Carlklef Chronicles

reading roundup

2012-02-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

In keeping with my goal to read 52 books this year - I thought I would provide a reading roundup for the month. Here are the books that I read:

Let me just say this - RUN to the bookstore/library/amazon and buy, "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt. I loved. Loved. LOVED this book so much. I texted my friend Lindy incessantly telling her that she had to read it. She finished it yesterday and I think she loved it as much as I did.

And in all honesty - of these six books the only two that I wouldn't recommend are "Miracle Cure" by Harlan Coben (so not his best work) and "What Dreams May Come" by Richard Matheson. The Dreams book was stupid - it came highly recommended but whoa . . . I found it just bad/dumb.

All in all - a successful reading month. But I will say this - after reading books on the kindle it's almost hard to go back to paper. The one-handedness is just so fantastic.

And because we always need more Henry - here he is playing a rousing game of "pat-a-cake" with Grandma.

we be jammin'

2012-01-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

At the risk of making it look like we don't care for our child . . . we've discovered that Henry's lustrous locks have a penchant for turning into dreadlocks. A couple of weeks we clipped out two (2) (TWO!) dreadlocks . . only to find a couple more last night. We do wash and comb his hair. We promise.

But in the meantime . . . I guess we be jammin'

alt summit

2012-01-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does it seem like all the "cool" people are attending the Alt Summit? You know the blogging conference where they get together and learn all about how to continue being blog-abulous? I just picture them all walking around in their fancy outfits, fit and trim, and talking about how you can literally "have it all!"

Well rest assured, I am not at that conference. In fact this morning, Henry spit up all over me and my work clothes right when we were about to go out the door. I guess you would consider the whole incident the opposite of blog-abulous.

Good thing he is cute.

ten things

2012-01-15T14:17:00.003-07:00

I fear that it has happened. . . what I thought wouldn't happen . . . has happened. I don't really have anything else to talk about on this blog besides Henry. Crapola. Let me think. Alright - I think I have a few things:

1) We watched the movie, "The Debt" - with the exclusion of a few swears I must say - it was pretty good. Good enough that although I fell asleep while we were watching it - the next morning I finished it while on the treadmill.

2) I am continuing on my quest to read 52 books. This morning I just finished book #3. And none of them have been golden books - so there you go. I found a couple of blogs that usually give pretty good book recommendations and then I always have voracious readers Lindy and Abby to help me out - so far so good.

3) I don't know if I will ever knit again. I blame Henry.

4) I am eating healthy. While Henry was in utero I used that as an excuse to pretty much eat anything and everything in sight - oreos anyone? Well, unfortunately, all of that eating didn't go just to the baby. Junk. So I've been cooking - which I think Greg loves - even if the meals aren't always his favorite. I'm taking the high road and I have cut out sugar and flour. It's only been 11 days - but um who is counting?

5) Trying to figure out permanent childcare in P-town is hard. hard. hard. Does anyone know of anyone that runs a day-care? Anyone? Anyone? It's not ideal but it will do - and any day I suspect that Ed McMahon will be walking up my sidewalk to tell me that I've won the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. Any day. Oh wait - isn't Ed dead?

6) Lately, I've been losing all my scrabble games. I really need to focus.

7) You know how pregnancy/birth is supposed to thin your hair and stuff? At least someone told me that - well I have the exact opposite problem - I swear I am looking more and more like a chubby lion.

8) I ran (I use the term loosely) a 5k yesterday. The good news? My time can only get better.

9) I love watching reality tv lately. Oh goodness. Or in Rachel's words - white trash reality tv. Sure. I'll own up to it.

10) I have nothing more to say - but I wanted to end with ten things - so there you go.

And for good measure - here's a picture of my cute boyfriend. Sometimes I think he might love me - but then I realize that he is just using me for my milk.

This is Henry saying, "Hello Ladies"

super powers

2012-01-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Lately, I find myself wishing that I had some super hero powers of some sort. I always thought that if I could ask for super powers it would be "to fly" but now my sights are set much lower - I would take just being able to fold laundry quickly or be able to be happy and cognizant on 3 hours of sleep.

(the pink sheets keep this Batman grounded)

a week recap . . .

2012-01-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Our world is still revolving around Henry - I'm sure that will change soon (yeah, right).
But a few other items to report:

1) I am going to read 52 books this year - book one finished - Ready Player One . . . and it was good.

2) I just finished organizing our spice cupboard. Organization - here I come. Or at least - this year I'm determined to not buy three things of vanilla extract (because I always think we are out) and two ginormous containers of garlic salt. Spices inventoried - so if anyone is looking for some random spice -feel free to give me a call - we probably have it and I can now finally find it. I'm hoping this organized cupboard will last longer than one week.

3) I'm drinking some diet dr. pepper right now - what are the odds that this is going to keep Henry up tonight? (Please say it will have no effect - please say no effect).

4) My nearest and dearest friends from forever ago came over to visit this week. Oh goodness - I don't know how I got so lucky to have them in my life. They are the kind of friends where you can talk about everything or nothing and always have a great time. They are the kind of friends where you can pick up right where you left off. They are the kind of friends that are just full of goodness.

4) Anna came over for a special Henry one on one visit. Oh goodness - it really doesn't get much cuter than this:

5) Oh - and Henry started to smile. Yay!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

2011 was full of change. I couldn't of predicted a bigger game changer than the birth of Henry. I love him - even when he makes me wake up in the middle of the night. I love his gross diapers. I love him when he is fussing. But I especially love him after a good sleep and when he smiles. My whole year of 2011 was pretty much all about him. And now 2012 - I have no doubt it will continue to be all about him.

That being said - I love a new year. I love what it represents. The fresh start. The renewal of life. The opportunity for reflection on the past and the hope for the future. With the new year and this little fake maternity leave of mine I have been thinking a lot about - well, everything. It is a blessing and a curse - thinking so much. And of all things to be thinking about - I've been thinking about "Survivor." In particular, the reality tv show's season finale. All the contestants briefly spoke but I was struck by Dawn, the BYU Professor and mother of six, who said something like, "Being on Survivor was a dream of mine - a dream I pretty much had no right to even have." I loved hearing this because it has forced me to think about my own dreams and even evaluate what dreams I may have quashed thinking that I had no right to have them. This year I want to re-evaluate those dreams and see if maybe I'm ready to believe in myself enough to have them.

I have long loved Marianne Williamson. I was first introduced to her by a yoga teacher when I lived in Kansas City. I remember her quoting a passage and just being overcome by it's beauty and simplicity. Ms. Williamson's most famous passage and one that is particularly fitting for this post is this:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

And with that . . . bring on 2012.

*and because this is a somewhat serious/personal post - here is a picture of Henry at 1 month - he really does look as if someone peed in his cheerios - this is proof of his fussing - even when he has absolutely NOTHING to fuss about

(this picture is especially for Naomi)

just in case you missed it!

2011-12-29T14:15:00.004-07:00

We are taking our new familial responsibilities seriously. Very seriously. Because most of this year was spent preparing for these roles we thought we’d share with you some of our best baby advice. You can trust us as experts – after all, Henry slept all night the second night home from the hospital (granted it was due to the jaundice diagnosis and it hasn’t happened since . . . but still . . . we know stuff).

Babies eat and eat and eat. So do missionaries. For the first 7 months this year the missionaries lived with us . . . and shared our kitchen. Those 19 year-olds really knew how to pack it away. They also knew how to make our house stink with their “creations”. Let’s leave it at this – the smell of boiled chicken will always remind us of pregnancy induced nausea. But it did make for some awesome blog stories (carlklef.blogspot.com)

Stop obsessing about being tired. This year we did our best to wear ourselves out. We ran a half-marathon, the red-rock relay, the ultra-competitive “Fairview Fun Run” and Greg took the scouts on a cool fifty-miler hike. We even practiced our parenting skills by being “ma and pa” on the stake trek where we dispensed words of wisdom such as, “If someone comes and wakes us up in the middle of the night because you are naughty – you’ll be in big trouble.” Yes, we were excellent examples.

Warm things up. With the arrival of Henry – we’ve got our heat on full-blast. However, we were not as good of landlords when the Elders lived with us. When one Floridian Elder told us he was “cold” . . . we simply suggested to him that he should use more blankets.

Embrace the chaos. Having never had a baby before we really didn’t know what to expect but imagine our surprise when we checked in to the hospital at 8:50 am and had a baby by 9:12 am. Apparently those were labor pains during the night and not just indigestion.

Ignore unwanted or confusing advice. Feel free to ignore any of our “advice” but don’t ignore this – Merry Christmas! Seasons Greetings! Happy Holidays!

Kris Tina & Greg (he tweets! @gregdanklef)

Season's Greetings!

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

My love of receiving Christmas cards runs deep - real deep. While Henry doesn't get out much in the cold weather I have still managed to make sure that we get to the mailbox everyday to pick up our cards. Psychologically I wonder what that says about me. . . but whatever - this has been a banner year for us:

While we have received a lot of great cards - this year I have to give the best Christmas/Holiday card of the year award to . . . drumroll please . . . the Toddcat:

Don't worry to all you others - better luck next year . . .

Oh and Henry says, "Monkeys are awesome!"

random(?)

2011-12-20T12:57:00.002-07:00

So if I can push Greg to the post office today - we'll actually have our Christmas cards sent off - a few days late but better late than never.

I've taken to dvr'ing jeopardy - did you know it is on TWICE a day? What a treat? I like to pretend that Henry is learning all sorts of valuable information from my trivia addiction.

Also - my dad sent me this picture just taunting me on Saturday . . .

Seriously? How could I not get in the car and go to her dance concert? I just had to. And it was absolutely worth it. Don't worry - Henry wasn't anywhere near the packed high school auditorium.

Are Christmas form letters out of style? I always second guess myself when it comes to these things. Whatever - it's in the mail.

a big day

2011-12-15T12:07:00.001-07:00

Today I have a few goals of things to accomplish:
1) Shower
2) Maybe get on the treadmill - I've done it two days in a row so I might need a break
3) Take a nap
4) Get out our Christmas cards and Henry's birth announcements - so actually this is probably going to take all day and all night.

But because the world needs more pictures of our son - and we don't have much else to talk about (oh wait I have a student that didn't show up for my final and wants me to give him a "special" final so that he can make it up - don't worry I'm not doing it - I'm teaching him a valuable lesson that he will appreciate in 20 years). Anyway - back to cute pictures:

We thought we might go for a Christmas motif for his birth announcement - but really he wasn't loving the hat and let's face it - his luxurious hair is his best feature. We don't want to cover that up.

So then we were thinking - maybe a naked baby photo. Those are always good - but in this one - he looks a little wasted.

We then thought -well since his favorite activity is having his hair washed - maybe we'll go with that:

But no - he kind of looks too much like a bird in this one.

I look at these pictures and think - oh goodness he is so so so cute. Oh but wait - he woke up every two hours last night. So no - he's not that cute right now.

finger lickin' good

2011-12-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

So as part of our newborn lockdown we are finally enjoying all those movies we meant to see this summer but just didn't get around to it. For example, this past weekend we watched, "The Help." Having read the book I was excited to see the movie. Greg? Not as much. But I will say this . . . he liked it a lot more than he thought he would.

However . . . Greg's favorite part about this movie was the discussion and shots of fried chicken. He even started looking up recipes and directions on how to make his own. Apparently this craving was insatiable because the next night he went out and bought himself a family meal of the stuff from KFC (it's not KGC as much as they want it to be).

Ladies and Gentlemen, this bucket was empty by the next morning - and I didn't have a single piece.

Impressive.

regular life

2011-12-08T16:18:00.001-07:00

I'm totally copying Amy and posting some "regular life" pics today. Because really - I don't have much to say - oh except today was the last day of classes for the semester (yay!) and I totally made sure that all my classes today gave me some applause. Yesterday my class didn't - and I walked out feeling like a failure. I like the applause. What can I say? I also like US Weekly. Anyway . . . .

Regular life around here consists of the following:

A messy counter and our Christmas tree ladder (and star wars Christmas tree) - we are very festive around here.

Some treats from Costco. (The other night I dreamt that someone asked me why I looked like I was still pregnant - the treat machine needs to shut down - but in the meantime. . . ) Have any of you tried these? Greg and I can't decide if we like them or what. The salt on the caramel makes it . . . intriguing.

Constantine's bedroom. Notice the ipad conveniently placed on the couch ready for me to watch "The Office" at any time. Does it make you feel bad for me to know that I am on episode 103 or something? That's a lot of Michael Scott at 3:00 am. A lot.

Our festive porch. Whoa those big ornaments really make us look ready for Christmas.

A place for Constantine and Greg to relax together and read the newspaper.

Constantine playing on his new activity mat courtesy of Lindy. He loves it.

And the reason why I can blog right now? Well, I just finished writing my final and Constantine is still snoozin' for a bruisin' - and yes - he has pink sheets on his bassinet because he keeps peeing out of his diaper and his manly sheets are in the wash. Good times.

checking in

2011-12-05T11:02:00.001-07:00

So I'm having varying degrees of success with getting Constantine into a routine. Yesterday I was pretty much a perfect mother when it comes to the routine part - and night? Total and complete bust. Good times. It's also good that Greg has some Visine conveniently placed on the bathroom counter for my red tired eyes.

Yesterday I had the goal of accomplishing two things:
1) Finish the crocodile
2) Grade papers

Well - I finished the croc - just in time because, you know, Constantine is going to want to play with this awesomeness probably this afternoon (he is very advanced). Also this thing is kind of huge.

I graded 10 of the 30 papers. That was the best I could do. Ay yi yi.

And while I really don't want all posts to be about Constantine - you kind of can't help loving a baby that looks like this when he cheers for the Cougs:

I've got 20 more minutes before he is supposed to wake up. PARTY!

finishing out the month

2011-11-30T14:59:00.001-07:00

So maybe this is cheating (a little) but I'm going to finish out the month of gratitude in one gigantic sweep. Here goes:

#24 - I'm grateful that even though we have a new baby and everything, Greg still keeps his priorities in check. He worked hard to assemble this on Thanksgiving. And really, our house is the merrier for it. Thank you, Legos Christmas village.

#25 - I'm thankful for our ipad and for netflix. I'm bonding with Constantine (aka nursing) while watching "The Office" on netflix. This has helped me forget about my soreness and made me not so impatient when it seems like it is taking him forever to eat. And really - it's been fun to re-watch Jim and Pam get together.

#26 - I'm thankful that the doctor's are no longer concerned that Constantine has jaundice. Sure, jaundice made him into an awesome sleeper (not to brag but there was one night where he literally - slept. through. the. night.) But please don't think it is because we are great parents - nope - it was just the jaundice. Rest assured - he hasn't slept like that since.

#27 - I'm so so so thankful for our sweet neighbors/friends that have been bringing us meals. When we first learned that our ward didn't really do that - we were pretty sad. Not that we are physically incapable of providing meals for ourselves - just that, as Greg put it, "it's just nice." Oh goodness - has it ever been nice. Thanks to Amy for organizing it and for all those who have come to our home with some deliciousness. We live around some pretty great cooks/chefs. I am actually pretty overcome with gratitude for the kindness that has been shown through this small act.

#28 - A shout out to Greg (again) for having the foresight to not take down our Christmas lights from last year. Sure, our house looked a little trashy in June . . . but goodness the day after Thanksgiving - he had the lights ready to sparkle. It has made it appear as if we have everything together (much more than we actually do).

#29 - I'm thankful for my sweet four-year old niece, Anna, that loves to call me on the phone and talk about Constantine. She has been providing me instruction on everything from how to change his diapers to how to give him a bath, and even, how to get rid of his little baby acne (apparently I just need to use some lotion).

#30 - I'm thankful also for my fantastic Aprils. I work with a really great bunch of students and I love them. I really do. In the homemade card they gave me it said (on the front cover) - "Congratulations - you're pregnant" and then you open it and it said, "Yes, we have noticed." They make me laugh. They all chipped in and bought us this really awesome swing for Constantine. I have no doubt that he loves it already.

#23

2011-11-23T11:46:00.001-07:00

Greg here, just making a cameo on the family blog because I am so thankful for something. Now that we have Constantine at home, KT has allowed us to turn on the heat. That's right, no more sleeping in my winter camping mummy bag. We are now into the 70s and I am loving every second of it. Constantine is receiving EXTRA heat - his room is at about 78 degrees which is practically a sauna in this house. I am truly grateful for a furnace and for portable heaters.

#22

2011-11-22T19:02:00.001-07:00

I am grateful for Lansinoh creme.

I think that says it all.

#21

2011-11-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful that our first night with the three of us was a total and complete bust. I mean, if it would have gone well, then we would always be comparing every other night to the first night of where Elvis simply slept eight straight hours. So instead, he did the exact opposite and decided to remind us that he now sets our sleep schedule.

Except the joke is on him - I've read the Baby Whisperer book - so here we go. My routine v. his - bring it. I'm committed and so is Greg. But I must admit - I'm sure that this whole mothering experience is going to teach me the thing that I hate to learn more than anything . . . patience. Ugh.

Oh and I'm also grateful for this picture. Because it is just awesome. I love how excited Anna and all of Elvis's other cousins are so excited to have him in the family. He's pretty lucky.

#20

2011-11-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful that finally - finally - finally - we gave Constantine a real name. Sure, the hospital was discharging us as we were rushing to fill out the birth certificate information but we did it. We decided. And we are getting used to it. We finally decided that we needed to take the advice of one of our friends that simply said, "You know, it really doesn't matter what you name your child - they'll fit the name and you'll think there is no other name for them. It may take a couple of years - but it will happen."

So . . . introducing. . . . ELVIS.

aka Henry Michael - but Elvis is a little more fun

#19

2011-11-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Now that Constantine's birth is out of the way - I'm so so so thankful for a husband that is just plain committed to everything. His excitement about our new family is pretty palpable.

But what is extra fantastic is that he knows how anxious I have been about my expanding pregnancy body and today he brought me a little hospital gift that reminded me that I need to get back on track.

*don't worry - he's not that dumb - he totally wasn't trying to send me a message - it's just the current issue that was at the hospital gift shop.

But really - I consider it serendipitous!

#18

2011-11-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

I read an article in the onion about how ladies that birth naturally should feel morally superior to everyone else. I don't know about that. I look back on last night and think....that was pretty much the worst night of my life. There were many times where I said that I just couldn't do it. And if we are honest about everything the only reason I didn't end up with an epidural is because we showed up at the hospital at 8:50 am this morning and Constantine (still a placeholder name) decided to show up at 9:12 am. So while I did want to deliver naturally really what it comes down to is not that I am morally superior but really I am just bad at the timing of it all.

But really today I am very grateful for a healthy baby boy...with ten fingers and ten toes..19 inches long and 7 lbs 4 oz. And most importantly he has a healthy head of hair and we all know babies with hair are pretty much the bomb. It almost makes eating all those tums worth it.

Pics to come when Rosscat figures out how to edit them and make me look glamourous. It may be awhile.

#17

2011-11-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

Today I am just grateful that I grew up with a love of reading. My life is 1000 times better because I know how to entertain myself with a good book.

#16

2011-11-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

Today I'm grateful that I'm not married to someone who has insisted on chronicling this pregnancy with photos. You know, for some people it totally works - every month, every week, every day - a photo of the expanding belly. For me? Not. My. Thing. As already mentioned - I am currently in the middle of a large game of avoidance where I rarely (if ever) even look at a full-length mirror. That being said - it still should be chronicled - just a little bit, I guess. So thanks to Rosscat for taking the side shot - and then I took a portrait of Constantine (to the best of my ability).

#15

2011-11-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful for a few things:

1) That Charlotte was in town (one of my very favorite nieces) and we got to celebrate her birthday. She's turning five and I kind of couldn't love her more if I tried. She received a hairstyling kit from someone and she gave me a great brush-out while I sat my 40+ week pregnant body in my parent's Sharper Image massage chair. It was pretty great.

2) That we can say that we truly have tried everything to get Constantine to show up. Thanks to my friend's tip, we purchased Cafe Trio's pizza that is, apparently, known to induce labor. When I called for it I didn't know the name so I just asked, "I want the pizza that puts ladies into labor" and they knew exactly what I was talking about. Well it didn't work - but it was good. So there you have it.

I am NOT grateful that I didn't take pictures of either of these things. I'm getting to be more and more lame the more and more pregnant I become.

#14

2011-11-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

Oh I'm so grateful for this house and all the memories I have in it. I'm so grateful I could go to my Grandma's funeral and see all my awesome cousins and wonderful aunts and uncles. It was a great day.

I'm also grateful that my cousin Mindy posted this pic on facebook so I could pretend that I took it -

let's also pretend that I look as stylish and as good as Mindy does.

#13

2011-11-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Is it bad to say that I'm grateful that Greg isn't making me go to church right now? Well it's true. I haven't meant to start my church maternity leave prior to actually having the baby - but I kind of have.

#12

2011-11-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've said it before but I'm going to say it again - I'm grateful for Ben Franklin for coming up with the library system. But especially for the fantastic Murray Library. It's never over-picked. We can always find something. Tonight we walked away with five movies (Michael Clayton - oh I love this movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith -because while a small roll Vince Vaughan is hilarious in this, Butterfield 8 - we thought we would check out an oldie starring Elizabeth Taylor - who knows if it is any good, The Break-Up - kind of a depressing movie but again Vince Vaughan makes me laugh, 500 Days of Summer). You see I really am gearing up for some hibernation time.

We also came away with two "how to name your baby" books, "The Baby Whisperer", and another "So You Think You Want To Breastfeed" type of book. There you go. We're set. And how much was this? Oh that's right - FREE. I love that library.

#11

2011-11-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful for bloggers ability to back post blogs. This happens every year - I get all excited about the month of gratitude and then things happen and then kaput. But don't fret - I'm back on it.

So for reals . . .

Today I'm grateful that Greg forced me to get out of the house. Let's call a spade a spade - I'm not the most patient person in the world and when 11/11/11 showed up I (foolishly) expected Constantine to arrive. When it became apparent that it wasn't going to happen, instead of handling things with grace and style, I got ornery. Even though I had said it pretty loud and clear that I would like to attend my Grandma's funeral - I also have made it pretty clear that 40 weeks pregnant is pretty much uncomfortable city. So instead of Greg allowing me to wallow in my pity party of uncomfortableness - we left the house - went shopping for more things for Constantine that he probably won't need but we feel better having - and tried out a great (spicy!) restaurant - Shabu Shabu House. The night ended with a delightful full pill of unisom (no halfs for me - I meant business) which allowed me to sleep. So there you go. Lucky me - a husband that knows that just because I'm ornery doesn't mean I'm not a delight to be around.

#10

2011-11-10T15:51:00.001-07:00

Today I was reminded of how grateful I am for the season 7 box set of "Friends".

When Greg and I were kind of starting to date (but not really - we were in that weird-o limbo stage) I struggled because I have always been more of a Chandler girl rather than a Ross fan. And, let's face it, Greg does kind of look like Ross. So one week when I was just plain sick I hauled myself over to BestBuy and bought Season 7 of Friends. My purpose? While I was convalescing I was bound and determined to see if I could maybe be a Ross girl. After watching a lot of Friends -and I do mean a lot. . . I came to the conclusion that yep - Ross was cute, ergo Greg was cute, ergo I could totally date him. (By saying "ergo" it makes it sound like my logic is totally foolproof - right? right?). That weekend was our first kiss. There you go.

So really Constantine (not his real name just a placeholder name until we figure out something better) owes his life to season 7 of "Friends" and I kind of owe my happiness to it.

Totally worth the $35 purchase. Totally.

#9

2011-11-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

At the end of today - I have to say - I am so grateful to go full term in this pregnancy. I have been stressed out to the limit that if Constantine came early how would my classes be covered? I would have to go back to teaching them much sooner than I wanted to . . . but tonight now marks the fact that I made it through - everything is planned and scheduled for the rest of the semester. SWEEEET!

When saying goodbye to my night class I told them that the that the next time I would see them they would have their memo's written and I would have a baby - two very scary thoughts. Oh goodness I kind of hope that is the case. The other day my sister-in-law told me that her due date was November 18 but she didn't have Drake until December 3rd - ugh - I guess I better look into eating more spicy food, long romantic (cold) walks, and castor oil.

#8

2011-11-08T16:18:00.001-07:00

Texting. I love to text. I really do. It just comes in handy - all the time. I kind of don't know what I did b.t. (before text).

Oh and while I'm on the subject - words with friends and wordfeud on the phone. I am looking forward to many late nights/early mornings of just playing scrabble while I figure out how to get Constantine to go back to sleep. Good times.

#7

2011-11-07T17:27:00.001-07:00

Today I'm grateful that my students don't disappoint me. I have had a pretty good streak where just about every semester I get at least one email from at least one student telling me how much they LOVE my class but with their upcoming nuptials they have just been a little too distracted to do the assignments or come to class. Can't I make an exception . . . just this once? Pretty please.

Email received for this semester just a few short minutes ago. I never quite know how to respond besides, "I'm sorry you're so stupid." But I swear - this pregnancy thing is making me go soft. I have half a mind to just say, "Fine, whatever."

#6

2011-11-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful for these bad boys.

Ooooh how pregnancy makes things uncomfortable. I can't say that I like TUMS. I can't even say that they really truly help. But I have this big bottle right on my nightstand and I chew them like they are delicious candy even though they are disgusting chalk.

#5

2011-11-05T19:34:00.004-06:00

Today I'm grateful for grandparents. In particular, Grandma Staker. This week she went downhill - fast - and then . . . just last night . . . it was over. I kind of couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye. I got to have her all to myself for at least an hour. She was tired - but lucid and strong. She chatted and corrected me when I got things wrong and cringed when I told her one of the many names on our potential baby name list (apparently she had an ornery uncle by that name and so there you go - ruined).

When I left she held my face with her soft hands and simply told me that she loved me and that she loved my baby. I will always treasure that memory.

I know that all of her bajillion grandkids feel like we were her favorite. I miss her already.

#4

2011-11-04T12:31:00.000-06:00

I am grateful for a husband that likes to keep things new and exciting. Case in point - after six years of marriage he decided to change things up and . . . drumroll please . . . decided to try out some new toothpaste.

I swear - who is this man?

But let's be honest - I prefer the arm & hammer baking soda kind. But I appreciate him trying to mix things up.

#3

2011-11-03T05:59:00.001-06:00

Today I'm grateful to the Biggest Loser for teaching me that a delicious meal from a Mexican restaurant is about 4100 calories (those chips add up fast!). Holy crap! A visit to Joe Bandido's or Morelia will never really be the same.

grateful #2

2011-11-02T13:42:00.000-06:00

Today I'm grateful for this picture. It just makes me laugh.

Rest easy - her ankle is not broken - just a bad sprain. And she LOVES the picture she has of her bones. Unfortunately, this did put a damp in her trick or treating plans. I kind of want to just go take her a bunch of candy and watch her favorite tv show with her (h2o-just add water) - yes, it's a real show and she LOVES it. Haven't I said this before? How because of this show she only drinks liquids with a straw so that she doesn't become a mermaid? Awesome, I'm sure my sister loves that.

attitude of gratitude - #1

2011-11-01T11:00:00.001-06:00

And so it begins - the month of gratefulness. At least this way it doesn't mean I have to come up with ideas of what to post about - instead I can just be grateful. So without further adieu . . . let's get this month started:

I am grateful (so grateful) that Halloween (and the month of October) is over. For some reason Halloween seemed like it just went on and on and on for me. I didn't have the chutzpah to dress up like Hester Prynne - instead Greg and I were Bears super-fans (yes, a repeat costume). It wasn't great but with all that we had going on in October - it will just have to do. I'm just thrilled to be starting a fresh month. Yay!

upping my attitude

2011-10-27T15:23:00.000-06:00

I just started typing up a blog post that made it sound like my life is horrible. So I'm starting fresh. My life is great - this pregnancy has (for the most part) truly been a breeze, it's Halloween season which is awesome (if only because I love to see how creative people get for costumes). I just need to up my attitude a little. So in that spirit - here is a list of things I'm looking forward to in the next few days:

1) Apple crisp. I'm having a love affair with this right now. I have been eating it for breakfast (because duh it has oatmeal in it) and for dinner (because duh it has oatmeal in it). I'm enjoying my last few weeks of pregnancy. Maybe next up I'll have Greg make me some chocolate chip cookies.

2) Project Runway. Tonight! Holla! I really hope Viktor wins. I really do. Anya is overpraised. And I'm uncomfortable with the fact that Josh can apply his makeup much better than I can apply my own.

3) Finishing off THIS soup. Greg made it for dinner on Sunday and it really turned out awesome. Looks like someone just won soup-making duties in the family. It's been lunch almost everyday this week.

4) The ward's upcoming trunk or treat/"Harvest Festival" - while I really do want to be Hester Prynne - I have done nothing to make this outfit a reality. So instead I'm thinking of maybe getting a green garbage sack and being one of the green pigs from Angry Birds. My belly would fit right in.

5) Debating about whether or not we should watch "Bridesmaids" starring Kristin Wiig. Part of me wants to so bad - the other part of me says - "Too raunchy, Kitty - don't do it."

And finally - just a quick question - when is this nesting instinct going to kick in? Because my office and our house is a bit of a mess-fest. I'm hopeful it is soon because otherwise Constantine is going to be coming home to a room that hasn't changed since THIS blog post. Oh dear. I might have some bossing to do tonight.

puuuuuuuush!

2011-10-24T19:42:00.000-06:00

So I have been out of blogging commission for a couple of weeks. Let's just say this - I've been busy. Not busy preparing for Constantine -nope. Just work busy. With busy comes stress - and sometimes that means I'm just not as nice as I should be. Or I say things that I would normally just swallow and move on with. For specific examples - just ask my Aprils. But it's over - we've turned the corner and now I (think) I can just get back to regular busy. Yay.

But during all this busy-ness I've been thinking about something very important. "What can Greg give me for a 'push' gift?" I mean really, that should be at the top of my thinking list. I know that Greg is probably sweating bullets trying to figure it out. So I thought I would send him a passive-aggressive message where I let him know what I want by putting up some information on the family blog for him to peruse and think about.

We'll start with the images that popped up after googling "push gift". Here they are:

I think the very first ring was what Rachel Zoe received - so really anything like that - I would totally accept. But let's face the fact that all of these things are a little gaudy and really - they aren't in the budget.

And then, after hearing Mariah Carey say that "no woman can really understand what she went through being pregnant" (because let's face it - she is special - according to pop-up video she has handlers that are in charge of telling her how great she looks all the time and handlers that wipe her hands off every time she touches something) I wondered what her husband got her for her push gift. Well, wonder no more:

I can honestly say that I DON'T want something like that.

So I guess we are back to square one.

Then I decided to do a little research about where this "push" present business comes from. According to the first article I found that popped up on google after typing in "push presents" - the push present originated in Italy and/or India (because the countries are so close to each other? because they both start with an 'i'?) and is traditionally lavish jewelry but it can also be handbags or clothing. After a little bit of research 40% of women said that the baby was "present" enough and they didn't need anything.

Let's pull this apart slowly. First off, I totally consider lavish jewelry to be better than a handbag and if I received clothing that fit me right now I would probably start to cry and take it as a sign from Greg that I have just given up. I'm very sensitive right now. So no - I guess we'll stick with lavish jewelry . . . or shoes. And also - no - I am not as nice as those mothers that say the baby is present enough.

With all this being said - I am thinking about just asking for a practical nano watch - so then I can time how long it takes to breastfeed while listening to some tunes. Or, if we are being practical, some new shoes - because I have too many danskos and I have a feeling Constantine is going to want me to up my fashion sense. But really with the price of diapers these days maybe I'll just forgo the push present in favor of Huggies. Oh great - I'm already talking like a mom.

I really couldn't have said it better myself . . .

2011-10-12T09:44:00.000-06:00

Beyonce is quoted as saying,

"It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother," the star says. "Now God has blessed us with the ultimate."

I've been busy building my empire - that's why I haven't been pregnant sooner. Now it all makes sense.

a few of my favorite things

2011-10-10T10:35:00.000-06:00

So blog posting is minimal right now for the Carlklef's. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it is because I'm starting to get quite anxious about all the big changes that are going to be happening. So I'm not going to think about that - instead, in honor of my mother (the workhorse), here are a few of my very own favorite things.

1) This stuff stays on my lips (without getting on everything else) for hours. It's kind of a miracle.

2) For more than two weeks I've been applying this to my eyelashes at night. I can't really say whether or not it is working but I like to think it is - so I totally recommend it:

3) I must be building bones or something because lately I also really love string cheese, yogurt, and milk. Weird for me.

4) We took a break from everything and went down to St. George and Las Vegas this weekend - and we ate here:

My egg tostada was to die for. Totally good. Totally worth it.

5) Lucky for me - this weekend I also discovered that h&m has a (very small) maternity line of clothes. Also lucky for me - a husband that will buy me just about anything I want right now at this stage of the pregnancy game. Score!

6) Constantine insists on showing me who is boss (already!) and loves loves loves to nestle right on in on top of my sciatic nerve (this is NOT one of my favorite things) but I do love using a pilates foam roller to stretch:

(Imagine this is me but with a much Much MUCH larger belly and not raising my legs in the air or doing anything that remotely resembles physical activity).

7) Olive oil. Not for eating but for everything else. I think it is safe to say that I'm like the dad in "My big fat greek wedding" where he thinks that windex cures everything. For me it isn't windex - it's olive oil.

8) We love this game. We played it about a month ago over at a friend's house and we have since ordered it for our own collection. The sad thing is - we haven't even played it. Not once. Any takers?

9) This weekend (on our brief, pretend va-cay) a lady asked me when I was due. I looked at her and in all seriousness I said, "Oh I'm not pregnant" - it was kind of awesome and a lot fantastic. And then I felt bad because she was so so so so so embarrassed.

10) Rosscat. Not to be cheesy or anything but we spent a lot of time together on our self-imposed three-day weekend and it was a delight. I mean let's face it, you can't help but like someone that gets this excited over a belated b-day present (but Haylee - the present is awesome so this reaction is in no way staged).

new family rule

2011-10-03T14:50:00.000-06:00

And this is why, at 8.5 months pregnant, we Carlklef's have instituted a new rule -

I'm not allowed to go to Costco alone.

In my defense, ALL of these items were for various people/parties/events that we are attending or planning on attending in the next few days -
except for the apples . . .
oh and the cookies. crap.

how did those get in the cart?

6 YEARS!

2011-09-30T16:57:00.003-06:00

As of today, we have been married for six fantastic years. I thought it would be fun to take a little look back at September 30, 2005:

When this photo was taken, we had no idea how awesome life was about to become. Kris Tina is the best - I'm the luckiest man in the world. I can't wait for all the changes that year seven is about to bring!

Song for Friday

2011-09-30T09:50:00.001-06:00

Enjoy this song "Tigers" from Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - perfect for a Friday:

For more, go to Pitchfork.tv

giving up - update

2011-09-29T15:32:00.000-06:00

So does someone who has given up have fancy hair like this?

I think not.

FANCY (and a little messy - but I'm going with fancy - thanks pinterest for the idea)

Further proof that things are not as bad as they seemed? Rosscat threw away the dead plants and planted me some pansies. He even says he'll water them. Goodness - now if only we could surgically remove the basketball shorts that I insist on wearing around the house.

giving up

2011-09-27T11:19:00.000-06:00

A couple of things have happened recently that make me think that perhaps - just perhaps - I've given up.

1) These plants currently greet any visitor arriving to our house. Because nothing says "Welcome!" like some dead stuff.

What is odd about this dead greenery is that despite our best efforts at making these things die (we've just gotten tired of watering them). We've got this one that is thriving on the same neglect (no water no love):

2) I have taken to wearing some basketball shorts while cleaning/painting. I will NOT be posting a picture of this. It does not need to be documented. But trust me - it's not pretty. A sure sign of giving up.

3) I have my hair in a ponytail. Again. The third (maybe fourth?) day in a row. If someone wants to come over and style it for me - that would be great.

4) Cereal for dinner. Again and again and again.

5) I laid on the couch last night and actually watched "Dancing With the Stars" (the term "stars" DOES NOT mean anyone famous it just means people you may or may not have heard of).

I need to up my game.

Things to say or not say to a preggo lady(?)

2011-09-22T16:10:00.000-06:00

1) I just finished reading a student's email and he closed with, "You are a beautiful, pregnant woman." While, I have no doubt that this is true (although I continue to refuse to look in anything remotely resembling a full-length mirror) I still feel awkward about the whole thing.

2) "Oh wow Professor Carlston - you look tired!"

That's all I can think of. So really - it's nothing bad I'm just feeling awkward about everything especially #1. I mean it was nice - don't get me wrong - just odd.

P.S. Does it ruin the "SURPRISE!" of Halloween to announce that I want to go as Hester Prynne and make Greg dress up as the Reverand Dimmesdale? Who wants to make me a ridiculous, satin-y and sequin-y letter
"A"?

ready for constantine

2011-09-19T11:31:00.001-06:00

Well things really have been coming together in our house for Constantine. I have been reading a bunch of books of baby necessities and we are pretty pleased with the nursery results. Here is the rundown:

1. Vacuums. Both an upright and a tank - for white noise purposes and to clean up the very second a spill happens.
2. A cork board to show off all his cute pictures and put up reminders of things I don't know where to put elsewhere.
3. A manly diaper bag. Courtesy of my sister - for Greg. Because someone in our house is going to learn how to change diapers and it isn't going to be me.
4. Some rogue yarn. Every baby needs/wants some of this.
5. A camera battery charger. I have a feeling Constantine might be the most photographed baby in the world -outside of Suri Cruise and those Pitt-Jolie (or is it Jolie-Pitt?) kids.
6. Homemade stuffed animals. Just by being born Constantine is going to get the giraffe and the elephant - which you have to admit - are both the cutest things in the world. An alligator is up next.
7. A fan. You can't have enough white noise. I'm taking Constantine's sleep schedule seriously. Very seriously.
8. A shredder. This may not seem very baby friendly but let's face it - even Constantine is going to have a bad picture or two. And even more likely - his mother is going to have several bad pictures that can just be shredded and we can all pretend never happened.
9. A somewhat questionable piece of "art" (using the term loosely here) - we will not be educating Constantine that Chicago's World's Fair, while ushering in the first ever Ferris wheel, also served as a backdrop for a serial killer (see, "Devil in the White City" for more information).
10. A bassinet. Thanks to my thrifty mother - this beauty cost $5.

So yep - we're pretty much ready for this kid to be born.

oh hello blog. nice to meet you.

2011-09-12T10:54:00.000-06:00

Apparently we don't have a lot going on that is blogworthy. I mean, sure, it's great to see the ol' Rosscat cleaning windows but blogworthy? Not really. So I thought I would dedicate this post to a couple of recent FAILS we have had.

This post was inspired by this picture:

1) Waking up last week and realizing that all of the sudden I have pregnancy fat face - cheeks the size of chipmunks. FAIL. (And yes, toddcat - it was all of the sudden).
2) Going to the trouble of borrowing the truck and driving to IKEA and realizing that what you thought would totally work as an inspired piece of furniture - with storage - actually will just look like cheap prefab. FAIL.
3) Instead of paying for Ralph Lauren paint choosing a Ralph Lauren paint color and then having it mixed up in Jones Paint & Glass budget paint to "match." The color is a little off and the smell - oh the smell. It still smells and it has been up on the wall for two plus weeks. What saved us $12 has cost us a bajillion dollars when it comes to my sense of smell. FAIL.
4) Getting to church early/on time yesterday and sitting on one of the soft benches. Only to discover that for the rest of the day I was pretty much covered in some sort of glitter. Greg kept telling me that I looked like I had spent all day at the "glitter factory". FAIL.

he's all mine

2011-09-07T13:47:00.000-06:00

I know that this picture is going to make a lot of ladies jealous. Well so be it.

That's right - Rosscat cleans windows. Sure, this is the first time I've ever seen him do it but with windex hanging from the holster of his man-pron - it's pretty awesome.

because there is NO other explanation

2011-09-02T11:08:00.000-06:00

So my Mom told me that one of her neighbor's sons happens to be in one of my classes and she asked if I knew who she was talking about. It's the first week - I don't really know any of their names yet (I will - but not during the first week). My Mom then told me that this student told his mom the following,

"Well her last name isn't any different so she must not be married . . . but she is pregnant."

I reassured my Mom that I have made a conscious effort to wear my wedding ring all week (I've been known to forget or lose it - see multiple blog posts for confirmation of this). And to this student all I can say is . . . if I was not married and pregnant - I would probably not be working at the BY.

I'm thinking that next week I might start class off with some deductive logic and reasoning skills - or I'll try and casually mention Greg 30 times in class to see if that will help.

keepin' it real

2011-08-31T09:53:00.000-06:00

Our *fixer-upper* continues:

(no - this is not a picture from the most recent episode of Hoarders)

Neither is this:

but I can see how you would get our house and that television show confused.

We had a family meeting this morning and determined that we really need to get moving and grooving - we have deadlines. We need our tv back! The U.S. Open is on and I'm missing it - and heaven forbid Greg miss BYU's opening game this weekend.

School started this week. Two words - holy crap . . . campus is bumpin'.

2011-08-29T10:31:00.000-06:00

So maybe we are knee deep in a few *small* fixer-upper projects right now.

I would take a picture of where and how we managed to put all the furniture and other junkety-junk in the garage and other rooms but I'm sure this gives you the idea. Does this make you feel bad when I tell you that this has nothing to do with Constantine's room? But get excited - we even painted that big white wall (don't worry Constantine doesn't mind the lead based paint fumes - he really doesn't).

I must admit - I think I had a slight panic attack when I realized that Constantine could arrive and be pretty much considered full-term in a little more than six weeks. Not that he will - but the fact that he could makes me feel a wee bit terrified. I comforted myself early early early Sunday morning by knitting and watching the award-winning production of "Smokey and the Bandit". Greg was so jealous of my movie choice that last night he had to watch the movie to understand the awesomeness of it all. I am confused at why it was so popular and yet at the same time - I think we are going to fire up Smokey and the Bandit part II later on this week. And the "Eastbound and Down" song is currently at the top of my playlist.

Also - this is Greg's new way to chop onions:

swim goggles - and yes - the house is messy - in prep for the small fixer up project - don't worry about it.

Finally - I tried out a recipe for cornbread squash stuffing - it was delicious. I would be happy to bring a squash WITH the recipe by (I'm full service) so that you can try out how great it is too. Heaven knows, we are swimming in them. But we did make ourselves a caprese pizza last night using our home grown tomatoes/basil/and mozzarella (alright we bought the mozzarella). It was delicious.

P.S. Anyone want to give me a zucchini? I didn't plant any and I'm jonesing for some zucchini bread.

I ordered the large swiss chard . . .

2011-08-22T10:07:00.000-06:00

So this is what I put in my shake the other day. It's no wonder that I just passed my glucose and iron pregnancy tests with flying colors.

Don't worry - I also put in a lot of fruit to try and make it taste delicious.

Greg's Top 5 songs in iTunes

2011-08-19T10:36:00.005-06:00

I always wonder about which songs I tend to listen to the most. In fact, I'm kind of obsessed with it. I'm a iTunes nerd - so I just have it set up to tell me just that. We got a new iMac and so I migrated my library and KT's library into one place. One of the best things about the new library was the opportunity to reset my top 25 most played songs. So here are the top 5 I have listened to so far this year:

Strictly Business by EPMD - This just brings back memories of the golden age of hip-hop for me. The sample from Clapton's version of 'I shot the sheriff' is pretty sweet.
Waiting for the End by Linkin Park - Yeah, I know it's LP, but I like it. Deal with it. This song was on the radio quite a bit earlier this year and it has just stuck in my head.
Factory by Band of Horses - I just like the feel of this song - it really has that shoe-gazer awesomeness going for it. I think I found this because I heard it on KOHS and used one of my favorite apps (Soundhound - way better than Shazam just FYI) to look it up for me.
Need to Know - Pennywise (this one is here because I listen to it at the gym quite a bit to keep me going. Lots of energy and just good, clean, punk.)
It Kills - Stephen Malkmus (Stephen was in Pavement which was an OK band for me, but I discovered his solo music a couple of years ago and have really fallen in love with it. This is the one I have been listening to most often this year, but if you are interested check out the album Real Emotional Trash - that's the one that got me hooked. He is also releasing a new album next week which you can stream on NPR.)

So that's the top 5 - maybe I'll post 6-10 in a couple of days. Let me know what you think or what you have been listening to this summer.

keepin' it real

2011-08-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

I like to call our "garden" the explosion - because it has exploded. Literally. With really - who knows what? I don't even remember what I planted. I just threw some seeds in the soil and hoped for the best.

This is certainly not the best - it's just gross. Last night Greg went with the YM and worked on the ward garden - I told him to stop wasting his time and get cracking in our own personal garden mess-fest. What was I doing while while he was working in the ward garden? Well, relaxing, of course! And doing laundry -as evident by my clorox spill. Apparently I don't really have a good sense of how big my belly is actually getting.

Idiot. And I kind of liked this m* shirt.

But back to our mess-fest (aka "the garden") - our tomato cages blew over in the wind storm the other night. I think we've pretty much just given up.

random

2011-08-11T09:31:00.000-06:00

1) It is one of the best work days of the year - I have to leave work early because campus wants my parking spot for graduation. YAY! This happens twice a year and let me just tell you - I love it.
2) I found myself so engrossed in House Hunters (the hit HGTV show) that when I realized I couldn't finish it. . . I dvr'ed the rest of the episode so that I could see which house the couple chose. When Greg found out that I dvr'ed a television show that is on approximately 24 hours a day he was kind of incredulous - but he finished watching it - so really it was like the pot calling the kettle black.
3 Our lawn is pretty much prairie grass. We have gone almost two complete weeks without mowing it thanks to scout camp and taking our lawn mower in for a tune up. Seriously - if anyone wants to re-create the scene from the "Sound of Music" where the hills are actually alive - come on over. But be fast - I have a feeling I know what Greg is going to be doing with his afternoon "off".
4) I need a good book to read.
5) We're still looking for an inexpensive (i.e. not costing us $10,000+) way to screen in our porch. Anyone interested in the job? Why can't any of our cousins be general contractors?
6) We saw the movie, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" this weekend. We loved it. That's not to say we recommend it - because there were definitely some crude aspects - but all in all - we would see it again. While we were at the movies we decided that maybe we should just try and go to the movies as much as possible in the next few months before Constantine arrives and ruins our footloose and fancy free lifestyle. Next up - "30 minutes or less" - after all it has Tom from Parks and Rec in it.

now accepting recipes . . .

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

Please help. Pretty please. Thoughts? Comments? Recipes? We're starting to get a little overwhelmed - why is it we are overwhelmed with squash and zucchini but NOT overwhelmed with tomatoes? I would like it to be the other way around.

meet me at my locker

2011-08-05T09:05:00.000-06:00

In an effort to recreate junior high (aka My GLORY days) - we installed some lockers in our garage. Sure, they are used (but they were free - thanks Mom and Dad!) and sure they need handles (I sprained my finger opening one and it has been three weeks and it is still swollen and sore) - but all that aside . . . it's awesome. I'm already working on figuring out how I want to decorate inside for the upcoming school year. Probably put up at least one picture of Kirk Cameron. I mean, that goes without saying. And maybe a picture of George Michael (but NOT one of Andrew Ridgely -emilazmo has called him all to herself).

more blabbering over pretty much nothing

2011-08-03T11:12:00.000-06:00

1) Gracias to those of you that feel the same way about Scouts. It helps me know that I'm not the only one. Secondly, gracias to those of you that told me that there is a purpose to it. I've decided that my beef is NOT with the scouts rather my beef is rather with the BSA organization. Two very different things. So I'm over it. But next year I'm going to get off my duff and organize some parties for all the neighborhood ladies and families that have their husbands gone. Scout camp week is going to be something that we look forward to all year long. Before you know it - everyone is going to be begging that their husband go on scout camp so that they can attend these amazing - yet to be determined how - parties.

2) We have a glass top/black/electric stove for sale. Anyone want it? A lady called yesterday - we agreed to meet - she was ready to pay and pick it up . . . and then it fell through. Curses! It's in great shape - the only reason we are getting rid of it is that we found a screaming deal for a gas top/electric bottom oven - so we have replaced the fully functioning stove. Sure, maybe that seems a little wasteful. It probably is - but it was a screaming deal. Anyone? Anyone?

3) Greg made me a list of a bunch of stuff that I should try and accomplish while he is away:

Call Don about screening in the porch

Take tent in to Kirkham’s for repair

30 miles on the treadmill (so far only 6 - I've got some quality time on the treadmill coming up)

Figure out if the juicer is really a juicer

~~Buy buttons for projects~~ (done!)

Finish baby booties (a gift – once again not for Constantine)

Read Presumed Innocent

Watch the Nuremberg Trials

Finish laundry room

Sell the stove

Get massage

Get pedicure

(I added these two)

The treadmill goal is not too bad (I'm trying to be positive) - but - I hooked the dvd player up to the tv (for some reason it wasn't hooked up) and I can't seem to get it so that it is in color. I'm currently in the middle of watching "Source Code" - I had no idea it was filmed in black and white. How noir of them.

4) I had a 20% off coupon to downeast (thanks ValuPak!) and we went there the other day thinking - "let's pick up a crib" well apparently new laws have made every crib in the country illegal. So instead of buying a crib we bought a new kitchen table. I like it:

don't worry - once again we got a screaming deal

true confessions

2011-08-02T10:17:00.000-06:00

I am going to say something pretty bold - pretty dramatic - pretty inflammatory . . .

I don't really like the scouting program. My dad was a scoutmaster for 14 years so I've seen it firsthand - all growing up. But really - I don't like scouts. Especially when it means that Greg leaves work for a week to go on a dumb camp-out. I just don't really see the point in any of it.

There. I said it. This blog is probably going to self-destruct at any moment.

baby on the brain(?)

2011-08-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

See the title of this post? It really should be "baby on the bladder" but that sounds gross and too personal so just forget that I said that. I sent this email out to the office this morning:

All,

Just thought I would let you know that we’ll have a new employee starting in the Preprofessional office sometime in November. He’s even graciously posed for a picture to help you get to know him (see attached). (Actually I can’t find the real picture – so this one will have to do).

No names yet – although Greg is pulling for “Constantine” – I say, “over my dead body” on that one.

FAQ’s:

1) I will be taking FMLA but I won’t be quitting my day job (I love it too much)

2) Yes – this means the missionaries are leaving our house (hallelujah!)

3) If you’ve wondered if I’ve just been eating at a lot of bbq’s – stop wondering – I’m not getting fat – but the baby is (at least I hope that is the way it works).

4) This is probably the worst kept secret in the world – but we wanted to make sure all things were a go before we make any big announcements – so thanks for being patient if you’ve been wondering but haven’t wanted to say anything . . . .

My coworker stopped by and said, in essence - I'm glad you said something because I was worried you were just packing on the lb's. So warm - so comforting.

So here is the question of the day - feel free to answer or not answer it - we have pretty much ZERO baby things. ZERO. So - what is the one thing that you suggest? Pretty please - tell us - we are desperate in the sense that either we are going to buy everything because we think we need it or we are going to end up buying nothing because we don't want to waste our money on crap. And then all of the sudden we realize that the hospital won't let us leave unless we actually buy a carseat. See - we are kind of in trouble.

2011-07-29T11:41:00.000-06:00

1) For Greg's birthday I took him to Wal-Mart and let him pick out any star wars lego set he wanted.

Sometimes I think I am married to Tom Hanks from "Big" - you know a "kid" trapped in an adult body

2) This morning I bit the bullet and told my boss the "news." It went well (which I knew it would but it didn't make it any less scary). So there you go - No more hiding. And let's face it - my belly isn't hiding anything.

3) I was all for driving out to the Mt. Pleasant drive-inn tonight . . . and then we found out that the movie playing is "The Zookeeper" - we won't be going.

4) Our friend and neighbor Tara James is a miracle worker. She came and cleaned up after those missionaries and let me tell you - it's like they were never even living in our house. Sweet.

5) I have so much to accomplish before fall semester starts -it makes me a little sick. So instead - I'm going to be pinning things on pinterest. I know how to handle stress.

the obligatory birthday post

2011-07-27T10:14:00.000-06:00

Today is Gregory's birthday. He turns 58. Doesn't he look great? I have to admit - I love Greg's birthday. Oh wait - there I go again taking a post about Greg and turning it into a post about me. I'm a narcissist. See the "I'm" in that last sentence- it doesn't stop. Let me try again.

While this blog was created in an attempt to at least try and journal some of our life - it often ends up as a place where I get to tease Greg. A lot. And you know what? He takes it. In fact, sometimes he even encourages it. Sure, we both have publishing rights on here - but I do the majority of it and if he even dares try to tease me like I do him- we often have to "talk" about it. What I'm trying to say here is - Greg is fun. He is pretty much always up for a good time. It doesn't matter what is planned he'll look for ways to make sure that we have a good time doing it. I think that is probably my most favorite thing about him. Case in point - a couple of months ago we were working in the yard. It was hot - there were a million more fun things we would rather have been doing but we both know that sometimes you simply just have to work. So we were working and Greg set up the garden sprinkling system in a way that looked . . . to put it mildly. . . stupid. I told him so. And he pretended to have a big fat tantrum. I loved every minute of it. I still laugh about it. And he changed it so that it looked better. Not that he cared that much about it - but he knew that I did - and so he "fixed" it for me. And made it fun (even when, in reality, there's nothing fun about weeding in 99 degree heat).

Last year the birthday present I gave him - rocked. You remember? I sent out 72 postcards or something like that to his friends and had them all write him back wishing him happy birthday. I think we got all of them back (or at least 98% of them). He loved it - I loved it. It's always nice to be reminded that you have friends that love you - even when you never get to see them or your life circumstances make it so that you no longer live just around the corner or you aren't as close to them as you once were but there was a time when they were one of the most important persons in your life.

This year? It's much more low-key. I made him butterscotch rolls for birthday breakfast (but of course I did NOT give him breakfast in bed - we all know how "gross" he thinks that is). We're going to go bowling (code word for the temple (or the tabernacle as the heathen Toddcat likes to call it )), dinner. Just simple stuff. The nice thing is - is that even though our plans are simple this year Greg will still make it fun. That is just the kind of guy he is. I'm way lucky. What can I say?

Now I'll stop with this mush. But hey - it's only one day a year. We'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming/teasing soon.

This is a pic of Greg grocery shopping - see - he even tries to make that fun.

all's quiet on the western front

2011-07-22T09:53:00.000-06:00

So our roommates moved out yesterday. Moved out. Gone - kaput. They left us a note telling us that they would be back on Monday to "clean." I think we are just going to tell them that we're good - don't worry about it - and then, of course, hire someone to come and clean it. I refuse to do it. For some reason - I feel kind of sad about it - like I just couldn't handle it so we had to get them out. I guess that's kind of true. But I never like facing the fact that at the end of the day . . . I am a woose/wuse.

To celebrate having our house to ourselves we did the following:
1) Turned on the air conditioning
2) I did laundry
3) I switched the laundry at 10:30 at night while only wearing my pajamas around the house! (it was kind of liberating)
4) We slept with our bedroom door open
5) I got the laundry out of the dryer this morning in only my pajamas! (again - so liberating)

I guess when you are reclaiming your house - it's really just the little things.

But now we have no excuse - time to get our house back in shape.

more ramblings of nonsense

2011-07-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

I don't want to jinx it but last night we learned that the missionaries are moving out tomorrow. Please please please let this be true. Greg asked them about their new "pad" and they said that they were way excited because the empty-nester couple have a dog AND they'll be living in the basement where it is nice and cool. So apparently, the heat has gotten to them. Greg didn't have the heart to tell them that we haven't really turned our air conditioner on. We are true pioneers that way. True pioneers.

My trusty April/Emily and Todd helped me come up with an idea to "encourage" Greg to read Harry Potter. Last night I told him that if he reads the Harry Potter books he can buy whatever Harry Potter legos he wants. Holy cow! It really was that easy. He harumphed and stomped around but he started reading Book 3 last night (he read the first two years ago and let's face it - the books start getting really good at book 3+).

The other day I watched the most fascinating documentary - Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. Just throwing that out there - it was totally interesting. We also watched "Country Strong" starring Gwyneth Paltrow (do any of you get her "GOOP" newsletter - it is so pretentious yet I love it at the same time). Anyway - Gwyneth is a country music mess in that movie. A true mess. And how did Tim McGraw all of the sudden get hair?

Enough of these random thoughts.

this weekend

2011-07-18T10:42:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, Bret Michaels (you know, of "Poison", "Celebrity Apprentice", and "Rock of Love" fame) stopped by to help Greg install some bike racks. He insisted on wearing the man-pron for the job.

We failed to get his autograph.

In other news - we received this in our Bountiful Basket . . . what is it? Any thoughts?

And finally, I'm convinced that I need to do some sort of Christmas ornament exchange. I borrowed these from my sil to get me inspired and now all I can think about is making stuff out of some felt and sequins. It's enough to make me think we might just have a traditional Christmas tree. Anyone want in? Don't all speak at once.

*our blog code is still all messed up - curses to google and their free services!

a few items of business

2011-07-14T09:14:00.000-06:00

The other day we saw this dog trying to drive the car. It reminded me of Shaggy D.A. - Oh how I loved/hated that movie.

Speaking of movies . . . it is one of the saddest things in my life that Greg refuses to join in on the Harry Potter band wagon of awesomeness. He won't read the books - he'll watch the movies (if absolutely nothing else is available) but that's it. I told him that not getting into Harry Potter is pretty much choosing to miss out on the "Star Wars" of the generation. Even that didn't do it. Oh brother!

I broke down and bought some m* clothes at gap online during one of their sales. My belly can breathe again. I still haven't told work but yesterday, I was looking in the mirror and couldn't help but think, "Who in the heck am I kidding?" Oh and it's a boy (allegedly). We have zero names picked out but we are happy to take suggestions. I can definitely tell you names that are OUT (despite what Greg says). These names include: Constantine, Adolph, Dieter, and Xander. Everything else, I guess, is up for grabs.

We are almost to the two week countdown of having those Elders move out. Sure, they haven't found a place for them yet but Greg assured me that on August 1st he is just going to take all of their stuff and move it on to the Stake President's lawn. I thought that sounded reasonable. Probably the Stake President will just be amazed that "Abraham" can carry heavy stuff.

true confessions

2011-07-13T11:25:00.001-06:00

It is July 13, 2011 and we have not yet turned on the air conditioner for the summer. By "we" I guess I mean me. Don't get me wrong, it's not that it isn't hot . . . but here is my reasoning:

a) We are out of our house by 8:00 am every morning and don't return until (usually) at least 6:00 pm. By then, the hottest part of the day is over. By then . . . what's the point?
b) Oh wait, you ask, what about the missionaries? Well, sure those missionaries have a different schedule but my theory is - they aren't supposed to just be hanging around the house anyway during the day - what better way to help them get to work then by not making it cool and comfortable in the house? See, I'm just trying to be helpful.
c) They haven't complained about it yet.
d) Just because we have on the air conditioning I guarantee that they will continue to leave every window open possible upstairs.
e) We haven't really had any parties this summer - if we have parties then Greg wins and we turn on the air (I don't like to be ridiculous in front of guests).

Besides, think of all the money we are saving! We'll have that taj mahal porch screened in - in no time!

I know it's ridiculous. I kept telling Greg that we just needed to wait until after San Diego. Now, I really don't have an excuse - maybe just wait until the missionaries move out? But really, doesn't anyone think that it's awesome that we have held out for so long? I do, even if I am kind of embarrassed about it.

we're back . . .

2011-07-12T10:04:00.000-06:00

Just fyi - the title of this post is sponsored by that girl from Poltergeist.

Now that we are back from the vacation/conference (I have to throw in conference because it was, technically, a "work trip" even though there was a lot of fun that happened (but that fun didn't really happen while at the conference)) - there are a few things I would like to get off my chest:

1) I would love Love LOVE to screen in this beautiful/amazing upstairs porch.

Let's face it, living close to the lake the house will always have bugs and junk (I won't mention mosquitoes but just know - they are readily available) so screening in the porch will allow us to keep all the benefit and yet have none of that gross stuff. Unfortunately, we just got a bid back from a company last night where we were informed, to simply screen it in, it would cost us $10,241. Um this isn't the Taj Mahal. Anyone have any suggestions for us? I found this ad in skymall and am thinking that it is our next viable solution - it is kind of like a garage door. Really any thoughts? Anyone? Anyone?

2) I was at the bookstore this morning and I found this set-up. We can debate affordable but really there is no debating on the fashionable question. These aren't fashionable. They are plastic. There is a big difference.

3) This is probably not his best picture but let me just tell you. I love my nephew - even when he was driving in the car with me and Greg and told us that we were "booowing" (that's 2 1/2 year old speak for "boring").

Publish Post

I've decided to not take his opinion personally.

things that probably should never be said

2011-06-30T10:10:00.000-06:00

So with our impending family changes we did the unthinkable . . . we notified the stake presidency that we would not be able to continue to house the missionaries. I know, this probably makes some of you sad because let's face it - we've gotten a lot of good blog posts out of this whole situation. But oh well - I'm sure they'll move out and I'll find other things to post about. At least I hope.

Anyhow . . . the stake provided us with two quite awesome responses to our request that they find new housing for the Elders.

1) "Wow! You guys have been so blessed - it's just like how Abraham and Sariah had a baby." Now, trust me, any time a baby is born it is a miracle but really? really? I mean maybe we are a little older than the typical Provo couple having their first baby but we aren't 100 years old. And besides, my serious skin care regimen of olive oil ensures me that I don't look too old. At least I am delusional enough to believe that - so please don't burst my bubble.

2) "Good news! We were looking through the rules and we discovered that really there are no rules against having the missionaries continue to live with you at your home with your newborn baby." Praise to Greg who thought on his feet and quickly replied, in essence, "The handbook may not have rules against it but WE have rules against it."

I'm sure that there are worse comments that can and will be said such as . . . "You are as big as a house!" "Wow! You must be having twins because you are so huge!" but for now . . . these will suffice.

today/this weekend

2011-06-27T09:20:00.000-06:00

Ross has abandoned me since Friday. It's cruel. Who is supposed to drive me around and take me where I need to go? More importantly, I don't like being home all alone with those two strangers living with me. Seriously, I'm ready to ask if YM/YW can happen at my house tomorrow night just so the Elders know that they don't have the run of the place.

I would complain more but since I want the Elders to find a new place to live . . . I won't. But I will tell you this - this morning (with the laundry soap securely hidden in my bedroom) one of the Elders hustled downstairs to interrupt my corn flakes and ask me where the laundry soap was. I (politely) told them that "we don't supply you with laundry soap" and besides - "we're out" (a white lie but I like to leave the "crucial conversations" to Greg and since he is out of town . . . ).

I took my 14 year old niece to get a "make-over" at the MAC counter this weekend. It was awesome. We should have taken before and after pictures of ourselves - we looked like a million bucks. And when it was all said and done I pretty much ended up spending a million bucks on make-up.

I also worked on perfecting my Snowcone Snake recipe for my start-up business - Drake thought it was a hit (he ate three):

Oh - and I'm pregnant. But I haven't told work yet so any of you Aprils that are reading this - BE QUIET.

a quick poll

2011-06-22T11:17:00.000-06:00

To you faithful readers we have a quick poll that needs to be answered. We recently "discovered" that the Elders have been using our laundry soap to do their laundry. According to the housing rules, we are to provide them with access to a washing machine and dryer on one specific day a week that they may have the private use of these facilities. Does this mean we are supposed to also supply them with soap/detergent?

Of course, upon the discovery that they were using said detergent - instead of asking them about it - I've just hidden the soap. But now . . . I'm feeling guilty. So here's the question . . . do we need to provide them with laundry detergent? Yay or Nay?

P.S. Last night we were in a pinch and we went to Chili's. UGH. I'm afraid that Chili's has joined our list of restaurants that we will not go to - the other restaurant currently on the list? Sizzler.

2011-06-21T08:40:00.000-06:00

Greg decided that in order to counterattack the ridiculous, estrogen filled bachelorette, he would watch it in his new Duluth manly work apron.

Mission accomplished.

A fast five

2011-06-20T11:56:00.001-06:00

1) Where are our sidebars on blogger? Where? Who stole them? If you are reading this on google reader you may not know what I'm talking about - but if you click and look at the blog you can see that all our fancy links are missing! They are there when you go to "design" but missing elsewhere. Lame.

2) Father's Day? Greg pretty much scored everything he possibly could dream of. I gave him this:

A manly work apron. Because seriously - who wouldn't want that? I also gave him a new electric shaver. His life really doesn't get much better than that.

3) All my spring term finals are graded and grades are (almost) in. Woohoo!

4) I love this post that my niece wrote about my sister. My sister says it is embarrassing - I say it is awesome. I mean really, what 14 year old do you know can write like that?

5) I love Mondays because Mondays = Bachelorette. I know, I'm lame but at the same time the awkward television is just so so so hilarious. I can't help myself. Nor do I want to.

And one more thing (but I'm not putting it as number six because I like the title of this post) - I will NOT be seeing Mr. Popper's Penguins even though my beloved Angela Lansbury is in it. I just think it looks too stupid. But maybe I would if she was reunited with Sherrif Tupper.

my new love

2011-06-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

I'm just going to admit it. I am in the middle of a love affair with the sensuous sandwich restaurant/deli/fast food joint.

Knowing how much Greg loves sandwiches, when he recommended the place I couldn't help but think, "Oh please just another sandwich place" - but seriously two weeks ago - my life changed - delicious.

That's all.

Good News!

2011-06-13T10:31:00.000-06:00

For all of you faithful blog readers - you'll be happy to know that we have a new Elder that is bound to provide us with lots and lots of good stories (i.e. "trying" experiences but ones that will bring us so many blessings you'll all be jealous and will end up clamoring to have those missionaries live with you).

We decided to sum up what we have learned (so far) about our new Elder with a picture. Here you go:

He is in to mixed martial arts (i.e. Kip) + wears his pants without a belt (i.e. Ed Grimley) + and from the looks of things - he may be a hoarder. Good times. Good times.

I feel like this is kind of being rude so as a disclaimer . . . this blog post is made with love.

weekend plan

2011-06-10T09:48:00.000-06:00

Really - I've got nothing to say but it's time for a new post and since Greg is no longer doing that challenge where he posts a picture a day - I'm afraid the brunt of the blogging is left up to me.

When we got home from the trek we decided that we better set up and clean out the tents immediately - otherwise they were going to sit in our garage for a week (at least!) and then who knows what we would find in these things. So we did it and we got lucky because one of our favorite four-year olds stopped by and we tricked her into thinking that cleaning out the tent would be fun (we totally felt like Tom Sawyer). But she believed us. See:

No one can fake that kind of happiness. No one.

As far as our weekend plans are concerned . . . we've got nothing exciting on the docket. Yard work and cleaning the house - pretty hot stuff. Maybe, if we get crazy, we'll go to a full-price movie. Maybe. And if a better movie was playing at the Mt. Pleasant drive-in we'd go (I refuse to see Pirates of the Caribbean - it just looks d-u-m-b).

just a few thoughts

2011-06-08T09:12:00.000-06:00

Greg did a training the other day at my old Snow stomping grounds. This was, apparently, the advertisement for the event. Who wouldn't want to attend this? Perhaps we should save this poster for this year's white elephant gift(?)

On his way back he stopped off at Grandma's house and brought her a bishop's shake - he is a good grandson-in-law.

This morning I walked in and found that some Aprils dressed like twins for the day. Sweet!

And yesterday, I signed up for Amazon Prime and purchased this:

With the snowcone stand down the street, "Frosty Frog" doing such incredible business - I've decided to open up my own shop (so really, this purchase was a tax deductible expense). My shop is going to be called "Snowcone Snake" - it's going to be awesome and I'm probably going to get rich.

We're getting a new missionary today. Our chicken and rice cooking and ukulele playing Elder is being transferred. We decided to gift him our rice cooker - since he pretty much used it everyday anyway. We're going to miss Elder Alik - he was the perfect Elder that would live in your house (minus the incredible stench of his cooking and the incessant ukulele playing).

what? we have a blog?

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-06:00

So we have been a little MIA lately. At least blog MIA for us. (I mean let's face it some people haven't blogged in years - we aren't those kind of people - not that I'm judging - I'm just saying).

Anyway - we're back from the trek. We survived. I had a much much cuter outfit than this one but I didn't want to wear it on the day that we were supposed to push those handcarts through the mud. So instead, I opted with this gingham number. (A HUGE shout out goes to my MIL, Laurie, she had trek clothes and let me borrow them and it was one less thing that I had to worry about making my life much easier).

And a shout-out to Miss Tara for taking this picture that I poached from facebook.

You know, I couldn't help but think that it is a little odd that we get all dressed up in pioneer garb, load up handcarts and then push them around for a few days in a big figure eight. But it was fun. There's a lot of pressure to be good Ma's and Pa's on this thing. So I tried really hard to be just like Amy Poehler in "Mean Girls" where I wasn't a "regular mom" but a "cool mom." I kind of failed - but that's probably a good thing.

With the trek being over with . . . our responsibilities are kaput - our summer can officially begin. Who wants to invite us over for a bbq? Or you can come over to our house - totally. Our house is probably a little messy but we'll just throw everything in a room and shut the door and pretend like it is clean. Just for you.

Red Rock Memories

2011-05-27T22:27:00.002-06:00

It would be nice if all turns led me here.

Help!

2011-05-27T17:18:00.001-06:00

Please help me convince you know who that this is not a good idea.

Because it is not really a good look.

Choices

2011-05-26T22:35:00.001-06:00

It is Memorial Day weekend we we just might use this gift card to actually see a movie in the theater. Any suggestions?

More items of biz-ness

2011-05-26T09:43:00.000-06:00

1) Allegedly work has been planning on re-carpeting my office for the past week. Each morning I walk in and realize - nope - not yet. I've been sitting in packed up boxes and junkety junk for the past week. It does not make for a happy, healthful, productive work environment.

2) A couple of months ago I was perusing the Broadway Across America website and purchased some tickets to go and see "Young Frankenstein" (lame but a great tap dance number). Anyway - I looked and realized that Les Mis tickets were also on sale. Sweet! There were only a few available - I couldn't believe my luck. The other night, however, I was looking at them and realized that probably the only reason I was able to get tickets was because they were for the Thursday matinee. Whoops. Thank goodness it's spring/summer. I'll be leaving early today.

3) Speaking of Les Mis - Greg and I have had a long-standing argument. He swears that Phantom of the Opera is better than Les Mis. I think he is smoking something. Duh. Les Mis is epic and the story and the music - Phantom is just a little ridiculous and over the top and too showy. Today I plan on settling this argument by proving to him that Les Mis is a bajillion times better than Phantom.

4) We watched the Bachelorette last night. Holy awesome. We've got a guy in a mask (but I really believe him - he must be so ridiculously handsome that he wants to make sure that she loves him for him instead of his amazing good looks that apparently are going to make everyone swoon), we had a lush (a liquor distributor that gets wasted in two hours? - thank goodness Ashley showed everyone she was serious and that this dating show is REAL - thus he needed to be escorted from the soiree), and then we've got Bentley from SLC. Oh goodness - I need to figure out what this "family fun center" is that he owns in SLC and make sure to never go there.

5) We continue to get ready for the Pioneer Trek that is happening next week. How are we getting ready? Well, we talked about it last night, that's a start.

6) Oooooh and one more thing. Abby and I have decided to resurrect "The Finer Things" Club. We've already started on our first book (or at least I've started reading it), "A Town Like Alice". Anyone interested in re-upping their culture? (Todd we will NOT be reading any ridiculous washed up tv stars biographies - just fyi).

Strawberry Days Prep

2011-05-24T22:57:00.003-06:00

Guess who is warming up for Strawberry Days in good ol PG? Me. Can't wait for the rodeo - who's with me?

2011-05-24T14:02:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel like your blog posts are stupid? I'm having an inferiority complex today.

I was going to post about how I purchased some make-up from Target and since then, every time I look in the mirror it looks like I haven't put any make-up on. (Not in an au natural good way - but in a "did she just wake up?" way). But it sounded stupid. So I'm not going to talk about it. But just know - cheap makeup makes me look cheap.

I was also going to talk about how today is my sister's birthday and isn't that awesome and she's the best and all that jazz. But I'm not going to talk about that either. I mean an ode to Carrie is nice but she is getting plenty of "Happy Birthday!" messages on facebook so she doesn't need me to try and help publicize that it is her special day. She is going to the U2 concert tonight - so that makes her sound extra hip even though I just think - oh I'm so glad I'm not going (so that makes me sound extra un-hip).

Then I thought about posting about how I am a narcissist and I just looked up to see how many people are registered for my classes in the fall and how that translates into either boosting (or decreasing) my self-esteem. But then I sound like an ego-maniac.

Then I thought about posting/boasting about how awesome all of my niece's did in their piano recital last night. And how Elise (my namesake so that means that hopefully I can take after her instead of her take after me) won the coveted practicing trophy because she gets all 5's every week and she hasn't missed a day of practicing. But, while awesome, that doesn't make for a very exciting blog post either.

So I guess instead I'm just going to ask - anyone want to put my address on your Amazon prime account so that I can get free shipping?

true confessions

2011-05-23T09:35:00.000-06:00

Greg and I have been married for 5.5 years and in all those 5.5 years we have pretty much never missed a Saturday night adult session of Stake Conference. When we were first married I failed to realize that it was an expectation that we always attend these events. But under the assurance of Greg telling me that "these are always the best sessions" we went. So there I sat - ticked off and mad that we were "wasting" our Saturday night. Thank goodness my friend Lindy and her husband showed up so that we could make faces at each other as the speakers pulled up a white board and identified houses in our stake boundaries that weren't LDS. It was, to put it mildly, a very "odd" adult session. Since then the adult sessions have been kind of hit or miss but we have always hit them. Once, when we first moved back to Provo, we forgot that it was Stake Conference and we left IKEA and hustled back so that we could make it. So you see - the point of this is that we have been dedicated.

Except for this weekend. We didn't go on Saturday night. Don't judge. After all that work we were starving and we needed some sustenance and we were dying. So instead, we decided to hit up Joe Bandido's and "support" a ward member/friend that works there. So you see, we had good intentions. Kind of. Really, we couldn't even remember if she was working that night but once Greg got a taste for Bandido's delicious chips (thanks to Tara and the Red Rock Relay) he had been talking about going there all week.

And of course, from everyone, we heard that really the adult session of Stake Conference was amazing and awesome and fantastic. The BEST part is that we heard that there was a slide show featuring our missionaries AND that one of the speakers said that sometimes, if they are lucky, the missionaries will come over and share a special ukulele song with her and her family. I just want to clear something up - yes, having the missionaries in our house is much better since the recent transfer but it is not all roses. For example, this morning our house was apparently a missionary party house for p-day breakfast. It was fine - but I felt a little awkward in the kitchen - hence I ate my cereal in the garage while waiting for Greg to finish getting ready. No problem. But also just because they are missionaries - sometimes they still lose their temper - case in point - we found this busted ukulele in our garbage a couple of months ago. Apparently, one of the Elders had just had it with another one of the Elders and took it out on this poor instrument.

When the Elders move out we are going to hang this on our wall in memoriam of the experience. Kind of like a rock star's smashed guitar - but better.

Whoa. This post is verbose.

Blessings realized

2011-05-21T22:58:00.001-06:00

Today we got a ton of work done around the house. How? Because of the "service hours" that were performed by the Elders. This beautiful loophole helped us mow the lawn, install hanging baskets, plant the garden, prep soil, fix sprinklers, sweep up lawn clippings, and maybe vacuum out the car. The free labor didn't do all that, just some of it - don't worry. We did wear Elder Alik out enough to need a nap immediately after mowing the lawn. Great day for the yard.

More Moab

2011-05-20T22:34:00.002-06:00

Photojournalism

2011-05-19T22:39:00.002-06:00

I got the scoop on why there was water spraying all over campus the other day. How? With my photo skills. Check it. I guess they were bleeding out some water lines in the legendary tunnels under campus. In any case it didn't disrupt work so it wasn't exciting enough. It would have been cooler had that been flames rather than water. Maybe next time.

back to blogging(?)

2011-05-19T09:08:00.000-06:00

I admit it - lately the cat has my tongue because apparently, I just don't have that much to say. So instead, I've decided to take an informative approach to my blog post today.

We got lucky and before all the rain hit we managed to fill some of our planters. Thanks to Better Homes & Garden (and the magazine subscription that my mom got for free and had sent to me . . . although I no longer get it so if you get that offer again mom - send it my way) I learned something very important about planters. To make planters be pretty/visually interesting - you need three things:

1) Thriller

2) Spiller

3) Filler

So there you go - a horticultural lesson for the day. Other items of note . . .

1) I got a bee in my bonnet and tried to watch the mini-series "Roots" starring Lavar Burton of Reading Rainbow fame. I liked it - but goodness I just heard over and over and over the words "Kunte Kinte". The library needs it back - I haven't finished it but I'm going to move on.
2) We re-watched "Stranger Than Fiction" - I forgot how much I liked that movie. Greg ironed approximately 720 of his shirts while watching it. I mopped the floor and cleaned out the fridge (it needed it).
3) While we were out red rock relaying it up the missionaries mowed our front and back lawns. Bless them. But don't fret, lest you think we are spoiled - they left all the weeding for us - and the smell of their chicken is still the ultimate in disgusting.
4) I found a used, digital piano online. It's pretty nice and let's face it - I'm no concert pianist but I just miss playing . . . so we purchased it. If only we could figure out how to move it to our house. With all the rain I don't relish the idea of using Greg's parents truck. Carrie - why don't you drive down to my house with your Armada and we'll load it in the back? Emilazmo - we'd ask to borrow your swaggin' wagon but I don't want Greg to get too attached to driving a minivan.
5) I love to read my niece's writing. Check it.
6) My sister somehow managed to get the Fablehaven guy to come and speak at her writing camp - I think she's hitting the big time . . . but I still haven't read any of those books.
7) Every summer that same sister has her kids attend "Finlinson State". Greg and I really, really, really wish she would call it Finlinson University instead. You figure it out. It would just be awesome.

Flowers

2011-05-18T22:37:00.001-06:00

Just outside the Jesse Knight building I found these flowers. They don't seem to mind the rain.

Popcorn

2011-05-17T21:56:00.001-06:00

So maybe we ate some popcorn tonight while watching the biggest loser. Deal with it.

More Red Rock

2011-05-16T21:53:00.001-06:00

Another shot of the scenery.

Red Rock Relay

2011-05-15T22:29:00.003-06:00

This weekend we participated in the Red Rock Relay in Moab. I'm not sure you can find a more beautiful place for a race. This is the canyon where I started out my leg of the race. More photos to come . . .

things that must go

2011-05-12T08:52:00.000-06:00

These are just a few things that I would like to see eradicated:

1) The smell of the Elders chicken. Why oh why? I'm ready to give them money to eat out so that they never make this dish again. We have spent a smell fortune in scented candles. (You will be pleased to know that the previously incessant ukulele playing has stopped. Apparently, it was a sign that the two companions weren't getting along so the one Elder played the ukulele all the time in an effort to not talk to the other Elder).
2) The beeping noise when a contestant weighs in on the Biggest Loser scale. Seriously - beep beep beep beep beep beep . . . and then shocked faces . . . and then commercial. I've found that I enjoy BL much more when I watch it on ff dvr speed.
3) Weeds. Need I say more?
4) My indecisiveness when it comes to fixing up our kitchen/family room. I can't commit to anything. Someone just come and take care of this for me in a smart, minimalist, relatively inexpensive way. I'm not asking for the world.
5) People that keep saying that they post pictures of themselves in their outfits everyday because it keeps them "accountable." Accountable to who (or is it whom)? I just don't get this - because if you didn't document what you wore you would just dress like a slob 24-7? Really? Actually, I take this back - this doesn't have to go because I really kind of find these things very entertaining.

Shoes

2011-05-11T22:39:00.000-06:00

So I was hustling to get ready for my mountain bike class today and discovered that I did not pack any gym shoes for the ride. All I had were my dress shoes. I briefly contemplated just wearing those, but after talking to KT, decided to see what I could dig up in the office. Luckily, Nate, one of our designers also wears a 10.5 and graciously allowed me to swap shoes. I got his Nikes, he got my dress shoes. It was ridiculous, and pretty embarrassing, but I'm glad I work with really giving people - people whose paycheck I sign.

This was not one of the shoes, but it reminded me of the story. I vow to always remember my shoes from now on.

Yellow Rose of Texas

2011-05-10T22:42:00.003-06:00

Meet Sarah.The yellow rose of Texas. She wasn't the only one who danced Monday night, but I just thought this photo best captured the attitude she and her sisters showed while dancing.

weekend recap

2011-05-09T12:19:00.000-06:00

1) I rode in the Goldilocks bike ride on Saturday. 62 miles of fun. For the record - give me the Little Red bike ride over this one any day. Also my legs pretty much felt like lead for the last 20 miles. It wasn't pretty. But I finished and I'm not walking funny so it must have turned out okay.

2) Greg washed our new white towels with a red apron. Which means we ended up with new pink towels. After two more washings in heavy clorox bleach we have regained our white towels but it also means we are swimming in dirty clothes because all our laundry time this weekend was spent recovering from the red apron fiasco. But don't worry I would gladly take pink towels and a husband that helps with the laundry than white towels and no help with the laundry.

3) The work-horse came through with her favorite things. She and my dad spoil their daughters on mother's day. They really do. It's pretty much fantastic.

4) We watched "Despicable Me" this weekend. I had no idea there was so much drama over a fluffy unicorn. But we liked it.

5) Greg was in charge of making Cafe Rio dressing for the Sunday meal. We were running late and he left a mess. We came home and the Elders cleaned up his mess! Yes, this transfer has made a huge difference. We actually don't dread coming home anymore. When I asked the Elders why they did this they said that as men they have to look out for one another. Oh brother! I think they were both just in great moods because they got to call home to their families.

6) We celebrated Greg's mom's birthday at Los Hermanos. It was a delight. I could probably drink their salsa.