Brown-Eyed Girl

For the record

2012-01-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

Lime + sugar does not work as a substitute for lemonade in a smoothie. No if's, and's, or but's about it. But it does make for some great sour faces.

Also, missing your mid-morning snack during pregnancy is close to earth-shattering/day-ruining. And that's how I justified my frozen yogurt run during my break.

In other news, I'd like to introduce you to my new fishy friend, Prince Philip. He's the latest addition to our office.

Who couldn't love a face like that?

Hopefully he hasn't heard my coworkers taking bets on how long he'll survive. Poor guy.

Lazy Weekend

2012-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

This last week, I have been feeling stretched--in every sense of the word. My body was sore from our Hollywood hike, my stomach feels as though it will burst, and from the moment I wake to the minute I lay down my head, it seems as though I'm caught in a flurry of endless tasks of baby preparations, work, to-do lists, etc. etc.

White Pizza.

Recipe found at Sugar Plum

On one hand, I like keeping busy, and I enjoy knowing that I have accomplished so many things in a day...I also enjoy knowing that it is noon on a Saturday, I'm still in my PJ's, and all I've done since I got home from work last night is make a delicious pizza, whipped up some cookies, and caught up on some DVR with my hubby. Oh, and maybe I've been voraciously plowing through the Eragon series...not that I'm a nerd or anything.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

Really, I just wanted to tell you about these cookies we made. The inspiration behind them is from Pinterest. The first time we made them, we followed the recipe to a T....and we were a little disappointed. They just tasted like a normal cookie. Still good, but I have a perfectly wonderful recipe for normal chocolate chip cookies, so this time when we made them, I decided to make a few alterations. And basically, I'm a genius. Be prepared for the fluffiest, most delicious, hint-of-cheesecake-y cookies you will ever have. Enjoy!

And they're pretty good-lookin' cookies too.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

2 cups + up to ½ cup of flour

½ tsp salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

10 Tbls butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

5 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup-1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl with electric mixer, cream butter. Add sugar and mix well. Add egg and cream cheese, mix until well incorporated. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on, add dry mixture in gradually. Add up to ½ cup of flour until it reaches a nice, doughy consistency. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from sheet immediately and transfer to wire rack to cool.

This dough also freezes well! See original recipe for freezing tips!

21 Days to Organization: Days 11-15

2012-01-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

Day 11: The pantry (remember how I switched this for the freezer because I was feeling too lazy/scared to tackle the pantry that day. Also, maybe I was hoping to get cute little containers for everything but then decided not to because I didn't want to go over our budget this month...)

Before.

After.

Mucho better, no? Now we just have to see if I can keep it this neat...

Day 12: Spice Cabinet.

Before.

After.

I hope you enjoy my liberal use of old shoe boxes in my organization habits.

Day 13: Medicine Cabinet. We don't have one of these, but I decided to clean out the desk drawer.

Before.

After.

Day 14: Under the bathroom sink.

Before.

After.

Day 15: Medicine/Vitamin Storage. Again with the shoebox storage...

Before.

After.

So there you have it. Another exciting housekeeping post. I know you all are just on the edge of your seats waiting for the next one...

Where the streets are paved with gold.

2012-01-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Where the kitties never grow old...in Hollywood. (Someone please tell me they've seen Cats Don't Dance and get this reference!!)

At the start of the trail.

Dan taking a break...five minutes in.

A view of the Observatory.

Dan taking another break.

Dan playing with the zoom.

Clark Gable!

Melissa and Audrey Hepburn!

There's that sign again...

The Beatles...except for Paul...

My personal favorite.

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday!

21 Days to Organization: Day 10

2012-01-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today I tackled my "laundry room". Since we're a poor student family, that currently consists of this box of stuff and a huge thing of laundry detergent.

Real classy with the barbecue label, huh?

And the insides...

I actually had a lot of fun with this assignment. I made the cutest little signs you ever did see.

No more barbecue piggy!
P.S. I realize I don't have kids yet, but that's soon to be remedied and from what I hear babies make a ton of laundry.

I love this one.

(Both signs were inspired by finds on Pinterest. You can find them on my boards here and here.)

Bananas.

2012-01-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here are two facts about myself.
I don't like fruit. There are a few grand exceptions to this fact, but as a general rule fruit is a no-go.
I love ice cream. It is my favorite. Frozen treats in general just make me happy.

So here's to a marriage of something I love and something I hate to make something I really love: Banana "ice cream."

I'd pinned this idea a few months ago (read: last summer), and had yet to try it. For some reason, tonight became the night. This is the best idea ever!

Take some bananas. Slice them up. Freeze them. Put them in your food processor.

Mix until they transform into creamy goodness. This is seriously the most magical moment I have ever had in my kitchen. I don't know how the bananas go from grainy banana bits to whipped perfection, but it's amazing.

Seriously, this is JUST bananas!!

Add peanut butter (or anything you want). Mix it up.

Top with crushed oreos (or whatever). Enjoy.

The Lukers joined in on the fun!

(I used four frozen bananas and about two spoonfuls of peanut butter. I would just guess on the amount of whatever flavoring you use to get it to how you want it. We all really enjoyed this (except for baby Landon...) and will probably make it again. Especially since it helps me get a much needed serving of fruit!)

21 Days to Organization: Days 8 & 9 (and some thoughts on the babe.)

2012-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Day 8: The coat closet.
Our coat closet is huge. It's probably the entire length of our hallway, which is great because it gives us a place to put all our stuff.

Side 1, Before.

Side 2, Before.

Side 1, After

Side 2, After.

Side 1 has all our sporting/outdoorsy stuff, plus Dan's tool box. It's also home to Dan's golf clubs. My car trunk is not home to Dan's golf clubs. (Hint, hint). Also, say hi to my wedding dress! It doesn't really fit in my closet, so it gets to hang out in here too!
Side 2 is full of fun things like holiday decorations, gift bags/wrapping paper, and cleaning/laundry stuff. Oh, and a random chip and dip bowl that's too big to fit in our kitchen cupboards.

Day 9: Toy Organization.
Seeing as how the one kid I have isn't even born yet, we don't have too many toys around these here parts. But we do have a few cute baby things that were piling up in Miss Baby's future closet, so I decided that maybe I should start taking care of things in there before it really gets crazy.

Before.

After.

Going through the few things we've already gotten for Miss Baby made me so excited! Sometimes it is a panic-attack-inducing thought that I will be a mother in a little more than two months. I mean, I have NO idea what I'm doing with my own life some days, and now I'm going to be responsible for this whole other human being. Will she survive? Will she be normal? I'm going to say yes to the first, but no guarantees on that second question. I do know that even though motherhood/complete change in lifestyle is scary, I do know that it's exactly where I want to be. I'm so excited to be a mommy, and I plan on enjoying it fully. Even those sleep deprived nights. I'm sure some of you experienced people are shaking your heads thinking I'm romanticizing it and have absolutely no idea what I'm getting myself into. You're probably right, but at least I'm trying to go in with a good attitude, right?

While on the topic of Miss Baby, what are your thoughts on name revealing? We're pretty sure on the name we're going to use, but I'm afraid at the last minute I will change my mind. I'm never good at keeping a secret, and I've let the name slip at least a few times already (probably to some of you). Do you believe in telling anyone and everyone their name as soon as you've chosen, or do you like to do a big reveal after the baby is born? It's a conundrum.

P.S. Thanks to all who have given/sent us the darn cutest baby clothes/toys I ever have seen. You all are the greatest, and we feel so loved (baby included).

21 Days to Organization: Day 7

2012-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today was supposed to be my pantry, but I decided to switch it with a different day this week. So instead, you get to see the insides of my freezer!

Before: Massive Amounts of Chaos.

Before.

After: Oh hey, I can find stuff now!

After.

21 Days to Organizaiton: Day 6

2012-01-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Dresser Drawers. My dresser isn't the classiest, or the biggest, but it gets the job done. And now, it gets the job done better.

Before: A jumbled mess. Good luck finding what you want.

After: Mucho better.

Now I just need to take care of the rest of that closet. Scary.
P.S. Aunt Renee, I think you're onto something with your nesting theory haha.

21 Days to Organization: Days2-5

2012-01-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

I'm already a slacker, so I'll have to play a little catch-up.
Day 2 asked me to organize my computer desk. Well, with our laptops the world is our computer desk. We do have a cute little writing desk that I use sometimes, but it's already pretty organized.

I can't say that the drawers look as good as the desk, but this challenge was very specific, stating that I was not to touch the drawers today, just the surface. I tried to think of another surface in our house that desperately needed a hand. Ta-da! Our bathroom counter!

Before...

And After...

I even did Dan's side too!

Day 3 asked that I venture into my tupperware cupboard. I found some long lost napkins! Hurray!

I love my tupperware, because it basically organizes itself. I also keep all sorts of food storing items in here, and plastic/paper dishes and silverware. Oh yeah, and my placemats and any extra Clorox wipes (I love Clorox wipes!!).

After.

Day 4 was the linen closet.

I have a few more plans for that bottom shelf, and I plan on making my box of laundry stuff a little prettier.

Day 5 (today): under the kitchen sink.

Before

After.

I think I may be developing OCD.

A whole new year.

2012-01-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Dan and I spent New Year's Eve in Newbury Park--his mom's birthday is on New Year's Day! Of course I'm a slacker and didn't get any pictures...oops!

We both had Monday off, so we stayed the extra day and decided to hike the hills behind Dan's house. AND we got a chance to try out my fancy new camera lens I got for Christmas.

Mary Jane could hear us whistling at her. P.S. This is my new lens zoomed all the way in!

We made friends with a few bluebirds.

Dan is still getting the hang of my camera's settings...it's ok, there was one where I'm in focus, but I didn't give the camera much to work with...

The beach is on the other side of the mountains!

I've been reflecting on what my resolutions should be this year, and that really made me think about what I want to get out of life in the coming year. I kept thinking about it, and really, I just want to enjoy it. There is so much good happening in my life. This year, I'll become a mom, my brother-in-law will return from his mission, Dan will reach his half-way point in dental school, and we have a family reunion in San Diego. Plus, all the great stuff that is normally part of our lives. Of course, there's negative that goes on as well, but why focus on that? I think this year, my one goal is to take advantage of happiness. Instead of listing my individual resolutions (trust me, I have those too), I think I'll just state my theme 2012.

Joie de Vivre

This was always one of my favorite phrases in French. The enjoyment of life. One of my favorite scriptures states that man is that he might have joy. And so, I intend to find joy in my life, every single day. Even the bad ones and the hard ones.

P.S. Turns out I'm not the only one with this idea for the new year. Living the Abundant Life, President Thomas S. Monson. What a great guy!

The Queen and the Big Cheese come to South Pas!

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to visit with my grandparents last week! They were in town because my cousin was in the Rose Parade on Monday (he's famous!). Last Thursday they drove down with some of my other cousins to have dinner with us. We took them to one of our favorite local places, Twohey's. Everything we've tried there has been pretty good...but the whole reason you go is for the sundaes! None of these pictures are very flattering (sorry!), but it's hard to concentrate on looking good when you have that deliciousness placed in front of you!!

Grampie and the Grammie-girl.

Dan is so excited!

Daniel and Natasha are enthralled.

21 Days to Organization: Day 1

2012-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

In honor of the New Year/trying to get my home put together before this baby arrives, I decided to take the 21 Days Challenge. I'm pretty excited about this, I love it when things look neat. (My mother is probably wishing I had that love when I was growing up...)

The first day of the challenge required me to clean out my junk drawer. Here's the before shot:

Yikes! You can't even tell what's in here, because there's too much. I'll give you a run-down of what I found. Old coupons, screws, nails, the charging cord to our GPS, an ice scraper, ziploc bags, tape measure, duct tape, our weekly meal planner, plastic silverware, little plastic treat bags, paper clips, and pens/pencils. The thing is, most of this stuff was just thrown in here at random because I was too lazy to put it where it actually belongs. Which will explain why the after picture is SO much less cluttered.

This is all I really needed in here, everything else either went in the trash or found a new home. So much nicer, and so, so much easier to actually find what I need!

All I want for Christmas

2011-12-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

is my two front teeth. And a hippopotamus. And to spend it with these people.

Jackson and "the" hotwheels!

Spicer and his stash from Santa.

How is she that cute in the morning?

Ti got some great comic book gear.

My siblings are a lot cuter than me in the morning...

After the present opening bonanza, we had breakfast and hurried to get ready for church. I actually really liked having church on Christmas. It helped me keep in mind the reason why we're celebrating. Heavenly Father and Christ love us all so much, and I could feel that love so close in my heart as I sat in the chapel. Christmas is fun, but I love that there's a huge, wonderful, meaningful reason behind all the fun. So even though I messed up big time on my duet in front of the whole congregation and started giggling like a school girl, I'm still glad we went.

Plus we all looked dang good.

And one with Daddy.

Then the Carrs, young and old, sat down to a feast. Thanks Mom and Dad for all the hard work! It really payed off!

The cute place settings!

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the wonderful gifts we received.

Spicer vs. Dan in chess.

Jack and "the" hot wheels.

Bronwyn was very spoiled this Christmas. A new bed, and lots of new toys. She was one happy puppy.

Can't wait for next time!

Oh you better watch out...

2011-12-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

Jack kept singing that song all week, as well as informing us whether we were on the naughty or nice list (Spicer and Dan were apparently on the naughty list).

Remember when I posted about those yummy Christmas cookies my mommy makes? This was us Christmas Eve Day:

Ti and Hope rolling out the dough.

Even Dan got in on the fun!

The boys decided to get a little creative with their gingerbread men...Ti made a monster and Spicer's is a crime scene victim. So cheery!

Christmas Eve is almost a bigger deal than Christmas Day in our family. It always involves a Mexican fiesta with plenty of friends to help us eat all the food.

The star of the show is always the tamales (they represent baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes!). Normally we just get them to-go from a restaurant, but one of our guests generously provided them this year--they were probably the best tamales I've ever had. We also had enchiladas, a chile sauce, Spanish rice, chips and dip, and a salad (with Cafe Rio dressing!) Oh yeah, and more than enough dessert.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve as a kid was re-enacting the Nativity as my father or grandfather read from Luke 2. It might be even more fun being able to watch it. Are these kids cute or what??

Joseph and Mary...Mary is having a slight veil malfunction.

All gathering around the manger.

A nice group shot.

So angelic!

Eventually all our guests hurried home so they wouldn't miss Santa's visit. Our night continued on with a few more Christmas Eve rituals. We can't go to bed until someone retells How the Grinch Stole Chrismtas. Which we all may or may not have memorized.

So classic.

"But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did NOT."

Bronwyn enjoyed my father's retelling as well.

Before we put our special Christmas jammies on, Jack wanted to put out some reindeer food he made at pre-school.

In case you were wondering, Santa's reindeer love to eat a mixture of oats and sparkles.

Don't worry, we didn't forget to leave milk and cookies (along with a note) for the big man himself.

We had to take a few last pictures of our gussied-up selves before our Christmas Eve sleepover in the basement.

It's hard to hide all that personality.

Merry Christmas!

Thai Thai

2011-12-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's no secret my family loves Thai food. My dad served a mission for our church in Thailand, and every time my family has moved, one of his first priorities has been to scout out the best Thai restaurant in the area. Once my family finds a restaurant they like, they stick with it. The owners of this place treat my family like their own. Maybe it's because Jack is just too irresistible when he stumbles over the few Thai phrases he knows. Or maybe it's because my family is huge and orders so much food/brings in friends all the time. All I know is they gave us free dessert, so they are awesome in my book. Plus the food was delicious. I love Thai Thai!

Hope shows off her spicy Thai chile pepper! Those little guys pack a punch!

Jack and my parents.

Ti. One of the owners joked and said that this was his restaurant.

Spicer and Danny.

Jackson and his (free!) ice cream sundae. Don't worry, we got a delicious (free!) dessert as well!

I like him lots.

Jack examining a Christmas treat.

Beaufort

2011-12-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today we drove out to the coast and visited Beaufort. We enjoyed a seafood lunch and then headed across the street to check out the Maritime Museum--Blackbeard's ship sunk off the coast of Beaufort! We also made sure to stop at the fudge shop and a few gift shops. What fun!

Ready for lunch!

This picture would make you think she didn't enjoy her shrimp, but she did.

Ti like his as well.

Jack told the waitress, "Thank you so much for giving me this, it is so good!" He only ate his fries, so he must have been referring to them.

Dad joined us a little late. He had a business call...while he was on vacation.

Goofin' off at the museum.

I had my pirate face on.

Pirates!

The whole crew! (Except for Dad, our photographer.)

Old house.

One of the two restaurants we tried to eat at that were closed for the season.


We found this great brick wall and decided to take a few "fashion blogger" pictures.

27 weeks! (I'll be 28 tomorrow!)

We're all excited for Baby Snow!!

A quick review.

2011-12-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday...
Spicer sang a solo at church! He's so brave (and talented)!

Probably his favorite seat in the house...

Ti and Jack remain as goofy as ever. But they're also cute, so I guess we can cut them some slack.

Ti's latest hobby is card tricks.

Jack playing with Spicer's scarf.

Hope takes the word perfectionist to a whole new level. She spent Sunday afternoon studying Biology. Not because she had a test or any assigned reading, but to stay ahead of the class for her own personal pleasure. Ummm, we may be total opposites when it comes to scholarly habits. Which is probably a good thing for her.

My father says she might be a machine.

Bronwyn is my favorite puppy in the whole wide world. She was so happy to see me when I came home, she was crying. Also, she peed herself (my family always has her meet me outside). She does this every time I come to visit, and then won't leave my side for at least an hour. I love her.

Preciousness.

We had the Carr Family Christmas Party at our house Sunday night. It was fun to see some of my aunts and uncles! Dan loved the good ol' Southern cooking, and he always appreciates the accents...and the colloquialisms! My uncles were helping themselves to some of my mother's queso dip, and one says to the other, "That's some good stuff right there." To which my other uncle replied, "This stuff'll put a few dimples on your ass." (Please read in a southern accent.) My sister and I still can't stop laughing from that one.

Uncle Norman, Aunt Kathy, Aunt Genie.

Josh (cousin), Aunt Nancy, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Sheila, Uncle Jimmy (he made the dimple comment).

Dan building a house of cards.

Just hangin' out.

Hope and I looking especially awk1ward.

Monday was our two year anniversary! Dan went golfing with my dad, while I helped my madre finish some Christmas shopping. Once we reunited, my parents took us out to eat at Japanese steakhouse. I'd never been to one before! How fun! Our chef was Mexican, but he was pretty funny...and p.s. the food was delicious and plentiful!

I think I'll keep him!

Tuesday...
Was a lot like Monday. Golfing for the boys, shopping for the women. Tonight we went to go see Spicer in his high school's Theatre Showcase. It was fun, they did scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest. ...Spicer dressed in drag as Lady Bracknell in one of the scenes, hy-ster-i-cal! We also got one last Christmas present from Grammie in the mail today!

A gigantic box of See's Candies! Yum!

Can't wait for the rest of the week! (Especially since my siblings will finally be out of school tomorrow!!)

Quote.

2011-12-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

I found this on NieNie Dialogues today. I loved it, and I think it's appropriate, seeing as how my Second Wedding Anniversary is on Monday.

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

Louis De Bernieres

Santa's favorite cookies!

2011-12-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

I remember once every year, my mother turned into a baking machine. Goodies were whipped up, flour was everywhere, children were put into cookie assembly lines, and hundreds of cookies started pouring out of our kitchen, and into the homes of friends, neighbors, and our own mouths. I remember ding-dong ditching friends and family, leaving only the cookies behind. I remember taking them to neighbors who insisted on pinching at least one Carr child's cheeks in gratitude. And I remember, every year, carefully setting a few cookies aside for Santa. He loved them so much, sometimes he'd even leave us a note full of thanks (as well as a living room full of presents)!

So here's another Carr family tradition to pass on to my kids: the Carr Family Christmas Cookies.

Peanut Blossoms.

Gingerbread Men.

Peppermint Candy Canes--these ones were my favorite growing up!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

2011-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hot cocoa and homemade biscotti. December Breakfast. =]

I love winter break. It's so great to have Danny all to myself! We finally found some time to put together his birthday present--a barbecue! This beauty had been sitting in its box for the last two months. I'm so glad we can finally use it, especially after having a Dan-burger (he says the secret ingredient is love). I ate that right up. Literally.

In other news, I made toffee for the first time ever!

It was fabulous!

This is the recipe of a family friend, and surprisingly, it was fairly simple. Just keep stirring, keep your eye on it, and don't lose hope. I managed to succeed on the first try!

English Toffee

2 cups white sugar
1/2 lb butter

1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup

1/2 lb Margarine

Combine all ingredients in large, heavy saucepan. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until syrup turns a medium brown or caramel color. Pour into cookie sheet and cool slightly. Cover with melted chocolate chips and sprinkle with favorite nuts. When completely cooled, break into pieces.

A few notes:

1. I halved the recipe, since there's just the two of us. I had enough to give away to friends and some left-over to enjoy.

2. I didn't use margarine, I just doubled the amount of butter I put in. I didn't have any margarine on hand, and I know you can interchange the two. Not sure how it affected the toffee, but I still enjoyed it.

3. It takes awhile for the syrup to change colors, but once it does, it goes quick, so make sure you're paying attention!

4. I used a 9x13 glass pan to let it cool, since I had halved the recipe. Turned out fine, although the toffee may have been just a little too thick.

5. I used pecans, but I feel like walnuts would also be good.

Enjoy!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

...Well, at least as much as it ever does in California. =]

We finally have a tree this year! Thanks for the sale, Big Lots!

I'm pretty much in love with my framed Santa postcards. Found those puppies for a bargain online.

Nativity we got for our wedding.

Nativity I earned in Achievement Days.

Olive Wood Nativity Dan's Grandma and Grandpa Snow got for us in Israel!

Our "Experiences" Advent. Each day has a new Christmas/winter related activity for us to do!

First ornament from our "Ornament Advent". This one has all our memories from this year on it.

This Christmas I've really been thinking about how I want Christmas to be for our kids. I loved Christmas so much growing up (what kid doesn't?). It wasn't just about the presents though. I cherished the time with my family, and all the time spent making memories. I love the traditions my family has, and I can't wait to share them with mine. I've also been thinking of traditions of our own that we can start. Dan has been teasing me a lot lately because I'm such a Pinterest addict, and I'm always trying new things I find on there...especially Christmas ideas. I can't help it! I just love Christmas traditions! I love them because they help us pull away from the often-times overly commercialized version of Christmas, and focus on the spirit of joy, gratitude, and goodwill that we are supposed to hold dear at this time of year. And all the year, really. Who doesn't want more of that?

Also, I'm really excited to see my family in a few weeks!

Happy December!

2011-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

December quite literally blew in this year. The night of November 31st, some really crazy winds started picking up about 11 or so. I woke up around 3 in the morning (because I had to go pee like a crazy pregnant lady, naturally) and our windows were rattling in a rather ominous manner, so I looked outside to see what was going on. It looked like the end of the world was happening right before my eyes. Trees were bent over completely sideways, the wind was howling around the house...I decided the best thing to do was just go back to sleep and hope for the best. When I woke up the next morning I thought maybe I had been magically transported back to Florida during hurricane season, because that is what our town looks like.

Here are some fun consequences of that storm: No traffic lights, huge trees blocking the roads, houses and cars smashed, no power, no work (for one day), and even more traffic than usual. I went on a walk this morning with my friend Melissa to take pictures of some of the damage. I wish I had been able to get out sooner and document this, because after two days to clean up, most of the big trees have been chopped up and hauled off. But we still managed to find a few good Kodak moments (and a few good garage sales!)

This palm tree was one of many that lost its head.

Topless

For scale purposes.

So sweet.

Baby Landon slept through most of our walk!

Another.

And another.

Some debris. We found some mysterious shingles in this pile, not sure where they came from.

More branches.

Also, due to popular demand, here are a few pictures of my ever-growing belly:

25 weeks.

There's a baby the size of an eggplant in there!

Looking a little haggard because it's bedtime.

Special thanks to my photog, Danny!

I've been feeling great this second trimester. Haven't been sick, full of energy, almost feel totally normal...except for the part where I eat everything in sight. Oh wait, that's normal too. What isn't normal is when I feel my little girl squirming around in my belly, but I still love it. It's getting really exciting thinking I'll be a momma in 15 weeks! ...And maybe a little nerve wracking.

.............

P.S. I just want to thank everyone for all the texts, e-mails, phone calls, hugs, messages, and comments I received regarding my last post. You guys are wonderful friends, and I appreciate your sympathy and compassion towards me so much. I'll always remember Ben, and I'll always love recounting our adventures, so don't be afraid to ask. I haven't been moping about, I doubt that's how he would want me to mourn for him. More importantly, I can't mourn for him like that, because I've had a constant reminder tapping on my shoulder the past week and a half that life goes on. The past week has been a roller coaster of emotion--one minute I'm smiling at the thought of that time we went to Walmart at 3 in the morning and played in the fat lady bras, the next I'm crying while driving home, because Nate Ruess just crooned a lyric through my stereo that was such quintessential Ben, I feel that hole in my heart start to ache again. But you know, that's just one hole. Maybe it will always be there, and maybe I'll always have moments where I cry for seemingly no reason. But all around that hole are a million other pieces of my heart that have been touched by so many others (including you, if you're reading this). It wouldn't be fair to let that hole take precedence over my family, my husband, my other kindred spirits, and my soon-to-be baby girl. Ben will always be an important part of me, and I will remember him forever. That hole will hurt, but I'm grateful for all the joy that the other little pieces of my heart bring me. So, thank you, dear friend.

In Memoriam.

2011-11-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Posting this feels a little surreal, because I still keep thinking it's a bad dream. Here goes.

My Thanksgiving was wonderful, but a little shadowed. Earlier that week, this world lost an amazing person. His name was Benjamin Wright. Our friendship was far from perfect; full of fights, tears, misunderstandings, shouts, heartache, complications, differences of opinions, and choices that may have, in a sense, become barriers between us. Regardless, I loved Ben. Our friendship was also full of hope, forgiveness, trust, honesty, laughs, joy, youth, late-nights, lots of food, shared angst, camaraderie, friendly banter, and so many more good and wonderful things.

(The Format was the soundtrack to our friendship. This was Ben's favorite song by them. One time, I was going to learn it on guitar for his birthday; it didn't work out, because I didn't learn it fast enough. But I can still play the first half. Once, we went and saw The Format, and Ben cried when they played this song. I took a video of his tears and teased him about it, but I really thought it was beautiful how much he connected with the music.)

Here we are at said Format concert.

I "met" Ben the summer of 2007. I've always been a little embarrassed about this, but we met on Facebook. Ben was a little nervous about moving across the country to go to school in a state where he knew absolutely no one, so he started cruising the BYU network, browsing profiles, searching for anyone that caught his attention. Despite the fact that Ben was infinitely "cooler" than me, my online persona was one that stuck out. (Although it may have just been my vibrant hair color...) He messaged me in a completely non-creepy manner, and against the well-intended advice of family and friends who believed he might possibly be a 43-year-old creeper, I replied. We continued talking online for the rest of the summer, discovering more and more we had in common. My first night at BYU, we went out to a movie. After that, we were pretty much inseparable--except for those times when we were mad at each other for usually silly things (but sometimes not so silly). We tended to get past those pretty quickly though.

This awkward picture of us was taken on my 18th birthday.

Ben left BYU after our freshman year. He wasn't really cut out for it (perhaps the understatement of the year). Although the move back to Missouri put a few thousand miles between our friendship, we stayed in touch. We helped each other through the ups-and-downs of adolescence on the phone and interwebs, just as we had when we only live a few hundred yards from each other. I'm grateful for the advice and lessons (and oh, so many laughs) our continued friendship provided. I'm grateful for the two times I was able to see Ben after his move back.

This is my favorite picture in the world of Ben.

After I got married, our friendship distanced a little further, but we still kept tabs on each other. One of the biggest regrets I've ever had is ignoring/forgetting a feeling I had that I should call him earlier this week. It never crossed my mind that I would never have another chance to hear Ben answer the phone with an overjoyed, "SQUEAKER!" It's truly a tragedy to lose someone with whom you have shared such an intimate friendship, especially so early in life. Ben was so full of life, so full of talent, so full of potential. It's heartbreaking to know that he isn't here anymore. This Thanksgiving, I spent a lot of time contemplating my gratitude for the hope I have that someday, I'll be able to hear Ben shout that silly nickname for me again. I'll be able to give him a hug and tell him I'm sorry for any pain I caused him, that I'm grateful for the growing up we did together. Benjamin, you are still in my prayers, whether you like that or not. You're one of the most inspirational people I've ever known, and I'll never, ever forget you.

This is a supremely horrid picture of me, but it's just too classic.

The last picture I ever took of Ben. From when he came to visit me in Florida.

Soaking up a little culture.

2011-11-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to go to the Getty Museum forever. Yesterday I was finally able to make that trip with my friend Mandy.

Here are a few reasons why the Getty is wonderful:
It's free. It costs $15 to park, but split that between everyone in the car, and this may be one of the cheapest outings ever.
There is something for everyone. The Getty is an art museum, housing art with a time span stretching from 800-present time. You like modern art that pushes boundaries and makes you rethink what makes art? You're golden. You want to soak up history and pore over Medieval illuminated manuscripts? You're golden. You love Impressionist paintings? You're golden. Renaissance masters? Golden. Interior decor from Neoclassical and Rococo designs? Golden. P.S. The Neoclassical and Rococo interiors were my favorite. Maybe I'm a nerd, but I'm a classy nerd, dang-it.

If you have kids, the Getty is incredibly family friendly. There are audio tours for your kids, a room dedicated to children activities, a children's store, and my personal favorite, a "sketching gallery" full of artwork of the masters and little kid-size easels so they can make their own souvenir.
Say you're not really that into art, but your significant other dragged you to this dang art museum. You could enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding valley, the Pacific Ocean, or maybe just a stroll around the garden.

It was clear earlier in the day and we could see all the way to the Pacific. Beautiful.

I realize this is starting to read something like an advertisement. No, the Getty is not sponsoring this blog (although that would be awesome). But maybe I'd like to go again sometime and maybe you can join me.

A little randomness: One of my favorite moments was browsing through some Medieval religious paintings and realizing I was staring at a depiction of a beheading. Blood gushing from an ancient Pope's neck, his head rolling on the ground, halo and all. I wish I'd thought to take a picture of it, but I was too busy laughing. How's that for worship artwork?

The clouds started rolling in later in the afternoon, but they made the mountains look gorgeous. Also, say hi to downtown LA.

I only have two complaints about the Getty. First off, my chicken burrito from the coffee cart was a little dry. Don't get that. Get something more delicious, or just pack a picnic.
When we were viewing the Medieval and Renaissance art, people were snapping pictures right and left (no flash, obviously). Then, in a modern art exhibit, I tried to take a picture of this really neat sculpture. P.S. This sculpture was constructed out of garbage. Garbage. It was cool, but let me be clear, the artist used materials found from a dump. I pulled out my camera to take a picture and share it with you....but the docent stopped me because apparently we couldn't take pictures of the dumpster art. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation as to why, but I mean come on. Does anyone else see the irony of this, or am I really that uncultured?

One last thing, Mandy and I didn't realize how HUGE the Getty is. It's multiple buildings and involves lots of stair climbing. We're both pregnant and had to take lots of snack/potty/rest breaks, and I'd assume if you went with kids it'd probably be the same. Just be prepared for it to take most of your day, and to be potentially exhausting if you want to see everything. Still worth it.

All in all, the Getty is a great experience, and I can't wait to go back. Maybe next time I'll remember to take more pictures. But only in the exhibits which I am allowed to do so.

P.S. I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating Veteran's Day AND 11-11-11 yesterday!

Gettin' my craft on.

2011-11-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well know that I am not a crafter. I've always struggled when it comes to scissors, glue, and especially sewing machines. So when I tell you that these two lovely wreaths I made are simple, I really, really mean it. Like, they couldn't be easier. And they're also way cheaper than if you were to buy something similar at the store, and I'm not even embarrassed to hang them up. AND I've even gotten compliments on them! I bet you're so excited to learn about them.

Wreath #1

My inspiration for this was found via Pinterest. However, the wreath it linked to wasn't a how-to, but one which I could purchase on Etsy for 40 buckaroos, if I so desired. I did not desire, because I figured I could probably make something pretty darn similar for much less moolah. This wreath is the easiest thing ever to make. I didn't take how-to pictures because I made this around 11 PM one night while Dan was out of town last week and I couldn't sleep. But here are some instructions if you're interested.

What you will need:

A wreath form. I used a straw one because it was cheaper than the styrofoam/wire ones, and it gives the wreath more of a harvest feel, which is autumn-appropriate. The straw wreath was $3 or $4 at Jo-Ann's.
Tulle. I bought about a yard each in different Fall colors. Each yard was $1.99. I used almost all of it to make this wreath. If you'd like a fuller wreath, I'd recommend getting more.
Seasonal embellishment. I saw the leaves and berries in the clearance pile at Michael's. 89 cents! Yay!
Ribbon. I got this awesome Fall-themed ribbon at Michael's, also on sale. It was a dollar.

Total cost: $13 and one hour of my time. Much better than $40.

How to:

Cut your tulle into strips, about six inches. I wasn't really stressed out about getting them perfect, so some are wider than others. I cut my strips lengthwise and then folded them in half, to make the wreath a little fuller. But really you can make your strips however you'd like. I won't judge you.
Tie the strips onto the wreath. I decide to do mine in a pattern, alternating the lighter and darker colors: brown, orange, purple, gold.
Add your embellishment. I just stuck the stem of the leaves through the tulle. Feel free to hot glue if that's a better option for you.
Tie on ribbon to hang.

My door can now keep up with the Joneses. I'm pretty sure everyone in our building has a cute wreath on their door for every month. I can't have a bare door!

P.S. One more thing I like about this wreath: you could make one for any time of the year, just change out colors of tulle. I have a friend at work that is thinking about making one for Christmas.

My next wreath was also super simple. I have a link to a how-to here.

I followed that how-to pretty closely, except I decided not to dye my coffee filters in tea, because I figured if I kept this wreath white, it could change seasons. I used the leftover tulle from my last wreath as a little embellishment. It's just stuffed in there with the coffee filters, no glue. That way I can pull them out and use something different for Christmas, winter, maybe even spring?? We'll see. I like this wreath because I made it baby size. It's so cute. I also like that it took me less than an hour to make, with no frustrations involved!

So there you have it, my progressing homemaking skills. I'm practically a prodigy.

Also, before I go, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my Grammie! Remember those shoes I was pining for in my last post? My grandmother sent me a check in the mail so I could get them! Isn't she a doll?? And aren't these shoes gorgeous??

Thanks Grammie-girl!

P.S. I'm getting more and more excited for this holiday season, we'll be traveling for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year! Fun times!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

2011-11-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Best of times: finding out your little baby is going to be a girl!

Worst of times: finding the perfect pair of shoes you have been lusting over for months at Marshall's, and they're still too expensive. Donations? Please?

Look at how perfect they are!! [via Atlantic-Pacific]

I'd still say the best outweighs the worst, and that's pretty dandy.
Getting oh so excited for the holidays!

Somebody had a birthday...

2011-10-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

And their name is Danny...

Dan and his birthday ice cream sandwich.

My hubby turned 25 on Saturday! One whole quarter of a century! We went up to visit his parents for the weekend, and a lot of eating was involved. Saturday night we went out to dinner at Woodranch Barbeque (I think that's what it was called...regardless it was delicious). The servings were huge, but we all thought we could handle dessert, fools that we were. Dan basically wasted his free ice cream sundae, because he was too stuffed to handle another bite. Don't worry, we took our cheesecake to go.

Dan and his momma

Not the greatest picture of me, but Dan was actually smiling for the camera in this one. =]

Sunday night, Carrie made one of Dan's favorite dinners--chicken enchiladas. Then we had two desserts (at Dan's request): home made ice cream sandwiches (a Snow family birthday tradition!) and raspberry brownies.

Let me tell you a fun story about those brownies. When Dan and I were dating, my lovely roommate Lacey made us some delicious brownies, very similar to BYU's brownie recipe. Half of the brownies had mint frosting, and the other half had cherry. Dan fell in love with these cherry brownies. They became the stuff of legend. My family has a mint brownie recipe that we make all the time, and every time we had it, Dan would say, "These are awesome, but I bet they would be even better with cherry frosting like Lacey's brownies. Those were incredible." He's been asking me to make him cherry brownies every year for his birthday since I've known him (that'd be the past three years.) I finally decided that this year was the year. I thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Instead of mint extract in the frosting, I'd just add cherry extract. Simple enough. Except for the part where they don't seem to sell cherry extract in Southern California at any grocery store. At all. They sell every other flavor imaginable. I could have made Dan rum brownies. But alas, no cherry. We were starting to worry that maybe cherry extract didn't exist, and somehow Lacey had cherry super powers to make her frosting...but after texting she told us that cherry extract was indeed the secret to the frosting, and that it was really weird that we couldn't find it at the grocery store. No worries, we used raspberry extract and those brownies were just as delicious. But we've learned our lesson that apparently cherry extract is one of those items to stock up on while in Utah...like Grandma Sycamore's bread.

Another Danny favorite.

Happy Birthday to my handsome, intelligent, comedic, sports-obsessed, one-in-a-million husband. I love you!

(P.S. I know a few of you have been asking for pictures of my baby bump. I'll post some as soon as I get one. It's kind of rough to justify taking a picture of my belly when the first thing anyone says to me when they see me is, "Wow, you don't even LOOK pregnant." I know it's weird, but somehow a fetus the size of an onion really is in there. However, I think I hit a turning point yesterday, because a few people said I'm finally starting to show. So pictures should probably be coming within this next week, if I had to guess.)

An Award!

2011-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

My cousin Autumn (of Stay Gold, Autumn) awarded me with the "tell me about yourself award."

Pretty straight foward:

1. Say 7 facts about yourself. 2. Pass it on.

1. I am 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I get more and more nervous about being a mom everyday. But also excited.
2. I'm a writer, but out of practice.
3. I just moved into a new apartment. I have so many ideas for it, but afraid that I don't have the skills, time, or energy to complete what I envision.
4. I have two canker sores in my mouth right now and they are KILLING me.
5. I just chopped off all my hair. It's all because my husband won't shave his beard.
6. I hope we raise our family in the South. I just love it there.
7. This one time in high school, I tripped in the parking lot and fell on the hood of a car. I set the alarm off, and then that alarm set off the alarm of the car parked next to it. I ran away. Except my whole gym class saw.

I give this award to:
Shalee
Lisa
Lyse
Becky

A list.

2011-10-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was made of:

rain
crisp air
hot chocolate
sweater dress and tights
unpacking
planning, planning, planning
leftover potato soup
straight hair that gets messed up because of the rain
new fancy desk at work and so much drama/chaos
organization
daydreams
friends
contentment

Hello October, I think I love you.

Classic

2011-10-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is my littlest brother, Jack.

He's making a weird face because he's nervous for his first day of preschool.

Jack is probably the funniest little kid ever. As you read that statement, you're probably thinking, yes Lauren, but you're clearly biased since you're related to him. Don't worry, I have a story that will help to prove my point.

Almost everytime I talk to my mom, she has a Jack story. My personal favorite is this gem she told me last week.

Jack loves to have his hair gelled "up" (as seen in the above photo). However, my mom normally keeps the hair gel out of his reach to prevent any unnecessary messes. So imagine her surprise when one evening Jack came down the stairs, his hair goopy with sticky gel.
Mother: "Jack, what is in your hair??"
J: "Gel! I did it myself!"
M:"Ti (my other brother) did you leave the gel out???"
Ti: "No, I haven't even used it today."
M: "Jack, where did you get that gel from?"
J: "The toilet!!"

Yes, ladies and gentleman, Jack had determined that the little dispenser inside the toilet bowl was filled not with cleaning fluid, but hair gel. So naturally he reached right in and scooped himself out a bit.

It's the stories like these that make me so excited for Baby Snow.

The joys of being pregnant.

2011-09-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the facebook announcement on my birthday: I'm pregnant! 13 weeks and five days.

Thanks to genetics, I've been a very sickly pregnant woman. Fortunately, I've been getting better, but I still have my moments. Like this morning, driving to work.

[fyi, this might become one of those stories where you say, Lauren, this is just tmi, and I can't handle it. If morning sickness grosses you out, stop reading now.]

One of my fears since I started getting sick is that I would start to get sick on the freeway while driving to work and have no where to pull over and die in a car accident due to the large amounts of projectile vomit spewing forth from my mouth. Death by throw-up. Not the way I want to go.

The funny thing is, I wasn't that worried about it today. Sure, I felt a little queasy, but that's normal until about lunch time. I was jamming out to Regina Spektor, minding my own business, when all of a sudden this huge belch finds its way out of my digestive system. It tasted like cheerios. And right then and there, I knew I was going to be barfing in a matter of moments. I was still two exits away from my office. No problem, I thought, I'll just hold it down. It'll be fine. I can get through this. Except those gross, pregnant, cheerio-infused burps kept finding their way to the surface. And then my gag reflex started kicking in. Once that happened, I knew I was a goner, and suddenly, my breakfast was in my mouth. Just sitting there. Because I wasn't about to let half-digested cheerios get all over my clothes. Before I got off the freeway, one more dose of breakfast had joined the party in my mouth.

Mercifully, the light was red when I got off the freeway. Only then I realized I'd forgotten to bring a trusty barf-bag with me to finish the deed. BUT then I remembered the two Vons bags full of snacks for work in the back seat. I reached back, dumped out the popcorn, goldfish, and lean cuisines I'd stocked up on, and pulled that heavenly piece of plastic towards me. I think you can guess the rest of this part of the story. Then, I picked up my plastic bag of unmentionables, to move it and its horrific smell to the passenger side and away from me...only to discover that, SURPRISE, there was a hole in the bottom of the bag. So all that nice slobber that had been accumulating in my mouth with the cheerios had leaked onto my lap. So yeah, I threw-up, but I looked like I had wet my pants.

How was your morning?

America's Pastime!

2011-09-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know, my husband is a huge sports fan. Fan as in fanatical. More like a sports maniac, really. It's all part of his charm. If you know me, I don't get too worked up about sports. I like them alright. I can't play them, they aren't my favorite thing to watch on TV, but they're ok. I'm sure I'll sign up our children to play them, but I don't really have any teams in particular that I cheer for--with the exceptions of BYU...and the San Diego Padres.

I lived in San Diego for six years, and for some reason one of the lasting impressions it left on me was a love for their baseball team. Dan, on the other hand is a die-hard Dodgers fan. So guess which Dodgers game we went to this year?

Surprise! A picture of me!

It was pretty fun, even though there was a really drunk guy a few rows in front of us that kept heckling the Padres outfielders. He was obnoxious. I did enjoy my Dodger dog though! (On a side note that may result in some of my in-laws disowning me...I didn't really like the garlic fries. They were too much. Should have gone with the nachos...)

Our friend Tyler came with us (he's a big Dodgers fan too), and he and Dan both enjoyed the triumph over the Padres. I say just wait. My Padres will have their revenge!

This picture is included to show how close to the field we were.

Remembering

2011-09-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

My little brother (16) wrote this poem today about the September 11 attacks.

They Thought

They thought that fear would end our lives,
They thought they could take us with planes and knives

They thought that explosions would end liberty,
So they destroyed our buildings so deliberately.

They thought terror over freedom would prevail,
They thought it would, but to no avail.

For America is good, America is strong,
And we will fight for right, and sing our song:

"O'er the land of the Free, and the home of the Brave."

Pistachio Nut

2011-09-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry we couldn't have breakfast before I left.
I hope that the meeting went well.
I miss your smile, and I miss your company.
I'm thinking of you on the train and I'm thinking about you when I'm busy.
I like you so much,
I like the jumpers you wear
I like your teeth
And I like when you cut your hair.
Getting drunk on Rose A,
Dark chocolate, roast dinners,
Number one would be indulgence,
Sending postcards, drawing pictures,
Always remembering.
Falling over, banging heads,
Holes in both our tights,
Bruises, both late,
I forget, but you always remember.
Perfume fresh,
Wooden floorboards,
Wardrobes, charity shops, and tube stops
Sisters, fights, tears and thoughts about the future.
But lets stick to the present
Like cello-tape wrapped up so tight.
I love thinking about you.
I've never laughed so hard,
Felt so good, like a child,
As free as a bird, a naked one.
Spray me with the hose when it's too hot in the summer
Sweaty, clammy hands.
Holding hands
So much crap in my bag.
Too many things, but we love keeping things:
Letters, pictures ripped out from magazines,
Photos, memories, broken bits of jewelry.
I'm convinced one day I will make this into something cool.
Makeup, dress-up
Tear and run down my face
Over my body, through my veins
Make my hair stand on ends
Give me goosebumps, confidence.
A secret, I feel safe and warm and I don't want to leave because
I'm back to when I was seven years old
Covered in glitter and smooth lines.
Scratch, jump, run, fall and we're back up.
Bread, I love eating bread.
I love when you draw something and it's not dead;
It moves off the page and round people's minds.
You make other people laugh,
But everything you do could make me cry.
I want to feel, be, live, breathe, touch, see, fall, eat
Make glue, rip, do, I want to be with you.
I haven't time for anybody else--
I want to move to our house in a field,
Just tell me when and I'll be there.
I'd drop everything for you;
You are my best friend.
I don't even have a boyfriend,
My mind is occupied,
My buzz is rocket high,
Above the moon and back again.
Who I love is you.
You are the most unpretentious,
The most fun, most exciting,
I want to spend most of my time with you
Because you are the most worthwhile,
You are the most clever, cute, and stupid,
Hungry, energetic, passionate, scared, interesting,
Like a film, made up person.
I want to drink cream, eat chocolate,
Get that nice surprise when the butter is unsalted,
Eat salt out of the packet,
Scream till I am blue in the face,
Meet French people, go to the pictures,
Show you my cobbled streets,
Meet everybody that you could ever meet,
Just so that they know that I am your best friend,
And that you belong to me.
Yes, I know you think she's cute and funny
But, actually she is not an I, she is a we.
A united nation of absolute nonsense,
A community, neighborhood watch
A fire station, a theme park, space, time and energy
Talent, beauty, my best friend.
They don't love you like I love you.
The End.
--Kate Nash.

This has been in my head the past few days. I went through something of a Kate Nash obsession my sophomore year of college. She was on repeat constantly in our apartment. One of the three songs I know on guitar is hers. I even cut my hair like her. Her songs (and style) are awesome, but this poem is extra wonderful to me. I hope everyone has a friend that immediately comes to mind when they read this. I'm lucky enough to have a few. Here's to kindred spirits.

P.S. I turn 22 in four days!

Come on, Irene.

2011-08-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

(I know the 80's one hit wonder is actually Come on Eileen, but work with me here.)

When you marry someone from the opposite side of the country, you're bound to experience some cultural differences. This morning the debate was: Which is worse--earthquakes or hurricanes? I say earthquakes, because you have no warning, and I'm so terrified that an overpass is going to collapse during an earthquake while I'm driving over/under it. (I saw that once in a video we watched in the 6th grade.) Earthquakes scare the bejeezus out of me. Dan on the other hand, can't understand why anyone would live where a such a monumental storm could happen. He also pointed out that hurricanes hit the east coast more often than a huge, destructive earthquake strikes California (knock on wood).

I say I should win this argument, because I've lived in both places and obviously can compare the two. I also say Dan's last point is moot, because I lived in California for six years, and felt two earthquakes. I lived in various states back east for a combined total of ten years, and have never been in a hurricane. Tornadoes? Tropical storms? Very large and scary thunderstorms? Yes, yes, and yes. But I'd rather have a warning and a chance to evacuate/seek shelter than fall to my doom off a crumbling overpass.

Praying for my family and friends on the east coast. Stay safe, and hopefully Irene won't do too much damage!

Scrumptious? Maybe.

2011-08-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

There are certain foods that I eat--that I love, even though I know in my heart of hearts they are disgusting. Health-wise and probably taste-wise to most people. This thought came to me today as I was munching on my Cup O' Noodles (chicken flavor, naturally). It's not like I eat them every day (I probably would have died from a heart attack by now if I did), but every time I do I'm always blown away by how delectable I find it. I feel slightly guilty at enjoying my little cup, but I remember in middle school my friends and I loved sharing our cups full of noodles at lunch time, and it brings back memories. And maybe that's why I still think they're delicious, even though maybe they're really not.

My other favorite guilty pleasure is Jack 'N the Box tacos. They look slimy and greasy, and truth be told, they are. But stick a pair of those puppies with some curly fries and an Oreo shake and I will gobble them up in no time. I remember I once confessed this love to a boy I knew in college, and he replied, "Why would you eat that? It's stoner food." Perhaps, but my family got Jack 'N the Box at least once a month growing up, and we say don't knock it until you've tried it. Don't judge this taco by its greasy shell, it holds a heaven within. If you still can't stomach it, just get the shake. You can't go wrong with the shake. Plus Jack 'N the Box has the funniest commercials. This is one of Dan's favorites:

Anybody else out there suffer from some horribly embarrassing guilty food pleasures?
P.S. As I was finishing this, my boss walked by and told me I should stay away from those Cups O' Noodles, they're full of nitrates and other bad stuff...but they're still good. Amen.

Hurray for Summer!

2011-08-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my in-laws were kind enough to let us have a party at their home. It was so much fun to spend time with our other first-year dental student friends! Here are a few pictures of all the fun we had. Thanks for driving through all that traffic just to hang out with us guys! (And thanks to Dave and Carrie for being such gracious hosts and for the delicious tri-tip!!)

Melissa's Baby Shower

2011-08-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Sorry it's been practically an eternity since I've posted. I'm blaming it on the fact that I still don't have my own computer, but my mom will probably tell you it's because I'm lazy. Quiet, Mom. But I'm back, and I've got lots to blog! I know you're so excited. First up is a baby shower extraordinaire!

Melissa and her mom.

Aren't all my pregnant friends the cutest? I think so.

In honor of the final installment of the Harry Potter films:

2011-07-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

I give you: Harry Snape (aka, the most epic AIM conversation ever between Catherine Jones and myself, circa summer 2008).

P.S. We call each other Sharon sometimes. Long story, but basically it's a term of endearment between friends. My fellow Sharons understand.

Catherine signed off at 9:43:33 PM.

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Catherine signed on at 9:43:44 PM.

Catherine (9:43:58 PM): oh dear waht did u just say? i missed it

Lauren (9:44:11 PM): i said: sharon, i quite don't know!

Catherine (9:44:16 PM): oh dear!

Lauren(9:44:26 PM): and then i was going to say you are being quite mysterious this evening

Catherine (9:45:35 PM): oh sharon you would think that

Catherine (9:45:42 PM): only you know about those mysterious thing

Catherine (9:45:43 PM): s

Lauren (9:46:06 PM): sharon who are you and why are you speaking in riddles??

Catherine (9:46:26 PM): because im tom riddle

Lauren (9:46:42 PM): OH NO YOU ARE VOLDEMORT AS A BOY???

Lauren (9:46:45 PM): HOW CREEPY

Catherine (9:47:18 PM): WELL YOURE GINNY WEASLEY BC YOU HAVE RED HAIR!

Catherine (9:47:28 PM): AND YOURE THE STUPID ONE WHO WRITES YOUR SOUL TO ME ON AIM

Catherine (9:47:30 PM): AKA THE DIARY!

Lauren (9:47:39 PM): OH NO SHARON YOU'RE MAKING CONNECTIONS EVERYWHERE!!!

Lauren (9:47:44 PM): I EVEN HAVE THE RED HAIR!!!

Catherine (9:48:01 PM): EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING!

Catherine (9:48:11 PM): I LOVE RED HEADS! BECAUSE I AM LORD VOLDEMORT!

Lauren (9:48:31 PM): OH NO!!!

Lauren (9:49:05 PM): oh maybe you're snape because he loved harry's mother and i think she might have had red hair but i can't remember

Catherine (9:49:47 PM): umm excuse me who is the non true HP fan??

Catherine (9:49:48 PM): of course she did!

Lauren (9:50:19 PM): OH I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!!!

Lauren (9:50:40 PM): BUT I GUESS YOU CAN'T BE SNAPE BECAUSE WHO WOULD BEAR THEIR SOUL TO SNAPE?????

Catherine (9:51:02 PM): YOU OBVIOUSLY!

Catherine (9:51:09 PM): who would bear their soul to voldemort?????

Catherine (9:51:14 PM): i would prefer snape personally

Lauren (9:51:43 PM): well i would suppose if you were lily you WOULD.

Lauren (9:51:47 PM): how awkward is that

Catherine (9:51:54 PM): ummm very

Catherine (9:51:59 PM): i was freaking out in the book

Catherine (9:52:02 PM): oh shaon

Lauren (9:52:03 PM): imagine if snape had stayed good and they had gotten MARRIED

Catherine (9:52:12 PM): SICK!!!!!!

Catherine (9:52:40 PM): his name would be harry snape instead of harry potter!

Catherine (9:52:50 PM): harry snape and the goblet of fire does NOT sound good

Lauren (9:52:53 PM): EW THAT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND GOOD

Lauren (9:53:02 PM): HAIRY SNAPE SOUNDS LIKE A SEXUAL INNUENDO!!!

Catherine (9:53:33 PM): SICK!!!!!!!

Catherine (9:53:34 PM): in your endo

Catherine (9:53:36 PM): hahaha sick

Lauren (9:53:39 PM): HAHAHAHAHAAHA

Lauren (9:53:48 PM): HOW ABSOLUTELY REPULSIVE SHARON!!!

Catherine (9:53:59 PM): QUIET INDEED!!!

Lauren (9:54:45 PM): OH DEAR HOWEVER DID WE GET ON THIS CONVERSATION TOPIC! I AM GOING TO HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT HARRY SNAPE!!!

Catherine (9:54:58 PM): BC YOU LOVE HARRY SNAPE!

Catherine (9:55:03 PM): YOURE GINNY, AFTERALL!

Catherine (9:55:06 PM): YOU MARRY HIM!!!

Lauren (9:55:21 PM): I WOULD NOT MARRY A HARRY SNAPE

Lauren (9:55:29 PM): HE WOULD BE GREASY WITH A HOOKED NOSE AND GREEN EYES

Lauren (9:55:39 PM): HE WOULD LOOK LIKE A FREAKAZOID!!!

Catherine (9:55:48 PM): BUT SHARON!!!!

Catherine (9:55:52 PM): HES YOUR DESTINY!

Lauren (9:56:26 PM): HOW DISGUSTING HE QUITE ISN'T!! BECAUSE HE DOESN'T EXIST BECAUSE THANKFULLY, THINGS WORKED OUT FOR THE BETTER AND LILY WAS SHALLOW AND MARRIED THE GOOD LOOKING QUIDDITCH PLAYER

Lauren (9:56:38 PM): AND SNAPE DECIDED TO GO ALL HARDCORE AND BE A DEATH EATER

Lauren (9:56:47 PM): SO WE WERE BLESSED WITH HARRY POTTER

Catherine (9:56:54 PM): OH THE USUAL WITH THOSE SORTS...GOING HARDCORE

Lauren (9:57:11 PM): OF COURSE, HE WAS HEARTBROKEN LILY COULDN'T LOVE HIM FOR WHO HE WAS

Lauren (9:57:17 PM): SO FIRST HE WENT WHINY AND EMO

Lauren (9:57:25 PM): AND THE NEXT NATURAL STEP WAS TO GO HARDCORE

Lauren (9:57:57 PM): p.s. i just updated my facebook status and you will quite enjoy it i think

Catherine (9:58:34 PM): oh dear im quite excited!

Catherine (9:58:36 PM): i will brb

Lauren (9:58:42 PM): okie doke

Catherine signed off at 10:07:05 PM.

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Catherine signed on at 10:28:56 PM.

Catherine (10:29:01 PM): oh hello sharon

Catherine (10:29:05 PM): quite sorry

Catherine (10:29:10 PM): that was a long brb

Lauren (10:29:15 PM): lol it quite was

Lauren (10:29:22 PM): whatever happened to you??

Lauren (10:29:30 PM): were you off creating horcruxes??

Catherine (10:29:33 PM): oh you know, parents take over the computer quite often

Catherine (10:29:36 PM): oh well that too

Catherine (10:30:00 PM): you know...the usual ripping my soul apart

Lauren (10:30:16 PM): well of course

Lauren (10:30:24 PM): since you're voldemort, you must do it quite often

Catherine (10:30:32 PM): indeed

Catherine (10:30:36 PM): seven times actually

Lauren (10:30:52 PM): well it makes you quite magically potent

Lauren (10:31:00 PM): and by potent i don't mean powerful but stinky

Catherine (10:32:01 PM): oh dear sharon

Catherine (10:32:06 PM): you are quite rude

Lauren (10:32:11 PM): hahahaaha

Catherine (10:32:15 PM): you cant just be rude to voldemort

Lauren (10:32:22 PM): i do believe i just was

Catherine (10:32:22 PM): i will hunt you down and avada kevdra you

Lauren (10:32:27 PM): hahahaha

Catherine (10:32:30 PM): well then prepare to die tonight

Lauren (10:32:46 PM): that will not be happening

Catherine (10:32:53 PM): too late

Lauren (10:32:53 PM): i have already destroyed your horcruxes

Catherine (10:32:59 PM): i already sent my death eaters over

Catherine (10:33:15 PM): excuse me, harry snape, who do you think you are??

Lauren (10:33:20 PM): i've killed them already sharon

Lauren (10:33:28 PM): AND I AM NOT HARRY SNAPE I AM GINNY WEASLEY!!!

Lauren (10:34:41 PM): get it right sharon

Lauren (10:36:18 PM): sharon, i quite have to go. give my regards to voldemort, severus and little harry snape.

Catherine (10:36:29 PM): oh dear this is most unfortunate

Catherine (10:36:34 PM): well i will see you DIE tonight

Catherine (10:36:36 PM): so goodbye

Maybe we're the only two people who think this is funny, but I nearly pee my pants every time I find it.

Babooshka and Barlow.

2011-06-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

These are two of my favorite people. Firebreathing Pellywenches for life.

Lisa!

P.S. Thanks to Autumn for the pictures!!

Rashelle's wedding.

2011-06-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

Rashelle was one of my best friends in high school. We were partners in crime at essentially all church activities. We had at least one sleepover every weekend, and Sunday afternoons were always reserved for chocolate chip cookie making and Willow. I was so glad I had the opportunity to attend her wedding this weekend. My mom and her friends from Florida also flew in to be there. There's no one like Rashelle and there simply aren't words to describe her. She's out of control, hilarious, constant fun, and wonderful friend, and obviously a beauty. I'm so incredibly happy for her and for all the memories we have. Congratulations Rashelley!!

Gordon kept making zoolander faces for the camera.

Kelly and her new fiance! He's great, I approve!

Chase and his sister, Rashelle and her brother.

They're just precious.

Chase and his other sister.

Chase and his momma.

Rhonda and Trevor.

Throwing the bouquet!

Going for the garter!

There was a bit of a tussle for the garter.

Simplify

2011-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Some days do you ever wish you could just get rid of all your ephemeral stuff, and downsize into a cute little cottage? Maybe one of these, a la Tiny Texas Houses?

Aren't they precious? And even better, they're made almost completely from salvaged materials--even the windows. Awesome.

P.S. If I had little girls, we would have a secret hide out like this (Design Mom) where we would read and play and have tea parties.)

Girls Only.

2011-06-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is my life. Start at about 7:20 and watch until 8:30. (Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy.)

Yesterday, I had the worst cramps of my life. I probably say this to Dan basically every time I'm on my period, because I'm prone to hyperbole. But I mean these were so bad I almost threw up at work, and could barely concentrate on tasks placed before me.

So I did what any girl in my position would do. On the way home, I stopped at the supermarket. In the checkout line, I had two packages of feminine hygiene products...and a half gallon of brownie moose tracks ice cream.

Subtlety has never been one of my specialties.

P.S. TMI? Sorry. Welcome to being my friend. I'm just so open.

Perfection.

2011-06-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

On rare occasions, you might find yourself thinking, "Today was pretty near perfect." That was my Memorial Day. It started with breakfast burritos prepared by my father-in-law. Then a ten mile bike ride through a canyon with my sweetie. Follow that up with an afternoon at the beach and a barbecue with the in-laws, and I'd say it was a day well spent.

Horsies!

Start of the trail.

Reppin' good ol' USC.

Oh hey guys. Just about to go down this giant hill with my squeaky brakes.

One of the five billion streams we crossed. Ok, maybe it was more like 7. But still.

Addie performing her "Monkey Dance."

In other news, Mason shared in my bad luck streak this weekend--he chipped his tooth while playing laser tag at a birthday party! Ouch. It's ok though, he got a free round of laser tag, and that was enough to make him happy. Haha.

Talk about a snaggle tooth.

P.S. I found my ring!
P.P.S. I also made an AMAZING Chocolate and peanut butter ice cream cake. My camera died, so I don't have any pictures, but you can go check out the recipe here. Her cake looks prettier than mine did anyway.
P.P.P.S. Special thanks to my hubby for letting me borrow his computer to post this!
P.P.P.P.S. On a more serious note.We're so blessed to live in a country with so many men and women who have put their lives on the line to protect and defend our lives and dreams. We wouldn't have too many days like this if it weren't for them.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Just being obnoxious.

Life is funny.

2011-05-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend has definitely had its ups and downs.
I cut my bangs yesterday morning. Not my best job, but not my worst either. And they'll grow back in like two weeks, and then they'll be perfect. Optimism, it's a specialty of mine.
Also, I lost my wedding ring. I'll be honest, I've misplaced my ring a few times. But I always find it in thirty minutes at least. This time, I have no idea where it is, even after frantic searching. I'm afraid it may have gotten flushed down the toilet. (TMI? Sorry.) Hopefully it's somewhere around my in laws house.
This morning, I woke up and got on my computer. Or tried to. While I was checking my e-mail, it froze up, which is par for the course with my laptop, so I didn't think too much of it. Then a little box popped up that said something like "Critical Error, Hard drive failure," or something like that. Long story short, I frantically tried to save what I could before my computer completely crashed (which it did, within the hour). I don't know how much I lost, since a lot of my files are backed up at home, but I don't know how long ago it was since I last backed them up. I may have started to cry at the thought of losing some of my pictures, but I sucked it up like a big girl because we had church.

Obviously all these happenings are not ideal (read: kind of horrible/nightmarish/biblical-rending-my-clothes-upsetting), but honestly I haven't been too emotional or worried or distraught. I have a long weekend, I'm spending it with family, I get to go to the beach tomorrow, I had a wonderful day at church today, I'm married to the love of my life, I'm healthy, and my life is full of so many blessings. Life is full of bumps in the road like computers crashing and such, but sitting there and fretting about it and letting it tarnish everything else can't be good. So I'm just gonna keep on trucking and enjoy my day tomorrow.

Happy Memorial Day!

P.S. Here's a California King Snake we found in the yard today. It was over four feet long!

Jane Austen

2011-05-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

She's more than just chic lit. And that's what this book teaches you. Written by a male English professor, he shows how Austen's books can pack a powerful punch when it comes to life lessons, and how to be a decent, sucessful human being.

This book is a fun, quick, and eye-opening read, providing not only insights into Austen's often belittled genius, but also in the importance of our daily interactions with others. Extremely well-written and a delightful read, I gave it to both my moms for mother's day. And I'd recommend it to you too.

22 things before I turn 22

2011-05-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

(I stole this idea from Lyse, because let's face it, she's full of good ones.)
1. Learn to sew. Learn to love it.
2. Hike that trail through the hills by my in-laws all the way to the beach.
3. Try 3 new recipes each week. There are stacks and stacks from which to choose.
4. Exercise every day, except Sunday.
5. Visit the "English Village Shoppe and Tea Garden" that I drive by every day on my way to work.
6. Finish a completed draft of my book.
7. Learn five new songs on the piano.
8. Learn to say no. ...to chocolate.
9. Spontaneous date night.
10. Dress up for the midnight premier of Harry Potter. Cry when it's all over.
11. Visit the temple once every month.
12. Go visit those cool antique shops in San Juan Capistrano.
13. redecorate my home into something I love.
14. Go to the Getty!!
15. Learn to spend less than $50 bucks on groceries every week. You don't need all you think you do.
16. Visit San Francisco. (I don't know if that can happen, but I can try!)
17. Go camping. And really rough it--no phone or internet.
18. Make a new friend.
19. Live it up at Rashelle's wedding. Take so many pictures.
20. Visit the pet shop by my office.
21. Have friends over to dinner once a month.
22. Meet my friends from San Diego and reminisce.
23. Get pregnant.

[That last one was a joke. I'm turning 22, not 23!]

"If I lived on a farm, all my problems would be solved"

2011-05-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

--Myself, freshman year of college.

This was something I exclaimed to my roommate after a hard, complicated day at school. I was frustrated. Frustrated with my life, with myself, with some of my friends, with my lack of discipline, with the world, with government, with the food industry, with the economy, with my own impatience—with just about everything.

Don’t misinterpret this statement. It wasn’t a longing to shovel manure for the rest of my life. Rather, it was a hope that maybe farm life would simplify some of these problems and great predicaments that had me feeling so trapped. This thought has kept returning to me over the past weeks, and I realized that I kind of still feel this need to simplify, but more importantly, I have this increasing desire for self-reliance. Perhaps I’m being melodramatic, but sometimes I feel like we’ve begun to lose that ability.

I have a comprehensive and ever-growing list of what problems I could solve if I just lived on a farm, but I’ll spare you. Just know that it includes things like better health, decreased dependence on technology, greater connection to God, law of the harvest, and world peace. Just kidding about the last one, but you never know.

Obviously, this is completely idealistic of me. There isn’t one solution to all my problems, or all the world’s problems. We’re given trials here on earth because without them we wouldn’t grow and we wouldn’t become any better than we are right now. We’d be forever stagnant, with no potential to reach. I’m incredibly grateful for the ability that we have to all be works in progress.

At the same time, why not reach for the gold and work to solve the many daunting problems that face us? Just accepting the problems and issues in this world or in our daily lives as the way things are doesn’t allow for progression or growth either. So what do you guys think? What do you see as problems in the world today, and how do you plan on combating them? Please tell me I’m not alone in my nerdy fantasies.

Always listen to Elaine

2011-05-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Remember that post I made a year ago about reading the English Patient and then discovering the Seinfeld connection?
Well, I really enjoyed the book, and I figured I'd like the movie. Who cares if Elaine said it sucked, I'm cultured, gosh darn it!

Yeah, don't watch the movie. It's rated R for good reason. I turned it off. They took a book with multiple story lines and plots, about war and suffering and overcoming PTSD, and focused solely on one plot line and managed to turn it into a-rip-our-clothes off fest. Maybe it gets better after torrid affair, but I'll never know.

I'm sorry Elaine, I should have trusted you.

Pick up lines and Bugs

2011-05-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Normally little creepy crawlies would give most women the heebie jeebies. But that doesn't scare the men folk away from using them in sexual innuendos (or sexual in the windows, as my roommates and I used to say). Today when I was driving home from work, Brad Paisley's song, "Ticks," came on the radio. If you haven't heard it before, I've placed it below for your listening pleasure (complete with lyrics!)

This song always gives me a laugh, because let's be honest, this is the best pick-up line in the world. It gets me every time.

What's really funny is everytime I hear this song I think of John Donne. John was a ladies man back in the 17th century, and wrote some pretty racy love poems. But also some pretty funny ones. One of my favorites that we studied in class was called, "The Flea."

THE FLEA.
by John Donne

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is ;
It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.
Thou know'st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two ;
And this, alas ! is more than we would do.

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, yea, more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.
Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,
And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that self-murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?
Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thou
Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.
'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;
Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,
Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

A little explanation might be in order. Here's the story: John is flirting with his lady, when all of a sudden she finds a flea on herself (pretty common back then I guess, since he's not weirded out). She's about to smash it, but he exclaims out not to. That kind of catches her interest, because why wouldn't you kill a nasty little bloodsucking flea? John then goes on to say that since this flea has sucked from both of them, their blood has mixed and it's similar to a physical union between the two of them, and it's just not fair that flea gets to have all the fun. Poor John, it just breaks his heart their union took place in the flea, and not in reality. She must have thought that was pretty funny, because he continues to elaborate on the metaphor, calling the flea the emblem of their union, their marriage bed, etc., and that smashing it would be a sin times three, because she's killing the two of them as well. Finally she gets sick of the nonsense and smashes it, albeit in a saucy and flirtatious manner. John pretends to be all torn up about it, and then says, "Whatevs, baby girl, I know you want me."

So there you go. Bugs. Men have been using them in pick up lines for centuries, and they're just not stopping.

Kind of Obsessed

2011-05-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Anglia Dolls Houses

The detailing is just absolutely incredible.

I want a life size one!

I would so get one for my future daughter, except they're probably a bajillion dollars. Sigh.

Diamond Jubilee Historical Vignette

2011-05-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to perform at our stake Relief Society Activity. Shout out to Melissa for inviting me to be in it/being the best musical director ever.
This was a really neat experience that allowed me to learn more about the history of the Pasadena Stake. It seems like Pasadenans...Pasadenians? Pasadena-ers? Pasadena-ites??? Are really proud of the heritage of this stake. I guess you can be when Howard W. Hunter is among the stake president alum. (Oh yeah, Mormon name dropping. We just entered a whole new dimension of nerd.)
It was also really nice to get to know some of the other sisters in the stake and my ward a little better. Plus it meant Melissa and I got to hang out a lot, and who doesn't like spending time with Melissa??

Here are some pictures thtat Jenny O'Neil took of us rehearsing and performing.

Our buddy, Shakespeare.

P.S. This song we're singing is from the first musical I was ever in.

We could be on Broadway!!

Plastic Grapes...you just had to be there. (And by there I mean the 70's)

Shakin' my tail feather.

This was just too good not to share.

We crave sustenance!

2011-05-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

(One of my favorite 90's movies, for the record.)

Here's a little peek into my kitchen lately. Success stories only.

Roasted red bell pepper pesto

This really doesn't do it justice, but it's a homemade tortilla for Cafe Rio Salads!

Italian Bracciole (sp?)

The makings of mint brownies. I've never had them do this before, and I don't know what happened. They still turned out ok, so I'm not complaining. Pretty cool though, huh?