Team AVC

Family Photos

2012-01-29T17:47:00.002-06:00

A few new photos for your enjoyment!

A little catch-up

2011-12-12T09:58:00.014-06:00

Well, so this has not been my year for posting. And now that it's December, it feels a little late to catch up. So I'll just post a few highlights...and leave you to wonder what we were really doing all year. (Mwa-ha-haaa!)

As you might know...I turned 29 for the second time this year! Since we'd already celebrated my birthday with our little CA trip, it was a pretty quiet day, which was exactly what I wanted! Just me and the husband spending time together. The highlight of our evening was eating Rome's pizza and watching some poor teenage boy embarrass himself in front of a girl by dropping his phone when she said hi to him and stammering some sort of "hello" back. Poor kid! Totally made our night. Oh, and of course the party streamers someone left on our garage! I was home alone at the time and heard some loud banging on our garage door--the streamers were blowing in the wind. I thought some hooligans were throwing rocks at the door, and it spooked me pretty well. But thank you for the thought!

This year I cooked my first turkey! SeaWorld gave all of its employees a free turkey for Thanksgiving (I'm pretty sure that was our Christmas bonus). It turned out pretty well, but a whole turkey for two people is a lot to eat. Apparently it didn't even phase Adam, having to eat turkey all week, but I was done after three days. Good thing it freezes well.

I've been trying to practice my photography a lot more, and I've been watching videos online of how to actually use the Photoshop Elements Adam bought for me for Christmas last year. Unfortunately, I haven't yet mastered the photoshop, otherwise these photos would go from just ok to eye popping, but I'm really enjoying going on photo shoots with a friend photographer from our ward.

And here is the obligatory work photo. This whale is Crissy, and I've been working hard to get her back into shows---her maternity leave is over. And she's been great! That's the best part of my job, seeing the animals make progress.

We've got a "new" show for Christmas this year, and when I mean "new" I mean the only thing new about it is the music and costumes. Our actions, movements, timings, everything else is the same. It's the Azul show put to Nutcracker music. I think it was a test this year to see how well the audience reacts to it, and then maybe next year we'll get Christmas props for the stage and other stuff like that. I do like that our costumes are sparkly and they look really good in the lights of a night show, but I don't like that because of that we have to have the late show in the park. Our last show is at 8:30, so I work a lot of evenings. It's COLD! It's hard to tell, but that's me during a night show. You can kind of see the sparkly blue outfits we get to wear. I love the water streaming from my hair!

This is the Candy Cane Forest at SeaWorld. It's my favorite of their decorations.

We've put up Christmas decorations, or rather I've put up decorations, and Adam admires them. I did recruit his help in getting lights up on our house this year. In the process we acquired a nice, HUGE ladder that takes both of us to move. Adam held the ladder while I got to scramble up it and hang the lights. Let's just blame his knee on that so that he doesn't get into trouble for making me actually do the light hanging. :)

That's all for now! Hopefully soon we'll get back to a regular schedule of updates. We've both been a little busy lately.

Beluga Footpush Video

2011-09-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered what my job looked like underwater? Here's your chance!

If you want to see the other performer's points of view, here is the original post:

SeaWorld San Antonio Blog

The original Miss America

2011-09-01T17:55:00.003-05:00

Found this in the Smithsonian magazine as I waited for Adam's surgery.

Times have changed. I'm just sayin'...

Summer Vacation

2011-08-07T20:00:00.008-05:00

Can we go back soon, please?

SeaWorld San Diego
(Hey, we got in for free, so why not?) I had to check out their dolphin show and get some new ideas for our show. (But frankly, I like ours better.)

They have a wall made entirely of ice in their Arctic exhibit. We need one of those in SA, although I'm not sure it'd last at all.

The San Diego Zoo

A must-see at least once in your life. I've seen it--this time was for Adam. I'm not sure he was prepared for just how big the zoo is! We did a lot of walking, and I got to try out my new zoom lens.

San Diego Temple

Todd and Heather's wedding
Los Angeles Temple

Monterey Bay Aquarium
Of course we went here. I'm a nerd!

Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey
The best part was how close to the beach our hotel was. I woke up and went running on the boardwalk each morning we were there!

Lover's Point, Pacific Grove
(This is where Adam says we're going to retire, by the way. Time to start saving $2 million for a tiny house!)

17 Mile Drive, Carmel

Point Lobos

Carmel

When we left CA it was 61 degrees. We stepped off the plane to 100 degrees and high humidity, and has remained so since. Ah well. It was a nice break in July!

Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

2011-04-24T10:03:00.007-05:00

(Besides my husband, of course.)

Meet my adorable nephew!

As you can see, I'm still learning how to focus things correctly on my camera, but I'd say these pictures turned out pretty good, and they were all taken on a manual setting! And yes, those streaks in the first pictures are raindrops. He wasn't quite sure what to think about being outdoors at that time--it was pretty hard to get him to crack a smile. I had so much fun practicing picture taking in Utah, but with this little man being the subject who wouldn't? I just wish I had recorded the settings so I can improve the pictures next time. Thanks, little sister, for letting me take your baby for a few days!

March randomness

2011-03-30T19:10:00.010-05:00

I know I haven't posted in forever, and I'd love to catch everyone up on everything, but tonight is not the night. I'm coming down with something YET AGAIN, and don't have enough energy to write about everything in a bunch of detail. So you get the cliff notes version instead, which usually just consists of me posting a bunch of pictures with a caption or two attached.

(Ahem...)

I got a new haircut a while ago. I don't think I ever really debuted it, but here it is. It looked good when my hairstylist did it all pretty, but I can't recreate it myself. There are some obvious limitations to working at my job, one being that my hair has to be long enough to fit into a ponytail. (Ok, it doesn't HAVE to, but it sure makes life easier.) In conclusion, I like the shorter length, but I'm done with the bangs, at least until the busy season is over. I really don't know what to try next with my hair.

Adam and I, "defying gravity!" I loved the music from Wicked, and now I can't get it out of my head. It was fun to get all dressed up and go on a date with Adam and some good friends.

I'm trying to finally learn how to use my digital SLR camera better. (Read, take it off of auto and actually use the manual settings.) I've read a lot about it, and seen examples on photographer's blogs, but I thought I'd get really serious and take a one-time class that was offered by a local photographer. I learned some helpful hints, and it was good for me because she made us go outside and actually practice right then so it stuck a little better in my head. I'm still practicing, and my next step is to get serious with my new Photoshop Elements. Here's a couple pictures I tried taking on my own:

(The last two I took with a borrowed zoom lens. That's next on my photography wish list! I would say a bigger camera bag is next, but I know a little something like that is coming for my anniversary gift. My husband knows me well. :)

This is a picture that one of the girls from the photography class took of me. She obviously has more practice than I do.

Adam and I went to TWO Spurs games this month, thanks to SeaWorld. My supervisor, who also happens to be the Spurs in-court entertainment announcer, took us backstage to see everything that happens behind-the-scenes at a professional basketball game. It was a lot of fun! And Adam was randomly chosen during the second game to participate in one of the court challenges, and he won a $100 to Home Depot by shooting a beautiful free-throw shot!

My other hobby of late has been to try to finally get our house decorated. We haven't quite gotten the pictures up on the walls yet (although we do have an idea of how we're going to do it), so instead I'm turning to plants. Well, they're all outside decorations for now, but I'm experimenting to see if I can keep these ones alive. I'm particularly proud of my mini-garden.

And, last, I finally broke my 5-year-old phone. In a random fit of rage I hurled it across the room...ah, I mean, it broke when I dropped it on the floor. I broke down and went mainstream--I bought the HTC Evo. It has now graduated to being my biggest time waster...and I love it!

Shortest break ever

2011-02-27T09:17:00.002-06:00

We opened for the season yesterday. I was in the first show, and after some trepidation that the animals wouldn't perform well...it all worked out in the end. I'm so proud of those not-so-little guys!

I still can't believe the off-season is over, and before I know it my schedule will be crazy with shows again.

Welcome to the 2011 operating season.

P.S. On a happier note, I made a chocolate truffle cheesecake for the first time (thank you, Susie!), and it's pretty fan-freakin-tastic! Just ask Adam.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:08:00.005-06:00

My husband is the greatest! He greeted me today with two wonderful gifts:

I greeted him with a stuffed up nose, a cough, and a messy house to show for the past few days of sickness.

Happy Valentine's Day, honey! I love you! Thank you for taking care of me this week, and for not letting me exercise, even though I really really really really want to.

Patty Cake

2011-02-13T19:29:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting at home sick today. It's Murphey's Law with me: I always get sick right before I have a weekend. And since it's Sunday, I can't watch TV to take my mind off of the body aches and stuffy nose. So this is the result--I find awesome things to look at on the internet! Things like "The Evolution of Dance," and "Dumbest Criminals Ever."

So here's a good one for you. If you haven't seen this yet, you haven't LIVED! (Just kidding. But it's funny anyway.)

Changes

2011-02-07T20:34:00.016-06:00

What do you do when your wireless internet card won't work through two walls in your house?

Set up temporary camp at the dining room table. Time for an upgrade, I think.

What do you do when you have three vehicles and only two registered drivers in the house?

Fortunatly, this one is now SOLD!

Our first experience with Craig's list was quick and painless, and we had 15 people interested in the truck the very next day after posting.

What is the last thing anyone expects during a Texas winter?

Yep. This is...

Not a lot of people can remember the last time we had this much snow here. Sources claim that at one point San Antonio, Texas, was only 2 degrees warmer than Anchorage, Alaska. WOW. Sorry, Rebekah, I should have sent you some! Work has been slightly miserable during this last cold snap, although I did get to take a day off the day it snowed. We had a full quarter-inch on the roads, and they shut down all major highways---I had no way to get to work!

(Oh, and if you don't know about Texas weather, it'll swing 20 degrees in an hour, and 40 degrees in a day. I went swimming outside today, and it reached a high of about 65. Come Thursday this week it'll be back down to a high of 40.)

And now time for the 7 things on the 7th:

I am grateful for...

Cupcakes, and friends who share them with us! Yum!
Pride and Prejudice. Book or movie? I'll take them both.
Violin lessons. I can hear myself improving, and it makes me very happy!
Washing machines. I hand washed a bag today, and didn't really have a clue what I was doing.
Vacuum cleaners. Can you imagine how hard life without them? (Can you tell I cleaned a lot today?)
Free samples at the grocery store. It's like snack time while you shop!
Friends who let me borrow their camera lens to try it out. I fell in love with it right away. Here are some of the test photos I took (at the San Antonio Temple).

Enchanted Rock, and the SA Museum of Art

2011-02-07T20:18:00.008-06:00

Just pictures, since I'm so late. Suffice it to say, this is what we did on our weekend off in December.

Enchanted Rock

We wanted originally to go camping since we didn't get to go during Thanksgiving break, but we settled for urban camping and hiking the tallest "peak" near San Antonio. The hike takes approximately 20 minutes, so it's not really all that tall, but we took the back trails all around the hill to make up for the lack of vertical distance.

Nice socks!

San Antonio Museum of Art

The whole reason we wanted to go to the museum was for the traveling exhibit on Egyptian art that they were featuring last month. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of that particular exhibit. I snuck one in at the beginning--it's a real sarcophagus!--but that was all I got. It was worth it, to see an actual mummy. The rest of the museum was mostly artifacts, and not so much paintings on the wall, which was the other reason we wanted to go. And there was way too much to try to cram into the 2 hours that we did.

Statue of Athena.

Glass art ceiling.

Food storage?

2011-01-31T09:13:00.003-06:00

Adam just informed me that we have a desperate need to add to our food storage. Here is the item he proposed adding. He's such a boy!

Tactical bacon

Now that you have a means of cooking your food quickly, you are going to need to stock up on non-perishable food items like this "tactical" canned bacon. It lasts for 10 years in the can and holds up to 18 servings. Let's face it, if most of us were given a choice to bring just one type of food along into the post-apocalyptic living hell that will be Earth, bacon would probably be it.

So close...

2011-01-19T20:32:00.003-06:00

...but not quite.

I was craving some of my mom's caramel corn and, thanks to my mother-in-law for the popcorn popper, I decided to whip up a batch. Everything's going peachy, and I'm singing along with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which is playing in the background. It's all very nostalgic for me, the popcorn, the movie, the mess I'm making in the kitchen.

But things just didn't live up to my expectations. Except the mess---that one was quite royal.

For starters, I almost gagged when I saw the recipe called for 2 cups of margarine. 2 cups! I can feel my arteries clogging already. But I put it all in anyway, and poured the Karo syrup...

...and suddenly there was corn syrup all over my hands. No big deal, or so I thought...

...but it didn't come off. I mean, I washed my hands no less than SIX TIMES trying to get rid of the syrup, and the sticky part did come off, but it felt like my hands were covered in some sort of slippery sheen that wouldn't come off. No matter how much I scrubbed and scrubbed. I even tried acetone. All I did was send my skin well on its way to dryness, and yet the slippery feeling is still there.

Sigh. All right, so I have some sort of mysterious chemical eating at my skin. I'll get over it. Hey, why does the popcorn shrink when you pour the caramel over it? I don't remember that happening before. But oh well, let's bake it and it'll still taste good.

(1 hour later.)

I've finished the movie and practiced my violin. I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Let's go check on the popcorn.

Who here thinks it's a good idea to bake the caramel corn on wax paper? My mom does it. At least, that's what I thought, but the wax paper seems to have melded with the cookie sheet. Hmmm...

...and to top it all off, the caramel corn doesn't taste quite as good as I remember. I guess when the recipe says "3-4 cups of brown sugar" they're really looking for the 4 cups. (So much for trying to cut down the sugar a bit.) And it's sticky. And I've made an even bigger mess. And my hands are still feeling slippery yet dry now because of all the soap. (What IS this stuff?)

I think I want to cry.

But I won't, because it's just popcorn, right? Sniff. I want my mommy! Or at least some of mommy's popcorn.

Maybe it'll taste better tomorrow.

Best Christmas gift EVER!

2011-01-11T20:34:00.003-06:00

Or at least the one that made me laugh the most. It came all melted, but it was there. Thanks, little sis! I miss Utah!

Oh, and here's my late 7 things on the 7th.

7 things I am grateful for today:

Heaters! We finally had to turn it on, because hey, it dropped down to about 38 last night. (Snicker, snicker.) But yeah, we're feeling some cold. My personal theory is this: the reason Texas winters always feel so much colder than Utah ones is because it comes all at once. One day it's 70 outside, and then WHAM! 38 degrees. No time for adjustment. That, and I don't stand around outside in Utah cold dipping my hands in and out of water for hours on end.
Free Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. They have been sending me a free ice cream coupon for my birthday for a few years now, but this year they sent it early (try at the beginning of the year) because I guess they're getting rid of the program. Of course, the coupon expires tomorrow, so even though it's the coldest day of the year we went to get ice cream. Come on, it's free!
Homemade soup. Delicious on a cold day, even better when I made it the day before and I just have to reheat it.
Psych. The show just makes me laugh, and it's relatively clean. I think I could recommend it to my parents. ("Whaaaaaat?!")
New Year's resolutions. This year I am determined to take up violin lessons again. Guess what? My first lesson is next Monday.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands hand cream. Relief for dry hands that crack and split. Works surprisingly well so far.
Dates with the hubbin'. We've been going steady for a few weeks now. I'll post pictures next.

Peaches and Turkeys

2010-12-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

As I hinted earlier, I went on my first business trip to the Georgia Aquarium the weekend before Thanksgiving. As part of an exchange program, I helped transport two of our beluga whales to their facility. It was a bittersweet experience. I've always wanted to take part in a transport, but they chose my two favorite babies to send to Georgia. I am very happy I was the one who got to see them settled into their new home.

SeaWorld treats its employees right. I stayed at a Hilton hotel, literally across the street from the aquarium, which is in the middle of downtown Atlanta. For those of you who remember the Olympics in Atlanta, I was also across the street from the Centennial Park. This is the view from my window--aquarium on the left, park on the right.

Unfortunately, that meant I had no rental car, and therefore was stuck in that same part of town unless someone wanted to take me somewhere else. That meant I ate all my meals out as I had no grocery store to make a pbj. Ever tried eating out every meal for four days in a row. YUCK.

But the weather was beautiful, and between walks in the park and swims on the roof of the hotel I stayed active enough.

This last one is the Olympic fountain they have in the park. It goes through a pattern of water spouts and falls, and looks really pretty at night.

But here's the main reason I was in Georgia.

These two little guys perked up right away after the transport. I'm grateful they travelled so well, and I'm especially grateful I don't have to lie flat on my stomach to feed our whales from the sides of the pool.

I also got to see an old friend while I was there...Beethoven!

I really enjoyed checking out the rest of the aquarium, although it was a really quick trip. (I think I worked harder on that trip than I typically do on a regular work week!)

Check out the size of those crabs! No joke.

They have pools that you can walk right under, and that wind all around you. By far the coolest thing I did was SCUBA in their Ocean Voyager exhibit. They have FOUR whale sharks, FOUR manta rays, TWO hammerhead sharks, and hundreds of other myriad fishes to swim with. AMAZING! I wish I had someone take pictures of me in the exhibit, but I wasn't going to start asking for favors, especially since they let me swim as a guest.

The manta rays were especially fun. They would do a looping behavior right above you and play in your bubbles. Here's one in the middle of a loop.

All in all, really great trip. And then Adam and I got to go to Austin for Thanksgiving with the family! I didn't take too many pictures, but we had a great time playing with everyone. I especially loved the Turkey Trot a bunch of us did on Thanksgiving day. Close to 17,000 people ran that race, so it was really more of a "dodge and weave" sort of deal, but very fun.

And, of course, Adam and I made the traditional calendar to start off the Christmas season right!

I was very glad to be home after all that time away, but I sure do miss those babies something fierce.

Keep earth weird.

2010-12-12T20:29:00.006-06:00

Saw this on MSN, and just had to share some of the pictures, because I'm a science nerd like that. All of these are real, unadulterated phenomena. Isn't nature amazing?

(Seriously, this looks straight out of Avatar, or at least the Smurfs.)

The rocks "leave trails behind them as they amble around the dry lake bed at Racetrack Playa when no one’s looking. How they move around is unknown — and the stones aren’t telling."

Wave TV

2010-12-09T09:37:00.006-06:00

Not my best moment, but a MOMENT nonetheless! My first TV interview!

(And yes, it is SeaWorld TV, so they edited me to make me sound at least halfway coherent.)

Wave TV: The Beluga Story

November Illustrated

2010-11-29T22:38:00.002-06:00

Technically this includes some of October. This was a month of activities and completed projects.

Spurs game, sometime in October. (I forgot the date.) It was actually a preseason game, Spurs vs. the Miami Heat, and of course, Adam wanted to go. Here we are at the game, trying to take a picture of ourselves. Adam has to be the picture taker since his arms are the longest.

And here's how close we were to the court. My supervisor gave us the awesome seats!

This is Tim Duncan, my favorite Spurs player. I met him once at work when he and his family came out for a visit. Nicest guy ever.

That blur in the middle is LeBron James. Seriously!

These are the yummy cupcakes my husband baked for my birthday. Isn't he sweet? He took the day off from work to spend it with me, did the yardwork, bought me a massage, and gave me flowers the next day. Great birthday week!

This was a little experiment to prove to myself that I can actually grow something! First the sprouts...

Then the bigger leaves...

And finally some produce! They're still a little small, but I'll bet in a week or so they'll be just right. Those seeds were a year old, too. I'm thinking of trying more next year.

Oh, and I can grow basil, too. In fact, I can't stop it from growing. It's a little out of control, but so tasty, too!

Now, these flowers didn't last as long as I would have hoped. Apparently I've still got a lot to learn.

A big, big, HUGE thanks to Trish for helping me finish my wall quilt! It looks absolutely fabulous, and I couldn't have done it without her! Now we're just figuring out how to hang it up.

Another project completed: my autumn wreath! This was the inspiration, and here is the final outcome. For some reason this took me forever, but that's probably because I had to contemplate each cranberry before I glued it on.

Finally, another piece of furniture was added to our collection! We probably didn't need it as much as, oh say, a dining room table or bookshelves, but we found one we liked so we bought it. And now I have a place to put up our nativity!

Of course, I have to include some pictures of me swimming with my babies.

Coming up next: Georgia trip and Thanksgiving.

Just a weekend jaunt

2010-11-15T09:30:00.003-06:00

Yes, I am procrastinating. Yes, I am avoiding the housework I should be doing. Yes, I am still sitting around in my pajamas, after eating breakfast, finishing my book, and surfing the internet.

But it's my day off! Can't I do that every once in a while?

Actually, this all stems from the knowledge that I have been endowed with a SECOND day off. That's right, tomorrow is available for all those menial chores I should be doing right now. And why do I get this unexpected windfall?

I'm Georgia bound!

This weekend I am going on my first ever business trip. Now what kind of business does SeaWorld have with Georgia? I can't tell you, because then I'd have to shoot you. But I can drop a hint or two, right?

What Valerie could possibly be doing in Georgia.

And now I'm feeling the guilt from my carefree morning. I'll be cleaning now.

10 things on the tenth...

2010-11-10T17:25:00.004-06:00

Yep, the longer I wait the more things I have to be thankful for. Here goes.

Leftovers for dinner. Thank you, thank you for not making me cook tonight!
Pajama pants to lounge in after work. To whomever invented those pants--pure genius! (Did I use the "whomever" correctly? I can never remember.)
Thick, creamy lotion for dry, wintertime hands. I can't get enough.
Daylight savings time changeover. Not so much the fact that it gets dark at 6 o'clock now, but that one extra hour of sleep sure saved my weekend.
Short sleeves, jeans, and a light jacket weather, now that it finally IS fall in Texas. Now I'm just craving apple cider and some bright-colored foliage to go jump in.
Digital cameras that let me delete awful pictures of myself. May they never see the light of day!
A good, belly-wrenching laugh. Or a good joke that can be shared. Even if it's at my expense. I'm glad I could entertain you.
Traditional Christmas music. I heard some pretty slaughtered songs this weekend in the store. Ick. And why are they playing the music so early? It gets earlier every year.
The computer genius of people I am related to. Thanks, Dad, for saving my internet! Thanks, Adam, for debugging my computer after opening that attachment.
Grayson. (Or, as we call him, G-money.) I just love this little whale!

Cyber-dead

2010-10-25T09:50:00.002-05:00

My computer has been down for the past two weeks. It's very frustrating, because that's my main form of communication. Don't bother with the phone---I'd return e-mails sooner than phone calls. So I feel very out of touch with the world right now. I'm borrowing Adam's computer to type this up, but his only started working a few days ago, after we got our internet fixed.

Of course, I know the real reason things started to go ka-put. I'd just made a resolution (gasp! I know, it's not even the new year.) to be more diligent in writing in my journal. Well, my journal is on my computer because I tend to write novels, and typing is so much easier than hand writing everything. Ah well. I guess someone is trying to test my newfound resolve by making things more difficult. Sad to say, I've let it get to me and not yet actually written for these two weeks. I resolve, yet again, to change for the better.

Just as soon as today is over. Today is my day off, and Adam took it off to spend time with me. Yay! We're going to go paint the town...and finally hang up pictures in my house, if I have anything to say about it.

Bubbles

2010-10-11T10:27:00.001-05:00

I just love this time of year! The weather has been so wonderfully enjoyable and surprisingly cooperative, letting us sleep with windows open at night, and warming up nicely during the day. It all came so suddenly, too, which shouldn't surprise me but always does. One minute we're in 90+ degrees, and the next the low is about 60. Apparently the weather keeps a calender, because the minute October hits is when the weather decides it's time for fall. You won't hear me complain about the abrupt change.

But really I didn't mean to write about the weather. I meant to share a thought I had during General Conference this last weekend.

Adam and I love being able to enjoy the sessions able while sitting on our comfy couches in our new home. One of the drawbacks (benefits?) of this arrangement is that it gives me a chance to do something else while listening to Conference. (I know, shame on me.) For example, this year I did the dishes, made and ate lunch, and worked on an autumn wreath for my door. I, like so many other women in this world, am a multi-tasker. Adam is forever telling me to stop adding things to my "To Do" list, and take a break once in a while, but I naturally inform him that that is wasting time. There's so many things I could and should be doing, and my life feels more complete if I can cross things off my list.

But, as I'm sure you've all noticed, the list is never ever completely finished, and there are some days when it's longer than the hours of the day, and those days are stressful and unsatisfying. I think that's why when Elder Uchtdorf spoke about slowing down and simplifying our lives I really sat up and listened. What I got from that talk was that it's not that I have too much to do everyday but that some trivial things are given greater priority than they warrant, and sometimes we need to focus all our thoughts or energy on one matter at a time.

Last week I babysat for a friend of mine who wanted to attend the temple with her husband. I'm hoping that if I babysit more often it'll teach me more about being a parent and will help me when my time comes. Want to know what my favorite part of that evening was? It was when we sat outside on the back porch and blew bubbles while the sun set. How many of you can think of the last time you did nothing but sit and blow bubbles? There was no music on, no television, just me and her alone with our thoughts and the evening breeze.

It's helped me to slow it down, to not stress about things so much. I used to have the attitude that it needs to get done, and it needs to get done RIGHT NOW. It's amazing how much more time I've found just by waiting a few days to run that errand or do that chore, combining trips from the house into just one afternoon and setting aside designated time for chores. I'm not procrastinating, just being more wise with my time. I've also accepted the fact that the "To Do" list will never completely be crossed off, and some things, like getting my house set up, will be a year or more in the process.

Life's so much simpler, and more enjoyable, this way. Maybe Adam was on to something.

After much anticipation...

2010-09-27T08:33:00.002-05:00

...I finally read Mockingjay. Final analysis?

Well, on the one hand...

Not quite the ending I had hoped for. But then, I'm a hopeless romantic and want to read books only with happy endings. Oh sure, one might argue that it was indeed a happy ending, but not nearly happy, fluffy, warm-fuzzy enough for me. I won't list details in case you're still waiting to get a copy of the book into your hot little hands.

On the other...

I think the author stayed true to form, if a little over-the-top with the body count this time. I think it was probably a more accurate depiction of how someone feels/acts during moments of complete stress, panic, guilt-ridden anxiety, debased war-torn living conditions. It doesn't paint a pretty picture, but try comparing her feelings to some of those who've actually faced a war like that, and they may be close.

Go check out the Hunger Games series if you haven't already. Definitely worth reading.

Sometimes you just gotta sing out loud...

2010-09-12T21:53:00.001-05:00

... and your husband has to put up with it. Deal.

Tonight's selections started with Whitney Houstan's "One Moment In Time," progressed to "On My Own" from Les Miserables, and finished with The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World." This production was inspired by my friend's rendition of "The Girl in 14G," which I listened to again tonight and wished I had that kind of talent. (You know who you are, and you're an incredible singer!) I'm afraid my belted out versions don't quite measure up, but it felt good to sing!

And you thought YOUR traffic was bad...

2010-09-08T18:58:00.001-05:00

Chinese Traffic Jam

Family Reunion!

2010-08-31T17:27:00.024-05:00

(Warning: A lot of pictures of people you might not know, but if you stick it out to the end you may find something you like. Enjoy!)

We spent a wonderful weekend in Utah with my WHOLE family! Imagine, 48 people on 1 acre of property (for the most part). A little tight, and a little short on hot water occasionally, but great fun all around. The theme of the reunion was "Family Traditions," so we had activities and foods that were for the most part based off of traditions that we have enacted in our own families. I loved the chats and catching up and getting to know everyone better part of the reunion best.

When we pulled up to the house almost everyone else was there. Chad entertained the kids with his rocket launcher while we waited for dinner to show up.

This is the side of my sisters I saw most often. Paparazzi! Not pointing at me, at the kids. (P.S. I missed pictures of some of the activities. I know you have them. I will probably be asking for some soon!)

This is how we took most of our meals. My parents set up a big tent which acted as our serving area, and then we had picnic tables and chairs set up close by. Easy set up, easy clean up. Whoever invented paper products must have had a large family!

Pie Night, a holiday celebrated on March 14. (Pi Night, 3.14... get it? Ok, we're nerds.)

And this is how half of us slept. Well, Adam and I were lucky and scored a room and air mattress inside the house, but really we would have been fine outside, too. The weather was perfect for sleeping outside!

My little sister Rebekah is expecting her first baby, so we threw her a baby shower the evening that everyone arrived. I had to bring something "Texas-ish" for her little boy, so I found some (fake) cowboy boots.

Friday morning was our first official reunion activity, geocaching. It's sort of like a treasure hunt. If you have a GPS unit, and an account set up here, you can receive coordinates to actual caches. The caches usually have a roll to sign when you find it, and maybe a "prize" that you can take, as long as you replace it with something new for the next person to find. They're all over the world now, thousands in the US. We looked up a few around our neighborhood and went exploring.

Found one! It was hidden in the top of the fence post.

The caches vary in size, some the size of a tupperware container to some so tiny they are smaller than the first knuckle of your finger. Erika is actually putting the cache back in place, magnetized to the back of the vent.

Adam's bonding with the nephews here. He made a beeline straight for the court when our travels took us there. Adam was such a good sport about everything that we did at the reunion. He even watched a traditional Maughan family chick flick with us--"The Man in the Brown Suit." Of course, he thought it was cheesy, but I'm proud of him for being a team player.

Adam and I were in charge of the water games that afternoon. We played "Dribble, Dribble, Drench" (a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose, if you couldn't tell), and a dry game that we adapted with water. And as these games always do, it eventually evolved into a free-for-all water fight. I don't know about everyone else, but I had a blast with all three!

Friday night we had a family talent show, so we set up the chairs around a "stage" area and gathered to the back yard for the fun. They pulled the keyboard out on to the deck so those musically talented people could perform for everyone. Sorry, most of my pictures didn't turn out so well--bad lighting, late in the evening--but I was pretty proud of all the talent in my family. Adam and I were woefully unprepared. I used my DVD of the Azul show as my talent. Lame. We should have thought of something more entertaining.

Climbing up the "Daddy Tree!"

The Maughan Family singers. "Stay on the sunny side of life!"

My cute parents dancing along to the music. Well, my mom is dancing and my dad is just going along with it, I think.

Saturday morning, after the scriptural Easter egg hunt, we discovered a surprise...

Owl mail! It was an invitation to Harry Potter's birthday party, which is the tradition that my sister Lucinda wants to start with her family. We were requested to send our response by owl, and joined the party that afternoon.

The party began with a visit to Honeydukes for some wizard candy. The Gringotts goblin gave us each 5 gold galleons to spend there, which came out to be just enough to try one of everything. Besides' the every-flavored beans and the jelly slugs there were chocolate frogs and lemon drops.

Chocolate frogs, and wizard trading cards.

After hyping everyone up on sugar, it was time for the Quidditch match! The Sorting Hat was placed on each child's head, and a mystical voice designated which team they were on. The kids just loved hearing the hat speak to them!

Ok, so the sorting hat wasn't really all that magical. My niece Brielle had a microphone set-up a hundred feet or so away.

They're really cracking up about this, aren't they?

The (not-so-golden) Snitch and the referee wizard. It's sort of like flag football---you have to steal the sock-bound tennis ball from the Snitch's belt to "catch" the Snitch. As the average age of the teams got older the Snitch did too. It had to be fast enough to outrun the competitors.

Semi-organized chaos.

Quidditch Champions! (Of the second round.)

We rounded out our activities on Sunday with a family testimony meeting. I really enjoyed hearing testimonies from my parents and siblings. It's nice to know that our family is built on all the right values.

April and Mike, we had a great time! Thanks for organizing everything! The books look amazing, too. We love reading it, and are planning new traditions for our family.

Yellowstone in pictures

2010-08-10T20:15:00.022-05:00

Adam driving our pimped out rental car.

It's a Ford Fusion, with leather seating, lights that you can change color, Sirius radio, and an engine that can accelerate fast enough to make my husband want to drive it the entire time. I actually feel sorry for the rental car people, who are probably wondering if we took the car off-roading---it was that dirty by the end.

Our campsite.

We learned a lot about camping this trip, like how it doesn't come naturally to either of us. Our tent sagged a little on the sides, and we pitched it the wrong way---we were sleeping on a slope. We tried to cook dinner over the fire...once. Granted, that's all we were planning on cooking outside, but it was a pretty pathetic fire either way. Our sympathetic neighbors tried to give us some fire fuel, but we were done by then. I guess if we hadn't been so hungry we would have taken the time to get a proper fire going, but we were too impatient to wait for that, so we settled for mediocrity.

We do, however, love the KOA campgrounds! Not too pricey, with warm showers and flushing toilets. Some even have pools and hot tubs, like ours did. It's the only way to camp! We had to negotiate for a site with trees around it, although we didn't actually spend much time in the camp at all. It was nice just to have the illusion of privacy, anyway. Our first night there we were woken in the middle of the night by a pack of wolves howling in the area. The second night Adam saw a fox run right through the campground. And you should have seen the stars! I saw satellites moving across the sky. All that nature to see, and then we could still watch movies in our tent with the electric hook-ups. My kind of camping.

Old Faithful, right on time.

Quite an impressive site, if not the most interesting geyser in the park. We ate dinner one night at the Old Faithful Inn, which looks out on the geyser. It reminded me of any adventure park kind of food--overpriced, and not the best quality, but you pay for the ambiance. The lodge itself was fun to walk around in and read the history.

Sapphire Pool. (As the sign says.)

The colors of the geysers were amazing, and just look at the clarity of the water!

Biscuit Basin.

There were so many random hot springs all over the park. If you take the little detours along the main roadways you can see so many more that people often miss by just blazing through. I recommend the Firehole River drive. The falls were beautiful, but we saw them too late at night to take pictures.

Castle geyser.

One of our favorite geysers, just because it was so interesting. It was constantly erupting small spurts of water, from both the top and the bottom of the mound.

The north entrance to the park.

Yes, we were camped out by the west entrance to the park, but our second day we took a trip to Gallatin, Montana to do some white water rafting. The river level was low, so we paid the price to go in a smaller boat, thus ensuring that we'd get a little bit of the rapids anyway. Our guide had the highest opinion of himself--seems he's rafted down practically every river in the US. We loved the river ride, and our entertainingly ecotistical river guide, but we didn't get pictures of it. We were far enough north to just swing around through Montana and come back in through the north entrance.

Mammoth hot springs.

The canary spring.

Grand canyon of Yellowstone.

It was quite a hike down to this vista, but well worth it for the view.

River on its way to a steep plunge.

Lower falls.

The sheer volume of water that travels over that falls each second is amazing, as well as the fact that you can practically stand right on top of the falls!

Some local wildlife.

We saw bears, wolves, a fox, mountain goats, chipmunks, hawks, bison, and elk during our trip. And, of course, the crazy people who run toward the wildlife instead of away from it.

Hiking to the top of Mt. Washburn.

Spooky old tree.

The sign said to plan for 4-5 hours for the hike (round trip), but we did it in 3. It wasn't quite the backwoods hike we were planning on (actually quite a popular hike), but the view was spectacular. At the top was a forest fire watch station, with an observation deck for hikers to stand inside. Some guy lives at the top of that tower all summer and fall, by himself, looking for fires. And you thought your job was mind-numbing.

Views from the top of Mt. Washburn.

Some chipmunk figured out that he could live inside the watchtower and feed off the crumbs from the hikers' lunches. Smart little guy.

Grand prismatic spring.

I couldn't get the best picture, but it was the most colorful spring at the park. We almost didn't stop there---it was on our way home that we decided to look. Very beautiful!

The tetons, on our way home.

The tetons were beautiful, but in order to see them we had to take the long way home. And by long way I mean we literally DOUBLED the driving time. Adam will insert here that we made a few stops along the way, and so that accounts for some of the time, but still, 4 vs. 8 hours is a huge difference!

We had so much fun on our Yellowstone vacation! The temperatures were about 50 in the morning to reach a high of upper 70's during the day. We had very brief rainstorms a couple of times, and some high winds on the top of the mountains, and all-in-all absolutely gorgeous weather! The air was so clean, the mountains so green, the view so pristine! (Ha! Check out that lame attempt at rhyming. :)

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and are looking forward to the next time we can go camping.

Coming up next: the Maughan family reunion!

Romantic Lingo

2010-07-26T10:12:00.006-05:00

I heard the best line yesterday during a talk in church, and I just have to share. And to prefice this, for all you non-Texans, HEB is the local grocery chain down here.

I was nervous about asking her father for permission to marry his daughter. I wanted to be sure to say the right thing, when suddenly the answer just came to me. It was something that I'd grown up knowing. So I went to her father, and "Sir, I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage, and in return I'm prepared to give you eight cows for her."

I love my wife. She means more to me than all the beef in all the HEB's in all of Texas. And all the pork chops and chicken, too.

What could be more romantic than that?

And this is why I chose my career

2010-07-17T15:21:00.001-05:00

Let me explain. When I was a baby my mom used to call me her little California sea otter because I would lie on my back in the tub and wave my arms and legs. (And because I was born in California, probably.) From that point I took an interest in sea otters, which then led to an interest in marine biology in general. Whenever I got to choose my topic for a research paper in school, it always had something to do with marine biology. And now here I am, working with the marine animals I've been interested in since the beginning of my school days.

That time of year

2010-07-14T10:55:00.002-05:00

Bright pink nail polish, Teva tan line...

...it must be summer!

Look what I found!

2010-07-11T21:47:00.003-05:00

Hello, hot stuff!

Oh, sorry. I'm not supposed to say that about missionaries. :)

2010-07-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
~George Patton

7 things on the 7th

2010-07-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

Short and to the point.
7 things I am grateful for today:

Wetsuits. At 9 o'clock at night, when the weather is less than stellar, the water is 58 degrees, and you've still got a show to do, these are invaluable.
A night owl for a husband. He can run to the grocery store for bread while I go to sleep. Thanks, honey!
Caller ID. To whatever research company keeps calling me: I'm not interested.
Rain! My lawn thanks you.
Lawn mowers. Can you imagine hand-clipping your yard?
Bug spray. Genius stuff, I use it a lot now that this area has become a mosquito breeding ground.
A vacation to look forward to. Desperately needed right about now. Yellowstone or bust!

Prom, anyone?

2010-07-02T09:31:00.006-05:00

This was the third and final installment of my floral arranging class. I'm quite proud of myself, although I have no where to where these. Adam did offer to wear the boutonierre to church on Sunday, but what guy actually wears that color pink without his wife telling him to?

Look, I even made the little curl on the bottom of the stem!

Here's the corsage. I apologize for the pictures. I had no good lighting indoors, and outside it was starting to rain.

Believe it or not, the hardest part of the class? Learning to hand-tie bows. I had fun with the class, and I'm sorry its over, but not sorry enough to wish for another class. It'll be nice to reclaim what little free time I have this summer!

New Arrival

2010-06-28T08:43:00.003-05:00

In case you were wondering, this has been occupying my time lately...

It's a girl!

What a great husband

2010-06-24T19:59:00.006-05:00

I just have to brag. My husband is outside at 7:30 in the evening mowing the lawn. I offered to do it while he was home teaching earlier today, but he said, "No, no, honey. It is my job to take care of the yard. I just want you to have a relaxing evening. Go read a book or something." Wow! What did I do to deserve that kind of treatment? It's not even my birthday!

Here's the result of my second class of "Flowers 101":

It's very obvious which one was professionally made. The one on the left was the teacher's demonstration wreath, and I was the lucky winner that ended up with it. It's not really my colors or style. I thought mine (on the right) turned out very dramatic, although I probably should either cut the leaves a little shorter or hang the wreath at a different angle. Either way, I'm excited to put it up on our door.

I read a quote today from Sister Hinckley that I really liked, so I thought I'd share it with you.

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know that I was really here and that I really lived."

Adventures in Bleach...

2010-06-20T16:43:00.010-05:00

...and myriad other tales of our household during the past month.

This was Adam's Birthday Month! He didn't get his festivities to last a whole month, I'm afraid. Heck, he didn't even get them to last the whole week. I was a little bit of a slacker for his birthday this year, but he seemed to be happy with what he got. All he wanted for his birthday was a stand for his shaving brush and razor, and a Whataburger hamburger to celebrate the end of his "year of no fast food." Exciting, I know, but that's all he wanted. So I took the day off from work so we could spend it together doing something fun. I was thinking, "Let's go tubing on the river!" It's hot here in Texas already, highs in the mid-90s, time to spend some serious recreation time in the water. Instead, he chose to go downtown and play tourist on the San Antonio riverwalk, which neither one of us had done before. Mine would have kept us cooler, but it was his birthday week, his choice...

Here we are melting into a puddle. I recommend for anyone else wanting to take the tour on the riverboats to wait until the evening. There's almost no shade over the water.

On the bright side we discovered some well-hidden shortcuts downtown that pass through airconditioned buildings.

We never did get that Whataburger hamburger. After his year of a no fast food diet, Adam's discovered he doesn't want to eat it anymore.

That was Weekend #1.

Week 2 began our Summer Nights schedule at SeaWorld, which for me means I'm working a completely p.m. shift. It's taken a lot of getting used to, especially as I am not a night person---I wake up early to get everything done in the morning, work all afternoon in the increasing heat, and come home about 10 just in time to go to bed. I love being able to work out in the morning when it's still somewhat cool outside. I'm not sure I love having to cook a bunch of dinners before the week starts and live off of leftovers. Adam's been really helpful during it all, and helped clean and sometimes cook.

That weekend was our annual Girls' Weekend, and this year it was in Austin in the family's gorgeous brand spankin' new house. I really enjoyed the break from work and from being outside in the heat all day. Of course we did the girly stuff like shopping and watching chick flicks, but my favorite time was when we all piled on one bed and just relaxed. And I'll never want to buy another hamburger again---Adam's dad makes the absolute best ones ever! It was over way too fast.

Note to self: I'm never getting a deep tissue massage again. That was the one really, really, REALLY painful point to the weekend.

Look at those eyes! Of course, I couldn't get him to take his finger out of his mouth.

And week 2 came to an end.

Week 3: My week is planned out practically to the last minute. I have four days of the late shift, and a project for the weekend. (See further down.) I have to do all my chores in the morning before I go to work for the day. This is where the bleach comes in.

(Long random story about cleaning to follow. Skip if you want.)

I have a white bag that to me absolutely defines summer; it's made of canvas, light and airy, and I love it. The downside to this beachy-type bag? It shows dirt really easily. Now, I'm not the pickiest person when it comes to laundry. I pretty much have two loads that I stick with for everything except the occasionally "delicate cycle" object. So when I look at this bag I think, "Hey, canvas is a material, and it's light colored, so it should be washable." My husband argued with me about using the machine vs. handwashing, but in the end I just threw it in a random load of laundry and figured it'd be good.

It would have been just fine, except I happened to throw in my other canvas bag with it, the one that has BLUE INK WRITING on it. You can see where this is going. I didn't even think about the other bag bleeding blue ink on my nice white bag. And so my nice white bag comes out with a couple of blue spots on it.

My first thought is "Bleach takes color out of whites." But the inside of the bag is a dark blue color, and I have no idea what bleach would do to that. Worst case scenario is the bleach will bleed the blue out of the lining inside and turn the whole bag blue. I'm not quite willing to risk that yet.

I try the stain remover. I try handwashing it. Nothing's working. I go to the store and buy a product specifically designed to take out colors that have bled onto other materials. I try it, and voila! It does indeed take out the blue...and then bleaches the blue lining...and then stains the bag an ugly yellow color. Where did the yellow come from? At this point I've determined that the bag is dead, and I'm really upset about it. I think I may have shed a few tears, because this is my summer bag! I can't just go down to the store and replace it. I throw it away in the trash can.

But the next morning I pull it out and decide that now is the time to try the bleach. How much further can I sink in this laundry mess? And lo and behold, after a soaking and wash in a cycle by itself, the yellow comes out and the bag is restored! The blue lining is now a pale grayish-yellow, but the outside looks a fabulous white. (I can see a spiritual analogy coming out of this somehow...) And Adam is telling me "I told you so" since he first advised a spot cleaning with bleach. Grrr.

(End of random story.)

On the bright side of my busy week, I started my three day course of flower arranging! It's one of those classes they offer through the community school system that isn't terribly expensive, and I thought, why not? I've always wanted to learn how to arrange flowers. The first day was all about fresh flowers---we spent half the time taking notes, and then tried our hand at making our own arrangment. I wish we could have gone into more bookwork kind of detail---you know, like different containers, different shapes and flowers and such---but I guess I really can't expect to learn all the tricks of the trade in three hours. The teacher was amazing! I watched her create two professional arrangements with blinding speed, one using only the leftover flowers from our own projects!

Next week we learn about silk flowers!

The last project of the week was the ward's Father's Day treats that a few of us were assigned to make. There's a precedent in our ward for having complex, fantastic-looking treats (thanks, bishop's wife, for setting the standward so high!), and we couldn't just do the M&M bowtie thing. I had previously sent out the call for help for ideas, and we ended up choosing this: A Grate Gift for Dad. Thanks to the help of four fabulous friends, they were quick and easy and turned out beautifully! I think they were a big hit, too.

Thanks again, all you lovely ladies who helped me! I honestly couldn't have done it alone, although I probably would have tried. I'll be calling all of you again for help next time.

One unexpected highlight of the week: they finally replaced the dead tree in our front yard! This new one is larger than the last, if anything, and we are trying so hard to keep it alive. Adam's been great when it comes to yardwork, and our lawn is looking fuller and greener, full of soft "Utah grass." Yummy to walk on.

Dolphin Waterpark

2010-05-25T20:34:00.003-05:00

If it's not one thing...

2010-05-14T22:49:00.003-05:00

...it's another.

It's been one problem after another since we moved into this house. Add to this latest one: (1) our trash hasn't been picked up in the past four weeks, (2) the post office finally discovered that our house DOES exist after returning four packages to sender, (3) our newly (before move-in) planted tree is probably dead, (4) we had the plumbing incident from Hades a couple of weeks ago and they're still trying to get the carpet replaced...

Can I get a refund on this purchase?

7 things on the 7th (a couple of days late)

2010-05-10T10:35:00.006-05:00

I was all ready to sit down and get some serious writing done, and then BAM! Life happened. I got tired from work and allergies. So anyway...

7 things I'm grateful for today:

Sunscreen. It has already started to get hot here so I'm feeling the burn at work, and since I have a lawn to take care of and just started swimming in an outdoor pool I'm going to be spending more time outside than I do already. I've stocked up already.
Swimming pools. I love to run, don't get me wrong, but in the Texas summer nothing beats the pool for a good workout. Of course, by the time I get home from work I'm usually all watered out, and have no desire to partake of the refreshing goodness, but maybe this summer I'll drag my husband along for some chillin' time.
Afternoon naps. Mmmmmm.....
Bangs. There, I've said it. They're a big pain to deal with at work, but they update my hairstyle from the one I've had, like, forever. I'm just hoping my amazingly awesome hairstylist can come up with something new for me soon, and keep the bangs, because I'm not really good with the round brush hair styling. I tried it, but it never looked the way I wanted it to.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians. They're kind of a young read, but they're good, clean, take-your-mind-off-of-things fun. And how cool would it be if you could breathe underwater and get the ocean to do what you wanted?!?
Free long distance on a cell phone. I talk to my family more now than I did in college when I lived closer.
My wonderful, lovely mother! Every little girl grows up to realize just how much she needs her mommy. I've realized how talented my mother was, being able to take care of nine children, a household, one busy husband, and herself, too! I don't know if I ever saw her take a sick day. I hope to be a mother soon, and call her up many, many times with questions! Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

I promise that, coming soon, I will post some pictures of our house. When I get over these allergies. And have a free evening when I'm not too tired. And finally take a picture or two that I like. Don't hold your breath---it might be a while yet.

It's been a great week!

2010-04-15T17:03:00.004-05:00

I don't have much time right now, so to keep it succinct:

We bought and moved in to our house.

I got my promotion at work.

We reached the two year mark. Happy Anniversary, Adam! I love you!

It's official

2010-04-01T12:02:00.002-05:00

We closed last night, and we're moving today! And all weekend. Wish us luck!

A fun-filled evening ahead

2010-03-26T17:52:00.005-05:00

I've got four different projects going on right now, all at the same time. I'm downloading pictures (from two different cameras!) so I can post them later, unloading the dishwasher, cooking broccoli for dinner (sorry, Adam. I like broccoli.), and testing a new product. Well, ok, the product isn't new, but it's new for me. One time Adam told me I was very "brand loyal," meaning once I found something I like, I have a hard time switching brands. He's right, but he would tease me all the time because I'd choose the same dish at a restaurant or spend 15 minutes trying to talk myself into trying a new kind of hair product because it was slightly cheaper. I've seen this as a sort of challenge, and every time I go grocery shopping I try to find something new to try. I am happy to say that I have now tried almost every cereal in the cereal aisle! I've tried other things, of course, but I don't care to list every single product...and you'd probably get bored reading my grocery list. This week's trial are the strips that are supposed to clean your pores. We'll see how it works, or even if I can tell any difference.

I think I tried a new kind of massage this week, too, although I don't get massages often enough to really know. All I did was ask the massage therapist to concentrate on my back, shoulders and neck since we'd had a stressful month at work. I think she took it as a personal challenge to find every spot on my back that could possibly hurt to push on, and pushed on it. It was quite possibly the most painful thing I have ever voluntarily put myself through, and my back has felt amazing ever since. I gave her a good tip.

It's definitely spring in Texas! I came home one warm afternoon with a cool breeze blowing and these perfuming the air:

They hang right outside our balcony and smell like lilacs. That's one of my first memories of moving into this apartment, the yummy smell of these flowers. I will miss them...

...when I move next week! Yay! Here's a picture of our our two new trees. We were so excited because they're bigger than the ones they normally provide for new houses.

Aren't they beautiful? We have a lot of yard work coming up this summer. First things to buy: hoses and sprinklers. We'll probably regret not putting in a sprinkler system right off the bat.

Wish me luck tonight! I am attempting to pack the majority of our apartment tonight.

P.S. The nose strip is off. I'm not sure if it worked the way it's supposed to, but my nose is really soft now. I'm pretty sure that's because it took the outer layer of skin with it when I pulled it off. Ow!

Welcome AZUL!

2010-03-15T17:34:00.009-05:00

After all the stress and late-night practices, we had our big media event last Thursday. It went pretty well. Now, the show is officially open! (Just in time for spring break.)

If you would like to see some pictures from the actual night show, yes, we're on YouTube already. Click here. I'm actually in a few of the shots.

Our stage manager was so nice that night...well, she's usually nice, but that night she bought us cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to wish us luck. Never mind that it was still semi-frozen--we dug right in. And it sure beat the SeaWorld baked desserts, which they had for everyone after the show.

Yep, there we are, all scarfing our faces before going on stage. If anyone's ever tried eating then exercising then you know that we were all burping up Dulce de Leche for the next hour. Sorry, I guess that's not a pretty image.

But nothing could beat the 80's rock-style band they'd hired for the post-show entertainment! They came complete with big hair and everything. We were rockin' out to Bon Jovi and Van Halen!

Ah yes, it was a great evening!

By the way, the picture of Adam at the top is in what will be our backyard. He was so excited to see bluebonnets!

The simple pleasures of childhood

2010-03-11T07:56:00.010-06:00

I missed my Monday post, and I can tell you why. I was outside, enjoying the rain from the comfort of my nice old umbrella. I kept thinking to myself, "How long has it been since I took just a few minutes from my busy schedule to do absolutely nothing but stand under a tree in a drizzle and soak up the sights and sounds and earthy scents?" I had so many memories come back, of times when as a child I would build an "umbrella fort" on my front porch during a rainstorm and sit underneath. (It probably didn't hurt that my fort was covered completely by the porch overhang.) I loved the smell of rain and the soothing sounds it makes. I also loved the sounds of the thunderstorm that passed through before I was standing outside yesterday. Taking those few minutes to smile in the rain (as my mother puts it) was a nice change of pace for my busy, crowded life.

Later that evening, I found myself once again outside at a time when I don't usually take the time to be outside--sunset. By that time I've usually had a full day of being out in the sun, and the last thing I want to do is put off eating a well-earned dinner and "waste time" watching a sunset. This time, I got to see part of the sunset and take pleasure in the cool, comfortable temperature of a early spring evening in Texas. I guess as a child I got to enjoy the evenings as my mother made the dinner and my older siblings did the dishes afterwards.

Of course, the original reason I was standing outside in the rain was that I was waiting for a ride to the car dealership where my little Corolla was being repaired. Due to a miscommunication, I was able to enjoy that rain for almost an hour. And the real reason I was outside at sunset was because I had to go in to work for two hours, where I could hardly avoid being outside at the time. It's the simple pleasures of life that fall by the wayside until we are forced to take the time to enjoy them. Like the smell of sausage cooking first thing in the morning...because I need it for the dinner I have to take in as I work late tonight for the fourth day in a row...Ah well. Well, when life gives you lemons...

Here's the outside of our house as of Sunday. It's coming along!

Oh, I forgot to ever post pictures of the Valentine's Day gifts we had in our house this year! Adam told me the only thing he wanted was flowers, so I got him some--lavender tulips! They were beautiful. The bamboo plant is my gift for his desk at work, a low-maintenance plant he will have a hard time killing. The heart-shaped cookies are the cookie bouquets we bought from the Young Women in our ward from their girls' camp fundraiser, and they were mighty tasty!

I've really got to stop taking pictures at night. But that's usually the time I remember that I need pictures of something before it's gone.

Last, but certainly not least, this is the picture that Adam bought for me for Valentine's Day. I've been wanting it for a while, and he remembered! It was so sweet of him. It's called "Journey to Bethlehem," by the artist Joseph Brickey.

I love this painting. I always have. Thank you, honey bunches of oats! I love you!

Monday Blogger

2010-02-22T08:44:00.016-06:00

I think I'll start this off with a few jokes:

What do you call a Deer with no Eyes? - Noeyedeer

What do you call four bull fighters in quicksand? Quatro sinko.

Why can’t a bicycle stand on one wheel? Because it's too tired. (a.k.a. Adam's favorite joke)

A: Knock, knock
B: Who's there?
A: Control freak. Now you say, "control freak who?"

There are two fish in a tank. One looks over at the other and says “How do we drive this thing?”

I've decided that I should change the name of this blog to "The Monday Blogger," seeing as that's usually the day I find time to write anything. And seeing as the last post I wrote was about three weeks ago, well, I guess I should have a lot to write about. Let's see...

The thing that's been taking up most of my time was rehearsals for our new show, which unofficially opened this last weekend. The show is called Azul, and is supposed to be kind of a sequel to Viva. It's been a lot of work, a lot of stress, a lot of long days putting it together, but I am happy to say that our opening day shows went very well. We're in a good place with the show, but we still have room for improvement. I encourage everyone to come see it!

P.S. That's not me.

They completely redid the back wall of our stage, painted everything new, put up new banners and a whole new lighting and sound system. (The dolphins aren't sure what to think of the roving spotlights yet.) The costumes are very vivid this year. One might be tempted to use the word hideous when describing my particular costume...and I'd probably agree.

Definitely not flattering. See the cloaks? We have to wear those at the start of the show.

Anyway, the stress and worry should be over with for the most part now that we've had our soft open. Our grand opening will be the week of spring break.

I finished reupholstering my chair! Check it out:

(It's red, not pink, in case you were wondering.) Adam can't really fit into it, so it's been designated as my reading chair. It was quite the project! A lot of fun, and I had a great time getting to know the sister who helped me. She's close to 70 years old and is thinking about running another marathon. She ran her first on her 65th birthday. I hope I have that kind of stamina when I'm that age!

As for my other project, my temple quilt, let's just say that it's been put on hold. I need some expert advice from people who know what they're doing to finish it!

Adam and I went to the San Antonio rodeo this year with some friends from church. After frantically racing home from work, eating dinner in the car, and pushing driving restictions to their limits, we ended up at the rodeo an hour earlier than it started. Oops. Now we know to look at the actual ticket for the start time. At least we didn't miss anything! It was the first rodeo Adam has been to, and he really liked it. I told him that if we were going to make it a yearly tradition we needed to invest in some boots and hats to blend in with the crowd.

Tried a new recipe. Actually, I've tried lots of new recipes lately, trying to change up my dinner line-up, but this is the only picture I have.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Yum.

While I don't have pictures of it, I tried out two new fondue recipes that are absolutely delicious! We had these at our RS monthly meeting, and had a grand ol' time swapping stories around the chocolate pots. If you want the recipe for Dark Chocolate Raspberry or Caramel fondue, let me know.

...

2010-02-10T09:03:00.003-06:00

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails. ~Author Unknown

I need to keep remembering that, especially after life's little disappointments. Or even the big ones.

7 things on the 7th

2010-02-07T17:54:00.003-06:00

7 things I am especially grateful for just today:

A song well sung. This goes out to my ward choir, who made me proud in practice today. Of course, the tabernacle choir also brings tears to my eyes sometimes with Redeemer of Israel.
Brownie batter. It's just as yummy in the liquid form as when baked, and is so handy to whip up a tasty dessert.
Advil. Sometimes I hate being a girl.
Cheerful smiles from friends.
A scanner/copier/printer. Saves me a last-minute trip to Kinko's, and the money that has to be spent there. Also allows me to scan in pictures from my childhood and keep them in digital form.
Sunday naps. This one may be a repeat, but I'm still grateful for it.
Handy packages of Kleenex, and being able to share them.

A few thoughts for you

2010-02-01T08:55:00.001-06:00

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!
~Thomas Alva Edison

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
~E. B. White

We are all worms. But I do believe I am a glow-worm.
~Winston Churchill

Recipe for a house

2010-01-25T16:35:00.010-06:00

Apparently it's really easy. First, you start with this:

Now blink once, and come back just one week later.

Amazing! Just like magic! I've actually walked around inside, but it was too dark at the time for me to take pictures. Today, there were creepy construction workers around, so I just snapped a few photos and took off. I've got to time my house visits better.

A few random thoughts I had while vacuuming just now:

What is this magical thing we call dust? I cleaned it just an hour ago, and it's back already!

The maintenance men are preparing the apartment downstairs for new inhabitants...the third time in two years. Should we be getting some sort of message as to what sort of upstairs neighbors we are?

Adam and I went to the Spurs/Rockets basketball game last Friday night, the only night last week I was able to spend with him. To save our marriage, I'm glad the Rockets won. But come on, Spurs! The Rockets had three turnovers in a row, and you can't score off of a single one of them?!? Something's wrong here!

And since I couldn't spend time with Adam on Saturday, I had a date with the sewing machine and Sir Percy, Marguerite, and Chauvlin. Not a bad evening, really. Stay tuned for completed sewing projects hopefully coming soon!

Finally, I found a white hair today. It was screaming for attention, sticking straight out from my head---I couldn't possibly miss it. All I can say is my ovaries better start kicking in before my hair color goes completely!

The Known Universe

2010-01-20T14:53:00.003-06:00

This was actually pretty cool. Check it out if you have time to watch it all.

The Known Universe

Blessed

2010-01-20T13:55:00.003-06:00

For every time I feel the need to complain about something I'm always reminded of how blessed I am. Such was the instance today. I am so very blessed, in so many ways! I hope I never forget it.

And if you feel that I am forgetting, please smack me on the head.

Cloudy with a chance of pjs

2010-01-19T09:14:00.003-06:00

Ever notice how cloudy days are the hardest to change out of your pjs? I've had not just one but two days this week that I've had to fight the desire to stay comfy and loungy all day. Well, ok, today I can only stay this way until about 3 when I have to then exert myself and go to work. Yeah, I've got the late shift tonight, babysitting the contractors as they finish construction at our stadium. I'm hoping that they can finish it all tonight, although that might mean I won't be home until the very wee hours of the morning. I'd rather just have all the construction done. At least I get to spend those hours pretty much doing whatever I want.

I've been busy working on creative projects! I'm almost finished with my quilted wall hanging, but I just can't seem to find a fabric I like for the border. I'm about a third of the way done with a jeans quilt. I've just barely picked up a cross-stitch piece that I began years ago and put down. And my newest project? I am learning to reupholster a chair! It's really been a quite daring project for me, seeing as I had to learn the hard way just how much upholstery fabric costs, and then I chose a fabric that at the moment doesn't match a thing in my house! But I wanted something cheerful, so it's a nice cheerful deep red with gold colored dragonflys on it. Sounds strange. I'll post pictures when I'm done. According to my teacher, I'm about half done right now.

Speaking of half done, our house is definitely not half done, but the foundation is! Done, I mean. I went out yesterday to look at it, and we have a nice slab of concrete just sitting there waiting to be built on. They're supposed to be putting up the framework today, and I suppose that they actually will since there's no rain in the forecast. It's a little depressing how small the house seems now that we can see the floor, even though we purposely bought a smaller house. I've decided I'm glad now that our yard isn't any bigger--it's going to be a full-time job just keeping what grass we have alive during the summer! We opted not to have them install a sprinkler system for their exorbitant fee, but I'm pretty sure we'll put one in ourselves this fall. I think Adam has a plan, something that involves the young men, pizza, and a few dollars per hour.

See? Here is our slab of concrete:

Not much to look at right now, but believe me, I have plans. I've been reading all sorts of gardening books to learn how to take care of the yard, and we'll slowly put in more decorative options. Did you ever know how fascinating flowering shrubs can be? Or the exact soil composition necessary for a productive vegetable garden? I'm only kidding--I'm not that big of a nerd. I am having fun with picking out which plants to get, and Adam has to keep reminding me to take it slow. I first have to see if I can keep alive the plants we're given.

Welcome, baby!

2010-01-08T14:49:00.002-06:00

Killer Whale Born Yesterday

Only this time I don't have to watch her all night long. Yay!

7 things on the 7th

2010-01-08T14:04:00.003-06:00

(A day late)

7 things I am thankful for, especially when it's cold outside:

Hoods on sweatshirts.
Cetaphil Theraputic Hand Cream.
Hot showers.
Oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch.
Fuzzy slipper socks.
My king-sized comforter.
The maintenance man who fixed our heater so our apartment could warm up from the 55 degrees it was this morning.

There was ice in the hoses at work today, and a forecast for 16 degrees when I go to work tomorrow. It's cold, people!

In hiding

2010-01-04T08:31:00.004-06:00

Did you see the weather forecast for Thursday? A high of 35, low of 22! And we get to start rehearsals for the new show that day. Lucky me.

7 things on the 7th

2009-12-07T20:41:00.009-06:00

7 things I am grateful for today:

Slow cookers. Actually, they've come in quite handy for this past week. Nothing like having dinner cook while you're out shopping!
Holiday sales. In just a few days I should be receiving a dress coat that I ordered. I've made it 6 years down here in Texas without one, justifying it by saying, "I'll only use it for a few months out of the year." Well, those few months get cold, and I'm ready to finally be warm! And the big surprise of today was that the coat I particularly wanted was on major sale. Yay!
Cookie Monster, may he rest in peace. Oh sure, you can still find him lurking around Sesame Street, but now he's only allowed to eat one cookie. The rest of his diet consists of healthy vegetables. Come on, people! Sesame Street monsters aren't responsible for making your kids fat! Maybe you should look a little closer to home.
Christmas music. Nothing like a little Bing, Frank, Andy, and Johnny to make you feel nostalgic!
Bleach. Some things in your bathroom just feel safer after they've taken a bleach bath.
A free evening. Between the two of us, Adam and I rarely get the chance to just sit together and spend a quiet evening at home. Last week we babysat for our friends (who have the easiest baby in the world!) and had our quiet evening at their house. Sure, we may be a boring couple, but that's all we wanted to do that Saturday night. Never underestimate the value of a good book, a football game, and an evening with no obligations to fulfill.
Christmas traditions. I'd forgotten how much fun I have while decorating a gingerbread house and putting up a Christmas tree. Adam had just as much fun as my candy gatherer. I'm sure he "gathered" about twice as much candy as actually made it onto the house.

And for all my family out there, you can now be jealous of me. Look at the beautiful advent wreath our friend Matt made for us! Handmade from wood, he stained it a beautiful color and even put the wreath and candles on it for us. I have been wanting one for years, and now I have one that is gorgeous! Thanks, Matt! We owe you big time.

Turkey Day

2009-12-02T20:16:00.016-06:00

The outside temperature was WAY TOO COLD today! No, not quite as cold as Utah, but I'll bet the people in Utah don't spend eight hours of the day outside dipping their hands in and out of water. It's pretty miserable, and it's not even as cold as it's going to get! I hear this Friday is going to be memorable. Rain definitely, snow possibly. In Texas! If the roads ice over I'm calling in to work.

So now I'm sitting at home in my "comfy" clothes with the heater cranked up and Papa Murphey's pizza in my belly trying to fight off the sleepiness that comes early after a long work day. I know I haven't posted anything of major worth recently, so I'm trying to remedy that by writing tonight. Somehow I'll bet I'm not writing nearly as coherently as I think I am.

I really want to post about our wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Adam and I had five whole days off together, which is unusual in and of itself, but the fact that I had Thanksgiving off...well that just hasn't happened in the past five years. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with the family up in Austin! I found out that Adam can play raquetball quite well. I thought I was playing well, but then he said, "I am not left-handed" and beat me soundly. We went on hikes and rode bikes, and generally had a great time hanging out with everyone. I tried Mom's rolls again, and they turned out beautifully! It's just not Thanksgiving without Mom's crescent rolls.

Since we're planning on being poor very soon (interpretation: we're buying a house and are trying to stash as much cash as we can in preparation for the day when we don't have extra) we skipped the Black Friday shopping spree and instead made memories while camping on the beach at Corpus Christi.

Neither of us had ever camped by the ocean before, and the weather cooperated beautifully. The breeze on Friday was perfect for flying a kite and made sitting by the fire that much more enjoyable. We had Thanksgiving leftovers in a tin-foil dinner---if you've never tried it, you don't know all the goodness you're missing! Thank you to Jen and David and Katie and Greg for inviting us and feeding us royally! They even brought s'mores for dessert. On Saturday, before we left town, we visited the Texas State Aquarium. It's no Monterey Bay, but they do well with what they have. I, of course, love visiting any place where I don't have to be putting on a show all the time. Adam and I like watching the animal trainers during their show and trying to guess what signals they were giving them.

I loved having the sound of the waves lull me to sleep! It was the best night's sleep I've ever had while camping (minus the air mattress deflating). This entire weekend was just what both of us needed to relax.

(Warning: Lots of pictures to follow)

A special thanks to Anneliese for providing us with random, laugh-out-loud YouTube clips. Here is the latest:
Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah

Create

2009-11-29T18:34:00.002-06:00

Take the time to watch this. Really. I promise goosebumps if you have any sort of emotion.

(If you are using Internet Explorer, open the You Tube page to see the whole screen.)

Move over, Kristen Stewart!

2009-11-24T21:48:00.003-06:00

She may share the name, but this little whale is way cuter! Meet Bella, born last June.

4 callings

2009-11-09T09:47:00.003-06:00

...between the two of us! Adam was set apart yesterday to be the second counselor in the bishopric. He'll continue to teach seminary as well until further notice. Hoo-boy. Didn't see that one coming! :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T08:40:00.014-06:00

Besides the fact that there were so few other couples dressed up at our ward's Trunk or Treat, and we stood out like a sore thumb, I had a blast dressing up for Halloween! I think we dressed up more than half of the kids did, too. I'm glad we had the guitars, or there would have been a lot of confusion as to what my costume actually was. :)

Check out the creativity on our friends! (Think Dagobah.) She made that R2 outfit!

Besides showing our true geeky selves, we have actually done a few things this past week. We went to a hockey game for free, (Thanks, SeaWorld!) and I truly believe it is one of the more barbaric games the "civilized" world has to offer. It really is just one big fight interrupted by a game breaking out now and then.

But it was still fun.

I had my 28th birthday last week! I already had my gift---that was the trip to Canada---but Adam still remembered that I like flowers!

We made our annual visit to SeaWorld's Howl-O-Scream. This year was by far the best year. The shows were excellent and the haunted forest was well done. And it pays to know people in the entertainment department that can help you skip the long lines to get in to things. :)

Last, but not least, I performed in the last Viva! show ever. The show has had a long, successful run of nine years, so the producers decided it was time to move on to something new. And while the last show itself wasn't my absolute best, I still teared up a little just thinking about never performing in that show again. I'm grateful I got to be in the last show at all, and that I got to see some behaviors that I had helped train appear in the show. This was my dream---sometimes I still find it hard to believe I'm living it.

Here's to the end of a great show and the hopeful success of the new!

And here's some random fun pictures of my coworkers and I playing around in the front pool before they drain it for construction.

Dreams

2009-11-02T08:36:00.000-06:00

The best reason for having dreams is that in dreams no reasons are necessary.
~Ashleigh Brilliant

Seattle Vancouver Vacation

2009-10-23T22:01:00.003-05:00

Here are the pictures. Someday I'll be motivated enough to write about them. Enjoy!

I call it...

2009-09-11T17:27:00.003-05:00

..."Squirrel on Bowling Ball."

(For obvious reasons.)

Happy Thursday!

2009-09-10T15:48:00.007-05:00

What did you do today?

I enjoyed the downpouring rain!

I relived my childhood by dressing from head to toe in raingear and splashing in the puddles around the pools. Actually, some of them were deep enough to have been a sort of pool themselves.

I listened to Bing Crosby while organizing my desk and was reminded of my wonderful parents. ("Give me hand-holdin' music...")

I enjoyed the scent of my Macintosh Yankee Candle.

I helped train a squirrel to stand on a bowling ball! So it really wasn't technically training, but more like leaving the ball underneath the tree with the squirrel feeder and piling a bunch of seeds and corn on top. We had a bet with a coworker that we couldn't get the squirrel on top, and we won! As soon as I get the photo from her camera I will share.

And speaking of photos, here are the team photos we took this year. Enjoy!

Beethoven and I are still friends!

Remember what I said about baby belugas melting your heart? Look at those faces! How can anyone resist?

7 things on the 7th

2009-09-07T20:40:00.003-05:00

I'm going to make this quick because I can feel my eyelids drooping as I write.

7 things I am grateful for:

Mini-vacations, like the trip we just took to Austin for Labor Day.
Holidays that fall on a Monday. I have Mondays off, and Adam gets regular holidays off, so those are the few days we have off together! (Besides Sundays, of course.)
Vegetables. When you eat chips and queso for lunch, along with a sandwich drenched in grease and a side of fries, there's nothing you crave more than good healthy foods.
My voice. I'm glad it works, and that I was able to serenade Adam during the scenic 2 hour drive up to Austin. (Think musicals and Broadway, with a little Disney thrown in.)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Again, after the big fatty meals (especially the ones with onions and garlic!) these are essential. How in the world did people back in the old days keep all their teeth? And friends? No one likes a bad-breath friend.
Baby belugas. They just melt your heart, turn you to instant butter. All baby animals are cute but I believe beluga babies have got to be the cutest. Except for new nieces and nephews. (Congratulations, Ashley!)
New opportunites to serve. I don't know why anyone thinks I'm qualified for this new calling, but I will do my best! I will miss my little Sunbeams, though.

Domestic habits are hard to form

2009-09-04T21:09:00.004-05:00

I sewed my first block for a paper piece wall hanging. It's not as easy as it looks, or, at least, it doesn't come naturally to me. It took me the length of a whole movie to finish my first block, including two seams I had to rip out because I misjudged the position of the block. And then I read on the instructions how it usually only takes people about 20 minutes to get the hang of it, sometimes less...well, I'm just not as domestic as I thought.

(By the way, Penelope was the movie, and the kiss at the end is still just as goosebump rasing, tingly feeling as ever.)

On the bright side, my cooking is improving! I made stuffed peppers for the first time this week, and Adam loved them! And then for our enrichment activity last night I made cinnamon rolls with two scrumptious glazes, maple and lemon, and they were absolute heaven! And this is why I exercise as much as I do, to keep up with my eating habit.

For anyone breathlessly awaiting the release of the Viva! show on DVD, you can now exhale because the project is no more. The music in our show is copyrighted---we have permission to use it in a show, but apparently no one thought to get permission to use it on a DVD. A minor detail. Who was in charge of this operation anyway? So all that filming we did, all the money we paid the filmers, gone out the window. Ah well. I guess I'll never be famous now.

Sand Art

2009-09-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

Here's another one. I don't know how people find out about these videos, but this one is amazing! Thanks, Anneliese, for sharing!

(This video takes about 10 minutes to watch. If you're like me and don't have that long of an attention span, you should at least watch the first few minutes to get an idea of what it is.)

Hey There Delilah

2009-08-31T09:27:00.000-05:00

Trip to Utah

2009-08-30T16:28:00.027-05:00

Woo-hoo-hoo! We're back home and back to the grind, but we had an awesome time in Utah while it lasted!

Before I get started, I want to apologize for anyone we didn't get to see while we were out there because of the crazy travelling schedule we had to keep. (Monika---I'm sorry we didn't get to see you, but congratulations on your baby!) I hope we'll make it up to Logan again soon, with fewer commitments, and then we'll see as many of you as we can!

But yes, it was a great trip! I'd been looking forward to it for about, oh, three months now, so that when time finally came I made sure Adam took me to the airport with plenty of time to spare. And I, um, accidentally misread the time of my flight, so we got there four hours early! Poor Adam had to wake up at 4:30 to drive me to the airport only to find out just before we got there that I looked at the wrong time. He was a good sport about it, but I'll probably be the brunt of that joke for a while.

Unfortunately, that was just a rough beginning to a rough travel day. Oh sure the flights were smooth sailing, and I even remembered to take Dramamine with me, but once I got into SLC I discovered the critical mistake we had made. We had assumed that there would be plenty of rental cars there so that I wouldn't have to make a reservation. Well, add a weekend of major conventions in Salt Lake and make it the same weekend that all the BYU students were coming in for the new semester, and there you have it. I didn't think it was possible, but NO CARS AT ALL. I just about freaked thinking I was going to spend my vacation in the airport, but luckily there is a shuttle that runs from the airport to anywhere you want to go in Cache Valley, and I caught it just in time. We've learned our lesson.

On the bright side, the weather was absolutely gorgeous! The first day I was there the high reached about 85, and the low the next morning was about 45. I was ecstatic that I could go running outside and not suffer from heat exhaustion. So beautiful! And dry. My hands and heels decided it was prime time to crack and be slightly painful, but my hair has never looked so good! I think I'll take the dry weather to save me hair headaches.

The first couple of days I was there by myself (Adam had to work), so I visited with my brother Mike and his family and my sister Rebekah and her family. We dried apricots and hiked mountains, waded in frigid streams and ate yummy food. Rebekah and Blake have done wonders with the garden! I am once again filled with garden envy, and I am not sure how I will ever be able to buy another mass market tomato. Not to mention the raspberries! We had fresh raspberries with our waffles---talk about an indulgence! My new experience for the trip: riding in the convertible. Fun, but there's no way to keep a nice hairstyle.

Here's Hana and Jane outside playing:

Gardening:

Fresh raspberries!

Riding up Logan Canyon in style.

Freshly melted snow! (Really, it was that cold, but look at the scenery!)

Um, yeah. Remember the windswept hairstyle? Hence the bandana.

Utah wildlife. Check out the 'fro on the one on the right!

The day after the hikes Mike's family had to go home, and I had to drop them off at the airport pretty early in the morning. Adam was flying in later that night (much, much later) so I found myself with an entire day to spend down in the Salt Lake area. I couldn't resist---I had to go to a session at the temple. I'd never been the Salt Lake temple before, minus walking around on the grounds outside. I'm so glad I went, especially since I'd heard rumors that they were closing the temple for extensive renovations now that the Oquirrh Mountain Temple is open. There's just nothing like it.

And then I got to visit my high school BF Annie! I love her to pieces! I hadn't seen her in about five years, so we had a lot of catching up to do. You have a beautiful family, Annie! I hope I get to see you again soon.

Adam came in late that night, and then it was back to Logan. The remainder of our time in UT was dedicated to sorting my belongings (3 categories: keep in UT, mail to TX, junk. I emptied four more boxes, Mom and Dad!) and the wedding of Daniel (Adam's cousin) and Anna. They were married in the Logan temple, hence the main reason for our trip home. Adam has an uncle that is into photography, so we took advantage of his talent to get some rare pictures of the two of us together.

Thanks, Uncle Snookie, for the pictures!

And now, thanks all around!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us borrow your car! I promise we used it only when necessary, returned it with a full tank of gas, and didn't add any new scratches!

Thanks, Rebekah and Blake, for letting us into your home for a few days free of charge except for the occasional dish-washing. Thanks for the dried apricots and fresh salads, for letting us win at Bang! and ping-pong, for the hook-up to get tickets to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. Thanks for all the free Aggie ice cream!

Thanks, Utah, for the gorgeous weather! Even Adam agreed that everything was beautiful.

Temple pictures

2009-08-28T20:08:00.002-05:00

If you want to see a really beautiful picture of a temple, check out this website and scroll down until you find it:

Bob Boyd Photography

Now if only I could figure out how to get one for myself!

Ouch, my neck hurts

2009-08-13T17:45:00.009-05:00

Just made dessert for a Relief Society activity tonight. I made "Sunburst Lemon Bars," only without the glaze on top, so I guess they're just regular lemon bars. Should be good anyway.

I woke up this morning with a serious pain in my neck. Near as I can figure I slept on it funny---at least, that's the most logical explanation. Maybe I really had some incredibly awesome experiences last night, and got whiplash while riding around in a Batmobile-esque car, and then conveniently had my memory wiped so I couldn't reveal the secret identity of the superheros I was riding with. Who knows? It could have happened! Then again, I could have been sleepwalking and fallen down the stairs without waking up. I have enough bruises on my body from work that a few more would never be noticed.

So here I am now, trying not to notice how hungry I am because it's dinner time for me and I can't eat yet because they're supposedly serving hamburgers at this activity which doesn't start for another hour. At least I think they're serving hamburgers, but I was unfortunately very clean a couple of Sundays ago and threw out the flier with all the information on it after I wrote down the place and time in my planner. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be caught up with your chores. That's probably why my house looks like a mess right now and I only just finished putting away the clothes that for the past week have taken up residence on my bedroom floor.

I should probably go vacuum while I have an hour of free time and nothing particularly urgent to do. But, before I go, for your viewing pleasure I have posted these pictures from Cute Overload (which I discovered today):

Starfruit

2009-08-10T13:07:00.006-05:00

We tried starfruit for the first time last night. This experience was the product of my wild side breaking free. Well, perhaps not exactly "breaking free" as the end result was rather tame compared to other people's moments of alter ego wildness, but at least it was struggling to surface. This moment of inspiration hit when I was doing the weekly grocery shopping, and I said to heck with the price---I want to try something new. So we did.

The best way I can describe the fresh starfruit is crunchy like an apple, not too sweet with a hint of roses. Honestly. It had an aftertaste that left the same impression as roses. Not like what they taste like (I've never tried roses before), but kind of like the scent of roses in the back of your mouth.

Speaking of roses, here is your new thought for the day:

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.

~Dale Carnegie

I just might have to let this wild side of me surface more often. I quite enjoyed it.

7 things on the 7th

2009-08-07T17:30:00.001-05:00

I did actually start this on the 7th, and then got called away to other things.

Wow, another month has gone by! Where is it all going? And why do I not have anything memorable to remember it by?

7 things I am grateful for this month (that, amazingly, all begin with "R"):

Rain. Well, I would be very grateful if we actually got some. This year has been incredibly dry, and everyone's feeling the effects. I'm glad I don't own a house and a yard at the moment.
Running shoes. You never really need a gym pass as long as you have a good pair.
Return policies. I'm probably the worst at getting "buyer's guilt," and so typically depend on being able to return something I decide I don't like. In this case, we bought a small camera from an online store without being able to test it out first. It's on its way back to the store already.
Reruns. Adam signed up for a free trial of Netflix, and by so doing was able to stream shows and movies straight to his xbox. He surprised me with my favorites, and so I have been enjoying episodes of Mythbusters and Sliders. MacGyver may be next.
Rental cars. Without them, my two vacations coming up this year would not be possible.
Reese's pieces. I crave them every so often, and they make great movie snacks! I fed my last craving while watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince two nights ago.
Reusable grocery bags. Good for the environment, even better for trying to carry all your groceries into the house at once.

New haircut

2009-08-02T18:19:00.010-05:00

I got a new haircut just a week or two ago and I never put a picture up. Unfortunately, the picture that shows my haircut out the best is the one that I'm making the funny face in. Yikes. None of my pictures really turned out well because I was a bad mood at the time. (Hence the funny face---an attempt to snap out of it.) You get to deal with them both.

Are you impressed with my ability to make that face? And with Adam's creative genius with the camera? I thought so.

This haircut looks great the way he styled it (which I can never duplicate), completely straightened (by far the easiest), and, as I've just discovered today, it will turn out fabulous if I take the time to curl it! It's great having a hairstyle that makes me feel somewhat stylish, and is so easy to maintain. I have the best hairstylist in the world! I'll cry if he ever leaves.

I wish I had some newer pictures of Adam to show you, but he's always so embarassed when I pull out my big digital SLR in a public place. What's so embarassing about letting everyone know you're taking a picture? Well, I've solved that problem. Coming soon: a pocket-sized camera! Now he'll have no excuse when I want to take a picture in front of a restaurant sign or something. We can do it secret-agent style with a small camera. Then you'll be seeing more pictures of him like this instead of me!

This is me trying on a hat at SeaWorld. (Same shirt, different day. So I'm not a celebrity---I reuse clothing.) We went to go see the ski show "Cool Vibrations" and the pirate stunt show (my friend JJ is one of the pirates), both new to the park this year. We only spent a couple of hours in the park and were dripping sweat and dragging our feet by the time we were done. How do people go to the park and spend all day there?

Shamu Cam

2009-07-23T08:08:00.002-05:00

In case you've ever wondered what it looks like from my point of view, check out the Shamu Cam:

By the way, I've met the guy in this video when he came to bring us a whale from San Diego. He's just as quirky as he seems, but he's really nice and really good at his job.

Today's thought

2009-07-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.

~Walt Streightiff

Wish I could swim there!

2009-07-12T19:50:00.007-05:00

I just found this online. I love looking at pictures of different touristy things.

The World's Most Amazing Hotel Pools

Here are our favorites:

Park Hyatt Tokyo

It's the view from this sleek, 47th-floor swimming pool that's truly remarkable: Floor-to-ceiling windows frame jaw-dropping vistas of Tokyo, and even venerable Mount Fuji, while the steel-and-glass pyramid-shaped ceiling floods the pool with natural light.

San Alfonso del Mar, Algarrobo, Chile

You can take small sailboats out on this saltwater pool that Guinness World Records calls the largest in the world. At two thirds of a mile in length, the massive stretch of water has room for several man-made sand beaches. For nighttime swimming, head to the temperature-controlled beach inside the pool's centrally located glass pyramid—the water and the sand are heated.

Golden Nugget, Las Vegas

The Tank, as it's called, houses a three-story waterslide, waterfalls, and the pool's pièce de resistance, the 200,000-gallon shark tank. You're in more danger at the Golden Nugget's roulette wheel: The sharks, stingrays, massive Queensland grouper, and silvery jack crevalle are separated from the swimming pool by a four-inch clear acrylic wall.

Hotel Caruso Belvedere, Ravello, Italy

The best feature of this: the infinity pool. It just looks really cool.

Routine

2009-07-08T08:04:00.002-05:00

I'm such a nerd. Here's the book I'm reading right now.

Well maybe "reading" is not the most accurate term. There's lots of pictures, and the pictures have captions, so I'm kind of reading. And then I read a paragraph here and there of the actual text if something looks really interesting. At least Adam probably won't complain this time if I read the end of this book before I've read it all the way through.

I woke up this morning and went through the normal motions pretty much on autopilot. Halway through, when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for exercise, I had one of those moments of semi-rebellion when I said, "I don't WANT to work out this morning! I don't want to run though the same day-to-day program! When did my life get so routine?" Of course, during those times there really isn't anything you can do but take a deep breath and start over. Things have to happen---work has to happen, chores around the house have to be done, food has to be prepared, etc. But really, when did my life become so routine? I imagine it's only going to get more so in the future. Thank heaven for ice skating and swimming pools and friendly blogs to break up the doldrums.

7 things on the 7th

2009-07-07T07:59:00.003-05:00

I started this a while back, said I was going to make it a monthly thing, then promptly forgot about it. Here I am, trying to revive an attempt at a good habit.

7 things I am grateful for:

The internet. How easy it is to look up movie listings, phone numbers, random information on bananas on Wikipedia. How easy to request books from the library and have them shipped to the branch closest to you. How easy to write a letter to a friend, update a blog, and keep in touch with those you love.
Musicals and old music stations. It's the stuff to sing along to when slinging fish in the morning. (Just take my word for it.) A girl can really belt out Celine Dion when she's not worried about people listening to her.
Fresh fruit in season. Mmmm, cherries.
Fireworks, pink toenail polish, and other things that makes us feel like a kid again. I hadn't seen fireworks for about three years, but Adam and I got to sit and watch them last Saturday. It brought back so many memories of my family sitting on a blanket in a field oohing and ahhing fireworks every 4th of July. It's hard to work on holidays that make you miss traditions like that. As for the nail polish, what girl doesn't want neon pink toenails in the summer?
Cloud cover in the summer. The break from the heat itself is worth it, and if it's followed by rain and a thunderstorm, well, that's just about as good as it can get right now during our stage 2 drought.
A riveting novel. It's not often I find a book that I get so into that I can sit and read straight it through. I love having a book so great that I'm sad when it ends.
My daddy. All the dads in my life. They know everything, and can help you with any problem.

Announcing our new arrival

2009-07-06T09:01:00.004-05:00

Against my better judgement, I negatively reinforced myself by stopping Adam's constant begging for a flat-screen TV. I gave in.

And so, here is Adam's pride and joy.

It's 42", plasma (read "durable" in that), just barely fits on our old TV stand. No, doesn't really fit, but Adam is sure it will be all right, and I told him ahead of time I didn't want to spend more than a certain amount on the whole outfit. Luckily for him there were sales going on all over the place for the 4th so he had some leverage when it came to bargaining. He's postively giddy over this thing. I'll admit anyway that it makes movie watching a lot nicer with a bigger screen, and if we ever get cable it'll probably look good, too. On second thought, we'd better not get cable because I bet it would be near impossible to tear Adam away from basketball games in hi-def.

So now I can say, "Movie night, anyone?" Only if you don't mind sitting on various mismatched chairs or one, lumpy, uncomfortble couch. New couches were supposed to be our next big purchase, before the TV came.

I'm avoiding doing anything remotely like work today. It's my day off, and last weekend was especially brutal. I'll never understand how the dolphins can be so perfect one day and then shut down the shows the next day. Especially when that "next day" happened to be our busiest day of the year. (Sigh.) I may have the most fun job in the world, but there are days when it's still just a job.

I just finished reading a fantastic sci-fi book. It's a chick sci-fi, meaning written by a chick author with a heroine as a main character and just enough underlying romance in it to make girls happy. So if you have two X chromosomes out there, I'd recommend it to you:

Catch the Wave! Girls' Camp '09

2009-06-28T20:33:00.020-05:00

I had a blast at girls' camp! Even though the daytime temperatures were in the low hundreds, and we had no air conditioning anywhere in the place, and there were fire ants in the fields but hardly any trees or grass, and I was constantly sticky with sweat from 8 in the morning until about 9 at night...it was all worth it to give the YW in our ward that experience. They were kind and friendly and hardly complained at all. They participated in the games and hikes even when it was hot and tried to include everyone so that no one was left out. I don't usually get all serious on my posts, but I can sincerely say it was a testimony building experience for me, and I think it was for them, too. That made all the physical discomforts worthwhile. Now having said that, I will continue to spend the rest of my weekend indoors before I have to go back to work in this heat wave.

And now I will use some pictures to tell the stories.

This year's theme was "Catch a Wave of Righteousness." The scripture they chose to go with it was Isaiah 11:9:

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

This is Camp Mira Sol, usually used as a girl scout camp. There were cabins spaced around the camp with a few trees here and there. We were lucky to have a big tree right next to the girls' cabin. At first we thought that since we had the tree there we didn't need to set up the shade structure that Adam and I had bought last minute. But the girls wanted to set it up anyway, so we did. Where did they choose to put it? Under the shade of the tree.

We lucked out as the cabins had five cots in each, and we had five girls in the 1st thorugh 4th years. We had one YCL, so she slept in the cabin designated for all the YCLs. The leaders got their own cabins. Each cabin had a fan already built in, and we brought an extra fan as well. At night we slept fairly comfortably. I had one fan blowing directly at me all night so that by morning I was actually chilled. That ended as soon as the sun rose.

Here we are setting up our banner. Our original plan was to tie the banner to a pair of tiki torches, but anyone who knows what Texas soil is like knows what happened when we attempted to put the torches in the dirt. Yeah, we hit rock. The tree was the next best option. We discovered the next day that the gold puffy paint we used on the banner has something in it that ants find absolutely irresistable. A whole colony of ants found their way onto the banner but just munched on that particular paint. They were gone a day later.

There were several things I just didn't think to bring to camp with me, like a mallet to hammer down the stakes for our shade structure, a holder to carry the requisite water bottle, and a pump to inflate our kiddie pool. We were going to use the pool for our water game, bobbing for apples. There was nothing else to be done---we camp leaders took turns blowing up the pool ourselves. I am highly impressed we got it done.

Funny story about that same water game. We filled up the pool using the hoses they had available outside the dining pavilion and dumped in half of the apples right off. Our girls were the guinea pigs, and unfortunately for them, they were the ones to discover that the water was non-potable. It was only after they had already dunked their heads in and come up gagging that we discovered that the water from the hoses actually came from rain barrels. It smelled like manure! That ended the game really fast.

French braids were the most popular fashion statement this year at camp. There was only one leader who really knew how to french braid, so she got stuck with all the requests. Also on the list of popular things was knee socks and pajama pants (in the heat, no less!), embellished headbands, and converse shoes. (Close-toed shoes were required. It was quite a challenge as I practically live in flip flops all summer long!)

The girls all had mailboxes so they could write notes to each other and the leaders could give gifts. I don't remember it being that way for me when I was camper---I remember having a secret sister but I don't think I got even half the stuff that we gave out! Between myself and the other leaders they got glowsticks, silly string, squirt guns, pads of paper, sunglasses, and snacks. The funny thing is they would check their mailboxes a few times each day but then leave everthing in them! They were stuffed full by the end of camp. The girls were really good about giving out notes themselves, too, and thanks to the stake leaders they had a whole table full of scrapbook supplies so their notes were pretty fancy ones.

By the way, my mailboxes were a hit, and I got a lot of compliments on them!

Kind of creepy? I thought so too. This is the "chunky monkey," and he was hidden several times for the girls to find. If they found him they got a prize.

First thing every morning was the flag raising ceremony. To encourage punctuality, the first ten girls there got a reward...

...of three minutes in the walk-in refrigerator! Believe me, this was gold.

There were games, of course...

...and skits, too! We did the synchronized swimming skit that I talked about earlier, and it went great! Ours really stood out as it was the only skit without dialogue (and without a preachy message to it---I always remembered girls' camp skits being short and funny and just a chance for the girls to goof around and have fun, so that's the way we did it). Everyone, both the audience and the girls, really enjoyed it. I could heard the cheering throughout the whole skit (I spent the whole skit on the floor behind the blue "water" whispering cues).

(Side note: I did try to incorporate YW at least one way by having them tie strips of cloth in the value colors around their arms, sort of combining a ribbon routine with the swimming routine.)

The Blue Danube Waltz, 8th ward style:

You can probably tell I'm really proud of the skit. :) I'm so happy (and relieved) it went well. My favorite part, besides the cute costumes that just made everything that much better, was the huge grins on their faces as they performed.

It rained the second day we were there, just a brief downpour but enough to cool everything and everyone down for a few minutes. There was no rain in the forecast that day. I found out later that the girls had prayed for rain, and they sure got it. Prayer works!

Here's our cute girls at the testimony meeting!

Here's me, not so cute. I wore my hair the exact same way for three days. It was part of my survival skills, along with taking two showers a day, spending an hour or two in the pool, and going to bed with my hair wet and the fan pointed right at me!

I am so grateful I got to be a part of girls' camp this year. If I am involved again next year I have a little better idea of how to make it succeed. But for now I will sit in my air conditioned house in a comfy chair with bare feet and no bugs to worry about and be grateful for the modern-day conveniences of life.

Getting ready for camp

2009-06-16T19:15:00.008-05:00

I have one more week and then I'm going to girl's camp for the first time in...more years than I want to count right now. Even when I was in YW I only went to camp 3 times, total, so when we were planning this year's camp and they told me the things I was in charge of, it was pretty much like, "Mailboxes? The girls need mailboxes? Why?"

I'm really kind of excited, especially seeing as it's my first week-long break from work this year. The only thing that's making me a little nervous is the 100+ degree weather we've been having lately. Sure, we're sleeping in cabins, but there's no a/c and only one fan allowed per room. I've pretty much reserved a permanent spot in the pool for that week along with another counselor. She has the right idea---she says she takes her book there and reads in the pool itself.

So far everything that I've been looking after is coming along. We finished the banner that will hang outside the cabins, I've started the before-mentioned mailboxes to coordinate with the banner, and tomorrow night the girls will put together their skit. Since we wanted a skit that kinda sorta went with the theme ("Catch a Wave of Righteousness") we decided to do a synchronized swimming skit. Ok, people don't do routines in the ocean, but it's water, they're getting wet, etc, and you try coming up with something else! I really couldn't steal a sea lion to help out this time. I bought them each a white swim cap and then sewed some big fake and highly colorful gerbera daisy flowers onto headbands that they will wear over their swim caps. It's going to be so cute! This skit is not original, but I think it will turn out well. We're dancing to the Blue Danube Waltz. (For some of our inspiration, check out this link: http://www.videospider.tv/Videos/Detail/583638248.aspx )

I took some time off today from my usual errand running and went to the water park at SeaWorld with some friends from church. It was so nice to do something different on my day off! I had a great time getting to know them better while just chillin' in the lazy river. I lost count of how many times we went around it. That's how days off should be, I think. :) I don't follow my own advice usually, though.

I thought I'd post a picture of my not-so-little cherry tomato plant. It is now taller than I am and is, most likely, root bound in the pot. I can't find a bigger one, though! It also has caught some sort of tomato plant disease as the leaves are all turning splotchy. At least it is still producing! Granted, it will not produce enough cherry tomatoes to cover the original cost of the plant, but what it does produce tastes soooo good! I never before realized how bland store-bought Roma tomatoes are.

Adam's out playing golf tonight. Last night we had Mormon night at the San Antonio Missions baseball game. Half of our ward went to the game at least. We had a lot of fun socializing with our friends from the ward, including our bishop and his family. His wife cracks me up with the stories she tells! I keep "borrowing" babies from my friends just so Adam gets uncomfortable when he sees me holding a baby. He's been getting the speech from just about everyone now.

Beethoven

2009-06-03T18:42:00.001-05:00

Here's the picture they released to the press!

Here's the link to SeaWorld's blog, if you're interested.

They're little discoveries, but they make life interesting

2009-06-02T18:37:00.006-05:00

Two days in and I'm already really enjoying this no seminary during the summer!

It's been a week of discoveries for me, and trying new things. Last Thursday some good friends of ours made homemade pasta and invited us over for dinner. I was awed and impressed by how easy she made it seem, and it turned out so yummy! (1) Never had homemade pasta before.

I found out from a coworker (and confirmed it with Adam) that children who grow up in Texas are required to take a Texas history class. No offense, but do you really need to spend a whole semester (year?) on the history of just one state? Adam doesn't understand why I am incredulous over the whole thing---he claims that without Texas all the western US would be part of Mexico. (2) Knew that Texans' pride is as big as their state, but had it put in different terms.

We discovered our long-lost Sam's Club card when I accidentally dropped a pen in our fake plant. I turned the plant over to shake out the pen, and voila! Out comes the card that we've been missing for the past 9 months or so. Of course, it just expired, too. (3) Identified our living room plant as the venus fly-trap of household items.

I actually came up with a Sunbeam lessson that I was really proud of! I made the poor man's version of the I Spy games for my kids to go along with the lesson that teaches we are thankful for our eyes. It uses old plastic bottles, birdseed, and twenty or so small items to be spotted. I went to church only to discover that only one of my Sunbeams showed up for church that day. Consequently, that lesson has been saved for a day when more of them can fully appreciate the hard work and genius that went into that project. (4) Squirrels eat leftover birdseed. Ok, I confess, I haven't yet put it to the test, but I am theorizing that they do, and I will let you know as soon as my experiment is complete.

I didn't get to enjoy our new sleep-in freedom on Monday when I had to be to work by 3 in the morning. At 5:30 a.m. we welcomed back to San Antonio the beluga whale first born here, Beethoven. He came from the Point Definace Zoo and Aquarium (Tacoma, WA) in a big box on a big plane, and I got to see the whole process from our end of it. It made me really appreciate the people who coordinate all the details of such an operation, and made me really glad it wasn't me. (5) You can ship a whale by FedEx.

Today I got to be in a photoshoot for our own news release of Beethoven's arrival. I hope the picture turned out well! I hope I actually get to see the pictures sometime.

(6) Tasted plain yogurt by itself. Check that off the list of things to try before I die.

I started taking violin lessons again and had my second lesson yesterday. Apparently the teacher thinks I'm very good for a beginner. Either that or she's not really giving me the instruction I need. I'm not sure I'm going to stick with her, but I'm really enjoying taking lessons again! I don't know, though---maybe I should take up the BIG PIANO! (7) Didn't know these instruments were common enough to have that many You Tube videos of them.

For your viewing pleasure:

I just realized I never wrote about the amazing Memorial Day weekend we had with the family! That's probably because I don't have any pictures to document it. Believe me, I am looking for a small, portable camera that I can take with me everywhere I go, but the one I currently want is not at the price I want! So, suffice it to say that although I can't show you pictures, it was a fun weekend. It was rejuvenating. It was nice to finally get a day off with my husband. I had so much fun skiing and riding the jet skis and playing games with the family and eating good food! (oh, yes, the food...yum...) It was very hard to go back to work after all that fun, and I'm just counting down the days until I can take my next mini stay-cation.

2009-05-31T16:56:00.004-05:00

So can you guess what this is a picture of? That's right. This is a picture of this guy right here sleeping in for the first time in a long time. You know why? You don't? Well I'll tell you. Seminary is done until the next school year. Yes, there are trainings and firesides and meetings, but those activities all occur at night time during the summer. Which is good cuz I'm more of a night owl.
Hootie Hoo.

Due to inclement weather

2009-05-24T08:55:00.003-05:00

Just for the record, I do support Adam in his calling, and he really loves teaching Seminary, and no, we're not really going to move to get rid of it. I'm actually the one that hates getting up at 5 am every morning, and all I do really is wake up to his alarm and then go back to sleep! So I'm not really an evil person, and I do think we're blessed more from his calling. I just had to clear that up so I don't come across as bad as I sounded last post.

I had a new experience this weekend. I got booed on stage for the first time in my career! We had to cancel not one but TWO shows yesterday due to "inclement weather" (a.k.a. lightning in the area) and I got to be the lucky one to walk out on stage with a microphone and inform all the guests who had been waiting there for over an hour (and we had a full house!) that they'd have to wait yet another hour before they could see the show. I think the audience had every right to be disappointed, and I actually went out on stage expecting to be booed. Happily they stopped after only a few seconds, and I had them cheering again by the end. The whole thing was funny to me, and one more thing I can chalk up to experience.

Last night Adam's sisters and mom and I went to go see The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and ended up walking out of the movie after only the first 20 minutes or so. Smut and filth, the whole thing. I don't recommend it.

Summer schedules

2009-05-22T19:52:00.004-05:00

I've been racking my brain for anything new to write about here, but seriously it's been the same ol' same ol' for a while now. I go to work, Adam goes to work, we come home and both hit the hay just about when the sun goes down 'cause of Adam's early rise time. Sounds like a rather glorious life, huh? Yup, we're crazy I tell you. No, really, it's all about to change in a week and a half when seminary is over for the year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how good of a person you are) Adam will have to endure one more year of this schedule as he was asked to be the seminary teacher again next year. That does it--we're moving for sure after that.

At my work we've just opened for the summer season. So long to the good days where we can do nothing but training sessions all day long, and hello to the days of shows and later nights of work. Actually, I'm looking forward to this summer season. When we go to work later it means I can work out before work (which is by far my best work out time) and sleep in a little later. Having shows breaks up the day a little, and we still have training sessions in between so I can keep justifying my job. Now it'll be my turn to come home and go straight to bed; I don't think Adam and I will ever be on the same schedule.

So, I had a real disappointment this week. Mike was going to stop here in San Antonio on one of his flying missions (that's a cooler word to use than just "job") and we were going to hang out that night. Unfortunatly, due to unforeseen circumstances, it didn't happen, and he left here without seeing us. Boo. BOO to that! I was all excited for it.

On the bright side, I met a penguin this week! So cute and cuddly, and COLD in the exhibit! Those people never get warm, even in the summer!

Someday I'll actually post a picture of me with my hair done. You must all think that I wear my hair slicked back in a ponytail all the time. (Oh wait, that's mostly true...)

Speaking of general coldness and warmness, it has been absolutely beautiful here! It's just the right weather, where it gets up to just over 80 during the day, and then at night it cools down enough that we're able to open our windows and naturally cool our house. I can't remember another year in Texas where the weather was this nice in May. I wish I would stay like this a lot longer. But for now I'm glad that it's getting warm, because on Monday we're going water skiing! Adam's family is all in town for the weekend, and I am so excited to see them! It's like a mini-vacation, and one that we both desperately need.

What else did we do this week? I saw SeaWorld's new ski show, had a fabulous hamburger at my monthly girls' night outing, finished a small cross-stich project (now on to the piece quilting!), fell in love with Mr. Darcy all over again while finishing that project, discovered that Open Season really is a dumb movie and turned it off early, tried out my new popsicle molds, found out that I have not one but TWO Saturdays off in June (Woo-hoo! Date time with my hubbin!), enjoyed the latest In Touch magazine (Hugh Jackman showing off his beach body), and met Fabricio Oberto of the San Antonio Spurs! Not a bad week at all.

Free backgrounds

2009-05-17T17:52:00.004-05:00

In case you're looking for some more free backgrounds for your blogs, here are some of the sites I've found:

Allie Browns Layouts

Cutest Blog on the Block

Delightful Dots

Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds

Shel's Scraps

Scrap-E-Blog

I've been background restless for a while, so I've looked through quite a few of these sites. If you know of any more, share the wealth!

Some things you'll find...

2009-05-08T09:07:00.014-05:00

...at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens!

Formal manicured gardens...

...and gardens full of roses you can actually smell while just walking in the aisles!

My favorite part: pine trees and lakes (in Texas!)...

...and the random critters that live there! This particular one had just finished catching and eating a crayfish while I watched.

Strange desert cacti...

...and the even stranger critters that guard them!

Prickly plants...

...and soft "Utah grass" that you can walk barefoot on!

Last, but not least, lots of flowers! (Time of year determines which ones are in bloom.)

This is me, being goofy, because I have no one to take the picture for me (yes, Adam, I am "posing" for the picture)...

It was a beautiful day

2009-04-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

I know this is such a trite subject to write about, but I am extremely grateful for the gorgeous weather we've been having. It's days like today that make me so glad I work outside for a living instead of cooped up inside where I can't feel the wind and see the clouds turn the colors vibrant. It was warm enough to be comfortable in the water but also cool enough to be fine in shorts and sandals. Absolutely beautiful.

The breezy spring weather also makes my home so nice. The trees surrounding us keep the temperature cool and provide beautiful scenery. I've always said that it feels like I'm living in a treehouse! I love it when I can open the balcony doors and hear the windchime and the leaves rustling and the birds chirping and the squirrels opening and closing the feeder on the tree.

I am also grateful that I have a wonderful family! I did a backstage tour today for a family who had recently lost their father, and it made me think how blessed I am because my immediate family and family-in-law are alive and well. I was also surprised to see how cheerful they all were, and grateful for the tour, but I know I shouldn't have been surprised. They are LDS! The gospel is true, and that put big smiles on their faces.

My Life in Flickr

2009-04-30T21:34:00.005-05:00

So I was looking for something to do tonight since Adam went to bed early (again), and I turned to surfing the internet. I found an interesting kind of game/get to know you thingamajig, and I don't usually do these, but this one involves pictures and I like pictures! Don't ask me how long it took because then you'll know just how much I was really wasting my time tonight.

So here it is. If you'd like to do it, here are the instructions:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into FD's Mosaic Maker.

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

Here is the finished product!

And now the obligatory explanations.

1. Obviously I had to type my name into the search bar and came up with a bunch of random people's pictures, a lot of them pretty sketchy. (And by that I mean think way too much skin showing.) This was by far the most artistic and the subject is a photographer, which is what I would like to be someday.

2. Tonight my favorite food is Olive Garden, which is what I've been craving recently. It changes with the day.

3. Now, here is an actual picture of my high school. I'm so original.

4. My favorite color is blue for most things. This photo had the most blue in it, so it won.

5. I don't really have an overall celebrity crush, but this is Chris Evans, and yes, he's hot. Sorry Adam, but you watch Scarlet Johanson and Jessica Alba sometimes, too.

6. You can’t really tell, but this is grapefruit juice. Yep, fresh squeezed, no sugar added, so good for you grapefruit juice! It’s my recent favorite breakfast drink. My overall favorite drink is water, but how good would that look on this page really? Actually I did find a really cute picture of a boy drinking from a hose, but this won for the color it would bring to the mosaic.

7. This is a room at a resort in Bora Bora. Really any beach would be nice right about now...or a mountain...

8. Chocolate. Enough said.

9. When I grow up I want to be a dolphin trainer! Oh wait, that's what I am! I actually looked for a picture of me, but no such luck. But this represents what I've wanted to do since I was little--ride a dolphin!

10. I love the mountains most in life...Adam probably thinks that's true, but actually I love my family most in life.

11. I chose inquisitive, because I'm pretty curious about most things in the world.

12. Huh? I don't have a Flickr name.

If anyone should feel inclined to spend a good hour of their time on something like this, have fun! It's fun to see what pictures you can come up with.

Saturday date night

2009-04-26T22:28:00.007-05:00

Adam and I have decided to really get serious about doing a weekly date thing. Yeah, it's going to be tough. I mean, who really wants to spend time with their spouse doing something besides sitting at home every night? Weird. The object of this date game is to choose an activity that gets us out of the house and is preferably cheap in the bargain. We're taking turns picking out the dates. Our first date after this decision was my choice, and here is the result:

It's goofy, I know, but I really wanted to take the photobooth pictures. I've never done it before! We ended up searching for almost an hour and a half before we found one, but I'm happy we did. Now the pictures are posted nicely on our fridge.

Last night was Adam's turn to choose, so we got to treat ourselves to Coldstone Creamery. We stopped by the store on the way back and bought some fold out camping chairs for our balcony (and, well, for camping if we ever go), and today we would have enjoyed the absolutely beautiful weather but we discovered a hornet's nest in the process of being built right above our heads. I guess I know what I'm going to pick up from the store tomorrow.

In other weekly news, I finally finished my own sea lion painting. This is Elrod and his beautiful creation that will hang in my home as soon as I find a suitable frame.

My plants are thriving. I now have four little tomatoes on the plant, and I figured out that if I pick one it will ripen on the kitchen counter. (It was just sitting green for weeks.) My miniature rose bush has two buds! My radishes are...still just leaves, but I don't really know what's going on underground (or topsoil, as the case may be).

And finally, I've decided to move to Bora Bora. I mean, just look at the place!

Ok, so I know that's not practical. But lately I've really been feeling the urge to get outta Dodge. I need a change of pace soon...going a little stir crazy...I'm writing about tomatoes, for crying out loud!

I promise to try and write something more inspiring in my next entry.

Just another day at the office!

2009-04-19T07:58:00.011-05:00

Lesson to prep me for children

2009-04-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight I started preparing my lesson for the Sunbeams. If there’s one thing I’m starting to learn from this calling, it’s that I should be keeping all egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and old tube socks for use in the future. You never know when you'll need them to make a set of binoculars or hand puppets.

I am also grateful for the website Sugardoodle. If any of you are in teaching positions (for younger students) this site is a goldmine!

Happy day after Tax Day!

2009-04-16T07:43:00.002-05:00

Happy ONE YEAR!

2009-04-14T19:43:00.015-05:00

Ok, it was three days ago, but do you really think I'd take time on my anniversary to write a blog about it?

Here's the scoop:
Adam said he wanted to plan our anniversary activities, so I let him, and he did a marvelous job! He told me we were going out to eat Friday night after I got off of work, so I came home, got all dressed up, and we went to dinner at a restaurant called Las Ramblas in the Hotel Contessa on the San Antonio riverwalk. We'd been there once before, at about the time that marked the beginning of our courtship. (a.k.a. That was the first night he kissed me.) It is real Spanish cuisine, tapas and everything, which meant I let Adam order whatever he wanted and I just went along with it. He loves Spanish food since his mission was in the Canary Islands, which is part of Spain. It was very delicious! Not something I would crave on a regular basis, but still very tasty.

After dinner we took a walk along the riverwalk, and we again commemorated our long ago date by going to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for dessert. Yum! And then the big surprise came. He had gotten a room for us in the Hotel Contessa! We were on the tenth floor so we had a great view of the city, and we had access to the swimming pool on the roof---even higher up for an even better view! (Somehow being on the roof makes the swimming pool sooooo much cooler for me! It's been that way since I first saw the hotel in Singapore.) He had packed a bag for me (almost complete---he forgot a hairbrush! :) and had put gerber daisies in the room since they are my favorite flowers. Wasn't that sweet? The best part was that it really did feel like we'd gone on an overnight trip, even though it was in the same town. It was nice to "get away" for the weekend!

On Saturday we went to the Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg. They grow all sorts of Texas wildflowers, and have huge fields full of flowers that you can walk around and take pictures with. At this time of year the only flowers that were really blooming were the bluebonnets and poppies. The farm also had tons of flowers and plants for sale, along with crafts and homemade jams and honey. Did I mention the wind was blowing a lot? Like our wedding day?

Here are the pictures! (Sorry. I posted a lot.)

I had a fabulous weekend! I'm in charge of planning next year's anniversary. How am I going to top this one?

The TODAY Show

2009-04-08T20:19:00.003-05:00

Ok, I know this is really cheesy, just a "Hi Mom! I'm on TV!" moment. But this is the TODAY Show we're talking about here! If you have enough patience to watch the whole clip you will see me for about five seconds in the background of one of the shots. The reporter is seated with Viva! stadium in the background and a solo trainer on stage with two dolphins. That's me! I'm famous!

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