Since it's November...

...I decided I should focus on some things that I'm thankful for. And since in November we also celebrate Veteran's Day, to start off, I want to tell you about two guys who I adore, and who you should know about because they take care of you.

This is my brother-in-law, Jake.



He's Cam's youngest brother. He is a U.S. Marine. He lives somewhere in Afghanistan. He is putting his life on the line for YOU and ME right now, and I am thankful for him.

This is my brother-in-law, Russ.



He's just younger than Cam. He is also a U.S. Marine. You can't see his face, because he is hiding from all of the wind, sand, and sun in Iraq. Thankfully, he returned home from Iraq last year none the worse for wear. I am thankful to Russ for the sacrifices he made to serve our country. Who knows when he'll have to serve again. It could be tomorrow; it could be next year; it could be five years from now.



As of the end of October, the number of troops serving in Iraq was 124,000, and the number of troops serving in Afghanistan totaled 65,000. That is 189,000 sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and friends all serving our country in wars a half a world away. It doesn't matter what you think/believe politically, the wars they are fighting are real. It's not just what we see on the news. There are things that they face that we can't begin to fathom. It takes someone cut from a special mold to volunteer for the military.

The troops deserve our respect.

And if you have an extra prayer laying around, maybe you could say one for Jake.

Hi there!

Nothing like 2 months between posts. I guess no one really reads this anyway, so it shouldn't really matter.

But just in case someone does read this...HELLO! Long time no see! :)

Summer's just about over. I can't believe it. We've done some stuff, but nothing too exciting. And the places we did go to, I either forgot my camera or the memory card. So not many pictures. No bueno.

So...we're still here, still kickin'. No worries.

Something good...

I wasn't able to watch the much-hyped speech that President Obama gave in Cairo this morning. There has been so much talk about it over the past few days, a lot of positive and negative back and forth, and quite frankly, I was bored with it before it even happened. But, since he is our president, and because of where he was speaking and what he was addressing, I decided to read the full transcript of his speech earlier this afternoon.

The end of his speech truly touched me. I am a realistic person, and I realize that a lot of what he said is wishful thinking that will never come to fruition, becuase let's face it, there are too many people who really don't want peace, understanding, or to find common ground. There are people who are so filled with hate and misunderstanding that all they can do is hate and judge because they don't understand. And I'm not just talking about people in the Muslim countries...

Anyway, here's the last few paragraphs of his speech. What do you think?

"...we have a responsibility to join together to behalf of the world that we seek, a world where extremists no longer threaten our people and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes, a world where governments serve their citizens and the rights of all God's children are respected. Those are mutual interests. That is the world we seek.But we can only achieve it together. I know there are many, Muslim and non-Muslim, who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort, that we are fated to disagree and civilizations are doomed to clash.

Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust that has built up over the years. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith in every country. You more than anyone have the ability to reimagine the world, the remake this world.

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart or whether we commit ourselves to an effort, a sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

It's easier to start wars than to end them. It's easier to blame others than to look inward. It's easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion, that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

This truth transcends nations and peoples, a belief that isn't new, that isn't black or white or brown, that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world. It's a faith in other people. And it's what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Quran tells us, 'Mankind, we have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.'

The Talmud tells us, 'The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.'

The Holy Bible tells us, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'

The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth."

Goodies

Here are some youtubes that I love to watch.

I've talked about this one on my Facebook page a lot. Love it. So much. Watch it!




This may very well be the cutest, funniest kid I have ever seen:




And quite possibly my favorite:

Oh my HECK!

Can it be? Can it really be? Can it really be that I am finally updating my poor, neglected blog?

Here's a little update on the past few months:

• Went to Mesquite. Had a blast! Love these ladies:
  

• Hiked here:
  

• Took mom and Sharon to see:

• Welcomed a new, beautiful, perfect little niece:

That's about it.

I almost forgot!

Brianne took some fun pictures of Cam and me a few Sundays ago. We braved the cold and the mud in Payson park. Brianne is so talented. Being only 4'2" tall, she has such a unique perspective of the world. It really translated into her photos. And, really, she just has a really good eye for photography. She's gonna go far! Here are my faves:

Guilty of Neglect

Poor, poor neglected blog. I will try to do better. I've just been busy, and not in the mood to blog. But I will try to do better. In the meantime, I saw this on Sheri's blog and thought it was fun. You all know I love to read, so I thought I should see how many of these great books I have actually read:

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (x )
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (x)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (x)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (x)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (x )
6 The Bible - (Not the whole thing)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte ( )
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (x)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ()
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (x )
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott ( x)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ()
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (x)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (x)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier ( )
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (x)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ( )
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (x)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ()
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (x )
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald ( x)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens (x )
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ( )
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (x )
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ( )
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( )
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (x)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (x )
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (x )
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (x )
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (x )
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (x)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (x )
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (x )
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (x)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - (x )
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (x)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (x)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (x)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell ( x)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (x)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (x)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (x)
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ( )
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (x )
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ()
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (x)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan (x)
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ()
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ( )
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (x )
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ( )
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (x )
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ( )
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime-Mark Haddon ()
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (x)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (x)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ()
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (x )
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ( x)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac (x )
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ()
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (x )
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ( )
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (x)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (x )
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (x)
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (x )
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ( )
75 Ulysses - James Joyce ( )
76 The Inferno - Dante ()
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ( )
78 Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (x)
80 Possession - AS Byatt ( )
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (x)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ()
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (x )
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ()
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ( )
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (x)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (x )
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (x)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( )
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ()
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery ( x)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ( )
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ()
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ()
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (x )
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (x)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (x)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (x )

Wow! 59 down, only 41 to go!

Goal Update

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I really do appreciate it. I just thought that I would pass a long a few very helpful things that I have discovered as I've been trying to reign in spending and save a little more every month.

For help with grocery shopping costs, sistersavings.net is a very cool site. It takes all of the local grocery ads in Utah and Arizona, and it puts all of the special deals into either an Excel spreadsheet or a pdf. I love the spreadsheet, because I can look at what's on sale, and delete things at a certain store I'm not going to buy, and then add my own shopping list, print it out, and take it with me. As I've been trying to plan a menu, sometimes I even choose things to prepare based on what's on sale. It's also nice to stock up on food storage type items that are so cheap. A little a time is how we're supposed to do it, right?

Another site I love is pinchingyourpennies.com. You sign up for a free weekly email newsletter, and you get tips on all sorts of specials. You get grocery store specials, but also other random things. For instance, today I got a code for an extra 50% off clearance items at oldnavy.com. If you like to shop online occasionally, like I do, it's nice to see special little deals all in one place. If you need a code to get the deal, they usually have it there.

Also, I have to plug Dave Ramsey one more time. If nothing else, the budget planning software on the Total Money Makeover website is incredibly helpful and easy to use. It's making it very easy for me to plan and track our monthly spending.

Anyway, little things like these are very helpful to me, so I hope they can be helpful to some of you as well!

Resolu-SHUN!

So yeah, not a big fan of the New Year's Resolution. Why? Because it never sticks. I do really, really well for a week, and then it's off the wagon and back down bad habit road. So I'm taking a new approach. I'm trying a little something I learned in my class, and I'm going to form some new habits.

So, this year I'm setting some betterment goals to help me learn some positive new habits. These are things that need to be done, and things that I need to work on this year and every year. And I'm getting Cam in on this, too.

So, for the new year, and for the long haul, beginning in 2009, I will:

• Get in shape! We have been able to figure out some out of whack things in my body that have been making my life miserable, and we've come up with a solution that is FINALLY helping me to lose some of this nasty, stupid, mean, stubborn weight. Now the trick is actually getting in shape. Cam and I both really enjoy getting out into the wild and hiking about. The goal here is to be able to be my hiker chick self without getting too winded and side-achy. That is no fun, and me no likey.

• Simplify! We have too much crap sitting around our house that we don't use, or don't use often enough to justify keeping. So, off to D.I. it goes. Or, if you know anyone who wants an old (but still decent, though no matter how much we clean it, still smells slightly like dog) vaccuum with hose and hardwood floor cleaning attachment, let me know.

• Cook! We both like to cook. However, we hate our kitchen. Whoever designed it totally sucks. We have ZERO counter space, which is really discouraging when you want to prepare a meal. So we're going to move some things around, see if we can't figure out some system that will give us some more space to cook. It's just too easy to eat out a lot, where it's just the two of us. But the benefits of cooking far out-weigh the convenience of spending our hard earned cash in a restaurant. More cooking=healthier meals and lower food costs, and that will help with:

• Follow a Budget! We have stupid debt and we don't save money very well at all. To help remedy this, I have enrolled us in Zions Bank's free 3 month trial of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover program. I have made a budget. We are going to stick with it. And we are going to pay down our debts and save for a rainy day! Hooray!

There you have it. Should be easy, right? We shall see. Here's to starting 2009 off right! Wish me luck!

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.