A.J. & Hilary's family blog

I just want. a normal. diet. coke! (Mormon on Drugs)

2012-01-06T10:26:00.004-07:00

Grab a tissue, because soon you'll be crying tears of laughter. This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. There's a short version, but trust me, it's worth the 20 minutes.

I had an episode similar to this when I was in high school that was mortifying. After running a cross country race I passed out from heat exhaustion and when I came to I was saying and doing really embarrassing things...I'm really glad mine lasted 5 minutes, not like Tylan's! Hahahaa...

Fritz the Frisby's foster

2011-07-15T13:40:00.004-06:00

A friend of mine who volunteers at a dog shelter here told me they had an airedale come to the shelter, so of course I had to call and see if I could help. I was mainly interested in fostering him, but who knows, AJ says maybe we'll keep him if he's better behaved than Griz. Haha. So, his name is Fritz. He's part airedale, part something else with long straight black hair. They told us he's 9 months old, which is probably pretty close. I like to think I'm good at telling that sort of thing (duh because I'm a nerdy dog lady), but it's hard to tell how much of what I see is puppy, and how much is the other somethin' that's in him. They warned me that he is very nervous and shy and afraid of men. But they also said he loves to play with other dogs so we decided to try this out.

We (Griz and I) met Fritz at Petsmart first. Griz was fine with him, but could tell that Fritz is a little weird. Fritz had his tail between his legs, wouldn't look at me, tried to hide if a man walked by...I felt so bad. I walked the both of them around the store and they did alright. Once in a while Fritz would get nervous and try to lean into Griz, which bothered him a little.

We decided to see how he'd do in our home. The lady brought him over and after a few minutes Fritz had his tail wagging playing with Griz. That alone gave me so much hope. He doesn't mind Griz being bouncy and loud and obnoxious, he has total trust in Griz and follows him around. If I need Fritz to go down stairs or outside, Griz has to come too.

I can tell Fritz is just a sweet guy. He hasn't growled or barked. The only peep he has made from he cried yesterday morning when Griz left the living room and he was still in his crate. So Griz went back to hang out with his new friend. (awww...)

Now with us, he is warming up a little bit, but he's very nervous about everything we do. He prefers to be ignored, and to walk behind you all the time so you're never behind him. He's very curious and hangs out with me in the kitchen while I make dinner. As long as I don't reach out to him or open a cupboard in his face, he actually doesn't mind the noise or anything.

Fritz came to us pretty smelly. And his crate was smelly. I took the crate outside and washed it, and put lots of padding and blankets in it for him so he's got a safe place. Once I get him in there he immediately sits down and looks calm, and drinks a gallon of water. Then the scary bath. I took Griz in the bathroom with me, who just laid down and groaned and napped. Fritz was scared but I helped him into the tub. Amazingly his tail wasn't completely under his bum and he tolerated the bath. I think we bonded a little. I felt so bad feeling his skin and bones...He was very good and I like to think he feels better now.

Fritz is nervous around AJ, but not terrified like I was afraid he would be. When he thinks AJ isn't looking, he'll come up and sniff his feet and hands. AJ even laid down next to him and started inching closer and closer to Fritz and he was just fine. The lady who had him before us told us it took him 3 weeks before he came to her when she called him. I think we're doing pretty well so far.

Basically Fritz dashes away from us all day and once we all sit down and relax, the one time during the day that Fritz wags his tail is when he decides it's ok to wrestle with Griz. It makes us so happy to see him be confident for 5 minutes. What would be do without big goofy Griz? I had to get a video of the two of them, it's a rare occasion when Fritz acts this comfortable!

The good news is I know Fritz is curious. I can tell he is sweet and loving but probably just really afraid of letting people into his heart right now. I can't tell you how happy it made me to see his finally sit and lay down his first night after several hours of pacing, and even seeing him finally poop outside! He's been eating lots and lots of food and hopefully he'll gain some weight soon. More updates to come :)

Ragnar Wasatch Back 2011

2011-06-23T12:16:00.003-06:00

I did it! I was scared, but the time came for the Ragnar and I did it!

12 girls split into 2 vans, and we ran 192 miles from Logan to Park City. I'm not sure how much I really feel like writing about the experience...I'm sitting here getting exhausted just thinking about it.

Let's just say it was a blast. Here's a quick summary of my own experience this year:

My first run was hard but fun: 1.5 miles unpaved uphill over Avon Pass, 4 miles steep unpaved downhill with gorgeous views, with a couple miles flat (worst part actually). My second run pleasantly surprised me by being a beautiful and almost spiritual night run and probably my most rewarding run. I was terrified to run 8 miles uphill, but it was the perfect temperature with rolling hills that kept my legs feeling fresh. As the sun went down it got quiet, but I was still surrounded by runners and vans that lit the way. I could see the vans lining up going up steep hills ahead of me, but somehow I totally rocked every hill (YEAH!). Coming down the last hill and seeing a bright light at the finish line was magical!

That night we arrived at a designated sleeping area around midnight. This is the part of Ragnar no one tells you about. This was a high school that let everyone sleep on the gym floor. It looked like a refugee camp. Hundreds of people in sleeping bags in tight rows, snoring and not exactly smelling like daisies. Because it was so crowded, people had also filled the hallways. I found a random empty area and tried to pass out. Well 2 hours after dealing with the heat of the place, not being able to lie with my sore hips on the hard floor, and having my mind racing, the cafeteria I was close to started preparing breakfast which would be served at 2:30 am. Well I was pretty much awake after that. I think I got 30 minutes of sleep total. But you know, as we left the school into the freezing cold, I walked past the nastiest fart-plus-grimy-feet-smelling hallway that made me think it could have been worse (and I could have been in van 2 who ran through the night). But next year I may sleep in the van.

My third run was supposed to be "easy" but it was rough. I ran in the morning and when I woke up I could hardly move. Everything was sore. But somehow I got those 3 miles done without too much pain. After we all finished our 3rd legs, we had a chance to eat and shower (glorious!) and change into our attempt at fun 80's attire, while van 2 finished their last legs of the race. Then we met up with everyone at the finish line. Victory!

Here's some photos, a mix of mine and Jen's from the 32 hours.

If I didn't describe the race well enough, here's a video that Matt (AJ's brother) sent me shortly after I finished the race. Thanks, Matt! Ha.

A Red Air day in Logan

2011-06-15T11:13:00.009-06:00

Last Saturday AJ's sister Ashlee came to visit. That evening we went lookin for some inner-tainment and found ourselves at a real bonified Utah truck pull. A truck pull. It was pretty much was it sounds like.

Now, I don't know the "lingo" so bear with me. Basically, there is this trailer thing with a big weight on it, and a guy sits in it and pushes buttons that makes the weight slide around and get harder to pull. Then you take a hick in a jumpsuit who gets into their truck, and the truck pulls the heavy trailer thing. They've got about a hunnerd (ahem, hundred) yards to pull the weight, and it gets heavier as they go. So the goal is to go farther, and do it faster than the next hick.

Here's a patriotic truck taking its turn. I think this truck's name was "Ram Tuff", but the more hilarious names I wrote down (because I didn't want to forget them!) were "Ain't Skeered", "Git U Sum", "Shake and Break", and "Happy Hooker". Kind of amazing.

That's not the only entertainment. There was also mullet-watching:

And don't forget the game, "How many two-tone hairstyles can you find in this photo?" If you don't know what I mean by two-tone, look at an Oreo cookie.

(Answer: Three.)

And let's not forget the deezel (diesel) category. In this fine category we got to witness jet black fumes shooting out of these trucks' hoods. They would start their engines, puff out a white cloud, then gray, then black would blast out.

Then leave a magical red-air-day type of cloud behind them the whole way.

Here's what I don't understand. Look at this truck. The driver gets in, then the body lowers down on top of them. I don't remember the name of this category. It was something like "Trucks that cost more than this fiscally-irresponsible person's trailer home". They were somewhat cool to watch, but I didn't get the practical reason. Then AJ informed me that there is no practical reason. (I referred to AJ for most of my questions, since he grew up in Idaho and I figured he'd know more about hick behavior than me. *Burn*) He said, "It's so they can get into their trucks since they don't have functioning doors". Oh my gosh, come on.

What was just too cute was there were couples doing this together. They'd have matching jumpsuits and matching paint jobs on their matching $60,000 trucks. How romantic.

To top off my confusion about this...sport...? was the time one of the trucks had a mechanical issue. It went about 30 yards and then there was a loud pop and he stopped. The guy who had the microphone took a break from making comments and jokes and announced, "can we get a tow rig down here to pull out this truck?" Then an ATV zooms in to help out the stuck truck.

So then I HAD to ask AJ, "We are at a towing event. There are 20 trucks sitting here, all equipped for towing. Why the heck are they bringing in a "tow rig" to help out that truck?!" He said, "They're just...not...made for that." Then I gave him a crinkly confused expression and he rolled his eyes.

It's cheaper to get a crappy car, paint it, then crunch it in a demolition derby. And it's more entertaining. So I just don't get what attracts these drivers to the idea of spending all the money they have on this sort of thing. But hey it was fun to watch. So if you want to come visit, I'll surely go again.

Video Chatting with Lucas

2011-05-26T19:38:00.003-06:00

He's only 7 months old and already working his way around the computer. My nephew is freakin adorable.

Just ignore the crazy lady in the corner that looks like she's gonna eat him.

Okay who am I kidding, I really do want to eat him.

Good Morning, Nibley

2011-05-11T11:59:00.000-06:00

This morning I had an awkward moment.

We have to take Griz out on his leash to "go potty" because our yard isn't fenced. It's really annoying, especially since my knees hurt right now (thanks Ragnar training) and he likes to yank me down the deck stairs and around the yard. It's also annoying because he demands to go outside as soon as AJ leaves for work each morning (Not as soon as AJ's shoes are on. As soon as AJ drives away). Well that's the same time that I'm getting out of the shower. So each morning I'm trying to dry off, get my contacts in before my face dries out completely and cracks (dang Utah), do that whole facial routine, then get dressed, and everything else. And the entire time Griz is scratching at the door while I'm yelling "Hoollld OOONNN!" (is that was having kids is like?)

So my solution to this problem is to make sure I've got moisturizer on my face at least, then throw on my comfy white robe, slip into my rubber boots by the door, and leash up the beast so he'll go potty outside and not in our basement to teach us a lesson. Sometimes I even put on underwear first. And sometimes I don't.

Usually I go out and I'm reminded of what a beautiful morning it is at our new house. Birds are chirping, the grass is glistening with dew, the cows an acre away are moooing...it's pretty nice. Then Griz thinks he's a cow too and starts eating the longs bits of grass he finds. He pees. We walk and walk. He sniffs. He poops. YES! We can go back inside now so I can get dressed and move this morning along.

Well. That's when I heard someone walking close to our yard. We have a railroad behind our house, and I recognized an elderly man, probably 50 (just kidding, Dad!), okay, in his 70s doing his morning workout. I've seen him before. He carries dumbbells and power walks down the railroad track and back. He's always got his head down like he's embarrassed about it, and I kind of just want to high-five him and tell him "good job, you're working out like every day, and you're old! Way to go." But I don't because I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be noticed.

Well, Griz noticed him. I was trying to get Griz to walk in the opposite direction before he noticed the man, but it was too late. He shot towards the railroad like a...like a...train! Talk about whiplash! Griz was barking and growling and snarling, ... I heard the guy grumble something about my dog...then Griz lunged again, and that's when I felt my robe flap around me like a loose blanket.

Oh man.

Did that guy see me flash him? I mean, in this case, yes, I was able to get my underwear on under my robe (phew!), but still. That guy just saw a huge dog lunge at him, and then probably a blur of the most awkward white fabrics and skin flailing around after it. Seriously, I don't know what he ended up seeing. But it was embarrassing. And who knows what neighbors had seen the whole thing.

We really need to put up a fence already.

What the #@*! am I doing?

2011-05-02T11:10:00.003-06:00

I'm think I'm gonna be sick.

I'm signed up to run in the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay. It's June 17-18. It's a run from Logan to Park City split up between 12 people who run all day and night, each taking turns running 3 different legs. And these legs range from "easy" to "very hard".

This girl is probably smiling because she's running an "easy" leg at a 12 min/mile pace. Lol.

These are my legs (click on the numbers if you are willing to wait for the website to load the maps and elevation charts):

6 (6.9 "very hard" miles), 18 (8.1 "very hard" -OMG all uphill- miles) and 30 (3.1 "easy" miles).

My other legs are lumpy and mushy and weak (not to mention pasty white). I won't post a photo and I don't think you'll mind.

Yes I ran 2 half marathons, but that was 2 years ago. 2010 involved playing soccer here and there, but not a lot of running in between. I'm out of shape. I have a long way to go. Not only do I have to train to make sure I can run a distance of at least 8 miles, but I have to train uphill. And downhill. And on gravel and trails. And I have to make sure I can do a run at night and wake up the next morning and run again.

The good news is, I've already run a few times and so far 4 miles feels just fine, which means I'm not starting completely over like I did training for the first half marathon in '09. When I started training for that I hadn't run in a couple years and 2 miles hurt.

The other good news is Griz goes running with me and needs to lose a few pounds . The bad news is Griz goes running with me and lifts his leg every 5 minutes.

I'm pretty nervous, but I know if I can get into shape (in a hurry) that it will also be a lot of fun. I'm running with an all-girl team (Girls Just Wanna Run) and you ride around in vans when it's not your turn to run and you get to blast music and wear crazy clothes and cheer for your teammates.

If any of my family and friends (you) want to cheer me on, so I'm not just hearing swear words in my head, I'll meet you in the Wasatch Back in June.

Here's some photos from a past race.

It's Friday

2011-03-18T09:21:00.000-06:00

I give you, "Jack and Friend Dance Off"

Our new backyard!

2011-03-07T15:56:00.003-07:00

I promise, interior photos are coming soon! I don't have everything decorated yet, but it's starting to feel like home. In the meantime, here's a video I took of our backyard. I found my snowboots and went out there with Griz to give you a full 360 degrees tour. The only thing worse than hearing your own voice is hearing your own "doggy" voice. Oh well...put it on mute or something :)

Griz had an adventure. He actually climbed up the playset but couldn't (wouldn't) get down. Not that he would have grown a pair (get it? he doesn't have any!) and ran down the slide, but the slide was taken off the playset so the only way down were these scary wobbly plastic "rock" steps. He sat right there for 30 minutes before I got him to come down.

That dog cracks me up.

Oh, and this is for Ashlee: Ash (AJ's sister) came over yesterday and as she literally walked through the door, we welcomed her by having her help us hold Griz down while AJ pulled a TICK (a TICK!) out of Griz's neck. It was so gross. Who would have thought a dog could get a tick (EW!) when everything is covered in snow? I don't get it. It's been a week of firsts at our new house. Thanks for enjoying that one with us, Ash!

When I was Young...

2011-02-24T14:30:00.004-07:00

This is hilarious. It's a great break from work right now! *laughing-so-hard-I'm-crying sniff*

Mormon Mommy Wars: When I Was Young

And for what it's worth:

I thought boogers were poisonous. Thanks Megan. (it worked)

I always got "pedestrian" and "presbyterian" mixed up.

My prayers were basically a wishlist of which toys I wanted. A Santa letter, if you will.

Like another commenter on this blog "I believed for a lot of years that cows that lived in hilly areas had one set of legs shorter than the other (so they could stand on the hill sideways to graze)."

It took me years to realize that fun curly shape was a "D" for "Disney".

I firmly thought my little brother Jeff could speak Japanese as a baby. That's what my parents told me, so it had to be true.

I was in the gifted program too. Haha.

We bought our first home!

2011-02-22T09:43:00.006-07:00

If you don't know already, we've bought a house! Yaaaayyy!

It's got a great view of the mountains, a big garage for AJ, a big yard for Griz (and us too), a garden, a playground (come over and play!), and the house definitely has room for our family to grow. And we can't contain our excitement to have a house that stays heated in the winter! YES!

We are SO excited to move in. We've been boxing up what we can and our current place looks like a tornado hit. The house isn't too far away (it's in Nibley) so I'm tempted to fill up laundry baskets, dump them out, and return for the next load, but I'm trying to pack things up the "right way". The right way involves finding lots of boxes and using lots of tape. Griz is in heaven...if you know him you know he loves him some cardboard boxes!

I'm a champion at packing. Just so you know. It's a good thing our boxes aren't very big, because with all the stuff I can (in a somewhat organized fashion) cram into them, they are getting pret-ty heavy. But at least I don't have to help pack anything in the garage. AJ is all over that.

So this weekend I'll be grungy and sweaty and probably get a headache, but it will all be worth it. I'll try to keep you all updated with pictures and fun projects we'll be doing.

Here are some photos AJ took of the outside of the home. He had to build a temporary railing for the deck so we went out there to get some measurements. And we took Griz. He FREAKED out. Right when he got there he ran up the front steps like he owned the place, waiting to be let in the front door. After he peed on everything in the backyard, he ZOOMED around the property, sprinting in all different directions, running in circles and diving into tiny piles of snow. It was pretty darn cute. He approves.

Yummers

2011-02-17T17:23:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my friend Shari, I'm sharing this with you all. It is SO good. Very flavorful. I'm craving it. Right. Now. Gotta get home...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 Packet of Dry Ranch Dressing
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Kidney Beans
3 Cans of Chicken Broth
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Bunch of Cilantro (unless you're named Jenni)
3 Cans of Diced Tomato (preferably Cilantro Lime, but plain will do)

Boil and dice Chicken Breasts. Combine Broth and Seasonings in the Crock Pot and add chicken. Add in canned beans, corn, cilantro, and tomatoes (don't drain tomatoes). Heat and enjoy with Sour Cream, Mozzarella cheese, and corn chips :)

Get seconds and thirds until you have to unbutton your pants. Don't move until it settles or you might topple forward out of your chair. Follow with dessert as soon as possible. Then get romantic.

(okay, I added the last part)

My favorite Super Bowl Sunday Ad

2011-02-07T11:25:00.004-07:00

Actually, the best ads were during Puppy Bowl! Puppy Bowl VII on Animal Planet! Check out the other Subaru ads on youtube. So funny. But then I find dogs sitting in a car's driver's seat absolutely hilarious.

Good Things are Happening

2011-01-28T11:12:00.003-07:00

For those of you who received our Christmas Card, you know that 2010 wasn't the most interesting or exciting year. Statements like "Hilary got contacts", "AJ shaved once", and "Griz (...okay anything about my dog)" were sort of funny to thrown in our year-in-review. But I felt like I never had anything happen that was worth reporting, or blogging about. Plus, I didn't make time (what time?) to blog much, hence the 6? posts all year.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great year. AJ and I really started figuring things out about, us, and the life we want to have together. We both had good jobs and were trying to make good, new, grown-up decisions. We formed meaningful friendships with neighbors and coworkers. That was new for us because we had never lived one place long enough to feel it was worth while to spend quality time opening up to neighbors. (Yes the world would be a better place if we all reached out instead of kept to ourselves...but like I said, we were learning to be grown-ups, okay?) We spent the year learning to enjoy what we had, but there was always something we felt was just around the corner. We waited for Spring to arrive...in June. We spent the first 6 months of the year waiting for my job offer to happen. I waited for my new social security card with my new name on it. I waited for my last freelance paycheck. We waited for AJ to get a pay raise. We waited for cars to sell and car parts to arrive. And then we started looking for a house.

Actually we've been looking at houses since we moved to Logan 3 years ago. We made an offer on a house probably 4 months after we moved here, and I'm really glad we didn't get it because I feel like NOW we know what we want. And it definitely wasn't that split-entry dingy blue house with the pop out windows.

Last fall we found a house that seemed perfect. Great location, lots of square footage, big garage, half an acre, and for a great price. Because it was a short sale. So we (and countless other people) made an offer on it. We had to at least try. And we had to be competitive to have a chance. So then we waited. And waited. (um, SHORT sale?) And waited. And then we found out a friend who we knew we made an offer on it as well, way higher, and when it got accepted he backed out because, um, he forgot he couldn't afford it. So the house went to auction and we weren't exactly in the mood to try and find that much money in cash to bid on it. We let the house go. And it was okay.

I was really starting to get discouraged. I had this crazy idea that there would only be like 10 houses in the entire valley that we would like, and one by one they were disappearing. I would get really pouty (opposite of grown-up behavior) with each house we turned down and AJ would tell me there would be another house. And he had been right so far: there always was another house, but I'd always fall in love with it. AJ told me not to do that either.

The good news is, we thought we had all the MLS listings in our range memorized, and in the last few months we've been pleasantly surprised to see a few new ones popping up. More options! So we started working down this new list. And part way down the list we found a realtor we actually considered sticking with. (Let's be honest, if we had all the MLS listings memorized, why did we need a realtor to e-mail the listings to us?)

And then we found a "for sale by owner". And we like it. And good things are happening. 2011 is going to be a great year...more updates to come!

Yay...

Kid History

2010-12-08T12:55:00.001-07:00

I'm not even done watching this yet but I'm laughing so hard, I figured I'd better share it with the world!

(because the world reads my blog)

Eye candy

2010-11-12T09:37:00.001-07:00

This is so cool. If you have 10 minutes to waste, waste it on this.

The 600 Years from the macula on Vimeo.

I'm an aunt again!

2010-10-25T09:59:00.003-06:00

My sister Megan and her husband Daniel just had their baby! His name is Lucas Daniel Parker. He was born Oct 22, and almost 8 lbs. I think he's really cute. I'm kind of weird and usually don't think newborns are that cute, but seriously, look at this guy.

Cute.

Lucas is the first grandbaby for my parents, and my first my-side-nephew. On AJ's side we have 3 nieces and 1 nephew. I love those kids. AJ and I were just laughing yesterday about how funny Shelby was on our last visit (Jordan and Bernie's 3 yr old). AJ walked in the house and said "whatcha doin, Shelby?" And she screamed with energy, "EATIN' SNAAACKS!!!" lol.

It will be so fun watching Lucas grow and become silly, too. Megan and Daniel live in NYC so unfortunately I won't get to see them very much. Luckily we are an Apple family and get on our macs and video-chat every few weeks. It helps us all feel closer.

Check out my beautiful sister. She and Lucas have the same nose, right down to the slightly different sized nostrils. Yeah, I've noticed. Haha. You can see their hospital window had a view of the city, and even of their neighborhood.

Griz and I are famous

2010-08-09T09:39:00.002-06:00

Griz and I have been doing agility and a few nights ago a journalist came to our practice. Griz was actually doing really well on all the obstacles, even going fast for once. Well, he started walking on the "dog walk" which is a narrow ramp that goes up to a flat plank, and then down. When he got to the top it got really windy, to add to his nervousness from the wobbly dog walk, and he just stood there. And then his legs would shake. And then he'd keep standing there. For 20 minutes. And then I saw the journalist scribbling in his note pad, so I knew he'd make fun of Griz...

And here it is! Haha...
http://news.hjnews.com/features/article_7f6eced8-a2a0-11df-b8af-001cc4c002e0.html

And here is a video of what we aspire to be. Airedales are not really known for rocking at agility...but here's a good one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlP8Fz-9VuY&feature=related

Awkward family pet photos and other exciting news

2010-07-14T23:17:00.003-06:00

I guess I have some decent things to write about. I had an awesome time at girl's camp, I'm now officially employed after 1.5 years of unemployment, my family is coming to visit me next week–including my sister's growing womb, Griz has been doing agility and didn't freak out at the fireworks on the 4th, we had lots of fun visitors for the Cruise In, I did face-painting for hours at the Relay for Life, my hair has 3 new colors in it, I've been playing soccer, and I have an ugly bruise on my chin that looks like facial hair at the wrong angle.

But I don't have time to write about all those things, so please check this out instead. It is HILARYOUS.

Awkward Family Pet photos

The only thing better than Newsies...

2010-06-08T09:35:00.002-06:00

...is Newsies dancing to Lady Gaga:

Man I LOVE that movie.

Megan is having a boy!

2010-05-28T16:30:00.001-06:00

That's all.

Boy or Girl?

2010-05-19T13:06:00.003-06:00

Here's your chance to vote on whether Baby Parker is a boy or a girl. Megan and Daniel made this sweet poll so go vote! And it's fun to see the names other people have come up with.

We get to find out the answer in 2 weeks!

Big News!

2010-05-05T19:13:00.004-06:00

Stop. I'm not pregnant. My sister is!

Hooray! Megan and Daniel are expecting offspring October 20 (I believe). They told the Perkins clan a couple months ago via video chat. Isn't technology great? My parents just sat there and grinned...looking a little stunned. Meganiel (Megan+Daniel) showed us a picture of the little critter, and I don't remember exactly how burgers came up (probably something "the baby was craving") but this is the drawing I did for them out of my excitement. If you look closely, you can see it started off with a tail, but then Megan said it has toes, so I had to add them on there. Most of them anyway :)

We were all sworn to secrecy, but from what I hear, ahem, I'm the only one who didn't tell a directly related-to-Megan person. I was really excited so I told people at work. And the Frisbys. Do you know how hard it is to not immediately share that news on Facebook?! It's exciting! First grandbaby on the Perkins side. So Daniel broke the silence a couple days ago. I guess he was tired of explaining why Megan has been puking so much and why her bras are all too small now or why she's been eating so many bean burritos. (Hahahaha...there's nothing better than embarrassing a sibling on the web.)

So...~~I think~~ it's probably a girl. And in honor of the Twilight series, they should name her Janstine (Jan+Christine). Or maybe Chrisjan, because it sounds like Christian, but it spelled different. That reminds me...here's the latest installment of...

Rexburg baby names!

You're so vain. You probably think this post is about you.

2010-05-02T23:31:00.003-06:00

I never know what I should write about. Mainly because the things I want to write about are all about church or work or family...and that's a little risky, don't cha think? Not like everyone I go to church with or work with or who is related to me reads this blog, but that doesn't mean they couldn't. And I guess I worry about looking unrighteous or unprofessional or unloving.

Plus we haven't had cable in over a year. So I can't talk about "fictional" people. Although you can't really avoid seeing Heidi Montag's man mug on the web. (Challenge: type "he" into google and see if her name isn't in the top 5 helper topic things)

The only one safe is Grizzly. Griz is my BFF, but you already knew that, and if I write any more than that you'll all stop reading forever.

I guess it would be safe to just say nice, non-offensive and pointless things about everyone and everything. But. Not when there's cold weather in May. Boo.

I think what AJ and I need is to get away for a while —where— I don't know. Any suggestions?

Sick of snow

2010-03-31T19:47:00.003-06:00

Come on, Utah. Ever notice that while it's snowing today, NO one's out building snow men? No one throws on coats and gloves and heads out to play. No. We are annoyed, because it is now officially Spring, and Winter is OVER!

It puts me in a bad mood when my "plans" get messed up. My plan was to get going with the new planter box we bought. I've been in the mood to learn all about growing stuff, and to start planting my vegetable seeds. (I'm convinced that's the only way to ensure I'll cook with that food group). It's time for sun and warmth and for my tulips and grass to grow again. I mean, Grizzly just got a hair cut for crying out loud! Utahns: Is it like this EVERY year? It's totally unfair. It snowed ALL day today. And it was the kind that shot at you sideways. Thank goodness I had my umbrella to hold at a 30 degree angle so I could protect my face from the wrath of the whipping snow flakes.

The other crappy thing about crappy weather? Crappy internet connection! For some reason (please comment and enlighten me, nerds) whenever the weather is bad, our internet doesn't want to work. I don't mind the effect it has on my Farmville activity so much, but we don't have cable (it's been over a year now) and I'm TRYING to get caught up on The Office! It kind of kills the punchline when the video is cutting in and out. Example: Tha...tswhatshe...eee...said.

Ranting aside, call up Tyra, because in other news: A photographer wants to shoot me. That's a good thing right? Ha! Shoot...get it?

Really?

2010-03-11T22:38:00.003-07:00

The Eclipse trailer sucked. Big time. I'm not posting the link. I'd like to think that's a pre-teaser trailer and not the real thing because there is nothing exciting about it at all. Boo.

Funny video of the week

2010-03-04T21:29:00.002-07:00

I just finished drying my eyes after watching this, I laughed so hard. There are some other videos like it, but we decided this Airedale is just too perfect.

This post doesn't count as me writing about my dog, although it does remind me that he needs a haircut.

:)

Happy Moment

2010-02-28T01:26:00.003-07:00

I'm up late. I usually only stay up late when A.J. is gone. He's in Rexburg this weekend working on his Mustang so we can cruise around in it this Summer looking awesome. Does anyone else stay up for no reason, just because your husband isn't home?

So I'm sitting here on my bed with my legs crossed, at an angle like they are being pushed off the bed by something. And that something is Grizzly. He likes to lay down on my side of the bed, in my spot (Stephanie Tanner saying "how rude!" here). But I'm just looking at the cute fluffy beast leaning against my legs, thinking I'm pretty lucky. I really wanted to take a picture, but hey, I haven't blogged lately, so I'll just type it out. And I'm tired and don't want to move. Use your imagination! Trust me, it's just kinda cute.

Please don't tell Cisar Milan my 80 lb. dog sleeps in my bed with me sometimes.

New Freebie

2010-02-26T10:51:00.003-07:00

Remember my Freebies post? I have a new Freebie. Move over, Brad and Johnny.

James McAvoy.

Yummers.

You may know him best from Becoming Jane. He's one of those guys who is especially tasty in his movies rather than just pictures. Lately I've been watching everything he's in. I'm in luff. (love is reserved for A.J., duh)

OH. And he has a fabulous accent.

Mmmm mm mm!

3 years today!

2010-02-02T07:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Groundhog Day to my sweetheart who married me 3 years ago!

Hawaii!!!

2010-01-06T15:43:00.002-07:00

I've been putting off blogging about Hawaii. It was just so awesome, I don't even know how to describe it in a blog post that I don't have time to write. Plus, lots of photos–where do I begin? Well my sister's husband, Daniel, made a slideshow of all our photos. Hooray! So I'm stealing it for this post. Thanks, Daniel! Haha. There's lots of pics of him and Megan, but just ignore those, because this blog is about US! Haha, j/k.

For those who can't tell by the pictures, we went with my parents, my sister and her husband, my brother, and A.J. We spent our first two days in Honolulu in an amazing suite on Waikiki beach. The hotel lady thought it was my parents' anniversary so she upgraded our room to a $$$ one. We had a great view. We visited Pearl Harbor one day, and another day we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was super cool, and one stop I'm really glad we made (stop? it was like 6 hrs!) It was so beautiful there, but if I did it all over again I'd skip Oahu and go straight to Kauai! That's where the magic REALLY happened. Hehe. But seriously. It was incredible.

We stayed in Poipu at a gooorrrrgeous resort. I'll probably never stay in that nice of a place again. It's on the Southern tip of the island. From the beach there we could watch the sun both rise and set. We watched sea turtles in the coves there and Humpback whales off the shore. We saw one jump all the way out of the water! How do they do that?! Our timing was perfect because it was the beginning of whale season there. The temperature was around 70-80 degrees every day. We just missed the Christmas rush of visitors. It was Christmas time, so we heard "Mele Kalikimaka" everywhere, and got to see the weird ways Hawaiians try to decorate for the holidays. There's this cool tropical tree there that's shaped like a Christmas tree, but it's not even close...it's cool.

We went all over the island of Kauai and did lots of outdoor things like hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming (aka drowning in the waves) and driving through some beautiful scenery. I've never been to a more beautiful place. I've never wanted to move anywhere more impulsively. It's like a dream world. From the moment we landed in Hawaii I was sad we'd have to go home in 10 days (yeah, not a good attitude).

When we got back to cold, dry, icy, gray, dark Utah, I was pretty much mourning for a few days. I'm better now :) But it definitely took a while to get back to reality. I could write forever about how awesome Hawaii was, but I gave myself a time limit, and now I'm done! Do I want to go back? Yes. But I'm glad I'm home now so people will stop hating on us for taking ONE vacation. Geez.

Our newest family photo!

2010-01-04T10:24:00.002-07:00

AJ's sister Ashlee took our picture on Thanksgiving at their parents' gorgeous home (I can't pretend that front porch is ours). We only got a few shots (the sun was setting!) and Grizzly was actually looking at the camera in most of them. Score! Thanks Ashlee! I think I need to frame this one.

And in case you didn't get a Christmas card, here it is! It's pretty much a combination of this last Christmas and the Christmas the year before: a big dog and a big tree :)

Christmas Cards

2009-11-29T15:58:00.003-07:00

Well, I decided to illustrate our cards this year, thanks to all the votes! I've just ordered them, so I'm hoping to mail them out before we go to Hawaii in 10 DAYS!!! Anyhoo, please e-mail me at hilperk@gmail.com to send me you address if you'd like one. Yay!

Here's a sneak peek: Haha.

Facebook Manners and You

2009-11-11T22:50:00.002-07:00

Christmas Card

2009-11-09T16:21:00.003-07:00

In the usual American retail fashion, I'm moving straight from Halloween to Christmas. For a minute. This year I'd like to design our Christmas cards and send them out. But I'm stuck...and I need your help! Should our cards include a photo of us, or an illustration of us (by me of course)?? See, a photo would be quick and easy, and you could actually see what we look like. And how big our Christmas puppy is compared to us (what–did you actually think Griz wouldn't be in the family picture?). But then an illustration could be pretty cute. And I could "dress" AJ up as an elf. Haha...just kidding. Or am I?

So please vote. Maybe just with a comment because I don't feel like making an actual poll for the blog right now. And I'll need everyone's addresses, but I'll just wait and announce that later because I'm afraid I'll lose it before December!

Halloween Pictures

2009-11-09T07:54:00.002-07:00

Here's AJ and I at our friend Blaire's party (she's the one in the second picture that I totally beat in the doughnut contest :)

Thanks for the pictures Blaire!

2009-11-02T00:55:00.005-07:00

News:

I loved Halloween. If I can gather the costume photos I will post them later. I was a silly witch with a tutu, high tops, and green face, and AJ was THIS guy. I had some fun decorations which I may have to post pics of too. But it's late.

I got called at the primary chorister (I teach kids songs at church). It's a big job and I get stressed out every Sunday. Today was a good day though, surprisingly, because I had 40 minutes to fill instead of 20. Twice. We have our program coming up, so it's been a challenge to just figure out what songs they know. I'm also on the enrichment committee too which is right up my alley (versus singing in front of kids). AJ has been called as scout master which I think he'll rock at once he gets a chance to be there, work permitting.

For the last 3 weeks AJ has been working in Rock Springs, only coming home for a day or 2 on the weekends. We miss him. A lot.

Something's wrong with me. All evening the room spins every time I move. Vertigo? It's weird.

My highlights are totally growing out now and I think I'll dye my hair dark auburn tomorrow to cover it up, instead of paying a professional to do a great job fixing them. $3 is cheaper than $60.

I was only home last night long enough for 2 trick-or-treaters. Anyone want some candy?

I made Griz the coolest dog bed ever (kinda old news). It's 46 x 36 inches which is just right for him = huge. He slept on our bed last night.

It snowed a week ago. And stuck. And I was a little sad instead of excited. But the real problem is all the leaves covering my lawn. Not only do I have to rake those up, but I have to find the dog poo to pick up underneath too.

I almost won 2 doughnut-on-a-string eating competitions yesterday. I'm pretty much awesome.

It's officially my dad's birthday now. Happy birthday Dad!!!

We won!!!

2009-10-20T21:26:00.002-06:00

Griz and I got 1st place in Petsmart's Howloween costume contest! YEAH!

Winners were based on applause, and I really couldn't tell who was a clear winner. Our friends and their dogs Cooper (black lab) and Jade (mix-looks like a mini black lab) were dressed as Batman and Robin. They were awesome! But somehow we beat them and they got 2nd. We won a $20 Petsmart gift card, and went home with lots of treats. Oh, and we got our picture taken of course :)

You can't really tell in the pic, but Griz was wearing an old nightgown, or "Granny's" nightgown you could say. He was the Big Bad Wolf who swallowed Granny and I was Lil Red Riding Hood. I pulled together our costumes super last minute, but hey, we won! WOOOHOOOO!

Grizzly is ONE!

2009-10-15T08:22:00.004-06:00

You all know I'm the crazy dog lady, but I try not to blog about Grizzly TOO much. Well yesterday was his first birthday! WOOHOO! So just to catch you up on his incredible growth, I made this little chart. It amazes me too, holy cow. I'm making him a huge dog bed since I couldn't find one big enough for a decent price (um, Petsmart, that is NOT a "large") so maybe I'll post some pictures of it when I'm done. And yes the above picture was taken with my camera's timer because I'm a huge nerd.

Blog Post #158

2009-10-01T17:36:00.004-06:00

I know, I've been the crappiest blogger lately. Basically it's because I keep waiting until I can post the latest news about job interviews, rejections, and offers, but my sister has pointed out to me that I shouldn't blog to the world about such things. I can't tell you the names of these places just in case they google me and read about it. I can't mention my personal feelings about these places or people just in case I screw myself over in the process.

But let it be known: There have been interviews, rejections, and offers. I have been excited about things, upset about things, and still don't know some details about some other things. BUT the bottom line is, I'm still doing freelance from home and have gotten some new work. So that's pretty cool. Nothing yet that will look good on a home loan application, but whatever. We're doing well.

A.J. is amazing...he just works his little buns off. He turned *gasp!* 25 last week! We got a Playstation 3 and up until a couple days ago have been playing our games. Why have we stopped? Because we BEAT them! Booyah! AJ got Birds of Prey (WWII airplane dogfighting game) and I got Harry Potter–The Half-Blood Prince. I decided I love kid games. And I haven't seen a Harry Potter movie since the 3rd one, so now I totally know what The Half Blood Prince was about. Haha! I did the same thing with Kung Fu Panda (during the week we had an xBox 360). So anyway, does anyone have PS3 games they want to share with us? We don't have cable...

Grizzly is almost 1 year old! He's about 75 lbs and finally starting to slow down (growth-wise) but he'll probably fill out just a little more. Just had to answer the question that EVERYONE asks me ("so how big will he get?"). I'm sure I'll post pictures of whatever ridiculous thing I decide to do for his first birthday. Cute lil' guy!

In other news, I'm super excited for October, Halloween costumes and decorating. But it snowed yesterday and that's despicable.

I'd also like to randomly announce (may be old news) that Simply (juice) now has raspberry lemonade, and you all need to go out and buy 2 bottles, because 1 won't be enough. It's incredible.

AND Happy Birthday Ashlee! Haha.

Wherewolves and heartbreak, the Volturi–Oh My!

2009-09-19T13:54:00.005-06:00

*If you are not a fan of the Twilight series, just ignore this.*

A new New Moon trailer! This looks so sweet.

At the time I read the second book, I couldn't wait to get to the third one, but I'm remembering what made that book so great (it wasn't the beginning!) It's gonna be soooo cool to see the Volturi on the big screen!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Oh. My. Goodness.

2009-09-12T11:30:00.004-06:00

#1- I'm SO glad I don't have to date anymore
#2- I'm SO glad I married the coolest/smartest/awesomest guy in the world

Listen here to see why.

http://melodymaker.posterous.com/the-reason-some-girls-stay-single-very-funny

Top of Utah Half Marathon

2009-09-01T09:32:00.004-06:00

And finally we're caught up to this week's events.

Saturday was the Top of Utah Half Marathon! Woohoo! Natalie had challenged me to do the Georgetown one with her, and I figured since I was already prepared, I might as well sign up for the one in my own hometown. Right? So I did. And it was awesome!

The course starts in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, at the same place my 15k started. It was dark when the buses took us up there. The course ends in Providence, oh, 13.1 miles later :) The canyon part is beautiful, and it's downhill most of the way. It was even overcast and breezy which felt perfect! We even had a tail wind there for a while, so I was really getting pushed down some of the hills.

I felt really good and strong the whole time. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. I had been worrying about my hips since they were STILL sore from my first half, 3 weeks prior. I prayed hard, and stretched really well, and I don't think I even felt them until maybe the 10th mile. But by then my knees hurt worse, so I was good. Haha.

My first mile was about 9:17, and I thought to myself, okay, you're going too fast, you're going to get burned out, but I just kept going at that pace since I still felt fine. One thing I do with all that time to think, is I do math with my mile times. I had a goal of finishing under 2:10, so I figured if I kept going at that pace, I could get pretty close to that. So I just kept on going. I passed each mile right around 9 minutes from the last one, so I knew I was doing well.

I had such a blast because I felt like I was passing people the entire time. In reality the first 3 miles is just a mess, because there are so many people at that starting line, starting their race at different times (for example I was over 30 seconds behind the people in front) and running at different speeds, so you have to weave around slower people while faster people are trying to get around you. But after that, I was steadily passing people which was fun.

Right around the 6th mile, I saw my old roommate Melissa! It was so crazy! She lived with Natalie and I, what a coincidence that 3 of us did half-marathons this year. So I ran with her for about a mile and went ahead. Around the 7th mile you come out of the canyon and start running past houses in some rural neighborhoods. This was fun because that's where people line the streets and cheer for you. Hooray! I don't care who they're cheering for, it helps me keep moving. Around the 10th mile my knees were really killing me, but I pushed through. That's also about the point where the course goes gradually uphill for about 2 miles. The last mile or two are all downhill towards the finish line. That was the best! I could see the finish line for probably half a mile and it helped me run really strong until the end. There were tons of people and I felt good enough to sprint to the finish (although it probably didn't look like a sprint). All these people are cheering, and I heard one voice out of all of them, A.J.'s! YAY! I grinned at him and Grizzly bear and was sooo glad they were there at the finish for me.

Well, I am so excited about my final time. I was hoping for at least 2:10, thinking under 2 hours would be awesome but not likely. Well I finished in 2 hours flat! Woohoo! My average mile time was 9:13, which is really good for me. I had been watching my mile times the whole race, so I was really happy that I had ran at such a consistent pace.

AJ took this picture of me after I finished. The other shots of me show 2 legs, but I figured not showing you those other strange facial expressions was worth my one-legged look here. Haha.

And no, that guy behind me is not dead.

Later that day we went up to Bear Creek Lodge, which is close to Bear Lake, for AJ's summer work party. I could hardly move my legs, and that really impacted the games I competed in. I had hoped to excel in the cow pie toss, the gunny sack race, and the 3-legged race, but it wasn't happening. Sorry, AJ. They had some nice prizes so it would have been nice to win. AJ told me earlier that a 50 inch plasma TV would be one of the prizes, so I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to perform. Well, my husband is just a sweetheart and let me believe that for like, 4 hours at least. There was no plasma. Fortunately he filled me in on the truth before I started telling people about the TV I wanted to win...haha!

We had a delish BBQ and then just kinda hung out and watched the employees' kids go crazy with marshmallow guns. (It's amazing how people can let their kids get so obnoxious and as I'm being shot with sticky marshmallows they will ask, "so when are you going to have a little angel of your own?" Hmm.) The adults were all just hanging out and probably thought I was boring, but I was completely drained of all my energy for the day. They tried to convince us to stay the night but I was out. So we went home and I slept for like 12 hours.

The end!

Weekend of Romance...

2009-08-30T15:57:00.006-06:00

So, after I got home from Denver, AJ told me he had a surprise weekend planned for me. Weee! I was pretty excited, and spent all week asking him what it was. I asked casually, just in case he'd tell me casually, but he never did. When Friday came he told me we needed to leave and needed to be packed. So of course, I asked him what type of clothes I needed to pack. A formal gown? Swimsuit? Rain jacket? He told me long jeans and a swimsuit and some shirts. Well that didn't help much, but the more I asked the more he teased me. I'd say "okaaaay, I'm packing a sweatshirt" and he'd say "alright, but it will be pretty warm in the Bahamas." Or "I don't think you'll need that for scuba diving..." Or "don't forget blah blah for sky diving..." Isn't he just so silly :) The other clue was that we were going with Matt and Andrea (AJ's brother and his wife). We seemed to be running late or something and AJ said "ahh! we're not going to get there until its 8 now!" so I had another clue :) I think I had it partly figured out by then, and when we turned to go south on I-15 it was confirmed. We were headed to southern Utah, wooo!

Andrea was also in the dark about the trip, and only found out about it at the last minute. She knew something was up because their anniversary was Monday, but I think I mentioned the trip on Facebook, so that gave it away. That's when she learned AJ and I were crashing their anniversary trip, buwhaha!

We (Matt) were rushing, as fast as AJ's grandpa's Lincoln would go (long story), to get to our romantic destination in time. The guys had made reservations. We picked up a pizza in Cedar City, ate it in the car (in record speed) and headed up the canyon there to the Dixie National Forest. It was dark but I could tell we'd be staying in the mountains, and since they had reservations I could tell it would not be in a tent (am I a genius or what). We pulled into Pinewoods Resort and guess what, we each had our own suite! I don't know who gets more credit (Matt or AJ) but AJ got a big sloppy kiss for sure. He's pretty much awwwesooommme.

Hangin' out in the Lincoln...

AJ found these sweet pocket-size binoculars
View from the back seat:There was lots to do up there, but apparently we have bad timing. Every 4-wheeler was rented out, so we looked at some other options. After we scoped out how much horseback riding would be, and rented some fishing poles, we decided to go golfing. Haha. We had a lot of fun! It was nice that I wasn't the only one who wasn't a pro at golf. My ball usually went in the right direction, but very slowly. This particular course was quite unique. I've never seen so many holes in the middle of the fairway...with prairie dogs in them! Those critters were everywhere! After joking around about hitting one, guess who nailed one right in the side? ME! And no I wasn't aiming but it was pretty funny that I got one! No it didn't die, I think I just knocked the wind out of him. And then I couldn't find my ball so I wonder if it went down a hole, hmm...

Andrea got a picture of one...

The best part of the day had to be when AJ and I both got holes in one on the same hole!!! Now is that romantic or what? There must have been something special in the air for us to be THAT awesome at the SAME time. Don't believe me? Here's the picture to prove it!

Later we loaded up on nice cold beverages and snuck them into the movies (buwahaha). We saw the Proposal, which I think is hilarious. After that we headed back up to the resort to try out their little restaurant there. It wasn't bad. Then since their hot tub was broken (again, bad timing) we decided to rent a movie from their little collection.

The next morning we drove home! It was a really fun weekend, and I would definitely go back another time. Is my husband the best or what?

More golfing pictures. Check out how beautiful the course is, minus the prairie dog mess:

A.J. studying how NOT to swing. Haha, J/K Matt!

Andrea full of grace. Hehe.
Sweet action shot! Nice camera skills, Matt. Nice awkward-looking golfing skills, Hilary.

Aww we're so cute putting together.

Oh yeah, it's goin in...

My first half-marathon

2009-08-19T16:20:00.003-06:00

I have to admit, for the 24 hours before the race, I felt so sick! And I had one of those nights where you're always somewhat conscious, so I definitely wasn't rested, which didn't help the nerves.

We waited in the cold for quite a while for our bus, and then we drove and drove and drove! Oh my...the longer you drive the longer you have to run! When the gun went off (which I don't even remember hearing) we were running around trying to drop off our jackets, but even though we weren't physically there on time, it worked out since you are timed by the thing on your shoe anyway. Hehe.

(pictures are screenshots from the photographer's site...yes I'm too cheap to purchase these little memories)
The starting line in Georgetown. (notice ALL the port-a-potties!) And the beautiful lake!

Zach (Natalie's husband) stayed with us for the first couple miles, but I don't think his longer legs could stay back with us. Pretty sure it was the legs. Otherwise we would have killed him in the race. Haha!

The course was beautiful. However, it was also quite hilly. Everyone says its all downhill (it started at 8700 ft!) but it was more rolling hills. I'd say around mile 7 we were both feeling it. Our hips were starting to ache. And our knees. And ankles. So then we'd stop every couple of miles to stretch, and I made sure to stop my watch each time. Hehehehe... The last 3 or 4 miles were pretty rough. The farthest I had run prior to the race was 10 miles, so I should have expected that, but Natalie had run 6 or 7 prior, so I was super impressed that she was still truckin' right along! We saw a couple photographers so we put on a little show for them. LOL. We held hands and looked really goofy and obviously they captured the essence of our friendship. Hehe.
Hey look! It's Natalie and me! She's way cuter. I don't think action shots are my thing :) Maybe because I felt like my hips were gonna fall off!

We slowed down mile 12 so we could finish strong. The last part was through the little town of Idaho Springs, and it was the longest mile ever! We ran together until the last 10 yards and then Natalie told me to sprint ahead, so I did! And I obviously didn't get too far ahead of her :)

13 miles!!!

After the race we went to some lake (yeah I dunno what it's called) with Zach's family and had a yummy lunch made by his mommy :) We weren't interested in moving very much, so that was pretty much it. Oh, and we took some after-the-race photos there, just because I know you all wanted to see my pasty legs again. I love how when it's just Natalie and me we look normal, and then with Zach we look like midgets.

The rest of my time spent in the Denver area was really nice. We mostly hung out with all the family that was in town (for Zach's sister's wedding), but that's my style. I love being around good people in a comfortable setting. And then running 13 miles. Geez.

Well, folks guess what? I'm running another half-marathon in 10 days! It's the Top Of Utah half, so I figured since it's in Logan, and I've already put in the hard work, I might as well sign up, right?

I almost forgot to post pictures of my new hair! Natalie is the coolest. I gots highlights! I took these for my sister, so, you understand...

My race TO Denver

2009-08-16T18:22:00.006-06:00

Before I tell you how my race went, I have to tell you the horrendous time I had getting to Denver.

We dropped off Grizzly at a friend's house in Ogden. We stayed for too long, and then got lost up there in one huge complicated neighborhood. At this point we were afraid I'd miss my flight, but I said "if you get me there in 30 minutes I'll be fine!" So finally we get to the airport, in 30 minutes! just in time for my flight to start boarding. Quick kiss and see ya! Hurry! Run!

Well it turns out I was approx 7 minutes late for boarding (I figured I could just run to my gate). The problem was, if you aren't there 30 minutes before, not 23 minutes before, you can't check your bags onto the plane. No problem, I'll just check it at the gate. But NOOooo my bag was too big! "Guess you'll just have to catch a later flight" I was told. Oh my gosh.

So I go to the ticket counter and talk to the Delta dude. My flight leaves at 4:50pm and by this time it's about 4:35. He tells me what I was already just told by the first guy (short on time here!) so when is the next flight? 7:00. Oh, but it's completely full. And the next flight with any openings is at 6am the next day. Well can't I just jump on my flight real quick and you can send my luggage with the next plane to Denver? No, you have to travel with your luggage. So can I get a refund? No, because I was so awesome I bought my ticket a couple months early which is too early. Okay, so maybe I'll sleep in the airport and catch the flight in the morning. Oh, well Delta adds on $250 in penalty fees to bump my flight, so I might as well buy a new plane ticket. And my return ticket would also be no good, so I'd have to buy a new one to get home. So at this point I'm considering losing my $200 round trip ticket, and buying a couple new (expensive) ones (even though we had the "wow we're pretty poor" convo earlier that day). On another airline.

I tell the Delta dude I need to call my husband, but asked if he'd check if my plane was still boarding. He said they were actually delayed for some reason and stopped boarding, but I better hurry anyway.

So I called A.J....and cried.

And then he turned around, ran into the airport, threw me over his shoulder, flipped off the security guards, hijacked a plane, and flew me to Denver.

Well, no, but it was pretty close.

I told him the whole story, and he was like, "wait, you could still get on your plane if you just had a smaller bag??? Well just take out only the things you need, throw them in a bag, and I'll swing by to pick up your suitcase." "uhhh, okay I'll go ask the Delta dude! sniff."

MY HUSBAND IS A GENIUS!

The Delta dude looked at me like I was crazy, but said "uh I guess that will work. But you can't leave your suitcase here or it will get confiscated. Tell your husband to meet you at the top of the escalator in the parking garage." So then it was frenzy time and I was shouting "K i'm gonna open everything right here! What liquids can I take? Lotion? Is soap okay? Do you have a plastic bag?!?!" He brought me out a huge CLEAR Delta plastic bag. I mean, it was big, I could have fit in it. And this whole time I'm throwing clothes etc. around and hoping my plane still hasn't left.

As a side note, I had packed like a champion, and I had every little thing I needed. Well now I just had clothes and soap. And running shoes.

I zipped up my half-empty suitcase, swung the big awkward bag over my shoulder, and sprinted up the escalator where my GENIUS husband was already waiting for me! Yes! I handed off the baton/suitcase to him, and ran down to security.

I shoved my hobo (not the cool kind) bag into the bin.

Beep!

Ma'am you need to take off your belt.

Beep! AAHHH!

You need to take off your earrings.

K, so I make it through. I just grab everything, barely putting my shoes on and keep running for it. Well guess what happens when you've got a heavy plastic bag slung over your shoulder and your hands are full and you're not wearing a belt? Well if you made the poor choice of wearing shorts 2 sizes too large, then that means your pants are about to fall off. So I'm running, trying to hold up my pants with my full hands, looking like a huge idiot. Finally I stop to put my belt on. And that was the last time I saw my earrings (R.I.P.)

I finally get to my gate (if you've been on a Skywest "connection" flight you know you are in the very farthest gates) and I get there panting and sweaty holding my hobo sack, and everyone's just kinda looking at me. Well, my flight was still delayed, and my plane was still on the ground. And everyone looked annoyed that it was so late.

HOORAY!!! I MADE IT!!!

It was one of those moments where you feel tears of joy that God was looking out for you, one of those moments where you are definitely sure that He provided a huge thunderstorm to annoy hundreds of people in 2 different states, as long as it allows you to make it to your flight in time. Okay, it's a ridiculous and selfish feeling, but I was feeling pretty darn blessed!

Also, if you've been on a Skywest/Delta connection flight, you know that you will be boarding a very tiny plane. Well, this is why most people who have larger bags will check them at the gate, but seeing as I couldn't risk anything happening to my big plastic bag, I brought it on with me. And created a traffic jam since I was "that" lady, trying to squish a huge bag into the overhead compartment. Well it fit, suckas!

2 hours after I was scheduled to leave, I was finally flying to Denver. There was a nice lady next to me. She had her phone's wallpaper set to a photo of her dog, too. Instant friends. Hahaha...

Natalie had arranged for a shuttle to pick me up, and when I talked to the shuttle people, it turned out I'd have to wait another hour, and THEN hope I wasn't the last to be dropped off. Well, Natalie and Zach are awesome, so they came and picked me up. I told her the story about why I was going to look like a homeless person living at the airport, and we decided we better get a picture of it.

I'm pretty happy looking here, but that's just because my journey was over and Natalie and Zach came to save me! Now imagine me with tears in my eyes and sweat on my brow, and that's what I looked like most of the day. Hehe.

Stay tuned for the race summary :)

It's the Fi-nal Count-down..

2009-08-05T13:30:00.006-06:00

Na na NAH na. Na na NAH na na. Na na NAH na. Na na NA na na NA na... (Gob Bluth magic show song)

This coming Saturday is my first HALF-MARATHON!

I'm flying to Denver tomorrow! My awesome friend/old roommate Natalie challenged me to do the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half-marathon with her a few months ago, and it's finally here. She's the one with this site, remember? I think I'm ready. I've only ran 10.6 miles on my own, but 13.1 is attainable I believe :) I was going to run 12 last week, but I did something really dumb and couldn't. I sunburned my belly so bad I didn't want to move and have since gone through a lot of aloe, lotion, and cold wash cloths, and sweat bubbles and peeling skin (gross I know). AJ has this Gold Bond medicated lotion that is sweet because it moisturizes, cools down, and relieves itching. Just thought I'd recommend it.

Anyway, so I think the race will go great. I believe it starts at 8700 ft., which I will not be prepared for, but oh well. Its downhill, it's beautiful, it will be cool, I'll be running with my buddy...it will be great.

I'll be gone 5 days, and the race will take up like 3 hours of that time, so I don't know what we're doing the other days, but it will be really fun! OH and Natalie is doing my hair which I badly badly need. Hooray!

Wish me luck :)

And now, I present a slideshow of one special night when it was late and Natalie, Noel, and I decided it was more fun to make silly faces than go to bed. Enjoy.

For added entertainment, click the sound icon to hear the Pussycat Dolls serenade you. And don't forget to look out for the paparazzi! Oh boy, too much fun with these slideshow maker things...

Good News

2009-07-27T10:08:00.004-06:00

My awesome husband weldin' it up :)

AJ just called me and said "well I've done my part to get us a house, now it's up to you!"

For the first time since November my husband now has an official full-time job! We get health insurance again! Luckily he has been able to work pretty consistently, but nothing has really been secure. I am sooo happy for him. And I'm so lucky to be married to such a hard-workin' man, who is very resourceful. He can do anything.

After both of us losing jobs, it's time for some good news!

Made For Cache Giveaway!

2009-07-23T12:49:00.003-06:00

Made For Cache is the name of our Etsy team, here in Cache Valley (get it?) We meet every month to talk about ways to promote our Etsy shops and our little businesses (Etsy.com is a place where you can sell your handmade items). So far we've got a blog up, a Twitter account, a Facebook group, a Google group...we're trying our best to get the word out.

Well a great way to promote our stuff, is to give it away! Right now on our blog we are hosting a giveaway where one lucky winner will receive handmade items from all of us. What I've contributed is a coordinating set of greeting cards. They are just cute and simple:

There are also some really talented knitters, sewers, jewelry makers, and photographers in our group, so there has to be something you will want to win.

All you have to do to enter, is to visit one our our Etsy shops (links to the shops are on the right side of the blog), and then leave a comment on the Made For Cache blog about any item your viewed. That's it! You are entered to win! So stop by, and if you like what you see, make sure to tell your friends so they can all get in on the action!

Perkins Party time

2009-07-12T23:17:00.004-06:00

My dad posted on the Perkins family blog! It's been 2 years since anyone has posted on it, so I thought I'd better announce the news to the world :)

The Perkins Blog

Any of you cousins (or friends) should read it. Apparently there's a really sweet book about our heritage! Plus my dad just said some really nice things.

-------------------------------------------

This week I'm flying to Turlock to my parents' (yes "home" is finally starting to feel like it's "here" instead of "there", but lets be honest, they're both home.) My good friend Heather is getting married on Saturday, and I'm sooo excited for her and to see my friends. Remember last Summer? My friend Maren got married, and we all got to see eachother then. Since then Stef has been living in Missouri, and Maren in Arizona, and I just can't wait to see everyone again. By the way, if you look at that old post, that is SERIOUSLY the last time I had my hair cut. A year ago. My layers are so weird right now. Luckily my friend Natalie is going to give my hair a makeover when I see her in a few weeks for our half-marathon! Oh, and she just did Design Mom's hair! How awesome is that? K getting off topic..

So anyway...we are doing well. I'm just finishing a big project I've been working on for a few months, so that, you know, feels good. AJ has been working a lot, including 2 big side-jobs recently, and there's another company here in town that is noticing his hard work and talent. So basically we're feeling good about him having work in the future, whether it's with this current company or a different one.

If all our little dreams come true, we may even find a house here to buy. We've been casually looking at some, which has been fun. It's a challenge trying to find aaaalllll the stuff we want within our price range, but when the time comes I think we'll be able to find something. Plus...first-time home buyers...that's like 8 grand in our pockets. I would just love having a garden and painting walls and and all that other fun stuff.

In Grizzly news, he turns 9 months in 2 days and is 65 lbs. And he crawled onto my lap in the front seat of the car yesterday because the bass of AJ's music scared him. Ooof. Hehe.

Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run

2009-07-07T13:30:00.002-06:00

On Saturday I ran my first 15k. 9.3 miles! It was in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, near Hyrum. I have to say, at every one of these running events I sign up for, I'm ALWAYS surprised at how many people actually show up! It's good, it's just funny. I guess I don't expect anyone else to get up that early, or to sign up for a crazy long run to begin with.

During my 10k (6 miles) several weeks ago I kept counting down the miles and constantly thought about how long it was. Plus I had a side ache the whole time. This run went really well. I learned how to breathe so I would have side pains, and I ran strong and consistent, at a good pace. It also felt great having the race be downhill most of the way. It was a beautiful run, and I felt good. And I wasn't counting down TOO bad so I was actually surprised that I wasn't "suffering" with the distance like before. It was either flat or downhill the whole time until the 7th mile, which was a huge incline for at least a quarter mile. But I was strong! I didn't have to walk (although I walked for a second since the water station was there–no drinking while running!) and passed some people, and I stayed ahead of this one lady I was trying to beat and/or run with for the last few miles. So after that we were in Hyrum, running down to the park. I had no idea where the finish line was, but I saw the 8 mile marker, so I started speeding up. I felt pretty good so just kept with a strong pace and passed lots of people. That one lady was on my tail, but I had a good lead. I was feelin pretty confident.

I'm trying to see the finish line past all the runners and trees, when I noticed the 9 mile marker. Yes! .3 miles to go! I'm awesome! Then someone shot me in the ribs. Okay, not really, but seriously, out of no where I had the sharpest side pain ever and I had to stop running completely. Oh, and NOW I can see the finish line, GREAT! It was SOOO horrible!!! So all the people I had passed are now passing me and saying "you can do it! Don't give up! Almost there!" I seriously couldn't move. Finally I could barely walk, and I managed to slowly jog through the finish line, but I felt so defeated. It was awful. And AJ was there for me at the finish thank goodness because I needed to cry for .7 seconds about the whole thing. He just kept telling me how I did it and finished...I was so mad though. Still am. 9 freaking miles with no pain, and then BAM!

Then I got on AJ's motorcycle (I was wearing shorts and his big jacket so basically it looked like I had no pants on) and he drove me back to my car at the starting line. That was a long drive! I couldn't believe I ran that far. So anyway, overall I did well. My time was 1 hour 23 minutes, which is better than I thought I'd do time-wise.

So that's the latest on my running progress. My next run is the half-marathon! AHHH!!! 13.1 miles at a super high elevation in Denver. I'm pretty darn excited. August 8th! And even though the side-pain thing is really frustrating, I'm starting to feel like 13 miles is definitely doable now!

Freebies

2009-07-02T21:51:00.003-06:00

Okay, this post might sound highly inappropriate, but it is sooo unlikely that anything like this would ever actually happen. So let's just have fun with it, shall we?

Here's the question: If one certain celebrity were to cross paths with you, and you could break your marriage vows with only this one "freebie" person, who would it be? (by now you should know which vow I'm talking about)

My sweet husband and I were discussing this a few days ago after watching The Italian Job. Somewhere between mentioning Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg the question came up. And I should add, it's a fun conversation to have because a) these aren't "real" people so you can talk about them without any jealous feelings, 2) sometimes you have nothing to talk about these days, so why not? and c) by the end of it you'll feel lucky you have a super hot spouse all to yourself.

On with the names...

A.J. says he gets 2 ( so, so do I, neener neener). Sandra Bullock. Charlize Theron. I guess he's always had a thing for Sandra, and I'm thinking Charlize was somewhat an impulsive choice, but whatever. She's GORgeous.

(sorry, AJ, I just had the HARDEST time finding some good pictures of these 2! I guess you'll just have to look at MY pictures when you come to our blog to be reminded of real hotness. You didn't think I'd let them steal my thunder did you?)

Mine. Brad Pitt (don't yawn yet) and Johnny Depp. I know Brad is soo many girls' choice, but listen. What if I don't meet him until I'm 60? You KNOW he's still going to be hott (2 t's). That handsome devil ages so well (and I saw Benjamin Button but I think he'll be hotter than that). Johnny Depp is more of a runner-up because for me, it really depends on his hair situation ie. head hair and facial hair. It makes a difference. And for the record, pirate dreads work for me.

Mmm armpit
I decided to post this now, because A.J. just texted me that he's seeing the new Johnny Depp movie at the moment, and that made me decide NOW that Johnny's my #2. (He's out of town working, the only way he'd see that without me).

Okay, so who's your FREEBIE??? Don't be shy. We know you really wouldn't do it anyway.

Baby Eva!

2009-07-02T11:50:00.004-06:00

I try not to post about our dog very much, because let's face it, you guys don't think he's as cute as we do. BUT you cannot argue that this wittle baby puppy is adooorrrrrrable!

We have a friend named Sarah who we met because she saw us walking Griz one day. She had to stop and talk to us about our Airedale, since she's always wanted one. She only lives a few blocks away, and several weeks ago she told me she got a puppy! Well she finally got to pick up her puppy Eva, and she let me watch her yesterday while she was at work. It was so fun!

Eva is sooo little. I don't think Griz was ever that tiny! And although they are completely different in size, they totally act the same. Cuz they are both puppies!

I took some pictures of their cuteness, so I'll just let those speak for themselves.

saying "hi"
Eva was almost hiding under the ottoman!
thanks for sharing your toys, Eva! They pretty much swapped for eachother's all day.

she's as big as his head!

check out her little curly piggy tail!

Sensibly Styled

2009-06-29T23:10:00.003-06:00

So this is me trying to shop for a modest dress:

Hmm I should probably check a specifically modest clothing site and see what they have. What's the place called again?

K finally remembered the website. Darn. Only 3 dresses and not my style.

I guess there's this other site...oh come on, I still actually want to look GOOD.

Let's just see what macy's has. 78 pages of dresses? Finally page 76 has a dress with sleeves but it's shoooort.

Sometimes it sucks trying to find something modest AND cute, and even though I have the advantage of living in Utah where some dresses have sleeves, I don't have the time to go to different stores. SO my friend Natalie is a genius. She created a site where she finds modest AND cute clothes for you, and then posts about them, including price, length, a link to purchase it, etc., plus people can leave comments so you know if an item is really worth it. It's called SensiblyStyled.com. She has the best taste. In fact, when I visit her in a month, she's going to give me a much needed hair-makeover. Yep, haven't cut my hair in like...a YEAR. Sad.

Anyway, I highly advise you to check it out. It's new, so tell your friends. And there's already tons of stuff on there...Natalie is obviously working hard (so I don't have to). Genius I tell you!

Running progress

2009-06-22T22:33:00.004-06:00

So basically I've been putting off writing this post, because I had ONE picture to upload. So here it is!
(if you look real close you can see Griz's high-five paw print on my leg and a medal in my left hand)

I know I win points for modesty, but seriously, it was just cold. Hehe.

I did my 10k on June 13th up in Bear Lake. They also had a marathon and half-marathon, so I was doing the "little" race. The race was 6 miles–longer than any other race I've done. And boy, was it long. It kinda sucks knowing my next races will only get longer and longer. But the good news is, I'm making progress! I felt pretty strong the whole race, but unfortunately, I can't seem to get rid of this side-stitch pain. I end up just having to run through it, and it makes the distance seem a lot longer. If anyone has any advice, I'd loooovve to hear it. I talked to a girl today that said she had the same problem, went to her doctor, and he told her she has asthma. I've never had any issues with breathing before, so I dunno about that. Could living at a higher elevation give it to me? Anyway, the last 2 miles of the race were actually my fastest. I placed 3rd in my age group which was pretty sweet. My time was 57:37 for anyone who cares. It was a beautiful run, and pretty much sprinkled on us the whole time, but that's WAY better than running in the hot sun. A.J. and Grizzly were waiting for me at the finish line...thanks guys :)

My next run is a 15k (9.3 miles) on the 4th of July up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The farthest I've ran so far is 7.75 miles, so I'm feeling pretty hopeful that yes, I will finish that race. Basically I have 3 things to worry about: 1) My knees/hips breaking 2) Side aches 3) Pooping my pants. People, there is something about an impending race that makes your body try to get rid of everything in your system. The key is making sure is happens BEFORE you run. It stresses me out! Haha.

In Grizzly news, he just turned 8 months and is 60 lbs. Yeah, you heard me right. And he's recently eaten 3 pairs of my sunglasses, my shin guards, and several bars of soap. He's awesome.

I should buy A.J. a new sweatshirt after this...

2009-06-05T16:13:00.004-06:00

A.J. is gone (again–rude) in Alaska this week. He was originally going to help with some job and fish on the side, and it turns out, now it's just fishing! And guess what, he doesn't have to pay for the trip :) So he's in his dream place deep-sea fishing right now.

He texted me this morning: "I decided I'm staying here 4ever". Haha. Well that was BEFORE he even caught a fish, so when he sent me this text later: "I just caught the biggest salmon so far this year!" I may have to start worrying. I'm hoping he really will come home to me eventually! He's having way too much fun.

Here it is, put your hands together!

What a man what a man what a man what mighty fishy man...

So yeah, I'd say that's a large improvement since the last fishing photo he sent me:

Who wants to let us borrow your freezer???

Strut Your Mutt contd.

2009-06-02T11:29:00.003-06:00

Thanks sooo much for your generous donations! It definitely went to a great cause.

We had a blast this last Saturday. We drove down to Salt Lake to Sugarhouse Park and met with our friend Belle and her handsome Airedale Rudy at Strut Your Mutt.

Here's me with Rudy (left) and Grizzly.
I was really looking forward to meeting other Airedale owners and their dogs. After asking around, I probably only met 4 out of 7 or so...but that's okay, we had fun! The main event is a 1.5 mile walk around the park...there were SOOO many dogs! We saw lots of "mini Airedales", Lakelands, Wire hair Fox Terriers, and Welsh Terriers. Then there's an area with lots of booths (doggy acupuncture, dog bakeries, doggy outfits, etc.) and entertainment by people and dogs. We missed most of the entertainment, but we did see the big pool with a ramp for dogs to jump into.

Half-way through our walk we met Nicole (Airedale rescue in Utah) with her HUGE boy Triton (blue collar), and another lady fostering a 'dale, forget their names...Grizzly and Triton were wrestling like they were best friends. Griz looked so tiny compared to him–usually people are telling us how big Griz is!

This last pic is of Griz sneaking behind the table of a booth. Probably just wanted to be in the shade. I had to take a picture–it looks like he's handing out free samples :)
Here's some video coverage of the event. Griz didn't like the "communal" water either :)

California Trip

2009-06-02T11:00:00.004-06:00

A.J., Ashlee (his sis), Grizzly the bear and I drove the 13 hrs to my parents' house is California. In TURRRlock :) Griz was actually really good in the truck, and thanks to AJ's friend's Sirius radio, the ride wasn't too bad.
Our first day there, we went to Alcatraz. My parents and AJ had never been, so it was pretty fun to get to go together. I'd forgotten a lot since I'd been there in the 4th grade. Then we went to Bubba Gump's for lunch and pigged out :) On the way home we picked up AJ's new motorcycle (Yes, I know, I'm the greatest wife ever). He bought it a couple months ago and had been really excited to pick it up, and he rode it back to Turlock. I'll post pics of it when I take some!
paper mache head made by one of the 3 prisoners who escaped

outside on the island
my dad checkin out a cell :)
The next day my dad and I ran a 5k together! We should have taken pictures. We both started off too fast (sorry Dad) but we finished it! And that's what matters. The cool thing was that I ran about a minute faster than my previous 5k, and I actually placed 2nd in my age group! I got a medal and everything–it was sweeeet. My dad finished a few minutes behind me, so I got to cheer him on :) Also, we got to see my old cros country coach JoAnna and her husband there. That was awesome! She's the one I told you about when I started crying at my friends wedding. Haha! Can't wait to see her again at my friend Heather's wedding this summer!

That afternoon we went to Moaning Caverns. Again, I didn't take pictures...lame. But I was feeling a little freaked out about the heights anyway so I probably would have dropped the camera. The cave is huge, and it's actually vertical (straight down) although from the outside it looks like you could walk into it, horizontally. When they were excavating it, they found a huuuge pile of remains. As in, bones from people who fell into it. Ew. AJ and my Dad rode their motorcycles up there, and it was a beautiful day.

Sunday was our chill day. We went swimming, but not for long because we're all wimps. ALL of us! Monday we (with my bro and his gf) met up with Jared and Jenni in the San Jose area, and we went to Half Moon Bay. I don't know why I'm always 10 degrees off when I plan for that weather. It was chilly. But we had lots of fun, especially watching Griz and Dinky at the beach.

Jeff and Griz. They look like brothers, don't you think?

Dinky almost got swept into the ocean!

Tuesday we drove back. It was a pretty short trip, but it was great!

New Moon trailer!

2009-06-01T07:37:00.001-06:00

Yeah! Love the last few seconds...hehehehe...

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

Strut Your Mutt

2009-05-28T15:21:00.003-06:00

We were in California the last week, and we're back! It was a lot of fun, but I'll post about it later.

This Saturday in SLC at Sugarhouse Park is the Strut Your Mutt. It's a dog walk and festival to raise funds for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. It's gonna be awesome...pretty much because I love dogs. They do the huge walk, and then there's tons of booths and contests and entertainment. There's an owner/dog look-alike contest that sounds pretty awesome.

You register yourself and your dog, and then they give you a fundraising page where friends can make donations to the cause. If I reach certain fundraising goals, then I get free stuff.

So here's my page:
http://www.firstgiving.com/hilaryfrisby

Um, but don't feel pressured to donate. I'm still going to have tons of fun. But if you have a crazy dog-loving friend that may want to donate, you can give them my link.

I'm a nerd and I've met some other Airedale owners on Facebook, so hopefully I'll get to meet a bunch of them there. Airedales are just the coolest dogs, so I want to make some friends down there...PLUS who knows, maybe someone will be our dog-sitting friend if we go out of town.

Anyway, that's what I'm excited about. I'll post pictures of the event for all of you who are SOOO excited too. Haha.

twenny-fo'

2009-05-14T15:53:00.002-06:00

Translation: "Twenty-four". That's how old I turned yesterday!

New developments in this year of my life: I have officially found 2 gray hairs on my head. That's officially 2 more than my older sister has. No fair! I think other than that, I'm biologically the same. Maybe a few more freckles, too, but I stopped counting–oh wait–I've never been able to count them. But thanks for asking, kids in my elementary school years.

It was a good day. A.J. had been gone for 2 weeks in Wyoming, and came back with a cold. I didn't expect him to pull out any huge surprises for me. But when he got home from work he told me we were going to play "hot or cold". Let's just say I was "scorching" a couple times so I got a couple gifts! Yay! AJ bought me (us) a new DVD player and Season 2 of Arrested Development! I looove that show. It's a good one to watch over and over. He hid the DVD player in the dryer and for a split second, I saw the TV photo on the box and thought it was a new TV! DUH Hilary. That wouldn't fit in the dryer.

As we got ready to go to dinner AJ started telling me about all the other things he thought about getting me, telling me how a manicure would have been $60 and temporary, etc. Well luckily he didn't blow any money on something most girls like :) His present was perfect, and I just thought he was SO sweet that he even researched other options. He's cute. I like him.

We went to The Firehouse pizza and pasta place for dinner. That place is good, but I usually leave feeling like I over-did it. They gave us a free Fazookie (sp?) which is basically a giant cookie with ice cream and junk on top. Woof. That definitely pushed me over the edge. The edge, as in the last moment of being able to walk up-right due to the over-stuffing of salt, grease, and sugar.

We had a pretty low-key evening and just enjoyed relaxing.

OH and earlier that day my friend Blaire took me to get ice cream. We went to the Aggie Creamery, and oh my, that stuff IS creamy. It was super yum yum. Thanks Blaire!

AND I had about 80 Facebook notifications in my e-mail inbox. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

In other news, we're going to Turlock next week! YAAAAAAAYYY!!! Oh, and Grizzly is officially 7 months old today. Hehe.

Treat Your Mother Right

2009-05-10T09:58:00.001-06:00

Friday madness

2009-05-08T19:20:00.003-06:00

I did my research. I compared prices. I made a few phone calls. Turns out every single place's Chacos were $95. Now, I knew they'd be expensive, but wow that company really regulates those numbers. Zappos.com had them for a little cheaper, but not my size. WELL since I'm the bargain hunter that I am, I found my little pretties would be on sale tonight at Al's Sporting Goods during their Midnight Madness sale (ahhh! It's madness!). So I waited patiently all week. Well guess what suckas, tonight was the night! It was a little "mad" in there, but I got my sandals and got out. AND ONLY PAID....$57 !!! OH yeah. I'm so proud.

So here's a very unflattering picture of my feet. I think the camera adds 10...cm..to my long toes. Haha!

PS-After everything is tightened, the leftover strap is super long. Anyone else have this issue? What should I do?

And here's some special little pictures of Grizzly and Ashlee from when she came to visit us a couple weeks ago. You can see my puppy has grown, and that he likes to stick his feet in your face to say "good morning".
Mornin' Ash!

Another tag

2009-05-08T12:19:00.005-06:00

5 Things

5 things I was doing five years ago:

Living with the 'rents while off-track
Working at In-N-Out
About to go back to Rexburg and meet my roomies at La Jolla :)
Writing a missionary (ok several)
Wishing I had a social life

Me and part of my mom 5 years ago, in our backyard. Probably the only picture I have of those bangs looking somewhat normal.

5 things on my to do list today:

Get dressed
Get a big chunk of work done
Walk Grizzly
Clean before AJ gets home tomorrow :)
Get my first pair of Chacos at the midnight sale!

What would I do with a million dollars?

Buy a big house with lots of land
Buy AJ his dream car
Pay off debt
Invest it...in something
Save in non-existent-kids' college funds

5 places I have lived:

Turlock
Rexburg
Logan
St. George
Phoenix

5 Jobs I have had:

Dishwasher
In-N-Out
Track coach
Graphic designer
ok just 4 I guess

5 Things I want to be doing in 5 years:

Raising chillens
Looking hot
Cooking with more skill and wisdom...haha
Designing...with more skill and wisdom
Defying "the 7-year itch"

5 people I tag:

Andrea
Lyndy
Jacquie
Kim
Ashlee M.

Picture tag

2009-05-04T09:50:00.004-06:00

Monica tagged me :)

1. go to your sixth folder

2. go to your sixth picture

3. blog about it

4. tag 6 people

Well, I had the 2007, 2008, and 2009 folders to choose from. 2007 was a wedding photo where it looked like I was sniffing AJ's upper lip before we kissed. 2009 was one of my plant photos. Not only is it boring, I already blogged about it :)

So this photo is from 2008. It's AJ's 64 1/2 Mustang. He had just bought it and brought it home on this trailer that night.

To date, AJ has all the parts he needs, and I think the next step is to paint it. It feels like he's SO close! But AJ works really hard and doesn't have a lot of extra time, and he's got other projects he wants to finish first. But when it's done, I'll post a picture of us cruising in his shiny car!

*sigh* I miss my hubby. One more week!

I tag Ashlee F., Bernie, Ane, Summer, Stephanie D., Meagan

Hottie

2009-04-28T20:27:00.002-06:00

When my husband's out of town, he likes to send me dirty pictures. And by "dirty" I mean "black junk all over him".

A.J. is in Rock Springs, WY for the next 10 days. He's working at a coal mine that is currently shut down for repairs. That's where AJ comes in. He and a few other guys he knows here went there to work on some huge gear or something. All I know is he's welding and getting really dirty, and has to wear a harness for what he's doing. And apparently he's getting paid really well (sweeeeet). Not sure how much, and if I did I probably wouldn't tell you guys, but it's enough to make it worth leaving his normal job and...ME. hehe. Besides the gross conditions it sounds like they're taking care of him.

Today was his second day out there (he left me Sunday) and he told me his showers usually last an entire hour, each minute filled with major scrubbing to get this junk off of him. Tonight he told me the only way to get the "mascara" out of his eyelashes is to use the make up remover wipes they have in his hotel room. I told him he should bring me some (I'm cheap) and he said he's afraid to ask for more than the usual amount...because they'll think he's a drag queen or something. Yep.

I guess his first day on the job he was watching everyone's faces get dirtier and dirtier , and he saw a guy who was just black. He thought he must have been there quite a while, because boy was he dirty! Well it turns out, he was just...a black guy. Oops. Hahahaha!!!!

So anyway, he sent me that awesome photo today, and yes I asked his permission to show it off. Just so you all know, his beard is normally dark blonde, not black, and he told me you can see where the v-neck of his coveralls was (I'm still looking, too).

Darling, thank you for letting me share your hotness with the world. xoxo

Run Hilary Run!

2009-04-26T10:05:00.002-06:00

I finally have something worth blogging about! (besides Grizzly)

My friend Natalie told me I should run a half-marathon with her in Denver this August. 2 weeks after having her baby she has been running! So she's definitely motivated to get in shape, and I want to be motivated, but I think I need something to work towards. So why not sign up for something you can't back out of? Haha. She'll be in Denver, and I'll be in Logan, and when we meet up, it will be magical :)

I've never run a half-marathon before, but I've always wanted to. I actually used to be a good runner in high school, and in college I stayed in good shape playing soccer. But I haven't had a desire to do a marathon actually. I'm a crappy swimmer, so I haven't wanted to do a triathlon either. So a half-marathon is the next step down right? And it seems a lot more doable. I mean, the folks on The Biggest Loser all did one!

Well, let's just say I haven't trained for anything since that biathlon from last Summer. As in, I did that and haven't gone running until now. My body's getting all weak and mushy and it sucks knowing that I'm like that out of laziness.

I figure that I should make some small goals from now until August. In June there's a 10k and on the 4th of July there's a 15k in the canyon. And the Top of Utah half-marathon is 3 weeks after the Denver one. Maybe that will help me stick to running even after the Denver one is over. And there's always lots of 5k's in the community, so I'll try to do some of those as well. It will be good for me to get used to "competing" again. Having several races will be good practice for me as far as timing and pacing goes.

So yeah, guys, I'm gonna be a runner again! And Grizzly is helping me...he's a better jogger than walker anyway :)

Goodbye Puppy Hair

2009-04-15T14:50:00.004-06:00

I dedicate this post to my sister Megan who thought I actually might not post about Grizzly this week.

Grizzly got his first aire-cut today! (Get it? he's an AIREdale!)

Well, I almost cried because when they brought him out he looked like an adult Airedale and not a baby anymore...but I didn't! I think his face looks good but this hard-line thing on his sides needs to be blended better. I might try to fix it myself. Well, anyway, here's some before and after pictures of him so you can see what he is "supposed" to look like as he gets older. His legs are a little skinny, but eventually those are supposed to be big and poofy.

Check out how he had black hair on his head and now it's blonde...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Oh, THERE you are, Grizzly! (Lost Boy from Hook voice)
Yep, he's still my puppy *sniff* Thanks for reading...MEGAN.

FarmTown

2009-04-14T22:05:00.003-06:00

I have an obsession. Some of you already know about it because unfortunately sometimes I talk about it during normal conversation. I don't think it's really encouraged for me to mention it, because usually I get eye-brow raising and frown-smiles. Basically, it's uncool.

But this is my blog so I'm going to pretend you care.

I play FarmTown on Facebook. There. Now you all know. And you know what else? I'm okay with that. It's really fun.

That's my little character named Hil over by the lemon tree.

So you're given a plot of land. You click on the plow button and you plow little squares of your land. Then you go to the store and buy seeds. Then you plant them in your little plowed squares.

*AJ just leaned over and asked what I was doing. When I said "I'm posting about FarmTown", he said, "OH my hell." I told you guys. Uncool.

Ok, well you wait a few days and then your crops are ready to harvest, and then you make money! And money buys you seeds, fences, animals, trees, barns, etc. Now up to this point, it sounds very much like MyFarm, which I USED to be obsessed with (I had way too much money and nothing to do with it). Here's where it gets really good...

You go to the Marketplace and there's lots of other little characters running around, just like you. It's basically a chat room where you can talk to other people from all over the world, playing FarmTown like a total geek, just like YOU! And what you do is "hire" one of them, and then they come to your farm and harvest your crops for you. Because hiring other people makes you more money. Plus, if you're hired you get a portion of that money, so it's a win-win.

So you can add buddies and go to your buddies' farms and make them your neighbors and send gifts to your buddies. It's all really fun. Promise!

If you're rolling your eyes, fine. If you want to come play and be my buddy, I'll send you a horse or something. Yay!

Found half of one

2009-04-11T22:58:00.003-06:00

I picked up this unexpected little treasure today at Downeast:

But in solid BLACK. Way cuter. And when I get my picture taken in it, my eyes won't be closed.

I love black. Plus it's really hard to find a cute pattern that will still look cute in 5 years (that's my current rate for buying swimwear).

A.J. likes it. After I modeled it he told me I could wear it all evening if I wanted. Haha. He thinks I'm cuuuuuute. Next time he makes fun of my freckles, remind him of how much he liked my shoulders in this swim top. And also remind him that he has freckles, too.

OKAY, so imagine the top in black only (why don't they have it on their site!? And no I'm not modeling mine). Cute lil ruffle on the top. On, it looks a little more like a bandeau than sweetheart neckline. I really like the neck strap. Although it's not adjustable, there's no knot hitting your spine, which is, you know, nice. The top is very comfy (and supportive!) and long. Downeast makes their stuff long. But because it's long I didn't get the ruffle-trim matching bottoms, because I didn't want an unnecessary bulge under the top. The sales girl tried to convince me it wouldn't overlap, but um, yeah, just tried it on sister. It covers my hip bones.

No, I didn't try on the bottoms. I couldn't figure out how to follow the rules and try them on over my underwear. Um, because my undies go to my knees. Hahahaha!!! But seriously, I've never been in this situation before. What do you do? I guess I haven't been swim suit shopping in a super long time, because it was WEIRD taking off EVERY layer to put on that top. Okay, TMI.

So I think I'll keep shopping around. My mom told me I'm allowed to buy myself at least a couple suits for Hawaii, so I'm doin' it. Because my mom said I could. I want to find another top, and maybe a couple bottoms that can mix and match. Aren't you so excited?? Me too!

Next item I need advice on: Awesome sandals that I can hike around in, get wet, give arch support, camoflages my crazy long toe, etc. My mom and I both have narrow feet and she told me Tevas were way too wide for her so she got Keens. I've also heard Chacos are pretty awesome. (Just kidding about the long toe thing. Although it really does exist on each foot, I'm not sure if a partially-covered-toe vs. a open-toe sandal is better.) I need help!

Turlock and taxes and gas

2009-04-06T09:03:00.003-06:00

Sorry the blog has been a little dull lately. I dunno, I just don't have any good stories for you guys lately. Grizzly just got neutered, but you guys don't want to hear more about my doggy and his boy parts. It's okay, I understand.

We've been planning on going out to Turlock to visit my parents, and it WAS going to be next week, but now we're probably going to postpone the trip until May. It sucks. But the reason is good...AJ has been out of work for the last week and they just got a big client, so he wants to make sure they can get that project done for them in time. So it's nice that AJ is getting work again. We seem to owe a butt-load in taxes this year, so we need that extra income to feel more secure.

By the way, how do uneducated people do their taxes? In my opinion it's like doing homework, and I really don't think all people can get an A+. Well yes, you can take your taxes to a professional, but not all people can afford that. Not that there's any uneducated poor people in the country...

Anyway, maybe we'll be in California for my birthday. That would be fun, eh? It should be pretty warm by the time we get there, so I need to get myself that new suit! I just hope we're not going to miss the one week of perfect weather Logan will get, if we're down there.

In other news, we've been waiting for the gas dude to come hook up a gas line to our dryer, for...hmm 4 months! Yes, we had to go through the same thing at our last place. Our landlord is taking care of the whole thing since we paid for the gas guy and then moved right after, only to need the same thing done. So that's nice of our landlord, but each month when the guy STILL hasn't come, we've gone up to pay our rent, and told him, hey your gas dude didn't come AGAIN. Here are the gas dude's 2 main excuses: "I forgot." "I came and no one was home." The first is unacceptable and unprofessional. The second is straight up bull---- because I have been HOME for the last 8 months! And that particular week he was talking about–I had no car, so I obviously wasn't gone anywhere.

You'd think the gas company was run by the government or something (ha–Jenni). I need some customer service, people!

I'm sick of hanging up wet socks.

K, I'll try to think of something more entertaining for my next post :)

End table

2009-03-28T13:36:00.002-06:00

Here's a short post for those who don't want to read the super huge long one I just posted.

Just wanted to update those of you who helped me out with great advice on my end table! The doors are off and holes are filled in with bondo (thanks to hubby). I've sanded the main part of the table, and it now has 2 coats of semi-gloss black on it. I plan to paint over that with red and then sand the edges a little for the black to show through. I've got some brushed nickel handles that should look pretty nice. Just waiting for warm weather so I can paint again!

I'll post pictures when it's done :)

A Walk to Remember

2009-03-27T15:24:00.004-06:00

I was going to save this story just for my PA (Planet Airedale) forum members, but hey, I haven't blogged in almost a week.

Yes, I'm aware at how nerdy it is that I'm a member of a forum for lovers of a certain dog breed.

Last night. was. AWFUL. Grizzly and I went for a walk. We went a new direction to mix things up. We were doing well despite the annoyingly cold weather.

YANK. Walk back 10 feet because something smelled good (to Griz). Sniff a bush. Find a treasure. EWW. It's a dead mouse. Luckily, once I yelled ewwww! he had dropped it already.

Keep walking. Turn the corner onto a street full of "mystery". I get yanked all over the place as Grizzly has to stop and smell everything. Usually this means people leave crap all over their lawns, as in old food, garbage, and cat crap. Nice street.

I get yanked again, and give up and look at this ridiculous house while the dog sniffs another yard. This house was VERY decorated for Easter. I mean you could tell they'd been saving decorations from several decades ago. And why replace old decorations when you can just add them to a monstrous non-matching-but-spring-time collection? Classy.

Well I turn back around and Griz has found yet another treasure. This time, a dead bird. Ewww!
He would not drop this one. Luckily he didn't just chomp down on it and was just holding it. He re-caught it a few times so that he could get a better hold, but that's when I could finally grab his teeth – not the bird – and open his jaws to let the thing fall out. Grossness over. Story not over. Walking on...

We're on the last street before ours. We run into a guy walking his dog, and we let the dogs socialize a bit. They sort of jump around each other while the guy and I try to untangle the leashes. Then I look at Grizzly, and he's sort of squatting like he has to poo, but then he just sits there looking sad. So I go over to him, and realize he has these sticker-pokey-balls all over his legs! No! They're in his beard, too! Then his face gets itchy and he starts rubbing it on the ground. No no no! Time to go home.

I throw Griz in the backyard with me to start pulling out the pokey-balls. These things are tough. They look like fuzz-balls, about the size of a finger-nail, but are really evil and pokey and sticky and break apart when you squeeze too hard so that you can never get the whole thing out. Let me remind you our dog has lots of thick curly hair. The more you try to grab at the pokey-balls the more they get entangled with his hair.

He starts running around the yard all weird, bucking and jumping. Then he does this low waddle thing like he has to poop, but keeps moving around. Finally he takes a full 3 minutes at least, just squatting and trying to push poo out. It was so sad. Finally he got a little, and I cheered. THEN he starts rubbing his butt on the ground. Oh no. It wasn't poop. The pokey-balls. are on. his butt. Up to this point I thought my job would be somewhat easy. I can tell Griz is too embarrassed to let me look at his bum, so I just grab him, put him between my knees, grab his tail and help him out. That's right. I pulled pokey-balls off his pooper. And some...were contaminated. And then I wiped his poopy bum. I am the bravest woman ever because I did it all with my bare hands.

It's not over.

It gets too cold to continue outside, so we go in. I start pulling the pokey-balls off his legs and everywhere else. Grizzly tried to help me. Then the teamwork was over and I had to grab one leg at a time to make sure I got them all out, then brushed each one with a wire brush, which he hates. We're 2 hours into this by now, and he's actually being a trooper, considering he usually doesn't let me brush him for 2 seconds. I noticed he started swallowing the pokey-balls and he'd pull them out, or he'd even pick them off the floor sometimes. Well he's start doing this gag-cough thing, so I'd give him water and he'd be good for a while. Well apparently these things don't go down very easily. Grizzly barfed. Twice. Dog food and everything else. I'm all grossed out and have to clean it up, but I can't let Griz leave the dining room to rub on everything and make more of a mess.

I'd say 3 hours into it now, it's like 9:00 and I am officially having an emergency and ask AJ to order pizza since I'm freaking out and can't make dinner. I go to grab the broom to sweep up the mess. BARF. I wipe up the barf. BARF. Grizzly finds more of the pokey-ball remnants to eat. BARF. I go upstairs to get the vacuum so he won't find any more to eat. BARF.

This dog puked like 8 times. I kid you not. And AJ was trying to ask what pizza toppings I wanted. EWW I couldn't think about it.

Some how we managed to eat our pizza, then AJ helped me out big time and took Grizzly up to the tub to give him a bath, so I could finally sweep and vacuum in peace. Clean floors, check.

It's still not over. Grizzly had approximately 25 pokey-ball things STUCK in his beard. He only has a baby beard now, so that means his little chin had turned into one huge hairy pokey-ball. I got up to the bathroom in time to help out AJ a little. By some miracle we managed to saved his baby beard and pulled the junk out of his chin and the corners of his mouth and the edges of his lips. The whole time he was this sopping wet sad little creature.

And just like that (over 4 hours later) it was over. Grizzly bear was so happy he ran into our room and jumped in our bed. But then we all had a hard time sleeping because he did the gag-cough thing all night. But no more puking, hooray!

Sorry, no pictures, I had my hands full. If you actually made it this far, thanks for your pity, and thanks for reading.

my girls

2009-03-22T21:19:00.003-06:00

Let me just say, my friends (and mom) are the coolest for thinking I could actually make it onto ANTM. Thanks so much for the encouragement! It has provoked a new desire in me to walk the (carpeted hallway) runway in my undies when no one is looking. Ok...I DID show AJ my walk the other night (clothed) and he just sat on the couch and kinda laughed. But seriously, he told me I should go for it. Probably because he knows I won't. So if they do another shorty cycle, I may seriously consider the whole thing, but not this time. Sorry, fans.

Speaking of undies, I have an announcement. I thought my boobs were shrinking, and it was seriously affecting my self-esteem. There was way too much extra room in there if you know what I mean. I was convinced I needed to go bra shopping, and this time, go down a cup size. Sad.

So I tried on a couple different sizes. One was the significant winner. Guess what, guys?! Still the same! No need to down-size. Hooray! I'm so proud. Pretty sure these bras just get stretched out over time. Maybe if I had started wearing bras in junior high like all the other girls, I would have found this out by now.

Wow, if I have any male readers, pretty sure they're gone after this week!

Calling all shorties

2009-03-20T12:29:00.003-06:00

Oh my gosh oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!

Okay...this is going to be a really dorky post.

I love watching America's Next Top Model. Love that show. Sometimes when no one's looking, I try to do runway walks and "fierce" poses. Sometimes after watching the show I have these super random dreams where I'm ON the show.

I've seriously had these dreams like 10 times. I'll be getting judged on my poses and facial structure and freckles and paleness and other dumb things. Sometimes I get kicked off. And several times I've told the judges, YEAH, I'm short. But it's time for short models in this competition, Tyra (the host). If you're going to have plus-size models, you've got to have some short-size models.

And then I wake up.

So today I'm getting caught up on this cycle (season) and GUESS WHAT. My dreams have come true, you guys. Tyra announced that the next cycle will be for girls who are 5'7" and UNDER! FOR REAL SHE LISTENED TO ME IN MY DREAMS! You guys, I'm SUCH a nerd. My heart started beating all fast...it was the weirdest feeling.

That being said, pretty sure if you're going to be short you need to be 90 lbs, have perfect skin, and look good at all angles. I am not those things. And I'm pretty clueless (and don't care much) about what's fashionable these days, but I know I'm not IT. Tyra wouldn't like that. But I do have some killer ankles. Hahaha...

But how cool would it be to be all fierce and short and on the show?! AHHH!!!!

Up!

2009-03-19T10:32:00.003-06:00

Watch the trailer HERE

I saw this trailer for Up, the new Pixar film. I have to admit this is one that REALLY looks good. I'm not always instantly sold on these films, but after seeing the dog, I'm IN!

I laughed SO hard at that dog. Pahahaha!

Oh, and if you have a dog that goes crazy when the doorbell rings, you might want to watch the trailer when they're out of the room. I had to stop it part-way to show Grizzly there wasn't really anyone outside the front door, to silence his barking.

Geez!

Help me find a swimsuit

2009-03-17T11:02:00.003-06:00

It's time. I've had the same suit for like 4 years now, and it's still cute, but still doesn't fit right. Time for a fresh look.

Am I going swimming any time soon? Good question. We're going to California in about a month to visit my parents, so I'd like to be prepared. There's also talk of a Christmas Hawaii trip, so let's just say I'm getting excited...!

First. Body type. Linear. Click on that link, because the information is awesome. I did all the measurements, and I was borderline other types, but pretty much linear. No sign of curves anywhere. Basically I have to wear frilly feminine clothes or I'll look like a boy. I break that rule a lot.

So, I'm wondering what the best suit would be for that. I've read a little about it, but if anyone has some genius advice, let me know.

So far what I'm liking is the idea of a really cute tankini.

I like this one from Shade clothing. The model looks best in the black because of the angle. I hate when I like one angle better than the other. I love the back.

This one is from Modbe. I think it looks really cute on the model, it would follow all my Linear rules, but it seems kind of loose. And that was an issue with my last suit. And their suits all look extra long, which I don't need. AND, any sign of bust support? I know I don't have much, but come on, a little help would be nice.
Speaking of support, I really like the idea of getting a suit from Victoria's Secret. They have lots of options for padding and stuff. And decent prices. I like their halter tankini tops. I like some of their other ones besides this style, but it's hard to tell if the top has the right coverage when it's modeled by a girl exploding out of it. That's why no pictures of those are on my blog.

Oh, if I were a bronze beauty I could pull off yellow like that.

So far I haven't found a pattern I'm completely in love with, so I've been more interested in solid colors. Boring right?

This one from Anthropologie is cute but waaay out of my price range.

The halter looking straps have always looked pretty good with my shoulders and stuff, and I wouldn't mind finding a cute halter top if it were a secure-looking "banded" one.

Anyway, that's what's been on my mind lately. I know I have a while to figure it out, but hey, just thought I'd share my ideas so far.

Or I could get one of these...hehehe

My new babies/friends/plants

2009-03-13T15:17:00.007-06:00

As you may have heard (I'm betting you didn't) approx. 2 days after I wrote the post about Spring coming, we had a huge snow storm that left like 2 feet of snow. Now it's down to more like 1 foot. I'm telling you this to explain my absence from blogging.

I was sad.

Okay, actually I just snickered (nose laughed) to myself because I wasn't really THAT sad. It's MARCH and that's what happens! But the sucky thing was that the day before it snowed I went to Home Depot to look at one thing and walked away with $Hmm worth of plants. Mainly indoor plants. I just couldn't take it anymore (no flowers) so I decided to buy some friends. Plus, all my friends are having babies so I needed to join in on the nurturing. This was while AJ was gone, so I just kinda went for it, and I don't think he has still really noticed all of them yet.

I got a spiky guy, an orchid, a flower growing kit for my kitchen window (metal thing with dirt and seeds), an aloe plant and another deserty looking plant for my office, and a bag of flower bulbs. I was going to plant the bulbs that night, but I never got around to it. Then it snowed, so, you know.

Parked in the garage for now

Behold! Life springs forth in my kitchen window!

When AJ got home he noticed the spiky guy in the living room, and Grizzly growled at it. Haha. Now he gets really interested when I water it with my spray bottle, and if he tries to eat one of the leaves I spray him with the bottle. He sort of hates it but I think he loves it too, because then he wants me to do it again, signified by his butt in the air and growling sounds.

That paragraph was about Grizzly, not AJ. Gotta watch my pronouns...

That night AJ saw the orchid I put in our bathroom, and he was like, "what's the deal with all these fake plants?" UM, they're real. Oh yeah guys, they're all real.

So that's it. That's what you've been waiting for over a week to hear about.

I obviously don't know all the correct names for the plants I've purchased. I mean, I can go check their tags but I don't feel like it right now. So if anyone has any name suggestions for my new plants, I'll take em :)

................................................

In other news, Grizzly turns 5 months old tomorrow! He weighs a little more than 40 lbs now, is huge, and just got a big-boy collar with a personalized tag! So now he's jingly and I can hear him wherever he goes. No hair-cut yet, but you better bet I'll post pictures when he gets it!

He approves of the new rug, too.

Come on Spring, you can do it!

2009-03-04T10:05:00.004-07:00

I'm sitting here listening to the many birds chirping outside, and it's sooo nice! Looks like it will be a cloudy day, but the last few days of sunshine have melted almost all the snow in our yard. I have definitely felt that depressed feeling that comes with Winter, and walking in the sunshine has never felt so amazing. Sunlight can really lift your spirits. When I took Griz out for a walk yesterday, I was only wearing a sweatshirt, and I was still too warm! It was great. I cannot wait for Summer, but Spring is going to make me pretty darn happy, too.

Please, snow, stay away. Come again another day. Like next Winter.

The Belchlor

2009-03-03T14:11:00.002-07:00

warning: includes The Bachelor finale spoilers

I have a new theory (I have a few other ones too). My theory is that no matter how much you love the Bachelor or Bachelorette, you will hate them in the end.

I don't know why I even watch...oh, because they are addicting and mesmerizing, but then they leave you unsatisfied! AHH! So on The Bachelorette like 6 months ago, DeAnna was THE Bachelorette. She was "America's sweetheart" because she was a contestant on the previous season of the Bachelor, made it to the final two, thought she was going to get proposed to, and then to everyone's surprise was dumped right there, being the second dumpee of the night. So everyone loves her and she gets to be the next Bachelorette. Well at first she was cool, then Little Miss Blinks-A-Lot becomes really annoying and cruel. PLUS she dumped Jason Meznick when he was one of her final 2 male contestants (and everyone's favorite pick). DeAnna, you suck.

SURPRISE. America loves Jason, so he's THE next Bachelor. And oh, boy, was I excited, because I just loved him! Well, here is where my theory comes to life. He's an angel the whole time, and then he dumps Jillian. There's not a lot of Jillian lovers out there, but I thought she was the coolest. So then it comes down to the final 2 women, and everyone I KNOW is rooting for Melissa to win, including me, and it was like a fairy tale ending, people. Adorable.

Melissa left, Molly right
After she said "yes" Jason swung her around on top of the New Zealand hillside, where a helicopter happened to swing by to catch the shot. This was Disney material (OH wait...ABC). Okay, I know it's cheesy, but it was the most genuine proposal I've seen on the show.

Well just as I'm drying my tears of happiness, the After the Last Rose episode comes on. This is where the happy couple greets America again, and the dumpee asks "WHY?!" all bitterly.

I don't care if this is never-before-in-Bachelor-history stuff. I want a happy ending, especially for Melissa. So what happens? Jason takes this last moment on TV to make us all hate him.

HE DUMPED HER! HE DUMPED HER ON TV! They've been engaged off-screen, spent the holidays together, and then he waits until he's on TV again to break things off with her. WTF. Oh man, I love how she handled it. Sweet Melissa called him a naughty word (it's okay on ABC?) that starts with a B and ends with Tard. He IS a tard. He decides once the chemistry between he and Melissa (ie. the magic of reality TV) starts to change, that he needs to end things right there and go see what Molly's up to. Molly. Molly! The only thing I liked about her was her freckles. Her intentionally messy ponytail drove me bizerk. So then Molly comes out, and needs to have all these dumpee questions answered, but then Jason shows up and says, JK Molly, let's go get coffee and see where things go. And she's all, um, what about Melis–OKAY let's make out even though you were engaged 5 minutes ago, love you too.

The saddest part of all is that I sort of knew this was all going to happen, but didn't want to believe it. I was sitting with AJ last night, telling him about my plan. I needed a plan because we don't have cable anymore, so I catch up on abc.com on Tuesdays after the show airs Monday night. The last finale I went to catch up on was True Beauty, and abc.com gave away who won before I could even watch it! The button for the show had the winner's face blown up on it...uh I WONDER who won...So anyway, I was afraid Melissa or Molly's face would be on the Bachelor button and ruin the ending.

I'm telling AJ about my plan to avoid that happening (too many details already so I'll spare you) and he goes and GOOGLES the results while I'm laying there on his sweet little shoulder, acts like he's interested in the show to make sure he has the right season, and pulls up an article about it, and by the time I had realized what he'd done I had already read the headline "The Bachelor Does A Double Whammy". You guys it was horrible! He's awful!

So until I could watch the finale this morning, I had the impression that his "double whammy" would be dumping both girls at the end. NOW imagine how happy I was to watch him actually propose to Melissa! I thought AJ's article was wrong all along.

Nope. Jason, you suck.

So now the question is, will Jillian or Melissa be the next Bachelorette? And if one of them is, will I watch it? All I know, is she will be hated by the end! Baaah!

cough cough

2009-02-23T12:16:00.002-07:00

I've had a cold for like, 2 weeks. I usually don't have cold symptoms for more than 4 days. Over these two weeks it has gone from earaches and tingly skin to headaches to sore throats to nasty congestion.

Now all I have left is the congestion. And coughing. It's been pretty tolerable during the day-time. I blow my nose, spit loogies (gross sorry) and cough every once in a while, and I'm good. But then around 8-9 every night, I start getting these coughing attacks. One side of my throat gets all tickly and then it just gets out of control. So far it doesn't really hurt, but I can't complete a sentence without coughing. And sleeping is a joke. The inhales will tickle, then go away, then the exhales start tickling. Just as I or AJ would fall asleep I'd start coughing again. Last night I had to get up and sleep downstairs because I'd feel too bad knowing AJ would be working a 14 hour day on no sleep. Griz followed me :)

Anyway, if anyone has advice let me know. Once I got downstairs I popped a couple cough drops which helped a little.

But HEY you guys won't believe the ab workout!

Top That!

2009-02-18T20:18:00.003-07:00

I've always loved the scene from Teen Witch when they do the Top That rap. I've also just assumed no one else would ever know what scene I was talking about...except maybe my sister. AND I wish I knew the words.

A couple nights ago I was online getting caught up on 30 Rock, and Kenneth performed the Top That rap! Oh my goodness. I tried to find the video of him for you, but it's been removed. Boo.

It's a great moment when you remember something from your childhood, and then you realize you can probably find it on youtube.

So here you go!

By the way, the main reason I'm blogging about this event is because A.J. doesn't care about how cool I think this is, and has never seen Teen Witch, and won't open the link I just im'd him. What a party pooper.

He's getting so big

2009-02-17T11:40:00.001-07:00

He's my lil bear :)

Happy Heart Day

2009-02-14T06:25:00.001-07:00

I'm so lucky to be loved by two cute boys with beards. They are sweethearts, and my bestest friends.

A.J. is MY sweetheart. I love him so much. He works so hard, and I sit on my butt all day drawing hearts on pictures I took during a photo shoot on my bed with our puppy. I've been feeling sick lately (not throwing up–don't get any ideas). Wednesday was the worst, and when AJ got home he rubbed my shoulders and helped me with a bath and made me feel so much better. And HE was the one that needed pampering after working so hard aaaall day. What a great man I married.

Happy Valentine's Day baby!

Grizzly is 4 months old today :) And he ate those flowers right after I got these blurry pictures. Oh well, I was asking for it.

D.I.Y.

2009-02-09T10:48:00.007-07:00

I need your help.

I've been looking for an end table, and with my budget and free time I wanted to do a DIY project. I've been looking at D.I. and Craigslist for any good stuff. Well the last time I went to D.I. it was super busy (the smells, the crying...) and I found an end table I really liked. But AJ wasn't there, and I wanted his opinion. So I took pictures of it with my phone and headed to the check-out line with some cool bottles I found...

Every single line had the cashier on their intercom asking for help. I was getting SO antsy, and I kept pulling my phone out and looking at those end table pictures while I was waiting. Then I made a "screw this!" sound and ran back to grab the table. I didn't want to risk someone else taking it. I looked like a doofus carrying the thing back up front, and I got some funny looks. After I paid for my stuff, I asked the cashier "you can return furniture right?" "Uh, no."

So without further ado, I present my end table that I can't return, but it's okay because together we are going to turn this thing into a real beauty.

I like the shape of it, and it's sturdy, and the doors work great. I don't really know what's up with those handles, but they'll be replaced. I think the way it's designed could match our little Ikea bookcase.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to paint it. The wood on it doesn't strike me as something I'd feel bad covering up. I've been thinking I could paint it to match our black bookcase, but then everything might start being black, black, black. Our sofas our blackish brown, but you know, pretty much black.
I'm wondering if I should do a 2-tone thing, like maybe the deeper areas could be a cool color. Green and black? Leave the wood and add another color? I've been digging yellows lately...Red? White? Turquoise? I've been afraid of color for too long, and I need to be brave this time. I'm definitely not doing hot pink, but something classy looking.

What do you guys think?

I also want to paint this mirror.
Any suggestions? It's big, and I'm not sure where I'll put it, but the frame is actually plastic or something, so I have no desire to keep the fake brownness of it. My aunt gave it to me and I figured I could pull something off.

These next pictures are for my mom especially. I keep forgetting to show the artwork I made. I decided I need to have cool looking stuff on my walls. There's only so many pictures of AJ and I that I can put up before the place starts looking like a shrine to our relationship. Eww right? So I decided if I don't have cool art, I should just make some. In my opinion, anyone can do something abstract and call it art, frame it, and put it on your wall. But for heaven's sake, I'm an artist, you'd think I could put something interesting looking on my wall. So that's what I did.

This is just a start. I think it would be cool to be able to cover the whole wall eventually. The planes one on the left turned out kinda dorky, but I'll replace that some time. The square ones are all representing the different seasons. I made the red one in the middle purely to just have those colors on my wall. And the alphabet one was fun. I saw something like this online that you can buy, so I pulled out my alphabet stencils and did one myself. It's totally off-center but whatever.
If I made it, then I won't feel bad replacing it someday right? I just needed to get something on that wall! Only 15 more walls to go!

And to finish things off, here's a recent picture of a humorous moment of my life. Somehow Grizzly got that hanger around him, and he climbed the stairs like that, banging the hanger against the walls. When I finally found where the noise was coming from I had to get a picture.

His little old man face will be gone soon...he's getting his first hair cut sometime in the near future!

LAST day in NYC

2009-02-06T12:28:00.005-07:00

Tuesday was a great day to end my trip in New York City. The Inauguration was taking place that morning, and when you are in a big city, people tend to congregate for big things like that. Plus, people there freaking love Obama.

So we went to Columbia University to watch it. It was very cool seeing crowds of people...er...Americans getting together just to witness the Inauguration. It really made it feel like I was witnessing a big piece of history, and I just don't think it would have felt the same watching it on TV at home.

Hey lady, I'm not taking your picture...Hey this building is in Ghostbusters too!
M&D

Another angle of the campusThese little kids were SO cute, all bundled up and watching the big screen. They would try to sit down and get yanked back up to keep standing. Haha...they got bored pretty quick.

The oath.
The speech.
I like this picture. Megan took it.
Afterwards we got a seat at a restaurant for lunch (good thing we hurried). They had things on their menu like the Obama burger and the Biden Sandwich and Freedom Fries.

In front of the "Seinfeld" restaurant. This isn't the one where we ate.
Later we went to Chinatown since I hadn't really been there. It was funny because these "whisperers" would walk way close to you ask ask if you wanted purses, watches, etc. Sneaky! I did buy a couple I <3 NY t-shirts...because I HAD to. I'm cheap, and I couldn't think of any other souvenir that would be useful for more than 5 minutes. Then we walked through Little Italy like I had mentioned in the last post, and got some yummy pastries.

By the way, AJ put his NY shirt on right away and it was cute.

The rest of the day we relaxed until it was time to take me to the airport. It was sad leaving...I had a really great time, and I don't think my trip could have been anymore perfect. Well, it could have been a lot warmer! Thanks again for the earmuffs Megan! But it was great and it was so nice being able to hang out with my sister and get to know Daniel better. We never get to see them, and I love being with family once I actually get out and do it. But I missed AJ terribly. And Grizzly. I talked about them non-stop, so I'm sure it was nice for me to go home for M&D too :)

I didn't really sleep on the plane (I got in around 2 am NY time). They had directTV on the plane and I was having a great time watching TV, being without it for the last couple of months. What a dork. I was laughing out loud watching Conan O'Brien and probably annoyed those around me.

We landed and I got to see my boys again. They are the best! And my husband is the hottest of them all.

Day 5 in NYC

2009-02-06T11:46:00.007-07:00

Luckily Monday was a holiday, so Megan got to spend the day with me. Sisters! Aww..

Well I hadn't seen the Statue of Liberty yet, so, DUH we had to go. We took the Staton Island ferry because it's free (I heart free stuff). It goes by the Statue of Liberty, but not to the actual island. That one costs a load of dough. It was cold and snowy, but we saw Lady Liberty!

Here is our view from the ferry of Downtown Manhattan. See the ice chunks floating? Cold!

Ellis Island. I'll go there next time.
Me and Lady L
My favorite sister. The SOL (Statue of Liberty, guys) was behind us, but is obviously invisible.
Then we walked to the South Street SeaPort and saw all the super cool colonial buildings and streets. They have that exhibit where you can see real bodies, muscles etc...but we didn't go. Plus Megan said she's heard some sketchy things about where/how they got the bodies. Has anyone seen it?

Here's me in front of a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

We went to lunch at this little Italian cafe, and my sandwich was sooo good. Actually, the best thing there was the tiramisu. Probably the best I've ever had, including the tiramisu we go the next day in Little Italy. I'm feeling a craving coming on...

We made it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Like the Museum of Natural History, this place was just gigantic. There was no way I was going to see all of it, especially in the 2 hours before Daniel was coming to pick us up.

I saw lots of Renaissance paintings including an exhibit on erotic art during that period...um...those artists were really really perverted. It was pretty funny. Some pieces, it was like, oh okay, I see it now with the squash shaped like a ____, but then SOME were like HELLO! I won't post any pictures...

Then I saw some Monets and Picassos and Megan was like, let's go it's almost 5 and you haven't seen the Egypt room! So we literally ran and thanks to her genius ran to the farthest back we could get, so that when we got kicked out for closing time, we could still see everything on the way out.

Here's in at the entrance of the room. It's pretty huge. I know I'm not smiling in this one. It's because I'm hardcore.
There's basically a moat around the display of a tomb that was pretty much picked up out of Egypt and placed in the museum. It was sooo cool, the photos can't describe it.
See, there's the tomb.

Someone drew all this thousands of years ago, and I was RIGHT there.

Me and the little SphynxYou can see those statues of gods against the wall.
This is just showing the scale of the height of the room I guess.
And then it was closing time and we had to skidaddle out of there, and just as planned, quickly skimmed the rest of the Egyptian artifacts on the way out.

Here's the entrance to the museum in it's architectural glory.
And lots of people leaving.
We went to Dinosaur Barbecue that night. It was pretty tasty, and I have to admit the western decor reminded me of home. I missed the hickness of Northern Utah.

Here's the crazy poster that hung behind me.

What do these two photos have in common?

2009-02-02T17:48:00.002-07:00

They happened on the same day! And they are both love stories...awwww cute!

Today A.J. and I have been married for 2 whole years.

And I must have magical cooking skills because neither of us have gained weight yet since we've been married (we talked about it yesterday). Boo yah! Wouldn't that be cool if I could say that 30 years from now? Anyway, we're hot, we're hot for each other, and we've got a hot dog. Ha! Get it?

I'm not really sure what we'll be doing tonight. AJ has skills ("girls only like guys who have skills!") and has a sort-of new job making $2 more an hour doing the same stuff. It's confusing, but he's basically doing the same thing before he starts doing something cooler. I'll explain once I figure out how to, and once he starts doing that cooler thing. But the bottom line is, he's working and making money! Yay! The crappy thing is that he's been working 14+ hour days for the last week with no days off. They've really got to get this one thing done, and I don't think he'll be coming home early just because it's his anniversary. Sad huh!

We're planning on going out to dinner, but it might be at like 9 pm. But I'm feeling pretty special because I'm wearing extra eyeliner (= hot), I shaved my legs (yes!) and I'm gonna curl my hair. I wanted to make this crock pot cake but I'm out of sour cream and I can't go anywhere because AJ has my car today. Yes, we have 5 cars, but he took the only one that runs...he sold his "wasp" a couple days ago (yay money).

Sorry about all the parenthesis. I hope AJ gets home soon!

Sunday, Day 4 in NYC

2009-02-02T16:13:00.006-07:00

I don't know who these people are, I just took this photo from their flickr site.
We took a taxi to church. Cooool! Haha.

Megan and Daniel's ward meets in the 4th (I think) floor of the temple! Well, kind of. The temple is on a corner surrounded by tall buildings, Julliard is across the street...anyway, it was weird because in a way it blends in with its surroundings, but once you notice it, you're like, holy cow there's a temple right there, duh! When you go in the front door, there's an elevator on the right to take to church, or you go left to go to the temple. Unfortunately we didn't get to go left while I was there.

It was neat being in their ward. The days before I kept thinking, wow how do people raise families in this city? And then on Sunday, I got to see people who make it happen. It was also cool to see people of so many different nationalities (not much of that in Logan). I also got to meet Jill from Homemade by Jill, a blog I like to read. I met someone famous! Haha... it was neat seeing her new baby and talking to her. After church, I was waiting for Megan and Daniel to get out of their meeting with the bishop, and I saw Collin Willardson, a friend from BYU–I. Crazy! Sometimes the world seems so small.

After church we went to the Shake Shack (what–I was on vacation). That place was SO delicious. If you are ever in NYC and craving In-N-Out, it's pretty comparable. Except their meat tastes like butta...it's so tender. The word tender bugs me, but you know what I mean.

Then we went to the Natural History Museum (where the movie Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller was filmed). Apparently if you are a tourist and don't know anything, you get suckered into paying over $40 admission each, but if you read the fine print they will accept a donation instead. So $2 later we were in! Yay for locals.

Pretty sure Daniel had just pinched Megan before I took this.
Waiting in line, the main entrance and some dinosaurs

That place was really cool, and really huge. We only saw a little of it, but that's okay. We saw the ocean room, mostly because I wanted to see the gigantic life-size blue whale. And then we saw the dinosaur room. That was pretty neat, and there was a lady who was the "fossil expert" there, who showed us some prehistoric teeth. She was awesome.

I know it's hard to imagine how truly large this is, but that room was hUGE and the whale was just as long.
darling
This was happening in the tank on the bottom floor. Just kidding guys! It's all fake!

T-Rex wooo
I was getting a picture of this dinosaur skeleton and didn't realize I was catching a tender moment between Megan and Daniel. And that's the fossil lady holding a huge tooth next to them.
Rar
We had watched Ghostbusters a couple nights before, and most of the action happens in Sigourney Weaver's apartment building. It's all filmed in NYC, so I kept asking my "tour guides" where the building was. Daniel googled it, and we found it!
I didn't see Gozer up on top though.

NYC Day 3

2009-01-31T13:09:00.004-07:00

Saturday we had a slow start. We were enjoying being indoors and warm and finally around 4 we decided to go out. We went to the West Village where Megan and Daniel used to live, and I have to say, that has to be one of the cutest places in the city to live. If there were a neighborhood like that here, I'd consider living there, even with the small living space.

Then we grabbed another quick slice (YUMMERS) and walked past NYU and took pictures by the arch at Washington Square. We didn't walk through it though since it was dark, and I hear it's quite the meeting place for certain salesmen.

Across the street is where Will Smith lived in I Am Legend.

Then we strolled down a street with lots of random vendors and little restaurants and ended at Milon the Bangladesh Restaurant! This is where the fun begins. As soon as we walked in the door I noticed they were hanging chili pepper lights so I told the guy "nice lights!" and he said "thanks, they're new!" And then I noticed there were tons of lights and colors and sparkly paper all crammed into a restaurant the size of a trailer. YES! Megan and Daniel told me what I was experiencing was actually after they took down 90% of the decorations.

I took one with the flash on, but isn't the red more fun?

Daniel looks so hardcore in this one because he's holding the camera
So then BABU comes out and Megan and Daniel get all excited that he's there and he hugs them and kisses Megan's head (they say he's pretty touchy most of the time). Then I had the pleasure of meeting him. THEN after we order he brings me this drink (can't remember the name) but it's like liquidy fruity yogurt with ice cubes in it ON the HOUSE. Babu, you shouldn't have! Daniel told me things really get exciting when they play the birthday song.

Our food was quite scrumptious. I wasn't really sure what the true color of all the food was, but when we got into normal light again, I noticed my fingers were dyed in yellow pigment (you can see it on Megan's lips in the photo with the flash on too). It was very tasty and I want to go back right now! Oooh and the banana things that tasted like they had doughnut on the outside...ahhh...can't remember what those are called either. THEN the music starts. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I got SO excited and started clapping with the music and everyone was cheering and clapping and out comes the ice cream with a candle in it! We were all watching to see who it went to, and it was ME! Yaaaay!!! I've decided if you really want to make me happy, all you have to do it put on fun music and cheer and bring me out a treat. Well Babu definitely made my night. So of course we all had to get our pictures taken with him. Oh, I almost forgot. Babu gave me his card and wrote his name on the back all slow-like. Not sure if it was an autograph, or a way of giving me his number, but it was pretty special.

Later I was told you get mango ice cream at the end of every meal anyway. Haha! Whatever it was my special night!

Megan looks semi-embarrassed right here.

Thumbs up for brotherhood and friendship!

Friday, NYC Day 2

2009-01-30T09:20:00.008-07:00

Sorry about the delay.

Friday Megan had to work (people work on Fridays) so I got up that morning and went to get my touristy double-decker bus boarding pass. I was all proud of myself for knowing where to go. So I get on the bus and our tour guide had craaazy teeth. I felt bad, but not enough to not blog about it. Imagine someone blindfolded placing each tooth in your mouth...they were just facing all different directions! Haha...

Anyway, I did the downtown loop. It was one of these tours where you can get off the bus at a stop, and then get back on a different bus whenever you want. I got off where the biggest department store in the world Macys was, because the Empire State building is on the same street. 2 4 1. Of course, when you stand under the Empire State Building there's really nothing to see. I didn't go to the top because a) I'm cheap and b) It was freeeezing!

So here's my view of the two together. That was my view from the top of the bus (who sits on the bottom?) Empire State Building on the right, Macys on the left. The cover is all scratched from branches and low signs.

Here's a couple more clear ones:

I walked into the Empire State Building to check it out, then I went to H&M and Forever 21. Can you believe I didn't buy anything? Then I went to THE Macys. I was really not in the mood to shop at all, I just wanted to experience it's hugeness. And I don't even know if I saw most of it. Think of just one department you're used to in your town's Macys. Baby Department? Okay, now imagine one entire floor JUST for baby clothes, oh and this floor is 4x the size that you're used to, and instead of each corner of the floor being for Baby, Men's, Women, etc, it's a different brand of baby clothes. And one end of that floor is fancy brands from which you'd think people would be crazy to buy their baby clothes. Wanna shop petites? One entire floor. Bags and accessories? One entire floor. That place was crazy. There's at least two sets of escalators on each floor too, and one set is really cool and old and wood and creaky.

I got back on the bus and this time our tour guide was an Italian/Latino guy that was pretty funny. He'd be like, "You gotta try the cheesecake while you're here of course...they got strawberry, blueberry, and ladies, LADIES...CHOCOLATE." And though Chinatown, "They've got watches, DVDs, and ladies, LADIES...PURSES." He also told us LADIES to go into Gucci, take pictures of us holding bags, and then leave. Haha. Here's some nice pictures of buildings on that leg of the trip:

My next stop was Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center. I had to get off there. I finally found the little visitor's center. I was surprised there wasn't anything bigger to visit, but I suppose that's part of the re-construction. It was SO awesome anyway. They had guided tours by people that were survivors of 911, or you could do an audio tour. I did that so I wouldn't have to wait, but along the way I paused my player and eavesdropped on a tour that caught up to where I was. Amazing.

On my player was a bunch of people's stories that had been recorded, and you'd walk to certain points and listen to them talk. It was very touching and emotional a lot of times, but even though I'm a crier, I held back for appearance's sake. You walk into this financial building, and there's some spots with big windows where you can look out at Ground Zero. I don't remember if they were always there and re-built, or if they are new, but it's very eerie looking out and seeing nothing where you knew there used to be a spectacular view of the two tallest buildings in the city.

These pictures of course don't give the same experience, just imagine how huge that space is...nothing is open like that there except for parks. And there's a mess of construction stuff. They're building a cool memorial and the Freedom Tower which is going to be 1776 ft. tall. See the tall shiny glass building on the left? The Twin Towers were twice that height. It was hard to fit into most of the pictures, so you can imagine how tall even that is. The last one is of another angle, further into the building in front of the biggest window...you can see how small those people look.

Next to the visitor's center is Ladder 49 I think. Anyway it's a fire department that is RIGHT there. There's this huge memorial on the side of their building showing fire fighters doing all the things they had to do that day. It says "Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on. May we never forget."It's long.
Inside the visitor's center is incredible, and I wish I had more time to spend in there. There's a wall covered in "have you seen this person" fliers of people never found. This is a picture of one of the steel beams from the buildings found.
And this was spooky to look at. It's an airplane window found in the wreckage. Can you even imagine what it had been like to discover that? I had just been looking out my own window two days before. It makes it very real.

It was about dark by the time I was done so I got back on another bus. This tour guide knew tons and spoke very eloquently and annunciated her t's distinctly. That's the only way I can explain how she spoke without doing an impression. It was cool. This is the best picture I got of the Chrysler building the whole trip:
I met my sister back at her office. That's where I finally got a good shot of the New Year's Eve ball. They had a better view than anyone!
I also got a picture of this building. The night before my sister had shown it to me and said apparently at 7:30 pm there's red lights around the stars that light up, and the globe on top blinks, calling you to Broadway. Well she had to work late so we got to see it :) You can see the cubicles and office lights in the reflection. Hehe.

We caught up with Daniel and we got a dollar slice. I was warned the pizza cart would be a street where there could be some trannys. Well, unfortunately I didn't meet any. Anyway, that pizza was darn good, and it was super thin crust with a little cheese and a little sauce. I'm convinced that's all you need. Then we got on the subway. Snow slush mixed with street grime mixed with the slight smell of urine was what I climbed on down the steps. Ha. Gross. Thanks again for letting me use your Metro card Megan!

That night we went to the Upright Citizens Brigade to see a comedy show. It was pretty good. Not really stand-up comedy, more like 2 guys doing sketches. Daniel thought it was hilarious. I had a good time, but I wasn't laughing as hard as he was. Haha!

Then we went to a diner-type place that Daniel later compared to Denny's. It wasn't too fancy, but whatever, it was late and we were hungry. OH and next to us was a long table full of people that thanks to Daniel's eavesdropping, we learned are part of a club where they battle it out with light sabers. Their memberships fees go to stage rentals. That's what their heated discussion that night entailed. Nerds are so cool.

First day in NYC

2009-01-25T17:03:00.009-07:00

I got on my red-eye flight Wednesday night. I have to mention that JetBlue is really cool and gives you ear plugs and an eye mask. I arrived at JFK at 5:30 am. And Megan and Daniel were all dressed up for work and awake! Then we drove into the city to their place, and then they went back to bed. I had a really hard time falling asleep and laid there looking out the window at the skyscrapers thinking about how unfamiliar that view was. Plus I was super mesmerized by the air mattress they bought. Before I got there, I knew there was going to be an air mattress for me. When I got there, I casually noticed the queen-size bed in the room. OH WAIT! It's a really cool double-stacked-with-a-headboard air mattress! SO cool.

My first photo of the trip:

A few hours later (it felt like a different day) I got ready for my first day there. Megan told me, "just go out the front door, turn right, keep walking for two blocks, and you'll be in Times Square." The night before I saw total darkness and had no idea where I was, but it turns out her directions were perfect. Aaaand Times Square is hard to miss, so it's impossible to go too far.

I went to where she worked and we met up for lunch. My first exciting eating experience was at....drumroll...Subway! We shared a 5-dollar footlong. Haha! This is about the time when I figured out I should have packed/worn thermal underwear and warm boots. Megan gave me her earmuffs which pretty much saved me that day, and every day after that. HOLY moly that place was freezing.

So we went back to Megan's office where I saw all her cool awards in her glorious cubicle. And Chocolates that look like poker chips. No thanks. She looked for a good map for me online, printed one out, and we drew what would be my route that day. Start on Broadway, turn to go to Bryant Park and the huge city library, and then turn up 5th Avenue for more cool stuff.

Bryant Park ice skating with a few cool looking buildings. I was afraid of looking too touristy so I didn't take very many pictures for a few hours.

Then I went into the library. The place is huuuge and let's just say I wasn't interested in reading any books, so I got some pictures of the cool architecture and skidaddled. On to the fancy stores!

A glimpse of the rotunda

Entry

The Rockefeller Center was really cool. The ice skating there made it look pretty magical. So I called AJ and told him I was hanging out with Tina Fey at 30 Rock. Har har.

I went to the NBC store which was sooo cool. I didn't do the tour, but it looked fun. I realize all my friends are on TV because it was pretty exciting being around my friends' merchandise. Oh, The Office. They had a dog collar that said Dunder Mifflin on it! And these coffee mugs:

And they had lots of other really cool things, but you must remember, I had a budget.

AJ advised/threatened that I had $50 in my wallet, and I couldn't go over. Did I want to? No. Did I think I probably would? Yes. But we were suddenly income-less so I didn't get any Office souvenirs and I stayed out of all the stores I thought I'd want to spend money. Which is mostly clothing stores, and I don't need more clothes anyway. So...I went to The Apple Store!

The sun was going down and this picture turned out really neat.

That place was crazy, so I tried out CS4 for a minute and got out of there. See how it's all underground, under the cube? Kewl.

Window shopping at Tiffany's. Did. not. go. in.
Next door to the Apple store is another wonderful place for people who aren't going to buy anything. FAO Schwartz! Well, if I had kids I'd probably have gotten something, but it was just me :) I was greeted at the door by a guy dressed up as a nutcracker (?) who said "Welcome my lady". Hahaha... OH they have the coolest thing where you can put all kinds of Muppet parts together and make your very own customized Muppet character to take home. It's amazing! And expensive. But when I'm rich I'm gonna get one.

I forgot about THE big piano and then I started seeing signs for it everywhere, so I followed. There was a group of friends playing on it and getting pictures taken, so when they were done I asked the guy who worked there, "uh, can you take my picture on the piano?" And he was SO excited. It was funny. Yes I know he does it all day, but his enthusiasm was great. I just realized he probably wanted a tip...

Anyway, he took a few shots, and I look like a nerd, but hey, no one there knows me.

By then it was almost dark so I headed back to my sister's office. I took the scenic route. Here's the big snowflake.

Did. not. go in.

Pretty good shot of the Times Square splendor.

This is me trying to show the New Year's Eve ball. See it up there? It does NOT drop very far, and if I was there that night I would have been even further back than this. Sad huh!

Well that's about it for the first day. Hopefully the other days won't take so long to read :)

3 months old

2009-01-21T16:32:00.011-07:00

I'm home! I had an amazing time in NYC with my sister and bro-in-law. I will post about my trip later. I had over 200 pictures from my camera, so I need to sort those out!

The day I left, Grizzly turned 3 months old! Yay! And I'm going to talk about how awesome he is, so deal with it.

Maybe about a week after we got him, we weighed him and he was 15 pounds. Now he's 25! He's growing pretty fast. After not seeing him for a week I'm pretty sure his hair is longer and more out of control than ever, too. As you'll see in the pictures, the hairs on the top of his head look like little bean sprouts or something. And I love them.

A.J. said he wants to get him shaved/groomed, but I don't wanna. Not yet! I love his scraggly hair. He doesn't even have more than a baby beard, come on.

He's been so curious about EVERYTHING. Including our shower, so every once in a while he'll put his head in, and we'll just grab him and give him a bath. He doesn't hate it (yet?) He's finally tall enough to reach the water in the toilet bowl (he stares at it flushing) so now we have to keep the lid down. He's also tall enough to put his paws on my kitchen counters. Not cool. Curiosity=things getting eaten or ripped up when I'm not looking. Cute right?!

I tried to take pictures of me holding him, to show how big he's gotten relative to something besides the floor. That was difficult to get him to look in the mirror once I got my camera out. He usually does it all the time...and barks at his reflection. Haha.

He knows what "what's this?!" means, so he'll immediately come over and check out whatever I've got. So a while ago I showed him a spider crawling on the floor. And then, he ate it. He also loves eating...everything. Especially drawstrings and paper.

He also knows what "Look!" and "you wanna go?!" means. Not "go outside" or "potty", but he'll go when AJ says that. We've taught him to sit, lay down, and shake. And kind of stay. We're proud. He knows "no" and "down" too, but he doesn't always obey.

Grizzly thinks he's a horse...either that or he just recognizes that he's a large breed, and has absolutely no fear as far as large animals go. On our walks we go see the horses and he tries to kiss them. Or play with them. He noticed me feeding them grass, so now he thinks he gets to eat grass too. I let his leash go slack for just a second and he was already under their fence part-way and hanging out with them. He's lucky he doesn't get trampled.

Eventually Grizzly will be all tan with just a saddle-shaped black spot on his back. It's been fun to notice when his black ears, face, and legs have been losing the black. Unfortunately, black curly hairs are not fun to have laying around your house.

He's still funny about going down the stairs. This time I got it on camera :)

Here he is at the top...laying down as he refuses to go downstairs on his own.

Then he growls and only gets this far–butt on the top, front legs on the first step. It takes him words of encouragement before he starts going again. :)

And then he just goes for it! This time he's not growling as much as he usually does, but he's still pretty cute, looking all bouncy and floppy. When he gets to the bottom he usually wants to eat me.

Sorry for the horizontal-ness...

Well, I could go on for a while but I know you're sick of reading about him today. To be continued!

That makes two of us

2009-01-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

A.J. made it through 2 rounds of lay offs at his work. He started hearing rumors that the big company could be getting rid of the little company (the one he works for). But he didn't think that would happen anytime soon, because being the last welder, he had a lot of work to do. And then we thought the big company would hire him, but then we heard they were going to lay off 30% of their people.

Are you seeing where this is going yet?

The little company is dead. As of Friday morning, A.J. is out of a job. Two unemployed people under one roof. It's one thing to change your life to depend on just one person's income, it's another to both be out of luck. The times are scary.

We are hopeful that they will call him to work on a few things in the next couple of weeks (they said they would), but after that we don't know what will happen.

What we are depending on now is my new freelance project. I got it this same week. Good timing. Not that I'm getting paid anytime soon...

It seems like I picked a bad time to go to NYC. Hey guys, I'm going to New York City! I am still going. I'm just going to try not to spend too much. My sister has lived there for a few years and I'm FINALLY going to visit her for the first time. I'm really excited. And I couldn't pass up the great deal I got on plane tickets. AJ is staying home which is sad, and I'll wish he was there the whole time, but he'd probably get annoyed of my sister and I laughing at dumb stuff. I'll post fun stuff from my trip when I get a chance. Duh.

So anyway, that's our recent news. Sometimes life gets hard, but I guess when you're down the only way to go is up. (I think I said that when I got layed off..)

So if you guys hear of anyone hiring, you know, give us a holler.

I forgot to tell you guys about my super cute daughter

2009-01-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

please see the post before this one

I know, weird right?

I think sometimes I forget to write about her on my blog because I'm so busy writing about her in my huge leather family journal that is meant to be saved for my posterity.

Her name is Lorynne (pronounced like Lauren but spelled cuter) Hiljay (our names together) Frisby. She is almost 2 and has like 3 blonde hairs, but we think she is adorable anyway. Unfortunately other people think she is a boy (it doesn't help that all her hair growth has been in her cute black eyebrows), so we've decided to pierce her ears. When that didn't work we gave her big drop earrings. Hello! Girl! When that didn't work, I found these hair clips that have hair extensions tied to them (genius) so I've started clipping them to her 3 hairs. It's sooo cute. AND we can change her hair color every day.

Some of Lorynne's favorite things include grocery shopping, Hobby Lobby shopping, and hanging out at Borders. At least I think those are her favorite things, because that's when we she meets new friends and gets to buy cool new things.

Even though she's with me most of the day, she's really a daddy's girl. In fact, they look alike too. Cute! Lorynne is always helping A.J. work on his truck. She stands and holds his flashlight while he fixes things. She especially likes his new maglite that weighs like 3 pounds. She loves heavy lifting! We just want to make sure she grows up to be a strong woman, you know? When her arms get tires, he just straps on the mini maglite to her cute bald head. Problem solved!

Not only is she a good helper, but she's a good eater too. Just like her dad, she can really wolf down a nice steak, medium rare of course. And don't forget the Devils Spit sauce! She likes it spicy, too. SO cute how much she and AJ are alike. She also really likes root beer floats, like me. Sometimes she cries when she spills while pouring mine, but you know what? You learn from your mistakes and you get over it. And don't forget my extra ice cream.

Anyway, I probably shouldn't write too much more about her, because well, my blog isn't private, and I don't want creepy people stealing her identity or worse. That's another reason I don't post pictures of her. She's not even included in our family photos, because you can just never be too careful. But we do have a really good drawing of her given to us by an artist that we know.

And the winner is...

2009-01-10T11:50:00.003-07:00

Jenni!

Jenni said:
"Make up an imaginary child and start blogging about all of the funny/cute things he/she does/says all day long."

She left on a cruise today so she won't know she won, but I'll make sure she gets her Major Award:

I TOLD you guys it would be cool.

The other Jennie's was awesome too, but I just couldn't figure out how to videotape my raptor walk. Maybe some other time. And Megan's idea was going to get blogged about anyway, so it doesn't count.

Thanks for all your participation. It was pretty fun to read your ideas. It really came down to the amount of effort I felt like putting into it. So now that my writer's block is cured, stay tuned for the much anticipated imaginary child post!

This is HUGE!

2009-01-06T14:56:00.002-07:00

A while ago A.J. got an e-mail from Netflix saying you could FINALLY watch movies instantly on your Mac . So the next day I went to the website...no evidence of that happening anytime soon. I seriously thought maybe I had dreamed that he told me that. Sad.

Well, today my dream came true! You can imagine, when you don't have cable, and your Netflix movies only come a couple times a week, that this news is stupendous! Hooray!

This does NOT mean my writer's block is over...you guys have to keep commenting on my last post. Get creative! It's getting pretty entertaining and I AM going to do something awesome/dorky for the winner. Promise.

Contest

2009-01-05T14:13:00.002-07:00

I have writer's block.

I've been on here a few times, clicked "new post", and then just sat there. Do you really want to hear more about my puppy? Or what we ate for Christmas dinner? Or how I still don't have a job? Or my New Years resolutions? (I don't have any because I make excuses instead of reaching goals.)

Yeah, I didn't think so.

So hear I am unemployed, Hangin' with Mr. Pooper (Grizzly), my Christmas tree is still up because I can't reach the top branches to get the last 5 ornaments off, and I KNOW I'll feel like I did something today if I write a super awesome blog post (sad huh).

So I googled "blogging ideas". There were a lot. After 3 websites, I gave up because they are all lame, like "Make a post that incorporates in the title the word 'crossover'." Or "Dissect an argument in a post."

To my readers: What should I write about? Any pictures you'd like to see? Curious if I have any diseases or special talents? Want me to count my freckles? Want me to recommend something?

Whoever posts the best idea, I'll present you with a Major Award. It's gonna be awesome...comment away!

Snowed In

2008-12-19T10:21:00.006-07:00

A.J. took Grizzly out for some "bonding time" today. Man to man. He doesn't want him to turn into a momma's boy from being with me all day.

He took him to his work ( but he's not working today) to show him to a friend that brings his dog, Oakie, into work, to let Grizzly play with him. Did that make sense? Anyway, Oakie is a blue Heeler, so not too much taller than Grizzly, but he's around 40 pounds and built like a tank apparently. Grizzly is 14.5 pounds at 9 weeks by the way, I weighed him yesterday. So, the two dogs start play fighting and it turns out our little guy was pretty tough! AJ told me Grizzly pushed Oakie over with his huge bear paws and got on top of him, then "showed dominance". Ha! What a proud moment for AJ. Oakie jumped in the truck after Grizzly got lifted onto the seat...guess he hadn't had enough of him. Griz is completely pooped. They've been home for an hour and he's still asleep.

We were all looking forward to the boy bonding today, but this winter storm is getting in the way. I was gonna finish some Christmas shopping and get things done I can't normally do with a new puppy at home. I'd rather not test out the roads right now. And the boys were going to have their adventures, too.

This is a few hours ago, now the branches are all super weighed-down with snow.

So now I'm stuck inside. My sister tells me her coworkers are obsessed with puppies right now, so here come some more pictures and videos!

He's chewing on a seed-pod thing. Cute face...

He's sleeping right here. This is not mid-fall, this was comfortable for him for a while.

These are of his new toy he found outside. Is it a pine needle branch or a flying porcupine?

My camera is weird and won't take more than an 8-second video, sorry guys.

There's a few things I wish I had videos of. One, is he's discovered the Christmas tree and the ball ornaments and especially the string of lights plugged into the wall. He does the funniest thing...he'll run around the tree when he thinks I'm not looking, try to bite some balls and then he'll steal a light bulb out of the cord. And he KNOWS he's not supposed to be back there. I'll yell at him, and he'll come jumping and running to me with the silliest look on his face.

Another thing, is our neighbors have this short snowman in their yard with sticks for hair, and arms of course. Well guess who thinks it's hilarious to steal stick arms and hair off the snowman? It's hilarious. But he got caught by them, so I probably shouldn't get caught filming it.

Oh, and he also learned how to come down the stairs by himself! This is huge for him. He's been really scared of going down even little steps, and AJ taught him how to come down the stairs. Grizzly gets all anxious and growls and barks and fidgets the whole time, but it's the cutest thing. He's growing up!

It's a BOY!

2008-12-13T13:53:00.005-07:00

Disclaimer: If dog-lover stuff annoys you, you probably won't like this post.

Please welcome our little bundle of joy. This is Grizzly Adams...Frisby...We called him Griz. Griz is the newest Friz!

When we saw him we just thought he looked like a little bear cub. Look how huge his paws are! So instead of calling him Bear, like we've heard a lot before, we decided he's a lil' grizzly bear!

I guess I can't fool anyone. I thought more people would think I was preggers from the past post, but you know better don't you :)

Our first family picture. Ignore my hair.

Having a father-son moment

Grizzly's an Airedale. I'm aware that most people don't know what that looks like. They get big. And this one doesn't really look that big, but it's a cute shot. See how their coloring changes?

But for now he's a cute little puppy! Yay! We were going to pick up Griz today, but things worked out that we could go yesterday. I'm really glad we did, because although it was horribly rainy, road conditions would have been far worse today. We had a huuuuuge snow storm. And um, we had to drive over 4 hours to get him. He was waiting for us in Caldwell, Idaho. Just past Boise. I'd never been to Boise. It was exciting...actually not really because we just stopped at a gas station there.

So anyway, here's some pictures of our little guy playing in the snow. It was aDORable. He was probably wondering why last night it was hard on the ground, and today it was fluffy. He would get excited and jump (because the snow was deep) towards me.

Love that ear!
All tuckered out. We found out last night that he snores sometimes. But the funniest thing is that anytime you touch him while he's sleeping, he'll let out this really annoyed groan, like, "will you STOP I'm trying to get some shut-eye here!" Or he'll get groany and whimpery trying to find a more comfy position. Which is always an odd one, because he's a puppy(!)

There may be a no-dogs-on-the-sofa rule, but we haven't gotten him a bed or toys yet, and...well let's be honest, I've just been letting him do whatever he wants today.

He's a very good dog though. Even after just one night and half a day, he's learned that going outside means going potty. He had half an accident inside...but he's getting really good. And he pooped twice today in the snow! Yay!

I was gonna use this for the "it's a boy" picture. Because I'm really immature.

Ready to see the cutest thing of your entire life? Here's Grizzly playing in snow for the first time!

He's got that separation anxiety going on. There were lots of dogs where he was, and now he's just got me. So he's been following me everywhere. He was super cuddly in the car last night. When I showered this morning he cried the whole time, poor little guy. (sounds familiar, huh Andrea?)

Grizzly's really curious about everything. Watching me scroll up and down on a webpage makes him try to grab it. He got kinda anxious when he watched his own video, like maybe he had a friend behind the computer somewhere. He's watched TV a little bit. New sounds, especially loud ones really scare him. He's nervous for now, but I have a feeling he'll get pretty bold soon.

Well that's our little guy!