Present, and Chewbacca of Christmas Future.

The Han Solo of Christmas Past showing Darth his days as Anakin with Padma, a joyful Christmas day reunion of the Jedis and nice Darth - right before Brad's line, a group shot of the entire cast.

We have a video that is basically awesome and will change your life forever, but I have to pilfer it from someone else because it wasn't made on our camera.

good luck kuck

2011-01-07T08:42:00.004-07:00

Today, Brad is interviewing for a job

mainly because he's been spending about 90% of his time like this:

No this is not a picture of a teenage boy in high school.

This is my 26-year-old, college grad husband who enjoys his time playing Black Ops with his friends.

**To his defense, he does do a nice job cleaning up my messes, making dinner, and attending to all other needs of the house.**

::still:: married

2011-01-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

three years ago....

and we're still married...

Of course, this photo is pre-Ohio State beating Arkansas because we're smiling, and we still like each other. Apparently Brad decided that Arkansas blowing their chances at winning ruined his night and turned him into Oscar the Grouch/the Grinch's hated stepchild because blah blah blah Ohio State, overrated, stupid something, didn't get what he wanted, wah.

Dear BCS/Arkansas/college football,

Thanks for ruining my anniversary.

>;)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:57:00.002-07:00

Thanks for reading about us... Here are some things exciting things we've been up to:

We started out the year by celebrating our marriage (two years).

Brad attended (as a graduate) BYU's Commencement Ceremonies. We are both proud to be Bachelor grads.

Since Brad wasn't knocking doors all summer, we definitely made the most of it: taking trips to California, hanging out with family and friends, and making our annual visit to the State Fair - my favorite event of the year.

We both, of course, grew older. I was excited to have a birthday party with friends (since usually we're too far away) and Brad enjoyed birthday BYU games and food and family.

Our Halloween costumes were not as intense as last year, but fun nonetheless.

The holidays have entered with Thanksgiving in Utah.

Now our home is decorated for the Christmas season, and we're awaiting the end of my Christmas Eve workday to scurry to Vegas for a quick celebration!

Enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!

merry christmas!

love.brad+whitney ...

To visit the fam...

2010-12-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Because of pre-blogging, I am most likely working right now! I'll be on my way to Vegas for Christmas Eve in no time at all!! Here are some pics of when Risa, Eric, and bunny came to visit earlier this month!

Me and my little twin star!

She know she's leaving me so naturally, she's worried.

they'll be parties for hosting...

2010-12-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so I didn't really host a party...

Jenn and Misha came into town for Christmas so we all gathered together for some festivities. Our original plan was to go ice skating, but it was RAINING (yes, raining, weird huh!) so we opted for some indoor activities.

We congregated at Treesh's house for pizza.

Then headed over to Fat Cats for some bowling.

We killed the wait time for two lanes by playing arcade games (Alisia and her tickets).

We played a round robin, girls vs. boys air hockey. This is after Treesh and I scored a goal - hence my blocking Rat's head.

The boys basically killed us because Brad's a cheater and pancake smashes the puck which is totally illegal.

Oh yes, it was cosmic bowling night. And they were playing club music.

Basically, I BEAT BRAD AT BOWLING!! I had something like 120 and he had something like 108... I have the scores printed out but I'm too lazy to find them. Of course, I had bumpers, but STILL. I had two strikes that didn't touch the bumpers and for me to hit pins at all with or without bumpers is a feat. We considered going clubbing that night, but Alisia forgot her id so there was no point in forcing Treesh and Jenn into going.

Our outdoor group shot after a fun night (and before an hour and half drive home due to freeway closures because of pedestrians getting hit on the I-15).

And since Jason's seems to be high in this one, I'll post the second one for Alisia (although Jenn and Misha are falling in that one - photoshop them together in your brain).

Nevermind, maybe that's just his face. ;)

Welcome to the Record

2010-12-22T09:31:00.008-07:00

David and his roommate Landon had a final project for History of Creativity (a class they were in). They had to do something creative that was a modern day epic. David and Landon wrote some lyrics and sent them to Brad. Brad wrote the music and recorded the song for them (recording, editing, instruments, etc. - basically I'm bragging about Brad).
I came home to this lovely scene:

Because I know you want to hear it, here it is.

(In order to add it, I made it a movie. The movie is just pictures of me and Brad to last the full length of the song. It is not critical that you watch it, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you do.)

My favorite part is the end... when I get to yell with the group. ;)

a time for sharing and caring

2010-12-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

After we went snowboarding, we ran over to Macy's for an Angel Tree gift (since Christmas is all about giving, right?).
We picked a name from the ones left (they were all 20+ years old). Ours was an older lady who liked the color purple and wanted pjs and clothes - my department.

Our pictures are kind of lame (we were in a hurry - we hadn't eaten yet since snowboarding), but they are pictures, so be grateful. ;)

a shared interest.

2010-12-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Brad and I share a strong interest (it's one of very few commonalities between us): food.
Recently, we ventured out to Spark for dinner. Let me tell you: it. was. so. good.

Brad's Kobe Beef Burger. Awesome. Also those fries?! Secured the spot for best fries in Provo.

My mac and cheese. What?! Mac and cheese?! No, seriously, it was AWESOME.

Dessert was this weird cheesecake tower. Also awesome. Those thin wafer cookies + their cream cheese filling = love.

I dream about going back.

Bonus: As my Christmas present to you, I have posts scheduled all week long so you can enjoy the best thing about Christmas: having friends like us.

let the snowboarding season begin!

2010-12-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

Brad has been counting down the days until we went snowboarding again (he now considers himself a legit snowboarder). Luckily our buddy Jon hooked us up with free passes so we could enjoy a day on the mountain.

This is a back way pass that looked really pretty.

oh ps is was COLD. I couldn't feel my fingers after snapping these shots.

Brad on said weirdy back pass.

We ran into my uncle and cousins up there (they hooked us up last year) so I had fun boarding with them for awhile as well!

And there you have it. We're cool.
{PS I added the missing Thanksgiving pictures if you're interested in seeing an awesome shot of me and an awesome shot of the Jello}

SHOP NOW!

2010-12-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Every year, December means one thing: the American Crafts Warehouse Sale.

This is no ordinary sale. I only buy anything scrapbook related here (pens, brads, stickers, paper, ribbon, sticky, envelopes, albums, gift boxes - ANYTHING); I guess it's really anything paper related.

Serious - check out my swag:

And... it all cost LESS THAN $30! Shocking right?

More details on the stuff I got:

Approx. pricing in rainbow order (I honestly can't remember exact prices, but these are PRETTY accurate):

red - gift boxes, 6 packs of 3. 6 for $5

orange - pens, 10 total. $.75 each (but the cashier hooked me up and made them $.50 because he was cool)

yellow - pack of 60 sheets of heavy weight cardstock, $6 (maybe that's wrong)

green - 6 packs of cute stickers, 6 for $4 (or $1 each, but once you get to three you might as well get three more)

blue - 6 adhesive runners (3 dots, 3 solids), 6 for $4

purple - packs of envelopes, 4 packs of 12 5x7 envelopes, 2 packs of 25 4.5x5.75 envelopes, 6 for $4

Awesome deals right?

It's open 9-6, Monday thru Saturday.

LAST DAY IS SATURDAY!!

This is my third year going - Please go so they'll keep doing it!

AMERICAN CRAFTS
476 N. 1500 W.
OREM, UT 84057

I'm thankful that Brad's family had Thanksgiving in Utah so we didn't have to make Thanksgiving SUPER lame since I worked the night before and the morning after.

2010-12-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

I am also thankful that I got wise and decided to bring a change of clothes for the athletic activities that follow our gorging.

The Pre-Dinner game:

This picture is one of my favorites; it looks like an ad campaign for happiness, family, and fun.

I was not here... Instead, I was putting up the Christmas tree.

After dinner activities:

Dodgeball

Basketball

Trust Fall

When I'm not sick and lazy, I'll post the picture of the Jello we brought - Brad and David made it and they did pret-ty, pret-ty good. (Curb your Enthusiasm)

The Jello (finished product in the background, I just liked the look of the edge of the pan)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2010-11-28T22:41:00.001-07:00

I now present to you: our unfinished Christmas decor! (I reserve the right to add/take away decorations as time progresses.)

The mantle

The view from our tree

This lovely scene greets you at the door

(Those lonely red ribbons are waiting for your Christmas cards!)

Looking out the window (yes that is snow outside!)

I cheated a little bit this year and put up my Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day (that way it would be there when I got home from my lovely Black Friday shift).

I also only allowed myself to spend $20 on new Christmas decorations. I stopped at Tai Pan and picked up that green garland thing on the fireplace (I felt like the mantle really wanted one this year and it was only $10). I also got the red ornaments hanging from the ghetto gold tinsel because I loved them.

This year, I was REALLY excited to hurry and get my Christmas decor up! It makes me feel all cozy inside.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks... So here are a couple of recent food discoveries that I'm thankful for (since Thanksgiving is also a time to think a LOT about eating).

I'm thankful that Pepperidge Farm has come out with their own version of Tim Tams so it doesn't cost me $8 a package to make Brad happy.

(You're thankful that I posted these photos even though they're sideways and I'm too lazy to fix them.)

I'm also thankful that Wing Street at Pizza Hut is actually good - regular hot mixed with the garlic parmesan = amazingness. My mouth waters thinking about it.

what to do when your husband goes out of town.

2010-11-23T09:32:00.004-07:00

Much to Brad's dismay, I am not one of those wives who is all out of sorts when their husband leaves. I don't write "blah blah blah wah I miss my husband" on Facebook, I don't call every five minutes, I don't cry myself to sleep. If anything, my Facebook status would say, "Holla!! Brad's gone and I get the whole bed to myself tonight!!"

So what did I do while Brad was out of town?

- First, I worked until midnight. Yes, midnight.
- Then I came home and fell asleep watching HP3 in bed.

- When I woke up, I put on footie pajamas. Then I accidentally spilled my cereal all over myself (oh yes my Londonees - I'm still spilling dairy products all over myself) and no one was here to yell at me for being an idiot!!

- Then I did nothing all day.

- Then Jeanettey came over, and we bought wallflowers at Bath and Body, and we went to see Tia and Brea in UVU's Best Dance Crew...

...which was awesome.

{Please excuse the weird comments, my trash talk, the shakiness, and weird noises I may make... Better videos exist on Facebook.}

The next day was much less exciting: I woke up and worked, then went to work, then Brad got home.

hhhhhharrry potter....

2010-11-21T21:22:00.002-07:00

Question: Do I love Harry Potter?
Answer: Yes.
Question: How much?
Answer: Well, I woke up at 7:30 am on Saturday (we all know I RARELY see the day prior to 9 am) after sleeping-ish for 5 hours (because we finished HP6 at 2:30 am), got dressed, and headed to the theatre.
{Our intention was to see the 9:00 am showing, but when we got there, it was sold out. In fact, EVERY showing was sold out, except 9:50. Now, 9:50 was actually our first choice, but we had assumed it would sell out, hence the preparations to get there for the 9:00 showing.}
We arrived at 8:00 am, and the theatre opened it's doors at 8:30 am, and we picked out our prime seats (as the second group to enter the theatre), and I slept for an hour. In the theatre.

Question: Was I a dork with HP gear at the movie?
Answer: Never fear, I attended the movie with my awesome lightning bolt headband I fashioned for the occasion, my Harry Potter blanket Courtney gave me in high school, and my Slug Club ring from Rachel...

Did you see it?! What did you think about it?!
Let's discuss it in the comments.

because you were good...

2010-11-19T01:12:00.000-07:00

You will be rewarded: Pictures of my Little Twin Star (we're both the oldest, both the awesomest, both born in the year of the tiger, both leos, both given "e" as a root in our middle name which means "blessing").

Scared of the mommy monster:

(I watch the video over and over and over again and laugh EVERY TIME)

Playing with Uncle Sean John in a box:

Wearing the coolest styrofoam hat:

Still loving (and currently missing) this baby.