Gone Country

I've been feeling a little bit country the past little while. I have compiled a nice little collection of some favorites. Enjoy what's on my playlist until I can do a real post. : )

YeeeeeHAW!!

And...Happy New Year!!

Happy Anniversary to US!

I can’t believe it has been four years since our sunny, though still cold, winter wedding. It was a gorgeous day…absolutely perfect! We’ve done a lot, seen a lot, experienced a lot since then. I can’t believe how time flies! Please, allow me to gush…

Every day I am thankful for Cameron. He is truly my knight in shining armor. And I found him when I wasn’t looking! How lucky is that? He’s been a true friend to me. He loves me for who I am, and he hasn’t tried to change me. Sometimes I wonder how such a sweet, caring, wonderful and intelligent person chose average old me to spend forever with. He doesn’t even get mad when I go shopping. I truly do feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Cam and I love so many of the same things. I think we’re pretty lucky that way. We like the same kinds of movies (Twilight excluded, of course), a lot of the same kinds of music, we love to fish, camp, hike, go for drives, and just hang out. We share a pretty dorky sense of humor. I guess I’m just glad that he gets me.

One of the things that I am most grateful for is that he loves my family. He fits so well with my family. He and my dad like to go hiking and fishing together. My mom thinks he is pretty great, too. She says without a doubt he is her favorite son-in-law. (For those who don’t know, I am my parents’ only daughter…so they only have one son-in-law…haha!) My brothers all really like Cam, too. They always find stuff to talk about, and even hang out occasionally. And don’t get me started with the nieces and nephews. I’m pretty sure I was the favorite until Unka Cam came along…now I’m chopped liver. If I ever dare show up to a family event without him, the first thing to escape their angelic little mouths is, “Aunt Weez, where’s Unka Cam?” Or, “Awwwww…but I wanted to play with Unka Cam!” Sheesh, kids…I know he’s great, but what am I? Oh, yeah…chopped liver. : ) But seriously, I understand. Because there is no one I would rather play with, either. I am glad that Cam understands how important my family is to me. I think I would probably shrivel up and die if I didn’t get my at least once monthly game of cards with Gramma Hiatt. And I like to hang out with my Mama. So the fact that he loves my family, and likes to hang out with them…huge bonus!

Luckily for me, Cam came from a great family, too. Trust me, there is definitely no in-law anxiety going on in our marriage. I don’t know a lot of people who can say the same thing. We love to go on little adventure trips with Max and Sharon. We have so much fun when we do stuff like this! We just pile all of our stuff into the truck, and hit the road. We camp or stay in motels, and we just have fun exploring. The Whettens also love to play cards. So we have fun game nights. We laugh, we play, we carry on, we go home happy.

So, basically, I guess what I’m saying is, I love Cam! I love him ‘more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.’ I look forward to the two of us being wrinkly old porch sitters. Cam can strum on his guitar, and I will rock in my chair while I crochet blankets, or knit some mittens. Doesn’t that sound fabulous? I think so!

I'm still here!!

See, I'm not dead! I updated the layout of my blog! And one day soon, I am going to do a real post! It's just a matter of finding time...but it's coming. Don't give up on me!

Thankful

This week has been downright crappy. I won't go in to too much detail, but just know that I have been miserable. So, in order to remedy the foul mood that has accompanied my bad week, I am blogging about a few of the many things that I am thankful for. Here goes:

1. Cam - I don't know what I would do without Cam. I don't know what I did for 24 out of my 29 years without Cam. He is my best friend. He cooks. He's plays music, and very well, I might add. He's very smart. He has a retarded sense of humor that matches mine perfectly. He has such a calming presence when I get all worked up and psychotic. He is one of the kindest people I know. And he loves me, even though he has to put up with a lot from me. I am so lucky.

2. Family/Friends - I am blessed with a big, fun extended family. I love the family that I grew up with, and I was lucky enough to marry into a wonderful family who I love, very much. And I'm lucky because so many of my family are my friends. And those who are my friends, I consider family. See how lucky I am? I'm lucky because I have 3 "best friends." How many people can say that? So, Mama, Cam, and Joey, thanks for being my BFFs! I have friends from work, friends from school (many who I have "rediscovered" in the past few months via the internet. Ain't technology great?), random friends I've met along the way...and I love you all! For my friends who have been especially fabulous this past week, and you know who you are...I love ya!

3. My Job - Some days it's hard to get up and come to work. Some days I get bored. Some days I'm so busy I want to rip my hair out of my head. Some days people are mean (I'm sure they don't try to be...). But this week I've been thankful for my awesome team. They have been very kind to me, and they are a fun group to work with and get to know. I have one teammate who is like sunshine. If I am ever feeling frustrated or ornery, all I have to do is step into her office for 5 minutes and I feel happy. I'm lucky to have such an awesome and understanding boss. I have a cube-mate who is so cool. She makes work fun. I also love my lunch crew. It's such a welcome break during the day. We have great conversations and laugh with each other. And I have to say, that I'm thankful for paid sick days.

4. Seasons - I love living in Utah. I love that we get all four seasons. Sometimes they may not last very long, but I love them all the same. I love the beauty and variety that each season brings. Yes, I even love the snow! Bring it on! After all, if the snow gets too hard to handle, we just take a 4 hour drive in a southerly direction, and it's practically summer!

5. Books - I love books. I love to read. I love escaping the real world from time to time, getting lost in a good book. I would hate to live in a world with no books.

See? Life's not so bad.

I'm Wicked...

So I've been wanting to get tickets to see NKOTB. Like, bad. I'm a little ridiculous.

But last Friday, I realized that Broadway trumps teeny bopper boy-band crushes, so...sorry boys! I'm going to WICKED!!! Tickets came in the mail yesterday. SO EXCITED!

So...it's really no secret that I love my Utah Jazz. It's also no secret that I work for the company that sponsors the Jazz Dancers. It might be a secret that as an employee of said company I occasionally get some sweet deals on Jazz tickets. I got tickets to the season opener on October 28th. I was very excited. Cameron, Patrick, Stacy, Jill, and I were all excited to go...but we had one extra ticket. Stacy and I decided that we would invite Brianne to go with us. According to Brianne, it was her "life's dream" to see a Jazz game in person. So, we got permission for her to stay out late on a school night, and off we went to see our Jazz.

Brianne and me

Cam n' Pat

Sass and Jill

It was seriously one of the funnest nights I can remember! We all enjoyed ourselves, but Brianne was hilarious! She had so much fun! After the Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets, we lagged behind the crowds to take some pictures at the ESA. We decided to go down and watch the KJazz Post Game Show being filmed. While we were standing there, Thurl Bailey's security guard came overf and asked us if we wanted to meet Thurl. Of course, we were like, "YES!!!" So after a few minutes he waved us over. I walked over with Brianne and it was so sweet how the bodyguard was sooo sweet to Brianne. He was chatting with her about basketball, and I think he was surprised to learn that Brianne is 15. He actually asked her if all of the noises and lights and people scared her. She was like, "Dude, I've been around basketball my whole life." Anyway...after another few minutes, Thurl waved us over, and he was so cute how he bent down to talk to Brianne. I was snapping pictures, totally star struck! He posed for some pictures with Brianne, and then we handed the camera to the security guard and us girls posed for one. Again, I'm totally star struck! And he was soooo incredibly nice! He really is a good guy, and so soft spoken for such a big guy.

Big T and Little B

After meeting Big T, we decided to take Brianne to the side of the ESA to wait where the players exit in their sweet rides. It was so hilarious to watch Brianne, Stacy, and Jill completely freak out and lose all control when Kyle Korver drove out. He got swarmed, of course, so he didn't really stop, but you would have thought he proposed marriage to all three of them! It was so funny! The last two players to leave were Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles. Brianne of course shmoozed with security, and they, of course, fell in love with her, so when Ronnie and CJ came out, they all but shoved everyone out of the way so Brianne could get right up next to their cars. They were so cute with her! They were like hanging out of their cars to see her. Ronnie was with his mom and dad, and they were making cute comments to Brianne, too. We got them to sign our tickets, and they used Jill's pen, so she wouldn't let any of us even touch the pen all of the way home.

Ronnie saying, "What's up," to Brianne

CJ (cut off...oops!) and Brianne

So we had a blast! It was a completely different experience for me from any other Jazz game I've been to, and it was mostly thanks to Brianne! You gotta love it, baby!

Where am I?

Wow, I am a pathetic blog poster. I can't seem to keep up. I could never keep a journal, either. This is not going to be an exciting post, and a little personal. But the only peeps who actually read this are people who I don't mind knowing what's up in this messed up brain of mine...

Life is nuts! I work all day, then go to school 2 nights a week. Lately I get home and I have zero motivation to do anything. Not cook, not clean, not homework, not exercise...not even read! Nothing! It's taking it's toll, for sure. But I'm not too worried about my mental state just yet. I'm convinced my body is just taking time to adjust to the changing season. I tend to get in a funk during this time of year, even though autumn is one of my favorite times of the year! It makes no sense!

I have had a lot on my mind lately. I've been thinking a lot about school. I am enjoying my classes, but I keep thinking that I'm not headed in the right direction. I miss psychology. So I think next semester I will take a psych class to see if I really miss it as much as I think I do, or if I'm just overwhelmed with new stuff so I want to go back to what is familiar. But I keep having thoughts like, "Maybe I should do this? Or that instead?" And I start second guessing every scholarly decision I've ever made. Not cool.

I've been thinking about my job. I like my job. I like the company I work for. I like my boss, my coworkers, and the enviroment I work in. I just keep feeling like I need change. Unfortunately, there are so many things to consider when thinking about changing jobs, especially when I carry our health insurance, and we get have discounted auto insurance, yadda yadda...

I've also been thinking a lot about babies. I get scared sometimes when I think about not having babies. I had a conversation at lunch a few weeks ago with a friend who is having similar fertility issues. She said something like, in the long run, we really are young, so there's no need to panic yet. However, she worries that she and her husband are becoming so used to their childless lifestyle, and she feels selfish sometimes, like maybe a baby would throw a wrench in the way they live their life, so what if they become so selfish they decide they don't even want to have a baby. That got me thinking...could I ever get this way? I mean, I've thought of all of the options available to Cam and me if I'm not ever able to get pregnant. But what if after all of these years we're too selfish to even consider any of these options? I'm not saying that I would, but it was definitely something to think about. And the thought of not wanting a baby scares me, maybe even more than the thought of not being able to have babies.

It's past my bedtime, so I will end this post of messed up brain-ness. And hopefully soon I will post some pictures of our most recent happy adventures!

Labor Day Weekend

Cam and I got to spend the weekend at the Hiatt Hotel. I love that Grandma loves us enough to let us stay at her house. We always have fun!

Sadly, I missed my 10 year High School Reunion that was on Friday night. I was a little bit sad, but it's not the end of the world. Besides, maybe there will be a 15 year reunion that I can attend...

Saturday Cam went on a hike with my dad. Dad was feeling really good, so he decided he had better take adavantage of his healthy streak before he gets sick. I'm so glad that Cam likes my dad enough to go on fishing and hiking adventures with him. My two favorite guys getting along... a girl's dream come true!

Sunday night we had an impromptu chicken taco party at Gramma's house. Disclaimer: For those who are sad they weren't invited, I promise, it was a totally spur of the moment decision, and I was my idea. I bear all responsibility.

Mama and Aunt Chris frying up some grub

Stacy loves to breathe down Mama's neck...and I think Aunt Chris is having some holiday confusion...

I love my Mama!!!

Monday turned out to be quite...soggy. Everyone who walked up the street to the parade ended up running back to Grandma's sopping wet. I can't believe how hard it rained. At least it was cool...but poor Grandma was stressed about having everyone in the house. We always eat in the back yard on Labor Day. Not this year! Thankfully, it cleared up and the sun came out in the afternoon so the kids could run around outside.

Ryan, post parade. Poor kid had to stand there soaking wet and shivering while Aunt Weez took pictures.

Poor Mimi wants to play outside!

Rain much?

I heart Cam

Hangin' Tough

I suck at blogging. I can't keep up. I need to blog about camping, hiking, starting school, and soggy labor day, but for now, this will have to do:

I heard about this on the radio yesterday and almost peed my pants!




They will be in SLC on November 15!! I hope all of my girlfriends are as excited as me, and that they all want to go!! EEK! I am 8 years old again!!

And...again!

It's a good thing I don't have much to say lately, because I keep getting tagged. I don't necessarily do everything I'm tagged for. But this one really is kinda fun. Especially since I think that everything in life should have a soundtrack. And I make soundtracks for me all of the time. I should keep better track of them to track their evolution from here on out.

Anyway, here's how this one works:

1. Put Your iTunes/music player/cd player/radio on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT!!! After you've answered all of the questions, tag three other people to do the tag themselves!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Naveed, Our Lady Peace
What??

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Wash Away (Some desert night), Acroma
If my personality has washed away, does that mean I have no personality? Sad!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Everything, Lifehouse
Ha! I'm easy to please, what can I say?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Apocolypse Please, Muse
I know I've been feeling crappy lately, but still...

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
All These Things That I've Done, The Killers
I think that says it all!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Canto Alla Vita, Josh Groban
I had to look up the translation. "I sing to life." I like this. If you know me well, you know that this totally works

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Wanted Dead or Alive, Bon Jovi
Well...at least I'm wanted...??

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
When the Water Falls, Collective Soul
I love this song:"Now she's questioning her mother/She's questioning her father/She's looking for the answers/To the problem that confronts her."
Nice.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT FREQUENTLY?
Voice Inside My Head, Dixie Chicks
Yes, but which one?

WHAT IS 2+2?
Zero, Smashing Pumpkins
Wow.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Precious, Depeche Mode
Yes! She is!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Supermassive Black Hole, Muse
Yeah, no.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Boondocks, Little Big Town
Haha!! "I have no shame/ I'm proud of where I came from/ I was born and raised in the boondocks." Hahaha!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Transatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie
Hmmm...

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Canned Heat, Jamiroquai
Yes!

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Broken, Seether with Amy Lee
Oh, no! I hope they really don't think that!

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Costume for a Gutter Ball, Finger Eleven
Um, nooo...that is depressing and a little creepy...

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Learn to Fly, Foo Fighters
Haha! If I earn my wings, I'd better learn to fly!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Me and My Gang, Rascall Flats
There you have it!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Where Are You Going, Dave Matthews Band
Thing is, I wish I knew, too!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
You Know I'm No Good, Amy Winehouse
I knew you all were trouble. I knew you were all no good!
(NOT!!)

And now I tag Stacy, Jaala, Christa, and YOU!!

Peace.

Tagged Again...Crazy Eights

Thanks for the tag, Jaala. Ok, here we go....

8 things I'm passionate about:

1. Cameron

2. My marriage

3. My family...immediate and extended

4. Nature (except for spiders and mosquitos. Does passionate hatred count?)

5. Books. Fiction, non-fiction, textbook, cookbook, how-to...doesn't matter. Books are so valuable. They always have been to me. I like to have a lot of them at my disposal at all times. I read a lot.

6. Naps. A simple nap can cure the worst days, moods, headaches...

7. Traveling, even though I haven't done much, and I mostly travel close to home. That will (hopefully) change someday. I am the kind of person who needs to get out and explore.

8. I had something here, but it was kinda preachy and soap-boxish and I decided that I'm not brave enough to post it yet. So I'll leave it like this for now...


8 books I have read recently (and you should read them, too!):

1. City of Ember (repeat)

2. Breaking Dawn

3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (in progress)

4. Freakanomics (in progress)

5. The Host

6. To Kill a Mockingbird(repeat)

7. Persuasion

8. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse (Many repeats, and I count them as one becuase I read them fast and one after the other)


8 things I often say:

1. "I love you."

2. "Whatever."

3. "Sweet." (spoken with a Cartman accent)

4. "Kick ass!" (also spoken with a Cartman accent. I am so juvenile and not very ladylike sometimes)

5. "Hi, this is Marie." (on the phone at work)

6. "Use your freaking blinker, loser!" (or something to that effect)

7. "Gah!"

8. "Huh?"


8 things that annoy me:

1. Bad drivers

2. Parents who insist on hauling their babies and young children to movies that are not meant for kids (The Dark Knight, Wanted...are you kidding me?), thus subjecting the rest of the theater to restless, noisy, screaming, whiney kids for the duration of the movie. Two words, people: 1.Baby 2. sitter.

3. Political commentators. I don't care if you call yourself Conservative, Liberal, or neither. You are all biased hypocrits who just like to hear the sound of your own voices as you argue your ridiculous and baseless points which are almost always lies, fabrications, or out of context. Your opinion does not equal fact and you aren't always right. Shut up.

4. Fuel prices.

5. When our air conditioner pulls the neighbor's stinky second hand cigarette smoke into our house.

6. News anchor people who try too hard at playful banter. Stick to the news. If I want comedy I have a channel for that.

7. Nose whistles. If you have a nose whistle, get a tissue and remove the booger! Gah!

8. Middle-of-the-day lawn waterers. Especially here in our lovely desert.


8 things I look forward to each day:

1. Seeing Cam

2. The hilarious conversations that Cam and I have. I love that we make each other laugh every day.

3. Looking at the mountains

4. Flowers

5. Sunshine

6. Listening to Radio From Hell. It's silly, I know, but I really do look forward to listening as I get ready for work.

7. Eating lunch with the ladies. We laugh, we vent, we listen, we eat good food (usually)...thanks ladies!

8. Snuggling into my bed at the end of the day.


8 things I look for in a friend:

1. Honesty

2. Good sense of humor

3. Friendly (makes sense, doesn't it?)

4. Tolerant of my occasional (almost always) politcally incorrect-ness

5. Live in exciting places...like New York City and England...so I can come and visit and stay for free. (Haha...this is a joke. Except that I really do love that I have friends who live in these places...so I guess it's not a joke. Crap. Am I a bad person??)

6. Doesn't mind burps and farts (not that I do that. I'm too dainty)

7. Similar interests. I like to discuss books, movies, music, stuff like that.

8. A good listener. You've got to be able to handle my occasional ventings and frustrations, as well as my long stories.


8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Have babies

2. Finish a quilt

3. Own a home

4. Go skydiving

5. Write a book

6. Write a song

7. Climb a mountain

8. Travel


8 things I have learned this past year:

1. It's ok to go back to school, even if you feel like an old lady on a campus full of teeny-boppers.

2. Make every moment count, and not take so many things for granted.

3. My opinion is just as valid as everyone else's and I shouldn't be afraid to share it, even when my opinion is not popular.

4. It's ok to go into a store and not spend money.

5. Having a good attitude makes life a lot easier.

6. Paying off debt makes life and relationships so much easier

7. Everyone has moments when they feel like a freaking idiot, so it's not so bad when I have these moments.

8. Life is pretty crappy sometimes, but it's ok!


8 people I tag:

1. Christa

2. Becky

3. Kami

4. Alison

5. Hilary

6. Jodi

7. Stacy

8. anyone who happens upon this and wants to play along.

I just have to say...

...that I love my Grandma. She is the cutest, tiniest, funniest, sweetheartiest, hoot of a Luva.

Happiness is spending Sunday afternoons with her, Cam, and Stacy, making haystacks, muddy buddies, and playing cards.

I'd do it every day if I could.

Change of address

It's funny how the smallest, most unimportant thing can totally make my day.

Since last August, when I started my new Admin job, I have hated my desk. My workspace was cramped, and I was located next to VP who I don't work with, and who had a lot of visitors. Needless to say, I had absolutely no privacy, and I got tired of having no choice but to listen to people's conversations while they waited to go into the VP's office for a meeting, or for a post-meeting chat on their way out of his office. They would lean on my cubicle wall, which would make my desk shake. If I wasn't at my desk, they would steal my pens and post-it pads. The most annoying thing was that people assumed I was his assistant because my little cube was right next to his office. So I constantly had to deal with people being annoyed with me because they couldn't understand why no, I don't know his schedule, I can't make you an appointment with him, I don't know what time his conference call is, I don't know which meeting he is in, and I don't know what time he's coming to work today, if at all.

I was very happy when I learned about a week ago that this VP had hired an assistant, and that he wanted her to sit where I was sitting for obvious reasons. Let's just say that I was more than a little happy to oblige.

This morning I moved .

And it has totally made my day.

Happy Birthday

Dad mentioned a while back that he'd like some new pictures of all of his grandkids together. And he's not a fan of posed studio portraits. So I had the privilege of photographing my darling neices and nephews a few nights ago at the park. It was quite impossible, as you can probably imagine, to get 6 kids to all look at me at the same time and smile...after a while I gave up and tried to capture their personalities, and get some shots of them at play. We had fun. At least I did.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

This one worked...sorta...at least they're all facing in the same direction!

Sweet Pea, Mimi, Mini Me, TayRay, Squirt, Nater Tot

Mimi, Sweet Pea, and Mini Me(yup, she takes after her Aunt Weez!)

My Sweet Pea

Mini Me and Squirt

I am original...

For lack of inspiration, I am stealing this from Jodi.
Here's some stuff for me for now.

Emotion: Anxious

Book(s): "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," Jonathan Safran Foer; "The Lord of the Rings," J. R. R. Tolkein; "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee.

Album(s): I can't stop listening to "Absolution" Muse, "Black Holes and Revelations"Muse, and "Party Doll and Other Favorites" Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Songs: "Super Massive Black Hole" Muse, "Time is Running Out" Muse, "I am a Town" Mary Chapin Carpenter, "Phantom Limb" The Shins, "Satellite" Collective Soul, "Mercy" Duffy.

Fear: losing my dad, going back to school (it's weird, but yes, I am afraid)

Frustration: work, bills, debt, cars, job security.

Happy: Cam, friends, family, watermelon (which I am eating right now)

Wish: affordable gasoline, excess of time and energy with which to exercise my life away

Resolution: eat better, exercise more. This seems to come up a lot.

Phases: Weinhard's root beer, documentaries

Food: watermelon, asparagus, kettle corn, zoom, Osaka for lunch at least once a week...

Desire: hubby graduating, finishing my degree, full time housewife...then having babies.

Bad Habits: procrastination, staying up too late, purPOSEly emPHASizing the wrong syllABles in words...it's funny. And I don't give a hoot about what you think.

Websites: blogs, cnn.com, msn.com,

Drink: bottled root beer ( of the Henry Weinhard variety, preferably)

Changes: going back to school

TV Show: LOST, The Office, NBA

Obsessed much?

Last Tuesday they released a teaser trailer for Twilight. I have lost count of the number of times I've watched it. I can't get enough of the stupid trailer...how am I supposed to last until freaking DECEMBER?!?

So...yeah.

P.S. Countdown to Breaking Dawn: 80 days 8 hours 33 minutes 22 seconds

You're entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location...

We spent last Thursday thru Sunday in Capitol Reef National Park. It's sad that no one seems to know where it is...but it's kind of a good thing. I'm glad it's such a well kept secret. It's beautiful and hardly anyone goes there. It's every bit as spectacular as Zion National Park, without the crowds.

Some highlights:

Fruita orchards in bloom

More orchard blooms

Cathedral Valley

Grand Wash narrows

I heart my in-laws!

Cam and me in Fruita

All of us at Glass Mountain, Cathedral Valley

Confessions of a binger...

I have been in a Jane Austen mood as of late. I have been reading and viewing several Jane Austen titles. First and foremost, of course, would be Pride and Prejudice.

I have read the novel twice in the past month. I have watched the Kiera Knightly version of the film a least 3 times in the past month. I have watched the BBC/A&E version with Colin Firth twice. I have purchased the soundtrack to the KK version and listen to it almost daily. I have purchased the sheet music and have started learning to play (it's hard!!).

Sunday nights on KUED, they are showing The Complete Jane Austen. That means that on Sunday night at 8:00, if I'm not out visiting family, I am parked on the couch, in my jammies and slippers, snuggled into my down blanket, with a box of tissues and a few pieces of chocolate, watching Masterpiece Theater.

I am currently reading Persuasion.

This is my first Austen binge, and I like it.

The most similar binge experience to the Austen binge would be the Anne of Green Gables binge. It has been years since this binge, however. I read all of the books, watch all of the movies, rinse, repeat...

Before the Austen was a Stephenie Meyer binge. I read all three of her novels in 2 days. I didn't sleep. I just read. And then I read them again. And again. I have pre-ordered her 4th vampire novel, and her first non-vampire novel, and marked the dates of release on every calendar I get my hands on. And I am somewhat nervously awaiting the release of the Twilight film.

I've had a few nerd binges where I've watched all of the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, and Return of the King multiple times, and then devoured the special bonus features. I read the book at least once a year. It's fun for a nerd like me to find all of the many places where Peter Jackson took artistic license and moved dialogue/poetry/songs/experiences around to make for better film flow.

I anticipate a Christopher Paolini binge this summer, with the eagerly awaited release of Brisingr. The Eragon movie sucked, though, so this binge will be literary only.

So, I guess I'm wondering, does anybody else do this?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....

I can't seem to get into the proper blogging mood. So I will post a video here until the mood strikes. (sorry, Jods. I know you have already seen it. But watch it again. It's cute! Haha! A nerd kid!) This is a video of what, one day, our daughter will be like. Only (hopefully) red headed.

Eenie, meenie, miney, MO!

I have been tagged by Jodi. Now I guess I have to play. I have been tagged twice so there are two little things I have to do. First, I will do the 6 relatively unknown facts/habits about me. Then I will do the 5 things thingy...here goes:

The rules are as follows:1. The player lists 6 relatively unknown facts/habits about themselves.2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

1. More people know me by my nickname(s) than my given names. Most popular and widely know is Weezie/Weezer/Weez/Weezie Bug/Weezie Bob. My nieces and nephews, at least on the Kelley side, all call me Aunt Weez. And I love it. Growing up my mother rarely called me by my given name, unless I was in trouble, in which case it was usually my full given name: "Marie Elizabeth Kelley, get in this house right now!" In a lot of cases she referred to me by my middle name: "Elizabeth, telephone!" And for normal, day to day stuff, it was Orphan Annie, Annie Oakley, Sis, Sissy, Sisty Ugler (referring to the play "Rinder Cella and her Sisty Uglers"), or the more common Weezie/Weez/Weezie Bug. Grandpa and Grandma Hiatt called me Suzie. Grandpa Kelley called me Sugar. George Anderson calls me Rio. The Rohbocks call me Forrest (as in Gump). It's a wonder I don't have multiple personality disorder...or do I?

2. I have a serious aversion to spiders. I don't know if it's necessarily arachnophobia, but even typing that word made me throw up in my mouth a little. If there is a spider in a room I will not go in it. If there is a spider by a door, I will find another door or not go in at all. If there is a spider in the shower, I will not use it. If by some horrible chance I touch a spider by accident, I flail about and get a little sick. I have had some very nasty spider experiences. Once while cleaning out my closet I found a nest of eight legged demons. I won't go into the details of what happened upon this discovery, but it was not pretty. I'm fairly sure mom thought I was having a seizure. Let's just say it took several weeks before I would sleep in my room again.

3. I have lived in the shadows of the everlasting hills, in view of "The Greatest Snow on Earth" for pretty much my entire life and I have never been skiing or snowboarding. Pathetic? A little. However, I am quite clumsy and accident prone. I'm sure that giving in would result in near death.

4. In second grade I played a piano solo in the school talent show. "Whoopee," you say. But what if I told you that I had never had a lesson and my family didn't even own a piano? Impressed now? You should be! I played it through perfectly in front of the entire school. I still remember that the song was "Swans on the Lake" and I could probably play it for you right now.

5. I have an uncanny ability to memorize pretty much every movie or song I see or hear. The first one I memorized was Disney's Sleeping Beauty. My brothers hated me for a long time. Next was Annie. My brothers hated me more. Then it was Janeen Brady's "Standin' Tall" book and tape series. I would put the tapes in and say every single word to the stories and the songs. I would even do voices. My favorites to quote would be Better off Dead, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Forrest Gump, Star Wars movies, Dumb and Dumber...wow, this list could get long. My husband and family keep telling me that I should be a contestant on one of those fill in the blanks singing shows on TV. I would probably be pretty good at it, except for I get stage fright. Yikes.

6. The first and only time I have ever been drunk was when I was about 2 years old. I downed a half a bottle of orange Triaminic. I developed quite a taste for my libation of choice and Mom couldn't keep me away from it. I actually climbed up the cupboards so that I could reach it. I'm sure Mom was scared for my safety, but was also quite entertained by my drunken antics. I'm glad I got that out of my system early on in life.

Now for the 5's:

5 years ago I was... skinny(er than I am now), working at Nu Skin, making plans to go back to school, planning visits Joey in NYC, and only 23 years old...

5 months ago I was...Turning 28, working at Nu Skin, introducing Jodi to the pure joy that is Newsies, planning my Halloween costume, getting excited for the holidays..

5 things that worry me...$$$, my lack of pregnancy(still!!), the economy, my dad's disease getting worse, Cam's brother, Russ, being in Iraq...

5 bad habits...procrastination, eating sweets, watching TV, staying up too late, buying things I don't really need...

5 of my favorite places I've lived...well, I've only lived in 4 places: South Gate, CA, Payson, UT, Santaquin, UT, and Orem, UT..but my very favorite is old Santaquin. It was a great place to grow up.

5 things in my virtual shopping bag...this, this, this, this, and this.

5 of my favorite things to blog about...Cam, nieces and nephews, our adventures, friends, the fact that I'm a dork...

5 people I tag...I don't think I have 5 people to tag...but Christa, give it a shot!! And anyone else who feels the need. It's kinda fun.

Pie, Pie, me oh my!

Here I am, finally blogging the Kanab adventure weekend.


Cam and I drove to Kanab to meet Max and Sharon (my delightful and fun in-laws) after work on Friday, the 15th of Feb. I hate the drive to Kanab after dark...mainly because it's such a pretty drive, at least for the last hour or two. I hate to miss it.

Saturday was our shooting/shopping day. Max has been working on building his very own gun. It's a big gun. It's shiny and black, a semi-automatic something-or-other...and Saturday would bring the inaugural shot. I was originally not excited to go to the range to shoot the gun. Guns have always made me quite nervous ( I know, how can I be my father's child and not like shooting guns?? It's amazing!) and I was kind of scared to be there for the first shot. I mean, he built it himself. It's never been shot before. What if it blows up? I tried to convince everyone else to leave me to shopping in the metropolis that is downtown Kanab. You shoot guns, I'll spend money. It's always worked for me. Anyway, they convinced me that I had to be there to witness the first shot. I have to say, it was pretty cool. After about 15 minutes of trying to convince me that I should shoot the gun, I finally said, "Ok. Fine." And now...

Yes, it's true, I was born to shoot. I had a little bit too much fun blowing up soda cans. I am good. I am my father's daughter after all. (disclaimer: this was not my first gun shooting experience. I did kill a few prairie dogs at the ranch in New Mexico. I couldn't help it. They made me...and it was a really whimpy rifle. Not like Max's shiny, pretty, semi-automatic baby.)

After the giddy shooting Sharon and I left the boys to watch basketball at the hotel and we checked out some shops in Kanab. I found a darling little antique shop, next to a fabulous designer yarn shop.

Saturday night brought steak and a yeehaw good ole time in Fredonia, AZ. Them country folk sure does know how to cook a mean fillet mignon.

Sunday we checked out Coral Pink Sand Dunes. I have never been there, and I'm glad we chose winter. We had a lovely safari over and around the dunes. Snow mixed with pink sand and blue sky sure makes for a pretty picture (even though you can't see any snow or blue sky in this photo of my darling in-laws).




After our desert adventure we had a nice winter picnic. Top Ramen for all! Cam had fun. You can see in his eyes how much he loves picnics (I slay me).




After the desert safari we took some random and mud puddle filled dirt road through a gorgeous canyon and ended up in Colorado City. Having never driven through town we decided to take a driving tour. Colorado City and Hilldale were like ghost towns on this gorgeous, sunny Sunday afternoon. It was kinda creepy. I wonder if it's that way all the time? Anyway, as we were driving out of down to hit the highway, we saw two girls on a four wheeler. That made me feel better.

We looped back to Kanab through Zion National Park, which is pretty cool in the winter, especially that day. The red cliffs, the blue sky, and the snow made everything so much more beautiful. I love it.



At Mt. Caramel junction, we were delighted to eat at the Thunderbird Restaurant, Home of the Ho-Made Pies. Ho-made. Not Home-made. Ho-Made. Apparently they are quite proud of their hos, and the pies they make. As they should be. The hot apple pie with buttered rum sauce was a little slice o' heaven. So good, in fact, that on our way home on Monday, we stopped in for another slice of the Ho-Made delight.

I got to choose our route home on Monday, so, of couse, I chose Highway 12. It is my favorite highway. EVER. I don't know many people who have a favorite highway. But I have mine. And it should be your favorite, too. It's beautiful. On highway 12 we saw a bald eagle, about a million elk, about two million deer, a bunch of wild turkeys, and...a camel. I kid you not. Some dude in Torrey has a camel, and they were out for a walk on Monday afternoon. I am sad that I coudn't take a picture. We were going too fast and there was really no place to turn around.

We stopped and took a pleasant sand and snow filled hike along the Escalante River to break up the drive. It was very nice. So pretty. And pleasantly warm.

Or chilly, as it was while we were in the shade with the snow.

When we hit Bicknell, we had to stop at the Sunglow Cafe because we heard they have good pies. I heard about it from Kerry and Bill, so I knew it must be true. We had a nice little dinner and shared a pie sampler featuring Pinto Bean Pie(oh...my...WORD! SO GOOD! I swear, it tastes like pecan pie.), Sweet Pickle Pie (oh man, YUMMY!) , Buttermilk Pie (mmm mmmm!!), and Oatmeal Pie (tastes like oatmeal cookie dough. Delish!). I don't know how I have managed to miss that place on all of my many ventures to that neck of the woods. I will not be so foolish as to miss it again.

Anyway, that's what we did, what we saw, and what we ate.

Weekend update

Wow...it's been a while. I was thinking that I would use the excuse that it's because we're boring, but then I started thinking about my week, and it was definitely not boring. It was quite busy.


Monday-Cam and I got to go to our first Jazz game of the season. (Last season we got to see 5. I used to work with the PR lady who would give out unused tickets to the company's 15th row seats. Since starting my new job I don't work with her anymore. Dang.) Anyway, the Jazz played New Orleans and kicked @ss...it was a lot of fun. I love the energy at the ESA. I also love that I have turned my darling husband into a sports fan during our wonderful 3 year marriage.

Wednesday- While watching the Jazz defeat the Nuggest in a nail-biter, Cam nearly jumped off of the couch when Williams made his 3 point bucket in the final moments of the game. I love it...it makes me happy when my quiet, calm husband goes beserk while watching a basketball game on t.v.

Friday-Riverdance. Yes, Riverdance. I have made fun of this phenomenon for as long as I can remember. Who ever heard of a bunch of pansies trying their darndest to keep their upper bodies from moving at all while their feet go bananas? We went on a double date with my in-laws and Buffy (her date was inconveniently a world away. So it was a double date plus one). I have to admit...Riverdance is one of the coolest things I have seen or heard. There was a live band and they were amazing.

Saturday-Janica and David's wedding. The wedding was beautiful. The reception was madness. Mama, Aunt Chris, Stacy and I were assigned to the kitchen. Kitchen duty for 7 freaking hours! Trying to keep kids out of a punch fountain is a joke. Keeping eclair cake out of the carpet when said kids are hauling it all around the reception hall, equally not amusing. Let's not forget to mention the ants that took quite a liking to the wedding cake. At least I had good company and lots of DDP. Much love to Jani and Dave. Best of luck to you!

Next week: Going to Kanab. Hooray for long weekends.

I think I'll watch Pride and Prejudice

I'm sad today. I'm hormonal. I hate it. I read a news article online and got all sniffly. Just now I read a friend's blog and felt like crying a little when I saw a photo of a quilt his little sister gave him for his birthday.

It touched me, I think, because I know what it takes to piece together a quilt. It's hard, at least for me. It takes so much time and patience...I've started several. Never finished a single one.

And that makes me sad. I start things and don't ever finish.

I think today qualifies as one of those "bad" days. I woke up late, I got to work way later than I wanted to, managed to get marinara sauce on my shirt, I'm tired, I'm bored, I'm hormonal..(Damn you, hormones!)

I feel a little better now.

The girl on the other side of the cubicle wall just said, "Oh, my stars!" and that pretty much made my day. Thank you, Christine.

On dreams

I've always been a dreamer. I've always had very vivid dreams. And I've pretty much always been able to remember the dreams that I've had. Sometimes I think I should have started writing them all down years ago so that I could put them in a book or something. For now I'll just recount some dreams I've had lately.

Last night...I went with some random acquaintances to someone's house for a visit. There was a sign on the front door that said, "Please remove your shoes." In my dream I panicked a bit...I was so afraid that my feet were going to stink BAD since I had had my shoes on all day. I was standing on the porch wondering how I was going to get around taking off my shoes when I looked down and noticed the foot washing stream.

Coming out of the wall in the entry way of the house was this pretty little waterfall cascading down a cobblestone fountain. It ran into a shallow basin on the floor. You sat down on a little bench to remove your shoes and socks, then you took a step down into the basin, stood for a minute, and then stepped back up onto a plush towel on a vented tile floor, where warm air came up to dry your feet. After your feet were dry, you stepped into some ridiculously fluffy slippers. The water drained out of the basin and was refilled after each person stepped in, for sanitation purposes, I'm sure.

In my dream I was relieved and rather delighted. My feet were clean! They didn't stink anymore! I didn't have to worry about it!

I don't remember much else about this crazy dream. When I woke up this morning I thought to myself, "Hey, that's not a bad little invention I just dreamed about." Not very practical, but definitely cool.

Two nights ago...I was with a friend from work, Jaala, and we were out running some errands in her ghetto 70's car that was pieced together with parts from a million different cars. The trick to this car was you had to push it down a hill to get it started. It sucked trying to find a hill to park on every time we went somewhere so that we could get the car started again when we were done.

After finishing one errand we went out to the car and started to push it down the hill. One strange thing was that Jaala didn't sit in the car while she waited for it to start. She ran along side it, then would jump in after it started. So we're pushing the car down the hill and it won't start. So we keep pushing, the car goes faster and faster, and it gets away from us. Lucky for us because about the time we fell behind the car, it rolled out into an intersection and got hit by a delivery truck. We just stood there with our mouths open thinking, "I can't believe that just happened!"

And then I woke up.

The end.

On the weekend

So...I didn't do a dang thing all weekend. Well, unless you call countless hours of t.v. watching, PS2 playing, movie watching not doing a dang thing. Can I tell you how good it felt? It felt good.

I was in my jammies until 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, since we had to babysit R-dog and Nater-Monkey on Saturday night. ( I just made those names up. I like them. That's what I'm going to use for Ryan and Nathan from now on. Yay!) So we stopped at Winger's in Lehi for a quick dinner and headed to the Mount of Eagles to play with the boys. What a hoot. R-dog was so excited to see Uncle Cam that he was talking so fast we couldn't understand a word he said. And Nater-Monkey, although not quite as excited, was pretty darn stoked to see his Aunt Weez. He gave me a tour of the house, walking around pointing and making his various monkey noises which roughly translate to, "Hey, Aunt Weez, check it out! It's a computer! And hey, look over here! Books!! Ooh! Ooh! Look at my new Thomas train! Socks!! Binkie!!" You get the idea. I love those boys. I wish we saw them more...

On Sunday we missed two baby blessings (oops :/) because we both slept in until about 10:00. Cam never does that. He must need it. I was in my jammies ALL DAY on Sunday. We had hot cereal for lunch (Zoom, anyone?) and microwave popcorn for dinner. Not healthy, I know. I should be ashamed since my goal for 2008 is getting in shape.

Speaking of, I lost 4 pounds in the last week. It's probably a fluke. Just water weight or something. But I'm still very excited. I'm eating more fiber so I don't snack so much. My digestive tract is shocked. Fiber in the new year. Yeah, intestines, get used to it.

I'm very excited to hopefully get my new (used) elliptical on Saturday if the weather cooperates. The past two weekends haven't cooperated at all, and you can't haul a peice of indoor excercise machinery in the back of a truck in a blizzard. Well, you could, but I'm not gonna. I am excited to start moving on my new machine. I love ellipticals. Cardio while watching t.v. in the comfort of home where no one can see me sweat and pant because I am ridiculously out of shape and pathetic. AND, no shinsplints and sore knees from the impact. Whoever invented the elliptical machine is a genius, and probably deserves my friendship.

Joey had to go home yesterday...sniff...I miss that girl! She is my sparkly princess cupcake and I love her!


And did I mention she can husk corn?

On Bubbles and Nerd Birthdays

So...Saturday night was spent blowing bubbles at the Andersons' house. That's right, folks. Adult people were blowing bubbles. I can't tell you how much fun it was! If more people would spend time together blowing bubbles, what a wonderful world this would be! We could have chosen to watch tv, or go bowling, or downed shots of tequila, but NO! We chose to blow bubbles, and as a result, we are all better friends. Because let's face it, you have to be good friends to sit together in a room and blow bubbles for an hour.
The other activity of choice? As Joey so eloquently put it, parlor games. We weren't really in the parlor. We sat at the kitchen table and played the timeless game of racing and treachery: Aggravation. We can't go to the Andersons' without playing it. It's quality time spent rolling dice, moving marbles, pouting, shouting, stabbing backs and pissing each other off in general. It is the best game in the world.
January 1st was Cam's birthday. We went out to lunch, did some shopping, saw I Am Legend (pretty good flick), went to dinner, then went home and watched a nerd movie. I won't mention the movie because I don't want to admit to anyone that I watched it, but it involved the Borg, warp speed, earth and that guy from Reading Rainbow. Crap. Now you know. Anyway, Happy Birthday to Cam, the love of my life!!