marriage lessons with steve

often, annie and I receive marriage lessons from our dear dad. today's went like this:

annie - I'll just have my husband be in charge of that
dad - what fantasy life do you live in? don't you know that your mom married the last perfect husband out there? they're all idiots.
annie - oh

so no more dreaming for us, apparently all the good ones are gone

merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

in the future. . .

. . . I have some great stories for you. they just need some time to be written and to settle a bit. but, you will laugh, maybe cry or drop your jaw because I did. they are a-maz-ing

conversation of the day at work:

hurried gentleman: is mr. so & so in?
me: no, I haven't seen him today
hurried gentleman: I'm supposed to pick something up from him
me: he's not here and I don't believe any of his people are either -quick check down the hall to appease-
me: none of his people are here and they didn't leave anything with me for pick up
hurried gentleman: well I'm supposed to pick something up, and they're not going to be happy about this
me: do you know who told you it was available for pickup?
hurried gentleman: -huff, head shake, look at cell phone-there isn't anything for XYZ company or mr. this & that?
me: no they didn't leave anything with me
hurried gentleman: well do you know when mr. so & so will be in?
me: no I'm not his assistant
hurried gentleman: well is his assistant in?
me: no (thinking - that's what I meant by his people aren't in)
hurried gentleman: huff & walk away

maybe it's not as funny if you weren't there, but he just really didn't get it

Give and Get is Here!

gotta love gap give and get!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from November 11-14 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

scary movie syndrome

you know you've been watching too many scary movies when you wake up to strange music playing repeatedly and your first thought is that it's the murder's theme playing before he comes to kill you.




I'm making this week Disney movie week.

I Can Camp!

this weekend i went camping. i don't camp, but i went. we spent the weekend in and around calf creek falls (southern utah) and it was one not to be forgotten.

after missing our first exit (thank heavens for google maps & gps) and shortly into the trip (but well past civilization) we realized we forgot a lot of things, however, we used some creativity and made it work:
cereal bowls - we cut the tops off water bottles and made bowls
spoons - we drank our cereal
knives - we spread our pp&j with a pair of scissors (which also served as a stirring spoon)
plates - ate our food in one holding
cups - no hot chocolate for us
a couple toothbrushes - wisps came in handy for some
propane - luckily we found an open general store and bought some (didn't think to buy serving ware while we were there)
matches - found a nice man who loaned a few
a second tent - just squished 5 in a two-man tent until the boys decided to sleep in the open
flashlights - luckily we had one headlamp and my trusty wind-up light
3 sets of church clothes - alex and kristen looked nice (well at least our clothes, not much could be said for the hair), angie, trevor and nate wore their sweats with pride and we got a lot of funny stares
sleeping pads -their loss
directions to the actual campground - thanks for the nice lady working late at the one hotel
firewood - no campfires for us, however, we still left with the smell
a camera - i have no pictures, angie got a few though

night one: we camped in the middle of nowhere, literally. we took a dirt road in about 45 minutes and there was not a soul to be found. turns out it was on a pretty cool overlook which we found in the morning.
saturday: we ate our cereal out of water bottles then hiked two slot canyons (spooky and peek-a-boo) which were very cool. i've never done anything like it before. in the afternoon we hiked up to calf creek falls, again very cool, very beautiful. hiking down the trail we entertained ourselves by making animal noises and impersonating friends who chose not to come.
night two: the campground had one spot open up which we gladly took (i was most happy to have some facilities) and went to bed fairly early after a warm meal and a very entertaining game of cards
sunday: we realized how beautiful the canyons down through the capitol reef area really are, stopped in the bustling metropolis of Salina for church, and made it home before the rain (a definite plus since we only had one windshield wiper on the passenger side)

moral of the story: i can camp and i can camp without all the gear i would have liked to have (not saying i'd want to do it again anytime soon). southern utah is more beautiful than i thought (some seriously amazing scenery). you can get a headache from laughing too hard :)

the things we don't say

found this in a list of posts i never actually posted. kind of funny.

once while shopping with a boy (who wanted to be much more than friends) he asked if he could buy my sweater for me. i said no, no again, and no. when asked why, i said he didn't need to be buying things for me. really, i wanted to say, "because then i'll never be able to wear it after i end things with you next week." definitely a premeditated break up

hobble creek

yesterday we rode up and down both forks of hobble creek canyon and had two conversations I never expected to have in my lifetime.

1-the width of road tires (mine are 23 mm and devin's are 25mm) and pricing on carbon wheel sets2-something very important-the best flavors of clif bar shot bloks and which ones we have yet to try. on the ride we had a mix of mountain berry, cran razz, and strawberry; we also determined that the margarita flavor was better than expected.

yes, two conversations i never would have expected to have in a million years.

that was pathetic

tonight i tried to do a pull up. one simple pull up.

i pulled for all i was worth and maybe budged two inches.

as i dropped to the ground, my trainer gave me the sorriest look he's ever given and said, "that. was. pathetic."

not much in goshen

today i rode 68 miles. my longest ride yet. we traveled from saratoga springs down to goshen - a one gas pump town - on the road west of utah lake. did i want to cry at times? yes. did i want to quit? more than once. do i want to live in elberta or goshen? no way. did i allow matt wilson to literally push me for a mile? heck yes! did i survive? you betcha. miraculously i made it the whole way in just over 4 hours. am i ready to do it again? of course! even with the soreness, tiredness, and sunburn(ness) i'm ready to try it again. (especially since next time i'll finally have shoes and pedals - performance is only improving!)

personal trainer

I got a personal trainer. the day it happened I was just at the gym to do my usual non-yoga, or cycling day workout and hoping that I wouldn't run into anyone or have to talk to anyone. they found me early, warming up with a nice little jog on the treadmill. they came full force. three muscular guys, a little flirt action, the promise of looking like arnold schwarzenegger (except not, just looking better than ever), and a testimonial from another trainee.

at first, it was just for a one time, free workout so I figured, "what the heck, we'll see what they can offer?" in 20 minutes that kid worked me harder than I would have in an hour. I still wasn't convinced and didn't want to spend the money, and then they started talking. we talked about everything that wasn't related to personal training and out of no where the manager was driving me home to get my credit card and drivers license. soon enough I was signed up for 6 months of personal training with my first appointment 3 days later. was it completely unexpected? yes. was I a lot-a-bit excited about it? yes!

it's only been a few weeks, but I've really enjoyed my training sessions. my trainer is great and works me so much harder than I do myself and doesn't let me cheat(I tried one of my workouts on my own the other day and totally cheated. don't tell). I've learned not to tell him his counting is off because then the count magically goes from 17 to 12. it's been good motivation and hopefully in 6 months I'll be looking fabulous!

Denver 2010

I recently went to Denver to visit miss Kali Harris, best friend that lives way too far away! I had a great time thanks to her and her awesome family.

To some (mainly the male gender), it may not have been a desirable vacation, but when you love to shop, converse over yogurt (every day), and lay by the pool, it was perfect!
On the shopping log, we hit Pearl St. in Boulder, Cherry Creek, Park Meadows, 16th St. Mall and a few small shops along the way. Luckily, every store was getting ready for fall so there were some great deals which meant we got a lot more bang for our buck and there were many bucks spent.


We did throw some culture in there by spending one day at the Denver Art Museum viewing the King Tut exhibit and the more permanent exhibits at the museum. It was quite amazing and very well preserved. Some of the stuff in the other exhibits was just odd, but I guess all art can't be to my liking. In keeping with the trip standard, the day was finished with yogurt and shopping.


We did spend an unforgettable evening at Casa Bonita (the disneyland of mexican restaurants). Not unforgettable because it was fabulous, but because it was so unreal that people actually go there. The food was served cafeteria style (we carried our own trays), looked terrible, and tasted worse. We were entertained by cliff divers, mariachi, and a man in a gorilla suit (since when did mexican = gorilla?). We went for an experience, and it definitely was "an experience."

Another non-shopping activity was a Sunday drive (with Kali's sister Kayce and her best friend Brittany) in the mountains followed by a short walk around a lake. It was so pretty and relaxing!

All in all, it was a great extended weekend and I was so so so happy to see Kali!. I miss her way too much and think she needs to move back already:)

tired, sore, pink, and well worth it

that is how i feel today after a great long weekend. i had a great 4th thanks to family and friends and it makes the pain i've felt today seem well worth it.

i started friday night by finding my pyro-side by lighting a few pre-fourth fireworks with mr. ryan freeman.

saturday morning began early with a bike ride up to the summit on the alpine loop (32 miles round trip and 3200 ft. vertical climb). poor mr. matthew wilson had to deal with my complaining and telling him i was mad at him and hated him at the moment. however, he kept pushing me and i made it somehow--it was by far my hardest ride to date, but it felt great. next, was a nice lunch at sammy's with mr. devin ashby who i haven't seen forever! it was great. then, i was supposed to do some relaxing at the pool, but some ward boys quickly talked me into to playing pool volleyball (how could i say no?). quite fun, but i stayed out too long and got a little too pink under the sun, but i couldn't leave, my team kept winning. i finished the day by making some caramel popcorn, watching the stadium fireworks, and of course doing some fireworks of our own with mr. ryan, mr. devin, mr. jordan gluch, and sister and the boyfriend (hers not mine).

sunday was relaxing, but still full of good church meetings, time with family, and great food. unlike the rest of provo, i didn't sleep out on the ave. i slept at home away from it all. if there is one thing i know about myself, i need sleep to be pleasant and functional so staying far away from the noise and crowds was a smart choice for me.

monday started fairly early with boating at good ol' utah lake. the lineup included miss dani robison, miss angela robins, mr. jason woodward, mr. michael carlson, mr. devereaux smith, mr. todd, mr. trevor jones, and mr. jace jones. we wakeboarded (i got right up after 6 years of not wakeboarding which i found as a pleasant surprise), got some rays, and did some serious tubing with ruthless drivers. it was so fun, however, my neck may not agree today. finally, monday concluded with the annual neighborhood on fire! homemade ice cream, star cookies, sparklers, loads of fireworks, and patriotic music with the neighbors must be had to make the holiday complete. i'll just say this, you wish you lived in our neighborhood. it is that great.

i'm usually not one for travel logs, however, this 4th of july weekend was great even if it left me tired, sore and pink. the only thing i didn't do is take pictures. there were plenty to go around, just not on my camera.

matchy matchy

tonight i went on a date. we matched. bright yellow shirts. we were hard to miss.

but what can you do, tell him to wait while you go change your shirt and rework the outfit?

i went with it and enjoyed all the double takes.

today in the dressing room. . .

. . . i couldn't help from laughing when overhearing this conversation

stressed mom: "honey you need to stop that or we're not going to cabela's"
2 year-old: "sorry mom. i'll be good mom. i like your dress mom."
(to her younger sister), "we have to be good so we can go to cabela's"

it's never to early to learn to brown nose a little bit

el·o·quence

–noun

1. the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness.

2. eloquent language or discourse: a flow of eloquence.

I wish I had more of that.

rather, I just spew words out faster than I can think and say things I don't mean to say.

I'm blunt enough to get my point across, but I wish it sounded more eloquent as it comes out.

maybe someday.

happy mother's day!

i am a little late in getting this posted (i was lucky enough to spend the day with my mom) but i have the best mom in the world! it's true, a lot of people tell me that so it's not just me saying it, she really is. my mom is awesome and it constantly serving, loving, and caring for those around her--best of all she puts up with me.

happy mother's day mom, i love you!

decisions decisions decisions

i have a lot of decisions i should make

anyone want to make them for me?

today i am grateful for the little blessings that come when you least expect it.

they always make the day go better.

what a gem

said to a friend: "I bought the box because it looked like your hair color."

don't you love when you finally realize why you chose or chose not to do something? I'm just realizing why I didn't take a job last year when logically it was the perfect job for where I was in my life. seriously, everything was there - decent pay, in my field of study, reasonable hours, good location, nice people, a growing company, and opportunity to move up in the company. however, I just didn't feel good about taking the job so I didn't even though I didn't have any other job possibilities at the time. now, with some recent events in my life, I'm realizing why I didn't take that job and I'm so happy I was patient and waited for the job I have now. it's just so great to finally understand why I made that choice even when it made no sense at the time.

cycle the state of utah

p.s. I bought a road bike two weeks ago, and I'm so excited about it. and if I would have bought it 6 weeks ago (before the knee injury) and had known about this earlier, I would be riding down the state of utah with these guys: http://cycleforacause.blogspot.com/ go check them out, donate if you can, or even find a day or two to ride with them. they're riding for a good cause.

disney princess nightmare!

I had a terrible nightmare the other night. It was absolutely terrible; so terrible I was still frustrated about it for a few hours after I woke up.

I dreamed that we were having my wedding reception and it was disney princess themed in a cultural hall with. (nothing against disney princesses annie, but for a wedding?)

everyone (especially my mom and sister) in the dream seemed so excited about it, everyone but me. I didn't say anything until the cake decorator asked if the roses looked okay to which I replied, "well, yeah, but that's not what I wanted, no one asked me what I wanted for my wedding! who thought that I wanted disney princesses?"

it was awful.

I was mad.

what a nightmare.

overheard

in a frustrated tone, "the girls just didn't like me because all the guys were after me."

well, yeah, that's usually how it goes. we're a jealous breed

another great line

today my other favorite little neighbor was over and she asked my mom how old she is. after getting her answer she exclaimed, "you're older than my dad!. . . but you don't look as old." gotta love the honesty

from my favorite 6-year-old:
"why do you buy all this stuff (cleaning supplies) and never use it?" apparently, we don't clean our house enough.

she's offered to move in to do the cleaning.

the love fern

don't know what made me think of this; but i once received a love fern. i wasn't always the most kind to boys back when it happened, but i imagine his face looked a lot like hers when he asked if i had smashed the pot and killed the plant and i answered, "well, i didn't, but the garbage truck probably didn't help"

goodbye triathlon

it's amazing how quickly some things come and go. one second i was running in a soccer game and the next it hurt to run so i stopped. i have no idea what i did because i was being lazy and not playing anywhere near the ball or other people when my knee just starting hurting so i decided to sub out of the game. the next day my right knee was twice the size of my left and as it turns out i have a torn meniscus. it's only a small tear and it's not very painful, but my physical therapist just gave a little chuckle (a, it's not happening chuckle) when i mentioned triathlon. so maybe next year.

the real housewives of orange county

ok, so I don't watch the show, but happened to be flipping through channels when I heard this gem. "I don't need a 6 carat diamond ring! a 2 or 3 carat would have been fine."

triathlon (well sprint triathlon)

i'm taking on a new challenge - a triathlon, sprint distance. for some, this is a walk in the park, but not for me. i've only been doing yoga lately (which i absolutely love) so my training for everything else is at an all time low. i've found that I can run the full distance, and bike the full distance - I am just really slow; swimming is a different story. I commend all you swimmers out there, it's hard. I will get there, and i'm excited to give this a try even if I come in last. so if you're looking to find me, i'll be at the gym

so yesterday a friend says to me, "You should marry [a certain boy] because he will make a lot of money and you are going to be expensive."

so much for love, apparently I need to look for money

new new years tradition

I've always wanted a good New Year's Eve tradition, but nothing has ever set in. last night I think I found it, a New Years' Eve Make-Your-Own-Pizza Party! of course, being me, I forgot to take pictures, but it was a lot of fun.

I made the dough, had tons of toppings, and everyone got to be creative with their dinner. we cooked everything on the grill so the kitchen didn't get hot and it made clean up a bit easier. plus, it gave everyone something to do--if they weren't eating, they were creating (we made them small enough for everyone to eat 2 or 3 or 5 for some) and it took us about two hours to get everyone fed and full. so we killed two birds with one stone--the creating gave us an activity for the night and it got us fed (sometimes hard things to accomplish on a long night like New Years'). it was the perfect activity for a group of 10-15 people-at least I think so.

I really am quite pleased with my idea, and it's really perfect for any party with a smaller group; it's a keeper for new years' parties to come.