* * *

Merger

2009-05-28T19:15:00.001-07:00

The time has come. From now on, you can find us HERE.

Blatant Injustice

2009-05-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm no stranger to breaking the law. Ask anyone. I'm also overly familiar with unbelievably bad luck. But mostly, I am definitely no stranger to traffic violations. But the ticket I got the other day really blew my mind.

Did you know that if you live in Utah, but your license plate says Washington, the fine is $1,107? I didn't know that. But now I do, because I got a ticket for not being registered in Utah. So I did a little research and found that the following offenses would have cost me less than being registered in the wrong state:

*Having no registration at all = $555.00
*Having a fake driver's license = $135.00
*Failure to yeild to a blind person = $75.00
*Reckless driving = $555.00
*Aiding prostitution = $925.00
*Selling alchohol to a minor = $750.00
*Forging a prescription = $555.00
*First degree murder (ok, it costs more, but only $400 more---plus possible jail time) = $1500.00

California

2009-04-24T22:14:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Lee and I went to California to visit some of our favorite people, Heidi and Ryan. The highlight of the trip for me was going to a taping of the Ellen show! I'm sure you saw me in the audience, but if you didn't, don't worry because I have it recorded, and you are welcome to come over any time and watch my 3 seconds of fame in slow-motion. As many times as you want.

Here are some of the other highlights of our trip:

Butts:

Heidi and Ryan playing a game called "Dead Weight":

Lee thinking about his future:

The awesome shoes I found on SALE:

Some of my Faves

2009-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

There have been some requests for more wedding pictures, and since I am so in LOVE with them, I thought I'd post a few of my favorites. These were all done by Allison Cox who is so great.

Easter!!

2009-04-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Since we are going to be out of town on the real Easter, Lee and I decided to have our Easter yesterday. I had been preparing my gift and basket for him for weeks. I got a great gift for him that he's been wanting, and a ton of candy to put in his basket. Here's what I got him:

It's a vintage Backgammon board. He has been wanting one since Christmas when he played Backgammon with my brother and fell in love with it (boring). Notice there is no candy in this picture. That is because I ate it all. I ate it all within a week of buying it, and have since cut myself off from candy all together because I clearly have a portion-control problem. Unfortunately, that means I couldn't get more candy for his Easter basket, because I would have just eaten it myself.

Here's the good part though: look what I got for Easter!

I have been wanting Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts ever since I heard about it, but I guess it didn't technically come out until a few days ago. I love it! It even has a Glitter Glossary! I am going to make so much cool stuff, you won't even believe it. I will make billions of dollars selling my cool stuff. Just wait. Also, Easter cookie cutters! And a little chicken thing that winds up and then lays gumball eggs as it walks!

Lee did such a good job. The only way this Easter could have been any better is if I got one of these (it's not dead, it's just sleeping):

Two Huge Things

2009-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are things that happen in your life that change things forever. Marriage, death, divorce, birth, major natural disasters, etc. Well, two of these have happened to me recently. The first one was this:

The second one is something I should probably wait to make public, because it's a really special thing that I don't want to jinx or ruin or exploit. It's something that I have wanted really bad for the past couple of years. Something that part of me thought would never happen, because it's just too good to be true....

In case you can't tell, that is a picture of some gluten free baking mixes, made by a major, at-every-grocery-store, doesn't-have-a-weird-name-or-cost-$100, brand (Betty Crocker). Maybe you don't realize what a big deal this is. Maybe you're the kind of person who just goes to your local grocery store whenever you want and gets a cake/cookie/brownie mix because you're in the mood, and bakes it and eats it and goes on with your day. Maybe you don't even think twice about how great it is that you can go to any grocery store, anywhere in America, and find what you're looking for. Maybe that's how you are, and I'm happy for you that your life is so convenient, but that's not the kind of person I am. I'm the kind of person who has to go to a specialty store (always located at least 20 miles away), spend three times as much money as you do on your simple little cake mix, get home and realize that instead of basic eggs and oil, I am supposed to add things like xantham gum and apple juice to my cake mix, and eventually just give up and eat Milk Duds instead. Or if I happen to have xantham gum on hand (that has never happened), and do make the cake/brownies/cookies, they end up tasting weird and a little sour, and are abnormally crumbly, and I try to convince myself that they taste good, but everyone knows they don't.

But Betty Crocker?! Are you kidding me? You can find Betty Crocker anywhere. Even the neighborhood 7-11. Betty Crocker things almost always taste good, or at least normal, which is what I'm willing to settle for at this point. I hear these won't come to stores until May or June, but I can live on Milk Duds and Skittles until then, no problem.

Also, that wedding picture was taken by Allison Cox, who is really super great.

Accept No Impostors

2009-03-14T18:06:00.001-07:00

A while ago I blogged about my Slanket. Well, since then something has happened that truly upsets me. The Snuggie (I'm not going to link to their site, because I don't want to give them any more attention) has become extremely popular, and the Slanket has faded away into obscurity.

First of all, I want it to be known that the Slanket existed way before the Snuggie did. In fact, the manufacturer of the Snuggie was on Oprah recently, and she asked where he came up with the idea, and he said basically that there was already a version of it on the market (referring to the Slanket), but he decided to market his own. Lame. The story of how the Slanket started is way better. In 1998, this guy Gary Clegg had his mom make him a blanket with a sleeve, so he could do homework in his cold dorm room. After using it for a while, he got the idea for two sleeves, realized what a genius he was, and started selling them.

Secondly, the name Slanket is so much more creative than the name Snuggie.

The Snuggie has been on the Oprah show, the Today show, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, all within the last month. What about the Slanket? It breaks my heart every time I see the Snuggie being worn and promoted on popular shows like these. It's like when you say a joke kind of quietly, and nobody really hears you or laughs, and then someone repeats your joke louder, and everyone laughs hysterically and comments on how funny that person is. It's just not fair. The Slanket deserves the credit, and the popularity.

Please, the next time you buy a sleeved blanket, don't settle for impostors. Do the right thing, and give the Slanket a chance.

Kittens

2009-03-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

I spent a large portion of my day today looking for pictures of kittens online. I keep thinking that if I can convince Lee that cats are cute and fun, then he will agree to adopt one. I have tried every angle I can think of (including threats), but he's not caving. He says he's "allergic". I don't know what else to do, so I've been emailing him pictures of cute kittens, just so he can see what he's missing out on. It's not really working. How can you hate such squishy, mischievous, non-threatening little animals? I mean, look at them!

I need some ideas on how to turn a cat-hater into a feline adoptive parent.

2009-02-26T17:38:00.001-08:00

I sure wish directions were as clear and straightforward in the USA as they are in Mexico:

It's Official!

2009-02-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Things You Should Never Say to Someone As You're Giving Them a Facial

2009-01-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

1. "well, the skincare line you have been using is clearly not effective"

2.
(her)"do you want me to wax your upper lip?"
(me): "no"
(her): "are you sure?
(me): "yes"
(her):"it looks like you could really use it"

3. "The pores on your chin are HUGE"

4.
(her):"looks like you have some scarring on your chin"
(me);"yeah, I know. It's from a car accident"
(her):"and it's causing some dimpling..."
(me) "yeah"
(her) "there are products that can help with that"
(me) "no thanks"
(her) "ok, but it's REALLY noticeable, so..."

5.
(me) "so are you an esthetician?"
(her) "no, I just kind of taught myself"

I Want it NOW!

2008-12-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was Becky's birthday dinner. Naturally, people brought her gifts. Marsha however, brought her the best gift EVER, which she hand-made. It's an apple cozy. To keep your apples cozy. Here's what it looks like:

So I pretty much became obsessively fixated on it for the rest of the night. At first it was just like "oh Marsha, that is so cute, you are so creative...". But then after a while it turned into "Marsha, you never even got me a birthday present last month, and guess what? I take an apple to work every day, and it always gets all bruised in my purse...". Then I just got kind of pouty and pissed off. Not at Marsha, just at the fact that I wanted an apple cozy right then and there, and I couldn't have one. Lee tried to help and said he'd get me one, but where? Then the whole way home in the car, I complained about how I deserve an apple cozy, and how I don't even know if Becky likes apples! Lee compared me to Veruca Salt, but he had to be exaggerating, because I wasn't nearly as whiny as she was, I swear.

Then this afternoon, Marsha came over and said she had something for me and I'm sure you can guess by now what it was.....my very own APPLE COZY (pictured above)! I was so excited. It is so pretty, and so functional! It will change my life (for the better)!

I am hereby declaring, that the apple cozy has just risen above the apple slicer/corer, to become my #1, very favorite apple accessory. Thank you Marsha! (oh, and happy birthday Becky!)

Shower

2008-12-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Guess what happened this weekend? My awesome friend Vanessa came to visit from Denver. But wait, there's more! She threw me a bridal shower. Can you believe that? I know. She is the nicest friend. She is also significantly smaller than me.
So here's a little re-cap of the shower:
Vanessa made a popcorn buffet! 4 different kinds of delicious popcorn! It was a dream come true for me, since popcorn is by far my favorite food.
Then we talked and laughed and told inappropriate jokes (mostly Marsha).

Then I made the following facial expressions:

As evidenced by my face, it was the perfect shower and I had so much fun. Thank you Vanessa!

The Mighty Slanket

2008-12-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

I got this magical item for my birthday (from my brother and my sister in law) a few weeks ago, and it has changed my life (for the better). I think it was intended as a novelty-type item, but I honestly wear it every single day. I love it so much. Because you know how sometimes when you're wrapped up in your favorite blanket, you want to also be doing crafts (or something), but then your arms get cold, so you have to chose between a.) having a cozy blanket around you, or b.) doing crafts (or something)? Well, the Slanket solves that problem. This is pretty much what I look like in my Slanket, except for my hair isn't as blonde as this girl's, and my Slanket is green:

Domestic Violence

2008-11-12T23:03:00.001-08:00

I take back any positive things I have ever said about gluten. I hate it, and it hates me back. I don't know why I thought that for once it would treat me right, but just like all girls in abusive relationships, I am back in the cycle: I see delicious gluten and can't help myself, I get treated poorly by the gluten, and then I get sick, and then I start feeling better, and then I see the gluten looking so delicious again, and I am right back where I started. When will I learn?

National Gluten Month

2008-11-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's not technically a "national" holiday, but for me this next month is officially Gluten Month (or "Glutvember"). Due to some tests I need to have done (I won't go into the gruesome details) to determine what my problem is, I need to start eating gluten again. I have from today until December 4th to eat all of the things I've been dying to eat for the past year. Baked goods, bread, pancakes! I can't wait! And this is the perfect month to be celebrating gluten, because my birthday is coming up, which requires cake. And then Thanksgiving comes after that, which involves rolls, pies, etc. It really couldn't have been timed better.

I found out the news of the upcoming month of gluten in the late afternoon today. This is significant only because if it would have been in the morning, I would have gone straight to the Park Cafe and gotten some french toast. Instead, I went home and ate some Wheat Thins. I know that's not really starting off with a "bang" or anything, but it's all I had available to me at the time.

My goal for tomorrow is to have a hamburger. Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes. And it wouldn't kill my friends and family to show some support by observing the Glutvember holiday season right along with me.

P.S. I promise this isn't going to turn into just a boring food allergy blog.

almost famous

2008-10-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

I've always been jealous of my friend Angie because she has seen/met/touched so many celebrities. She even made a very user-friendly chart to show exactly who she has met, and what their interaction entailed. Since I am fairly obsessed with celebrities, you can see where my jealousy comes from.

Well, I'm no Angie, but lately I have had some exciting (semi)contact with some celebrities (or their relatives, as the case may be).

1. I'm having my wedding dress made by a woman who I recently found out is this man's daughter-in-law!

2. I spoke with the mother of this popular star on the phone today, and she (the mother) is probably going to be my new landlord:

So you see, Angie's not the only one with celebrity contacts. Try not to be too jealous that I have an "in" with two of everyone's favorite early 90's sitcom stars.

my life is over.

2008-10-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

I got the test results back, and basically I can no longer eat food. I'm allergic to pretty much anything edible. All dairy products (yes, even cheese), eggs, wheat/gluten, and almonds. You might not think that last one is a big deal, but I eat almonds every single day. I love almonds. Almond flavored things, almond scented soap...almonds are pretty much my favorite food. I don't know what I'm going to do.

I started crying in Whole Foods tonight when I realized that there is absolutely nothing that is dairy-free AND wheat-free AND egg-free.

I am going to get a second opinion.

blast from the past

2008-10-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

From what I hear, grunge is back in style! I am SO ready!

:(

2008-10-07T21:23:00.001-07:00

In yet another attempt to figure out what's wrong with me (physically), I went to a naturopathic doctor today, to see if he had any ideas. He was very creepy, and the office reminded me of something that would be in a vacant old strip mall, next to a depressing barber shop (that was an Eastgate "air conditioned shop the mall" reference, for anyone from Bellevue). Aside from his creepiness, and the herbal smell of the place, I feel like it was a worthwhile visit. Here's why: He took my blood (even though it seemed like it was his first time ever taking someone's blood, and like he was really nervous, which made me really nervous), and is sending it into a lab, and having it tested for 98 different food allergies.

I've thought I probably have another food allergy (in addition to gluten) for a while now, but part of me doesn't want to know, because I hate the thought of eliminating more food from my diet. But lately I've been feeling worse, so I decided it's time. The "doctor" I saw today thinks I for sure have "at least one" more food allergy. Great. My two worst fears are that I'm allergic to dairy, or to sugar. I don't know how I would survive if I couldn't have dairy or sugar (or both?!). When I first found out I had a gluten allergy, I ate a strict diet of Skittles and string cheese for an entire week. They are my staple foods. I don't know what I would do without them.

I kind of have a feeling that it is dairy that I'm allergic to. But since I have two weeks until I know for sure, I'm going to fill those two weeks with ice cream, cheese, and candy. I urge you to join me.

$5 SALE!

2008-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

SALE! SALE! SALE!

a little advice

2008-09-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

If you want to feel safe in your home and get a good night's sleep, then be sure not to click here and put in your address. Take it from me.

This May Offend Some of You

2008-09-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

But seriously, when are we going to be done with the skinny jeans? I know they came back (from the 80s) a few years ago, and I was like "eh. they won't last long". But now it's been years of this skinny jean business. In fact, according to statistics gathered from my recent shopping trips, I feel I've come across enough evidence to alert you that there has recently been a denim genocide. No more boot-cut, straight-cut, or any other cuts that aren't tapered. The only remaining species of denim we have left, are skinny jeans. They are everywhere.

Now, if you are one of the 0.02 percent of the population who looks great in skinny jeans, then congratulations, and just disregard all of this. But for the rest of us, skinny jeans are not flattering. If you have hips or thighs or such things, skinny jeans aren't going to do you or your "curves" any favors. I get so sad seeing these awkward teenage girls walking around, squeezed into their skinny jeans, busting out with a muffin-top, all just because their hip, skinny, boy-shaped friend looks great in her skinny jeans.

This isn't my first experience with this issue. This is my second time around with the skinny/tapered jeans faze. The first time was when I was in 7th grade, and Monica Randall (the middle school "it" girl) wore these white, skinny Guess jeans. They were so cool, and I immediately had to go get some. The differences between me and Monica Randall however, were great. My tapered jeans with zippers at the ankle really did nothing to flatter my awkward/chubby pre-teen figure. I was one of those sad, mislead girls, pressured by society (and Monica Randall) to fit in by wearing them.

All I'm saying is, lets learn from the mistakes we made in the 80s. And don't even get me started on dudes who wear skinny jeans.

busy week

2008-09-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

So much stuff has been going on this week. We got back from Portland (refer to previous post), and immediately had a bunch of reality TV to catch up on. My DVR was full of really meaningful and important programs. I mean, Big Brother 10 is just getting really good. And Project Runway is as intense and inspiring as ever. Even ANTM started a new season this week! So that alone has made this a busy week.

Also, Lee started a new job, at Overstock.com. So that's cool.

Oh, and also he gave me a little gift tonight. Some of my favorite flowers (hydrangeas), and roses. So pretty:

But wait! There's more! He also gave me this:

(what I'm trying to tell you in case you haven't figured it out yet, is that we're engaged)

weekend

2008-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I went to Portland (Oregon). Lots of things happened there, but the big thing that happened was that my brother Scott got married. My new sister-in-law (who I love) is Erica. They are very attractive people, and I'm sure you believe me when I say the wedding was so pretty, and so much fun, but here's photographic proof just in case:

Another thing that happened was I spent a long afternoon shopping. Portland is one of my favorite cities to shop in, and since Lee loves to shop too, he came with me. He loves shopping just as much as I do, as evidenced by these candid pictures taken of him throughout the day:

So as you can see, it was a successful weekend. Lee got one hundred and ninety something pages read in his book, I got a lot of shopping done, and my brother got a wife.

school supplies

2008-08-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have never had a love for school. Well, that's not true. I loved school until the third grade when Ms. Simkin* made me cry almost every day, and I started to make my mom walk me to class because I was so scared of Ms (Doris) Simkin* (who by the way, looked almost exactly like the picture below).

But, what I have always had a love for is school supplies. I love fresh pencils, binders, pencil cases, backpacks, etc. In fact, I think school supplies are what ultimately (barely) got me through college. Each new semester, I would go crazy at the bookstore and buy all kinds of great supplies, and get all organized, and excited about classes to start. I would go to the second day of class (I believe in never going to the first day of class, because I have a theory about it, but that's a whole different topic), and get the syllabus, and start marking stuff on my brand new calendar. Sometimes I would even start reading the text books, and highlighting stuff. Then by the second week or so, when the supplies were no longer new, I would lose momentum. But the fact that I had any momentum toward school at all in the first place was pretty amazing, and was all due to the supplies.

Here's my point: just because I haven't been a student for a really long time (well, I guess I technically have been a student, but you know what I'm saying), doesn't mean I can't buy school supplies. And when Target has huge bins full of them, for 88 cents, what am I supposed to do? You see, it's just like how in December you buy gifts for people, or in October, you buy Halloween candy. In August/September, you are supposed to buy school supplies. They are seasonal. So what I'm saying is, I bought a bunch of glue sticks and mechanical pencils today that I don't need, and I encourage each of you to do the same.

*names have not been changed at all.

want to see something gross?

2008-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've been house/dog-sitting for the past few weeks. I miss my house. But anyway, part of the reason I wanted to house sit for these people is because they have this big garden. I love gardens. They grow tomatoes, zucchini, beans, etc. My favorite are the tomatoes. So, I picked some of the tomatoes the other day, and was all excited about them, because from the top, they looked delicious. Bright red and plump, and juicy-looking. But when I picked them, here's what they looked like:

Someone please tell me what this horrible tomato disease is.

madness

2008-08-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one not reading books about vampires?

Day #6

2008-08-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today is day #6 of no caffeine for me. It's not easy.

The thing is, I've had troubles with sleeping for the past few months, and I kept telling everyone (doctors, friends, etc.) that I had tried "everything", but nothing worked. I even waited an entire month to see a "Sleep Specialist", who ended up just giving me a pamphlet full of really obvious ways to improve one's sleep, including "eliminate noise from your sleeping area". Duh. Don't worry, I told the "Specialist" that I could have saved a month in wait-time and a $15 co-pay by just staying home and looking on the internet for the information from that pamphlet. Anyway, my point is, I said I had tried "everything", but I really hadn't. I was still drinking massive amounts of diet coke every day.

In my defense, I have been drinking massive amounts of Diet Coke for most of my adult life, and have not had sleeping problems until the past few months. So I honestly didn't think the caffeine was an issue. Turns out, I was wrong. I stopped drinking Diet Coke six days ago, and last night I had my first un-medicated night of really good sleep in months. Now, I know I have made empty threats to quit Diet Coke many times in the past. But this time, it's different. I am not making any promises or goals or anything like that. I'm just simply taking a vacation from caffeine, for medical reasons. That way, if (when) I hit the bottle (of Diet Coke) again, nobody can be disappointed in me. I hate when people are disappointed in me.

In the meantime, this is my new best friend:

I should be sleeping

2008-07-22T19:39:00.001-07:00

but since I had a rough day, I instead decided to copy Marsha, (who copied some other girl) and make this mosaic of my favorite things.

Here's how it's done:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)

I just like to look at it. And yes, I have had a crush on David Letterman for quite some time now.

make it work!

2008-07-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

The fifth season of the best show ever in the world started tonight! Project Runway! I love Tim Gunn with all my heart, and it turns out he's as kind and brilliant as ever this season. And to make things even more exciting, they brought back Austin Scarlett from season one to be a guest judge! Two of my favorite people!

Their challenge was to make an outfit using only materials they found at the grocery store. Over all, the results were a little disappointing (tablecloths, tablecloths, tablecloths), but here are my two favorites: The first one is made completely out of plastic cups. The second one is made of mop-heads which the designer crocheted into that cool top. Neither of these won, but whatever.

It was really sad watching that guy (I forgot his name already) get kicked off at the end. He seemed crushed. They should have kicked off that girl who looks like Joey Ramone, who just taped together some trash bags and tried to pretend it was a dress.

oh no

2008-07-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

First rice, now this?
Next someone is going to tell me that the price of string cheese is sky-rocketing, and then what am I supposed to do?

reasons why I have not blogged lately

2008-07-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

1. It's way too hot here. I'm always sweating, I'm always uncomfortable.

2. I've been patiently waiting for my stimulus check. It finally came yesterday!

3. I can't sleep.

4. My cute nieces and nephews and sister have been in town. They are more important than the internet (usually).

5. I need a small/portable camera, or else I will never bring a camera anywhere, which will result in never having pictures of anything to put on here. I want a Canon Elph, and while I was checking them out at Best Buy with Lee last week, he ended up buying one (for him). So maybe I'll just use his pictures sometimes, until I get my own Elph.

6. There needs to be more space between where I work and the nearest Anthropologie store.

7.Due to Costco's huge quantities and low prices, in the past three weeks I've eaten approximately 5 pounds of sugar-snap peas.

emotional rollercoaster

2008-06-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we all know what happens in June. Lagoon opens up! So just like last year, we got Lagoon Season Passports. Last summer I was sick all the time, because I didn't know yet that i was allergic to gluten. So Lagoon ended up (just like everything else) making me sick. But this year, having been feeling better for a while, I've been super excited to go on some roller coasters. So last night me, Bryton, Rebekah, and Lee all went to Lagoon.
It was really fun over all, but there were some trials along the way. Wicked, for example (in case you've forgotten what it looks like, that's what this picture is of), scared me ten times more than it did last summer.

Every time I'm in line for it, I get scared and consider not going. Last night was no different. But I'm happy to say we all made it out unscathed (although Rebekah lost her sunglasses when they flew off of her head during the scariest part of the ride).

Lee rarely gets sick or scared on rides. He is up for any ride at pretty much any time. One exception to this though, is the ride pictured below, which scares him to death. The Sky Coaster.

It's funny to see how scared and uncomfortable he gets on this ride, and then look over and see small children on it who aren't scared at all. No offense Lee. It's very funny though. Any time I'd move on this ride, he'd say "sit still!".

The low point of the night was when Lee and Bryton went on a ride without us (I think it's called the "Mind-Scrambler", which totally explains why I didn't want to go). Rebekah and I watched the ride, and both noticed this kid who was on the ride by himself, and so excited. He was clapping, waving, etc. (okay, and he also had "special needs"). Anyway, when Rebekah and I thought for a few minutes that nobody was waving back to him, and that he was at Lagoon alone, we both teared up. Real, actual tears. Then we saw that his family was there and would occasionally wave back to him, but that wasn't enough to stop the tears. When he got off the ride, Rebekah said "if his mom doesn't hug him, I will". So yeah, I'm not proud of it, but it happened.

Also, the swing ride (I can't remember what it's called) used to be my very favorite. You know, the one where the swings go around in a big circle, high up in the air? Well, as of last night, it is officially my new least favorite. I felt so sick on it. And the relentless twirling around and around and around felt like torture. Rebekah couldn't go, because she didn't abide by the "no open-toed shoes" rule (I am fairly sure that she did this intentionally so she wouldn't have to ride the swings). So here is a picture of Lee and I after the swing ride, and Rebekah who felt fine since she didn't go. Not cool.

So I've been feeling dizzy all day today too, but I'm not giving up on Lagoon. I am giving up on the swings, but not Lagoon.

cannon beach

2008-06-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Lee and I went to Oregon to hang out with my family at Cannon Beach, which is not only featured in the movie Goonies, but also hosts an annual sandcastle-building contest. I've always had a problem with run-on sentences. Anyway, it was really great, but unfortunately I only took three pictures the entire weekend. One was of Lee when he just woke up, and two were of him eating eggs benedict. So if you were to go strictly by my pictures, you'd think Lee went on a trip by himself, and didn't do anything but eat and sleep. That is not the case at all. Actually, my parents and my brother and (soon-to-be) sister-in-law were there too. And we did do a lot of eating and sleeping, but we did other things too. Like looked at sandcastles.

I really should have taken pictures of the sandcastles. Most of them weren't that awesome. I was rooting for team "Dead Skulls", which consisted of two little boys (about 8 or 9). They were building their castle right next to a team I can only assume was all-female, called "The Mermaids". There was also a team who called their "castle" (it wasn't a castle at all) "REVENGE", and it consisted of a large circle drawn in the sand, and then some trash (which might have just ended up there---I'm not clear on if it was part of their castle or not). I didn't really get it.

Anyway, it was a great trip, except for the part where Lee hurt his back and couldn't move for a whole day.

I will leave you with one of the few pictures from the trip. It was taken at a restaurant in Portland, which has really great omelettes, and (from what I hear) amazing eggs benedict. None of those things are in the picture though. It's just Lee looking out the window.

I hate to brag

2008-05-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

You may (or may not) have noticed, but I have been making jewelry for a while and selling it on a really great site called Etsy. I mainly just make it because I like to, but it makes me happy anytime someone buys something (no pressure). Anyway, today my friend Angie made my day by telling me that a local website here in Salt Lake City featured some of my earrings! It's called Your Heart Out, and they are a great resource for local shops, restaurants, and events. It's a cool website, and I was very flattered to be on it along with some great artists from Salt Lake who are also selling things on Etsy. You can see it here (mine are the first earrings pictured, the Lemon Drop ones).

And here's some of the stuff I've made lately:

Rudolph Valentino?

2008-05-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

My sister sent me this link so I could find out which celebrities I look like. I really had no idea I was so masculine. But, I did always have a crush on River Phoenix, so maybe this explains it. Also, I can't remember why I was so annoyed in that picture.

birthday weekend

2008-05-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a few days late (5 actually) in posting this, but it was Lee's birthday over the weekend, and here is what happened:

First, I took him to get a massage. I figured since I was there at the salon, I should probably get a facial, instead of just sitting there and waiting for him to be done. So anyway, I came out from my facial, and he was sitting in the waiting area, with this dazed look on his face, mouth partly open, and his hair was sticking out in all directions. I assumed that meant it was a good massage.
Then we went to the Park Cafe and met up with some friends. Here we are at the Park Cafe (Lee is still recovering from his massage). And I've included a picture of their delicious french toast, that I can no longer eat.

Nathaniel was in town, so of course we went to Eureka next. Actually, Nathaniel has no affiliation with Eureka, I just couldn't think of a reason that we went there. But I'm glad we did. It's a cool little place. Lots of old stuff. It's not technically a "ghost town", but it's definitely creepy. I took pictures there, but mostly of offensive/inappropriate graffiti, so I won't post them, in order to keep this a family-friendly blog.
We tried so hard to get B to come with us, but it didn't happen. So when we stopped at this gas station, we really felt his absence (and I also spilled 44oz of Diet Coke on the floor, which was embarassing). Even though Lee was sad, he still somehow pulled through with a provocative pose for this picture. He learns most of his moves from Tyra.

Anyway, then we all went to a Salt Lake Bee's game (also in honor of B's birthday, which was a few days later), which was really fun. Then there was a small party at Lee's house. I don't have any pictures from either of those things, so you'll just have to take my word that it really happened.

Happy (5 days late) Birthday Lee!

graduation day

2008-05-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Above is a picture of my mom and I in August of 2002. As you may have guessed, it was taken at my college graduation. I had finished all of my requirements to graduate, and my parents flew into town, and I walked onto the stage when they called my name, etc. So that sounds like graduating, right? Wrong.

Last week I had to print off copies of my college transcript. I went online to find it, and was surprised to see the phrase "NO DEGREES AWARDED" in bold lettering. I thought it had to be a mistake, so I called BYU, to try to figure it out. I was told (rudely) that I had never graduated. The guy on the phone didn't feel the need to give me any more details than that. I told him that I had finished all my class requirements, and walked in graduation and he's like "yeah, but that doesn't mean you graduated" (strangely, I was under the impression that's exactly what it meant).

Well, apparently I did apply for graduation in April of 2002, but then I didn't end up walking until August of 2002, because I had to take (okay, re-take) a class that summer. I guess I was supposed to re-apply for graduation, which I didn't know. Plus, any doubt I had about my graduation status would have been eased when the dean called my name and I went up on stage with my cap and gown. But basically, for the past 6 years I've been lying to employers, family, and friends, without even knowing it.

Don't worry, it's all taken care of now. I made a bunch of phone calls to BYU, and faxed some things in to them, and then I was notified that I had officially graduated. The most annoying thing about all of this though, is that my graduation date is now April 2008. So since I started college in 1996, that means it took me 12 years to graduate. I am not super surprised by all of this though, because this is the kind of luck I have, as I've mentioned before. Also, I wasn't the world's best college student, and I think most people I know were surprised when I finally "graduated" in 2002, so I've always kind of had a fear in the back of my head that it didn't really happen. But the good news is, I now have every reason to throw myself a graduation party. You're all invited!

i worry about rice

2008-05-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have always been a big fan of rice. I have worn through 3 rice-cookers in the past 5 years, because I use them so often (and apparently don't take appropriate care of them). But when I found out last fall that I was allergic to wheat, my rice consumption sky-rocketed. I eat brown rice every day. Sometimes twice a day. I'm not lying, ask anyone.

So I started to panic today when I was informed that there is a rice shortage (I know, you've known about the rice shortage for weeks/months, but that's not the point). Anyway, as you can imagine, I panicked and rushed to the store after work, only to find that there was no rice on the shelves! Well, there were a few bags of really expensive organic white rice, which I have no interest in. But anyway, I spent the next half hour or so kind of freaking out in my head, thinking about what would happen if there was no rice in my life. Then I went to Whole Foods and got some brown rice in bulk. They had plenty there, so it eased my fears a little. Plus Whole Foods is a really comforting place. And don't get me started on their salad bar.

My point is this: I really hope we don't run out of rice. If our rice supplies continue to dwindle, I want you all to remember something: The less rice you eat, the more there will be for me. And most of you can eat plenty of other kinds of grains, but I can't. I leave the bagels, bread, and baked goods for you, so I urge you to leave the rice for me.

welcome!

2008-04-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Glad you made it here safely.