A penny for your thoughts...

almost 2!

2011-08-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping a new fresh look will get me back into the groove of blogging. Even if no one is reading this, I love going back and reading old posts and realizing how fast time is flying by... and how poorly I am documenting the energy, fun, stress and patience that comes along with raising a toddler. I have an almost 2 year old and a 14 week growing belly so it's safe to say energy is a thing of the past.

I was planning on a longer post to catch ~~you~~ myself up on the fun of summer 2011 that has flown by but it took me an entire nap time to change my blog and now I hear this little man pounding on the walls...

Easter stud

2011-05-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Jonathan is so much fun right now (and by fun I mean he keeps me on my toes at every moment) - and if I attempt to sit down for two minutes you better believe he will eat, rip, throw, splash, or hide anything he can while I'm out of sight. As a family we love heading next door to the park or discovering new places to run around. We love going into San Francisco whenever we can (usually once a week), discovering new-to-us eateries and soaking up every minute of the fabulous weather we experience every day.

My cute friend Jessica took these pictures of Jonathan in the darling Easter outfit his grandma Shauna bought him while she was in town, with the classic bow tie made by Miranda. He looked so cute!!

18 months old

too much to handle

2011-03-02T20:44:00.001-08:00

Hello there Mr. Bloggy Blog. I hope you've been ok without me these past few weeks. I've been meaning to visit you, but what can I say... life happens, and blog is sent to the back-burner for a little while. I'm glad to know you are still here though. I have missed you and a lot has happened.

First let me start by saying... me and California are just meant to be. I love that I can take Jonathan to the park in the middle of January. I love that I got a sunburn in February and I love that Spring will actual start in well, the spring! I love that the Giants have been my favorite sports team since birth (ok, the Giants have been Jake's favorite sports team since birth - but we are like one person. I would actually say they have been my favorite sports team since we got engaged in 2007, k?) and we were able to witness the mayhem that was a World Series victory! A few weeks ago (on a gloriously beautiful Saturday afternoon) we headed into the city for the Giants Fanfest at AT&T Park. After sneaking in to see the trophy we weren't able to actually get into the ballpark because so many people showed up. But bless my wonderful husband's heart... he doesn't give up easily and somehow we found the one gate letting people in and made our way inside and on the field... it was so fun to run around right there where out favorite team plays ball. Even Jonathan could sense the excitement of this event and made the most of it. Go Giants! I can't believe I am saying this... but I actually can't wait for the season to start! Is it possible? Has my husband somehow converted me into sports mania? Um, no... I just like going to baseball games (because it means it's summer), eating a hotdog and singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Now blog, I know what you are thinking... "wow, that sounds like a terrific day!" Well, you are right, but it wasn't over. We decided since it was such a beautiful day and since we'd already thrown a nap for J out the window we might as well keep the party going. We headed to the beach to sink our toes into the sand and chase the waves. Jonathan was a natural at chasing the waves... however he isn't afraid of them yet... which makes a nervous wreck out of me, but fun was had by all!!

The only downside to California winter(s) that I have found is that cold and flu season seems to affect us no matter where we are. If someone could receive an award for longest cold... Jonathan would win. I swear he has had one runny nose after another, then a flu bug and now to top it all off he has an eye infection... probably pink eye, but I hate to call it that. We've spent a lot of time indoors these past two weeks trying to get better. I'll probably throw a mini celebration the day Jonathan no longer has a runny nose. You are invited:-)

Toddlerhood

2011-01-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Jonathan is such a performer. He loves having an audience and already has a way with women... trouble. Every day with a toddler brings something new, be it a new word, a new favorite food or a beloved temper tantrum.

At almost 15 months old I love everything about my toddler, he is sweet and loving, silly and giggly, curious and determined, outgoing and fearless, smart and willing to let me help, snotty nosed and messy faced, running more and walking less - it's not possible to love this guy more than I already do.

Recently Jonathan likes to wave to everyone and everything (pictures of people, animals and trees). He also blows kisses (more like smacks himself in the face)... cute nonetheless. He shakes his head all the time - it started out as his dance move, now he just randomly shakes his head... I wish I knew what he was thinking when he does this. His vocabulary is growing... some of his favorite words right now are "da da" - dad, "ba ba" - bottle, "yight" - light, "kah kah" - cracker, "kuck" - truck, "hot" - and then he blows on whatever is hot, he says "goo" - good when he gets something right and "hi" and then there's the animal noises - lion, cow, dog, cat, monkey, pig and duck are his best sounds. He surprises with me a new skill, sound or word almost daily. Jonathan loves footballs, basketballs, baseballs and soccer balls... and he likes to throw left handed which excites his dad. He hates having his diaper changed - he would do everything naked if he had his way. His appetite changes every day... one day he never seems full and the next day he doesn't seem to eat much at all. On that same note - Jonathan says "mmmm" when he takes a bite of food and when he takes a drink he says "aaahhhh". He loves to eat a whole apple... he will spend an hour devouring an apple. I realize he watches everything we do because he now loves to talk on the phone (mostly on his Elmo cell phone) and he points the remote at the TV... which is sad. He likes to put the keys in the crack of the front door as if he is unlocking the door. One day he actually escaped out the front door AND down the stairs - needless to say there is a latch on the front door now. Swinging at the park next door is a favorite activity, reading the same books over and over is a favorite, sliding down the hall and back in the laundry basket is so fun. We enjoy practicing our "social" laughter - Jonathan already knows how to fake laugh (but he never fake laughs at my jokes - only sincere genuine laughter for his mom). We clap for almost everything and play peek-a-boo even when no one is around. No one could possibly be as ticklish as Jonathan and I've never seen a toddler with an arm like Jonathan's. He loves to fake cry when he trips or bonks or pinches fingers in something and he still loves to be cuddled - which I have no problem with.

I can't wait to see what exciting new developments the next few months bring with them!

But for now enjoy these:

jjo and his cousins Will, Thomas and baby Annie

when we first arrived in slc and jjo saw Will he ran right up to him and gave him a hug... they are best buds and Will is always watching out for Jonathan.

New Year's at the cabin - looking like Randy from A Christmas Story... he couldn't put his arms down

Love this picture

Always getting into mischief - while trying to pack jjo decided to pack himself:-)

Ward Christmas Party on Santa's lap... didn't cry this time

I look awful in this picture because I was sick, but I realize I don't have many pictures of the three of us... hence the goal to take more pics in 2011. This picture was taken in front of the Oakland Temple Nativity.

Goals for 2011

2011-01-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

Things I'm looking forward to achieving this year:

- taking more pictures (I always convince myself that ordinary days aren't worth taking pictures... and then I regret it)

- meal planning (sometimes I forget to think about dinner until... well... dinnertime)

- get my scripture reading in every day... no excuses.

- complete a book each month (for January I will be finishing a book I've been reading off and on for 6 months... can I blame moving for my embarrassing lack of reading??) BTW - any book suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

- eat less :-) ... when you grow up with brothers you tend to fill your plate just to make sure you get any food at all... reminder to me: you don't actually have to consume all the food (snort snort)

- go on more dates with my husband!! We tend to forget how nice it is to sit down at a restaurant and visit... without entertaining a toddler.

- start paying my bills online - I need to stop writing checks and buying stamps. Don't ask me why I still do this... I couldn't tell you.

- be silly with Jonathan once a day - it's fun to tune out what other people think and just have fun with my little man.

Here's to a great year to come... I can feel it!!

And it just happened...

2010-12-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

It's come to my attention that my "little baby" is no longer my little baby. Somewhere in between mashed foods and clumsy steps my little angel has transformed into a food smashing, tantrum throwing, nonstop running toddler. And amazingly I still love him. Sure he spends the majority of his time doing the exact opposite of what I ask. Sure he threw a fit in the middle of Target because I had to strap him into his seat so he would stop standing up and giving me a heart attack. Amazingly I didn't snap when he threw the glass ornament on the tile floor and it broke. Nor did I get mad when he pulled every. single. item off the bookshelf while I was trying to cook dinner for guests. I might have drown out his crying in the car on the way home today with christmas music, but it worked. It was a long day. It amazes me though that my life is changing from a momma of a laid back baby to a baby who can make his own way out the front door and down the stairs, who gets his hands into the toilet quicker than I can run to stop him, who tests me by doing the same naughty things every day to see how I'll react. So glad this toddler of mine will still give me hugs and kisses and sit on my lap while I read story after story to him. I'm so glad I get to be home with my little guy every day and experience everything he says and does. But also so glad when he goes to bed each night:-) Is that bad?

A weekend to remember... and one to forget

2010-12-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! (last week). I hope you (my four followers) had a fun, relaxing weekend with people you care about. We've been taking advantage of our new surroundings and trying to enjoy all the festivities that take place in the Bay Area. Two out of two weekends have been unforgettable, but for completely different reasons. Weekend one we attempted to make it down to Embarcadero to watch the lights go on downtown. We made it in time, but it was pouring rain that night, so we were cold, wet and couldn't for the life of us figure out how to get the rain protector on the stroller.

doesn't JJO looked thrilled...

we didn't even bother getting a family picture because of the rain

We made it just in time for the lights to go on, watched the fireworks and then walked to the Ferry Building to find dinner. The least expensive option was also the most crowded and definitely not a baby friendly place. I, for the most part, do ok under baby pressure - crying in the grocery store, no problem, temper tantrum in church, no problem... for some reason in a crowded restaurant with no place to put my child or calm him down I start to sweat and the stress gets to me (mostly Jake suffers in these situations because I just end up in a really bad mood).

dinner was a lovely experience...

The next day we were planning on staying home, cleaning up, organizing and relaxing around the house. Then Jake was offered some last minute Cal vs. Stanford football tickets and said he "couldn't turn them down." I said I didn't want to go. It was cold. I was looking forward to the relaxing day home together. I didn't want to go through the extra work it is to do ANYTHING with a one year old. Yet, somehow the next thing I knew we were driving to the BART station. Nothing from this point on went well. The game was starting at 12:30... it was 12:30. We missed the first train and waited 20 minutes for the next. It was cold. We made it onto the BART, but had to transfer a little ways down the line... annoying. We finally made it to our stop then began the hike (uphill) to the stadium. The only bonus of this hike was it warmed me up slightly. It took us 20 minutes to get to the stadium only to find out the game wasn't even close and it was half-time. Stanford was killing Cal. Our seats were second row from the top and the seating was benches. So we were crammed on a bench with a toddler and a huge backpack full of supplies. What wasn't in the bag?? Diapers and wipes. Sweet. At this point I was having a laughing fit - not because I thought it was funny... but because everything had gone so wrong and the only way to control my anger was to laugh. It worked... kindof. Jake packed raspberries for Jonathan, but we had no wipes to clean him up with so he had a stained face and hands for the rest of the game. Jonathan's chubby hands barely fit in the gloves I brought him. I hate my raincoat... it's not comfortable.

this is a 'fake' smile picture from all of us

Seriously, nothing was going right. We finally gave in to the disaster that had become our "lazy" Saturday and headed home. Oh how I wish we could have just hopped in a car... It was another long hike down the hill, long wait to transfer trains and then a long ride to our car. The blessing of the day was when we walked in our front door and the downpour began. If the rain had started any earlier I would have completely lost it. You know those days???

Then Thanksgiving came and went. I managed to ruin a pumpkin pie... which is pathetic because I bought the crust and ONLY had to make the filling. Not difficult... but apparently it was... and I failed attempt #1. #2 was perfect. My homemade rolls were a hit as well. Our company was wonderful and the house was baby-proofed so I didn't have to worry (too much) about Jonathan. He is in a completely destructive phase. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother picking up the house since his goal all day long is to tear it apart.

Friday night was amazing. We decided we prefer to drive to the city with Jonathan, rather than take the BART. We headed into San Francisco for the annual tree lighting concert at Union Square. Luckily Jonathan manages to entertain the crowds around him wherever we go... he's a natural charmer. The lights were splendid and it was fun to feel the magic of the Christmas holiday kick into gear. We are so excited to embark on some new traditions as a family. We have always had our own families so close by that it seemed impossible to create our own traditions. This will forever be a Christmas season to remember... my first without snow, without the lights at temple square and no Scrooge night. I'm feeling nostalgic for the things back home, but grateful to have my own wonderful family to make new traditions with.

JJO loving his new beanie - i love his face in this picture

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

JJO's Big Milestone!

2010-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

A Celebration

2010-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

My baby is ONE and I can't believe it. I love scrolling through pictures on my phone watching him change a little in each picture. He is definitely a toddler. It would have been so wonderful to have all of Jonathan's friends and family around for his birthday, but unfortunately for him it was just me and his dad. Ok ok, my parents were in town too. So don't feel too bad for him. And he received lots of postal love as well, so he really wasn't forgotten at all.

My one request for the occasion was a big cake in front of my baby for him to dive into. I always love watching babies make an absolute mess of themselves. And I loved watching his face as we sang "Happy Birthday" and placed the cake in front of him. It was more a look of terror than anything else ("why are these people singing AT me so loudly with party hats, overly huge smiles and fire?"). I think these pictures say it all when it comes to Jonathan's feelings about chocolate cake...

my masterpiece (my sis-in-law will be disappointed... she's decorates cakes professionally)

one excited baby boy plus...

one M&M at a time plus...

one mouthful at a time plus...

two proud parents in party hats plus...

two wonderful grandparents and a very focused JJO plus...

more cake plus...

one baby trying to get his party hat off his head so he can focus on one thing and one thing only plus....

no words, plus...

one spatula plus

one chocolate cake destroyed and tossed overboard plus...

one round of "how big is baby?..." plus...

one birthday kiss from mom

EQUALS ONE HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Mother of the Year Award

2010-11-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a stupid parent does not put the stroller brake on, turns her head for a second and there is a concrete picnic table nearby. This definitely makes my Top 10 saddest moments of parenting (so far).

Bless his little heart, he got over it quick. I still have to see the results of my stupidity every time I look at his darling face.

A shout out...

2010-11-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

to the person who calms me down when I get frustrated

encourages me to step out of my comfort zone when he knows

how badly I want something

goes on walks with me

does the dishes every night

goes to work every day and lets me be home with Jonathan

lets me get out of the house when he can tell I need a break

cherishes his family

always compliments my dinners

(even when I know they don't deserve it)

has a better sense of fashion than me

plays "throw the balls down the stairs" over and over again with JJO

hugs me when I cry

always lets me order first

watches Dancing with the Stars with me

explains sports to me

listens to me when I vent

reads my mind and takes me to get a treat

calls to say "hi"

encourages me to be better at reading my scriptures

(I'm the worst...)

is just as stubborn as me

holds my arm when we cross the street as protection

remembers something I said days, weeks, months ago

washes my car for me

sends me picture texts of something funny daily

and loves me despite my many faults!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my Jake! You make every day better than the last and I love you.

Top 25 things I've learned in my first year of motherhood

2010-10-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

25. Nursing is not easy. But once I got the hang of it I really loved it.

24. "Mother's Instinct" is a real thing. And when Jonathan was 2 weeks old it kicked into high gear when he had a 102.7 fever and ended up in Primary Children's for 72 hours with a UTI.

23. Sleep is precious. I am aware of how lucky I am to have a baby that started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks and has only woken me up a few times since then in the wee hours of the night.

22. It's ok to disrupt the "schedule." It may end up being one really long day when that baby misses a nap or goes to bed late, but it's not the en of the world.

21. Church becomes the longest 3 hours of the whole week. Seriously, it gives me anxiety.

20. I still have time to do things I need to do. (I need to exercise, I need to go on excursions, I need to "research" on the internet, I need to wander around the mall today...)

19. On the other hand - somedays it's ok not to shower:-)

18. There is no such thing as running a "quick errand" anymore. Do I have snacks? Do I have diapers? A book? A toy? Sweatshirt? Binky? Bottle? Just in case...

17. I hate unsolicited advice. Please don't stop me in the park to tell me the sun is in my son's eyes. I'm not purposely torturing him, but we do have to walk westward to get home... thank you very much.

16. It's not all about me. I realize how selfish I've been all my life. I now care more about what is best for someone else more than me.

15. Father/Son relationships are so sweet. There is nothing more exciting around here than watching Jonathan light up when Jake walks through the door after a long day at work. Jonathan crawls so fast towards his dad that he often falls over himself because his arms can't move as fast as his little legs.

14. Date nights are a treasured event. I can count the number of date nights we've had one finger since we've moved. It was so great to have a night out together... and then spend the entire night talking about Jonathan.

13. Babies are the best alarm clock. I have no problem waking up to a happy singing child.

12. Giggling is the best cure for a bad day. I could be having a totally "off" day or homesick day or "blah" day, and somehow hearing Jonathan giggle can cure whatever is bothering me.

11. Poop, throw-up and boogers aren't that bad... when it's your own kid. And also, when your husband gets puked on, then holds your baby like a football saying "what do I do, what do I do??" it makes for a good laugh.

10. There is no such thing as a 'sick day.' It was a great thing when I would call in sick to work and just lay on the couch all day watching movies and sleeping until I started to feel better. I realize it doesn't work like that as a mom.

9. Buying magnetic letters for a 1st birthday was dumb. All that has happened since putting them on the fridge is Jonathan removing them, me putting them back, Jonathan removing them, me putting them back. Do you see the pattern here??

8. Buying something for my child is as exciting as buying something for myself. I love baby shopping.

7. Babies are the best excuse. "Oh we can't stay long, this guy's gotta go to bed." "Sorry I didn't answer when you called, I was changing a diaper." "You're selling magazines? I'd love to, but my baby ate my checkbook. Sorry!"

6. Baby necessities are pricey. Remember the show Supermarket Sweep? I now realize why diapers and formula were always the first items in the shopping cart. I would rule that game!

5. When my child gets hurt or sick, I wish it was me instead.

4. The worst comment someone made to me when I was pregnant was "enjoy the baby while it's still inside... once they come out you're life is forever changed." Duh. Obviously a child is going to change my life. And I much prefer him now rather than pinching nerves and kicking my bladder.

3. Sometimes reading the same books over and over again gets boring. How many times can we go on a Bear Hunt or watch the Caterpillar eat his heart out? I suggest reading with a new accent each time. I'm currently working on my british accent.

2. The stretch marks are definitely worth it. (And when I am done having kids it will definitely be worth the money to have them corrected.)

1. There is nothing more heart-melting than the look my baby gives me when I walk in his room after his nap or first thing in the morning. It's as if he hasn't seen me in days and couldn't be more excited that I'm there. I love it. Even when he has pulled off his diaper and peed in the crib.

Happy Birthday!!

2010-10-25T15:53:00.001-07:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to the most fun-loving, silly, handsome, curious, motivated, energetic, smart, talkative, stubborn, lovable boy I have ever met. I am one lucky mama!!

Park Day

2010-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned several times that we have the convenience of a park right next door to us. So on those afternoons when Jonathan is stir crazy, I'm stir crazy and we have no errands to run we make an extra trip to the park. We are there almost every day:-). My (almost) one year old is not yet walking, but can crawl at record breaking speed! He darts from the sandbox to the slide to the swing set and back again. Needless to say we are always worn out and sweating when we leave the park. I am loving watching Jonathan explore and discover (don't love when he discovers things with his mouth - but with his eyes and hands I'm ok). He loves to swing high, slide fast with mom and toss sticks into the sandbox. I love being this baby's mama!

I have to laugh at how huge my face always looks in these self portraits:-). Behind the gargantuous nose is my face.

How can you not love this face?

Boys and trucks... I will never understand:-)

And we're taking a break... love me some baby thighs

Notice the rosy cheeks - we play hard

Getting ready to wish this little man a Happy Birthday next week! Greatest year of my life!

Joan's Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I realized this past weekend that I have always wanted to go to a real pumpkin patch. I think I was the most excited (out of three of us) for this adventure! Not a "wannabe" pumpkin patch on Highland Drive in the Cottonwood Mall parking lot (although now I'm sad realizing that memory can no longer be seeing as there is no longer a Cottonwood Mall). I love watching Jonathan explore his surroundings. He really is a man of nature... he gets right down in the dirt... he'll even eat the dirt to prove he is fearless er something. Actually I think the only reason he eats the dirt is because he hears me say "Jonathan, don't put that in your mouth," and immediately following my request is disobedience. We had fun watching Jonathan play around in the pumpkins, lose interest in the farm animals, not ride the ponies and do everything in his power to avoid eye contact with the camera. It really was a fun NEW family tradition. Even though JJO is still a little young to really enjoy the awesomeness that is Joan's Pumpkin Farm, I think it's safe to say he had a fun time posing for pictures and riding on his dada's shoulders. He just loves it when we are all hanging out together. As do I.

After an exhausting task of picking out the perfect pumpkin (pictures to come) we decided to stop for lunch... at In N' Out. But then we came across Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop and decided to take a chance. We were NOT disappointed! Next time we pass by Livermore you can bet we'll be enjoying a yummy fresh sandwich from Mr. Pickles (my sandwich tasted even better when I followed it up with the complimentary chocolate chip cookie that came with my meal).

Lately...

2010-10-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

we had a picture taken in this same spot in July 2007 - the day before Jake proposed :-)

San Francisco is a 30 minute drive from our home, so we try to take advantage of that as often as possible. Sometimes for a Friday night family outing to Fisherman's Wharf, sometimes for an adventure to find a highly recommended sandwich shop that no longer exists and definitely for a day at AT&T Park to watch our Giants.

I love the Giants. I may not act excited to watch EVERY time they play, but they are Jake's favorite team and I love Jake, so it only seems natural to love the Giants. I also love watching Jake try to conceal his excitement when we're actually able to go to a game... he's not quite as animated, loud and obnoxious as me when I'm excited, but there's definitely a little skip in his step as we walk to the ballpark. Seriously, he kindof skips - I can only guess it's because he wants to be there in the stadium that much sooner. It's never because we're running late... I've never been to a baseball game with Jake and NOT been at least one hour early. We walk around the entire ballpark, take some pictures, talk about the team (Jake talks, I listen), buy souvenirs and eat hotdogs.

This particular game was Jonathan's first game... and he lasted all NINE innings. What can I say, he's a sports fan, just like his dada.

Jake and Jonathan

it's impossible to get my son to look at the camera

GO GIANTS!

Our "Crib"

2010-10-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

I think I already mentioned that we love our new location. We have a park next door, a walking trail in the backyard, five minute walk to the BART station and the charming downtown streets are only a mile away. It's great!

Before moving here we left JJO with my parents for a weekend and drove 11 1/2 hours so we could then spend two whole days driving all around the Bay Area looking for a place to live. We'd had some recommendations given to us that turned out to be far from what we were expecting... when your husband says "this place reminds me of where I lived on my mission" - you immediately cross it off your list and move on.

I mostly love the place we ended up. It's a good size, perfectly located, clean and have I mentioned it's perfectly located?? I don't necessarily love the 90's looking kitchen cabinets, nor do I love the entire upstairs painted one color (walls/molding/doors), I definitely don't love the bookshelf our landlord built entirely out of mirrors... but I DO love the big bedrooms and bathrooms attached to each bedroom, our balcony, our big closet, the endless cupboard space in our puny kitchen and the stairs that keep Jonathan entertained for lots of minutes at a time!

For the first week here we had an ironing board, air mattress, pack n' play, laptop, folding chair and paper plates, bowls and cups. Here's some before pictures of our place.

I'm currently working on plans to paint and accessorize, so if you have any suggestions I'd love ideas on how to make a glass bookshelf look less reflect-y and what color to paint one or two walls in the master bedroom and JJO's room and how to make a muted color in the bathroom look less awful.

the dining room/family room/front room

the master bedroom (i couldn't really see the point in "making the bed"...so I didn't)

JJO's room... so depressing

the not so lovely but very useful kitchen... I whip up fabulous meals in this kitchen (in my mind... in the future.)

I'll post current pictures of our place next time... it looks slightly better with furniture and art.

Thanks to Laura...

2010-09-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

The week we moved I had some professional pictures taken of JJO by my good friend Laura. It was so funny to watch her catch his attention, make him laugh and then keep him smiling for a whole 10 seconds! Like I said... she's a professional. My favorite part of the day was watching JJO give Laura his "cheesy" grin, when he scrunches his nose and squints his eyes... he was definitely working the camera.

Here are a few of my favorites... although it was hard to choose.

the cheesy grin...

I am realizing how hard it is to capture a moment with a s-l-o-w camera that snaps the picture 2 seconds too late. Any recommendations for a more professional camera that a not so clever mom could capture a moment with?

The latest and greatest

2010-09-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

I know... it's been awhile. But in my defense, alot has been going on. The fairly short version is Jake got a new job and we were willing to relocate... so we've relocated to Northern Cal. Lucky us! It was a whirlwind summer consisting of Jake being gone alot for a program that helped him get this job and then training for the job. I was a single parent for all of June, half of July and half of August, and let's please keep in mind I was responsible for packing up an entire house while raising our adorable son, who got hand foot and mouth disease (i hate calling it a disease) two weeks before we moved (insert huge sigh of relief, nerves, stress, sadness and excitement). Like I said... it's been crazy.

Now things have shifted slightly to - I have absolutely NOTHING on my plate. Everyone tells me to enjoy this time of nothing because it won't last long, but to be honest it's been a little boring and lonely at times. I actually absolutely love our new location - 1 mile from downtown, run/walk/bike path right in our backyard, park next door and BART station right down the street. It's perfect! What I need on my plate now is some sort of something. When baby J (now 11 months old and super adorable) is awake we run errands, go to the park and go on walks, but he's in that oh-so-fabulous stage of two lengthy naps a day and I get bored. I don't want to cook and clean and organize all the time, so I'm finding downtime to be a little on the dull side. So I've come up with a list of things I want to do and I'm going to make use of baby J's awake time to explore and enjoy the millions of activities that surround us. And if a nap or two is missed so be it... at least I'll have something great to blog about, rather than explaining the most recent re-run on Matlock I watched. We are 30 minutes east of San Francisco, so if you readers "hello? do I have any readers anymore?" have any suggestions for FREE fun with an 11 month old I'd love to hear from you!

And now a Jonathan update:

This blue-eyed, chubby cheeked baby keeps my days filled with excitement, smiles and lots of laughs. JJO knows how to melt my heart with his snuggles, cheer me up with his open-mouthed sometimes tonguey kisses and wear me out with his constant mischief. He is in the 'put everything in my mouth' stage, so I am constantly finger swiping paper, sticks, rocks, sand, carpet strings and toilet paper from his mouth. He is a one knee and one foot crawler, but he cruises at high speeds. He walks around furniture and sometimes forgets that he doesn't know how to walk and lets go of furniture, balances for a few seconds that smashes down on his bum. He fake cries and then smiles at me because I laugh, then he fake cries again and again because he thinks it's funny (it really is). He LOVES playing with dad. He always finds his mini basketballs when dad gets home so they can play catch... love this! He loves looking at books himself, but my favorite is when he has a book, then kindof throws it to me because he wants me to read it to him. Then I snuggle him up on my lap and we look at books over and over again. Jonathan has discovered that he can play with his food rather than swallow it... so he'll take a bite of food then stick his hand in his mouth, grab the food and shake it onto the floor... where Louie is waiting to clean up the mess. He loves walks... sometimes they calm him and he's quiet the whole time and other times he bounces up and down in his seat, squeals really loud and brings alot of attention to himself. The grocery store is always fun because Jonathan enjoys talking (his own language) up and down the aisles... the ladies love this and he makes lots of friends wherever we go. He loves pulling/petting Louie and playing tug-o-war. He loves being chased up the stairs, caught and tickled (laughs hysterically at this). Loves bathtime. Loves knocking blocks over. Loves the ceiling fan in the bedroom and points to it every time he wakes up as if it's something new. Loves when I come in the get him in the mornings... jumps up and down in his crib and laughs. I can't believe it's almost been 1 year since this little man changes mine and Jake's lives. We feel like the luckiest parents in the world!

You want to kiss this face... don't you?? (notice the curls growing on the sides - hoping it stays curly)

Not quite sure what happened to my hair... I guess a windy day in SF will do that to me:-)

Farmers Market at the Ferry Building in SF... favorite Saturday morning activity!

Excited to watch his first Utah Football game with Dad and the only other Utah fans in our ward.

Life with a 6 (and a 1/2) month old

2010-05-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Loving that my baby...

sleeps 7-7 these days

lights up when he sees his mom

gets really loud while in his highchair in the morning eating cheerios

is super ticklish

loves bathtime

can sit up by himself and nothing else (mom tells me to enjoy every minute of immobilization)

knows how great his dad is

stands up while holding my fingers and then looks around like "hey... look at me... I stand"

makes farting noises with his lips

laughs hysterically at Louie

loves to eat... i can't believe he doesn't weigh more

sits calmly when we read to him

forgets that he can roll over and then gets mad that I've laid him down

already prefers my keys and cell phone above his toys

razzes rather than criesn

pinches me when I'm nursing him

pinches the backs of my arms... oh wait, I don't love the pinching

kicks his shoes off as soon as i put them on and smiles as if it's some sort of game

stares at strangers and drools (in the way you try to teach kids is impolite)

flies like a champ

follows me when someone else is holding him like "where are you going? don't leave me."

grabs faces (particularly funny when he grabs old people faces and gets a handful of excess skin)

arches his back and makes everything awkward

loves ABC's the best (I guess it's catchy, but favorite?... weird)

loves walks

laughs at my serious voice

laughs when I hide behind the bed and jump up saying "BOO!" and startle him

laughs when I dance and sing for him

laughs through tears when I try to distract him from whatever is making him cry

laughs when I make up songs

smiles his adorable smile when we get him out of his crib in the morning

Lots of love going on here... nothing but for the past 6 1/2 months.

p.s. These pictures were all taken during mine and Jonathan's trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Andersons... hence the reason Jake is missing from these photos.

p.p.s. Thanks to Miranda for taking ALL the pictures on this trip - she's got skills... and a nice camera.

p.p.p.s. maybe I'll start blogging more... ha! good one.

Figuring things out...

2010-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Life with a baby is tricky... for me. It seems ridiculous to blame not showering, no dinner and a messy house on the baby... but I manage to do it... frequently. So naturally I also don't seem to have time to blog. But really I could make time for all these things... I'm still working on a system. Once we get nap-time nailed down I'll become the domestic goddess I never knew I could be. My husband will be thrilled.

Jonathan is a whopping 5 months old and somehow manages to be the most adorable baby there ever was. His latest stats at his well check up were 98th percentile for height (28in.) and 53rd percentile for weight (16.1lbs)... he truly is a string bean. By the time his pants fit around the waist they are too short for his legs. And I don't know where is monkey arms came from, but most shirts are a stylish 3/4 look on him... he's got long limbs.

Baby J has an amazing falsetto and a beautiful squeal. He can roll over from tummy to back and is very close to achieving back to tummy success... that darn arm is always in his way. He is a wiggly worm. I will lay him down at night and come back in the morning to find his head at the opposite end of the crib. He thinks he is so funny. He loves holding things in his hands and is finally figuring out that if he shakes, swings or throws something it makes rattling noises... he loves that. He will put anything in his mouth. He loves going on walks. He smiles constantly. He thinks our dog (Louie) is the funniest creature that ever walked the planet. He loves it when his mom plays cheesy music and dances and sings for him (mom loves that she gets to do this!) He loves talking to his dad. He can almost sit up on his own. He discovered his feet and has been known to gnaw on his big toe from time to time (hilarious). Johnny Jump Up is the BEST purchase we ever made (will attempt to post footage of this). Loves peek-a-boo. Loves books. Loves staring at the TV (worried about this:-)). The only times this kid is unhappy is when he's hungry and when he has to wear clothes... it's as if I'm torturing him when he has to wear clothes. Parents of Jonathan love him to pieces... seriously - how is it possible to love someone so much you can't even think about it without tearing up? He is the greatest blessing in our lives and makes every day the BEST day. Being a mom really is hard, but I couldn't love any job more.

Here are a few recent favorites...

To dream...

2010-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Every year on December 31st I get overly excited to set some achievable yet challenging goals and really stick to them for the year. 2010 was no different. I thought of some goals (although I must be getting lazy because this year I didn't even write them down) and I was ready to workout more and stop eating dessert after every meal. And then I woke up on New Years Day with a cold. I don't know about anyone else, but the last thing I want to worry about when I am sick is getting a good workout and eating vegetables. I want to sit on my couch and eat Noodle Soup (with about 10,000g of sodium) and buttery toast. And if dessert will make me feel better (mentally not physically) I will eat that too. So, needless to say... January wasn't quite the start to the new year I was anticipating.

And so... come February 1st I am a new woman! I will workout more and eat less dessert (it's not realisitic to rule it out completely - I'd be setting myself up for failure!) And if I fail in February... there is always March and April and May and....well, you get the point.

Another goal... spend more time with the most handsomest, happiest and overall best baby that ever lived. I have been back to work part-timish this month and I have never missed a person more! Luckily we will have more time to spend together also beginning in February. I can tell February is really going to be my month!

Jonathan is 3 months old and on Saturday morning he decided to rollover from his tummy to back... I have video but can't figure out how to add it to my blog. The reason for the video?? Mom missed this major milestone!! There may have been tears... major tears when this certain mother found out she missed the big event. Sigh...

Here are some recent faves of the little man.

This HOT onesie was the first item we bought when we found out I was pregnant. We were at Venice Beach and thought it would be fun to get him a souvenir. This onesie was washed at least 5 times before entering the nursery:)

Big Utah fan.

Staring at the TV... football to be exact.

Sometimes we go shirtless. How else can he show off those ripped abs?!?!

And a personal favorite.... like father, like son. Too cute!

brand new year...

2010-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

I recently decided (and by recently, I mean less than 10 minutes ago) that one of my goals for 2010 is to be more consistent with my blog... maybe once a month to start off and then I can increase from there... if I feel like it. Other goals include fixing my tummy area so that it doesn't "jiggle like a bowl full of jelly" when I laugh, reading more, tivo-ing less, cooking more, dining out less, playing with baby J more, working less and so on... But now I actually have something to blog about, so that goal should be easy to attain.

So, it's week one of 2010 and I'm off to a rocky start... hopefully this week is not the beginning of a trend for me this year. The year started with a cold... one I am still trying to kick. It was followed by two restless nights of Jonathan being a stinker and waking up multiple times through the night, even though he knows he much prefers sleeping until 6:30am. He then remembered that he prefers to sleep all night, but I was up on my own instead with a pile of tissues next to me, sneezes that could send a person across a room and a sore throat. These symptoms may sound horrible, but no head cold could possibly be more miserable than the first week back at work without baby J.

Like I said... not off to a good start in 2010. I was reading another blog and got an idea to choose a one word goal for the new year. My word is going to be "optimism." I can think of plenty of reasons to complain and stress, so I'm going strive to turn my focus towards the positive. I want to remember the good that can come from things rather than the bad. It is unfortunate that I am sick, but it's been an excuse to leave work early every day this week so I can see Jonathan even sooner! (I didn't say it is always EASY to find the good in a situation).

Also in 2010 there will be plenty of pictures of this stud to go around:

baby j

2009-12-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Jacob Olson

born sunday october 25th 2009 at 8:44pm

weighed a whopping 8lbs 14oz

length was 22 inches

jonathan is 10 weeks old and is the most adorable, lovable, chill little dude and we are so blessed to have him in our lives! i know i haven't blogged since he was born, but let's be honest... he is way more fun and exciting to me than my blog is. as we speak i am listening to him 'coo' and 'gurgle' and he talks to the little mobile of creatures than circle above his head in the swing. ahhh... i love this little guy.

so for your enjoyment here is a bunch of pictures of baby j from the last seven weeks of crazy good times!

p.s. jonathan slept from 9:30pm last night to 7am this morning... what a trooper! mom was of course up every hour from 2am on checking on him because of this unusual (but hopefully regular) occurence.

16 days to go... or more (but please, not more)

2009-10-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

As slow as I think time is going, it really is flying by because here I am at 38 weeks pregnant and in my last week of work! Jake and I are getting more and more excited - and I love that everytime I call someone they answer with "are you in labor??" - of course I wish I was calling to tell them I'm in labor, it just isn't the case... yet. My favorite is when I call Jake and he answers like this "I'm on the other line with a client... are you in labor?" When I say 'no' he says, "ok, then I'll call you back." Everybody is just waiting for the call. I love it.

A few people have requested pictures of the nursery so I've included some below. The walls are still bare, but I'm waiting for my adorable etsy purchase to be custom framed and the rest I figure I'll fill up as time goes on... pictures of the babe most likely. Any suggestions? I've had fun seeing the nursery gradually come together.

p.s. in the above picture you will see the works of my dear friend Natalie displayed. She made the most amazing quilt and we adore it. I'm just glad Natalie was kind enough to make such a masterpiece AND still decide to give it away. What a great friend indeed!!

I'm also looking for some baby book recommendations... what are your favorites? I have a good start, but would love to know what my friends suggest.

And lastly... here I am - 264 days pregnant. Yes... the face is getting rounder - it's the Oreos. 3 days left of work. 1 baby shower to enjoy. 0 classes left to teach. And who knows how many days until wee little one arrives. I'll keep you posted.

And here's one for a good chuckle... clothes just aren't fitting quite right anymore - this picture makes me laugh.

pps - any photographer suggestions? I know someone I would love to take the pictures, but she doesn't live in Utah, so that doesn't work out so well... I could use some recommendations for newborn pics. Thanks!

35 weeks (this is getting to be ALOT of weeks)

2009-09-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing that people start throwing baby showers in the last few weeks of pregnancy, because otherwise there wouldn't be much to enjoy. I do have the excitement of meeting this little guy soon to keep me getting through the motions of every day, but I need these constant celebrations to keep me sane.

When I think about it, I really shouldn't have much to complain about... I haven't thrown up once, I'm not on bed rest, I'm not swelling, I get to eat Oreos everyday and not feel guilty about it, I can still participate in physical activities and I'm able to function just as I did before (almost) on a regular daily basis... but my hips hurt and my back aches and it feels like someone punched me right on the pubic bone and I have a basketball under my shirt wherever I go, I have to pee at least 4 times a night, I need naps but if I take too long of a nap I can't fall asleep at night, I miss my old wardrobe, I miss intense workouts, I miss being able to reach my toes and tie my shoes. And I'm pretty sure Jake misses going a whole day without me getting emotional over something. Jake, if you are reading this... you have been a trooper, but I like to think, so have I.

But it'll be worth it... right??

We've made it to the 5 week countdown (yipee!)... I know this little guy is aching for a little more room than I'm providing in my belly, so hopefully my mental wavelengths are reaching him and he will get the message that it's ok with me if he makes his appearance a little earlier than the 22nd... just a little early, not tomorrow early.

Anyway, here's a few pictures from the fabulous shower I was able to enjoy with a few of my oldest and dearest friends. Thanks for fun games, amazing food, cute gifts and an overall "bitchin" day!

Lindsay, Tess and Allie... three friends I have known for years - love these ladies!!

Brooke, me and Nat... I felt a little violated in this picture and Nat looks like she's enjoying it way too much :). Kidding lady! p.s. We didn't plan the b/w theme, we are just that in sync.

Natalie MADE this... I am so impressed with her quilting abilities. I will never let baby Olson poop on this blanket.

Brooke, me, Tess, Linds, Allie, Bekah, Jess, Katie and Nat. So cute!

And... Katie and me at 35 weeks. She is due two days after me, but I'm preparing myself for her to go into labor before me... sigh. I love that my belly is basically at Katie's chest... the tallest and shortest of friends pregnant together. (What you can't see is Katie on tip toes and me squating lower to try to match our bellies).

30 weeks and 'The Windy City'

2009-08-26T07:53:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago from today I was packing up and heading to the airport with Jake for one last carefree and wild vacation before we become parents and responsibility hits us like a ton of bricks. Yeah, we're wild and crazy... didn't you know??

Chicago was awesome. Yes, we went to Chicago for our last trip. This is how it happened. I mentioned to Jake that we should go somewhere before the little babe shows up, Jake agreed and then sent me an email at work one day with the following options; New York, Boston and Chicago. Well, I love all these cities, so I emailed back and said "all good options, you choose." Jake's reply "I don't care which of these cities we go to... I just want to watch baseball." So after a few more emails we decided on Chicago. It was fabulous. I will admit that Chicago is definitely a 'walking' vacation, and when you are 30 weeks pregnant and 22lbs heavier than usual you will wear down. I have no complaints though - except for maybe when our flight was delayed for 2 hours at O'Hare airport... while we were on the airplane. I may or may not have cried... on the plane... in front of many strangers. I'm a ridiculous pregnant mess.

Here are a few pregnant pictures for your enjoyment (and my embarassment). I swear I don't remember what it was like to NOT be pregnant... pants without a stretchy waistband exist???

Jake and me walking through Millenium Park. This was right after our night at the Art Institute of Chicago... I love being able to walk everywhere. This was one of my favorite nights.

I don't remember which bridge this was... maybe Deerborne(?). We had to cross the river every night to get back to our hotel, it was always my favorite part of the walk. One, because it's beautiful and two, because I knew we were almost to our destination when we were crossing the river.

You can't go to a Cubs game and not wear Cubs gear... so here we are decked out as Cubbie fans, I loved being a Cubs fan! Go Cubs Go! Wrigley Field is amazing. And going to a professional baseball game with Jake is a completely different experience because he tells me the history of all things baseball and makes me appreciate everything associated with the sport. I love how Jake starts walking faster and stopping at random locations to explain something to me about the field or the team.

I almost went with this Cubs shirt, but settled for a picture instead. Little Olson will be sleeping in little Cubbie pj's soon... that was his souvenir.

On Sunday morning before our flight, we took an architectural tour of the city. This ended up being one of our favorite activities! The history of Chicago and plans behind all of the buildings was amazing to learn about. I asked someone to take our picture during the tour, but I didn't bother to move away from the giant railing behind us, so you can't even see the view of the city. I get mad every time I look at that picture, so you get the close up face shot instead. Did you know that Lake Michigan is almost 2ft. higher than the river? Crazy.

Now it's two weeks later and I am sad our vacation is over. However, this means I am two weeks closer to my due date! October 22nd is eight weeks away!! I am trying my hardest to be pleasant and energized... trying.

P.S. Please don't laugh at my pregnant pictures.

26 weeks down.... 14 to go!

2009-07-15T13:11:00.001-07:00

I'm not a big fan of these profile pictures... I don't quite know if I should smile or not... plus I obviously didn't feel like wearing much makeup on this particular day. Would lip gloss and eyeliner really have been too much to ask?? (sigh) What can you do.

I still have one pair of jeans and one pair of black capris (pictured above) that I manage to squeeze into... I'm just waiting for the buttons to break off the capris, however the jeans are holding strong. Other than that I'm all about the comfort of maternity clothes... except for the other day when I wore a maternity shirt for the first time and a lady assumed I was having twins... people need to learn to keep their mouths shut.

I survived nonstop hiking/crafting/playing at Girls Camp this past weekend... along with very few hours of sleep. These things are tough on us pregsters, but I managed just fine. My list of "things happening before baby arrives" is getting shorter and shorter. I still have Sun Valley to look forward to, and a "last hoorah" trip to Chicago with Jake to top off my summer. I can't wait!

I officially enter my third trimester in 8 days (according to the iPregnancy app on my phone). Trimester 2 just flew by, which is really too bad because from everything I've read and heard, the second trimester is the most pleasant... apparently I am supposed to keep getting bigger in the belly region... and most things become quite uncomfortable from here on out. Lovely.

Some days are better than others. I can't quite decide if I am super emotional because of pregnancy or if I have always been like this. The things that upset me seem totally logical, but when it comes to explaining why I am upset... I don't really know what is wrong. It's quite frustrating! Hopefully I will look back at these crazy times and laugh at myself for being such a wacko.

In the meantime... does anyone have any chocolate??

a new "blog"inning

2009-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

you may have given up on me... but i'm back... and pregnant. if you didn't know this, you are way out of the loop. this has been an exciting couple of weeks for two reasons - number one, we finally found out we are having a boy and i must say he is going to be a handsome little guy. number two - the halfway point has come and gone as of last week! yay! now i get to watch my little ipregnancy app on my phone show the days getting less and less. this is very exciting.

i also must tell you that i have many a good reason for giving up on the blog for a few months. not only did a bun slip into my oven, but i do in fact work everyday and i still teach classes during the week and i am the newly acclaimed YW president in my ward. so i feel ok saying i've been a bit busy. and let's not forget i already have a baby-- louie the min pin-- and a husband. see how busy i am.

if you're wondering about my pregnancy it's really been great so far. the first trimester kinda sucked for about three weeks when no food sounded good. all my favorite things to eat didn't appeal to me. i also really don't like feeling fat. i am finally to a point where i actually look pregnant to other people. noticing my pants feeling tighter and tighter and the zipper being harder and harder to close was depressing to say the least... but i'm on to stretchy pant phase and i haven't looked back since. i also might be a little emotional... or alot -- just don't ask jake which it is. oh and i don't function socially after 10pm. good times with me.

so -- here it is. me at 20 weeks (even though now i'm 21 weeks - woot woot!) sorry about the matching purple wall and purple shirt... not on purpose.

live by these...

2009-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

i found this list on a blog i read often. i like this list because it's not overwhelming. these are all things that can help me become my best self, and i think that's something we should always strive for.

1. always be on time
2. look people in the eye
3. tell the truth
4. don't smoke
5. drink lots of water
6. exercise
7. eat healthy
8. read
9. be nice
10. never give up

And the countdown begins....

2009-02-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Just 2 short months until a fabulous occasion... the birthday of moi. Get excited!!

Me (with my head on the desk) for the past week.

2008-11-14T08:40:00.001-08:00

In the last 7 days I have sat through SIX eight hour trainings... one of these trainings took up my Friday, Saturday and Sunday last week, and the other three allowed me to accomplish absolutely nothing at work for three days. I have to admit, both trainings were actually more stimulating than the image above, but sitting for eight hours a day and being overloaded with information is seriously wearing on one's mind and body. My muscles are suffering from lack of use this past week and my brain is on overload.

But..... I made it. And now it is all in the past. (sigh) Life is good.

No wonder our nation is OvErWeIgHt

2008-11-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Just once I would like to walk into our lunch meetings and see something other this for lunch.

Gross.

The best seat in the house is right by your side...

2008-11-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

You know it's meant to be when on your One Year Anniversary you exchange cards with your husband only to find that you've each picked out the same card for the other.

I can't believe it's been a year already. I don't even remember what we did all year, I just know it has been well worth it. And our anniversary celebration on Saturday was wonderful, low key, but so fun to have a whole Saturday to spend together NOT working around the house and yard. We somehow managed to enjoy a FREE dinner at La Caille (where we originally celebrated). Here's a picture of us in post dinner bliss holding our stomachs in from the savory food we just enjoyed.

Sunday was our actual anniversary, so that night we unwrapped the top layer of our wedding cake from 2007 and poured ourselves some sparkling.... milk (it just goes better with chocolate cake). Milk in margarita glasses just doesn't look right... but somehow tasted more wholesome and pure in those fancy shmancy glasses.

I won't be sharing the photo of Jake and me toasting our one year anniversary in our sweats. The angle is all wrong and my face looks weird from laughing so hard... Jake couldn't believe I actually wanted a picture of us holding glasses of milk... classic!

P.S. Our one year old wedding cake was surprisingly moist and quite delightful tasting! Thanks to Dad Anderson for doing his cake preserving research on Google:)

This and That

2008-10-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

8 Things I like a whole lot
1. Jake
2. Louie
3. teaching aerobics
4. the beach/summer
5. chocolate
6. naps
7. date nights
8. weekends

8 Things I say often
1. "NO!" (to all things Louie...)
2. "Sorry" (I'm one of those people that says sorry even when it's not my fault)
3. "Are you serious?!" (I say this to other cars when I'm driving... as if they can hear me)
4. "I'm tired" (I am. I am always tired... I loved naps and going to bed early - neither of these ever happen.
5. "Can you help me?" (I've been at my job for 18 months and I still always have questions)
6. "Are you guys hungry, when should we go to lunch??" (Everyday at 11am I am ready for lunch.)
7. "3 knee repeater!" (A classic move in any step aerobics class - I like to throw this one in there and see the variety of 3 knee repeaters... you'd be amazed!)
8. "Whose turn is it?" (I can never remember whose turn it is to pray, and there's only two of us)

8 Things I want to do before I die
1. Have a family of my own
2. Travel Europe (Dru- can I join you on your 2 month backpack trip??)
3. Finish a marathon
4. Move out of Utah for a year or so
5. Figure out what my "niche" is in this world
6. Be in some sort of Fitness Competition
7. work with Jake at the Olympics
8. go back to school

8 Things I learned from my past
1. Don't procrastinate
2. Listen to my parents... they give good advice from their own experiences
3. Things don't always make sense
4. Just do it - go on a mission, move for a few years, go away to school
5. Hard work really does pay off
6. True friends will always forgive you - even if you don't necessarily deserve it.
7. My family really is cool
8. Don't be afraid to let your guard down

8 Places I would like to visit
1. Italy
2. Germany - I even have a tour guide
3. Austria (I want to go on the Sound of Music tour and sing all the songs in all the places!)
4. Greece (Santorini - with all the white buildings with blue rooftops)
5. New Zealand
6. Jerusalem
7. Bora Bora (I have a picture of a hotel in Bora Bora - and it looks like a place from a dream)
8. China (I never cared to see China until I almost went for the Olympics)

8 Things I want or need
1. A new car
2. Money (a really big savings account)
3. A beach house in Akumal
4. More time and energy (need the energy so I can do all the things I don't have time for!)
5. A shower with a bench in it... that would be awesome
6. A walk-in closet - or at least a reasonably sized closet
7. Personal Trainer (I need a good, hard workout)
8. More time to spend with Jake (cheesy, I know) but I like hanging out with my husband.

Softball and Chew

2008-10-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend husband and I travelled down to St. George for a fun-filled weekend of.... softball. At home I don't always get into the games because I'm visiting with friends or chasing Louie or something, but this tournament was intense! I found myself jumping up and down on multiple occassions. Our team (which I still don't know the name of... some fan I am) sadly did not win the tournament, which in fact is not all that sad because I would have been stuck at the softball field all day. Instead we ate some In N Out, guys golfed, I pool lounged, watched sports in a home theater, and enjoyed some of THIS:

What's a softball tournament without Big League Chew?!? I love this stuff! Sadly I never know where to find it (not that I look for Big League Chew all the time) but if you're ever looking... The Conoco gas station in American Fork Utah can satisfy your craving.

To Stella.

2008-10-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Louie just wanted to let you know how much he L.O.V.E.S the 'get well' treats you brought by for him. They definitely lifted his spirits... and we make sure to remind him each time we give him a treat that they are from his dear friend Stella... whom he has yet to meet. He's quite shy, but I think he would be thrilled to have a playdate sometime soon!

Seriously Sarah... nicest gesture ever. I was so excited when we saw the treats on our porch! I had to show you how much Louie loved them... and is still loving them. He's so funny when I give him a cookie because he starts crying... I think it's because he's so excited to have the treat he's not quite sure what to do with it. Here's some pictures of him doting on his treat before actually consuming it.

And He Lives...

2008-10-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

My precious little Louie was hit by a car over the weekend. He is more than ok... but I'm telling you it was my worst nightmare.

We live in a residential area, but our street is one long, straight shot and around 5pm we get a little traffic, and people are defiintely driving faster than 25mph. Louie usually runs straight to the front door when we get out of the car... usually. But on this particular day the little devil darted across the street without me seeing him, so when I started calling him he decided to run right in front of a 4-Runner... and get hit by it. He was hit in the dead center of the car, so really it just knocked him over and he rolled a few times underneath the car. I witnessed the whole thing and nearly fell over dead when I saw our poor little guy under the car.

He stood up fast and sprinted right past me, and of course at this point I'm frantic and scared that he is going to fall over dead somehwere and I won't be able to find him... He was completely rattled and on an adrenaline rush, but he finally made his way over to me (as I'm crying and yelling "Louie??!! Louie?!")

After determining that he had no internal bleeding and minimal external bleeding, Jake and I settled down a little bit. I knew I loved my dog, but I didn't realize exactly how much until it was almost too late.

You can't not love this face (or bum... sorry for the butt shot, but I love this picture).

Utah Man Am I

2008-10-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I posted about my dislike for football season (but please remember that I did exclude Utah football from that post). Last night was a great night for Utah Football. I love (and hate) close games. The feeling in the stadium when the score is so close and the time is so little is excited yet nervous at the same time... there's that "what if..." going through everyone's mind. You can always tell who the pessimists are because they are walking out of the stadium with 2 minutes left of game time... the rest of us are hopeful... and last night our optimism paid of in a GREAT win by the Utes against the Oregon State Beavers (an unfortunate name... in my opinion).

Jake and I (mostly Jake) broke down the game last night and discussed (again not really a discussion... more of me showing off my wonderful listening skills) what this means for our precious Utes. I'm no dummy, I know it's always better to win... but apparently this win means much more for the Utes than I realized. I'm sure you football fans already realize all the good things this win means for our Utes... and the rest of you probably don't care, so I won't bore you.

But I have to say... a game like last night's actually leaves me thinking that the 3 1/2 hours of football actually went by fairly quickly. Sports seriously mess with my head.

Anyway... GO UTES!!!

A Joyous Day for All

2008-10-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

It IS INDEED a joyous day for those of us who live near Neilsen's Frozen Custard... for today is the beginning of a splendid sweetness of Pumkin Concrete. This deluctable treat only lasts through October 31st... and be warned... by around 7pm you run the risk of no Pumkin Concrete because they run out so fast! If you love pumkin flavor like I do stop what you're doing and drive to Nielsen's right now!!! Maybe I will see you there.

This is a good day.

Here's the Proof

2008-09-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Somehow I convinced Jake to go on a hike with me this past weekend (originally if was Mt. Olympus... late Friday night it was changed to Grandeur Peak). Mt. Olympus would have required us up at 6am... I don't even wake up that early during the week, so no thanks to that idea. Also, I wanted this hike to be a "family" affair, meaning, I wanted my little 7.5lb dog to join us. Grandeur Peak is by no means a simple, level hike. We were trucking up some serious hillage, especially the last stretch. Louie kicked our butts on this hike. He hike 3 miles to the top (probably more since he would run back and forth between us the whole time), dodged rattle snakes, jumped streams, climbed rocks, and then ran 3 miles back down to where we started. I now feel somewhat pathetic for walking him around the block everyday and thinking I've worn him out.

By the way, we really did experience a near rattle snake attack on our way down the trail. Jake jumped passed it once he heard the rattle, but I couldn't bring myself to jump... I was certain the snake would clamp on to my leg or something and Jake would have to suck out the poison. So I threw a ginormous rock at the villainous snake (and actually hit it... a rareity for me throwing at a target) and we ran for our lives. When we realized we were on a switchback and would have to pass the same area the snake had been on the previous switchback I nearly peed my pants... but then we made it safely, so all was well. I would have taken a picture, but Jake had the camera and was on the other side of the snake from me, plus, let's be honest... I was terrified.

It was a great Saturday activity and I highly recommend it. Jake and I thought about becoming hard core trail runners after this great morning... but then we faced reality. Hopefully we will at least take advantage of the beautiful mountains that surround us on a more regular basis.

Here's proof that we made it to the top... Louie too.

Can we say... bad timing??

2008-09-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the giggles in a totally inappropriate location??

This happened to me last night and I could NOT stop laughing. I tried really hard to think about depressing, serious issues to distract me from my own hilariousness, but it didn't work. So there I am... trying to stifle my laugh and hide the fact that I am about to pee my pants. All the while I am bouncing in my chair from laughing so hard. Oh, and the worst is trying to keep quiet, so I was luaghing silently, but then I'd go to take a breath and it was totally loud... I had to do the 'fake cough' as cover up... Turns out I'm a bad fake cougher.

Totally embarassing... but I must say... there is nothing quite as wonderful as a good laugh.

Goal Setting for Fall '08

2008-09-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

I've decided to set myself a few goals for this upcoming Fall season. And I figure there is no better way to actually follow through with goals than by posting them for all to see (unless no one is reading, then I'm sure to fail miserably within a few short hours). Also, feel free to join in if you feel so inclined! Not all may apply to you, but for those that do, we should at least suffer together... is what I say. Here are a few of my goals; some will be easier than others. I will start with my minor objectives and finish with my most challenging of goals.

- I will reduce the amount of pictures I take of my dog, and spend time taking pictures of other things, like people... or something.
- There is a certain drink that I sometimes order from Starbucks, that I don't think I'm supposed to drink, so I will stop ordering said 'drink' from this day on.
- I will call my friends more often to catch up with them, rather than read about their lives via blogspot.com.
- To prove to my husband that I do in fact know how... I will cook once (maybe 2 times) a week, and I will try a new recipe (sometimes).
- I will not get pulled over in the construction zone of I-80 for speeding, and if I do get pulled over I will be able to find my registration for the officer... whom I will hate.
- If I decide to make cookies to give away to neighbors and friends, I will in fact give. them. away. instead of eating them myself.
- And lastly, I will LIMIT (not eliminate) my intake of junk food. It's nearly impossible to completely give up on desserts and junk food, so I can't say I won't eat them, it would be a dis-service to myself. I will however challenge myself to actually say "no" on occassion. It couldn't hurt to try.

And now...... let's begin.

Dear Football Season,

2008-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

I don't really like you. I don't like what your presence means. It means that summer is coming to an end and a looooonnnggg season of cold dreary days are on their way. It means that every time I sit down to relax with my husband I will be watching you... and you take so long to finish a game! It means that every day my co-workers will spend at least half of their work day arguing about and comparing fantasy football points. It means (even though I love the Utes with all my heart) I will most likely sit throught a game and get rained or snowed on. It means instead of recording one of my shows Jake will end up recording you. Since when is football more exciting than 90210?!?

Oh Football Season... I will try to tolerate you... as I do every year. But I assure you... you will never hear the words "I love football season" come from my mouth.

Sincerely,

Me

I just want some Pie

2008-08-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Why is it that everytime I set a goal to eat healthier I end up eating rice krispy treats for lunch and a burger and fries for dinner?? It's like everyone surrounding me senses that I have no self control and so they tempt tempt tempt me with the things they know I can't resist... which I've discovered is pretty much everything. Today I went to lunch at The Dodo, and even though I'm the one who (secretly) has a goal to eat healthier I end up being the one who suggests getting Tollhouse Pie... and the ladies I'm with (who have never mentioned that they are watching their calorie intake) turn me down!!

I'm a disgrace (but still bitter that we did NOT order the Tollhouse Pie).

Handicap?? I have no idea what you're talking about.

2008-08-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

Big Golf Tournament today with my office. Apparently it's a scramble (don't call it a 'scrambler' because your co-workers will laugh at you) so the fact that I don't golf won't be that big of a deal. Two weeks ago an email was sent out requesting we all send in our golf handicap so they could fairly arrange the teams. I decided that instead of sounding like an idiot and asking what the heck is a golf handicap??? I would just rate myself on a scale from 1 - 10. I am a 1... and that is being generous.

For practice my awesome husband scheduled some time for us at the driving range last night. As we were pulling up he asked "Now are you going to listen and do what I tell you?" This is a sign that Jake is fully aware of my stubbornness and tendency to get irritated when someone tries to tell me what to do. But I had to give in on this occassion... I don't golf, and I was in need of some serious instruction.

So we hit golf balls (and in my case missed some golf balls) and had fun while doing it. Coach Jake had me practice swinging each club, he taught me how to stretch properly for golf, and he gave me 3 Golden Rules to abide by for the big Tournament today.

1. I am having fun (Jake says if I have a bad attitude the whole day will be ruined). So I am to remind myself often that I am having fun... or try to convince myself... I'm not sure which it will be.
2. Visualize my shot before I take it. Take 2 practice swings before each shot.
3. KEEP MY HEAD DOWN. I was told that if I forget all other rules, to at least remember to keep my head down.

I feel a little better after last night's lesson. I can't really say that I'm going to kill it today... but I at least think I'll be able to hit the ball... sometimes (if I keep my head down).

(Deep breath) Here I go.

Now what...

2008-08-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Basically every vacation and holiday I'd been looking forward to for the past 3 months have all come and gone in the same month. I'm not complaining by any means, but maybe a little space between these things would have allowed me to build excitement again, instead I didn't have time to breath between all of this July mayhem. And I had to leave my dog for multiple days in a row, which caused me to feel like a dreadful mother. Now if Louie has behavioral problems for the rest of his life, I only have myself to blame. Is him peeing in our basement revenge???

Provided below is documentation of my awesome July... started out with some hard core Oakley Rodeo (BEST and only annual family tradition), followed by 'roughing it' near Kimball Junction for Girls Camp (we could actually see the glowing McDonalds sign at Kimball Junction from our campsite)... it provided a nice glow around camp so we could see where we were walking during the night.

Next was Lake Powell. Oh, how I love Lake Powell. Somehow, once I get over the infestation of spiders on the houseboat, constant reek of the septic tank, layer of grime that covers the surface of the lake, biting fish (new this year), mouse on houseboat (also new this year), sleeping in 90 degree weather (at night), and listening to the guys have hour long discussions about athletes who played sports many years ago... I genuinely love this vacation. I love the people I go with to Lake Powell. I love wakeboarding. I love cruising down the channel in the boat. I love soft serve ice cream from the marina. I love lying in the sun. I love the scenery. I love waking up at 6am just to ride on good water. I love the food. I love getting out of the water not needing a towel. I can't talk about this anymore without getting choked up.

Two days after getting home from Powell we packed our suitcases for another 5 hour drive to completely opposite scenery. Sun Valley. This is an Olson annual tradition. Lucky for Jake and me, our families plan wicked awesome vacations. Sun Valley usually consists of lots of golf (for the boys), bike riding, lounging by the pool in perfect weather, bike riding, the Ice Show, shopping, and Bowl of Soul. I really should focus on saving our money, rather than spending it on clothes (that I'd say 'I don't need', but I truly think I do). Bargain of the week for Kristine: Two pair of jeans for $100. Go me!

Now I am at work. No vacation days left. No weekend excursions planned. Just weeding, cleaning house and puppy training. Woohoo.

Documentation of July below (minus Girls Camp):

Jake and Kristine at the Park City 4th of July Parade. Olson family tradition.

Gwen and Kristine going for a 4-wheeler ride up in Oakley. Gwen wins cutest niece.

Dad, Mom, Kris and DJ Jake... holla! Jake is sick of our traditional side by side arm around the waist pose... so this is what he came up with as an alternate pose.

Lake Powell hike. Another ill pose from Jake. I think the levels really adds something to this picture.

Enjoying a Bowl of Soul in Sun Valley.

The Olson family in Sun Valley on our way to the Ice Show.

I love vacation...

And... I'm Back.

2008-07-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Vacations are over. I am going through withdrawals. I don't know how I will handle FIVE consecutive days of work. I will post about the wonderfulness of vacations when I catch up on my hundreds of emails. In the meatime...

Marriage Tip #2: (I need to work on this one)

Don't assume your significant other knows what your thinking. He has no idea. Call him out when something bothers you or hurts your feelings. Holding it in only prolongs bad feelings, and makes you more upset that he hasn't figured out why you're upset.

Marriage Tip # 1:

2008-07-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is for my friend Sara, who is getting married in 3 weeks or so, she requested some advice from a marriage 'EXPERT'. Actually, she never called me an expert, I just know I've got this marriage thing all figured out after 8 long months. I'm a self-proclaimed "EXPERT." Ask me anything!

Anyway, here is a marriage tip for the day.

- Your relationship is your own. Don't allow yourself to compare your relationship with your fiance (soon to be spouse) to your friend's or family's relationships with their spouses. Every relationship is unique, love it for what it is.

100 Things About Me: (#91-100)

2008-07-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

91. My mom always packed me a 'cold' lunch for school (until high school). It never changed. I always wanted a Peanut Butter sandwich, fritos, sliced apple, and a 1 stick Twix bar and a Capri Sun. Everyday.
92. I collected lots of cash when I used to babysit, and I would iron my money so it looked like new.
93. I've had season tickets to Utah gymnastics since elementary school, my mom and I go to every meet together, and I still don't know all the rules.
94. I MUST lotion my hands every time I wash them. The feeling of having dry hands makes me cringe. I always have lotion in my purse.
95. The best hand lotion is Stevens Cream... expensive, but the best!
96. I don't like dressing up in costumes. Even if I know I'm going to the be the only person NOT dressed up, I prefer to be the party pooper in my normal clothes.
97. Worst date I ever went on was with a guy I met snowboarding. We went to Pei Wei with two other couples and they PRAYED before taking a bite of food! No joke!
98. I have a very short attention span... at church.
99. I am overly sensitive AND I overanalyze things to an extreme.
100. I am awesome and a wonderful friend. Call me!

Well, there you have it folks... 100 random, quirky, embarassing, yet ALL TRUE facts about Kristine.

100 Things About Me: (#81-90)

2008-07-10T10:06:00.001-07:00

81. I teach aerobics and love it. There's nothing better than motivating people to workout and making them sweat.
82. When I was in Junior High and High School I always hated sleepovers. I liked sleeping in my own bed so I would end up leaving the sleepover around 2am and go sleep at home.
83. I cannot go anywhere without gum and chapstick.
84. I used to collect 'Hello Kitty' knick knacks. Actually I collected KeroKero Keroppi (the frog) but he was discontinued... very sad.
85. I have a collections of magazines and books with stories and bio's on The Backstreet Boys.
86. When BSB came to Salt Lake for their Millenium tour I paid $100 for front row seats (even though I had tickets to the show the next night.)
87. My all-time favorite movie moment is in Pretty In Pink when Ducky lip syncs 'Try A Little Tenderness' by Otis Redding in the record store. It's awesome!
88. My favorite dessert is Tollhouse Pie from The Dodo.
89. I still watch Saved By the Bell when I see it's on. I have seen every episode AT LEAST 8 times... not joking.
90. I love driving around with my windows down and my sunroof open, with a great song blaring through the speakers. Song of the moment: Keep Bleeding by Leona Lewis

100 Things About Me: (#71-80)

2008-07-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

71. I ALWAYS fold my straw wrapper. I can't stand to just crumple it up. Same with receipts.
72. I have a secret desire to be a rodeo bullfighter. I think it looks like the biggest adrenaline rush!
73. I used to love taking notes in school because I love to write. Now if I only loved to study...
74. I broke my left wrist while rollerblading on a Sunday, and now I am afraid to do anything physical on Sundays.
75. I spent two weeks in Scotland with my family when I was 16. My oldest brother served his mission there. It is beautiful!
76. Spring is my favorite season... Summer is a VERY close second.
77. I am easily irritated when I am driving.
78. I am rarely early for anything. I am always right on time or a few minutes late. I hate that I'm like this... but I am.
79. I hate the excuse that someone doesn't come across as "nice" when you first meet them, but he or she is nice once you get to know him/her... Why would I want to get to know someone who isn't nice in the first place??? I've never understood this.
80. I despise peas.

100 Things About Me: (#61-70)

2008-07-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

61. When I was 11 years old I was a Red Soldier in the Ballet West production of The Nutcracker. To this day it was probably one of the greatest moments of my life... I really wanted to make it.
62. Loud chewing is one of my biggest pet peeves. And talking with your mouth full. Gross.
63. I believe I was one of the first people to utilize text messaging.
64. I once broke up with a boy over text message.
65. I am always making lists of hobbies I want to take up. I then buy supplies for these new hobbies/projects... and never finish. I have many unfinished projects in my house.
66. My favorite clothing brand is Volcom.
67. I L.O.V.E. sneakers.
68. I used to rent movies and watch them over and over again in the two days until they were due. My brothers would comment on how I always got my money's worth.
69. Once in my junior high history class my teacher (Big Bird, for those of you who went to my school) leaned over my desk to talk to my and I said "No, I will not makeout with you!" I was a brat.
70. I always laugh at my own jokes... because I'm funny.

100 Things About Me: (#51-60)

2008-07-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

51. One regret I have in life is not moving out of state for awhile. I'd say it's good that I stayed because I may not have met my husband... but I'm confident we still would have found each other. So I wish I would have moved for awhile when I had the chance.
52. I am obsessed with my nails... they are nothing fancy (just short and unpainted), but I am always filing, grooming, and picking at my nails. I can't leave them alone.
53. I would love to open my own gym one day.
54. I was born in Columbus, OH. We moved to Salt Lake before I was 6 month old. But, I am a Buckeye at heart.
55. I have two awesome older brothers, one sister in law (whom I consider a sister), one adorable niece. I've married into two more brothers in law, another sister in law, and two cute nephews.
56. My all time favorite movie is Adventures In Babysitting.
57. Jake proposed to me in San Francisco during our bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. He proposed shortly before we got to the bridge while we were standing on the beach.
58. Someday I want a house with a big porch. I love hanging out on the porch, in the shade, just relaxing.
59. I tear up during Hallmark commercials.
60. It drives me CRAZY to have a messy car. I keep a few essentials in the trunk, but other than that I prefer my car empty.

100 Things About Me: (#31-50)

2008-06-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

31. On snowy days I always wish I could stay home all day and drink hot chocolate while reading.
32. I once fainted in a J.Crew outlet in St. George when I was 14. I still don't know how it happened, I just woke up in the middle of the store surrounded by people. Crazy.
33. I danced from age 3 to age 17. I finally quit my junior year in high school for the swim team.
34. In my last dance recital I was The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz.
35. I sometimes tell people my middle name is Krystal with a "K." I don't have a middle name.
36. I always want the 'latest' version of things. When I see people with the newest laptop, ipod, cell phone, car.... I feel like I too need these things.
37. I have a hard time buying 'used' things. I would prefer a NEW car or NEW furniture. The thought of someone else enjoying something I own, before I was able to enjoy it drives me nuts.
38. When I was in high school I rear ended a Ford Taurus with my Suburban... right in front of my school... when school had just ended.
39. I am usually laid back, but when someone treats me or someone I'm with disrespectfully... I speak up.
40. When I went to Hawaii with my friend Brooke last summer I got mine and her whole family's dinner for free at the Outback Steakhouse because our service was so bad.
41. My brother used to be a server, and he tells me I am a server's worst nightmare... whatever that means.
42. I once went to San Francisco with my family and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at every restaraunt. I used to rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.
43. I have never had to wait in an emergency room for medical care. And don't know how I'll handle it if I ever do.
44. I once signed up for a Europe Trip by myself through BYU. I went to London and Paris by myself... but luckily made friends with the group once I was there.
45. When I went to New York last spring, I was able to see WICKED because my friends name was pulled from a lottery of 500 people!
46. I went to the midnight parties for every Harry Potter book that had a midnight party.
47. When people tell me they like Harry Potter (but are referring to the movies and have never read the books) it drives me crazy.
48. I only like hot chocolate from one little coffee shop in Salt Lake. If I can't have hot chocolate from there, I won't have any.
49. I played water polo in high school.
50. I like competing in sports that aren't trendy. I like triathlons and it bugs me that they're a huge trend now.

100 Things About Me: (#21-30)

2008-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

21. I don't like soda pop.
22. You will never see me eat anything from a fast food chain (such as McDonald's, BK, Taco Bell, Arby's, Arctic Circle). I do like In N' Out Burger, thanks to Jake, but their ingredients are fresh, so it doesn't count.
23. I wish I had an amazing voice. I LOVE to sing.
24. Once during my junior year of high school I took voice lessons from my neighbor and she told me it sounded like I had injured vocal cords, so I never went back.
25. I also love to dance. You can often find me blasting my music while singing along and dancing around the house. My husband can attest to this.
26. I could eat cereal for every meal.
27. When I walk into an empty public restroom, or down a long hallway with no windows I kindof jump around corners in order to scare my attacker before he can catch me off guard. I also always hold one key in front of me in when I walk to my car so I can stab my attacker in the throat, if necessary.
28. Once I went on a blind date to see the movie "The Ring." My date did NOT walk me to the door at the end of the date, so I ran to the door. I then woke my mom up and made her walk downstairs with me and talk while I got ready for bed. I was 22.
29. I can absorb and never forget lyrics to a song, but I cannot for the life of me remember information for tests.
30. I get frustrated when people don't know proper etiquette for card dealing, playing, shuffling. My grandparents were avid card players and taught me the ropes at a young age. You might see me working the tables in Vegas some day.

100 Things About me: (#11-20)

2008-06-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

11. I never buy concessions at movie theaters because I feel like it's a waste of money. However, my husband's favorite treat is movie theater popcorn, so we always end up with snacks at the theater. I just make sure I'm not there when he purchases the treats, so I don't freak out.
12. When I get gas I always make the pump stop on either the exact $$ amount, or the .50 cent point.
13. I don't mind the smell of skunks. I mean, I don't want it as a perfume or anything, but it doesn't bother me.
14. My biggest pet peeve is the sound of people blowing their nose. It grosses me out. Which also means I cannot blow my nose... I just can't do it. It makes me gag.
15. I hate sushi. It too makes me gag (you can ask my husband). I also hate that sushi is such a trend and when people say "Let's go for sushi." "Oh my gosh, I am sooooo craving sushi right now!" It's like they say it just to be heard by all. And also when I tell people I don't like sushi and they say, "you haven't had REAL sushi, you need to try sushi with someone that knows what they're talking about." No. I don't like sushi, ever. Period.
16. I hate my feet. I have long toes, wide feet, and calluses from years of point shoes. I consider getting plastic surgery done to make my feet cuter.
17. I broke my ankle snowboarding when I was 20. I now have two permanent screws in my right ankle and a scar.
18. I love the smell of Comet. And Cascade. When I was younger I used to sniff it and my mom would freak out because she didn't want me to inhale the stuff and die.
19. I was punched in the face by a girl in high school in the Papa Murphy's parking lot, while sitting in the driver's seat of my suburban. I had to go to some juvenile corrections class because I started it by flipping her off.
20. I used to have a pet rat. I also had tree frogs and we had to feed them crickets. It seems like one cricket always got out and then I couldn't sleep in my room for a couple nights.

100 Things About Me: (#1-10)

2008-06-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

1. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be Bora Bora. I have a picture of where I want to stay while I'm there.
2. One summer, when I was 20, I lived in Boston with my friend Katelyn and her sister. If the opportunity arose to move there, I would, in a heartbeat.
3. When sharing a bed or bedroom with someone, I always immediately take the right side of the bed, or the right side of the room if there are two beds. I am self conscious of my *sometimes* habit of snoring, so when I'm on the right, sleeping on my right side, I am snoring into a wall, and hopefully no one can hear.
4. When it comes to animals, I am overly sentimental. I cried when I took my dog to the vet yesterday to get "snipped." My eyes were teary and the vet asked if I had allergies... "yes... it's just allergies," was my (embarassed) reply.
5. My favorite holiday is The 4th of July. Every year my family goes up to our cabin in Oakley, UT and we enjoy the rodeo at least 2 out of the 4 nights. It's my favorite family tradition.
6. I actually have a desire to someday finish an ironman competition. So far I've only finished 'sprint' triathlons, so I've got a ways to go.
7. I am a neat freak when it comes to folding laundry. I will re-fold things until I think they are perfect. I organize shirts from biggest to smallest. I also make individual piles for each article of clothing... It pretty much takes over the basement until I am finished. When I worked at the Sports Mall I would re-fold hundreds of towels that my co-workers folded because they weren't perfect.
8. I love having a clean house, but loathe small cleaning jobs. I would prefer to clean something that's really dirty and spend hours on a project, than quickly wiping or sweeping.
9. I was the ward chorister in my single's ward for 2 years, then RS chorister in my new ward for 6 months. I have NO musical background.
10. Wakeboarding is my absolute favorite thing to do in this world. Three years ago I attended a wakeboard camp in Florida for a week by myself. I can't do cool tricks, but I love the sport.

And then it was Monday...

2008-06-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

I had the BEST weekend! I don't want to bore you all with details, because I know none of you care as much about the details of my weekend as I do. Which is quite sad... I am a fascinating person and what goes on in my life should be something you are all constantly thinking about. I can't change you, and I won't try, but you should know that my weekend was awesome-er than yours. I also have no pictures to document the awesomeness of my weekend. I've been a bit slacky with the camera lately. New goal in life: Take pictures.

Definitions from this post:

AWESOME-ER: Better than; more fun than; kicked butt more than
SLACKY: Lazy; unmotivated; pathetic

Note to self: Avoid liquids from 9am-10am

2008-06-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been at my job for almost a year now, and in all these 11 months I have never run into the bathroom cleaning ladies. Strangely, this week I have walked into the restroom 3 TIMES while the cleaning ladies were hard at work. Great. I can't relieve myself while these ladies are on the floor in the next stall cleaning away, it's weird, and awkward, and did I mention weird? So, instead I find myself hussling down to the third floor to 'borrow' their facilities. Going to the third floor is like using a bathroom in another country... the carpeting is different, the smells are different, and the people..... sooooo different. I'm quite comfortable on the fourth floor, and I've made some friends just from our daily visits to the restroom. We all have designated stalls that we prefer to 'go' in. Only newbies use the middle stall... that one's the worst! Anyway, the third floor women look at me like I'm an intruder. I make it a goal to get in and get out and back to my office without anyone seeing me. It's like a game. You should try it.

So, I guess the lesson we can learn from my experience this week is this: Find out when the cleaning ladies are tending to your restroom, and avoid going at that time. Otherwise, you will inevitably be put in an uncomfortable situation.

Let me get this off my chest

2008-06-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know who wrote that last blog entry? Only one other person knows my login ID and password.... but it couldn't possibly have been him....

Anyway, that is not what I'm here to talk about today. I just want to say that Ashton Kutcher is a horrible actor and I will NEVER see the movie "What Happened In Vegas" unless someone ties me to a chair and tapes my eyes open, or if the remote is on the other side of the room and it's on TV. Cameron Diaz, in my opinion (which is like gospel), has become miraculously suckier at acting. So, the two of them together in a movie called "What Happens in Vegas" (sooooooooooo clever!) makes me embarassed that I live in a generation of movie suckiness. Remember a little movie called "Just Married"?? Hmmmm, "What Happens in Vegas"...."Just Married"....... what is this world coming to?!?!

If you are offended by this (even though I don't think I have much of an audience these days) and the fact that I think these movies are crap I DON'T apologize! Instead I ask you to re-evaluate your life and ask yourself.... "why do I expose myself to this garbage???"

If you'd like some recommendations, I am happy to offer them. Thank you for reading.

Don't Mess With The ZOHAN!!!

2008-06-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Okay so let me tell you about the movie of the year...Zohan. I'm a pretty big Adam Sandler fan anyways with awesome movies like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Chuck and Larry, Anger Management, and many more...

Let me just say that ZOHAN was awesome! I loved the crotch humor! You should go see this movie if not tonight then for sure this weekend. Just thought I'd pass this on to all of my closest friends.

Hurry! Maybe we can watch them burn!

2008-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

As I was speeding through my neighborhood on my bike last night, I realized something. I am a sick person. Last night Jake and I saw smoke coming up from just a short distance from our house, so naturally we decide to hop on our bikes and ride over to get a closer look. Nuts, we can't get past those pesky firemen. Apparently they get the VIP access to these things. Whatever. There were fire engines lining the street and there were cars parked all the way around the corner to another street as if there was a dope party going on in our 'hood... but... no. It was just a house completely up in flames and while the firemen are pushing past us (even though we got there first!), we all act irritated that they won't let us get closer. We (meaning all few hundred of us spectators) were fascinated by watching someone's home burn to the ground, and we wanted to know all the details. It reminds me of the days I drive to work and notice stop and go traffic, then as I get up to the cause of the traffic jam I realize it's an accident, and the only cause for slowed traffic is the weirdos (including myself) driving past trying to get a glimpse of a bloody body or lost limb or something. Then speeding away disappointed that the scene is mostly cleared up.

All I'm saying is, keep up your speed as you drive past the accident scene and stare. That way I can still make it to work on time. Oh, and when there's a fire in your neighborhood, make sure you don't hesitate when making your way to the scene, that way you can get a way better view, and maybe even a spray from the firehose.

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

We went to St. George for Memorial weekend with two of our favorite couples (the Jones' and the Nielsens) and little Claire and Cyrus (Nielsen kids). Although the weather was a bit wishy washy we had a fantastic time! My favorite day of the trip was the one we spent in Zions National Park hiking around, and watching the guys rotate carrying Cyrus around. Good times!

This is the lovely ladies of the trip. Claire, Kristine, Callie, and Kadie. Hardcore hikers.

The Nielsen Family.

We conquerred Angel's Landing... this hike is quite freaky for the last mile. It requires you hold on to a chain because on either side of you is a complete drop off. My life flashed before my eyes.

Zions Canyon is so beautiful! I never realized how much I absolutely LOVE hiking. I now appreciate all the hikes my dad made us go on as kids. It's allowed me to enjoy the challenge even more. Anywho, this is me and Jake and the top of Angel's Landing... nice view, eh? I think we'll start hiking more often.

Here's the whole crew eating dinner at a small BBQ joint in St. George. Descent food, but my guess is that they'll be out of business before too long.

The whole weekend was such a blast! From sitting around at the condo eating junk food to walking over to the pool and continuing to sit around and eat junk food. Aaaahhhhhh, I love vacation!

And the Winner Is...

2008-05-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

David Cook wins American Idol. Are we excited he won?? I guess I must have been torn between him and David Archuleta because I was happy when he won. I love love love the sound of Archuleta's voice, but I definitely see David Cook in the Hollywood spotlight, it's his time. Archuleta has years to build his career. I was kindof shocked though, after the praise after praise Archuleta received on Tuesday night. If only I had voted..... 12 million times.

There is one GREAT thing that comes from American Idol ending... Best show on television....

Premieres tonight on Fox!

That's What She Said...

2008-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

I love this show... and this man. I was a little worried after the writer's strike that the show would lose a little of it's charm, but the season finale last night was absolutely wonderful.

St. George Triathlon... Er Make that a Bi-athlon

2008-05-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

I'd like to call myself a triathlete, but in reality I only do one triathlon a year and it's the St. George triathlon every May. I always finish the race and feel motivated to sign up for another.... and then I don't. Now I have to find a new race because I have decided to boycott the St. George Tri. It used to be small and fun, but now it's full of those obnoxious people that have the "I'm a triathlete, and I rock" attitude. These people drive me crazy. Anyway, that's a whole other story.

I enjoy the triathlon for one reason. I differ from most triathlon competitors for the simple fact that I actually like the swim. For me it's like a headstart. I always feel like I'm winning because I can swim fast, which gives me a lead for the rest of the race. It's awesome! I get this extra little adrenaline rush for the bike and run (I said little... I'm still not that fast). Anyway, they CANCELLED the swim this year! They started a few heats and had to drag so many people out of the water that they decided it was "unsafe" to let us swim... please, since when is safety a factor?? After standing around for 45 minutes while they made this decision every ounce of motivation left me. Riding my bike through a windy sandstorm and up a 1/2 mile hill with a headwind didn't help my irritation any. In fact, I don't think I actually enjoyed the race this year one bit until I was running the last stretch of race. Then I got a medal for finishing a triathlon... Oh wait... biathlon. That doesn't even sound cool.

Anyway, here are some 'not so awesome' pictures from the race.

*This is obviously before I knew the swim was cancelled. That wetsuit is a pain in the a** to get into... but don't I look adorable in it??

**Please note: Everyone around us is folding their arms around their body because they are freezing. Too bad I'm so smart and I got in the water to warm up, so I was nice and wet for the bike.

**This is me cursing the race as I prepare for the bike ride in the windstorm. The windbreaker did break the wind... but also acted as a parachute. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't moving. Good times.

*This is the mass start for the bike ride. If you could see my face you would probably laugh at how pissed I look. Remember... I had lost motivation, AND my patience for obnixious "triathletes"

**My dad by the pool. He made a face for the picture because he didn't want to look like he was really interested in Lauren and Heidi drama... but he actually requested I bring this magazine to the pool. Sorry for outting you Dad.

*My niece totally has attitude and I LOVE it! I asked her to stop and look at the camera so I could take a picture. Her response (as she's walking away) "I AM looking at the camera while I walk Kris!" Jeez, sorry Gwen. Isn't she a babe?

Things NOT to do at a Movie Theater

2008-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to a movie. And these are the things that continue to drive me crazy every time I go to a movie theater...

1. Don't bring your little kids to an 8:00pm movie... especially one that is NOT for kids. Maybe if your child is an infant and will sleep through the whole movie, MAYBE I could let that slip. But other than that, it's just rude to other paying movie-goers to have to sit through your kids kicking chairs, talking loud or crying during the length of the movie. Get a babysitter, or don't go out to a movie. Thank you.

2. Just because you are now allowed to reserve seats before the movie, doesn't mean it's OK to show up late and make everyone move out of your way so you can sit in your middle seats. It's great that we can reserve the seats we want, but we still need to make it on time for the movie people. Tardiness is rude.

3. Put your cell phone away for 2 hours... and turn the ringer off! When the lights are dimmed and you have your cell phone out, it is blinding to the people around you. Plus, how hard is it to turn your phone to silent?? I know it's not hard, I too have a cell phone.

4. On those same lines... don't answer your cell phone if it rings. Let the person leave a message and call them back after the movie. What a concept!

5. I like treats just as much as the next person. But if you haven't already figured it out... unwrapping your candy slowly only drags out the noise. Just give it a quick twist or tear and that's that! And let's try doing this during a louder scene in the movie, not during the quietest scenes.

6. Previews are part of the movie.... don't talk during them.

7. Don't kick the chair in front of you... it's annoying.

8. Don't save a whole row of seats for a sold out movie. Make the people get to the movie on time!

I'm not trying to be rude... well ok, maybe I am. But if it's going to make my movie experience a little better, then I think it's worth it.

Space filler

2008-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

I was trying to be really good about regular blog updates... but after my birthday nothing really seemed all that thrilling to write about.

Looking back on my week... I spent the majority of my time at work... more than usual... and i didn't even sell anything this week, so I don't know what I was doing all those hours. After work time I always squeeze as many minutes in with my little Louie before heading off to teach some type of aerobics class. It's always hard to find the motivation before a class, but once the music starts I love every minute of it! Now that I work full-time I don't get to workout during my favorite hours of the day (between 8 and 10 in the morning), so I'm really lucky that I get paid to workout in the evenings, otherwise I'd be struggling. After class I'd like to say I come home to dinner on the table and time to read and relax, but what actually happens when I get home is more like scrambling for random items to put together on a plate and call a meal, some kind of sporting event on tv, and instead of the relaxing I am chasing my little s**t around the house for causing yet another "mess" indoors, right after I have taken him outside to go. Not Jake... Louie. You people would be amazed at the amount of waste that can come out of my little dog!

All that being said... I am so looking forward to another weekend that will go by too fast and allow me very little time to get everything done that I have planned to do. I guess as long as the sun comes out and it feels like Spring... I won't complain.

Later.

Birthday Extravaganza!!!

2008-04-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, if you haven't noticed... I kindof love my birthday. Ok, not kindof... I'm psychotic, obnoxious and completely selfish on this one glorious day (at least it's the only day I act this way on purpose.) I've never understood why more people don't take advantage of the "birthday" perks?? For example, my co-workers and I walk to Starbucks at least 3 times a week to buy a nice hot drink to warm us up on our walk back, and also get us out of the office for 20 minutes. Well, when you make friends with the Starbucks workers and your co-workers know your obsession with your birthday (so they tell the employees) you totally get a free drink! Maybe that's not a big deal to any of you, but free drink just for turning a year older... I'm all over that.

Another perk to everyone knowing it's your birthday is that it seems to be an unwritten excuse to roll into work late and then take a long lunch... and possibly not come back for the rest of the day. Um... do "birthday perks" get much better?? I think not.

I also eat better during my birthday week than I do any other holiday during the year. When you have a husband, parents, in-laws and friends as wonderful as mine you are treated to all sorts of high class meals.

**Bad picture alert: I look overweight and have multiple chins in this picture, but check out our food! I highly recommend Chimayo on Main Street in Park City when someone else is paying. The food was ridiculously good and pricey. If I worked for Zagat, Chimayo would get 5 stars, which means, "damn... this grub is good!"**

I can keep going... you get "Happy Birthday!" text messages all day, people sing to you, your husband brings you breakfast in bed, people offer to buy you lunch, and if your co-workers are as AWESOME as mine, your desk might look like this when you come into work on your special day...

These are my awesome co-workers (who don't approve of this picture). I don't know how they knew it was my birthday???

Now I'll be honest... these things don't just naturally happen. You can't just NEVER mention your birthday and then expect everyone you know to remember... it just doesn't happen that way. If you want to feel like a princess on your birthday you have to tell everyone you come in contact with when your birthday is. If you want people to celebrate your birthday with you... throw yourself a party... people are always willing to come socialize when you bribe them with desserts! Also, who cares how old you are... I know one day I will dread the age I will be turning, but that will never stop me from taking advantage of perks of being the birthday girl:)

In conclusion, I would just like to thank all my wonderful friends who have put up with my birthday obsession for so many years! I just love having an excuse to hear from all of you and to remember how fabulous and thoughtful you all are! (I have the greatest friends!!!)So until next April 3rd (or really October 3rd cause that's when I start counting down), bye bye 26th birthday... you were 100% unforgettable!!

Crappy situation

2008-04-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share my morning with you all. I was making the bed before heading to work this morning (since I've been lazy and haven't made the bed all week), and all of a sudden I felt something squishy and warm on my barefoot. Before looking down I hoped to myself that it wasn't what I thought it was... but to my horror I had stepped right on Louie's little "present," and even worse I had squished it into the carpet! Gross. I guess I'm just glad that this all took place on Jake's side of the bed :) If he weren't so flippin' cute I might have been a little more upset... instead I just had to laugh.

P.S.

2008-03-20T14:04:00.003-07:00

The birthday is creepin' up on us!!! Only 2 weeks away! Yipee!

Crazy Weekend in Vegas!

2008-03-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Jake and I had our first vacation together (besides the honeymoon) this past weekend. We left Wednesday night and came home Sunday, so we had a good few days away from work and the longest winter ever. We stayed in St. George the first night, so Jake's first priority when getting to Vegas was lunch at In-N-Out Burger. This is Jake's personal heaven:The rest of the weekend was spent going to basketball games (the Utes actually won one!) and spending time with my Jason, Marci, and Gwen (brother, sis-in-law and niece). I have two obsessions in my life right now, my new puppy, and my adorable niece. She's 2 1/2 years old and so fun to play with and talk to. We played hide and seek about 50 times in 3 days. My favorite Gwen comment of the trip was when she said, "Kris, I love your shoes! Where did you get them?" "Umm, you are only 2, but I'm TOTALLY flattered that you love my shoes!" What a sweetie!

Gwen and me enjoying a little "girl time" while Jake was at a basketball game. This was taken in between Hide and Seek games.

On our last night Jake and I enjoyed a "crazy" night out on the strip full of gambling, strip clubs and alcohol! Gotta love Vegas.

Dinner at the TC Rib Crib... sooooo good! We got to see our buddy Jeff Mitchel a few times during our weekend in Vegas. Is it just me, or does he look a little creepy in this picture??

We've only been home for a few days and I am already ready for another vacation... is that bad??

Three's Company!

2008-03-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

We got a doggie!!! Jake and I bought a Miniature Pinscher (Min Pin) this past weekend. The first day I wasn't so sure we'd done the right thing, but I have to admit I am becoming a little obsessed with our new family member. It's only been a few days, but Louie (our new puppy) is learning so fast and I have to say I'm pretty sure he is stoked to have such amazing new parents.

My newphew, Will, was so excited about our new tiny puppy he could barely talk. They were so cute together!

This is my nephew Will and Jake playing with little Louie. (Sorry about the red on red... Jake kindof looks like he's part of the couch.)

This is kindof a weird picture angle, but I love it cause this is Louie's favorite place to hangout. He gets really cold and shaky, so I zip him up in my sweatshirt to keep him warm. Pretty freakin' cute.

"Hey Genius, Is this your first time walking??"

2008-03-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

I was feeling really good about myself as I drove to the Sports Mall at 6:00 this morning for a good early morning "wake me up workout." I was stood up by my workout buddy today, so I started my own workout. I was probably 8 minutes into my workout and doing some intervals on the giant stairs at the Sports Mall. I've done intervals on these stairs hundreds of times and never had any problems. Today, by myself, I totally tripped on one giant stair and slammed right into the next stair. My shin took the brunt of my stupidity, but I won't lie, my pride took a hit as well. I quickly stood up and walked it off a little, fake laughing at my clumsiness. I don't think anyone saw, and if they did, they were probably laughing too hard to actually ask if I was ok. Just picture me tripping on one giant stair and slamming hard and fast into the next stair... arms flailing, feet completely out from under me. Yeah, talk about grace. Then I convinced myself that I am 'tough' and wasn't that hurt, so I went back to do another set of weights, even though my leg was throbbing and looked whiter than white with a funky purple ring around it. By the time I finished my set I had a big ol' purple bruise and carpet burn on my shin. And I decided I'd had enough working out for the day (workout length: 10 minutes). Nice. I spent the rest of my time at the gym icing my shin and feeling sorry for myself. Great start to the weekend!

Here's the picture I took of my poor shin... it doesn't really do my injury justice. (P.S. I apologize for the blinding white legs.... it's been awhile since the sun and I have been together.)

NEWS FLASH:

2008-03-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

The countdown begins for the greatest day in the whole year.... My birthday!!! One month from today! Mark it in your calendars. This is very exciting news!

Go Jazz Go!

2008-02-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is a special "shout out" to my dear friend Creighton who was nice enough to invite Jake and myself to the Jazz vs. Golden State game on Tuesday night, instead of taking two pretty girls to have on each side of him. Thanks Creight! We had a bitchin' time!

By the way, this is a terrible picture of me, but that's what I get for standing on the end ( I always look terrible on the far end of picture.) Oh well, as you can see we had awesome seats, both for people watching, and game watching.

Sadly, I wasn't able to candidly snap a shot of the wifebeater with a fur coat and cowboy hat guy... but if you put those three things together on a guy that spends at least 2 hours a day "pumping iron" at the gym and the rest of his time at a tanning salon, you should be able to see a very clear picture of what we witnessed at the game. He was sitting next to the over-bleached blonde with a little (and by little, I mean alot) of plastic surgery and makeup. They were a sweet couple. I had a hard time looking away.

And now, some action shots from the game, in which the Jazz dominated over the Golden State Warriors.

Eenie Meenie Miney Mo...

2008-02-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is a cool little survey that asks for your opinions on a bunch of key political issues and then tells you which Presidential candidate your views are most in line with. It doesn't tell you who to vote for but I found it to be rather helpful in outlining how these candidates line up with my own views: http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/engage08/selectacandidate/

A little History

2008-01-03T14:18:00.000-08:00

1. Where did you meet your husband?
I originally met Jake through a friend of mine that kindof liked him. Then we ended up being in the same single's ward and became acquaintances/friends through the ward I guess.

2. What was the first thing you said to your husband?
I probably just introduced myself. We picked Jake up on our way to a group ski trip up at East Lake. I didn't even consider liking him when we first met so it wasn't that memorable, however, I do remember our car ride quite vividly.

3. Where was your first date?
Jake asked me out on a group Halloween date, which turned into one of the most dramatic life changing experiences of my life. I won't bore you with the details. The date was actually really fun. Jake provided matching "baller" costumes and had a special ipod mix to go with the theme of the night. We ate dinner at Shivers and then everyone met up at Granite Furniture (family business to one of the guys on the date) and had a mini haunted house experience and watched a scary movie, I think it was called "White Noise."

4. Where was your first kiss?
At Andrew Richard's house, in a bedroom, but it wasn't a makeout.

5. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement?
I'd say average. We dated a year and a half before getting engaged, and we were engaged for 3 1/2 months.

6. Where did you get engaged?
Jake proposed to me in San Francisco. We had rented bikes to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and on our way to the bridge we stopped at a pier to enjoy the view and take a rest from our mild bike ride. Jake was acting really strange (kinda goofy) but I just brushed it off, and now it all makes sense to me... he was acting spaced out because he was so nervous and distracted. He told me he wanted to "dangle fingers in the ocean", so I decided to humor him and go along with his weirdness... as we were walking away from the water Jake stopped and told me he had a surprise for me in his bag "Do you want it?" He asked. "When did you get it?" I asked back. "I don't know, a few days ago... do you want it?" I kept convincing myself that he was not proposing, there was NO WAY he could be proposing. I hadn't picked out a ring or anything. But then, he pulled out a box and got down on his knee! The rest, as they say, is history (although, not alot of history because we've only been married two months.) Good times!

**This is right after our engagement... I told some guy we had just been engaged and would he mind taking a picture... didn't speak a lick of english. The first person to know we were engaged and he didn't even understand me!!!

7. Where were you married?
We were married in the Salt Lake Temple, which was beautiful. We also had perfect sunny weather, which is lucky considering we were married in November. The leaves were colorful and the air was crisp... just perfect. We had a dinner/reception at La Caille restaurant that night.

8. How did your reception go?
Reception couldn't have gone any smoother. Everything turned out just as planned from the flowers, to food, to the cake, to the dancing. I would give anything to go back to that night as a guest, so I could have enjoyed all the pieces of the planning I had spent the last 3 months doing. The night went by all too fast and I would have loved another hour to just chill out and eat some of the food, appreciate the flowers, and break it down on the dance floor. I wouldn't have changed one thing though.

9. How was your honeymoon?
Awesome. I'll be honest... after two years of dating we had never been on a trip with just the two of us. It felt weird to not have to make plans with the rest of a group or check in with anyone, we were on our own for the very first time. It was a very relaxing trip though, which was much needed after months and weeks of planning.

10. Who's turn is next?
Why don't I tag Miranda. I'm sure she'll have plenty to share.

Snow, Shovels, Salt, and Ice

2007-12-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post a picture of our cute house during the first (and hopefully not last) big snow storm this year. Poor Jake shoveled the driveways 3 times that Saturday... and I took pictures :) I'm really not much of a winter person... I detest getting into a cold car and waiting impatiently for the heater to actually dispense heat. I hate it when the snow is old, crusty, and dirty on the side of the road and in the yard. I hate looking at dead trees and I hate inversion. Like it's not depressing enough that it's ear-numbing cold outside, let's add muck to the air and hide the sun so that the our only hope and motivation of surviving winter is hidden from us.

Now all that being said... I have to admit... there is something about a great snowfall that I love and crave all year long. I LOVE a late night snowfall that brings the purest, whitest, most beautiful scene the next morning. And the peacefulness that seems to come along with it, almost like the snow muffles all other sounds and all is still and quiet.

And our house with Christmas lights... Good job Jake!

The Honeymoon

2007-11-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

Alright, as promised (though a little slow) here are some pictures from the Olson honeymoon in Ko Olina, Hawaii. I don't have wedding pictures yet because when you are the person getting married there isn't much opportunity to snap photographs. So, for wedding pictures refer to Natalie's blog. I'll try and add some as soon as I can... promise.

This is us in front of the JW Marriott we stayed at all week... with the durable Sebring convertible we cruised around in everyday. It was easy to pick out tourists by their car... we were all driving Sebring convertibles. I think Jake wants to buy one now. Here's a little taste of the gorgeous weather we experienced and me lookin' hot in the passenger seat of our sweet ride cruisin' along the North Shore.

We went on the prettiest hike one day through a Botanical Garden near Waimea. The end of the hike is an amazing waterfall into fresh water... the water was chilly, but it was fun.

Pretty self explanatory... Me and Jake at Waikiki Beach just livin' it up. Don't we look good on the beach? I love the beach, it's an excuse to have messy hair, no makeup, a bikini, and a tan. I heart all those things.

If you look very very closely you can see Pearl Harbor in the background. And the flower behind my ear was a gift from Jake the night before... he's a sweetie. Pearl Harbor is awesome!

Jake took me to the Lion King on our one week anniversary, and last night in Hawaii. We had awesome seats and I love love LOVED it! Musicals are the bestest!

As far as life after the honeymoon... things are coming along nicely. The long holiday weekend was quite nice for us. I finally finished unpacking, Jake put up Christmas lights and tree, I bought a wreath (the #1 item on my list of things to do), we cleaned a little bit, ate two turkey dinners, saw two movies and watched the Utes lose to BYU. Besides the loss... married life is treating us well!

Coming soon...

2007-11-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Look, I probably shouldn't even be blogging right now since I've missed a week of work, but I wanted to thank all of you who could come to the wedding, and tell you how much I adore your friendships! Also, I'll get some wedding and honeymoon pictures up soon. So this post is to be continued...

I've been tagged:

2007-10-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I guess this just means I write six things about myself that people might not know about me. Then I get to "tag" six more people to do the same thing. Here we go...

1. Something I've really discovered as I've been planning a wedding... I tend to get teary eyed when I am discouraged, overwhelmed, stressed out, and happy. When I am worried I get teared up. I can usually bottle it up, but I know people who could tell you that when I have strong feelings about something, I just might cry.

2. I have to fold my laundry perfectly... like you see in a retail store. I can't stand sloppily folded clothes. At my old job I used to refold all the gym towels just because I didn't like the way they looked on the shelf.

3. I LOVE working out. Lots of people work out religiously because its a healthy habit to have, but I truly do love the pain and effort that comes with a good workout.

4. I can't blow my nose... it makes me dry heave. Maybe my nose is a little more clogged than everyone elses, but it makes no difference to me because I don't know what a blown nose feels like compared to an unblown nose. I've tried... it grosses me out.

5. I have a passion for broadway musicals. I love going to them, I love listening to them, and I love singing along and wishing I was a part of it all. If I could pick any type of music to listen to for the rest of my life it would be broadway musicals and showtunes.

6. Anytime something changes in my life it freaks me out, but I'm getting married on Friday and I find myself completely thrilled and at peace when I think about it. So... that's a good sign.

So now i suppose I tag some people... let's go with:

Staci
Natalie
Erica
Lindsay (sorry if you've already done this)
Michelle Paul
Jason (I don't even know if you have a blog)

The final countdown:

2007-10-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm getting married next Friday!!! That's 11 days for those of you who like numbers and 264 hours for those of you who like numbers even more, and that's a mere 15,840 minutes for those of you who for some odd reason actually wonder how many minutes there are in 11 days. Awesome!

Am I Goth, or what?

2007-10-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

So I have had this urge the past few weeks to paint my fingernails black... I don't know where I've seen it or what brought on this random idea, but once I even think about trying something new or buying something new... it pretty much happens. I can't stop myself! I get this obsession going in my head and I just have to do it.Now here I am with black fingernails. I painted them last night and I've had all sorts of awesome reactions to my new hotness. My mom: not a fan... Jake: says he likes it, but it's questionable... my customers: say it's "cool", but they don't know me that well, maybe they think I'm a psycho and they're just trying to be nice... my co-workers: think I should keep them black for the wedding... nothing goes better with a white wedding dress than gothic black nails. What d'ya think?? I kinda like them.

Week in Review

2007-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not the most consistent blogger, but I'm an important person, and I have alot going on in my life, so please just bare with me. I've decided to combine my last week's events into one blog. This whacky weather has definitely put a spin on my regular weekly activities.

Basically, I knew I was in for a long week when on Monday I was strolling to the Verizon store as a little break from work, and an obsession I currently have with the need for a new phone. I was honestly 10 steps away from the store when I felt a slightly painful "PLOP" on my arm. "What the crap?" I said out loud... and literally "crap" it was of the bird kind, directly on my sweater sleeve. I think I hung up on whomever I was on the phone with, ran to open skies, and set my purse down, only to find that crap had amazingly made in inside my bag, on my wallet, and in the little inside pocket I keep chapstick and gum in. Amazing. I actually applaud that damn pigeon for his/her stunning target skills.

Then it was Tuesday, and a rather chilly Tuesday from what I remember. I had an early morning because I like to get my haircuts before work, so on my way to work, with my glamorous new hairdo I stopped at my most favoritest hot chocolate spot in the valley. (I had to cover the label for protection purposes), this is a quaint little coffee house, with it's own style and I prefer to keep it that way. This was my first stop of the season, and even though I dread fall and winter with every fiber of my being, my "hot" spot has helped me through the forever long dreary season. Special thanks to my peeps at my coffee spot.

Wednesday was just a regular ol' day at the office, nothing much to report.

Then, it was Thursday... A big day for a "Newbie" sales rep at IKON. I had

my first sell! I went out on Thursday morning, got the lease papers signed all by myself (after having co-worker, Eric, tell me exactly what to say), and before I left the head of sales thought I did such a great job he decided to offer me a job. I guess there are just very few of us amazing working women out there and I now have people pleading with me to work for them after only 2 months in the business. Sheesh. Anyway, not only was this my first sell, but it was also the biggest sell of the day, which awards me as BANANA OF THE DAY! I have no idea where the whole "banana" idea came from, but I got to sit with the banana balloon on my desk all day... and I felt like a winner.

Only problem is now the office assumes I know what I'm doing... this is far from actuality.

Fridays are always the best day at work. For some reason no one seems to think it's important to actually "work" on Fridays, so the day consists of co-workers showing up late, taking a couple hours for lunch, and then taking off around 3. I, being the newbie, don't feel quite comfortable enough to take advantage of all these traditions, but I'm sure my day will come. However, since Friday was the last day of our fiscal year our manager let us leave at 2... and no one complained or refused.

Things to look forward to: PUMPKIN CONCRETE at Nielsen's Frozen Custard (only available for the month of October.) I was supposed to refrain from desserts for the month of October, but on October 1st I couldn't fight my craving for the long-awaited pumpkin concrete... I gave in... and it was worth every calorie :)

How 'bout them saddle broncs!

2007-09-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

For Katie (and others)... here we are.
And let me point out that whomever took this photo has got mad skills... I especially love that viewers can actually catch a glimpse of some good ol' Oakley Rodeo action in the background of the lovely couple. This was the weekend I casually tried to bring up our relationship, and find out Jake's thoughts on how things were going between us. He'll be the first to admit he pretty much blew me off... one week later he proposed. Sneaky little bugger!

Love and Lists:

2007-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know... I am getting married on November 2nd and I couldn't possibly be more thrilled! As an engaged person I get alot of un-asked for advice. One that I hear and choose to toss aside is the well known "just take the money for the wedding, elope, and spend it on something nice." Right. Like I would turn down an opportunity of a whole day celebrating ME (and Jake if you're going to get all particular about it). It just doesn't make sense... until the list begins. The dreaded list of my friends, his friends, my parents friends, his parents friends, and then all those random people that no one seems to know, but still MUST be invited. Pretty much the list sucks. It's like going through every person you've ever known in life, evaluating your entire relationship with that person, and then determining whether or not he/she is a candidate for "the list."

It makes the idea of "taking the money and eloping" sound pretty damn good. (Just some food for thought people... food for thought.)

And they called him "walnut"

2007-09-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to dedicate my first "blog" entry to my dear cubie neighbor, Chad, or as some might say... Walnut. To be honest, I don't really know Chad all that well... yet. He sits behind me, so I don't get to look into his beautiful blue eyes (or green... or brown... look, I told you I don't know him that well). What I do know is that he must be a funny guy because he makes Jenny (my diagonal cross behind cubie buddy) laugh all day long. I enjoy eavesdropping on their conversations since I'm still too new to stick my nose in their private business, but I long for the day when I will be included in their friendly banter. Sometimes I try to talk to Chad. I ask him questions and laugh at his jokes, but either I'm too new, or simply not cool enough to be heard by the man they call "Walnut." Still I patiently await the day when Chad and I move our relationship from cubie neighbors to cubie friends. I hope you will keep reading neighbor...