Introducing Craig Tovey-Photographer Extraordinaire

Need some pictures taken? My friend Craig Tovey is a great photographer and sexy and funny to boot. Here's proof. And he's a boxer so he might be able to beat up your enemies in the Provo, Utah area. Call him and he will make all your wildest dreams come true.

Oh. speaking of photography, here are the Best Nature Photo award winners. Don't know if that's a real contest or not, but the pictures are pretty cool.

Rosetta Stone

Here is our plan. It includes a cousin who likes to learn new languages, a bro in law going to Brazil on his mission, and us who want to learn Portuguese. Matt said that when he went to this teachers of foreign language shenanigan everyone was raving about Rosetta Stone. The military uses it to teach their peeps the language of the country they get sent to. Supposedly it is a really excellent and fast way to learn a language. But kinda expensive for us ($200 for one level). So we are going to split the cost three ways. Adam gets to have it until he leaves for Brazil, then we get it, then cousin Russ. Portuguese is my favorite language and I have always wanted to learn it. If it is a good program then Russ and us will split the cost for levels two and three as well. I can't wait to start! A lot of people ask Matt and I to teach them Spanish but I think this is probably a better idea. Wouldn't it be cool to learn a new language every couple years?! Every time a relative gets called on a foreign mission, everyone could start learning that particular language together. If anyone is interested... popular languages are always available used on ebay for a lot less. There haven't been any Portuguese ones lately.

Do you think she remembers?

I'm being serious.....it's funny but every time I get changed in front of Anavey & she sees my boobs she points to them & says, "uh, uh, uh, uh!" Every time without fail. Do you think she remembers breastfeeding?

If not, then what is she saying I wonder. Hope she's not making fun of me.

Update on my rampage alert

So I called & called & left messages for the teacher to call me back. She never did. I didn't want to confront her because I hate confrontation so I cower over the phone.

Finally yesterday I called & said that I needed to speak to her now so get her on the phone....please.

I told you she was a beast. I explained the problem & this is what she said.
"Yep, that's right. Kids are only allowed to go to the bathroom at recess." Did she hear a word I said???

So, calling her did no good. She still won't let Ethan go to the bathroom if he asks. What is her freaking problem?

Outta My Way, I Gotsta Get Me a Coupon!

This weekend Tye and I went on an "Adults Only Easter Egg Hunt." It was super fun. It was 10 bucks to enter, and they had some pretty good prizes like an all-inclusive vacation to Cancun, restaurant certificates, etc. It was held in a HUGE park that covers over 2 square miles and they dropped 10,000 eggs and handed out maps. There was also a live band and barbeque from a local restaurant.

Anyway, the hunt was hysterical! Imagine 3,000 adults dressed in bunny ears and carrying Easter baskets, crushed against the starting line and counting down, " 3….2….1….GO!" and then they all start running like mad!
Then, seriously like 30 yards later before they had even gotten to where the eggs were, everyone is doubled over, hands on knees, gasping for breath, almost to collapse. That's the advantage of racing against fat midwesterners. You can beat them if you can run more than 100 ft. It was absolutely hilarious!! Tye and I were dying laughing. I wanted to stop and film all these crazed grown-ups running wildly, pushing & shoving to be the first to collect some plastic egss, but we had a PLAN of ATTACK so there was no time for dilly dally (Mostly our plan of attack just consisted of wearing headlamps and Tye shouting “Reconnoiter 15!!” at random intervals).

Little did we know our plan was child’s play compared with other people. This guy next to us had a 3-stage strike planned, with accomplices planted all over the park. They had walkie talkies and were saying into them (totally deadpan) “meet at juncture 4 at 21 hundred hours”. Everyone was taking it so seriously. Including us. Later we found out some of the "prizes" were just samples of Pantene or Tide like you sometimes get in the mail, or coupons for an oil change. All we won was a free car wash (dangit) but where ever Tye and I end up living, I am FO SHO going to organize an event like this but with better prizes. Be there!

note to Mindi: My blog is not so much super-secret, but I NEVER post anything on it so it seems boring. But having it private makes me seem MYSTERIOUS and ALLURING rather than boring, so I go that route. Someday soon I'll unlock it and start posting about compelling and fascinating topics but till then you are welcome to comment here. The Spendlove Fam also has a blog that is usually pretty boring too, but you can check it out if you want.

Barr the Builder

For those of you that know Barr, you may not have heard that he is going to be a TV STAR!! He has a gig on HGTV on the show "Designed to Sell" as their carpenter. His first episode airs April 8th (check your local listing for time).

Also, he is getting married on May 10 in Utah to a girl named Marcy. He came to St. Louis to hang out with Tye in Feb and I've never seen him so happy. He is on Facebook if you want to send him a note.

Red Box

MCSKLLT308

Expires 4 30 2008

Kiss Me, I'm Oirish

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone. Hope you get LUCKY today.

*Rampage alert*

So this is my rampage......maybe.

The kids have been out all week for spring break but earlier this week when I was doing wash, I noticed that a couple pair of Ethan's jeans were wet. I smelled them & yup....it's pee. I asked him why he would pee his pants since he's almost 10. (He has always had a problem with this but I thought he had overcome it)

He told me that his teacher wouldn't let him go to the bathroom at school. His teacher is a beast. She's really old & mean but she's always been kind to me & Ethan so I let it slide. I have a serious problem with this because I had the same problem when I was little. We must have really small bladders or something because I peed my pants a lot!

It especially hits home because once when i was in 3rd grade (just as Ethan is) I asked to go to the bathroom at lunch time. The teacher said no & I ended up peeing my pants & sitting in my pee pants the rest of the day. All the kids were making fun of me & telling me that I stunk. I lied & said that I spilled milk on myself at lunch.

Question: How should I handle this. I'm so mad that I feel like I would come across really rude & then it would ruin our relationship. What should I say to her? It's not like this has happened once. Ethan said he has peed his pants a few times because she would not let him go.

Science project

Ethan's science project was to see if hot sauce would clean pennies. I was looking online to find some good pictures of Taco Bell & pennies & came across this picture. I thought it would be funny to put the Taco Bell dog on.

Good thing I looked up this phrase on google translator. It means, "I want bitches". That probably wouldn't have been to funny to a lot of the spanish speaking parents & students.

I really need to learn spanish.

happy leap year day

http://video.dotcomedy.com/player/?id=184580

i don't know what this video has to do with anything, I just like Beth and Val.

attention

moms and future moms or gift-givers. i just stocked up on t-shirts for fred at fooey. short sleeved shirts are $5. free shipping if you spend $60. take a look.

Corporate America

Mmmm yaaaaa, I'm gonna have to go ahead and tell you about my job, kay? Due to a long series of events that I won't bore you with, I am temporarily working in a cubicle at our corporate office. My days are like all the worst/most annoying scenes from Office Space and The Office.

Common occurrences:

~discussions round the watercooler about American Idol. (I'm convinced that not a single person under the age of 50 votes for "their" favorite idol.)

~little posters/mugs that say "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps!" with a picture of a wet kitten or cross-eyed monkey. or some variation on that.

~dude with a mullet that walks around all day Every day with a cup of coffee from McDonalds and 'just stops in' at your cubicle to make inane small talk: "Cold enough for ya?", "Is it Friday yet? heh heh", "Are you working hard or hardly working?" or "Smile, it's not that bad."

~old guy with smokers cough always talking crap about his wife and laughing really loud in a wheezing, someb0dy-call-the-paramedics type of laugh.

~people stop by your cubicle and start off by saying "Knock Knock"--this one is contagious as I have found myself saying it a couple times. UGH.

my home away from home--sorry, no plants, family pictures or stuffed animals here.

Seriously though, NO ONE can rock "Cubicle Chic" like I can, complete with jazzy elevator muzak and flickering fluorescent lights. AND I have an EXTENSION: 54365 should you have any Administrative Emergencies. and I have about a dozen pairs of "slacks" in varying shades of grey and brown.

The fact that there is volume control for Muzak is totally mystifying to me. Why would you choose any volume other than "Off"? Even more confusing is the fact that the knob can not be turned without a wrench or some sort of tool (believe me, I've tried). It's torture, too cruel even for Gitmo.

For The Record: I have never--nor will I ever--utter the words "cool beans

tear up this town

i didn't forget. i promised another picture for my week-in-photos gig. can't live in lehi and not be proud of the roller mill.

everybody cut footloose.

do over?

Anyone want to try Book Club again? Someone suggest a book for March.

Tree man

So sad.

Monday morning video

monday mornings pretty much suck so i'm going to kick off the week again with a video.
some Brak favorites:

i'm so excited!...

i'm so scared!
i saw this shirt on a blog.

from this episode:

happy v-day

Happy Valentines Day!!

Sadly, I don't think I'll be getting one of these this year. I guess I'll have to settle for some sugar cookies!

Muffins Make Monday Morning Merrier

I know this is old, but it still makes me laugh every time. Have a good Monday!

go fug yourself

not a nice name, i know. i guess this is what is called a "guilty pleasure." it is a blog devoted to making fun of what celebrities are wearing. why do i care about what celebrities are wearing? i don't. that much. especially since most of the pictures are from the red carpet. i will never need a red carpet outfit. but what i really like about this site is the writing. it is very witty and clever. sometimes the posts are a little lengthy and i don't read them but sometimes they really make me laugh. like the "well played amanda bynes" post. (sometimes they are nice)

Oh, Amanda Bynes. You're so nice and person-colored now.

And that gown is totally gorgeous -- love that peacock color, love the bodice, love the flirty layers at the bottom, love the way it fits her. The hair might be a little twee, but you know what? I don't care today. That's right. Dare I say it, I'm in a GOOD MOOD, and looking at this dress only enhances it -- like frosting on an already really yummy piece of carrot cake. I am pretty sure that those boys in the background are trying really hard not to stare at her, but inside, are totally stoked that Hot Amanda Bynes is standing mere feet from them and are planning to tell all their friends tomorrow that they held her hand and that she promised they'd get married in 15 years. Or, you know, whatever it is that boys do. Having no brothers, I can't say for sure. Doodling your names jointly inside a big heart all over a spiral notebook and then frantically doing MASH, trying to cheat so that you end up married, living in a mansion, driving a Ferrari, working as a movie star, having three kids, and owning stacks of emeralds, seems like it's more of a girly response.

anyway, check it out for a laugh.

Tribute

I liked this.

The show

I just thought I'd share my thoughts on the show.

Heat didn't go:( I was sad.
Ash didn't go either:( I was sad.
Saw lots of hippies:( I was suprised.
Got hit on by a Euro dude:( I was annoyed.
Ethan got to see guitars live:) I was happy!
Saw lots of old friends:) I was happy!
Thought I gave Nate a compliment but he took it as a slam:( I was annoyed again.
Played foosball with Ethan:) Yeah! I won.
Ate a chocolate muffin & drank a gatorade:) I had to pee.
Their band is good:)

I had fun. I was just bummed that Heather & Ash weren't there.
I was totally going to take a picture & I forgot with Ethan asking me for food every 2 seconds. I had my camera & everything. Sorry!!!

Flight of the Conchords- Business Time

Funny.

World's tightest jeans

My sis-in-law just sent me this picture. Too nasty not to share. Enjoy!!!

The St. George Super Group

Travis Roberts band is playing this Saturday at 9 o'clock. Come to the Jazzy Java for a real party. Nate Torgerson, Sean Taylor, and Juddy are also in his band. They will be playing some Trigger Locks songs among others. Since they are such a conglomerate you will hear lots of faves throughout the years. Maybe even Sick of You from Soulfish. Maybe. Perhaps you'll even hear Mass Appeal or Misfit.

Spread the word. They are praying for a big crowd.

Erica, Travis said to make sure we invited you personally. See you there.

5 pounds-help

Ok girls, I want to lose 5 pounds. It doesn't seem like much but my weight hasn't bugded for about 6 months now. I know my problem...I'm an under-eater. Not because I don't want to eat, I just forget. It's easy to forget when I'm running around all day or cleaning the house. I just don't think about it. Then when I realize that I'm starving, it's to late & I panic eat. Meaning, I eat way to much for fear of dying I guess.

So, I'm going to try eating every 2 hours. I'm not a diet girl...just never have been. I just don't know if there are easy fast foods I can eat every couple hours. If i can have a granola bar & then some beef jerky or something that would be great. I don't think those are the foods you are supposed to eat. Does anyone do this?

Not being back to my original pre-baby weight just irks me. Yeah, I'm healthy but who cares? I need to lose these 5 pounds.

Jerry O...my favorite person today

rarely do i laugh out loud at something on the internet. this did it. if you haven't seen the original then this won't make sense. of course, the original makes no sense at all. (sorry i couldn't get the video to load.)

Red Box Codes

ARCH1207 expires 1-31-08

mcevm108 expires 2-29-08

Jinxed

Alright, all this talk of bad hair cuts & bad experiences has totally jinxed me. I'm crying!

Today I went in for a cut & color. I got there at the salon at 10:30 am. I left at 3:30 pm. No joke...I was there for 5 hours & when I left I was literally crying. I decided to put some golden brown highlights in with my dark color. The color looks great everywhere except for the inch by my scalp. It looks like my roots grew out & I had naturally yellow hair. The highlights an inch away from my head are a pretty reddish golden brown but the yellowy-orange...not so much. She also wacked it off. I told her to put some subtle layers in because my hair was getting so heavy from the length. She then decided to thin it out. I don't want my hair thinned out! She said I had to much hair.

Anyways, I'm making her fix it tomorrow & I'm not going to church. Yep-it's that bad.

P.S. Heather's hair is really cute. It's not shaved...just really short.

quick!

i've got a dr. apt. tomorrow to get birth control. i don't want to do the pill--i really suck at remembering. i was thinking idu but have no idea what kind. any advice?

Clearing the air...

Ok...here's the deal. I hate when people talk about me & don't just talk to me. I know it's a sensitive subject but you all can ask me anything & I'll tell you straight up. I've never been afraid to tell people my life story. I just don't want to post it on my personal blog & have some weird stalker come & get me in the night you know? I'm scared of dudes. If you've wondered why Kb hasn't been in my blog lately here's why...

Fact...I am seperated from KB
Fact...Nothing's official yet
Fact...I deserve to be treated good
Fact...It was totally my decision
Fact...He's totally kissing my ass
Fact...It's complicated
Fact...I'm still happy
Fact...He's trying to win me back
Fact...I love him dearly
Fact...He loves me too
Fact...He's been gone since November
Fact...He's working in Wyoming on the oil field
Fact...I am a great wife
Fact...I'm really lonely but do great on my own
Fact...I hide it well
Fact...I'm scared because I don't know where my life is going
Fact...I need friends & support

Fiction...I'm going for a record on how many marriages I can have
Fiction...He left me
Fiction...I'm a crazy psycho that sucks at marriage
Fiction...I make good choices

On that note....I'm an extremely happy person that doesn't care what others think. Some people might be offended by the fact that I've been married twice & maybe divorced twice...I'm sorry about that.
So there is my story. Sorry to be a bummer.

Wishing I looked as good as Sinead in her younger years.

The other night while Wellz was talking on the phone I became very impatient with my hair. Getting my hair cut by professionals always make me nervous. Not because I think they will mess up but I really hate feeling trapped for an hour or two with a complete stranger with forced conversation. I don't know any good friends that cut hair so I always choose someone new. Plus I'm not really a hair person. I have really thin and fine hair, like a baby. It never looks pretty and it isn't one of my good physical qualities.
So the other night I pulled out the clippers and shaved my head. Having short hair doesn't bother me but I do get a lot of stares. I'm not insecure about people thinking I am a boy (AM I A BOY?) because I have huge pregnant boobs and a matching belly.
Usually I cut my hair because of depression so when Wellz walked in and saw my hair he replied "Heat, what's wrong? Do we need to talk?"

I'm fine. Although this morning I found seven gray hair and now I'm feeling pretty old.

ps Never become pregnant or shave your head if you don't like to be touched by complete strangers.

Baby Names

when i was at the gunn's my prego friend came over. they haven't decided on a name so danika and i started spurting off names. i've always been interested in names. when the sears catalogue would come at Christmas time i would make a list of my pretend family--usually about 8 kids mostly boys--give them names and then shop for them. little did i know how incapable i would be of mothering 8 kids. who knew it took energy and patience. and being pregnant.
anytime i had a crush or dated a guy i would try out my favorite names with their last names. even if i had no intention of being serious. i've kept lists of names in my journals. in 92 i had grant and andrew but later crossed that off because i started dating andy. in 94 i had hank and ethan (this was before the mad rush to name your boy that), chandler (friends?), tabitha. in 96 i had stella and hazel (temple view r.v.). i pretty much stuck with stella and fred and even ran them by dan before we got married. he said they were fine...until i got prego and he nixed stella. i was VERY upset. seriously, it caused tension in our marriage. it was hard picking a name for chloe. dan didn't like any i liked. like evie. i liked clover too (it came to me while in the temple--hello, revelation!?) but a lot of people had started naming their kids river and other in-tune-with-nature names so i was afraid of being grouped with the hippies. i've tried to get dan to let me change her name to clover-- he could still call her chloe--but he won't let me. her middle name is belen. i heard it on my mission. it means bethlehem.
delivering chloe was not fun so before i got prego again i made dan promise to let me have naming rights. i was happy to have a girl so i could use the name stella. the day i found out i was having a girl i read a magazine that predicted stella as the up-coming popular name. lame. her middle name is kate.
and fred. when i was in highschool i saw an episode of oprah (weird, i don't care much for her). she had on this society, nation-wide club thingy of guys named fred. there was a cute little toddler. that's when i realized a cute kid (or one with a good personality) could get away with any name. and since my gpa is a legend to his bazillion grand and great-grandkids, i decided i would name a kid after him. but of course when i finally have a boy its becoming popular to give your kid a grandpa name. for the record, even though it appears that i'm following the trends, i'm actually ahead of them. we had a really hard time deciding on a middle name. we made a huge list. each of us chose 5 and then we gave them a score of 1-10. everett came in 2nd with owen and maddox tied for 1st. i let dan make the final choice. fred maddox. (he didn't know it was a celebrity baby name so he wasn't following a trend. ) if he was a girl i liked petra and dan suggested olive. which surprised me because its a good name and he hates olives. our next boy (through adoption) will be named clive.
heather, do you have names picked out? anyway, what names do you guys like or why did you choose the ones you used? stake your claim here.
sorry for the long post...one last thing. according to the howmanyofme.com site there are only 2 katie lariviere's. and very few boys named sue.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year girls!

Is anyone going out to do anything fun & exciting? We'll be staying home as always. "First Night" just ins't for me!

Aquatica - coming Spring 2008

This place looks awesome. It's like Sea World meets Wet-n-Wild.
I totally want to go! Anyone want to come with?

AquaticaBySeaWold
The website loads very SSLLOOOOOWWWWWly.

Indian Food

Love the tips girls. Ang you said to grind up the Cardamoms, what about using Cardamom powder? My recipe calls for both and I was wondering if I could just use more cardamom powder in leu of the seeds. And Heat please send me your Tikki recipe I would like to compare it to the one I found on line. I basically found the one that took a lot of spices with quit a bit of prep work and figured It was probably a good one. Im pretty clueless! Thanks All!

Fat and Happy

Unfortunately I am not the one that is fat AND happy, but my little guy sure is. So how many of you gals are ready for Christmas? I mean in the commercialized sense. Husbands are so hard to shop for. This year I decided I would give of myself and learn how to cook India food, So I am buying all the spices and am going to cook Chicken Tikka Masala One of Chad favorite dishes. Wish me luck or if any of you have tips I would greatly appreciate them. What is everyone else doing for the Christmas break. I'd love to get together with whoever is in St. G.

Tony's Grove

I had to cheat to0 by posting a picture from summer time. Tony's Grove is a small lake a ways up the canyon. It was beautiful. The water was surprisingly warm! I don't know how it could possibly be that warm, but it was. We also saw a bald eagle soaring above us. We will be going there again for sure.

Home sweet home

This is the home that we live in right now. We rent it from Chris. Mark (Matt's brother)and Alli also live here. They live in the apartment in the basement. They are awesome and we will miss living close by. The house is really close to campus.

Happy

First of all I would like to say how COOL life here in Logan. We have been so happy here in every aspect of our lives. Work, school, building, family, romance, branch, and home. After a week of living here I just felt like this was the place meant for us. I'm even skinnier than I have ever been since I married Matt. What I should post a picture of is me looking outrageously happy! but for now I will post a picture of the home we are building in Richmond. We just got our windows put in two nights ago. It was freaking cold too.

on your marks..

here are some triathlons in utah we could do:

a short course in logan on april 12

a short course in st. g on april 19

a women's only tri in bountiful on may 17

these are really short, easy races that any of you could finish. if you think you need a little extra help then you can read this book.

of course, the whole point of me doing triathlons is to change the body i have now.

i didn't list the st. g triathlon because i don't really like it and it costs a billion dollars. it also lost a lot of coolness since jared sold it.

if you don't want to do a whole triathlon we could do a relay team or find some running race. i also loved the cache valley tri at the end of the summer. but i was looking for a quicker deadline.

let me know if you are on board or if you have a different suggestion.

my bad

so i kinda dropped the ball on the photo a day gig. i guess i just don't get out much. and when i do i forget the camera. or if i have the camera i don't take the time to pull over and snap a picture. because kids are ticking time bombs without an accurate count-down. one second you're browsing the frozen food aisle and the next it's WWIII. you abort mission and drive directly home (not stopping to take photos) screaming, "i'm taking back all your Christmas presents!"
i owe you a couple of pictures so i plan on surprising you at my convenience.
who's turn is it now?

Holy Family

we got to hang out in a barn with a donkey while people stared and took pictures of us. it was cool. more about this on our family blog.

cheating

sorry for the lack of picture yesterday. i forgot to take the camera with me when i went out. today is so dreary. everything is grey. so i'm going to post pictures of things around here that we like. like maple canyon (easy climbing):

this was a year ago. i was skinny. now i'm 80% fat and lazy. so...how does a fitness goal sound? anyone want to help motivate me by getting in shape together? we could each sign up for a triathlon/marathon/5k/whatever in our home towns or we could meet and do the same race together. any takers?

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?