The World According to Us

Wahoo!

2012-02-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Richard and I were just talking yesterday about how we are dying to be by the ocean. We are beach people and there just isn't a substitute.

Today they announced this year's conference for his job is in Ft Lauderdale, Florida! Can't wait! We'll be two miles away from the beach and within walking distance of a ton of cool stuff. This could NOT have been announced at a better time! I'm so excited!

2012-02-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Heartsick over what Josh Powell did to his boys today. Just when you think things couldn't get any worse. I just have to keep telling myself that at least he can't hurt them anymore. Or Susan either. I hope she's reunited with her sons and that evil excuse for a husband/father will never again be in their presence.

"I'm not nervous, I'm excited."

2012-01-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Remember my new year's resolution of "challenging myself more?" Yeah, me too. Well, this is a big one for me. I have a job interview on Saturday afternoon. Maybe that's not such a big deal, but believe me, I'm feeling the pressure. This job would be such a blessing, especially in this economy. Richard's being great about it, saying even if I don't get the job, at least I will have gone on the interview and I'll know I can get through it. That's important for me.

So why is this a challenge for me? Well, it's been an awfully long time since I was in the workforce. Add that to the fact that I've been increasingly becoming a homebody, and that's not such a good combination. But I know that I have it in me to overcome whatever doubts or fears I have. I have been doing some introspection lately, and I'm not such a fan of what I see. While I'm a cheerleader for my friends and believe they can do anything, I sort of forgot to include myself in that. Somewhere along the way, I've become someone who's afraid to try. That's why I chose that for one of my resolutions. Because that's not who I want to be, not for one more day. At least if I try, there's a chance of success. If I don't, there isn't, and I'll never get ahead. I'm too young to limit myself that way.

So for the next few days, my mantra will be something my dad always tells me when I start feeling those butterflies of self doubt: "I'm not nervous, I'm excited. I'm not nervous, I'm excited." And ya know what? I really am. :)

You were a true friend...

2012-01-18T11:25:00.001-07:00

One of Richard's friends and coworkers, Captain Jim Strong, passed away on Saturday. I don't think I ever met him. However, I feel like I knew him at least a little because of how Richard talked about him. Stories of how funny he was, how nice he was, and how Richard liked to just talk and laugh with him.

I made cookies for Richard to take to work for Christmas. I think Jim enjoyed them the most, so we gave him the recipe. Richard took a cake I'd made to work to some meeting last week. I specifically asked what Jim thought about it because he had become my favorite to bake for. I'm still going to make treats for Richard to take to work, but I admit I'm going to miss hearing about how Jim critiqued them. Mostly, I'm going to miss seeing Richard's eyes light up when I ask about Jim or laugh about something he had said. It sucks to lose a friend. Especially when goodbye comes too soon.

Rest in peace, Captain Strong. Thanks for being such a good friend to Richard.

You know, I've only known Jim for a short time. It seems like just yesterday he was starting on at Animal Services as a reserve officer. With his stellar record, it didn't surprise me when he became captain after our former captain retired. I don't recall exactly when I met Jim, but it can't have been more than a couple of years ago.

Over the past number of months, I got a lot of opportunities to sit down and talk with him, usually while fixing his computer. I'm not one to really get close to people at work, at least I try not to, but Jim was a different story. He may have cursed like a sailor but there was something about him that just put you at ease. It's like no matter what you were talking about, he was genuinely interested in hearing what you had to say.

Jim and I shared a love of food. We were always discussing good restaurants and good recipes. As Lyndsie mentioned, whenever she made something fabulous for me to take to work, I made sure that Jim got some, just so he could tell me what he thought about it. And oh how complimentary Jim was. I can't quote his exact language (I don't want this page to be rated R, after all) but when I shared Lyndsie's coconut cookies around Christmas he just went on and on about how great they were. Of course we got him the recipe as soon as possible.

You know, for all his gruffness, Jim cared a lot more than most people. He was passionate about his work and just had a way of making you smile. It was like he'd seen the worst in people and found the best in others anyway.

As I mentioned, I didn't really get close to Jim until recently but he already felt like an old friend. There are only a handful of people in my life about whom I can say that. He was a rare treasure, one of the few really good people I have known, and his loss has been difficult to bear.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family who have lost so much more than a friend - Jim, you will be missed. Thank you for everything. You were a true friend.

-Richard

2012-01-11T13:51:00.002-07:00

So today is January 11th and after tonight's visit, Richard and I will have been to the gym 7 times so far this year, I believe. I walked on my treadmill at home one day we didn't go, although I didn't do it for very long. My treadmill used to be my grandma's, and it's clearly for short people. It hurts my back, but it's better than nothing. Today I got on my Wii Fit Balance Board for the first time in a long time, and it felt good to do some yoga and that hula hoop thing again. It's nice to throw in something different once in a while than just the same old treadmill and bike routine.

So...yeah, so far I'm feeling good about that resolution. I'm also back to keeping track of what I eat, and that's a good thing. I overdid it a little yesterday, so thank goodness I had a really good workout last night. It helped me slide right under my daily limit. :)

We've tried certain diets in the past (South Beach, Change One, 6 Week Body Makeover, etc), and nothing really worked, because it wasn't something that we could really live for the rest of our lives. So, it's back to basics for us. A healthy diet and regular exercise. Steps in the right direction. Doing it together, and encouraging each other to keep up the good work. It's amazing how much easier it is when you're doing to for the long term, healthy reasons than just for weight loss.

We've been at this since the weekend after Thanksgiving. We're averaging 4 or 5 days in the gym a week. I'm drinking only water these days....not even my sugar-free mixins are making the cut. I'm focused and determined and I want to prove that I can do this. Even if only to myself. Maybe even especially to myself.

"IT" Thing of the Month

2012-01-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I think it's safe to say that the winning thing of January is.....dum dum da da.....
Columbo Season 1! Seriously. It's funny, smart, and has withstood the test of time. Give it a whirl.

The fact that I may or may not have a crush on Peter Falk right now is completely irrelevant. :)

Resolutions

2011-12-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time again...time to think about what I want to change about myself. Looking back, I think this used to depress me. I always wanted to make positive change, but I just could never make it happen. Maybe my resolutions were too grand, or maybe too vague. I'm not sure. But this year, I'll just be a little more realistic. In no particular order, here are my resolutions for 2012:

* Keep Working Out
Believe it or not, Richard and I have been pretty dedicated about going to the gym for the past month or so. We're going to the Salt Lake County Rec Centers. Usually Magna or Holladay-Lions, but sometimes we mix it up. The point is...we're going. It's cool to consider that since I'm recognizing the "regulars" that means I'm becoming a regular too. We've been doing really well. I want us to be healthier, and this is the most consistent we've been. Maybe that's sad, but small steps are still steps in the right direction.

*Stay Positive
It's not hard to get sucked into all the drama and negativity in the world. There's way too much of it. I don't want to become dragged down by it. I want to stay a happy, positive person even when it's hard.

*Look for Opportunities to Help
I don't necessarily mean anything big or major...sometimes just a small gesture can say so much. Unless you've been on the receiving end, you may not realize how much one action can help someone else. This year I want to try to "pay it forward" as much as I can.

*Challenge Myself More
It's easy to get complacent and bored. I don't really have a lot planned for this one yet, except maybe just to be open to trying new things. I do know that at some point, I am going to make Beef Wellington for dinner. At this point I have no idea what it is, except it's always on "Hell's Kitchen." But I'm going to find out. I'm going to make it, and we are going to enjoy it. Or, if we don't, that's okay too. The point is to try.

Those are pretty much the main ones. Mostly I want to make myself better, but still be me. I realize I might not always succeed, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm bound to fail. Time will tell, of course, but I'm pretty sure I can do this.

If you've made resolutions too, good luck! I believe in you!

Songs of the Season

2011-12-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

So every year, there's usually at least one song that just hits me like a ton of bricks at Christmas. Tonight there were two. They were on a CD that I had made myself a few years ago, and they're songs I've known for over a decade, maybe longer. I've heard them countless times, and although I always knew the message, I don't think it ever got to me like they did tonight.

Richard and I were on our way to Zoo Lights, so I popped in some tunes. Right off the bat, my favorite Kenneth Cope songs were featured (he's fabulous, by the way). "More Than Just A Boy," a duet between Joseph and Mary, brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. Like I said before, I've loved this song for a long, long time. But tonight... it was just what I needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVVdzjv1LC8

Then, just as soon as I was able to get my emotions in check, "Three Kings/I Cannot Find My Way" from Michael McLean's "The Forgotten Carols" started. If there's a song I feel I relate to right now, it's this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJH6_YXsEwI

Good thing we arrived at the zoo before I started bawling. We had a fantastic time, and if you get the chance to go, you should. We made some really nice memories tonight...and I was reminded, yet again, of the true Light of the season.

Dear Santa

2011-12-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know many people think Santa is just for the kids. I used to be one of them. But this year, I want to have that childlike wonder back. I want to remember Christmas as a time of miracles; as more than just the high point of my least favorite season. I want to be focused on more than just the deadline I've set to finish everyone's gifts. Instead of hating winter because of the snow, the ice, and the lack of all things summery, I really want to enjoy it this time instead of just endure it.

So I just wrote to Santa Claus. If you go to www.dearsanta.com, you (and/or your children) can write to Santy and apparently he'll write back.

I'm not so far gone as to believe what I wished for in my letter will actually find its way to me on Christmas morning, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Thankful for the Big Picture

2011-11-21T16:08:00.001-07:00

I was sitting at my kitchen table today, working on Christmas presents and listening to the radio. I had been singing along about Frosty and Rudolph and what have you, when they went to commercial break. An ad for the Christmas DVD by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir came on. My eyes looked up to my Grandma's funeral program still on my fridge. And the floodgates opened.

Christmas is Grandma. The MoTabs are Grandma. My tears are for Grandma. My grandfathers have both been gone long enough (14 years, and 10 years), that I forgot the way little things can bring about a red-hot hurt in a second. I still miss them dearly, and think of them every day, but with Grandma, I'm still at that point where I can't believe she's really gone. I can't believe she won't be there on Thursday, when we meet at my sister's table for Thanksgiving dinner. I can't believe this will be my first Christmas without her, and some of her decorations will be on my tree this year instead of hers.

But what I can believe: She and my grandfathers are part of what I'll always be thankful for. And because of that, my memories of them, and of us together, will be enough. Just until I can be with them again. Then that too will be something for which I will be forever thankful.

Falling into Autumn (see what I did there? lol)

2011-10-20T15:07:00.000-06:00

The weather's beautiful. The leaves are beautiful. There's still green and no snow. I'm still holding onto the sunshine yet embracing hot chocolatey mornings. I'm not hot during the day but get to really snuggle down deeply into my favorite comforter at night. Yeah. Fall's not all bad.

Tender mercies and gratitude

2011-10-07T17:42:00.003-06:00

" ...I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ."--David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We've been getting by (with a little help from our friends, ha ha) well enough, and for that I'm grateful. Tender mercies surround us.

Richard's brother Stephen, and his wife, Danielle, and their kids came over last night. Not only did they cook a delicious dinner for us, they stood there and did our dishes. We are old school around here and have to do the dishes by hand. I am still under doctor's orders not to soak my hands. Can't even use the rubber gloves because of something about the moisture in them? I don't know. Richard can't do them one-handed. So it meant a great deal to us. After they left I was so touched I about cried. So, if you read this, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My sister came up last week to sit with me and she bought me lunch. She drove all the way from Springville with a broken toe just to be with me. That speaks volumes about the kind of person she is. I've been blessed with the best sister I could have ever hoped for. Thanks, Poppet, for all your help. Tender mercy.

My mom came up the Saturday after my surgery and deep cleaned my kitchen. She forced me to take a nap and just let her clean. She wasn't supposed to do that. We were going to just eat lunch and watch an old Doris Day/Rock Hudson/Tony Randall movie. But you know how moms are. Tender mercy.

Richard took this past Wednesday off because I had an appointment in Provo. Usually he'll take a half-day and try to be back to work by the afternoon, but this time he didn't. This day could have been a lot harder had we felt crunched for time. Because of some big accident earlier in the morning, the waiting time at the doctor's office was well over an hour. We came out afterwards to find we had a flat tire. While Richard was attempting to change the tire (in the rain, and with a very sore hand), we found the spare was flat as well. We could have been stranded, but, as luck would have it, the doctor I went to was in the same parking lot as my mom's office. We were able to borrow her car to take our tires to the tire shop. Originally just meaning to get them patched, we were surprised to learn that due to some alignment issue or something, our tires were in bad shape. Like...it's amazing we didn't blowout on the freeway bad. They filled up the spare, and we went back to Mom's work to get my car and go back to the tire store. After buying two new tires, we made it home safely. There's a handful of tender mercies in there.

We finished Wednesday's adventures by going to the urgent care to have Richard's wrist X-rayed. We were told it was either "severly sprained or possibly broken." They weren't sure and we had to wait to have a radiologist read them before we knew. Well, that news came today. It's sprained. It's a bad sprain, but that's so much better than a break! The healing time is much shorter, he doesn't have to get it casted...it's just an answer to prayer, because even though we're getting by, this is hard. Tender mercy.

I know that even with these current hardships, I have it so much easier than so many others. For that I am thankful. I get impatient with my hands and I want them to heal "right now!" and when I can't do things I get frustrated. But at least I know that they're healing right. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who is so willing to do what he can. That is the biggest tender mercy of all. He is so patient, and so kind, and I'm getting emotional because he just takes such good care of me. It just means so much. When I'm with him I know everything will be okay, and he just has this calming effect on me. I love him to pieces and I hope he counts me as a tender mercy, too.

Update

2011-09-24T08:32:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try to keep this one short-ish because it hurts to type and it takes forever too. My hands are all bundled up with just my fingers sticking out, but that's okay because I made it through surgery with flying colors.

Apparently when I woke up I sounded like a drunken sailor and I kept saying, "I like that Dr. Priest, Mom. I like Dr. Priest." Over and over. Then when Dr. Priest came and checked on me, I got all emotional and told him I liked him. Well, that's okay. There are worse people to fawn over than a top-notch anesthesiologist. Besides, it's true...I do like him. :)

I like Dr. Richards, too. He's my surgeon. Even though my hands hurt a lot, I can't even tell you how nice it is that my fingers aren't numb anymore! YAY for progress!

Thanks to everyone who's helping me. I appreciate it so much. I especially appreciate all the prayers and well wishes because I was getting pretty scared I was going to have a hard time with the anesthesia. Clearly everything worked out and now Dr. Priest has a friend for life, lol.

If you or a loved one is experiencing the complete pain that is carpal tunnel crap, I have no hesitation referring you to Dr. Ryan Richards. And if you need surgery, get Dr. Jeffrey Priest to give you the anesthesia. Can't stress that one enough!

Put your mittens around your kittens...

2011-09-20T18:14:00.000-06:00

...and away we go!

After a week of trying to get my carpal tunnel test results faxed to my surgeon (Yes! It took these people SEVEN days and 4 different fax numbers to get it there), I'm scheduled for surgery. Thursday morning will find me trying to be be brave (and modest!) as I lay in that super-humbling hospital gown thing. I hate those things. Let's be honest. This is a surgery on my hands. I can wear a shirt, right? Guess not. Anyway, I hear it will only take about an hour per hand if everything goes well (fingers crossed, please!), then 6 weeks of healing and then 6 weeks of strengthening. During the first six weeks I am not allowed to exceed 5 pounds of pressure or lifting. I cannot get my hands wet in the shower until two or three weeks in, when I get my stitches out. Ooh, I've never really had stitches before. I hope I behave myself and don't get tempted to pull them out myself. My grandma does that. Shame on her.

By week 4 I can finally take a bath again and soak my hands. Oh that will be so nice to be able to get out of the bathtub again without bruising my knee (don't ask).

So that's how my next month or two is looking. I'll try to rein in my excitment. No, seriously, I was terrified and now I'm just.....ready. Let's do this thing.

2011-09-14T16:25:00.000-06:00

It's so nice to finally have a doctor I feel comfortable with. I trust this man. After Friday's debacle (I will NEVER recommend Dr. Thomas Houts at Wasatch Neurological Clinic, not EVER)...I feel like I'm back on track. I met with my surgeon yesterday, and after some tests and hands on evaluation, I'm scheduled for surgery.

Richard said yesterday he was surprised at how well I was doing. Me too, actually. But I read something the other day, and I'm trying to incorporate it into my daily life: What did fear ever accomplish? Yes, I'm nervous about the surgery and I just want it to be over. Yes, the recovery time (six weeks!) sounds blah and super long, but I've gotta do what I've gotta do. Just getting a cortisone shot or "keeping an eye on it" isn't good enough this time. So I'm all in. Going to do both of my hands at the same time. Wish me luck!

2011-09-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

Looks like I'll be having surgery. Nothing's been set up yet, but if you can include me in your prayers a time or two, I'd be grateful. It's not the surgery itself that scares me, it's the anesthesia and the way we don't really get along.

Finally

2011-09-08T17:52:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow I (FINALLY!) have my appointment with the hand doctor. I'm a big anxious ball of nerves. Since it's been about 7 weeks since my hands have acted up, and I've been waiting for this appointment since August 19th, I'm ready to get this taken care of. But I'm so nervous, too. Granted, it's not surgery or anything. At least at this point. But I'm not good with medical procedures. Remember what happened when I went in for a simple endoscopy (this is from an earlier post on my blog):

I don't know how much later, but I wake up in the operating room. I'm choking and gagging on the thing in my throat, and several people seem to be yelling. I couldn't comprehend what they were saying, or even that their shouts were directed at me, but before I can figure it out I'm out again. I wake up in Recovery with Mom on one side and Richard on the other, and they're both staring at me. Mom then tells me that I stopped breathing and that they were shouting at me, she was in my face yelling and smacking my arms, and the nurse pulled my hair, all to try to get me to breathe or hear them. They had to give me some sort of anesthetic reversal, too. Scary stuff, man. Glad I wasn't awake for that.

Yeah, experiences like that stay with a person. But I'm just going to have to buck up and be a brave lil soldier. Richard will be there holding my hand (metaphorically speaking this time, I'd assume :) ) and as long as he's with me I know I'll be okay. I tell him this all the time, but it's true. He makes it so everything is okay...and I'm so grateful that he does. Thanks, honey.

WebMD + insomnia = Freaked out me

2011-08-19T06:26:00.002-06:00

For the last three weeks or so, something's been going on with my hands. At first I just had some weakness in my wrists....buggy, but nothing major. Then my hands started to hurt. When I tried to make a fist, tingling sensations shot down my arm. Now my hands are stiff and ...well, not numb, but have that "pins and needles" feeling. I'm noticing all the things I suddenly need help with (opening bottles, getting out of the bathtub, etc) and I'm not sleeping through the night because they keep waking me up. At first everyone said, "Oh I bet it's carpal tunnel." Maybe it is...but it just happened suddenly, with both hands. Is that how carpal tunnel works? I really have no idea. I haven't been to the doctor yet, although I know Richard's going to make me an appointment. I was kind of hoping that my body would just heal itself on this one, although I don't know what's going on. Wishful thinking of someone who doesn't love going to the doctor, I guess.

But now that I've been on WebMD, I'm ready to suck it up and be a brave lil soldier. I really hate WebMD. Now there's part of me that thinks I have about 5 horrible things going on. This is the same part of me that really really really wants all the stuff on the infomercials I've also been watching. 'Cause, you know, I can't sleep. This sucks.

******Later that afternoon: Just got back from the doctor. I have a "medial neuropathy" but that just sounds like medical speak for "my nerve is being a jerkbag and I probably have carpal tunnel crap." But to make sure, I get to go get something done at a nerve specialist where they will stick a bunch of needles in my arm. Once the doc saw my face when he said that, he offered me a Valium. Kind, but...no, I can do it. I'm thirty now. I'm a big girl.

That sentiment may change the morning of my appointment. We shall see. Till then, I have to wear arm braces at night and try to make the wrists behave. Oh, and I have to go get my thyroid checked. Again. Duh.

2011-08-14T11:43:00.000-06:00

Just a shout-out to our friend Chris. He did me a big favor last night, and with hardly any notice. Then he entertained us for hours afterward. It's so nice to have people like that in our lives. Thanks, Chris!

"IT" Thing of the Month

2011-08-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

I bought this on a whim at Walmart and holy smokes. This is the new go-to snack. It's cheap and delicious. Give it a whirl.

2011-07-28T15:19:00.000-06:00

There have been times in the last few weeks that I've wanted to write, maybe even needed to write, but I couldn't do it here. Because once I post this, it will move my posts about Grandma down to something in the past. I know. It sounds dumb. It's not like I'll forget her or hurt any more or less than I already do if she's not the newest post. But try explaining logistics to the heart....you just can't.

But it's been a month and a few days now since she passed away. I can't believe that. It seems like minutes and it seems like a year. I came across the birthday card she sent me a year or two ago, and seeing her handwriting was like a punch to the gut. Knowing I'm not going to get a birthday card from her next week actually hurts a lot more than I care to think about....her cards full of good wishes and beautiful but hard to read penmanship was something I both appreciated and kind of took for granted. I hate how much more I appreciate things once they're taken away. It's the little things like this that are the hardest. It's the absence of the norm that throws me off. But I saved a voice mail from two years ago when she called to wish me a happy birthday. I'll make sure to listen to that on Tuesday and even though I'll probably cry (I'm crying right now, lol), maybe it will be just what I need. I miss her. I just miss her.

Okay, I didn't mean for this to be another Grandma-centric post. Let's see, what else has been going on?

I'm enjoying the new bathroom ceiling Richard put in. Our old one sort of caved in with no warning. That was fun. I am still super impressed that he was able to assess the situation, do a little research, go get supplies, and boom. It was done. I love being married to a jack of all trades. There's nothing he can't learn.

We have two gardens that are starting to produce. Peppers and zucchinis so far, with tomatoes looking pretty good. Shouldn't be too much longer on those. If you like zucchini, let me know, because we've got 6 plants (three different varieties), and I like zucchini, but that's an awful lot, you know?

We've been fishing a few times lately, and I've caught a few. Being at Mirror Lake, then Pass Lake, was really good for me. It's *almost* as good for me as the Pacific Ocean. I'm so glad Richard loves being in nature as much as I do. There's just something about it that soothes my soul in a way that nothing else can. Corny, maybe. But true.

Really not too much going on. Just the day to day stuff. But since that's the stuff that makes a life, maybe I should start documenting it better. Like....I love how Richard and Josh and I watch "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show" and we're all laughing so hard I can't breathe. Or how much I love it when my cat can tell I'm sad and he'll come snuggle me. Or how much I look forward to 10:00, because that's usually when Richard and I go downstairs and watch an hour or two of LOST (or whatever show we're watching at the time), while he rubs my back. I'm spoiled by the little things. Thoughtful gestures, kind words, and making each other laugh. That's the stuff worth remembering.

Tribute

2011-07-01T15:03:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, after Grandma's funeral (which was lovely), my parents and my sister and her family came over for what we are calling a "Grandma party." We picked up Taco Time on the way home (because whenever my sister Jaymie or I were out with Grandma, she just always wanted to stop for a taco, lol) and talked about Grammy and her funeral. The treats at this party were chosen for a reason, too. Coke (with ice, in a real glass...for Grandma that was the only way), and Lorna Doone cookies. Man, she loved her Lorna Doones. Jaymie made fudge that tasted just like Gram's, and Mom and Dad brought a coconut pie (which, sadly, was no comparison for what my grandma could whip up).

Mom, Jaymie, Michael, Richard and I played "The Barbie Game: Queen of the Prom," which is a gem from our childhood. We used to play that every time we'd go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa usually won, bless his heart. It's funny because there are a few main points of this game: earn money, buy a dress, get a boyfriend and go steady, go to school and become a club president, and then make your way to the Prom and become Queen. Richard always beats me when we play, but yesterday Mike was crowned Queen. It was so nice to laugh and be happy and feel that maybe, just maybe, Grandma was there, too.

Maybe our little party was silly, but I really enjoyed having everyone here. I especially loved our little tribute to her, in the form of her favorite treats and games. We also had carrot sticks. Jaymie had told me that my grandma served Michael carrots the first time he went to her house for dinner because she didn't know what to serve a vegetarian. Ha ha, that cracks me up.

My grandma was a fun and funny person, and we loved playing games with her and Grandpa. It's not quite the same to play Aggravation without Grandpa. And it won't be the same for Jaymie and me to play Scrabble without Grandma. But we will. And when we do, we'll remember. And that is a tribute in itself.

2011-06-27T12:10:00.001-06:00

Our family (and the world) lost a wonderful woman yesterday. Sunday, June 26th at 7:20 p.m., my grandma slipped through the veil and, after 14 long years of wanting and waiting, finally got to be with my grandpa again.

I don't really know how to put this into words. She was 92 years old, so of course we knew it was a matter of time. But she had bounced back from so many ailments so many times that it seems inconceivable that she's really gone.

She was admitted into the hospital on Thursday, after she had fallen. The fall was not the cause of her death, nor even really a factor in it, although she broke 3 ribs that day. Instead, believe it or not, her fall was a blessing. Here's why. When she fell, her body was already in the process of shutting down. If she hadn't fallen, she wouldn't have gone to the hospital. If she hadn't gone to the hospital, her family wouldn't have had the chance to say goodbye. As it was, her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, as well as neighbors, friends, and her sister and brother in law all got to come and visit her. We all got to give her a kiss and hold her hand and tell her how much we loved her.

I won't go into much detail about her time in the hospital, but I believe miracles occurred. And I know for a certainty prayers were answered. I know we are being watched over and comforted. And though it is hard and so strange to know that she's really gone, I know this is for the best. That's not to say I'm glad she's gone. There are so many things that I would change if I could. But I'm actively looking for the blessings. And you know what? I'm finding them.

My heart shattered yesterday. It's not easy to lose someone you love and hold dear, and it doesn't get easier. But my heart was also filled with love yesterday, and with so much gratitude that she's not suffering anymore. As my cousin so beautifully stated, she wanted to be with her soldier again. And now she is, and the thought of my grandparents being together again makes me cry tears of joy mixed with the tears of sorrow. That's a blessing.

I have so many wonderful memories of my grandma and maybe next June 26th I'll post some. I can't right now. It's still too raw. But I hope that through all the pain she was in, and through the morphine, she heard what I was saying to her. I believe she did. And I will be forever grateful that I got to say goodbye and love on her and always know that the last words she said to me were, "I love you, Lyndsie."

I love you too, Grandma. And I always will.

June 8

2011-06-08T11:04:00.001-06:00

My grandfather, Ocie Jay Hadley...

...was one of the best people I've ever known. Had tremendous patience. Grew up in Swan Lake, Idaho. His mother died when he was only around five years old. Attended Utah State University. Served in the Army in WWII. Was a member of the 1st Special Service Force. Landed on Utah Beach on D-Day. Hated cooked carrots. Wore Carrera glasses. Read large print "Reader's Digest." Sent me home with all of his "Publisher's Clearinghouse" mail to send in and convinced me every time that we were going to win. Beat me at the Barbie Game every time. Was almost always my teammate for the game "Aggravation." Ate his morning peaches in a bowl of milk. Was a member of the Sons of Utah Pioneers. Loved his family. Loved his country. Had a dry wit. Could hear a song and come home and play it on the piano. Loved Austria and wanted to visit after the war. Attended our school functions and piano recitals. Watched "Wayne's World" with my sister and me. Loved old movies. Turned down his hearing aid when we got on his nerves. Loved Coca-Cola and Apollo Burger. We would sit in his chair and listen to Sousa marches together, but our favorite was "Stars and Stripes Forever." Loved the TV show "M.A.S.H." Worked in the medical field. His song with my grandma was "Always" by Irving Berlin. Active member of the LDS Church, and a great example of faith. He had a lot of health problems but I don't remember him complaining or being bitter. Called me "Sacagawea" because I looked like an Indian Papoose when I was born. Was the inspiration for my first poem: "Hospitals are for sick people, and pregnant ladies too. But Grandpa, you get out of there, 'cause hospitals aren't for you." Had a cat named Butter. Called all the deer we saw on our camping trips "Bambi." Played with us. Laughed with us. We watched Lawrence Welk together a lot, and now I watch it and think of him. Was "Ocie" in Idaho and Logan, and "Jay" in Salt Lake. My middle name is Jay, after him. I miss him more that I ever thought possible. Passed away 14 years ago today. Was my hero and my best friend and I will never forget him or stop missing him. I still hear his voice and I still see his facial expressions. I remember the way he walked and things he'd say. He is proof to me that you can go through hell and still be a wonderful, happy, loving person. He is amazing, and I can't wait to see him again.

I love you, Grandpa. Always.

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T10:13:00.000-06:00

Last week, Richard and I went to an Armed Forces Day concert. It was amazing. The 23rd Army Band played my favorite patriotic songs, a community choir sang along, and it was capped off with amazing fireworks during "Stars and Stripes Forever." What could possibly be better?!

Well....there was this man there. He was a veteran of the second World War. He was kind of bent over, and he was in a wheelchair. When I noticed him at the beginning of the concert, I immediately fell in love. During the Armed Forces Tribute, where the band played all the different songs of the different branches of service, I cried. My new little old man got up out of his wheelchair and was waving his arms around during "his" song. Yeah, I freely admit. The lump in my throat was huge.

But then, later on, they were giving away four flags from Colonial Flag. These are the big nice ones that you hang in your yard. Four programs had stickers on them, and that's how you know who won. Well, the first winner claimed his flag. Then the second. Finally the third. But the fourth was nowhere to be seen. So when Sterling Poulson, the emcee, asked "Do we have any WW2 veterans with us tonight?" Yeah, I lost it again. My little old man got up out of his wheelchair once more and started waving those arms around again. Richard could tell I was crying again and gave me the sweetest hug. Sterling took the flag over to my friend and talked to him for a minute or two, thanking him for his service. When he got back to the stage, he was about to introduce the next song when a strong but not loud voice called out, "Thank you. Thank you." Oh, look. I'm crying again at just the memory of that soldier, that 80-something year old man, who has such a deep love and pride for his country that you could just see it by looking at him.

My grandfathers are not here anymore, so I cannot thank them for their service. So I will thank my father, who served in the Air Force. I will thank my brothers-in-law (Air Force) and my sister-in-law and her husband, who both joined the Marines. I will thank friends, both present and past, who made sacrifices and served our country. And I will thank their families, because it's their sacrifice, too.

And to my little old man friend who was so grateful for that flag....no, sir. Thank you.

Finally!

2011-05-26T21:33:00.000-06:00

After many false starts due to the never-ending rain, we've finally tilled our gardens! Yup, that's garden with an s. We got really ambitious and decided to do two this year. We've got 4 types of tomatoes, 5 types of peppers, 3 different zucchini plants, and broccoli and spaghetti squash. I've never even attempted broccoli, so this should be interesting.

I forgot how the tilling and the raking hurts your back, but that's okay. It's worth it. I can't wait to make spaghetti sauce again. I'm glad I'm excited about that because I have a feeling we'll be making a ton. We only got one garden planted today, but we'll get the other one tomorrow. I'm so glad we have a day before the rain starts again.

The thought of a plentiful harvest and a freezer full of veggies for the winter just makes me smile.

"IT" Thing of the Month

2011-05-09T17:15:00.000-06:00

Brr, it's been a cold and rainy Springtime. What could possibly make it better? Oh, that's right. Yummy soup. I found this book at the library, and it wins the honor of being my blog's very first " IT Thing of The Month."

With over 900 (!) recipes, you are bound to find something you'll like. I've only made three so far, but all three have been very well received...and chock full of veggies to boot (I tend to use the recipe as a jumping off point and add what I want from there). I saw that you can get it from Amazon for ten bucks right now, and I'm thinking at some point I'm going to.

April 17

2011-04-17T18:57:00.001-06:00

My Grandpa Keith....

...could yodel. Taught us how to do woodburning projects. Played cards with us. Took us to movies. Let us get 3 books at a time at the bookstore. Bought the gum I got trick-or-treating every year for a dime a piece. Served in the Army. Was born into a large family and helped take care of his siblings. Worked in the Park City silver mines for a while. Was a truck driver for 33 years. Had a cleft in his chin. Had piercing blue eyes. Had a voice I can still hear in my head. Loved to hike and be outdoors. Went camping with us. Had an awesome walking stick with holes in it so the wind would make music. Was very generous with both time and money. Had a great sense of humor. Was easy to talk to. Loved the Utah Jazz. Could carve and paint beautiful animals. Helped Dad sheetrock the basement and build the shed....and oh yeah, he only had one arm. His specialty was cottage cheese and a baked potato. Loved turkey legs. Believed in us. Made us feel loved. Let me cheat at "Ants in the Pants." Loved the kids who went to the preschool behind his house. Was a true friend. Endured surgery to remove a kidney due to cancer when I was in 9th grade. Taught us about determination and hard work. Liked to move...he and Grandma seemed to build a new house every 5 years or so. Loved to laugh. Gave people second and third and fourth chances. Loved his children. Loved his grandchildren. Hated his prosthetic arm and never used it, so Grandma filled it with candy on holidays. His song with Grandma was "You Are My Sunshine." Waited in the car while my Grandma and aunt shopped every Saturday. Came to my high school graduation. Let us listen to our music in the car. Took us to family reunions. Wiped away my tears when he told us the cancer had come back. Is never far from my thoughts. Passed away ten years ago today. ALWAYS made me proud to be his granddaughter.

I miss you every day.

Sunday Sugar: Memory Lane Edition

2011-04-17T14:14:00.001-06:00

I have the worst cold ever right now. All I want is comfort. And I can find comfort in a variety of things: snuggling with Richard, orange juice and frozen yogurt, clean sheets, and so on. But I also find comfort in reliving parts of my childhood.

At my house, we watch "The Lawrence Welk Show." My sister and I used to watch this with our grandparents. It is actually a treasured memory, because now when I watch Lawrence at my house, it takes me back and it's like being with the grandpa I so dearly miss. I admit I'm not really the target demographic (since a lot of segments are sponsored by Geritol and the people in the audience are usually 60 and older, lol), but one performer on this show has completely stolen my heart: Myron Floren.

Myron plays the accordion, among other things, and he's very talented. But what really makes him "sugar" is the smile. The man just always has a smile on his face, and I love that. Plus, we all know I have an affinity for cute old men.

We just finished watching the show, and I found that even though we were laughing at the outfits, and some of the songs, the parts that featured Myron were my favorites. And they always are. He makes me smile. He makes me feel close to Grandpa, Grandma, and my sister. And that brings me more comfort than all the orange juice and clean sheets in the world.

Fabulously Fruity Bread Pudding

2011-03-15T12:41:00.001-06:00

I've been getting lots of requests for this recipe...so here you go. Enjoy!

Note: This is originally just a recipe for Peach Bread Pudding. But last night I put in some frozen fruit (a bag consisting of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and pomegranate) in addition to the peaches, and it was the best batch yet. Also, instead of whipping up some chantilly cream to put on top, we used Sweet Cream Blueberry frozen yogurt and it was a perfect complement. Just so you know.

Ingredients:

4 cups torn French bread
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
2 to 2 1/2 cups diced canned peaches, juice reserved (I just used a regular can of peaches with the juice. I didn't measure)
1/2 cup peach juice
1 1/4 cup hot water
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter an 11x7-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and eggs; blend well. Add diced peaches, peach juice, hot water, melted butter, cinnamon, and vanilla (this is also where you would stir in any extra fruit). Tear bread into bite sized pieces and add to bowl. Stir in, moistening completely. Turn into prepared baking dish. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool slightly and serve warm with ice cream, whipped topping, or dessert sauce. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Serves 8.

It's Jimmer time (And Jackson! And Abouo! And Hartsock)!

2011-02-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

How about those Cougars?! I'm having so much fun watching BYU kick butt wherever they go that I'm already sad for basketball season to end.

Today's game vs. San Diego State University was classic. Despite SDSU's super-annoying attempts to psych us out (dressing up like missionaries, trying to intimidate Jimmer's girlfriend via Facebook, holding up stupid signs and celebrity heads, etc), we seemed focused and ready to prove a thing or two. And we did. And I could not have been more excited during this game. If you didn't watch it, you really missed out. BYU and SDSU have never had a better season...and that's not an exaggeration. Jimmer Fredette is front runner for Player of the Year in addition to all sorts of other accolades.

I know many of my friends are not sports fans, but wow. There are only two regular season games left before the March Madness tournament starts. Believe me when I say you should give them a whirl...it is a good time to be a Cougar fan.

Worth seeing at least once.

2011-02-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

This gets the award for Lyndsie's favorite thing of today. So far. Well, maybe.

I

Saturday Night Sugar

2011-01-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I put a show called "Better Off Ted" on our Netflix instant queue. Nothing really happened after that, and whenever we looked at what was in the queue, "Ted" was quickly bypassed for something else. Then last week we finally watched an episode. Then another. Then another. Turns out this show is a new favorite around my house. I feel bad it only lasted two seasons before cancellation came a-callin.

But all is not lost. We'll always have Sugar. And here he is:

His name is Jay Harrington. I'd never heard of him prior to "Better Off Ted" but I bet he'll pop up in something again soon. According to his IMDB profile, he's been in lots of stuff that got canceled quickly. I bet that's not his fault. I'd watch him for hours. And oh look, I have. If you have Netflix, you should give "Ted" a whirl too.

Yikes!

2011-01-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

Dear animals dropping dead all over the place,

Please kindly knock it off. You're starting to really make me nervous. I'm already kind of uneasy about that whole pesky 2012 thing, and you're not making things better. I'm of the belief that a living animal is a happy animal. So let's not add your name to this scary list: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/01/mass-dying-of-animals-plotted.html
Do we have a deal? Great.

Thanks so much.
Lyndsie

2011-01-19T11:44:00.002-07:00

Random adventures. New recipes. Cheering on BYU. Reading autobiographies. Playing with Tony and Rock (the two cutest cats ever). Enjoying the sun when it graces me with its presence. New games. Making my favorite people laugh. Documentaries. Surveys. Making plans. Getting caught in the rain. Talking to Poppet. Family parties. Waiting impatiently for my flowers to bloom.

So far 2011 is pretty good.

Is it Spring yet?!

2011-01-03T14:01:00.002-07:00

We made it to January! So...yeah, at least two more months of winter to endure, but at least now we're in the homestretch. This makes me happy. I am oh-so-ready to start designing what I want my gardens to look like this year and then make it happen. I never pictured myself to be someone with a green thumb, but I'm excited. Last year was a good start. Our garden was more fruitful than I think we'd dared hope for, and we're still enjoying the spaghetti squash. We have about 20 or so left. That'll last a while. :)

Our holiday season was pretty good, considering neither Richard or I caught the Christmas spirit this time 'round. We didn't put up a single decoration, something nearly unheard of (we used to have Christmas lights up around our bedroom year round, lol). We did some festive things: we went to the Rockettes show, to a Christmas David Lanz concert, and we made these crazy reindeer pillows for many of our pals. I can't put my finger on it, but something just wasn't....there. I finally put up my regular decor yesterday (sadly, I've had Thanksgiving up this whole time), and wow, did that help.

Things are looking a lot more summery now (I've got a beach theme going on), and that helps. Though we're lacking the details, Richard and I are going to San Diego sometime in June for his annual work convention thing, so that's something seriously great for me to look forward to. This helps, too. I can't wait to go sit on the sand and just let the ocean bring me the peace it always does. I feel better, I sleep better, I think better, and I all around just am better when I'm by the ocean. I wonder why that is. I've lived in Utah all my life, and while I call the Great Salt Lake the "poor man's Pacific," I don't visit there often at all, although there are beautiful areas to check out. As long as the brine shrimp stink is down, I'm for it. Maybe that will have to become one of "my spots" when it gets warmer. I used to have Salem Pond when I lived in Spanish Fork, so I guess it's just something about water. But for me the Pacific Ocean is the best of all. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this upcoming trip is an answer to my prayers. "The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea." (Isek Dinneson) That's so true.

In the meantime, I will take solace in days like today, when the sun is shining and I can feel the warmth from its rays. When I can still hear the occasional bird, and its song tells me there will soon be more. When I see the occasional green plant and it reminds me to check out the garden books from the library again, and to find the seeds I bought last year but failed to plant in time.

This may be a hard winter for me, but I know it won't last. I'll get through it, then enjoy every single day until the snow comes again. I think I just found my 2011 resolution--to enjoy every day. Bad days happen, and sometimes it's hard to see a single good thing in them. But I'm someone who finds beauty and joy in the small things...and I know I'm going to be okay.

Saturday Night Sugar

2010-12-11T18:27:00.003-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the latest episode of Saturday Night Sugar. Before you get your hopes up too high, no, it's not Jensen Ackles again. Sigh, I know. No, we're currently waiting for Supernatural season 6 to make its way to DVD, so in the meantime, Richard's got me watching one of his old favorites: Stargate: SG1.

I was so not impressed at first. And if I'm honest, it will never be one of my faves (sorry hon), BUT...it is improving, slowly but surely. And I think a large part of that is because of this week's sugar: Richard Dean Anderson, circa 1997.

You may think to yourself, "Self, I recognize that name...how do I know it?" Well...I only knew him as MacGyver. But he's also the star of Stargate: SG1 and...um...it's not hard to watch the scenes he's in. It was sort of hard to find pictures that convey his "sugarness" because so many were of that awful mullet. These will have to suffice, put I promise...he ain't bad. Give "Stargate" a whirl and you'll know what I mean. :)

Sunday

2010-11-28T17:20:00.002-07:00

Today is my Grandma Ruth's 81st birthday. Richard and I went to her house this morning to visit and deliver her present. It was good to see her so spry. And, as usual, we got the giggles. :)
We wanted to take her a goodie with a candle in it, but since she doesn't really do sugar or sweet things, we decided last minute to stick a few candles in a carton of her favorite cottage cheese. I knew she'd like that, and she did.

After our visit, our plans were to come home, take a nap, and put up Christmas. That was about 4 hours ago, Richard's still asleep, and I don't really care if we put Christmas decorations up this year. Isn't that awful? I should just do it anyway and I'd probably be swept up in it while I pull out my treasures. "Oh, CUTE!" I can already hear myself. But I just don't care. Richard's going back to work tomorrow after spending five straight days with me, and that in addition to what we call my usual "Sunday night blahs" and the effect of this snow is harder to take than it should be.

I've been having a bit of trouble keeping my emotions in check, though. Things that are no big deal have been making me cry for reasons unknown.

This weekend was really good for us, though. Since Richard got home early on Tuesday on account of "THE BLIZZARD," I don't think we've spent more than an hour or two apart since. I know that would drive some people crazy, but that works for us. We did Thanksgiving at my sister's, then Friday just played together. Cards, Scrabble, Wii. It was fun. Saturday we went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and then to our pals' new home for dinner and games and to meet their baby. That was such a good day.

Today hasn't been bad, it's just....blah. I need to learn to not let those feelings grab hold of me. I need to get back to being excited about the things I usually love, and not just blame it all on the snow. I can't change it, and it's not going anywhere for quite some time, so I guess I'll have to try harder.

Well, so much for that.

2010-11-09T22:11:00.002-07:00

Remember when I said I was going to embrace winter this year? Well...it's only November and I already give up. I sort of forgot that when fall turns to winter, I get more than the occasional blah. For some reason it hits me pretty hard every year. If today and yesterday were any indication, I'm in pretty deep this year. Not to say I spent all day drowning in my tears or littering my floor with kleenex. Maybe if I could actually cry it out, I'd feel better. But that hasn't happened yet.
Nah, I actually enjoyed the bit of sunshine we got today. More like there's a shift in my soul somehow. Not even sure that makes sense. Everything seems harder, less meaningful, and hardly worth the effort. I hate the cold. I hate snow. I hate worrying about my family and friends driving in storms. But that's not "it." There's something intrinsic that occurs every year, and I wish I could really put it into words. But I can't. All I can say is that I'm not meant for winter. I belong somewhere warm (even warm-ish would suffice!), preferably with an ocean. But at this point I'd settle for any large body of water where I could just plant myself down on the sand and watch the waves and think and just... be. To me, the ocean is an embodiment of all my prayers, hopes, wishes, dreams...it's where I find peace. Right now I'm finding I need that desperately. Why? No particular reason. This is just how winter affects me.

I wish I knew how to fix it.

Saturday Night Sugar (Silver Fox Edition)

2010-10-15T22:23:00.003-06:00

Okay...just a heads up. It appears my selection for Sugar isn't as hot in stills as he is in his show "River Monsters." You should watch it and see what I mean.

But first things first. Let me introduce you to my pal Jeremy Wade. Jeremy calls himself an "extreme fisherman" and I'm inclined to agree. If you've seen his show, you know what happens--he goes on an adventure to try to find some huge fish/creature that we aren't sure exists or something. It's a lot better than I'm making it sound. If you're still not thinking that sounds good...tune in for the shots of his arms. Holy smokes. Reeling in a 400-pound fish does a body good, you know what I'm saying? Plus....*Bonus* his accent is sexy. Very sexy. Richard calls him my "silver fox" and I'm not about to argue. Sorry the pics aren't top notch, but I'm serious. "River Monsters. " Animal Planet. Check your local listings for day and time.

2010-09-29T15:13:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe all of summer has gone by since I last posted. Time really does fly.

This summer had its fair share of ups and downs, but overall, I think things are going pretty well. Some highlights of the summer:

Richard and I were able to spend a few days in Mesa Verde with my family in July. I liked a lot about that trip, but I'll be honest...I was ready to be home by the time we got back. I enjoyed the historical aspect though. I'm really interested in people, their pasts, and their reasons for doing what they did. I don't think you could convince me to live inside a cliff dwelling where I'd have to climb (barefoot) hundreds of feet just to go get my food or water or whatever. Learning more about the Ancestral Puebloans really made me respect them more than I had on previous trips to Mesa Verde.

My birthday was in August, and it was a great day. We went to lunch, then we saw "Charlie St. Cloud." I loved it, even though it got slammed by the critics. Then his mom took us to Teppanyaki for dinner. Absolutely fabulous.

Our garden! Wow. Richard and I turned out to be pretty good lil farmers. We've made and bottled two batches of salsa, some spaghetti sauce, homemade tomato soup, and we've got squash growing out our ears. It's really fulfilling to see the literal fruit of our labor.

Also this summer, I kinda got into Family History. Goes along with the interest in people's stories, and it's been really cool learning about my ancestors. I never knew we had Pony Express riders in the family. I'm finding all sorts of gems lately.

Our trip to Lagoon this month was really fun, but yeah, I'm getting old. We got there right at opening time, and it was slow enough we didn't have to wait in many lines. We had put in a full day by 1:30! We stayed, though, and enjoyed the rides that have appeared since the last time I went (Wicked, The Jumping Dragon). That Jumping Dragon was fun. For those of you not familiar with it, it's like the Music Express...only after it goes forward, it goes backward. Quickly. It was great. Surprisingly, I think my favorite ride of the day was the Tilt-A-Whirl. Richard and I had that thing spinning out of control. It was fun to meet up with Richard's sister's family and go on the Colossus with them. Last time we were all at Lagoon, they were still small enough to go on the kiddie rides. This time they were all about the roller coasters and the Rocket. Finally by 5:30 we'd had enough. We came home and crashed. Pathetic. Lagoon used to be an all day thing and even at closing time I wouldn't be ready to leave!! It sucks getting old.

I've always been a summer person, but now as I sit here and look out my window and watch the leaves fall, I find there's a part of me that's really excited for autumn. I'm loving this warm sunny weather, knowing it's limited, but when the time comes I know I'll enjoy the hot chocolatey mornings, the reading by the fire, the weekends when we play games and watch the snow fall. I'm making myself wait until this weekend to decorate for Halloween, but then I'll embrace the season. I feel like change is just around the corner, and what the heck, I'll go ahead and embrace that, too.

I hope you had a good summer, and I wish you all a happy fall.

2010-08-18T14:47:00.002-06:00

I don't think there's any worse feeling in the world than knowing you can only be yourself....and that to some people in your life, that will never be enough.

Still on Track

2010-06-28T13:03:00.001-06:00

My husband Richard and I began the 6 Week Body Makeover 3 days ago. Overall, I think we're both doing pretty well on it. Not much noticeable change at this point, but like I said....we're only in the middle of day 3.

Saturday was sort of hard, because I felt lightheaded, dizzy, shaky and weak for nearly the entire day. Keeping track of my meals on www.livestrong.com/myplate I realized that I consumed close to only ONE-THIRD of my usual calories. I found that so hard to believe. I mean, you eat 5-6 times a day on this diet! Then yesterday, I felt better on the plan. I had to resort to eating some Craisins because we were late for our lunch and my blood sugar was low, but that didn't screw me up too badly and I still averaged out much lower than usual. I also hit my goal of drinking over 100 ounces of water yesterday.

Today is sort of a mixed bag. I woke up with a headache, and in my experience, unless I take something for it relatively soon, it gets worse. It doesn't just go away on its own. I'm really hesitating on reaching for the Excedrin, though, because I really want this diet to help me out with the headaches. Besides.... I don't really even know what is in the Excedrin.

There's a line in the 6WBMO Book that says something like, "Eating a meal that someone else has prepared is like handing over your checkbook to someone else." There is no control. I don't know what they put in it, or how much. That made me really think about things. I love to eat out, especially when we're celebrating something. But that book is right. At least when I was cooking, albeit it very unhealthily, I knew what was in it.

Something good about this diet: It eliminates added salt/sodium. I didn't believe it would happen, especially by the second day, but I really have noticed the natural flavors of the foods I'm eating...and I'm enjoying them! I had a potato with lunch yesterday and I didn't miss the butter, sour cream, cheese, or salt....it was really good on its own! The spaghetti squash we had with dinner was wonderful and again, I didn't miss the butter or salt. I know this isn't going to work with every food, especially since I'm one of those whose snacks were nearly always on the salty side. However, I do see a change in myself. And I like it. I also appreciate the complete lack of dairy, since even though I am allergic to milk and lactose intolerant, I always ate it anyway and paid the price later. My stomach is happy today.

This diet requires a lot of time in the kitchen, especially if there's more than one person on it. It's sort of a pain to plan around all the meals/snacks (you eat like every 2.5 to 3 hours). Also, the measurements are confusing at first, at least for me. But so far....I think this is something that Richard and I can sustain and make it through. It's a huge help to me that he's doing it with me, and I appreciate that.

I know that we're always going to be the type of people that love food. That's just how it's always been, and how it will probably always be. But there's no reason why we can't be healthy and love food too....and have that food that we used to love *all* the time....that didn't love us back...be a very occasional treat.

I'm excited about this experience, even as I'm hesitant to get my hopes up. But even just realizing that I need to be a whole lot more conscious about what goes in my body is a big step. Buying things approved for this diet (read: No Salt Added) is sort of difficult. Everything contains so much more salt than you probably realized. It's going to take a lot of work to reach our goals. But you know what? I think we're finally ready. And we're just going to have to take it one day at a time.

Saturday Night Sugar

2010-06-05T23:57:00.003-06:00

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing about "Supernatural" unless you're a big fan like we are. Well...I can't help that they keep making the cut. The men of this show tend to be a bit on the hot side.

Tonight we have Misha Collins, who plays "Castiel" in Season 4. He sort of bugged me at first, but it's safe to say he's here because he earned the spot. The man can brood. And he can do it well.

We're waiting for Season 5 to show up on DVD, and I'm hoping he's still on the show. I'm guessing yes. Jared Padalecki, you'd better bring your 'A' game, 'cause you've got competition for 2nd place!

Oh my, how did this get here? :)

Burgeners Down

2010-05-19T21:28:00.002-06:00

So our pal/roomie came home from work a few weeks ago feeling under the weather. Sore throat, a bit of a cough. But he's tough, doesn't stay home from work or anything and braves on through with a few cough drops.

I started coming down with this evil crap over the weekend. Headache. VERY sore throat. Cough. Hurting ears. Nausea. Then Richard started coming down with it. Yeah. We went to the doctor today. We have Strep Throat.

I remember having Strep before, in the sense that I remember being on antibiotics. I did not remember how insanely painful this is! Honestly, I will never again underestimate how much someone with this crap is hurting. The doctor put me on penicillin (Richard opted for a shot in the hip), but he didn't say when to expect the pain to leave. In the last twelve hours, I've had 2 Excedrin Migraine, 2 Extra Strength Excedrin, 3 Aleve, 2 Percocet, about a bajillion halls, some Cepocol, and a partridge in a pear tree.

The percocet was Richie's idea, because he's a genius and remembered I had some left from my surgery. This was after I lost it and had a breakdown complete with tears and some high pitched squeals (my voice is nearly completely gone). I'm still in pain, but hopefully it will be moved to a more manageable level. I know I'm a complete BABY when it comes to pain, but that's the way I was made. Not my fault.

I'm really hoping for sleep tonight. Usually half a dose of Nyquil knocks me out for like a day and a half. I took a full dose last night...and it didn't touch me at all. After waiting nearly 3 hours for it to kick in, I gave up and took a middle-of-the-night-bath. Yeah, the lack of sleep is really helping me out here.

Anyway. I'm done with the pity party. I just feel like kind of a loser, since Josh is being all tough and Richard's hanging in there. So if you can spare any happy thoughts or prayers, I know three sick kids who would appreciate them!

SNS: Video Edition

2010-05-16T00:03:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, he's already been Sugar. And recently. But anything that actually makes me visit Youtube more than once deserves recognition in my world. And this clip of Jensen Ackles cheers me up every time. I guess it won't work unless you follow the link....but it's worth it. :)

2010-05-14T15:23:00.002-06:00

Dear people that keep leaving me messages in some sort of Asian language:

Please stop. I don't want to go private, but I don't like being a mule for your crazy messages and links. We've had fun, but it's over. No more.

Kay thanks, bye.

2010-04-29T06:33:00.002-06:00

We've been home from Florida for about a week and a half, and we have been busy little bees! My parents picked us up from the airport around midnight, and when we got home, even in the dark we could see how tall and jungle-like our grass was. Our house looked totally ghetto fabulous. When we got around to buying gas for the lawn mower on Saturday, we jumped in and went to town. I mowed the front and back yards (stopping nearly every five minutes to empty the grass bag!), Richard used the weed whacker thingy around the edges, and Joshua did various jobs. On Sunday we planted our first flower garden in the middle of the front yard. We planted all sorts of flowers we bought but I can't remember the name of, some freesia, some petunias, some daylilies, all sorts of things. But my favorite part is the tree we planted right in the middle. We picked out a gorgeous Japanese red maple. It's tiny, but I'm excited to watch it grow. I'm quite proud of our efforts. And a few of our neighbors even talked to us about it and complimented the yard! That's a big feat around here, because it seems like our street is very "keep to yourselves."

Saturday was also fun because we went to a Karate tournament that my nephews Dyllan and Logan competed in. They've only been taking Karate for a few months, but I thought they did very well. Dyllan won a gold medal and a bronze medal (yeah!), and Logan got two medals my sister calls "I'm an awesome ninja!" medals. It works, and I'm proud of both of them. It takes a lot of guts to get up there in front of all those people and do your thing.

Tuesday was just nuts. I was taking a bath when all of a sudden, there was a very loud, persistent banging on the door. We don't get many visitors, so I was like, "Oh man, who is it?" But I was in the bath, so oh well. Five minutes later, bang bang bang. And so on and so on. By this point I was also hearing all sorts of crazy noises, and the wind was blowing like crazy, and the lights were flickering a little, and....yeah, my imagination was going crazy. I called Richard so he could talk me down, and when the banging happened again while I was talking to him, he decided to come home and check things out. Turns out it was our elusive across-the-street neighbor (who we don't even know) that had been banging on the door, because a *huge* metal part of our chimney had blown off the roof. Yikes. But Richard and his dad fixed it, so that's good.

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah. We're thinking we might have a poltergeist. I know, sounds funny. Richard named him Howard, and I'm starting to believe. Our things are going missing one by one, and there's only so many places they could be, you know? So far I'm missing a cookie sheet, a jumbo muffin tin, the bottom part of my salt shaker, and we were missing our pizza cutters, but I found them yesterday. In a place that we've already looked. A few times. Go figure. Plus, I think Howard is responsible for some strange noises that we hear sometimes, when it's obvious my furry little troublemakers (my cats Rock and Tony) aren't to blame. So yeah. I hope I can get and stay on Howard's good side. My cats are currently hard enough to keep up with (they've figured out how to unplug our big freezer, and apparently this is their new favorite game). Good thing I love them!

Day Two

2010-04-13T13:50:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was one of those days that you just treasure and hold onto in your memories for the weeks and months to come. At least for me it was. Nothing overly memorable occured, and yet it was one of the best days I've had in ages.

We woke up and had fruit and sandwiches in our room (because I'm not paying 15 bucks for scrambled eggs), then went down for a walk on the beach. Though the water was definitely on the chilly side, it was so refreshing and just...peaceful. We had incredile luck finding treasures on the shore... Richard found a huge, beautiful shell that still had the sea snail in it. We debated throwing him back, but since he had washed ashore and the ocean was looking pretty angry, we kept it. I found a smaller one like it, but it was empty. That made me happy. We thought about how to get out that sea snail ( a whelk we named Lawrence....get it?) We thought about salting him, or about scraping him out with the plastic cutlery we had bought the night before. Then Richard googled it and found out the best way to get it out is to boil it. That's great and all, but we don't have a stove or a microwave here. Then genius struck. Richard found a use for the coffee pot for the first time ever. We put Lawrence in the sink and poured pot after pot of hot water on him. Finally triumphant, Richard came out and said, "Lawrence, you are the weakest link. Goodbye." That made me laugh like you wouldn't believe.

Then we went walking for a bit around the inn, then got in our horribly ugly rented PT Cruiser and drove into Fernandina Beach. We shopped a little bit and went to dinner at a BBQ place named Sonny's. We loved everything about that place but the waitress. Actually, we haven't had much luck here with friendly people. Nearly everyone we've come into contact with seems pissed off. Wonder if they're just mad about how bad the water smells and tastes. If you've never been here....we don't even want to shower, it smells so gross. I'm probably exaggerating a little bit...but it is nasty.

Anyway, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of ribs and sides, and Richard cracked me up again by looking lovingly at his dinner and saying so sincerely, "God bless the humble pig." That nearly gave me a case of the giggles, but I tried hard to hold it in. I still got a glare from the waitress though. Like I said, she was mean. We even got admonished for asking for a box. Ruh ear.

So really, nothing overly memorable. Just a great day with my feet in the sand and my hand in Richard's, laughing at everything.

Amelia Island: Day One

2010-04-11T16:07:00.004-06:00

Me and my very tired honey, shots of the sunrise from seat 22A, and then shots of riding over the clouds in Texas, also in seat 22A.

We're finally here! I almost can't believe it. After a VERY early start to the day on very little sleep (we were up at 3 am!), we have finally arrived at our destination. We flew out of Salt Lake City at 6 this morning, and had a layover in Dallas, Texas. While waiting in Dallas, they announced that there was something wrong with our plane. Um, not really the news I was hoping to hear. So we waited. Then we waited a little bit more. Richard and I didn't really mind, because we were sitting on the floor playing Go Fish and Skip Bo. Eventually they announced they'd gotten us a different plane and loaded us up. Then we waited for the luggage to be loaded. That part kind of bugged because we were sitting behind some very inconsiderate people. We were already like sardines in a can, and the people in front of us put their chairs back to the point I literally couldn't move my leg. But he did get a few punches in the back, and I'm okay with that.

Anyway, long story short, we're here and I'm so excited! It is so incredibly beautiful here. Everything is green and in bloom. On both sides of the road, there are just hundreds of different types of trees all mixed together. Pines, weeping willows, and palm trees. To my winter-weary eyes, it's perfection. I'm sitting here in our room, listening to the ocean. Yup, we're so close that we can hear the waves crashing. I LOVE IT HERE!! I'll update more later or tomorrow.

Saturday Night Sugar: Supernatural Edition #2, AKA "He's Growing On Me"

2010-04-10T15:25:00.004-06:00

So as you remember, hottie du jour Jensen Ackles was Sugar last week. I know, right? Yum. Well, while watching the last few episodes of "Supernatural", I thought to myself "Self, check out Jared Padalecki. He's not so bad." In fact, he's sort of cute. I like the dimples. I'm not usually one for the long haired look on the guys, but, as the title said, he's growing on me. I don't think it hurt that he was in a tux in one of those episodes. Om nom. Yeah, he's sugar-worthy. Or at least he was, until I started looking for pics to post. As far as Supernatural goes, I'll take Dean (Jensen) over Sam (Jared) any day. But still...I'm not going to complain about his amount of screen time, you know what I'm saying?

And Away We Go!

2010-04-09T16:29:00.003-06:00

After months of anticipation and excitement, our Florida trip is finally upon us. Even though it's a working trip for Richard, he's arranged it so we'll have 3 fabulous days together before his classes even start. I can't even tell you how much I have been looking forward to this! The last week or so has been a bit on the overwhelming, dramatic side, and I can't wait to to just chill out in the sea air. The ocean has always been my peaceful spot, and right now, it's exactly where I need to be.

Our room has a private balcony overlooking the beach, and I was already planning to take a notebook so I could just sit out there, watch and hear the waves crash on the shore, and just write. It's so cathartic and something I really haven't done nearly enough of for the last several years. I have so much bottled up inside of me right now and I just need to get it OUT! But as an added bonus, Richard's work is sending him with a laptop, so maybe I'll actually be able to blog about what we're up to before we come home and the time passes and I forget. We'll see. I make a lot of grandiose plans, but I seem to have a problem with the follow-through.

We went to Florida for our honeymoon a little over six years ago, so for Richard and me, being able to go back is kind of special. Our anniversary was two weeks ago, and we're sort of considering this week as our sixth year celebration. If we have even a tenth of the adventures we had the first time (food poisoning, twin beds cemented to the floor, being ditched when we refused to buy a time share, etc), it's going to be marvelous. It's funny. We even have the same layovers we did six years ago (Dallas on the way there, Atlanta on the way back).

Richard won't just be in classes all day, though. There will be a "meet and greet" night, and then the night after, there's a beach party complete with bonfire. Sounds fun to us. He'll be free on Saturday night, so we're planning to take a "Ghost Tour" of the supposedly haunted places on the island. Excitement city! I doubt anything supernatural will occur, but I love history, both of places and the people that lived there.

So with about 33 hours before we leave for the airport, I can feel the giddiness starting to arrive. I have been trying not to think about the flights themselves. I usually LOVE to fly, but I watch a lot of news reports, and the stories of planes going down and/or people trying to light things on fire in the air are really starting to get to me. I know statistically that the odds of anything happening are super slim. But, I can't sleep because I've been having nightmares, so I will be so relieved once we get there. Simply put, I can't wait. I. Can't. Wait.

SNS: Supernatural Sugar

2010-04-02T23:38:00.006-06:00

So I know I've been a total slacker when it comes to the blog, especially with the Saturday Night Sugar. To prove my sincere sorriness, I give unto you Jensen Ackles.

Waaaaaay back in the day, I was hooked on "Days of our Lives." Lame-o with lame sauce, I know. Jensen was on DooL, as Eric Brady. And you know what? He did *nothing* for me. Not even a little. But now he's on a show called "Supernatural." It's currently our favorite show for late night right now. We check out the DVDs from the library and watch at least one episode together before bed. And Jensen? Yeah, he's the best part. You should give it a whirl. He's hot. And the show's pretty great too.

We are now farmers!

2010-03-27T22:13:00.005-06:00

It has been quite a long time since I (Richard) contributed to this blog. My only excuse is that I'm awfully busy these days and after a day at work staring at a screen, it's hard to come home and do the same. That said, here's my lovely (much anticipated) blog post.

Today was really awesome. Lyndsie's parents came down and brought a rototiller thing and we tilled up our first garden. We have been so excited to finally have the chance to grow a garden and now that the dream is within reach, we are ecstatic! Okay, maybe not ecstatic, but very pleased and anxious to start putting plants in the ground.

We haven't decided exactly what we're going to plant yet, as we just today learned how much space we have to work with. There's still a lot of work to do, but we put in a full day's effort today and really made a lot of progress. Our goal is to grow a lot of vegetables so we don't have to keep buying them and hopefully having them around will encourage us to actually eat our vegetables. At least that's what I'm thinking...

So why is the picture about chickens masquerading as cows for the blind farmer? Because it was funny, that's why. :)

In addition to plowing the garden, we got a lot of work done on building our new shed. It's this 8' x 10' one you see in this picture that we bought from Lowes. Isn't it pretty? Okay, I'll be honest, though this is the right kind of shed, it isn't ours. Ours is mostly a floor frame in the back yard. Soon ours will look this pretty. And we'll have a place to store our tools! Isn't that lovely? I think it is.

There's plenty else going on in our lives. I just started using a CPAP, we're going to Florida on a business trip/vacation in two weeks, and work has been super stressful lately. But that stuff's not half as exciting as our garden and shed (note the pictures above).

One last set of thoughts for the day. Lyndsie sometimes says rather unusual and funny things and I feel it's high time to share them with the world. The other day, we saw a duck just chillin' in the middle of a thing of grass. Lyndsie said "I love randomly placed birds!" Yeah, I practically had to scrape myself off my seat after my laughing fit.

Another thing she said is "Do you know how hard it is to draw an alpaca freehand?" I couldn't tell you the context of the conversation, but here's an example of a drawn alpaca. I'm sure it's harder than it looks.

****Note From Lyndsie*****

Alpacas are super hard to draw freehand when you don't know what they look like. And we also celebrated our 6th anniversary this week. Hooray! Kay, bye.

Recuperation, Vegas, and Other Tidbits

2010-02-21T13:41:00.003-07:00

I'm glad to say that my surgery was successful. I haven't choked since the day before I went in, and it is such a relief to not worry that every bite will lead me back into the ER. However, it hasn't been all lollipops and rainbows since then.

Shortly after the surgery, I was plagued with headaches, mostly on the right side of my head. Then the headaches got worse and moved down into my face. Then not just my head and face hurt, but I had horrible toothaches and my jaw bones hurt. Then it moved into my ears. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat; it felt like I was surviving thanks to hot baths and Excedrin. Turns out it was because of the medicine for my hiatal hernia. Which was really too bad, because my stomach was feeling great!

But thanks to getting off that medicine and a wonderful priesthood blessing, I got to feeling waaaay better. Since then, my head has more or less been behaving itself. My teeth are back to being good boys and girls, and I'm beginning to feel more like myself. Now I just have to get my oomph back and get back to Wii Fit and my exercise DVD, because I have been seriously slacking since feeling like crap.

But I'm not the only one dealing with health issues. My poor Richard had to go in for a sleep study because he just cannot sleep. Or, more accurately, when he does sleep, he doesn't get the rest he needs. He's been trying so hard to do what he needs to do, both at work and at home, but I know it's a heavy weight on his shoulders. Although he does have sleep apnea, the doctor doesn't seem to think it's serious enough to warrant prescribing Richard a CPAP machine...which is basically the best thing to help. We're both feeling frustrated and a bit down about this, because Richard needs the help. That much is clear. And I don't like seeing him like this. You know how when you don't get enough rest how everything is just so much more overwhelming? Try going months without it. We have a follow-up appointment though, so then we'll see.

In fun news, we spent Valentines Weekend in Las Vegas. We went to our favorite hotel, South Point, and just did everything we wanted when we wanted. We bowled, we played, we lost some money, we talked a lot, and we ate fabulous food. I think we would both say one of the best parts was laying out in the sun by the pool. It was about 68 degrees and beautiful. Laying on the chairs with the sun shining down on us was exactly what we needed. The pool was a lot on the cold side, but the hot tub was nice. It was so nice to just see him so happy and relaxed.

I cannot wait to see him in Florida...on the beach...in 80 degree weather...I'm so glad that's only about a month and a half away.

Surgery

2010-01-23T07:59:00.004-07:00

This is Howie, the lion I got from Central Utah Surgical Center. Yes, I named him after Howard Wolowitz, and yes, I did in fact sing "Soft Kitty" to myself in Howie the Lion's voice. :)

So if you recall from this post here, for about the last year and a half, I've been struggling with food getting caught in my esophagus. It's very scary. In that post I remarked that I would be set for surgery after our trip. Well, long story short, I never went in. Instead, I taught myself to completely relax whenever the food got stuck, and I could work it down with a drink. I convinced myself that that would be okay for awhile (you have to understand...I am terrified of anything medical. I hate going to the doctor, the dentist, getting blood drawn, etc. I'm a wuss of the highest order). But recently it's been made clear that something had to be done. So we get me all set and scheduled for surgery.

It wasn't any special or particularly scary procedure. In fact, everyone told me I had nothing to be nervous about. I believed them, but I was still anxious. Even when they told me I'd get the kind of anesthesia where I'm under enough to not feel anything but I'd still be able to hear and understand what they were saying to me...that only calmed my fears a little bit. I told you... I'm a worrier. Then something great happens. Since my mom works at the place and knows the doctor personally, he says she can come in and be with me. Richard still had to wait outside, but it did help me a lot to know Mom would be there. So what if I'm nearly 29. My mom is super-comforting.

So then yesterday comes. We get to the Surgical Center and fill out the paperwork and all the employees are doting on me because I'm Lynda's daughter. They call me back and I get my blood pressure taken and the IV put in. They try to take my mind off that by asking about our upcoming trip. I'm feeling pretty good because I figured the IV would be the worst of it.

I don't know how much later, but I wake up in the operating room. I'm choking and gagging on the thing in my throat, and several people seem to be yelling. I couldn't comprehend what they were saying, or even that their shouts were directed at me, but before I can figure it out I'm out again. I wake up in Recovery with Mom on one side and Richard on the other, and they're both staring at me. Mom then tells me that I stopped breathing and that they were shouting at me, she was in my face yelling and smacking my arms, and the nurse pulled my hair, all to try to get me to breathe or hear them. They had to give me some sort of anesthetic reversal, too. Scary stuff, man. Glad I wasn't awake for that.

So the outcome: I did have a stricture that was catching the food, but that wasn't all. The walls of my esophagus are thick, indicating an allergy. When we mentioned that we had previously discovered my apparent lactose intolerance, he agreed. So, cut out dairy. Then he said I had a hiatic hernia, made worse by some serious acid reflux. So, watch the acidic foods. He also told me not to drink pop anymore. I was pleased to tell him that I stopped drinking pop last year and can count on one hand the number of times I've had it since February. He liked that and I liked that I felt that I did something right. :)

Anyway, I'm home now, and though I'm very sore, I'm optimistic. I don't feel that I have to be scared of choking at every meal now. I don't have to be worried I'll ruin more date nights with this stupid thing. I just have to be patient and let my throat heal. I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband who takes such good care of me. After I woke up in Recovery, he held my hand, spoon fed me Jello, held my juice box, and wiped away my tears. After coming home I asked for some jello, and now our fridge is full of it. I asked for some juice, and we now have bottles lined up in our pantry. He holds me and rubs my back and does and says whatever he can to alleviate my fears. I'm a lucky girl. Also, I need to thank my friend Joshua, the self called "Nurse Ratched #2." He's sweet to keep asking what I need or if I'm okay.

So, that's that. I am really glad this surgery is over with. I'm grateful that even though it's not considered major surgery that the doctor and nurses understood I was scared and took care of me. I'm thankful that they let my mom in. The doctor apologized because I stopped breathing and the nurse apologized for pulling my hair. The way I see it, they have nothing to be sorry for. Wasn't his fault my body responded to the medicine that way. And really, if pulling my hair makes me start breathing, pull away. So, just in case they read this, thank you Mom, Dr. Thorpe, Deanna, Jenna, Kevin, Shawn, and Susie. You guys were great but I don't ever want to do it again.

2010-01-13T11:58:00.004-07:00

I really don't want to hijack our blog and turn it into an exercise journal, but I do have to say that I'm sort of proud of myself. We are 13 days into my resolution, and I'm still hard at it. This never happens for me.

It helps that Wii Fit is something that both Richard and I enjoy. We're both competitive by nature, so it helps that we're both after the high score. But mostly, I think we're enjoying trying something new together. I never really pegged either one of us as being people who would get into yoga, but...we are digging it.

Still doing the "Dance Your Ass Off" DVD too. I really like it... I did the warm-up and hiphop sections today, then moved on to the Wii. Richard did the DVD with me last weekend, I hope he'll do it this weekend too. It cracked me up watching him learn to do the hustle. The boy's got moves.

Let's see, what else. Oh! They booked us for our trip to Florida yesterday. SO VERY EXCITING! Turns out our room has a furnished balcony overlooking the ocean. And we've decided to extend our time there. His work is paying for the 5 days he'll be in classes and meetings, so we're going 3 days earlier.
This place looks amazing. Cannot wait! I've even put a picture of the property as my desktop to remind me of how much more fun a beach vacation will be after four solid months of willpower and activity.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T18:59:00.003-07:00

With the new year upon us, it's time again to make those resolutions. Last year I was very successful (I said I was going to quit drinking and smoking. Since I've never done either, it's kind of a cheat, but hey I decided it still counted). This year though, I'm going to take it seriously and actually work at it. I'd love to lose weight this year, and I'm going to make it happen. But I'm not phrasing it that way. It's too vague, and I'm not going to say something like..."I want to lose so many pounds by such a time." No. I'm going to just resolve to get up and do something active every day.

We got a Wii for Christmas this year, and Richard and I wasted no time in dropping bank at Best Buy. We bought Wii Fit, and I'm excited to give it a whirl. I also bought 3 different exercise DVDs. I opened two of them today. First up was The Dirty Dancing Workout. I think I'm going to have to work my way up to this one. I could say it's because I've been sick for a while. But I'll be honest. It's been a while since I was at the gym regularly. So although I was enchanted with the English accents and the familiar music, first I think I'm going to have to master the Dance Your Ass Off DVD. If you haven't heard of "Dance Your Ass Off," it's a somewhat cheesy yet heartwarming show on the Oxygen network. Basically, it's a dancing/weight loss competition show. But it's amazing how well these people did. A few of the contestants lost over ninety (90!) pounds. I like that in this DVD, they included the winner of last season. Richard and I were cheering for him the whole time, so when I was learning the steps today, I liked that Ruben was part of it. Plus, it was fun.

I also bought Dancing with the Stars Latin Cardio and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Richard and I watched DWTS last season and I was amazed at Kelly Osbourne's transformation. I'm not expecting nearly as much change, since I don't plan on dancing for 8 hours every day like they did. That's never going to happen. But as much as I want the weight loss, I'd also like the boost of confidence that Kelly got. I need it. Plus, I'd love to just be healthier.

At any rate, I think between the three new DVDs, my good ole "Sweatin' to the Oldies" tape, Wii Fit and the boxing game we got, I have no excuse for not doing something each day, even if it's just part of the video.

As much as I love to help other people and will do whatever it takes to make someone happy, I realize I tend to just give up on myself. I'm hoping this is the year that changes... I'm not getting any younger, and I really feel like this is the time to prove to myself that I can do it. So I wish you all luck with whatever you have resolved to change in your own lives, and I hope you'll wish me luck as well. Happy New Year!

Christmas

2009-12-27T15:30:00.003-07:00

Christmas was two days ago, and it was wonderful for us. Thursday night, Christmas Eve, was spent at my parents' house in Spanish Fork. Our tradition is Chinese food and new pajamas. We also played a lot of cards this year, and Dad even played too. That rarely happens, so it was a treat. Our niece Jocie also got on the table and danced up a storm for us (She's about a year and a half old). I wish I had pictures, but I forgot the camera. Duh.

Christmas Morning was special, since it was our first Christmas in our new home. Richard really spoiled me with presents this year, and he did really well with what he got me. It was very clear he'd been paying attention to things I'd mentioned or noticed and liked. He's very sweet that way. But more than the presents, there was a magic about the morning. Unwrapping the gifts in the glow of the lights on the tree, laughing and smiling and just loving being together, it was so relaxing and just so comfortable.

Our friend Joshua was with us this year too, and it was nice to have him add to the mix. Taking turns opening our presents and getting excited about our new treasures was a great way to start the morning. Then we had a crazy breakfast of taquitos and sparkling orange juice and went back to bed. Yup, Christmas is magic.

After nap time, we fulfilled another tradition my family has: Mexican food on Christmas Day. I made chicken enchiladas then we watched "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol."

I have loved this Holiday Season. I loved listening to the music, I loved being with family and friends, I loved keeping our traditions and possibly starting new ones. But most of all I loved the peace and joy that I truly felt this year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday too.

Saturday Night Sugar: The "I Believe" Edition

2009-12-19T15:31:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas! With less than one week to the big day, it seems an obvious choice of who this week's Sugar should be: Santy Claus! Usually you don't hear a lot of people shouting their love for big old men dressed in red velvet, but he's always welcome at my house.

This year at his work, Richard got to be Santa at an adoption event. He must have been very convincing, because a little girl named Austin kept coming up to him and pulling on him and shouting "Santa!" She wanted to take him home with her. Can't say I blame her. :)

Aren't they so cute? He was even featured on the Fox 13 News that night. We were pretty excited about that.

Two very cute runner-up Santas: Rock Hudson Burgener and Tony Randall Burgener:

Tis the Season

2009-12-14T11:58:00.002-07:00

Hey Kids! In perusing my lil ole blog, I noticed that the last several entries have just been eye-candy for your visual excitement. While there's really nothing wrong with that, I felt maybe it was time for maybe something just a tad more filling.

Today is Monday, December 14. Christmas is right around the corner. While I always say I hate winter, what with its blend of cold, snow, and ice, I love Christmas. For just a while, people seem nicer, their smiles brighter, and the world is a bit more hopeful.

I notice this year that it's all the little things that are getting to me as we get closer to Christmas. For instance... last week I was doing the dishes, listening to the radio. "The Little Drummer Boy" came on. As I did my chore, I listened to that song without singing along. And the amount of feeling the singer put into it was overwhelming to me at that precise moment, and I started to cry. I realize it's just a song, but... it was as if for one brief moment, I could sympathize with that little boy: What can I possibly give to my Savior to honor him? I have no gifts to bring. So what does he do? He plays his drum...using the talent that God gave him. The part that killed me was at the end. "I played my drum for Him ... I played my best for Him ... then He smiled at me....me and my drum. " What a wonderful thing to be able to say: The Christ Child smiled at me.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just overemotional and spouting nonsense, but it keeps coming to my mind.

I also can't seem to stop thinking about Joseph and Mary. Usually we always make sure to read the Christmas Story in the New Testament and all of that, and reflect on His birth. But this year, I just keep coming back to Joseph and Mary. There's so much I'd like to know about them. I just don't know what it is this year. The songs seem more poignant. Like, Michael McLean's "Forgotten Carols." Loved them for years, but this year....there's something about them that just hits me.

I hope I'm making sense. I get the feeling I'm coming across as being overly-sentimental and emotional. Could be. I guess my point is, there really is a magic about Christmas, and I'm feeling it more this year than I think I ever have before in years past.

A few years ago we received what I always call "our Christmas Miracle" when my sister's tumor was removed completely and her baby lived and everything turned out so much better than what we dared hope for. I will always be thankful for that. I will always see His divine intervention on their behalf. I will always consider it our Christmas miracle.

And yet...

Everything just feels different this year. I wonder if anybody else is feeling this way too.

Well, big shocker, thinking of this stuff is getting me all teary-eyed again, so I'm off. I wish you the happiest of holidays and the peace that only He can bring. Merry Christmas.

Sunday Sugar from the Other Side Presents - Melanie Lynskey

2009-12-06T20:00:00.004-07:00

Your sugar for today is Melanie Lynskey. Many of you may remember her from 'Ever After' (she played the cute and friendly sister, Jacqueline De Ghent - I couldn't find any good pics).

I chose her for this week's sugar because I love her work on 'Two and a Half Men' and I've seen a few episodes this week. In fact, she was the best part of the show, and I was very sad when she left. It's always fun when she makes a guest appearance, but the show hasn't been nearly as good since she left.

I have to be honest that I don't really know much about her career other than these two roles. I looked her up on IMDB and saw that she was in a number of other films, but unfortunately our local library doesn't carry most of them, so I can't get a copy and see if she's still as entertaining. And apparently she was in 'Coyote Ugly', but I have no desire to see that so I'll just have to take other peoples' word for it.

Since it was 'Two and a Half Men' that inspired this post, let's go back to that. She played this crazy yet very intelligent neighbor/stalker who aside from being nuts was also very sweet. I kept hoping that her character would get together with Charlie and be happy. Come to think of it, her character was the only one I cared about being happy. So the show has lost a lot of its sparkle since she left. For me it has lost all of it's emotional attachment. I still watch it and laugh, but it's just not the same.

Sunday Sugar for the Other Side Presents - Amy Adams

2009-11-22T11:08:00.009-07:00

Last night, we watched one of the most boring movies I have ever seen - Doubt. I guess it was nominated for 5 Academy Awards so Lyndsie wanted to see it. I figured that considering the plethora of lame-ass movies I make her watch, it was only fair to support her choices, so we Redboxed it and came home to settle into a good movie. Well, as mentioned, I found it intolerably slow and boring. I'm definitely thinking that 'Academy Award Nominee' is too often the same for movies as 'Classic' is for books. Yeah some of them are good, but the majority are called that just to get people to watch/read them because otherwise nobody in their right mind would waste their time on such drivel. Moving on...

Why am I mentioning this in an article of sugar? Well, the one thing I did enjoy in the film was watching Amy Adams. Every time she came on the screen, I expected her to clap her hands and say "Alright everybody, listen up." and break into a happy little working song. Then I realized, hey, she plays such a sweetheart and it makes her super-cute!

Now I'll admit that I haven't really seen her in other films, so maybe she's totally different elsewhere, but at least in Enchanted (that's where the song's from. If you haven't seen it, where have you been? It was the best Disney music in... well... it's probably the best Disney musical ever!) she was freaking adorable.

I think it's just nice to have a star who is famous for being a sweetheart rather than a bitch. I mean, just watching Enchanted makes me feel good and happy and really improves my mood. How many other movies can say that?

So, anyway, she is today's sugar. I only found one pic that I really liked from Enchanted, so here are a couple other pics I found that she looks pretty good in. Enjoy!

Saturday Night Sugar: Double Winner Edition

2009-11-21T13:34:00.006-07:00

We have a first here on SNS: A tie! That's right. Instead of putting one of these super hot boys on the back burner until next week, I'm letting them share the spotlight. Why? Because yesterday was an incredibly long day (3am-1am) in which I watched two movies that featured some eye-candy. First off was "New Moon." While I admit I wasn't crazy about the movie, Taylor Lautner kept me in my seat.

Yum.

Secondly, Richard and I watched the new Star Trek. Pretty good, actually. I managed to stay awake for most of it, thanks to Winner #2, Chris Pine. Well done, boys. Way to keep me up.

Sunday Sugar for the Other Side Presents... Chocolate!

2009-11-15T20:53:00.013-07:00

I could have sworn I had someone in mind to feature this week for Sunday sugar, but now that we're down to the wire, I can't recall who it was going to be. "I'm so sorry, forgotten person out there, perhaps you will be remembered next week!"

Without further ado, I give you their replacement, something very near and dear to my heart.

Chocolate

As I am rather fond of saying, chocolate is proof that there is a God and he loves us and wants us to be happy. It's true! Think about all the wonderful chocolate confections out there: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cakes, donuts, other cookies, candy bars, fudge, fondue, ice cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, truffles, peanut butter cups, and more.

It's hard to know just what to say about something so special, so decadent and wonderful. I don't want to cheapen it by whoring it out, but I do want to express how magical and sensual chocolate really can be.

What makes the coldest day bearable? How about a steaming cup of hot cocoa?
What food can soothe a broken heart? Brownies, of course.
And what food makes any place feel like home? Chocolate chip cookies. Remember that delicious scent as you pull a tray out of the oven? Remember burning your fingers in the attempt to get a chewy bite while the cookies are still warm? How about eating dough straight out of the mixer until you have a stomachache and enough sugar in your system to see through time? Do you remember when you last experienced this?

In closing, chocolate is good, chocolate is great, and if everybody ate more of it, the world would be a happier, more magical place. Trust me! Oh, I almost forgot, if you click on the title of this post, you'll get to the website of the best chocolate place in Utah, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Mmmmmm!
-Richard

Holy Saturday Night Sugar, Batman!

2009-11-14T12:25:00.005-07:00

So, while watching the original (60s) version of Batman, which is vastly superior to any other version, I may have stated my affection for the Riddler out loud. This may have led to some slightly exaggerated talk about how cute I find him, which may have led to a conversation about how, if I like him so much, why hasn't he made Sugar yet? And you know what? It made me think. Since the Riddler, Frank Gorshin, does make me chuckle and I loooove the dimples, he should be Sugar. And, he's way better looking than the Penguin.

So, I present to you another sadly dead guy who's made the cut. Frank Gorshin. That record looks boss. Wish I knew what it sounded like. I'd give it a whirl.

2009-11-09T22:32:00.003-07:00

Why would I change from a perfectly cute Fall background back to a summery one?

Simply because I don't do Fall. I tried. I'm not into cold or the color orange. Sorry, man. I am not cut out for it. Give me Summer any day... but in the meantime, I'll take what I can get...even if it's just a background.

Sunday Sugar For The Other Side - Kelly Osbourne?

2009-11-08T00:49:00.004-07:00

Since Lyndsie's doing something unorthodox and previously unheard of, I guess I can do the same. With that in mind, I present to you a most unexpected sugar for the other side. If you've read the title of this post, you've already spoiled the surprise... it's Kelly Osbourne!

Now I know what you're thinking, what could the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne possibly bring to the sugar table? I'll tell you, as I searched the Internet for good pictures of her, I found numerous reasons I should abandon this quest and find another sugar.

But then I remembered her on Dancing With the Stars, which Lyndsie and I have taken to watching almost religiously. And you know what? When she's good, she's really good. It's not just her dancing that has made her intriguing, it's the sweet spirit she seems to exude on the show. The other ladies (those left and many who started) are the exact opposite, pretty much jumping up and down and shouting "look at me, look at me" (I'm looking at you, future Playboy model with an IQ smaller than my shoe size and the personality of a fungus).

I digress. She seems so vulnerable, so innocent, so sincere (think 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' sincere) that I can't help but want her to return week after week. I know, I would never have imagined myself saying this, but I really enjoy watching her dance. What's more, in stark contrast to the other Internet pics of her (I assume from that reality show or something), she has turned into a most beautiful lady. She's become graceful and elegant, and when she flashes her excited smile, it melts even my stony heart.

Here's one more pic of her looking fabulous for the road, but let's all vote for her to stick around, okay? She deserves it!

Saturday Night Sugar

2009-11-07T20:29:00.004-07:00

You know, I didn't think this would happen, but I've finally cracked. After watching "Hairspray" and "17 Again" last weekend, I have to give the SNS title to Zac Efron. I'm okay with this.

I enjoy both of those movies a lot, and the kid is a talented dancer and singer. I'm not familiar with the High School Musical nonsense, but he really did win me over last weekend, particularly with "Hairspray," which also features our first (and finest..mmmmmm) sugar, James Marsden. What a great way to spend a few hours. :)

Seriously, though..look at the arms on this kid...shazam.

What a Fabulous Weekend

2009-10-19T22:21:00.006-06:00

This weekend was a busy one, but it was also wonderful. Friday night Richard and I babysat for my sister's 4 kids while my sister and bro-in-law went to a concert with my parents. We always have fun with Avyrie, Dyllan, Logan, and Jocie, and Friday was no exception. All four of them crack me up and they're so clever. I love being with them.

Saturday we headed off to Orem to Pirate Island Pizza for Logan's birthday party. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and I loved that I got to wear my capris and flipflops in mid October! (It's the small things in life!) Pirate Island was a fun place and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. Afterward we went to Spanish Fork for cake and ice cream and the BYU game at my mom and dad's. Richard beat Jaymie, Mike, and me at Nerts for a few hours, which is always fun. Then after cake the Fellows Fam went home and my mom kept us playing Nerts until after midnight. It was a VERY long ride home!

Also this weekend, we went and saw the movie Whip It and we both liked it a lot. We were so glad, since a few weeks ago we were both disappointed with a movie we were excited to see. Richard also took me to Sampan for yummy Chinese food, and then shopping. Then when we got home we played Scrabble and watched Doogie Howser MD. Fabulous.

Richard originally took today (Monday) off to join me, Dad, Grandma, Jaymie, Logan and Jocie at the zoo, but due to several issues, that got canceled. So instead, it was another fabulous date day. He was so good to me. He made today about me. I've been craving sun-dried tomato bagels, so he bought me some from Einstein Bros. I LOVE the ocean and have been needing a fix of it, so he did the best thing he could: he took me to the aquarium! I loved him for even thinking of it. Then after an afternoon nap we had leftover Chinese and watched "Dancing with the Stars." I know he's not all *that* into it, but I think it's so cute he'll watch it with me every week and even call in to vote. I love this man for who he is and how he is and how he makes me feel on days like today. I loved seeing the wonder in his eyes and hearing the excitement in his voice at the aquarium. We got to "pet" stingrays and he was so happy to do it.

This weekend (and Monday) has been so exactly what I've needed that I can't express to him how much it meant to me. Last week was very hard for me and so for him to try so hard to make me genuinely happy just touches my heart. He takes such good care of me in so many different ways. So, since I can't think of any better way to say it, thank you, Richard. You raise me up.

Saturday Night Sugar: The Actually On Time Edition!

2009-10-09T21:31:00.007-06:00

Hey boys and girls! Tonight is a special edition of SNS because we do both the winner and a runner up. The runner up is Jeff Conaway, simply because of one scene in Grease.

This was enough to disqualify him from winning the whole shebang, because although this is a shallow segment of the blog, it still has rules and standards. And have you seen Jeff Conaway lately? Yikes. Anyway, I digress. The one scene in Grease which makes me bend the rules: The "Summer Lovin'" musical number and dance routine, where all the T-birds are shaking their moneymakers on the bleachers. His jacket falls over one shoulder and let's just say.... um... he's a little bit delectable from the back. :) I think I'm blushing. Wasn't going to let him in, but my friend Joshua talked me into it. And, heck, maybe Jeff Conaway would like to know he has a fan of that scene.

But the real winner is Dick Van Dyke. Yeah. He was hot in his show. He was hot in "Mary Poppins." He made me put on a happy face in "Bye Bye Birdie." And yeah, he's aged well. I admit I've never seen an episode of "Diagnosis: Murder" but I sure wouldn't turn it off because I find him ugly. No. He's a pretty good lookin old man. Look at how well he's workin that mustache. Congrats, Dick.

Yeah, this is Jeff. Not bad, huh. Better luck next time.

Author's Note: Yeah. I feel dumb. It's Friday.

Saturday Night Sugar: The Slightly Late Edition

2009-09-27T00:18:00.002-06:00

Hey kids. Your sugar is a little on the late side simply because I had a hard time narrowing it down. Without further ado: Ryan Reynolds.

Look at how happy he is to have been selected. I like that in a man.

Sunday Sugar for the Other Side

2009-09-26T23:39:00.007-06:00

Okay, so technically it isn't Sunday yet, but I didn't want to steal Lyndsie's phrase if she decides to put up a sugar in the next 20 minutes. So it is without further explanation that I present to you this week's Sunday Sugar (for the other side):

Cafe Zupas. Yup, it's not a person, it's a place. A cafe, really. And boy howdy is it delicious! We have been impressed every single time we've eaten there. If it was cheaper, we'd eat there even more. If you haven't enjoyed their unique offerings, you haven't lived. True story.

The other day (Friday, to be exact) we were so exhausted from moving our mountains of stuff from my parents' house that we were desperate for good eatin'. Luckily, Lyndsie had already mentioned returning to this house of great grub, and it was a short road between 'should we?' and 'duh, of course we should!'

If you haven't been to Zupas, let me tell you a little bit about the place. If you're in Utah, there are five locations where you, too, can experience the magic.

Now I'm guessing you're sitting there, scratching your head, wondering what on earth I am talking about. Well, Zupas is, as I mentioned, a cafe. Their specialties lie in soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Myself, I am a sucker for all but the sandwiches. Their soups are made fresh daily and are perhaps the best soups on the planet. Their salads are unique, flavorful, fresh, memorable, and downright fantastic. Seriously, even I will eat their salads and I don't otherwise like salad much at all. Mmmmm.... The sandwiches are okay, but not particularly exciting. And their desserts are so delightful you'll think you died and found paradise.

For our last visit, I ordered the 'Try 2' special (soup and salad for me) and got the Lobs te r Bisque soup, *drool*, and the MangoBerry Salad. That one's a seasonal special so I can't find it online, but imagine a bed of greens with strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, cinnamon coated crushed almonds, and a mango yogurt dressing. I am seriously salivating just remembering it. It's like a mouthgasm with every bite. (That's almost as good as Lyndsie's cooking, to give you some scale as to the magnitude of flavor)

Zupas seems able to take even the most mundane of foods, like tomato soup for example, and turn it into a culinary masterpiece. Their tomato basil soup is so tasty, you don't even need a grilled cheese sandwich to make it edible. It's so good, in fact, that we've ordered it on a number of occasions to use as a pasta sauce. It makes the best tortellini you'll ever taste!

Finally, let me talk to you about a vegetable spat out from the very bowels of hell. Of course I'm talking about the luciferous (that's a great Lyndsie term. It'll catch on, it's so clever) cauliflower! Yet here at Zupas they not only tame the wild, domonic cauliflower (it's not really a flower, is it? Can a flower really be that evil?) but they cream it up into a Wisconsin Cauliflower cheese soup that is... dare I say it... fantastic! Not just edible, people, but divine. Who else can boast such a transformation from the awful to the splendid? Nobody, that's who.

I guess I've carried on long enough about the excitement that is Zupas. Just go down and check them out. You won't be disappointed!

Happy but Sad

2009-09-21T14:42:00.004-06:00

If you know me well, you know that I have a soft spot for the missing. I'm a member of an online sleuthing committee ( I know how stupid that sounds, but they actually have solved some crimes and brought some people home!), I am following many, many cases of missing children and adults. I know their names, their stories, and what they look like. It is one of my heart's desires to help one of the missing or lost find their way home. Might sound cheesy or stupid, but my heart aches for these people and their families.

One of the cases I've been following is that of Brooke Wilberger. Brooke was 19 when she vanished from an apartment complex in Corvallis, Oregon. We heard about her mostly because at the time she was a student at BYU. It didn't hurt that she was blonde and beautiful (it sucks, but white pretty girls get the most publicity when they go missing). This was five years ago.

Brooke was found today. Well, not found so much as her killer led authorities to her body as part of a plea deal. Yeah, you read that right. He got a freakin' plea deal. He lead them to her remains as part of a deal to avoid a possible death sentence. Anyone see the irony in that?

I'm not going to rant about the death penalty or why this scumbag should be the poster child for it. Mostly I'm just sad for Brooke and her family. I'm glad they have "closure" even if only in the sense that they can give her a proper burial and know where she is. I'm sad that a beautiful life was cut short needlessly. Finally, I'm sad that the justice system seems to be more concerned about killers than for their victims.

How many more of "my" people will they have to find before something changes?

Rest in peace, Brooke. He can't hurt you anymore.

Saturday Night Sugar: Sunday Evening Edition

2009-09-20T22:28:00.002-06:00

So, my eyes hurt and I'm too lazy to read back and see if I've already given this particular dreamboat the honor of being Sugar. If so, congratulations to our first 2 timer!

I proudly give you Neil Patrick Harris. He can act (LOVE him on How I Met Your Mother), he can sing, he's funny, and look at him. Pour some sugar on me. :)

Mmm. (And yes, I know he's gay and he'll never feel the same about me. But I don't care. So there.)

Saturday Night Sugar

2009-09-12T08:04:00.003-06:00

Michael Vartan

Uh huh uh huh. This man has made it necessary for me to have repeated viewings of the movie "Never Been Kissed" which, let's face it, isn't all that great of a movie. But...um....I'll keep watching. Yum.

Birthday Sugar

2009-09-07T00:48:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

2009-09-07T00:20:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone! Since it's been nearly 2 months since our last update, I thought I'd give in and post something.

First of all....Happy Birthday to our friend Chris!! He's been a great friend to Richard over the years and I appreciate all he's done for both of us. Have a wonderful year, Chris.

Since our last post, we've (mostly) moved into a house in West Valley. It's been a LOT of work, and though we're not even remotely close to being done with everything, it is *so* fabulous having a home of our own! The house itself isn't all that big, but it's a perfect fit for us with some room to grow. Right now we're using the extra bedrooms for other things, such as a craft room, a library, a guest room, and a computer room. The kitchen is sort of old school and Richard is dying to replace the countertop, but that will happen soon enough. He's already put in so much work on this place it's crazy.

We were without TV and internet for about a month. We were both going so crazy without it! It's funny, but now I sort of miss the nights when we didn't have it as a distraction. I kind of felt like I was getting to know him all over again. That being said, if I hadn't been in the shower when the Comcast guy came (for the SEVENTH TIME!), I'd have given him a hug and taken his picture and Comcast Guy That Finally Got Us Online would have been Saturday Night Sugar.

Friday Richard surprised me by telling me we were going to foster two kittens for two weeks. So we named them Rock Hudson and Tony Randall and brought them home. We LOVE them! Tony and I bonded tonight. I'm getting sort of attached. I wonder if this will actually only last for two weeks...they're almost too cute to give up.

Anyway, that's pretty much what's new with us. I promise it won't take 2 months till the next one!

A pleasant surprise!

2009-07-10T20:45:00.002-06:00

Okay, so maybe I was a bit hasty in my last post about the craptastic-ness of banks. Don't get me wrong, they do still suck, but apparently less than I originally surmised.

You see, last night, Lyndsie and I received great news from my dad - Chase worked out something with the original seller which paved the way for us to get this baby done. Today, at just past 1:00 Mountain time, Lyndsie and I signed our names and plotted our initials until our hands were sore (think carpal tunnel, people!). WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!! (Think that's enough exclamation marks? I could always do more...)

Assuming no major catastrophes between now and next week, our loan should fund Monday or Tuesday, and as soon as it's recorded, the house is ours. Can you believe it? After all this time and agony of waiting, it's finally happening for us. If I wasn't exhausted from the stress leading up to this amazing announcement, I'd dance a jig. An honest to Bob jig. I'll even where a lampshade if it helps!

As soon as we take ownership next week, the real work begins. We're going to paint, re-carpet, fix/replace light fixtures and a few other things, and hopefully move in by Lyndsie's birthday. Happy Birthday, Lyndsie!

We will try to keep you posted on how everything unfolds - I'm sure we'll have some sort of house-warming party(ies) in the relatively near future.

Thank you, all of you, for putting up with us during this rough time. I'm certain your prayers and support were essential in getting us to this point. Thank you. Thank you.

The real reason for the banking and housing failures

2009-07-06T20:17:00.001-06:00

My wife and I, in our search for our first home, have encountered first-hand what I believe is the real reason for our economy's banking and housing woes. Here's our situation: we found a home near the end of March that fit our budget and put an offer in. The home was a short sale, in pre-foreclosure, so our offer had to be accepted by the first and second lien holders of the current mortgage. The real estate agent had listed the home at a certain amount, so that's the amount we offered. The seller's agent came back saying the first lien-holder, Taylor, Bean, and Whitaker, required us to up our bid. We checked that we'd still qualify and upped our offer the the maximum we could afford, $4,100 more. Four days later, the second lien holder, WaMu, approved our offer. Feeling we were on the right track, we ordered the appraisal and home inspection and filled out the requisite paperwork for our loan. Then we waited. And waited some more. Two months went by of us checking every day to see if we were approved. We had our agent call the bank directly to check on the wait, and the bank representative yelled at our agent for calling. Finally, Taylor, Bean, and Whitaker came back with an approval. But the WaMu approval had expired. So we finalize our loan documents, ready for another 4-day wait and we'd be ready to close. Makes sense, doesn't it? Well, while we were waiting for TB&W, Chase acquired WaMu. They had a longer wait. So we waited some more. Our loan lock expired, so we extended it. The approval from TB&W expired, so we extended it. Our credit reports expired, so we reordered them. Weeks and weeks later, today rolls around. Lo and behold, Chase won't approve our offer. They demand an additional $5,000. We don't have it. We can't get it. We are out hundreds of dollars in loan fees. We are out the basic repairs we did to the home to qualify it for FHA financing. The way I understand it, when our offer falls through (we haven't told them yet), TB&W will have no choice but to foreclose on the property, wipe out Chase's lien (they will get nothing) and sell the house at auction. And here we are left, without a home we've invested so much work and thought in - not because we can't afford it and not because we didn't try, but because of the greed and sloth of these two banks, who are both guaranteed to lose way more money on this deal by shutting us out then they would have by approving us. That's why things are so bad in this economy. That's why regular people like us can't get into a home and everyone else is getting kicked out.

Saturday Night Sugar: Sunday Evening Edition

2009-06-28T18:14:00.002-06:00

Hi, kids. We weren't home most of the day yesterday, so your weekly dose of sugar had to wait.

This week's sugar is someone we've all become familiar with over the last few years. You may have seen him selling Oxi Clean, Kaboom, life insurance, a slider maker, Mighty Mendit, or about a trillion other things, but you know him by his genial smile, his booming voice, and that wicked beard.

Yes, this week's (sadly "Memorial Edition") of SNS is no other than Billy Mays. It's common knowledge in my little circle of friends that I kind of have the fake hots on Billy Mays. I know that a lot of people can't take the fact he comes across as yelling on TV, but man, the guy could sell a product. And he really seemed to believe in every product he hawked.

Sadly, Billy Mays died this morning. It was very unexpected and when Richard told me, I couldn't believe it. Billy's kind of an in-joke with Richard and me, and every time one of his commercials come on, I interrupt whoever's talking, drop what I'm doing, and yell "Billy Mays!" and talk back to the TV. I never thought I'd say this about a commercial salesman, but...I'm going to miss seeing him.

Thanks, Billy Mays, for turning me on to Oxi Clean...you're right, it's a great product. We were already planning on buying and trying "Kaboom" in the new house... I bet that'll be great too.

Rest in peace to the man I never knew but seemed like a friend.

Truly Sad About This One

2009-06-25T16:40:00.005-06:00

As I'm sure you've already heard, Michael Jackson died today at the age of 50. I'm not so sure why this one is tugging at my heart so hard. It's not like I'd ever met him. I wasn't even a huge fan, although I do like several of his songs. And yet, I was glued to HLN for an hour while they updated the story.

Michael was considered both a musical genius and some sort of freak. Crazy plastic surgery, strange mannerisms, a son he called "Blanket"...not so much the type of everyday person you'd meet. But. Perhaps it was this sort of frailty that drew us in. So often celebrities are seen as perfection that we should strive to become. Michael wasn't. We watched him as his successful years seemed to fade behind him, as he dealt with legal issues, being the constant butt of jokes, and dealing with problem after problem that life threw his way. This made him more "real."

Yes, he was strange. Yes, I'm guilty of making jokes about him too. But today...I truly do feel badly about this man's passing. Many of his songs bring back great memories for me. I associate "Thriller" with my sister. "Blame It On The Boogie" makes me remember giggle fits with my husband and our best friend. "Bad" and "Billie Jean" take me back to road trips to Vegas. And "ABC?" Well, that's me driving around and belting it out at full volume whether I'm happy or upset.

Thanks for all the music and memories, Michael. You'll be missed.

Saturday Night Sugar

2009-06-21T02:25:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, technically it's Sunday. But since I haven't been to sleep yet, I say it's Saturday still. So...without further ado, your Sugar of the Week:

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: Jack Black? Really? Really. My mom says she sees Richard in Jack Black. And you know what? I think she's right. They share a lot of facial expressions and they do have a slight resemblance. I think Jack's pretty cute. And, I love him in The Holiday, and Richard makes me laugh when he pretends to be Nacho Libre and talks about his "stretchy pants." Even though I really don't care all that much for the movie, Jack Black has kinda sorta stolen my heart...at least this week.

Time for another update

2009-06-17T15:02:00.003-06:00

Hi kids! Richard and I got back from his business trip on Saturday but I haven't really felt like blogging. Shame on me. But since I feel like updating on a few other topics, here goes.

We had a good time in Vegas overall, but word to the wise: The Las Vegas Hilton really kinda sucks. We got lucky because we didn't have to pay for it. But it will never be our first choice for lodging in Vegas. Why? Because the people are jerkbags, there are crazy rules, everything is outrageously overpriced, the slots are the tightest we've ever played, and the parking situation was ridiculous. I don't mind walking. I like it actually. But when you're parked so far away from your hotel room that you have to stop partway and take a rest because your bags are so heavy you can't make it in one shot...yeah, that's a pain.

I know it sounds like I'm just complaining. Well, yeah. But still, when you pay 5 bucks for a blueberry muffin and the concierge thinks it's fun to be a smart aleck when you're asking directions, the little things start to add up. But I digress. We did have some good times while there. We went to Excalibur and saw "Tournament of Kings." It was way better than Medieval Times, and our King was way hot. In fact, he was going to be last week's Saturday Night Sugar but I couldn't find a good pic. Sadness.

Our last night we stayed at Boulder Station and had a wonderful time. We had the entire day to be together since he didn't have class, and that was fabulous. We swam, we ate waaaay too many crab legs, we came out a few hundred dollars ahead on the penny slots, and we just loved being together. And that was by far the best day of the trip.

Also, a few of you have asked about the latest on our house situation. In short: This is driving us crazy. Basically we're dealing with some of the most incompetent people in the state. We had to get approved by two banks: Taylor Bean and Whittaker and WaMu. We got approved by WaMu in like a day and a half. TBaW took about 2 months. In the meantime, the approval by WaMu expired so we had to get it approved again. Shouldn't be a problem right, because they approved so fast the last time? Wrong, because while waiting for TBaW, WaMu got taken over by Chase. So now we're waiting for approval by Chase. If they don't hurry up, TBaW is just going to let it slide into full foreclosure and all of a sudden, we have to try to buy this house at auction.

We got our loan lock extended for the next 15 days...so if you feel like praying for us, crossing your fingers for us, or just sending happy thoughts, we thank you in advance.

The Triumphant Return

2009-05-30T22:36:00.002-06:00

That's right, kids! It's time for the latest edition of Saturday Night Sugar! Richard and I are currently enjoying Season 1 of "Big Bang Theory." And you know what? The years have been pretty kind to that kid from "Roseanne" who is in BBT. Johnny Gilecki. Yeah, I think he makes the cut.

Shaved, smooth, I don't care. Just keep it coming. :)

In other news, Happy 25th Birthday to our friend Cherise Bright! We hope this year is the best one yet.

Updates - Life as we know it

2009-05-22T23:13:00.004-06:00

Hello out there! Hopefully a few of you out there still check back on our humble little blog to see what's going on the lives of your two favoritest people in the whole world! Right? I thought so.

So a lot has been going on in the last few months. So much has happened, in fact, that I don't know what we've revealed and what tidbits we're still conserving to some day spring upon you unsuspecting readers.

Let's start with my job (if you couldn't tell, this is Richard talking. Don't let the high-pitched falsetto throw you off...) as that's where I spend most of my week. As most of you know, I transferred from Riverton Library to a new position here at Salt Lake County Animal Services. I was scared to death of the change - afraid to leave my library friends and uncertain about changing careers in this economy. However, the library was destroying my health so when this office job showed up, I jumped all over it.

Thank heavens I did. Working for Animal Services has been the best job I've ever had. By a long shot. It's not perfect, by any means, but it is perfect for me at this time in my life and I really feel like I'm making a difference and am appreciated. In fact, I'll bet I've already pontificated at length about them sending me to a Las Vegas conference in June. My first business trip is almost here! With a little finagling and awesome bosses, it has become possible for Lyndsie to join me on this adventure. YAY!!!

Though my official title varies between 'Statistician' and 'Animal Control Field Support Specialist,' I'm really so much more. I spend a lot of time working on statistics, but they're letting me help with computer issues as they arrive, I'm now the on-site database administrator and web designer, and they make me feel like I'm doing good work and am appreciated.

As you know, the housing issue has been really frustrating. We've just put in our last counter-offer on the house we want, so it's really just down to fate. Fate has treated us incredibly well in our life together, so I am hopeful and optimistic.

In other fascinating news, we're fostering a sugar glider at home. Apparently, someone brought in a glider as a 'stray' with some of it's bedding and stuff. Yeah, I believe that BS! In any case, we named her Betty White and have her in our extra cage from our library days. She's a cranky one (even worse than Rue) but it's kind of fun having another little one around. I know the shelter would love for me to purchase her, but I really don't want to have another mouth to feed permanently. Besides, she doesn't really get along with Bea and Rue yet. I'm still working with her, so things may change, but if anyone out there is experienced with gliders and already has one companion, please let me know and I can get you a good deal on Betty! ($75.00)

As of this afternoon, I'm also sponsoring two kittens in my cubicle at work. It's kitten season out there and we're getting kittens by the litter. Putting them all together tends to lead to outbreaks of illness and we lose kittens. So to help out, I'll be caring for two of the little rapscallions in my cubicle. Isn't that exciting? I love kitties!

I'm not sure what other recent events to share with you, but will leave you with one thought: be happy. It's great!

A Change of Subject

2009-05-06T18:45:00.000-06:00

Hi kids. Since the home search has taken a very frustrating, unexpected turn (even though "our" house has 7 offers on it, and our is currently second-highest, there's talk of selling it at auction), it's sort of becoming a sensitive subject for me. Quite simply, I'm tired of getting my hopes up and then being all depressed because we're not being successful at jumping through all these hoops.

So. Until there's real news to report, I promise to talk about other things. Wow. Now I feel all "on the spot." In the meantime, happy mothers' day to all you moms out there.

2009-04-23T23:02:00.003-06:00

So, we kind of found a new house tonight. Updated kitchen with more cabinets and counter space, nice paint, new carpet, fewer repairs to do... and a lot less jackassery to put up with cause we don't have to get approval from a bajillion banks like with the other house.

We need to go look at it during the day before we put in an offer (we tend to go walk through houses pretty late at night), but so far it's looking good. Please cross your fingers that we'll end up with a house we like soon!

We also walked through this house that reminded me so much of my grandparents' old house. I'm not even kidding...original appliances from the 50s or 60s even. Shag carpet, but this blue carpet in the basement that was exactly the carpet my grandparents had. Kinda took me back in time. The crazy part is that both Richard and I really dug it...until we found the one I already told you about.

Anyway, it's late and I'm tired. So until next time, have a great day.

UPDATE TO THIS POST: Yeah, we didn't even get a chance to walk through it again. It went under contract the very next day. Sadness abounds.

Mean People Suck

2009-04-23T11:28:00.002-06:00

After waiting semi-patiently for over three weeks now, Richard and I are ready to get an answer about whether or not we can proceed in buying this house. We've been accepted by two of the three parties, and got sick of waiting. So we had our realtor (Richard's dad) call the bank (with the okay of the listing agent for the sellers), and wow. What a jerk.

Jon (Richard's dad) was in the process of leaving this guy a voice mail when the guy called back. He told Jon "I'm not going to listen to your voice mail. I have over 500 waiting for me. I don't even know if this house is assigned to me because my system is down." Then he told Jon he didn't even want to talk to him, and to have the listing agent of the sellers call. What a prince, huh.

Um, I highly doubt his system has been down for three weeks. This is so frustrating to me. Why would he treat someone this way, especially when it's likely we'll be the ones buying this house? I hate it when people are rude just for the sake of being rude. I especially hate it when things could move along so much faster and more easily if the guy had just taken a minute to hear Jon out.

I never realized buying a house would be such a huge pain. And this is only the "putting in an offer" stage. ARgh.

Update

2009-04-06T15:31:00.002-06:00

After walking through both houses again, we've withdrawn our offer on the West Jordan house and are just waiting for the bank to accept us for the West Valley house. My parents went through with us this past Saturday, and with the help they've promised to give us, in the forms of elbow grease, time, and a new water heater (hooray!), I think it's safe to say we'll have this house shaped up in no time. The hard part is waiting for the bank to say, "Hey guys. I think we should tell Richard and Lynds to go ahead and move in."

Yeah, they should really get on that.

On Our Way Home

2009-04-02T04:31:00.002-06:00

Richard and I have finally reached that point where we've started the process of buying a house. We've walked through several, and tonight put in our second offer. The first one is located in West Valley, is somewhat older, and although it needs work and has a smallish kitchen, we both love it. Tonight we put in an offer on one in West Jordan. This house is what Richard calls "California-ish." I'm not quite sure how to explain that, but I totally get what he means.

I'm not sure either of our bids will be accepted, but this whole thing is very exciting for us. I'm torn now between which house I want, because I know we'll be happy with either one. I'm not looking forward to actually moving, but I can't wait to make whatever house we get our home.

Road Trip!

2009-03-22T10:34:00.006-06:00

We had one of the best days in recent memory yesterday. Sometimes for me the funnest days are the ones that you take by ear.

We knew we wanted to do something fun yesterday, but what? After googling events happening yesterday, we got in the car, picked up our pal Joshua, and headed for Logan. We had decided to either go to this Broadway Revue thing at USU or a play at Weber State, depending on where we were when it was time to get tickets. We decided in advance to stay in Logan and see the Broadway thing.

We started out with Gossner's Cheese. We picked up some squeaky cheese, and some other good stuff, had our fair share of samples, and once more hit the road. Sadly, the visitor information center was closed...but the Bluebird Candy Company was open! We had a few chocolates so good they made us swoon (and I'm not even all that fond of chocolate!) and then went to Smith's to find a cheapo cooler for the cheese.

Smith's turned out to be a gold mine. Not just because of the cooler, nor the time spent lounging on their fabulous outdoor furniture. No. It's because we found some ridiculously exciting toys. Oh, yes. We got little foam airplanes and a ball. Then we found a beautiful park.

After feeling like idiots because we had such a difficult time putting said little kids planes together, victory was ours! Well, not mine because I bent it and so it flew wonkily, but whatever. We had a great time throwing them and acting like little kids until both Richard's and Joshua's caught the same breeze and flew into the pond. Richard immediately dealt with this emergency water landing by kicking off his shoes and socks, and getting into the still very cold water. Now is that devotion, or what?

After both planes were saved, we decided to play with the ball for a while. This led to the creation of a new game called Roll, Jackass, Roll. Yes, it is every bit as exciting as it sounds. By this point, the sun kept disappearing behind the clouds, it was very windy, and Richard was wet. So now what? The logical answer of course...let's go get ice cream and eat it outside! It took me forever to eat my fabulous Pina Colada ice cream (!) because I was laughing so hard. Between the guy Richard thought he knew, some guy with an embarassingly fake tan, the many faces of Wilford Brimley, and the pure, unadulterated joy that comes with the knowledge that Funyuns are still around...I laughed so hard I was almost crying. I LOVE when that happens!

Finally, it was time to head over to get our tickets for the musical part of our evening. Luckily, we had our planes to keep us busy once more. The guys' planes had survived the water mission, but mine ended up more kind of like a stunt plane. It was great.

The Broadway thingamajig was pretty alright too. It wasn't what we were expecting...nearly at all...but I still thought it was a good way to spend an hour or two.

All in all, a fabulous day. Richard and I went home and slept like babies.

2009-03-10T12:12:00.004-06:00

Wow, it's been a month since either Richard or I posted. Nice. Actually, we've had a lot going on in the meantime.

Our trip to California was exactly what we needed except for the fact that it was way too short! We started off by spending the first night at The Golden Nugget hotel in Las Vegas. We usually stay at the South Point, but we decided to hotwire this trip. If you're unfamiliar with hotwire.com, you pick the star rating and price, and book before knowing where you actually will stay. It was an adventure. But it worked out really well for us.

Back to the Golden Nugget. By far the best part was the pool... it had a three story enclosed waterslide that shot you through a shark tank! I kid you not. It was very exciting. That night we explored the Fremont Street Experience. Richard had never heard of it before, and I'd only been there once. For us, it was more exciting than the strip. There were shops and kiosks, and of course, the biggest overhead screen featuring ten minute miniconcerts every hour. Google Fremont Street Experience if you have no idea what I'm talking about!

Next stop: California! Well, more specifically, La Jolla. La Jolla Shores, the beach where we spent most of our time, is now one of my two favorite beaches. The other is just up the freeway a bit, Cardiff. Both are beautiful, awe-inspiring, and gave me a much-needed boost. Hotwire had assigned us to stay at the Hyatt Regency. Yes, it was beautiful, but honestly? I learned on this trip just how little I need to truly be happy. I had Richard by my side and the ocean at my feet and I felt freer than I have in years. We got rained on a lot in La Jolla/San Diego, but it still didn't interfere with beach time. Thanks to Shauna and Dan for meeting up with us and making that Monday a wonderful day! Leaving California was surprisingly hard for me. I had no desire to come home.

After California, we spent the night in Vegas again on our way home. This time we were at Red Rocks Resort. VERY nice, very ooh la la. I wish we'd had more time at this one. Maybe next time.

Perhaps the best part of coming home was that Richard finally started his new job! After working for the Salt Lake County Library System for 4 yearsish, he now works at Salt Lake County Animal Services. I forget his real title, but it's sufficient to say he's the smart guy who does the necessary computer and database stuff. I'm so proud of him. The only thing I'm unsure about with this job are the hours. We've gone from Night Owls to Early Birds. My body is having a VERY hard time with that. Richard's fallen in love with caffeine all over again, but hopefully we'll get it in gear soon.

I promise it won't take us a month to update again. Well, I hope not anyway. Kay, bye.

Word to My Mother :)

2009-02-11T20:19:00.003-07:00

Last September, Richard and I were enjoying lunch at our favorite restaurant when a piece of chicken rudely lodged itself in my esophagus. After much embarrassment and a huge mess, I went to the ER and after four hours of spitting into a bucket, I had an endoscopy to get that darn chicken out.

Well, since then, I still get food stuck every now and then, and though it's never been as serious as that first day, it's still really scary. I panic, it's hard to breathe, and I'm seriously getting scared to eat. I get the hiccups at least twice a day, I can feel every bite of food work its way allll the way down, and sometimes I can feel abdominal spasms. Now, I'm no doctor, but I kinda don't think that's normal.

So fast forward to this week. Richard and I were celebrating his new job by having lunch together before I went to my Mom's for the night and Richard went to work. Guess what happened? Yeah. Broccoli in the esophagus. This is not as enjoyable as it may sound. So, I'm incredibly paranoid that I'm going to totally choke to death soon, and it takes me about an hour to eat anything these days.

Enter my fabulous Mom. She works at Central Utah Surgical Center, and she's already got me all lined up for surgery when we get back from California/Vegas. It's really scary, I'm not looking forward to it, but after Dr. Thorpe does whatever he does, including dilation (yeah, I'm not very comfortable or fond of that word), I won't be scared to death anymore! Hooray! So I guess this post is just a great big thank you to my mom for getting me all set with a good doctor to make up for whatever those incompetent jackasses at Jordan Valley Hospital did to me.

We're going on vacation from the 13th to the 18th. So I'll update then.

Thanks Mom, you're the best!

2009-01-24T22:23:00.005-07:00

So I'm temporarily suspending Saturday Night Sugar. What started out as a way to share the abounding hotness of the opposite sex has become somewhat of a weekly chore. I mean, tonight I nearly picked Robert Goulet. Um...

So, I think I will just post pics of men deserving to be appreciated when the need arises. Not that there aren't about a million deserving guys, but nobody's really jumping out at me right now.

But I'm not going to go out without a bang. This week's Saturday Night Sugar is my husband. Some might say this is only because he posted his Sunday Sugar for the Other Side about me a few weeks back. Well, no. That was sweet, but that had nothing to do with my decision to have him be the final (for now) selection.

Richard is one of the most understanding, empathetic, kindhearted people I've ever known. He tries to help those around him, and he is always there for me when I need him. He's saved me both literally and figuratively... I had quite a scare a few weeks ago when my tire blew on the freeway during a snowstorm. After zigzagging across several lanes and fishtailing in snow, my car stopped just barely enough to the side of the freeway to avoid being hit. I called Richard and he immediately dropped what he was doing at work to come bail me out. I'm so lucky I have someone like him to take care of me like that.

He recognizes when I'm feeling particularly depressed and tries so hard to make me happy. He spoils me rotten with nightly back rubs and daily compliments. He shows his love for me...he doesn't just speak it. I love a million different things about him...little things that all add up. Like the way he always, without fail, will lay down to watch a movie and will have left his drink on the other side of the room. Or how he rarely complains about listening to my music in the car the vast majority of the time. In fact, now he sings along. Or how he'll let me do random things like pluck his chest hairs out one by one. He has endless patience with me (usually).

He tries to make me feel special, loved, worthwhile, and like I make a difference for the better in his life. That means so much more than I can write here. He's fun. He makes me laugh. He's someone I can really talk to. He's definitely someone I can count on. And for those reasons and so many more, he is the real embodiment of Saturday Night Sugar.

Sunday Sugar from the Other Side Double-Header: Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan

2009-01-18T22:03:00.017-07:00

After last week's Sunday Sugar, there's really nobody else I can put here. I mean, you've seen the apex of sweetness, so I'm not really sure who else can even stand in her shadow.

After going round and round in my head trying to think of someone... anyone... to put up this week, I came up pretty empty-handed. Then I realized, hey, I haven't featured our babies yet.

Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan are sugar gliders - see how perfect that is for this post? Aren't they cute? They are small marsupials from Australia, though our babies come from a breeder in Orem. The one with the wide brown stripe on her face is Bea and the one with the narrow face is Rue.

Is it just me, or does Rue look an awful lot like Jon Cryer (who plays Allen Harper on "Two and a Half Men")? See these side-by-sides? They could be twins!

Don't forget about me! My Horror Movie Death (Richard)

2009-01-17T22:40:00.003-07:00

This is how I'm gonna die in a horror movie. It'll be awesome! "Wait! Lyndsie! Put those fangs away! I didn't mean it, I really... Ack!"

Okay...one more (Lyndsie)

2009-01-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well let's just bring on the next 4 or 8 years then!

My Horror Movie Death (Lyndsie)

2009-01-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Um, at least I died in the ocean. :)

Saturday Night Sugar

2009-01-17T22:09:00.004-07:00

I've been thinking about who to give this week's SNS award to for the past several days, and I just keep coming back to Rock Hudson. I realize I did an old dead guy last week, but it seems to be the new trend. Rock Hudson is one of my favorites... he's funny, he's pretty easy on the eyes, and he's a good actor. If you're not familiar with him, may I suggest you rent the movies Pillow Talk or Send Me No Flowers