Oh yeah!.

My Dad was interviewed for FOX 13 in Utah yesterday. My parents started the Standard of Liberty Foundation which is "an LDS-oriented educational foundation which exists to raise awareness of radical sexual movements overrunning America's Christian-moral-cultural life and to inspire the public will, families, and individuals to counteract these trends."

He was asked to give his view on the backlash from the prop. 8 outcome. I am so proud that he is standing up for our beliefs. We really need to keep our faith going strong in a world so against what we believe. So to see the broadcast interview with channel 13 go here, and to see the 20 minute raw footage of the interview, including my parents hosting a local radio program, go here.

Thanks for standing up Mom and Dad!

"With my by myself."

Not that the new post below isn't important enough to keep at the top for longer, but I can't seem to get this SNL clip out of my head. I laugh out loud even when I just think about it. I keep singing the song over and over, and it never gets old. You maybe have already seen it many times since it aired a few weeks ago, but I say it's a true classic. If you haven't seen it, you are in for a real treat. And you'll understand my title. The talet these SNL people have. . .

He makes me smile

I'm not sure why I am so pressed to write this post, but I feel like I simply must write it down while these thoughts are dominating all others. I was just visiting teaching such a sweet friend, and though we had a great discussion (she is a new member and always has so many refreshing things to talk about), she said something that sums up some recent thoughts I've had. She said, "Your husband is always smiling and so nice." Such a simple comment, but I have to say that she was right on. It's not the first time I have realized this or heard it from other people. I have always known and enjoyed this. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with him in the first place. But sometimes, things like this can really hit you all at once. Or you can get used to things that other people notice more readily than you because you see it all the time. He is genuinely and truly nice and happy almost all the time. He always has something nice to say about everyone he meets. Seriously, how did I luck out with this guy?

A few days ago he said something that was so "KC" and it made me laugh so hard. But of course, I can't remember it due to him saying it late at night (not the optimal time for me to retain information). It was driving me crazy that I couldn't remember, but then I realized that it doesn't even matter what it was. The fact of the matter is that he made me laugh, and it was just him being himself. That's the coolest part about it. He doesn't even have to try. It's just the way things work in that funny head of his. Times when I think there is nothing to smile about, he finds something to lift me from my self-pity. And I know these kind of posts are silly, and I know you might not care to bask with me in my husband's goodness (I know he doesn't want you to), I just wanted to write down these thought I've been having lately, and reiterate how very lucky this wife is. Now I'll stop before I get into our little endearing inside jokes, or silly married people games we play, cause that would really bore you. So, during a time of many distractions, personally and in the world, I just wanted to remember this sweet moment when I couldn't help but think of anything besides my ever-smiling partner in crime.

Silver Lining

So there is a silver lining to this whole election catastrophe. Prop. 8 passed in California! So there is a reason to rejoice among the madness. Hooray for protecting our families. I need to have some hope for my children's future, and this really helps. Thank you, honorable people of California for standing up. This is a great blessing. I'm relieved.

No lines for me!

I am still registered in Columbia from the last election when I lived with Cami (have I really been here for two whole presidential elections?) and I don't know what the lines look like here in my neighborhood, but they couldn't have been better than where I voted. Seriously, lines were nonexistent. In and out in 5 minutes! It seems all the news is talking about is the lines that wrap around buildings and people in line for two hours or more. Yikes. I'm happy to not live there.

And if it's possible to touch a touch screen ballot with conviction, I did it! I am proudly wearing my "I Voted" sticker (maybe we'll stop by one of the places that give free ice cream or other food if you are donning the sticker), and am proud to say that I did my part. Now, all I can do is pray, and believe me, I will be praying.

Anything can happen on Halloween, your hands could turn into burritos.

(The title is to be sung to the tune of this song from "The Worst Witch." Oh the childhood memories. Gotta love those special effects.)

To begin I want to say that I think we are in the clear as far as the mothball smell. I think I caught it early enough. I believe all our clothes smell very fresh from their day in the sun and air. And if there's any lingering smell around here, it's the dryer sheets I placed everywhere. I also think the charcoal did a great job, and we're back to the musty smelling closets we had before, which I'll take any day over the mothballs. Phew! I thought we were goners. (And it doesn't look like nearly as many clothes when their in my little closet, okay!)

The Halloween fun was kicked off with a birthday party Molly threw for her one year old Nathan a couple weeks ago. It really got me in the Halloween spirit seeing all the kids dressed up and playing games. I told Molly that if she didn't have plans for the cake, I'd be happy to make one. I knew she's go above and beyond with the games and food, so I thought It would take a load off. And I wanted an excuse to make a pumpkin bundt again (this is the one I use and I love it). It was such a fun party for everyone and I was so happy to be invited to celebrate with Nathan.


Then of course we had our ward Halloween party/trunk-or-treat last Wednesday. It was, again, fun to see all the kids so giddy in their imaginative costumes. And a lot of adults got into this one too. Even in our tiny ward we had two McCain/Palin couples. One couple was supporting, and the other was opposed. The opposed couple's daughter was dressed like a little devil and I made a joke that she was Barack Obama. They had a good laugh. Good thing because as the time, I didn't know they were pro-O. (She is one of my friends so we can joke around like that.) Anyway, we also had some people donned in Russian gear so we had fun with Sarah Palin being buddy buddy with the Russians. That was funny too, but enough politics. KC and I just threw some costumes together last minute. I was a Hawaiian tourist, and KC was...can you guess? If you can't see, he has plastic knives stuck into cereal boxes making him a cereal killer. Yikes! I wasn't sure if that was church approved, but he got the idea from his friend Burke years ago and wanted to use it. He didn't put on his costume until trick-or-treating time, so I guess he found someones hat in the meantime. Each of the organizations were in charge of an activity. We, the YW, did a caramel apple station that went over really well. And thanks to Christina's suggestion, the EQ did donuts on a string. There were some other games going on, but I was oblivious to most of my surroundings making sure all was well in my responsibilities. Well, I did notice the bishopric target practice. That was funny. It was f-f-freezing outside so we decided to have the kids trick-or-treat in the classrooms around the church. We all went in a classroom and it worked great.

And on the very day of Halloween, I enjoyed the various costume and themes of many morning show hosts while I dealt with the previously mentioned disaster. Later we decided to take Chipotle up on their offer: Dress up like a burrito on Halloween and get one free. Really it meant put tin foil anywhere on your body (even as small as a ring) and you're in. The Millers were all about it. I knew there would be a long line, which I hate, so we thought we'd do the drive by and if it looked bad, we'd skip it, or try one with less foot traffic. But when we got there Andrew was pretty far up in the line and we hopped in. 2o minutes later we all had hot, custom made, delicious, free burritos. KC and I usually share one because as you know, they are HUGE, so this was quite a treat for us to have our own at no cost. Though, I still saved half of mine for lunch today and it was still so good. I made a nifty belt thing, and KC wanted to be burrito hands. That guy. He even made me open his door and drive since he couldn't with his burrito hands. He was really getting into character. The employees laughed because he asked if he could trade on of his for one of theirs. They probably needed a little humor with a night like that. I was kicking myself for not thinking to bring our space blankets. It would've been perfect. Oh man, that line of tin-foil covered people stayed long for quite some time. I wonder how they could give away so much food. It was nuts. We'll see if they do it next year (then we can use the space blankets). I'm telling you, there were a lot of people. Anyway, we ate at the Miller's, being entertained by the Nathan boy, and enjoyed some caramel apple leftovers. We also watched Lady in the Water, by one of my favorite Directors M. Night Shyamalan. Molly doesn't like scary so I thought this one was a good balance between eerie and exciting for Halloween.

So that was that and Halloween is over. November is here and wonderful. The weather is simply gorgeous in the mid 60s and the holidays are rapidly arriving. Oh, this time of year always comes and goes too quickly. I'm really going to try and enjoy each day. But it's also okay when it's over because we have a fun vacation planned for January. I highly recommend having something to look forward to after the holidays. It takes the sting off a bit. More on that to come.

WARNING!

Never never NEVER use mothballs unless you want everything in your house to have the everlasting stench of the wretched things. Seriously, there should be a warning on the box about what you are getting yourself into.

Let me start at the beginning. Last week I pulled out my beloved, gifted, beautiful cashmere sweater for the first time of the season. To my unfortunate surprise, there were three holes nibbled in the arm. I decided we needed moth balls to prevent this from happening to any more of our more valuable garments. I was pretty naive about mothballs never having used them before, but I thought they were harmless and everybody had them around the house. So I bought a box, and the instructions looked a little complicated. So I had them in my return-to-the-store pile not wanting to make any wrong moves with a potentially hazardous material. I took my sweater to get repaired at a dry cleaning place and she told me how to use them, so I put my fears aside and opened the box of death. I put a little stash of balls in a few old tupperwares and put them in all the closets I thought might need protection from the pests. The smell was a stench that could kill, but I didn't think it would cause any big problem. So I continued with my previous notion that everyone uses these, so it's no big deal. An hour or so later I checked on the smell in the closets. It almost knocked me down and was making me feel sick. I started sniffing things and when I could smell in on the clothes, I decided to remove the moth balls immediately. I left the house for a while and could smell it on myself. I was so upset, trying to think of ways to tackle this smell lingering in my house. When I got home later in the night, I was practically livid because of the smell. It had taken over. I went around spraying a deodorizing floral spray that helped for a moment, but soon turned into mothball, floral smell which is just as bad, or worse. I tried to go to sleep, but I was too frustrated, so I did some research online until after midnight. Of course I read forum after forum thoroughly warning against using the blasted things. I was fortunate to only have them in my house for an hour or two. Others were dealing with cars, clothes, closets, or furniture that held mothballs for years. But I found many possible remedies to our situation. So last night I made vinegar and baking soda mixture for each closet to help sleep since it was the only remedy I had on hand. The people that had bad mothball problems for years said that washing the clothes really doesn't get rid of it, so first thing this morning, I moved every article of clothing from all three closets outside or to the basement. Turns out one of the best ways to rid yourself of the smell is a warm ventilated area for the clothes. We are so lucky to have a pretty warm day today getting up to the 60s. So here is what our back yard looks like. I was so annoyed with the amounts of clothes I have. It seems like so much more than I need when I was transferring them outside.And here's our basement, since there was nowhere else outside for these clothes. At least it's far away from the source.And all of our coats are in a non-effected room, draped all over the elliptcal and hung from the blinds.

This is also a very expensive problem. I went to the store and bought a lot of the things the websites promised would work. This was a near 50 dollar venture including the culprit mothballs. I guess I'll just have to stay away from the after holiday clearances so make up the cost. This was much more important. Here is the list of what I hope takes care of it: charcoal briquettes to absorb the unwanted odors, extra strong dryer sheets and fabric softener, fresh linen plug-ins, a cedar scented deodorizer to keep away the moths and keep a fresh scent lingering, more baking soda and vinegar, and I actually had some coffee stashed away (used in small amounts for various baking projects, mind you) that's also good in absorbing odors, and leave a nice smell behind. How can it not work with all this being done? I'm going to leave my clothes outside for as long as possible today, and hope that nobody thinks it's a free yard sale.
So I've opened every window and lit every scented candle. It's freezing in our house since it's only about 50 outside. The house it down to 62 and it's even hard to type with my cold fingers but I'll freeze if it means I am that much closer to being done with this. I go smell the affected areas now and then and it seems to be dissipating, but I'm afraid that even when I think it's gone, I'll leave the house and others will easily smell it on me, or come over and smell it in the house. I might get desensitized since I'm here all day. But KC has a very sensitive nose, so I hope he keeps us on track with the situation. And I'm probably blowing it out of proportion, since we really only had them inside for a short while. But, oh man, that was enough.

The irony here is that I cleaned the whole house yesterday and felt like I could really relax today. Instead I have this nightmare to deal with. Soon we'll be rid of this dreadful annoyance, but until then I'll continue to fret until it's out of our house and my life completely. Don't do what I did. Use cedar hangers, or anything besides mothballs. I'd rather let the mothballs eat my clothes, and that's saying something. This will save you so much anguish. I wish someone had told me this before. I think it's getting better already. I need to go close all the windows and turn on the heat.


There are more fun Halloween posts I want to write about, but I had to get this out there first.

"Dude, be straight, be true. What is shakin' and bakin' here."

I am pleased to present one of my favorite parts of Halloween time, The Blair Thumb. I understand this isn't for everybody, but it has me laughing out loud every time I see it (and I've seen it countless times). I haven't even seen The Blair Witch Project but a few moments on TV and this is still one of my favorite short films of all time. It actually made me think the clips that I saw of the original were hilarious since it seemed the thumbs had the characters right on. I think my family has incorporated many quotes from this movie into our everyday conversation without even thinking a second thought. Matty, I'll forever be indebted to you for introducing such an influential piece or work to me.

Someone made this trailer that has a few of the funniest parts, but not all of them. So if you need more, don't worry. Youtube has the whole 30 minute film in 5 parts for you to enjoy. But I guess I should warn you that there are a couple very short moments of slightly questionable material. But you'll probably be laughing so hard you won't here them.

Enjoy.


Oh man. It gets me every single time.

The latest tag

So, I was tagged by Cami, and here it is.

The rules: go to your pictures folder and select the 4th folder. Within that folder, you select the 4th picture and post it online.

Of course, a cake picture. This one actually has a good story though. KC, Joe Laura and I were a little foursome in our singles ward. None of us were dating (for a while) and so we'd hang out a lot, friend style. We started a tradition to have an annual picnic together after our November stake conference. And we actually did it for several years. I'd always make a huge French bread sandwich along with other picnic essentials. I'm pretty sure we ate almost the same thing every year too. The sandwich was a must. This is the cheesecake I made for the first one. The moment Joe saw it, he proposed. When I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and immediately denied him, he said, "You probably think I'm kidding, but I'm not." He sounded a little too serious so I'm pretty sure I awkwardly changed the subject. Silly Joe. At least knew that if I wanted to date him, it wouldn't take much to swing him my way.

Here are a couple pictures from that first picnic, just so you can match faces to names. I know it's not in the rules of the tag, but I don't care.

I remember putting my shoes in place of myself in the picture.

We thought we were so funny taking these dumb posed pictures. Sometimes being in a singles ward can make you do things that aren't really as cool as you think they are. (Notice I changed out of my church clothes as quickly as possible, and no one else did. One of my previously mentioned quirks.)

In this one, I think the camera had tilted slightly and the timer was already going to we tried to duck to make it into the picture. I'd say we did pretty good.

So, that was a lot more than you bargained for with a tag that only required one picture, but I couldn't resist a trip down memory lane. And since this tag has been around for a couple days, I'm not quite sure who hasn't been tagged yet, so go ahead and try it out if you haven't. It's kinda fun.

Yep.

I found them. The perfect shoes.Dansko clogs. Others might think differently but, seriously, they solve a lot of closet dilemmas. I could talk about how many great features these shoes have all day, but Cami did it very efficiently here. (Turns out I talked most of my sisters into buying them too. I am very happy for them.) I'm in love and I think they'll last me a looooong time. I am incredibly grateful to call them my own. (Sounds dumb, I know, but I'm happy.)

$2.36

The price of Costco gas today. It was less than $35.00 for the whole tank. I must be a miracle.

More webcam fun.

So they took these pictures of Mel and I at my parent's house yesterday. It warms my heart to see these, almost fooling myself into feeling like I was there with her. I saw these on Melody's blog and had to post them. I do so love my sis. And technology. (Hey I think Kip Dynamite has a song about that.)

Sigh. . .another birthday.

Yes, I turned 24 yesterday. Weird, huh? I'm in my mid-20s. I think people will stop acting so shocked when they find out I'm married, or when they here my age at all. Ever since I moved here, when I said my age it was so fascinating for some reason. Especially when I got married. People just couldn't believe I was so young and at that point in my life. My friends still think it's funny that I'm a few years (or more) younger than them, but they'll get over it soon enough now that I've joined the mid-20 group.

So, I had a great weekend. It was nothing like the past two birthdays when I got to have my twinny with me, but my friends and family made it fun all the same. It started on Friday when a few of my girlfriends and I treated ourselves to a much-needed pedicure. We were seriously giddy. And what made it even better was sharing nachos grande at Chevys afterward. They sang to me, and we shared the delicious complementary birthday ice cream. I was so happy to be with my girls. Sometimes, it's just essential that you get together and laugh, even if what you are laughing at isn't really that funny. I appreciate them taking time from their families so we could hang together. A great start to my birthday weekend.

On Saturday I was helping Jan and the kids at a wedding they were participating in. Jan was a bride's maid (matron I suppose), so she wanted me to sit with the kids during the ceremony. This wedding is a story in an of itself, so I won't go into it too much (a little 2 year old ring bearer falls while rehearsing and having to be rushed to the hospital for stitches on his head, arriving minutes before the ceremony, Iris, the flower girls, screams down the aisle because she didn't want wade to throw her flowers on the ground, the maid of honor faints during the ceremony). Let's just say it was unforgettable. Anyway, after I was relieved of my babysitting duties, KC and I barely made it to our stake temple session. I nice break from my hectic day. There was a sweet elderly lady in the session. In the dressing room I overheard her daughter-in-law introducing her to someone and saying she would be 82 tomorrow. I went and told her that it was my, and my sisters birthday tomorrow too and wished her a happy one. She was delighted and said there's no better present than coming to the temple. What a sweet thought. We saw some friends, from our ward and the singles ward, and went to get a late night milk shake and onion rings. It was a great time catching up, but I should learn that even though the onion rings look so good in the menu, and even better in the person, it's not great to eat a bunch of them at 10 pm. Especially when you had nachos the night before. I know better now. But still, a good time.

The next morning, that actual day, KC got up extra early to make me one of my favorite breakfasts, a delicious breakfast sandwich. While he was cooking and filling the house with delicious smells, I let myself relax and enjoy the morning, until we went to church. We came home and I got to open my birthday presents and packages. It was so fun to get cards, gifts emails, and even notes of my facebook wall from friends and family that are far away. I was almost in tears reading the darling cards from my nieces. I told KC that I really wanted a web cam, and guess what, he followed through. I was so great talking to my whole family, seriously all of them, via web cam. It was almost like we were all actually together. First we talked with the Turpins. Jefferson is hilarious. He always likes to send the winks and thinks they are hilarious. Earlier in the week Molly asked me what I was doing on my birthday. With the girl's night, and KC and I planning to go to dinner on Tonight, I thought we had it covered and didn't need a big thing on Sunday. She wouldn't hear of it. She was so sweet and said she'd arrange to have our friends come over and we could have a nacho bar (my friends really know what I like). I insisted that we didn't make it a birthday party and just make it a pot-luck game night like we usually do. So we did, and it was so fun. Molly made a completely delicious pumpkin bread pudding for my birthday cake. Totally my style. We got some Wakee six time in, and had a fun time laughing at the little one year old boys. I appreciate them making my birthday a little festive, even though I asked them not to. I then got on the web cam with the rest of the fam at my mom's house. It's so fun I can actually watch the the little kids grow up now. Julia is getting so big. I instructed Melody to get a web cam asap so we can chat on it occasionally instead of the phone all the time. It's just amazing to be able to see them, though it makes me miss everyone even more. Melody and I have only missed a few birthdays together in our whole life, so this took the sting off a bit, but still it's lame. We are going to have more big parties when they get here in a few weeks.

And it's not over yet (as if that wasn't enough). As I mentioned before, KC and I have dinner plans tonight to celebrate together. I'm really not that high maintenance that I need my birthday to last 4 days, we just have a gift certificate for a nice French restaurant in DC that expires soon. We thought this was a good time to use it. So the fun continues.

Birthdays are always a little weird to me. Especially the last few. This is the reason for my sigh in the title. I always just wanted to turn 21 and stay there forever, but the years continue to come. This hasn't been the easiest of years, to put it delicately, so that another year has already past makes me feel kind of unfulfilled. I just feel a little stuck. I don't want to get older, but I want things in my life to get moving along. You can't have one without the other, and I don't really have a choice anyway. Things are just a little different than I thought they would be. But this past year has also been filled with so many great times that I must remember. I was thinking while I was in the temple that I can't keep waiting for the finish line in everything I do. I need to enjoy what's happening right now. It's a bad habit of mine to always want to get to where I'm going without enjoying the ride. The years just really slip through my fingers so quickly. So since I can't help but get older, I'll try to enjoy this year even more. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it a great and carefree birthday.

A few little intruders

We have recently been graced by the presence of a few little friends around here. Some pleasant, and others, not so. The first to manifest itself was this little guy.Yes, that is a bat in out basement storage room. How is it that I cleaned that room from top to bottom a few weeks ago, and missed him hanging there on the wall? Well, I discovered him when I was getting some rarely used dishes for a gathering, and almost bumped it as I was rearranging things. I was a little freaked out, I must admit, but not so much as if I was a mouse or some other pest. I knew KC would be excited to see it. He has some fascination for bats since they are not considered pests and eat mosquitoes (giving them a special place in my heart too, but I still don't want them in my space). So he came down to survey the situation, and after a few "Whoa, cool." comments, we were starting to worry it would wake up and fly at us or something. But as we looked closer, we noticed the dust particles hanging from the poor guy, realizing he was probably dead, and had been for a while. Again, how did I miss him before? Anyway, KC made some sort of bat catching apparatus in case it was alive, and switched to a zip lock bag when there was no catching required. I'd be okay if his friends didn't pay us a visit any time soon.

Another visitor, that I quite enjoyed, but this floppy-eared friend. We think he lives in the rubble in the neighbor's yard (old tires, garbage cans, etc.). KC said he's seen a little bunny come in and out from time to time, but I first saw it when visiting relative of another neighbor knocked on my door asking if our bunny in the front yard should be put in a cage or somewhere it couldn't get hurt. I just told him that the bunny knew the territory and it was fine with us if he wanted to much on the weeds. His daughter came over to see it, and I couldn't resist a couple pictures. I like this one of his ear up because he did that when I made a little noise to get it's attention. He was so comfortable and let us go all the way up and pet it without being scared in the least. He's welcome around here anytime.

The third and final intruder I'll mention is little Iris. Okay, she was actually invited, but I wanted an excuse to write about this cute little girl. I've been babysitting Wade and IJ for over a year now, so I really feel like part of their family. I brought IJ here one day instead of staying at their house. She is starting to think about potty-training, so her mom got her these cute little undies to get her excited. She doesn't really want to wear them, but she does want to take them everywhere she goes. I love how when she came over, she was so excited about the little table I got, and went immediately to it, placing a pair of the underwear at each chair. Why?When I was making lunch, I caught her playing house (talking to herself) a few times, and popped my head in to see. Of course she smiled and got all shy, but she actually loves to get caught. When I was changing her very stinky diaper, I told her "Iris, this is so stinky! You should go in the potty so I won't have to do this anymore." To that, she pointed at the stinky diaper, and said, "I did that in you room." I loved that, but when I told her mom, we decided, that is when you know they are competent enough to understand the basics of potty-training. I also loved doing these braids in her hair. That day, she sat completely still and happy the entire time I did it. I just love how it naturally did the cute little Dorothy-esk curls at the ends. I just love her locks. And what is this wink?! That girl cracks me up. There's so much more to say about this cutie, but I'll stop here. Now, I wonder what other funny guests we'll have around here in the near future. I was just told that there will be some in mid-November. Namely, Amber and Melody! Hooray, they are welcome for sure!

Trap Shootin'

For our mutual activity last week we went to the shooting range. A few of the kids and adults were experienced and had a great shot, but there were quite a few of us that were amateurs. I, being a always-take-the-safest-route person, was pretty nervous and initially only wanted to take one or two of my allotted 25 shots, just to try it out. But with a little coaching from one of the experienced young men, my 25 shots went swiftly by and I was actually ready for more. I think it was because I was pleasantly surprised by the number of clay disks I actually hit. Okay, it was only about 7 out of 25, but for someone as new to this as I was, I was pretty proud. So, even though I consider myself quite a girly-girl, I'm glad I can break out of my hair product, and pedicure ways to enjoy a little outdoor adventure. This is my girl Asanatu, and me trying to act tough. Okay, I'm the one trying, she really is tough.

Wow...

Someone actually made it last night. A cheap version, I might add. I wanted it in Cookie Monsters actual voice. We still like the one Animal sings better. Pretty funny.

Oh, the power of Micheal Scott. We had well over 600 hits within a few hours of the airing of the show when people would google "Cookie Monster sings Chocolate Rain." I guess a new batch would arrive when the next time zone saw it. KC had a good time watching our live traffic feed scroll continually with hits from allover the world. This blog was number one on that google page for a while and apparently, that is hard to do. I only blogged about it so fast so I wouldn't forget what he actually said. And, don't worry, we saved our few minutes of google fame before the internet erupted with more people adding things of this nature, bumping us down. Who knew?

Cookie Monster sings Chocolate Rain on Youtube?

I laughed hysterically when Micheal Scott said this. Too bad it doesn't really exist.

Oh, sure. I'll do it.

I was tagged by Sarah (unless she meant another Emily, but no last name was specified and I'm lacking anything else to blog. Well, I'm sure there's something, but this was easy, and brainless, and I never have enough brain-free things to do. Ha!)

4 Random Things I Like About My Husband:
1. He'd rather look at a map, than directions.
2. He has nice hair (that I'm afraid doesn't show it's full potential when I cut it).
3. He watches the movies and shows that I like with me, and even enjoys them sometimes.
4. We have the same taste in a lot of things including music, fashion, movies, furniture, etc.

4 Movies I Can Watch More Than Once:
1. Psycho (any Alfred Hitchcock)
2. Waiting for Guffman (hahahahahaha)
3. Any M. Night Shyamalan movie. (The Sixth Sense, The Village, Lady in the Water, etc. I know, it's more than one. I couldn't choose.)
4. Return to Me (Had to throw my chick flick in there.)

4 TV Shows That I Watch: (Who really only has 4 shows)
1. Pushing Daisies
2. American Next Top Model (Hooray, Isis is gone!)
3. Project Runway
4. Law and Order SVU

4 People Who Email Me Regularly
1. Jan (giving babysitting details for the week)
2. The Bank
3. Blogger occasionally alerting me about comments
4. Christina

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Breakfast sandwich, with the egg over-easy
2. A malt, Oreo shake
3. Huge, cold pickles, like the ones in Disneyland
4. Nachos supreme

4 Places I Would Like To Visit:
1. Ireland
2. Disney World (I've been there before, but I want to go again with KC)
3. Hawaii (same as above comment)
4. France. I have to see where my French pastry training began.

4 Things I Look Forward To In The Next Year:
1. Going to NYC!
2. KC taking his PE exam.
3. Putting a nice full Christmas tree in our living room! (We finally have a real living room, for a big tree!)
4. Adopting a baby (I was really hesitant about writing this, thinking I might jinx it, but I'm tired of pretending like I'm not thinking about it all the time. We're in this for the long haul, and hopefully we at least have a lead in the next year. Is that too much to ask?!)

4 People I Tag:
1. Melody
2. Lili
3. Drew
4. Cami

Oh, whatever. Do the tag if you want.

Brunch Time

I've been wanting to have my friends over for brunch for some time, and I thought conference weekend was a good time to finally put my plans into action. Conference starts at noon around here, so we had plenty of time to eat, and chill for a while before the final sessions. I put together a makeshift long table so all 11 of us (minus the several kids who crawled around or sat at the kids table) could all sit together. I was able to put the food in the little nook in the living room and I think it worked out pretty well. I love brunches. I love the time of day, it always has my favorite kinds of food, and you have the rest of the day ahead of you. It was a nice morning. I didn't get the quality or quantity of pictures that I would've liked (you know how it gets when you are in a hurry to get food out) but the pictures and captions should fill you in on any additional information.

After everyone left, KC did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen like a madman, and we were able to relax and listen to the teachings of the prophets together. (We were probably a little too relaxed-zzzzzz.) We enjoyed watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" on Netflix between sessions. And we couldn't resist a walk during the excellent sunset. It was wonderful to spend the entire day with KC. It's so much more fun to lounge with him on the couch with him, than all by myself. And he's a better pillow to snooze on too. It was a great weekend.

Now THAT was a talk to remember

I heard some good things in the little bit of conference I saw today. I talked to my mom on the phone when the boys were headed to the priesthood session. I told her I was going to catch up on a few talks after my little babysittees were snuggled in bed. She told me to start with Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge from the afternoon session. I wonder if there was one person who didn't get an answer from that one. He was so straightforward and exact. Christ is the only way. Any other way is madness. 

What is going down here

As I was perusing my queue on Netflix, I noticed that they had changed a lot of their previously mailable DVDs, to their "watch instantly" list. And I'm not talking about a few more documentaries, or TV shows. These are new, and old shows that are big hits. Like: Dan in Real Life, Enchanted, Pirates of the Caribbean-At Worlds End, a bunch of Woody Allen films. . .I mean, I could go on. Go see for yourself. (Not that this was recently added or anything, but I can't wait for KC to watch Soylent Green with me.)

Needless to say, my watch instantly queue is h0lding 39, while my DVD queue is at a mere 14. Who would ever rent at Blockbuster again? Seriously. I thought we were getting our money's worth with a few mailed DVDs every month and the TV episodes I watch during my workout, and other show we enjoy occasionally on the play now feature. We will definitely be getting more than we bargained for. But now we have too many shows to watch and too little time. Especially with the awesome shows on right now (I've yet to watch last night's episode of Pushing Daisies, and I'm dying).

I swear, I do read and do other things. I just really happen to like watching movies.

Fall is my light

I decided to finish my latest read, Ender's Game, by taking a relaxing walk in the lovely weather. I thought that this would be the time that I take a moment to talk about how much this time of year means to me. It's almost hard to describe how the fall makes me feel. As soon as those familiar smells start to fill the air, and the chill manifests itself, it's hard for me to go outside without being uplifted, no matter what is going in my life, of what that day has been like. And the the colors start to change, and we all know how breathtaking that can be. Is there a better time of year? I know every season has it's pros and cons, but I seriously doubt that any season can top the beauty that the fall brings. For some reason, everything about this season brings so many fond memories of falls past. Especially the smells. The cool air, the spiced oil in my oil burner, the warms soups and cinnamon and nutmeg infused pastries being baked. . .all so comforting. And let's not forget fall fashion. The layering, the cozy sweaters, the boots (I'm most excited about my cowboy boots), the list could continue. I was reading in a secluded park, swinging, and couldn't help but be overjoyed with the months to come. It always comes and goes so quickly, so I'm going to take advantage of it the best I can. I plan many trips to the National Arboretum, and many more walks, either alone, or with welcomed company. I try to ask myself why I love it so much. It may be that the dreadful, sweaty summer is finally over, the AC bill will be dramatically cut, that it's my birthday season, Thanksgiving is coming up (I'm already getting excited for the menu), or Christmas is that much closer bringing it's own set of excitement and warmth. Whatever it is, I'm going to relish in this awakening calmness I feel as the season approaches. And, as odd as it seems, I love that it's only a short while that I get to enjoy it. It makes it even more glorious and makes me live in the moment, rather than take it for granted. It's almost like trials we may have to go through in life. To get to that light at the end of the tunnel, we have the make it though the grueling times first. I guess winter and summer symbolize my times of trial, and spring is the little burst of light that helps me know that I am almost there. Fall is my light. I can relax for a moment.

My Quirks

I thought I'd do this little tag about quirks. Quirks are interesting because we as individuals think we are weird because of them and feel that others will think we are too. But really they are just what set us apart from other people, so I don't expect to impress of shock anyone with these. I'm sure everyone has this weirdnesses, but I like it better that way. Who wants to be like everyone else?

I get uncomfortable during morning shows. I know they only have an allotted amount of time for each segment, and I get anxious wondering when they are going to have to cut their guest off. Why don't they just plan for less segments and take it easy? Some of the stories are a waste of time anyway. I try to relax and realize I have no responsibility in the matter and it will all work out fine, but it always comes back to me.

I can't stand going back to the house once I've already left. Even if I'm still in the driveway. I've already locked up and and ready to head out, and I don't like the waste of motions. This happens time and time again. I guess it's better than forgetting something altogether. I even remember this frustration when I was younger and someone in my family forgot something. It's probably the systematic part of my brain at work. I got that from my dad. I just makes me think, how much time will that add to our trip? When would we have gotten there without the turn-around? Do we really need whatever it is we are going all the way back home to get? So many questions! I think this is most aggravating when we have a long drive ahead of us and I have to re-order my thoughts about when we'll get there. I'm always relieved to get back to the point where we turned around and pretend it never happened. I know, it's not worth worrying about. Usually I spend more time being annoyed about it than, the time it takes to actually turn around. I'll work on it.

I misspell "just" almost every time I'm typing it. It always ends up being jsut. I've tried to fix it, but it's a lost cause. Maybe if I typed it over and over for an hour, I'd get the muscle memory going, but I'm not motivated enough for that. I think my spellcheck might start ignoring it since it happens so often.

I make awkward silences even more awkward by talking. I have to learn that a little silence is alright. Then I can actually think through what I'm going to say next, instead of saying something ungraceful and weird. I think I roll my eyes at myself as much as anyone else.

I visit IMDB.com regularly. I have always been one to recognize a face(names are another story). When I'm watching something and I see someone I recognize, I have to know what I've seen the actor in. And I need to know right then or else I'm distracted until I find out. I think when I was younger I even thought a cartoon character looked familiar that I actually thought they used her in another cartoon. With all the prime time dramas using a lot of the same extras, I'm constantly making connections of who's been on what.

One of my favorite parts of the week is changing out of my church clothes. I go straight to my room and shed everything, including jewelry, then put my hair up and put on the most comfortable clothes I can find. I think it's the most relaxed I feel all week. This is what makes firesides, or other Sunday night programs so annoying to me. There's no way I'm getting ready again. In those cases, the long comfortable skirts come out.

I think I'll need therapy when/if I ever cut my hair. It's become a little bit of a hiding place for me. Especially with the bangs. I can be completely away from the world. And it hides wardrobe malfunctions and skin imperfections. I'm not ready to do with out that security blanket quite yet. And not in the near future. It scared me to think it is only a snip away from being gone. But I do love the idea of having a new hairstyle someday. As much as I love having long hair, it annoys me quite often. But not often enough I guess. KC wouldn't mind seeing me with another look on me, but he can wait.

I'm not a fan of the overuse of punctuation. What is the use of 12 exclamation points, when one or two will suffice? Or more that three points in an ellipses? I just don't understand.

I do not procrastinate. It's actually more of a lifestyle that a choice. I can't help it. I don't like to have to think about something twice before it gets done. I just start to get disappointed in myself when things don't get done (like right now, since I'm blogging instead of more important things). I still happens occasionally, but I stay on top of things most of the time. It's all part of enjoying life. Work, and then you can play, guilt free. I think this also goes with my punctuality. I usually have to really try to be late to something. In fact, I used to have the problem of being early to everything, but KC pulled me out of that pretty quick. Now I'm just right on time, which still makes me a little anxious. I like to have time to spare. I think it's ridiculous that people can be late over and over. You'd think they would figure it out.

I crave eyebrow massages. I carry stress in my face, among other place. I'd love to have regular appointment to have my face worked on. Maybe I'll look into that. KC is always smoothing out the space between my eyebrows since it's often scrunched together and I don't notice. He'll probably save me from a few wrinkles in the future.

I don't really know how many I'm supposed to do, but that's enough for now. It's pretty much like the "1oo things" post that went around a while ago. I think I feel another one coming on.

Let's hear your quirks everybody.

More Ovaltine Please!

The other day at the store I decided to buy this.I don't drink milk much. Besides baking, our occasional bowls of cereal, smoothies, and now that it's colder, soups, I really have to try to use it up. Not that I don't like it, I just don't think to drink a glass of it during the day. We hardly ever, I dare say never, finish a gallon of milk before it goes bad. Hence this post. I would like to use it up before it goes bad though, so it's not as much as a burden to me and the fridge. My solution is this chocolaty drink. I've always thought it was kind of ghetto because of the hokey commercials. But the kids I babysit beg for chocolate milk all day long, and this is what their mom buys. So I decided I would try it and it would be a good way to use up the milk, have a healthy snack (or treat really), take in all those fortified vitamins, and get my chocolate malt fix for the moment. We love malt around here. I shake it up with my skim milk and I'm set for snack time (I probably have too many snack times during the day, so it's good for me to have many healthy options). I'll probably keep us nice and stocked with it from now on.

Pardon me for getting so excited about such an insignificant topic. Gotta enjoy life any way we can, right?

I highly recommend this film

These sweet folks really made us smile, and sniffle. I can only hope I am into something like this when I'm as old as they are.

Good times with friends and family

So, we've had quite the couple of weeks. As you see below, my parents came and left last Monday. The week went as follows:

Book group: Tuesday night was our monthly book group meeting. We had read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. We all had a few different opinions on the book. But we agreed that all the people are just nuts. It was a little dark, but that's my style so I happened to like it. It was nice to have something to listen to as I got ready for the day, or cleaned the bathroom etc. They have the book available on librivox.org. It was Christina's pick, so we went to her house where she had a great spread of treats complete with a chocolate cream pie version of "the moors" and fun size Heath candy bars. Too bad I didn't have a camera in my possesion at the time. A rare occasion.

I got to choose the next, which is Ender's Game. KC and I have been listening to it all weekend in the car and are loving it. Can you tell I like to listen to my book whenever possible? This time I checked out the CDs and the library. The reader is really entertaining.

A visit from Mom Robinson: The next day, we were happy to have KC's mom visit us for a couple days. BYU sent her here for some business, so she came a couple days early to spend some time with us. I had some great one on one time with her while KC was at work. We took brisk walks in the mornings with the newly crisped air (I am looooooooving the weather being cooler), talked for hours, and ate at some great restaurants. One of which was downtown, and reccomended by a friend of Janice. It was called Georgia Browns, that made upscale, down-home southern food. Who wouldn't love that? It was a beautiful night in DC and we loved the great scenery. It really never gets old to walk by the huge, historical buildings and monuments.We were delighted to have her stay with is. Janice and I agreed that it was nice that we actually had time to just sit and talk, rather than be running here or there, as it can be when visitors come.

Williamsburg, VA with friends: We left Friday afternoon and returned yesterday from a great weekend with some friends. We have been planning on vacationing together for a long time, and Molly finally put in into action. Her parents graciously let us use their time share. We stayed in charming suites, and enjoyed eating, swimming, touring jamestown, and playing games together. I got tired of carrying the camera around, so they pictures stop after Jamestown, but the fun continued with Cracker Barrell, working out in the great gym, mini golf provided by the resort, outlet shopping, hot-tubbing, and pulled bork sandwiches and apple crisp. We stayed with the Calls in one unit, and the Murpys and Millers were together. It was our unit's night to make dinner. We loved the crock-pot pork, yet again. It was great gathering around a crowded table of so many people with everyone trying to talk at once. It was like I was a young kid with my family again. We played more games late into the night. We found our people get pretty punchy when we are up late together. The next morning we had to pack up and each went to our desired destinations. KC and I went straight home and both took long naps to catch up on our sleep lost from staying up late into the night.

We loved our couple weeks of fun with our family and friends. But now a normal week has begun and life is back to the same old. I think we'll enjoy a seemingly uneventful week.

Emmys

As I'm watching the Emmys, I am completely embarrassed for all five of the hosts. Especially Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel. They're pretty pathetic. Who decided there would be five hosts? Did they really think that would work? It's uncomfortable.

I have a lot more to catch up on,I just wanted to add this.

Mom and Dad

We were delighted to have my mom and dad visit the east coast this past weekend. They came for an annual conference in DC, but we loved being with them in the short time they weren't wrapped up in that. This time we actually had enough room for them to stay with us for a couple nights (they actually had their own room), and then with the Turpins for the other couple nights. They were wonderful, effortless guests. They left yesterday and we miss them already. My mom is seriously my shopping muse. We always must have a shopping trip together, because I always have the best luck when she is around. We played games for hours on Sunday and all had a good laugh. We hope they come again sooner than later. I never like dropping them off at the airport (or in this case, the metro station that takes them to the airport). I don't like wondering when I might see them again. good thing I talk to my mom nearly everyday on the phone. And KC's mom is coming tomorrow! What timing! That takes the sting off a bit. It also helps that Melody and Amber are looking in to coming next month! (I'm actually starting to believe they are really coming.) So keep the visitors coming. We are happy to host! We miss you and love you mom and dad.

In a cottage in the woods

We had a great time this past weekend in Berkeley Springs, WV with the Turpins and Cottrells. We stayed in a charming cabin tucked away with an amazing view. It was raining most of the time, but it made it all the more fun. We enjoyed the hot tub many times in the 2 days. One time, all six adults piled in late into the night, another time I got in all alone in the early morning hours, and KC and I enjoyed a relaxing time in the evening while the others were putting the kids to bed. The hot tub faced the endless woods, and in the morning it was so foggy and gorgeous. We played games non-stop (mostly Password, and Wackee Six), enjoyed good food, and did some lounging as we either watched football, the boys play gamecube, or found something on the Dish Network that was provided. It was just right, and I think we all had a great time. The little boys thought it was great and were always keeping themselves occupied in the gameroom attatched to the house. It was wonderful and only about 1 1/2 hours away. I think my favorite part was that I never even touched my make-up or hair the entire time. I could get used to that.



Of course, in true Emily fashion, I got sick while I was trying to get away from it all (this has become a pattern on most get-aways). It happened at the very end of the trip so the fun was not interrupted, and all KC and I lost was a good nights sleep (that we made up by sleeping almost the entire day that we came home). So I won't dwell on that.

A new tradition

It seems we have started a tradition to make ice cream on Labor Day. We did it last year at a picnic with friends, and this year KC threw an ice cream social for the Elders Quorum and their families. We figured it was a good time to use up the fresh peaches I picked. We had a great turn out, and way too much ice cream and toppings to go around with what everyone else contributed. Looks like we'll be having ice cream at another church event soon. I am happy to have quite a bit of peach ice cream left over though. I'm hooked.


And it must be a miracle that I only got one misquote bite last night. I am still recovering from 19 I got on Saturday from doing yard work for an hour or less, with repellent on (two of which were through my pants). so maybe they took pity on me and want me to get a little sleep at night. Or they were actually repelled by the citronella candle I had under my legs the whole time, and the constant bug spraying.

And I just wanted to add a picture of the blanced peaches we used in the ice cream. I think they are so cool looking. Like glass or something. I think all fruits are little works of art.

The harvest

As I mentioned, I had the pleasure of picking peaches and raspberries earlier this week with some girlfriends and their kids. I was babysitting that day, but I thought the kids would like it too. They did great until it was past lunch and nap time and they hadn't had sufficient amounts of either. But we did get our fill of fruit, both while we were picking, and to take home. I'm definitely going back next week to get some of those grapefruit sized tomatoes I saw people picking, and some blackberries that are also in season.

Today, we girls are going to have a jam session-the kind you put on your toast. We decided it would be better to get one kitchen sticky instead of five. I think I'll mix the fruits and make peach-raspberry jam. I'm also going to save some for some fresh peach ice cream KC is planning on making for our Labor Day fun.

Family History on the Today Show

I'm watching the Today show right now and they just mentioned our church's website in reference to doing your genealogy. Pretty cool, eh?

Fresh fruit

I went with Cami and some friend to pick our own fruit at a great farm. We picked ripe, juicy peaches, and golden and red raspberries. I realized I left my camera in the car that KC took to work, so I'll write more about it later. Until then, you can at least see what I had for breakfast this morning (taken with my mediocre/broken camera). I could get used to having buckets of freshly-picked, great-priced fruit.

I gave in

Yes, I have joined a book group with a few of my friends. This isn't really my style, but I decided it would be a good discipline system for me, and I'm sure it will be intellectually enlightening as well. We had our first meeting last night. Molly hosted and chose the book this month, and it was held at my house. She is really the founder and we are all glad she finally got us going on a great productive way for us to get together besides the usual games, movies, toenail-painting, etc.

Molly chose The Importance of Being Earnest, a witty and comedic play by Oscar Wilde that I think we unanimously loved. Molly had a couple activities (prizes for winners included) to test our memories of the characters. She also included a variety of lovely treats that we ate while we watched the hilarious movie made with an all-star cast that had us constantly laughing. She really set the bar high for the rest of the meetings. But we must remember that she was a elementary school teacher for a couple years, so little games and activities come natually for her. We all thought it was a delightful start to what we hope lasts a long time.Christina is next and chose Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. I know Cami will be proud. I'm actually pretty excited to get started. This is a side of me I've never seen before. I hope I don't lose my momentum.

Quick Request

My friend Hannah, you know the wonderful talented girl that designed our website, entered this darling picture into a photo contest. It's so easy to go and vote for her. Just go to her blog for the links, and instructions. Good luck Hannah!