Looking for the right Christmas gift?

no, you can't have my boys... i just figured out the picture thing, but i'm not sure about the layout, so they're staying here where they are, i don't want to push my luck.

so, i'm on a roll. two posts in less than two days. awesome. angie, this is dedicated to you particularly. these auctions have ended, which i'm sure you'll be sorely disappointed about. but scroll down so that you can read the original description. anyone that served a mission to latin speaking countries (or have ever made friends with a mexican) will particularly enjoy the first selection
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280174052632&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D280174052632%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280174046998&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D280174046998%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1
or even
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280174040130&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D280174040130%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1

and i figured out how to post pics, so even though it has nothing to do with the blog topic, here is my lincoln and sam. lincoln wanted to be curious george for halloween, but then he decided it was a gorilla, which you see pictured here. if you look hard enough you can see remnants of my double chin i attempted to crop out.

holy crap i finally got into the blog

and ye-ha. so, for months i have been reading all about your lives and feeling 1. like my friends are super cool and 2. a little snakey-predatorish secretly reading your blog without you really knowing it. you may be thinking, 'i thought sarah worked at ibm for 5 years' and to that i say you're right. but it still took me a year to figure out how to blog. so anyhooters, i'm attaching a pic of my boys and just wanted to say love you all and i'm excited to be a bonafied member of your club.
-- actually i can't attach a pic (shocker). maybe next time. just saying hello.

front yard views

we love where we live. not slc. not provo. but easy access to both. american fork canyon is just up the road. there is close climbing. we get ski passes every year. and i love that our neighborhood/ward (same thing) is very defined. it makes it easier to get to know people.

when we first moved here 4 years ago (our house is about 9 years old) there were 40 kids in nursery. stella is in nursery now. i think there are 3 different classes. i love that there are so many kids. every day of summer and on snow days there are kids everywhere.

but we are thinking of selling because we are out-growing our house and now is a good time to sell. i always liked change but now i'm lazy. i like our neighbors--i even know most of their names. i just have to tell myself that utah is probably filled with neighborhoods of good people like ours. there are lots of pretty places we would love to live--like idaho, montana, colorado--but we don't want to live far away from both our families. flying with kids is a pain and very expensive. so we have to be in driving distance to at least one side.

I'm confused

I realized I don't know everybody on this blog. I know Katie, Angie, Heather, Danika.
Who else is there? Everyone is disguised.

Lehi 1

the view from my back window. looking west. utah lake is to the left, point of the mountain is north.

last one from St. Looey - Logan University

Since Logan is the whole reason we're in St. Louis, I decided to post a pic. The campus is huge, and really pretty (except at this time of year) with acres and acres of trees and lakes. The school part is pretty small though, with fewer buildings than Dixie and only about 2,000 students (20% are LDS, I've heard). I'm on campus a couple times a week either going to the fitness center or to the clinic, but since there are so few students, it seems like I know everyone. Tye and I are SOOOOOO super excited that we only have 9 more months here--we can't wait to move on to the next chapter in our lives (in which we hope to actually get a paycheck!)

side note

All of a sudden a couple days ago, all of the cable channels started coming in on our TV, I think because a neighbor got cable and the cable guy turned us on by mistake. Anyway I was so excited (yes, this qualifies as excitement in my life). It's only taken me about 3 days to become a total addict. I LOOOOVE Run's House and I'm fascinated by Project Runway and I'm totally looking forward to Tin Man on SciFi channel (weird, i know).

Side note to a side note: for my birthday my mom gave me her her very expensive and awesome sewing machine which I have no idea how to use. it arrived yesterday and now I'm watching project runway trying to figure out what else i need in order to become a world famous fashion designer. anyone know where i can buy some creativity and a sense of style?

confused drivers

Oops, i missed yesterday. too busy partying and celebrating my exciting birthday, I guess. Thanks for all the birthday wishes. 32 kicks ass. So much cooler than 31.
I'm sure I've complained on this blog in the past about St. Louis drivers but seriously-they're unbelievable. They can't be trusted. They're SO SLOOOWWWW, can NOT merge to save their lives, are clueless about what solid and double solid lines mean, and don't even THINK about asking them to use their blinker. Blinkers are for people who are actually thinking about where they want to end up--St. Louisans are just making it up as they go along.
For the rest of my life, where ever I go, I'll always rate drivers on a scale of how they compare St. Louis. If for instance Missouri drivers are a 1 and Danika Patrick is a 10, then I'm a 9.5 (just kidding--but I'm at least an 8).
So anyway, i've had frequent conversations about why it is that everyone is such a terrible driver and--SHOCKER!!--drivers ed is not required here. as long as you can pass the driving test, the license is yours.

a church on every corner

I used to think that Utah had a church on every corner, but St. Louis puts Utah to shame with the number of churches around here. I took all of these pic this morning (except the Hanley & Davis one, which i took on my cell phone a few months ago).

Balloon Glow

Balloon Glow

In the fall, St. Louis hosts a Hot Air Ballon Race. They send the Energizer Bunny balloon off as the "hare" and then 15 minutes later the "hound" balloons--about 70 of them--take off after it. Winner is the first balloon to catches the 'hare.' The night before the race they put on an event called the Balloon Glow. They light up all the balloons with their burners so you can see them up close. Aerial pics are from the website.

I'm trying out this slide.com thing so we'll see if it works...

Starting with the Obvious

Probably the first thing most people think of when they hear St. Louis is the Arch. So here it is--in all it's stainless steel glory.


For those who hear St. Louis and immediately think "BEER!" this one's for you:

These are the (enormous) Mash Tanks at the Anheuser Busch brewery. You can go on a tour and get free beer, in case you're interested (people frequently suggest this as a "tourist attractions"). You can also see the Clydesdales which are very cool. St. Louisans are very enthusiastic about beer and there are many local breweries with their own unique beers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

on this Thanksgiving Day, let's all remember the real reason for this holiday--a day that remembers a pivotal moment in American history. Namely that different cultures can get along and live together, as long as one side has guns. High five!

Where am I?

This is going to be my last one because we are leaving for Thanksgiving.

Where am I? At least one of you should know.

Don't worry....I'm not a stalker, this is where I live!

Where am I?

This one might be to easy especially if you look real close through the hole.

winter

it's been so nice here....until today. b-u-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

how would i look in this?

Where am I?

I love this old little structure.

Where am I?

So, everyone knows where I live & what it looks like. I'm gonna take pictures & you have to guess where I am.

I cheated on this one because I took it earlier this year but it is where I live!

Parc Blossac

Parc Blossac is my very favorite place to hang out. From our house it's about 150 steps, 52 of those are our apartment stairs. Not only is the landscaping near perfect but there is also a small zoo and children's playgrounds. This is a park for strolling with all people regardless of wealth, age, or status intermingling here. It is one of my favorite characteristics of the French.

This picture ends my week of photos. I now hand the baton off to Erica.

Flight of the Conchords Ep 12 Bret's Angry Dance

These guys are totally sweet and hilarious. They are from New Zealand and they have a unique brand of humor. I thought you could appreciate it. Here's their take on Footloose. It would be worth your time to check out the other clips as well, like "Albi, the Racist Dragon" or any of their Bowie impressions. Jemaine is my favorite.

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

Every Saturday morning Poitiers has an open air market. All the locals have their cute little French market bags to fill them with lovely items. The smells are so intense, which is awesome when you are right by the fruit or flowers, but not so awesome in the seafood booths. In the background is the Notre Dame La Grande where amazing organ concerts are performed. This is Wellz' favorite place to buy cheese. FYI: France has 365 different types. One cheese is aged for 25 years and then infested with little bugs which is supposed to compliment the flavor.

Pretty Patisseries

Here's the street side window of the pastry shop near our apartment. Amazingly, these taste even better than they look. Maybe the picture doesn't show it, but each one of these are meticulously and carefully put together to look perfect. When you buy them, they wrap each one like a present and tie it off with a bow. One thing I love about Poitiers, and France for that matter, is all the specialty shops. Next door is the baker, the fishmonger, the butcher, and the shoemaker; each with their own special little shops.

String of Nine Missed Periods Ends Spectacularly

Another funny thing on the Onion.

I've heard of many stories upon the same line. I once read that a woman went into the doctor because of "cramps" and was actually in labor. Seriously...what the crap?

Looks like a size 9.

In AD 587 Christ supposedly appeared on this spot to a nun named Radegonde as the statues depict. When Christ left all that remained was the story and his footprint, which you can see in between the bars close to her feet. This picture was taken inside the Cathedral that was built on this spot to commemorate her vision. The city of Poitiers is well known for all it's Cathedrals. Seriously, they are everywhere; which is why it is so ironic that 40% of French are atheist. I guess seeing isn't believing in France.

Flower Power

Right off the cobblestone town square are always beautiful displays of flowers. The city has just changed the flowers for the winter season. All throughout Poitiers are amazing arrangements. I love how much integrity the people have to keep the city pretty. Behind the flowers there are city workers putting up Christmas lights. Since there is no Thanksgiving here the Christmas season starts a lot sooner.

Campus housing, anyone?

I read that the double helix staircase is the mark of French Royalty. I haven't found out what this building used to be but for now it is used as a college dormitory.

Daily photos

So, here's the deal. I'll take the first week and post random pictures of the city that I live in. I'll post one picture each day of the week. Next week one of you will take a turn doing the same thing with your city. No rules, just thought it'd be cool. I love the tall trees. They are all over in France.

.LOVELIFE.

Hey girls! Check out this new online magazine. It's really sweet. There are all different columns written by girls around the country. It's not an LDS magazine but it does have LDS values.

It's got FHE lessons, fashion tips, photography, recipes, crafts for kids, etc.

P.S. I head up the music column. I feel honored that I was asked to be a part of something so uplifting!

3 fears

in no particular order:
1. one of my kids getting cancer (or some other terminal disease). basically, the death of a child. it would really suck if it was caused by me--backing over them, not watching them near water...the guilt would be horrible. but watching a kid suffer through cancer is something i fear.
2. getting migrains. i get maybe 3 headaches a year. they are usually caused by a tense neck and go away quickly after taking a painkiller. but my dad gets migrains and it doesn't look fun.
3. crashing a car into water with my kids in the car. i think of this everytime we drive past a river. and many other random times. i have gone through it in my mind so many times. dan would get chloe because she is the heaviest and he swims better. i would hold onto the kid's shirt and hope it stayed on...would we be able to get the carseat straps undone fast enough? now that we have 3 kids it would be impossible so whenever i start to think about it i have to stop myself. i feel like i might have a panic attack. my heart really starts beating faster. i used to tell myself to not worry, it will never happen. until this story was on the news:

Capt. Guy Adams, Carbon County Sheriff's Office: "The vehicle started to slide and they unbuckled the kids from the inside of the vehicle. The wall of water come down and it just started to roll, they were just reaching for kids, and trying to find what they could. And it just so happens the one-year old didn't get picked up."

am i crazy? is it normal to worry about things like this? make me feel better--everyone tell what your 3 biggest fears are.

Feeling dumb...

You know how Jay Leno does his "JayWalking" bit where he goes out and asks people on the street the easiest questions ever and you laugh at how stupid those people are and you wish you could get interviewed because you would know all the answers?
Well, here's your chance to feel really smart--or if you're like me, maybe not so much. This quiz takes questions from the naturalization test that you have to take to become a U.S. Citizen. I realized I'm clueless about the difference between a senator, a congressman, a representative...I guessed on several of these but managed to get an 88%--how did you do?

Do as I say...PLEASE not as I do!!

The other day Sierra was telling me about the girls at her school feeling her back to see if she was wearing a bra (she's in 5th grade). I remember the same thing happening to me at school.
Also, they sing the same songs we did, for example, "Joy to the world, the school burned down."
It's weird that they do the same things we did in school.

So it made me start thinking about the really stupid things we did. Remember at lunch & after school how we would pass each other out? How stupid were we?

I recall one time I passed Shannon Lister out & she fell on her stereo & got hurt. Another time I passed my sister Ashlynn out at our house. She fell so hard that I couldn't catch her & she smacked her head on the floor. When she came to she asked if she had hit her head because it hurt. I told her no & it wasn't until a couple years ago that I told her the truth!

We were pretty retarded.

Tecktonik Dynamite

This is a wacky dance craze that's spreading throughout France. It's called Tecktonik. It is pretty funny, but it gets even funnier when you realize they're just ripping off Napoleon Dynamite without knowing it. We watched some of the clips from youtube and this is as good as it gets. Actually pretty entertaining for 48 seconds.

wanna live 1,000 years?

I read this article today about curing the "disease" of aging.

“The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today …whether they realize it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.”

So then I found this website which forecasts how long you will live based on your responses to a few questions. According to this, I'll live to be 108. But if I turn on the "superlongevity factors" which account for all the technologies they expect to come out, I'll live to be 224. Sheesh. At that rate, I won't be in my childbearing years until I'm 60. Sweet, that means right now I'm, like, a teenager. Does that mean my car insurance is going up?

Danika is a lucky girl

In case you don't know, I am a person that keeps completely random stuff in my "scrapbook." When you read "scrapbook," don't think cute, artsy pages with stickers, ribbons and adorable lettering captioning photographs of fond memories. Think of 3-ring binders stuffed with old letters, notes, concert tickets, and boarding passes. I have an entire binder that is nothing but notes I passed in middle school and high school. Another binder is all mission letters, interspersed with the occassional wrapper from some Italian toilet paper (brand name: soffass) or a chunk of a license plate I found on the ground in Sicily.


So, the other night I was browsing through one of my binders full of letters & notes, laughing my ass off at how witty and clever my friends were (and probably still are), but also realizing what a total jack-ass I have always been (and still am). I'll probably eventually get my Masters degree in Jackassery.


Anyway, I came across this treasure from DHS circa 1993-ish:

Do you guys remember this? The reason I kept this lovely bit of history is unknown, but it probably had something to do with my love for ch-ch-ch-Chia. Let's all just have a moment of silence in respect for the radness of Matt Gunn.

Did anyone read?

Should I post some questions about My Sister's Keeper? Katie was the only one who said she was reading this month--did anyone else?

The Darjeeling Limited

Have you seen the trailer for the new Wes Anderson movie? Really excited for this one.

We were glad to finally Welcome Adan into our lives on Aug. 25 @ 11:59 am. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19 in. long. The birth was uneventful as I had hoped, no horror stories to speak of. We sure do enjoy this little guy more than we ever thought possible.

Happy Birthday to:

Lacey (27th)
&
Katie (31st)

Brilliant

Congrates Kate!

When you get feeling better give me a call I want to scoop. How long was the labor? Did you get Pitosin? Hopefully I will be following suit soon! :)

Fred ?? LaRiviere

Fred was born at 6:30 pm on August 15th. He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz. He is doing well, but the doctors were concerned about his grunting and lack of crying, so he is in a special nursery for 48 hours. He is healthy, but they wanted to keep a close eye on him to make sure he stays that way. He should be ready to come home on Saturday. Katie did a great job making it through another fun filled delivery, and she is recovering well. The girls are thrilled to have a new baby brother, but we will have to quickly set some ground rules to make sure he doesn't get dressed up in princess cloths.

August Book..?

I guess we're a little behind because we just finished discussing The Alchemist, but if anyone is interested we could read "My Sisters Keeper" for August. This book is about 300 pages, but it is a pretty easy and quick read. For me it was very compelling, I think everyone could have it read by Labor Day or so and then we could discuss.

This book gave me SO much to think about and the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't have any answers. This book tells a fascinating story of a family that has a terminally ill daughter. The parents have one child to save another who then sues for medical emancipation. It will be a great discussion on what you would do if it were your child.

Warning: the book alludes to one brief sex scene that you could skip entirely and not miss any info on the book and does have language sprinkled throughout the book (including the F word).

If you readers are not interested in the book or if you've already read it, feel free to make a suggestion of another book and we can read that instead. Or if you think that Labor Day isn't enough time to read the book, then we can push it back. Everyone just comment and let us all know what you think.

Study: Food in McDonald's wrapper tastes better to kids

i think this is funny.
my kids don't watch t.v. but they love mcdonalds. so its my fault--not advertising.
btw, thanks for the free meal in cedar a few months ago. we never stop there because its so close to st. g but we were going to vegas that time. i was surprised to see wellz there. i had forgotten.
fill us in on your france plans heat.

You Asked For It

These are my pregnancy glamor shots taken by my sister at 37 weeks.

Cool Technology Follow Up Video

2 weeks to go.

well, my first two came a week late so maybe i have 3 weeks left.

church is a good place to go when i'm prego. i get so many people telling me i look so cute pregnant. or, you don't even look pregnant from behind. i've had multiple men tell me i look like i have a ball under my shirt. my favorite is, "you're so lucky, you only show in your belly." then what is with my fat cheeks, arms, and disgusting thighs? anyway, after church i decided to take some photos:

whatcha gonna do with all that junk....?

mother hips

does this look natural to anyone? it looks freakish to me.

i'm trying to get caught up on my photo albums. i found this picture from last august. oh, the sacrifices we make.

amazing new technology

The Alchemist discussion topic #3

How does Santiago’s father react when his son tells him that he wants to travel? (P.9) Do you believe what Santiago’s father says about travelers is true?

“They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived.”

The Alchemist discussion topic #2

The alchemist comes to Santiago in the form of Melchizedek and says to him, “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”
What does this mean? Do you have any examples of this from your own life?

Welcome to America

Last night I turned on the TV to see Victoria Beckham in search of her families new house in LA. I don't know if it was a one time show for sure but I watched the whole thing. She was asked to pitch the ball at the opening of a Dodger's game as an honor and to welcome her to the USA. She was nervous that she would "make them lose". Then she dressed up a sex doll to look like her so the paparazzi would follow the doll in the car so she could shop in peace. The funny thing is the doll looked just like her. Then, this morning I read this article in the Onion about plastic surgery. It must be difficult living in the public eye. All those surgeries all the time. Truthfully I think she looks better than when she was Posh Spice. It must be the true love that her and David share though, I'm sure she's totally natural. I think we are all a little more grateful knowing that David Beckham is now in America, am I right?

The Alchemist discussion topic #1

I know it's taken me a while to post these, I've been crazy busy this month. I'll post a few questions--each with their own post--so you can comment on the ones that you like. Don't be shy, it will be way more fun/interesting if everyone shares freely. I'm super excited to discuss this book with all of you because there is SO much wisdom in it and I'm sure I didn't catch half of the insights in there.

Santiago is told “people are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.” Do you have a goal or dream which intimidates you? Are there some dreams that we are correct to fear?

Do you believe some dreams should simply remain as dreams, like the crystal merchants’ dream of journeying to Mecca? (pg 55) When he talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca, the crystal merchant argued that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it, which is what Santiago was trying to do. Do you agree with Santiago's rationale or crystal merchant's?

heather highlights

cool pics of heather on her family blog. i can't believe how much you look like asa in that baby picture.

grrr!

Why I will never do the running of the bulls...

family travel

i met this couple through the blogging world. they are spending the summer in europe with their 4 kids. i would like to do the same thing one day. with a nanny.

you can check out their blog, if you are interested.

counting down

dan met up with lacey and family for a kayaking trip. he called me on his way home and one of the first things he says is, "so, lacey is like half your size." isn't it common knowledge--or at least common sense--that pregnant people don't like their largeness pointed out? seriously, this is our 3rd time through this you'd think he'd catch on to the do's and don't's. most people say i'm so cute. "you're all baby." but a lot of people are surprised when i tell them i'm due in august. they assume i'm due any day. yesterday a lady thought that if i wasn't due any day i must be having twins. she was an idiot. i am bigger this time but not really in the belly. just bigger in the arms, butt, chin, etc. anyway, here is a picture so you can feel better about yourselves:

na na na na hey hey hey

isn't that one of the friendliest looking dogs you've ever seen? well, he's a goner. we sold him to a young couple without kids. they have a lab about the same age, same energy etc. so they will be good friends. and the couple will have them as indoor dogs. i feel good about it. i think he will be happier. one day when our kids are older i want the exact same dog.

another use for superglue

We just got back from the beach house in Southern California and it was so much fun. However while we were there Lia stuck a popcorn kernel in her ear. It was visible so we tried to get it out with chewing gum, we tried to vacuum it out, we tried tweezers, tape, a baby nose sucker thing. but what finaly worked was putting super glue on the end of a sucker stick and sticking it to the kernel and letting it dry and then we could pull it out. It took a couple of tries and so we had to dig some of the super glue off her ear but earwax made it come off pretty easy. I'm glad it worked and didn't make things worse because it would have been really emabarassing taking her to ER to get the kernel and superglue out of her ear. Once I used an ear candle and the hot wax melted into my eardrum and it killed. I had to go to the doctor to get the wax removed and they made me feel really dumb for having even tried an ear candle so I know super glue in the ear would have been even more embarassing. Try it if you dare.
ps. don't use ear candles.