Christmas Lights

These pictures are all pretty similar, but I just love them.  They were taken at a park in Centerville.  Enjoy.

Holly Jolly Family Pictures

Christmas is over...and that's sad.  But, I'll always have these spectacular family pictures to cherish and reminisce about this Christmas season.  We eventually used the first picture below as our holiday card, but there were many favorites.  What it boils down to is the fact that my family is the most attractive bunch out there.  Enjoy!

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the best for the new year.  

Happy Holidays everyone!

Ten Things Tuesday 12/13/11

So, I'm reinstating Ten Things Tuesday...for today; or for forever...whatever. It's my blog so I can do stuff like that. 

1.  Being out of school is the best thing ever.  Ever, EVER.  Knowing that I will be done with school forever in less than five months is making me oh so happy.  Masters degree...psh.  Not for me! 

2.  I FINALLY received my student teaching placement this morning.  Obviously, I'm not going to announce to the digital world where I'll be, but I will say that I will be teaching 2nd and 4th grade.  I'm pretty happy about that. 

3.  A few months ago, I discussed my distaste for fresh tomatoes.  I have to take that back.  I don't know what my deal is, but I've seriously had a taste bud makeover.  For the past few weeks, I have put fresh tomatoes on almost anything...sandwiches, salads, crackers, tacos, etc.  So weird, but I love them. 

4.  We keep a few snacks in the office where I work.  I walked in the break room today and saw reduced fat Oreos.  (Can they do that?!)  I was suspicious, but I decided to give them a try.  I was disappointed at first, but of course, I managed to eat four of them.  Oreos always seem to do that to me.  At least they were reduced fat right?  RIGHT?

5.  There's less than two weeks left before Christmas, and I still have six gifts to finish/purchase.  Hmmm...better get going on that!

6.  I've only been done with school for less than a week and I've already screwed up my sleeping cycle.  I am a night person.  I love to stay up really late...and sleep in really late.  Things are going to have to change around here pretty quick if I'm going to survive student teaching. 

7.  Its birthday palooza in my family this week and I've been searching online for some yummy cake recipes to celebrate.  I've decided to make pumpkin cake with caramel-cream cheese frosting and raspberry-white chocolate cream cake.  Don't those sound delicious?!  Here, I'll add some pictures for good measure. 

8.  We've decided to spend New Years in Mesquite and I'm pretty excited about it.  One last hurrah before my last semester!

9.  Dave has three finals to take tomorrow.  What a bummer...  : (

10.  My sister Megan is turning 18 this week and it's seriously weirding me out.  Megan?  18?  What!?  I'm starting to feel so old.  I'm still cool though...right Megs? 

Lights at Temple Sqaure

Dave surprised me this weekend and took me to see the lights at Temple Square.  I love the lights, expecially since this is where Dave proposed to me.  Enjoy the photos below. 

 As you all know by now, Dave's favorite pastime is looking as ridiculous as he can in photos.

Good job Dave.  You couldn't possibly look any more evil.  :)

School is out...Halleluiah!

My fall semester ended at 8:20 this morning, and it was seriously the best feeling ever!  Now I have about three weeks to relax and gear up for student teaching.  I STILL don't know where and what grades I'll be teaching (which is driving me insane)...Espeically since some of my friends from class have received their placements.  I'm not really surprised that I don't have them yet, but I'm still mad about it.  Why give me a deadline of when you're going to have my placement for me if you don't stick to that deadline!?  I wish the faculty would have just told us we'd know at the end of December.  But, I'm going to try my best to forget about that right now becuase school is out and there is relaxing that needs to be done! 

In other news, how about that wind storm eh?  I know this is SO last week, but I've been busy so cut me some slack.  :)  Dave and I didn't sleep at all Wednesday night because of it.  It was SO loud.  We woke up to quite a mess the next morning.     

These two trees are right outside our apartment complex.  The tree above was literally three feet away from hitting the building.  We were so lucky that our building didn't sustain much damage.  We lost quite a bit of shingles, but that was obviously minimal. 

I have to tell you a funny story, even though it's kind of embarrassing.  So, we woke up that morning, and look outside to see these 200 year old trees laying on the ground and the first thing I say is "Oh NO!  My fall wreath was blown off the door!"  Hahaha.  Shows where my priorities are!  In all seriousness though, we're very sad to see these trees go, but are very grateful that our home was safe throughout the storm.  And for those of you who were wondering...yes, I found my wreath.  I was shocked that I was able to find it!  

Since school is out, I'm planning on trying to keep this updateed as much as I can throughout the break, so I won't be doing Ten Things Tuesdays anymore.  As for when school gets going again in January, I'll be lucky if I get on here once a month...there's always wishing.       

Ten Things Tuesday 11/29/11

1.  Thanksgiving was so wonderful.  The holiday weekend was much needed and greatly appreciated.  I spent every single day of the holiday weekend with my family, and it was awesome. 

2.  The weekend was awesome because I basically stayed up and slept in as late as I wanted, which was wonderful.  But, that sure made for a doozy of a morning yesterday.  I still feel like a walking zombie.  SO tired. 

3.  A week from now, I will officially be done with fall semester!  AHHHH!!  I'm getting so excited. 

4.  I'm expecting to find out what school and grades I'll have for student teaching this week and the anticipation is killing me!

5.  AND, there are less than 5 months left before graduation.  (I'm not counting down days or anything....)

6.  I'm more excited about graduation than I am Christmas. 

7.  I made fruit cake for the first time ever this weekend.  I hate the stuff, but my Grandmother loves it, so I made it for her birthday.  Happy Birthday Grandma! 

8.  This makes me sound like the biggest Scrooge, but I really kind of hope that it doesn't snow until Christmas Eve.  This no snow business has been so nice.  Alas, it's supposed to snow on Friday, so I'm not keeping my hopes up.

9.  Dave's birthday is coming up, and I think it's so funny how he never wants to make a fuss about himself on his birthday.  Who doesn't love birthdays!?  He doesn't even want anything...the little poo. 

10.  My Christmas tree is up and IT.  IS.  GORGEOUS.  I'm sorry, but my tree looks better than yours, and that's a fact.

Ten Things Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition

Ten Things that I am Grateful for:

1. Dave. Obviously. My husband is truly the one that keeps me sane, especially during those busy weeks of homework and such. If I graduate this spring, it will be because Dave kept me from quitting.

2. My family. So cliché, I know. But, my families (mine and Dave’s) are awesome and do SO much for us. One of our favorite things to do is to go out to lunch or dinner with our families and just joke around with them. I'm so glad we live so close to them.

3. College. This one makes me laugh a little, because I really don't like college. I am grateful however that I've had the opportunity to go to school. It's always been a goal of mine to graduate from college, and I'm happy to say that the light is at the end of the tunnel! Spring 2012...here I come!

4. My job. I have the best job ever. Ever ever ever. Not only do I like my line of work, I have also been extremely blessed to have a job that allows me to finish my education. I'll be able to continue my job working from home, while finishing up my student teaching. This is HUGE for us, because without my job, we couldn't afford to pay for tuition. Oh tuition...I don't think I'll ever be grateful for you. :)

5. My car...and my heater. I do a lot of driving. A LOT. And my car is what makes it all possible. Plus, it has the best heater of any car I've ever driven, and if you know me, you know that a good heater is a must! The daily commutes from Ogden to Salt Lake (and sometimes back to Ogden. Wow, I'm a crazy person) the past few years have put quite a bit of miles on that thing, but it's still going! :)

6. My home. Not many people know this, but a few years ago, Dave and I almost bought a house. We had looked through many homes and had found one that we thought was perfect for us. We put in an offer, and it was accepted. We signed the papers, and then, it just didn't feel right. We were devastated as we withdrew from the contract. We were sad at the time that we didn't get into a home, but we knew it wasn't the right decision. Now, we're living in an awesome apartment that we both love. We still have the dream of owning a house some day, but we know it will happen when it's right for us. For now, we'll be fine with our cozy little apartment. I mean, it has a dishwasher and washer/dryer hook ups! You can't get better than that! ;)

7. My health. As I mentioned last week, life is just SO much easier when you feel good. Those few weeks of being sick were awful, and I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with that every day.

8. Where I live and grew up. The past few weeks have been kind of an eye opening experience for me. The school that I've been teaching at is in a very poor area. To be frank, I'd never live there, and feel bad for the children in my class that are being raised in this area. The trial’s that these children go through on a daily basis is astonishing. I'm so grateful for my parents and the upbringing they gave me.

9. My talents. I realize how self-absorbed this sounds, but I truly am grateful for all the talents I have. My skills make me feel happy, and I think they make others feel happy too.

10. God. I attribute all of my success to the love of God. I seem to get in these "ruts" quite often where I have this sense of "Why me? Why should I have to do this? Blah blah blah" (I'm an excellent whiner, just ask Dave). But then, all I have to do is look around and realize just how good I have it. (Which is pretty good btw). It's funny the way God works. I personally think God is somewhat of a jokester. I like to think that he's up there having a little chuckle at my expense when I'm having a bad day. You know, in a loving way of course. He knows what I mean. :)

Happy Thanksgiving friends. What are you grateful for?

Ten Things Tuesday 11/15/11

1.  It's amazing how much better life can be when you're not sick.  The past week has been ten times better due to the fact that I don't feel like throwing up every ten minutes.  Eww.  I don't know what I had, but I'm glad it's gone.  That's for sure. 

2.  Hot cocoa is positively the most amazing thing at this time of year.  I've had a cup (or two) of the stuff everyday for the past week.  Soooo yummy. 

3.  I've pretty much mentally "checked out" of the semester, which isn't a good thing.  I just can't help it though.  I'm in need of a break. 

4.  I've come to the sad conclusion that 6th grade is not the grade for me to teach.  My teaching experience this semester has not been the best, but at least I know that the older grades are not for me.  Hopefully student teaching will be better, because I'm all tuckered out. 

5.  Dave and I have been on this "eating healthier kick" for the past couple of weeks, and I have to say that I feel great.  BUT, there is no way in heck that I'm going to miss out on all aspects of my Grandmother's Thanksgiving dinner.  I seriously can't stop thinking about it.  Yum. 

6.  Kids these days are so incredibly disrespectful it's disgusting.  I know that sounds super ridiculous coming from me since I'm only 23, but seriously.  I'm not saying I was the perfect child, but my parents placed a HUGE emphasis on being respectful to others (especially adults)...no matter who they were, and I feel like I did. 

7.  Just to branch off the above comment:  Some of the comments from the sixth graders I've been teaching have left me speechless.  I know they're only 12, but the nerve they have outrages me.  Why do kids feel this sense of entitlement!?  I don't understand!

8.  My husband and I are the most sarcastic people ever, I assure you.  I think it's funny how well we go together because of it. 

9.  Example:  Every week day, and I mean every day, Dave walks in the door from his night class and I ask "How did school go?"  He then launches into this elaborate explanation "Oh my gosh Ash, it was awesome, just awesome.  Basically the most fun I've ever had ever!"  etc.  Then we have a really sarcastic conversation based on the ridiculous notion that school is the highlight of our lives right now.  It's so us, and I love it. 

10.  I know I come off as this incredibly bitter, negative, old hag sometimes, but I'm just incredibly sarcastic, and that's how I deal with stress.  :) AND, I'm pretty sure that was one of the worst run-on sentences ever, but I don't really care to re-write it.  So there you go.    

Ten Things Tuesday 11/8/11

1.  This week has reaffirmed to me why I dislike winter so much.  It's SOOOOO cold. 

2.  Also, the teacher that I'm working with keeps his classroom freezing.  FREEZING, I tell you!  I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was warmer outside today (at 10 am) than it was in his classroom!  AH! 

3.  Only 4 weeks left this semester (not counting finals week).  I'm getting SO excited!  Eeek!

4.  I should find out the grades and school that I'm student teaching at in about three weeks....double eeek!  :)

5.  I think it's so funny that people get so upset about radio stations playing Christmas music so early.  I'll admit, I feel it's too soon.  BUT, I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been listening to it the past few days.  I love it, and it makes me happy, so sue me.  :)

6.  I absolutely refuse to put up Christmas decorations until AFTER Thanksgiving though.  Thanksgiving is a holiday too people...and a good one at that!  It's sad how commercialized Christmas has become. 

7.  There is a woman that I work with (sort of, not really...different company...anyway), that absolutely refuses to do her job, which directly affects me and my job performance.  Grrrr.  She's really starting to get under my skin. 

8.  I'm trying some new recipes this week.  Last night was spinach and cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms.  Tonight, we're going to try sweet potato soup.  I hope it turns out! 

9.  My students are infatuated with the fact that I am a Mormon.  I think it's so funny.  That was one of the first things they asked me.  "Mrs. Bland, are you a Mormon?"  Gotta be honest, I didn't see that one coming. 

10.  A few weeks ago, I made the decision that I was going to cut my hair over Christmas break.  Now I don't know if I should.  (And, by cut, I mean take like 10 inches off).  What do you think?

Ten Things Tuesday 11/1/11

1.  There are certain songs that are permanently imprinted on my brain to think of a certain situation or person when heard.  I'm not quite sure why this works, but as soon as I hear certain songs, I immediately think of someone.  The following songs will remind me of someone (not all the same person, of course):

• Yellowcard- Ocean Avenue
• Blink 182- All The Small Things
• William Fitzsimmons- Beautiful Girl
• Dashboard Confessional- Hands Down (Acoustic Version)
• Pretty much anything by Jack's Mannequin
• Snow Patrol- Light Up
• George Michael- Father Figure

Clearly, most all of these songs are from my junior high and high school years.  :)  Obviously, I'm not going to say who they remind me of because that would be weird.  But, I will say that anytime I hear anything by Jimmy Eat World, I think of my husband, and I love that.  :)

2.  Last week, as I was driving from school to work, I noticed three people were pulled over within a 1 mile distance.  Wowzers...it's definitely not the time to be speeding.  Geez!

3.  I started teaching 6th grade last week.  As I was asking one of my students to turn her homework in, she responded by saying "I'm not done with it, but I'll just copy so and so's."  My cooperating teacher overheard what she said and responded with "Why don't you ask Mrs. Bland what happens to people who cheat in college."  So I told her that if you cheat in college, you get kicked out of school and it can be really hard to come back.  She looked up at me and with the serious most terrified voice ever responded with "They don't give you a warning!?"  Haha, I had to restrain my laughter.  It was awesome. 

4.  My blow dryer died last week, so I ended up styling my hair in a wet, loose bun on top of my head.  I got more compliments on my hair that day than I have in the last year.  WHY?!  Why WHY WHY do I get compliments on the days that I put the least amount of effort into myself? 

5.  Beyond Glaze has the worst customer service of any food related establishment I have ever seen.  Ugh...the story is too long for the blog, but suffice to say that I was not impressed. 

6.  I can laugh about this now...sort of, but at the time, it was horrendously annoying.  So, last Tuesday was my second day teaching 6th grade.  I wake up feeling disgustingly sick, but know that I have to teach anyway.  So, I get ready, and start to drive myself to class...only to puke all over myself and the car on the way.  Lovely.  Obviously, I didn't make it to class on time.  Woof...what a morning that was. 

7.  My sister is awesome and helped me clean my puke covered car.  Now that's sisterly love right there.

8.  It's November.  What the what!?

9.  Dave and I celebrated Halloween in style last night by spending the night at Walmart buying groceries.  Then we got real crazy by eating a bowl of not one but TWO different flavors of sherbet!! We're real fun people, let me tell you. 

10.  I'm feeling better about life today than I was last Tuesday.  I'm still feeling a little blue, but I've decided that it's OK to have bad days (or weeks) sometimes.

An Update

Last week was horrible.  Just horrible.  Hence why there was no "Ten Things Tuesday" post.  I was sick, and school was hard, and I wasn't enjoying my teaching experience, and I wasn't sleeping....BASICALLY, it was a nightmare.  I've had moments in the past few years of being a student, wife, employee, etc. that have been hard.  Life is hard.  But last week, it all came crashing down.  For both Dave and I.  It was like that moment in life when you ask yourself "Why am I doing this?  What is the point?  Life is too short to be this miserable!"  Clearly, this weekend was one BIG pitty party for me.

  I'm feeling better about certain situations now and know that life WILL go on, which is good.  I've decided to take my husbands advice and "move on" if you will.  I've been negative long enough and it's time for a change.  I will be done with this semester in one month and 6 days; and folks, I am pretty darn excited about it. 

Oh, and Happy Halloween.  It's my favorite holiday.  But since the hubs and I are feeling pretty down and glum, I think we'll be staying in for a night of cuddles and Netflix.  Which to be honest is sounding pretty dang good. 

Get excited....because tomorrow is Tuesday and I've got some funny stories/thoughts from last week to share. 

Ten Things Tuesday

No Ten Things Tuesday this week.  

Check back soon for a more formal update.

Ten Things Tuesday 10/18/11

1. I have an incredibly annoying cold and it's driving me crazy. Dave said earlier today that he was going to start calling me "sniffles".

2. A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I can listen to practically any type of music. I'm going to have to take that back. Pink, as in the artist, has always annoyed me. I don't know why, but every time I hear one of her songs come on the radio, I let out a loud "ugh" and quickly change the station. There is one good song by her, but it's never played on the radio so that doesn't count.

3. Speaking of artists, I'd be perfectly fine if Lady Gaga disappeared and was never heard from again. OK, we get it; you're "trying" to be different by wearing ridiculous outfits and performing outrageous and explicit acts. You're one goal in life is to push the envelope...it's been pushed enough, so please, just go away.

4. AND, since when did FM 100.3 start playing rap/hip hop songs!? I thought that station was supposed to be family friendly? And trust me, the song that I heard on it this past week was anything BUT family friendly. What is this world coming to?! Good thing I still have my trusty 94.1.  I'm a nerd, I know. 

5. I finished my children's book and it nearly killed me. ;) Not really, but as my husband would say, many hours and hours of sleep were lost unnecessarily. What can I say, when I'm asked to do something, I do it right. And that's why I'm so awesome. :)

6. I start teaching 6th grade next week, and I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I just have to remember that these kids are looking up at me and thinking "Wow, she is so old!" (Do you remember thinking that?) But, as I'm standing up there I'm thinking "OMG, I was in sixth grade like last week! AHHH"

7. Dave's horror stories about his horrible professors make me furious that we are paying U of U so much money for tuition. If you see him, you'll have to ask him how his Finance class is going. Sorry babe. :(

8. I have been so incredibly stressed the past few weeks that my face has turned into an acne amusement park. Nothing makes a woman feel great like a forest of zits on her face. Haha. Oh well.

9. I am absolutely dreading the first snowfall this year. This warm fall weather has been too good to be true.

10. I have Thursday and Friday off from class this week. This break could not have come at a better time.

Ten Things Tuesday 10/11/11

1. I don't know what I'm allergic to, but it has to be something that I am always exposed to. I sneeze every day, multiple times a day. And this has been going on for as long as I can remember. It's weird.

2. I absolutely hate the texture of chalk. We had to use chalk for an assignment in class last week and I just about died. I don't know why I dislike it so much, I just do.

3. So, a few weeks ago, I discussed how awesome this fall weather has been, and then October hit, and it's clear that summer is definitely over. It’s so sad and depressing.

4. However, I love fall. I really do. I started burning the "autumn sunset" candle last week and it has been divine. I just wish that I could spend my days wrapped up in 10 different blankets sipping hot chocolate on the couch rather than spending my mornings up at campus. It's too cold up at Weber.

5. I discovered last week that I am a stress eater. I had to go to my parents’ house to gather some stuff for an assignment I was doing. I walked into the house and spent a good five minutes pacing the kitchen talking to my mother about all the "dumb" assignments I had to do, and how overwhelmed I felt. The next thing I know, I look down at an almost empty pan of pumpkin pie pastries that used to be full. I ate four....FOUR pastries without even realizing it. My mother thought it was hilarious. I was shocked. Poor Megan had made them earlier, and now there wasn't even enough for each person in my family to have one! Yeah, kind of embarrassing. I now know to just stay away from the kitchen when I'm stressed.

6. Speaking of pumpkin goodies, I'm fairly certain that my family is cursed. We have horrible luck when it comes to making pumpkin treats. Whenever we're asked to bring pumpkin pie to thanksgiving dinner, something inevitably goes wrong. One year, we forgot about them and they were burned beyond recognition. No pumpkin pie for us. Another year, my brother was taking them out of the oven and burned his arm, causing him to drop the pies, which of course led to their sad little remains scattered all over our kitchen floor. Bottom line, pumpkins don't like us. So, this past weekend when I was making pumpkin cupcakes for my cousins wedding, I was extra cautious. But, the pumpkin gods will not be fooled....

The cupcakes were perfect, just perfect. I had made them from scratch no less! They just needed a few more minutes to bake and then they would be perfection. The timer went off and I was preoccupied with something else, I can't even remember now. So, I asked Carlie to take them out of the oven. And she did, because she's cool like that. But fate was not on her side, and she dropped the pan. Delicious cupcakes soared through the air, landing on our kitchen floor and in the oven. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Carlie yelled. I swear it was in slow motion too. :) Pumpkin gods: 3 Eddy family: 0

Of course, life went on, I made more pumpkin cupcakes and everything turned out ok, but I'll think twice before making pumpkin anything again.

7. As stated above in that ridiculously long story, I made cupcakes for my cousins wedding this weekend. And they were sooooo good. So good. Double chocolate, raspberry lemonade, peanut butter cup, pumpkin maple, chocolate vanilla swirl, and red velvet. Oh yeah.

8. Dave has this week off from school. I don't have this week off from school. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

9. My children's book is due on Friday and it will be weird to be done with it. The amount of time I've spent on that thing is insane. But I really think it will be something to cherish. Even if I'm the only one who will cherish it. :)

10. Grandma's annual Halloween party is this weekend. So excited!

Ten Things Tuesday 10/4/11

1. One of my professors used the word "uber" in one of his assignment descriptions.  As soon as I read it, his coolness factor went up about 10 points. :)

2. Speaking of professors, I guarantee you that my professors are better than yours. I KNOW that they are better than my husband's professors. I feel so bad for Dave. He has seriously had some bad luck with professors. U of U may be a top notch school, but at least my professors can speak English....oooooo, too harsh Dave? :)

3. The amount of hair I lose on a daily basis in uncanny. How am I not bald?

4. I bought and watched Dumbo twice this weekend. That's right. Twice. Why does Disney have to suck so bad nowadays? The classics are where it's at.

5. I love babies. I always have. But, (and my husband will totally laugh at me for this), I am becoming more and more happy about the fact that we don't have any. Don't worry moms; you'll get your grandbabies some day. :)

6. I haven't slept in two days and it's starting to have an effect on me. :(

7. I didn't go to class today. No, I don't feel bad about it. I am a firm believer of taking mental health days from school and today was that day for me. (I only missed 1 day last semester, and I plan to only miss 1 day this semester. How big of a slacker do you think I am?) Thing #6 from above may have had something to do with it.

8. Dave and I made the mutual decision this week that when we are old and rich, we are going to hire a personal chef.  Is anyone else sick of making the "same old same old" for dinner?  I need new recipe ideas!!

9. I went to Gardner Village yesterday for the first time. I need more money to spend on cute things.

10. Currently addicted to 30 Rock. Netflix has seriously changed my life.

Ten Things Tuesday 9/27/11

1.  My husband is the best imitator alive.  You will never convince me otherwise. 

2.  My husband has the unique talent of being able to make up different words to any song, and have it make sense and be hilarious at the same time.  This and the above statement is why I love my husband (among others, of course).

3.  I don't know anybody that listens to (and genuinely enjoys) as many different genres of music as I do.  I can listen to just about anything and find real enjoyment out of it; with a few exceptions....but very few.

4.  I slept-in until 11:00 am this past Sunday.  You read that right.  11:00 am.  It was amazing!

5.  This past weekend was the most needed and relaxing weekend I've had in a long time.  See above.  : )

6.  This September weather we've been having is awesome.  Just awesome.  I love fall weather, but 80 degrees in September is just so nice.  I could get used to this.  Winter's going to be a harsh transition for me this year. 

7.  I think it's sad and wrong that I see my classmates more than I see my husband throughout the week.  I spend 15+ hours during the weekdays with my classmates.  I spend approximately 5 hours with my husband.  (Not counting the hours that we spend sleeping, of course.)  I don't really count time spent in REM as meaningful time spent together.  lol.  How sad is that?  Thank goodness for weekends!

8.  My children's book is proving to be harder than I thought it would be.  It's just an assignment for class, so it's not like I'm trying to get published or anything, but I want it to be nice. 

9.  Currently fighting the urge to go and get a shake from Maggie Moos.  Why oh why must they be so delicious?!  (Don't worry Dave; I'm not going to get one.)  :)   

10.  Believe it or not, most of the time I really do enjoy going to school.  My classes can be fun and engaging and I find it to be a positive experience (notice that I said most of the time).  I do however, wish that I could take them about two hours later in the day.  What is it with these worldly demands of getting up early!?

Ten Things Tuesday 9/20/11

1. Last week was the busiest and most stressful school/work/life week of my life. This semester has been the most mentally and emotionally draining semester in my college career so far. But, I'm pretty sure next semester will take the cake. Two words, student teaching. Dun dun dun.

2. I tutor ELLs every other Friday in a third grade classroom, and I had the funniest experience last week. During the lunch break, I had gone out to lunch and then brought it back to eat in the classroom. I hadn't finished my food in time, so I just kept the bag in the back of the room. BIG mistake. The students come back in from recess and this kid starts to lose it. Immediately upon entering the room, he states "I smell McDonalds", "Someone has McDonalds!", "WHO HAS MCDONALDS!?!". His voice growing louder and more concerned with each statement. He smelled McDonalds and by darn he was gonna get some! (I hadn't even gone to McDonalds, btw). Ok, so having just typed that out now, it doesn't seem that funny. But it was. I guess you just had to be there.

3. I just don't get the feathers in the hair craze. I tried to understand it, but alas, it just seems silly to me. I really wish it would just end.

4. Is it weird that I'm already creating mental Christmas lists in my head for family gifts?

5. Do NOT under any circumstance get the non-fat sweet cream ice cream from Cold Stone. You will be disappointed.

6. There's a new wedding "trend" that's begun that I find really upsetting. More and more people are choosing to not have formal receptions. This is not what upsets me. Times are tough and receptions are expensive. However, sending out wedding announcements that inform the recipient that there will be no reception, but that the couple is registered at blah blah blah infuriates me. Am I the only one that finds this tacky?

"Hi. We're getting married. We're not going to have a night where you can come and celebrate with us, but PLEASE, feel free to buy us a gift and send it our way!" How thoughtful of them.

This isn't directed to anyone in particular and I'm really not trying to be offensive, but I just find that to be in extremely bad taste. And, don't even get me started on the trend of registries at a bank. Ugh. Who are these people!?

7. Speaking of weddings, if I give you a wedding/shower gift and you write me a thank you note, I will think more highly of you. If you don't, I'm going to think you're an ungrateful brat. It's just as simple as that. And, the explanation of "Oh, well we are just so busy, we don't have time for that." is a lame excuse. This has been an etiquette debate for ages... "Does it really matter?" Call me old fashioned, but yes, yes it does.

8. I'm not an English major. I know that there are grammatical/spelling errors all over my posts. But, there is one thing that irks me to no end: the misuse of homophones. I read A LOT of blogs, and find these mistakes all of the time. Some examples include:

• "passed" when they really mean "past"
• "sale" when they really mean "sell"
• "sense" for "since"
• "to" for "too"
• and if you can believe it, "ull" for "you'll"

How did these people graduate?

9. I'm well aware how snobbish and negative the above posts are. I'm really a nice person. If you know me, you know that.

10. To end on a positive note, there are 214 days left before I graduate! Yes, I'm already counting. :)

Ten Things Tuesday 9/13/11

1. I watched all 200 episodes of That 70's Show this summer. I feel pretty great about that.
2. I have a love/hate relationship with tomatoes. I love pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, salsa, chili, pretty much anything that has huge chunks of tomatoes in it. But, I hate hate HATE tomatoes on their own. AND, fresh tomatoes on hamburgers and sandwiches are even worse. I know...I'm weird.
3. I am exhausted, and find myself yawning all day long....until bedtime, when it's time to sleep. Does anybody else have this problem?!
4. I put the Windex in the fridge the other day. I'm starting to lose it.
5. The more time I spend up on campus, the more I realize how dumb some people are. Rude, I know. But so true.
6. People who talk in class just to hear their own voice are annoying.
7. People who disagree and argue with the professor multiple times during class about extremely irrelevant things are also annoying. This statement and the above may or may not be directed to the same person.
8. I've had to turn down several offers to make cakes and cupcakes, and it makes me sad. School has forced me to only do one wedding/birthday/celebration a month, and turning down doing something I love to write lousy papers and create stupid presentations makes me cranky.
9. I'm currently writing a children's book. It's either going to be the best thing I've ever done, or turn into the biggest disappointment ever.
10. I went to the gym yesterday. HUGE accomplishment.

Ten Things Tuesday 9/6/11

SOOO, we're back in school...again (will this ever end?!), and becuase of that, I'm afraid that there will be a lack of posts for the next little while.  School seems to have a way of taking control of your life and all aspects of it.  I don't want my blog to die completely, so in an attempt to keep this bloggy blog going while in school, I have decided to implement a thing called "Ten Things Tuesdays".  Each Tuesday, I will post a list of ten "things" that I have been on my mind that week.  This way, I'll at least have something posted each week.  Even if it's just a vent sesh or mindless drivel.  Feel free to join me. 

1.  It's September.  What???  Where did Summer go? 
2.  We're back in school.  :(  Ugh.
3.  We're back in school.  :)  Graduating in the spring. 
4.  We're back in school.  :(  Ugh. 
5.  The older I get, the less I like board games.
6.  There's a dead spider in the bathroom at my office.  It's been there since we moved here (last December).  Who knows how long it's been since it died.  Gross, I know.  I can't possibly be the only one that's seen it...I think we're all just waiting to see who is going to throw it away.  It WON'T be me. 
7.  Having a dishwasher in our apartment is awesome.
8.  Having a washer/dryer in our apartment is awesome. 
9.  I HATE crickets.  They're not soothing, they're annoying. 
10.  No matter how "delicious" or "filling" my lunch or dinner is, I always crave somthing sweet afterward. (and NO, fruit is not my definition of sweet.  Unless it's drenched in chocolate).

North Shore Hawaiian Ice

We got gym memberships last night at the Bountiful Rec Center.  On our way out, we saw a snow cone shack, and decided to try it out.  (Probabaly not a good thing, because now I'm going to have to get a snow cone everytime I go to the gym...just a little counter productive).  But, this is no ordinary snow cone.  It's Hawaiian shaved ice...and it's awesome.  When we pulled up, we noticed a woman walking away with her snow cone and chuckled becuase it was seriously the size of a basketball.  I had to laugh and remarked "Wow.  She REALLY likes her snow cones."  Little did I know, it was a regular sized snow cone.  Becuase when Dave ordered a medium blue raspberry, this is what we got.....

Dave was beside himself...

I ordered a small for obvious reasons. 

 And it was still ginormous. 

They were soooooo good.  Softest ice i've ever had. They're kind of pricey, ranging from $2.50-$4.50, but it's worth it, and makes for a lovely date night at the park.  :) 

 I had no trouble finishing mine (of course), but most of Dave's ended up in the grass. :) 

So, if you're hot and in need of a yummy treat, go to the Hawaiian Ice shack in the Bountiful Rec Center's parking lot.  It will not disappoint.  Just order a small...trust me.  :) 

Worst Weekend Ever

So, remember my last post and how excited I was about going camping with my family?  I was going to fish, hike, sleep, eat, and relax???  Yeah.  Didn't happen. 

Don't worry though...we still loaded up the car, made the three hour drive up to Bridger Lake, unloaded the car, put up the tent, and made the bed.  Then, an hour later, we Dave loaded everything up and headed home.  

I was SICK.  As in like SUPER ill.  I won't go into details (NO, I'm not pregnant).  But I was miserable.  We ended up going to the ER in Evanston, WY...which was an experience in and of itself btw.  There's nothing like walking into the ER and hearing a cow moo not fifty feet away at the same time.  They were bailing hay across the street.  Awesome. 

 It actually was a very nice hospital.  I just found the podunkiness of it all rather amusing.

I had a kidney infection.  Lovely.

About an hour later we were back on the road on our way home.  Worst drive ever.  I managed to not upchuck all over myself the whole way.  And then we drove out of Weber Canyon and merged onto Highway 89.  You know that on-ramp?  How it's a huge swirlydoo?  (That's the only word I can think of to describe it).  Well, upon driving on said swirlydoo on-ramp, I lost it...and all my work of keeping the little food I had in me down was gone.  Good thing the Wendy's bag from earlier was still in the car.  Ugh...gross.

So instead of my lovely relaxing weekend, I spent my days on the couch and in the bathroom with my head in the toilet.  Joy.  

Poor Dave...we took Friday and Monday off from work...and spent it doing nothing.

We're back at work today, and of course I'm feeling FINE now.  Ugh.  I'm glad I'm not so sick anymore, but seriously.  WORST timing ever.  Good thing school starts in less than two weeks!!!  Can you tell I'm having a bad day?  Such is life.          

Busiest Week Of My Life...Thus Far

This past week, I...

Packed and packed and packed some more

Made a wedding cake
Attended wedding and reception

MOVED..in ONE day

Deep cleaned my old apartment...in said ONE day

Attended a 1st birthday party...

along with the normal work week and such.

It doesn't seem like much...but trust me.  It was.  Although it was super busy, it really was quite fun...besides the moving part.  I'm certain that we moved on what was and will historically be the most humid day in Utah ever.  Not fun.  But, I enjoy being busy.  It makes me feel accomplished.  Especially since, (let's be honest), this has been my most lazy summer ever.  

The wedding cake was a lot of fun because it was my first cake made with the cricut cake...an amazing machine btw.  It had its stressful moments.  (I'm waiting for a time when I DON'T have a stress out moment with one of my cakes...it hasn't happened yet so I'm not holding my breath).  But, as always, everything worked out and I loved it. 

  I'm hoping I'll have more opportunities to mess around with the cake cricut.  It was a lot of fun and the possibilities are endless! 

Moving was chaos, but it will be worth it.  We found a place that is very close to where we are living now, but it has a dishwasher, washer/dryer hook-ups, it's a little bigger, AND, it's the same price.  Woot!  Did I mention that it has a dishwasher....a DISHWASHER!!!  Dave and I are in heaven.  :)  I'll get some pics posted once we get all settled in.  I know you're all dying to know what it looks like.  

Up for this week...

Dog sitting at the in-laws

Un-packing...oh joyous!

Packing for camping trip...

Camping trip at Bridger Lake...

fishing, hiking, and RELAXATION! 

Favorite Teachers and Such

So, this is super random, but interesting nonetheless.  Dave and I were talking yesterday, as we often do... :)  and we discovered something.  Most all (as in like 9 out of 10) of our favorite High School teachers and College professors have the first name Michael.  He brought it to my attention that this was true for him and as I was going through mine, we found that mine were named Michael as well.  It was funny...and weird.  We've found a glitch in the Matrix....  :)

On another completely random note, I was searching on deviantart for a new desktop background when I found this picture:

And it freaked me out a little.  I'm fairly certain that the artist of the drawing snuck into our bedroom and used us as his/her muse.  This is SO us!  It even looks like us.  You better believe it's my new background.

Bear Lake Weekend

We spent this past weekend up at Bear Lake and it was awesome!  We haven't been up to the cabin for a month or two, so it was nice to get away for the weekend and relax.  We spent our time at the beach, eating shakes, fourwheeling up the canyon, and MUCH of the weekend was spent playing around with the airsoft guns we just purchased.  I'm pretty sure there are over a thousand bb's around the cabin, and surrounding forest.  :)  Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

 

 We spent the day Saturday at the beach. 

 It was insanely crowded.  A fifteen minute wait and maybe a few "arguments" with other beach patrons later, and we had found a great spot on the beach. :) 

 Dave reading "The Beach" on the beach.  Clever...

 Jolynn and Kaitlyn enjoying the water.  It was actually warm!

 Mike and Big Dave. 

Dave and I spent the majority of the time sitting at the shore with our feet in the water. 

I did spend quite a bit of time in the water, and it was awesome.  Then, the snap on my swimsuit broke and I nearly flashed the entire beach...that was the end of that.  Good thing I have fast reflex's.  :)  AND, to make things worse, right when it broke, this kid kept squirting me with a water gun...in the face.  Some peoples children....

We spent Sunday up the canyon fourwheeling. 

 Check out this awesome picture of a butterfly.  I'm awesome...I know. 

This bug was HUGE and disgusting.  Dave and I were watching it fly around and saw it pee in mid-air.  Eww.  Then it landed and Dave shot it with his air soft gun.  Even more eww. 

The water is really high this year and so the mosquito's and gnats were horrible.  I have bites all over my legs and thighs.  One of the bites on my thigh left a bump the size of a silver dollar.  Gross.  Yeah, my skin is not a fan of  bites.  TMI??  Besides that, the weekend was great.  Our summer has been so wonderful and we're hoping to soak up as much of it as we can.  School will be here before we know it!