John and Danielle

Untitled.

2010-10-10T17:51:00.001-07:00

I wanted to show a picture of Sally to a friend of mine at work. I was going through the blog, looking at all the fun pictures and memories. Then I felt sad that I hadn't blogged for so long and all of the things that I am sure I have already forgotten because I decided not to blog about them. I decided (and maybe it wont last, like many other things that I've tried) to post more often. I always thought it was strange when people would say that their blogs were like journals, but now I understand.

There is a lot going on these days. We are busy with work and school. It seems like we haven't had any time to relax, and I think it is starting to get to us. I don't really have any new pictures to share, but here are some that I found looking through my old pictures:

This is a picture of my grandpa's family.

Grandpa is in the bottom left. He had a stroke when I was a baby (2 or 3, I think), and died

when I was 17. I never knew him, and I regret that to this day. I think about my grandpa

everyday and frequently think that he would have been my best friend in the world if we could

have known one another.

Here are some good ones:

Ben and Sally.

They loved each other. One time Ben took off running while I had about ten bags of groceries

on my arms. I tried to catch him, but he just kept running. Sally trotted along his side as happy

as could be. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

This is from a time that I took Ben to the zoo with me. He looks like a baby in this picture...he is so big now! I miss spending so much time with my nephews.

I can't sign off without posting a picture of adorable dogs, so here you go!

Rambling (Wo)man

2010-04-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures to post, however, there is a whole lot to update.

John is finishing up his first year of law school at the U; in fact he is working on the outline for his first final (this Wednesday) as we speak. It has truly been an adventure for both of us and we have learned a whole lot about ourselves as a couple. It never ceases to amaze me how much work he puts into what he does, or how hard he is on himself. I am SO glad that the first year is over and I am sure he is too. Only two more to go!

I am also finishing up with this semester. I have spent the last year of school in the paralegal program at Salt Lake Community College and have recently decided to go back to my original plan of getting my bachelors in history teaching at the U. I feel like I have wasted a whole year of my education, not to mention the money that we spent on tuition. Even though it is pretty discouraging to think about that year, the thought of getting my degree makes it worth it. I am looking forward to taking the summer off to re-boot.

Not only are we finishing up with school, we are getting ready to move...again. For those of you who are counting (not that anyone but me is counting) this will be our eighth move in the three years that we have been married. Overwhelming? Yes, but we are both looking forward to moving from apartment living to a house to ourselves and a backyard for Sally. We are both crossing our fingers that this will be the last move until John is done with school.

I am looking forward to the next few months. John has a summer job and I will be teaching swimming lessons in the hot summer sun(Christine and Steph: no more jokes about how pale my skin is). I am also training for a half marathon in July, which is exciting.

So that about sums up what is going on in our lives right now.

Until next time,

Danielle

Dognip

2010-01-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's like catnip, only for dogs. It isn't a plant at all, but a pair of socks. Weird? Yes. Funny? Hilarious. I understand that not everyone out there is a dog lover or even a pet lover for that matter, but my Sally Wag is like my baby, and it is for that reason that I give you this:

Those are my socks. I had them lying on a towel to dry on the office/spare room floor and she found her way to them. Honestly, I am not quite sure what is going on...this is not normal behavior.

Creme Brulee

2010-01-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

CREME BRULEE

This recipe is one of my favorite desserts and makes for one serious guilty pleasure. Not only is it delicious, it is easy!

You will need:

4 Egg Yolks
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Pint Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Dash of Salt
4-6 Ramekins or Custard cups
Roasting Pan ( I use a 9x9 or 9x13 pyrex)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.

Put the sugar cream mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes to help dissolve the sugar.

Beat the egg yolks until they are smooth.

When the sugar cream mixture is done add the egg yolks, salt and vanilla and whisk everything together.

Pour the mixture evenly into your ramekins(I got mine from Ross for $9.00 and love them)
Set your ramekins into your oven safe dish and pour enough hot water into the bottom of the pan to come up halfway on the ramekins.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Cool on counter top until they are cool enough to handle and then put them in the fridge.
Let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. (if you were to make them in the morning you could have them ready for dessert that night) It is important that they spend a good amount of time in the fridge. They really do not taste the same unless you let them set up in the fridge for quite a while.

Sprinkle the creme brulee with brown sugar and get out the little kitchen torch. Melt the sugar on the top to create a hard shell. (I dont have a torch and skipped this step)

Devour.

*someday I will have a kitchen torch...someday*

I am going on an adventure...

2010-01-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

John and I have been watching a t.v. show called "The 'F' Word." It is a cooking show starring Chef Gordon Ramsay. "The 'F' stands for food" he says at the beginning of every episode. It is kind of an odd show and I don't really know how to describe it, but it has awakened something in me and inspired us to try some different foods. So with a little bit of Christmas money I went to Ross and got some totally sweet and totally inexpensive cook books and some cooking implements that I have needed for quite some time - I still don't have a rolling pin! One of the cook books I bought is Martha Stewart's Cooking School, it retails for $45.00 and I bought it for $10.00. Thank you, Ross. It is probably one of the most handy things a person who wants to cook can have. Martha literally teaches you just about everything you need to know including, but not limited to de-boning a leg of lamb, filleting different fish, dividing a whole chicken, and how to make stocks of every kind (thank you, Martha). The other book cost me about $7.00 but is not really worth mentioning.

With some rules in line (like sticking to the monthly food budget), my adventure started about a week and a half ago. In our quest we are trying to eat better (in my opinion, just about anything homemade is better than eating out) eat fewer snack-y things, and we are also trying to eat fresh. The eating fresh part has been a challenge, but has also been fun (for example: instead of buying breads, I make them)

So far we have had the following things for dinner:

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad - have you ever heard of Sunflower Farmers Market? They have the most delicious cuts of meat and fish and you cant beat the price on the fish.

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan - The eggplant didn't turn out so great, it was pretty mushy.

Greek Chicken with grilled zucchini served over Bulgur with Homemade pita bread - our most favorite yet...and probably the most healthy. I will have to make it again so I can take pictures and share the recipe. Side note: If you have not tried bulgur, TRY IT. It can be used as a substitute for rice and it is so yummy.

Tri Tip roast with garlic tossed asparagus and roasted baby potatoes - We all know how amazing tri tip is.

I will share some of the delicious recipes that I have as I make them so you can come along on my food adventure with me!

The Chocolate Factory

2009-12-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted. I wanted to share a funny story and tell you a little bit about one of my favorite things: Italian sodas. Prepare yourself...it is kind of a long story.

In fall/winter of 2007 I was a nanny for a family that lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake City. Their last name was Peiffer. They had 3 boys Peter (Peter Peiffer, sad) and Liam, who were twins (7) and Eric (4). They also had two dogs: Buddy and Grommet. Grommet used to eat worms out of the ground and then roll in the worm guts and get them stuck in his fur but this information is useless and has nothing to do with the story. Every day from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm I would take care of the boys; get them to school, set up play dates, make them dinner, and take them out for treats. The best part was taking them out for treats. Especially when I happened upon Hatch Family Chocolates with the help of my sister Stephanie. Hatch Family Chocolates is owned and operated by two little people, John and Katie. I had never had an Italian soda before, and was curious when I saw it written up on the blackboard behind the delightful little chocolate counter. I tried one. It was cranberry flavored. I fell in love.

Needless to say, they started to have a soda made for me when they saw my car pull up. It was amazing.

For those poor unfortunate souls who have never had an Italian soda, it consists of the following:
Syrup (cranberry is my favorite)
Club Soda
Ice
Half and Half
(I have theories that they also contain love)
But you cant just put it together like that...there are rules for making an Italian sodas. RULES!

You have to fill the glass with ice first. Then you pour the syrup in the bottom of the glass. Then you fill the glass with club soda. DO NOT STIR or you are basically breaking all the rules of the Italian soda. You then pour enough half and half in the glass to make you happy. Now you can stir it...but only a little! - I dont really stir mine, I just kind of mash the ice with my straw and that seems to churn it up just right. You have to drink your Italian soda through a straw, all the while commenting on how amazingly delicious it is. That is the only way to have an Italian soda...like I said....there are rules.

I have yet to taste an Italian soda that measures up to the ones they make me at the chocolate factory (that is what we lovingly call it) and I have always taken all of my boyfriends there to share a delicious soda with me. One boyfriend that I had took me there quite often. Later, long after we had broken up and John and I got married we were opening wedding gifts and found a huge box full of like 18 Italian soda glasses. It was awkward.

Back to the story. I still try to visit the chocolate factory every once in a while but hadn't been in over 4 or 5 months. I had been craving it for the last few weeks. It was on my mind almost every day. Then this happened: I came home from work one day and John was watching t.v. "Did you know that they are doing a show about little people that run a chocolate shop?" he asked me. "Is it our chocolate factory?" I asked. "No" was his response. Later we were watching t.v. when a commercial came on for 'Little Chocolatiers' on TLC and sure enough, it was John and Katie making their chocolates.

I was panicked. I had been planning on making a trip to the chocolate factory after my last final was completed, you know, to reward myself for all of my hard work...but knowing they were on t.v. made me feel like I couldn't go back. And I needed to go back. So, last week after my last final, I drove over to the chocolate factory and went inside only to find a giant camera crew hovering around (I guess I assumed that they would be done filming since their series had already started). It was horrible. ALL I WANTED WAS MY SODA! Inside, the owner John greeted me. "We haven't seen you in a while." It was true, it had been too long. I ordered my Italian soda and hurried out. It was so worth it. It was divine.

I dont think that I can live without my Italian soda, and I really hope that they dont get too popular for me to keep going back. I need them. I need my chocolate factory.

The end

Netflix anyone?

2009-09-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

John and I canceled our Netflix when John started school. In the mail yesterday we got a letter from Netflix that gave us four cards to give to friends that would give a full free month of Netflix rather than the usual two week free trial. SO, if you happen to come across this and you would like to try netflix for free for a month, let me know and I will email you the codes.

Welcome baby Tess!

2009-08-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

August 1st 2009
Baby Tess Marie Gormley

5 lbs. 14 oz.

This morning at 1:30 a.m. my older sister gave birth to her first baby. Mom and Dad are now officially Grandma and Grandpa (both are completely smitten-as we all are). We are all already in love with this little girl who joined us 11 days before her due date.

This little munchkin has a full head of dark hair, feet the size of a five month old-hands too. Maybe someday she will grow into them.

Welcome baby Tess!

Third Time's the Charm

2009-06-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

After a second move in one month John and I are finally settling into a new-new apartment. The one with the backyard and all the fancy stuff turned out not so great and we were only there for two days. Maybe someday I will tell you the story if you haven't heard it yet.

We finally moved into a new place on the 4th of June. We were staying with my parents in-between moves, it was wonderful to have a place to stay and homemade dinner every night. We ended up having to move all of our belongings a total of 3 times in one month. We were lucky enough to have a moving van one of the three times (courtesy of John's dad, Dave) and lots of help from my siblings.

Most of our stuff is still in boxes and the only thing that we have all set up is the living room, but it already feels like home. Sally even has a new little friend, a black mini schnauzer puppy named Star. We are sleep deprived, stressed and tired of moving all around but happy nonetheless.

We are thrilled with our new place and I will definitely post pictures when everything is all organized.

Seriously?

2009-04-30T10:44:00.001-07:00

There are only two of us.

You probably wouldn't guess that if you saw our half a dozen sets of dishes though.

However, you can never have to many pyrex dishes...and this is only one third of them.

Moving is so much fun.

Moving Day.

2009-04-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

John and I are in the process of moving. We are currently sleeping on our mattress in the living room(which is highly reminiscent of when we were living at my parents house) and living on just the basics. I just read my post from when we moved into the apartment that we are currently in, it was nice to move here and all, but we are even more excited to move this time around.

The place we are moving to is a basement apartment in the neighborhood I grew up in. I am so excited to be in the same ward I was from ages 1-18. We are also pretty close to the Sugarhouse area where John spent the majority of his teenage years. The apartment is about twice as big as where we are now and we get to have our own backyard! I have already started my tomatoes, strawberries and zucchini plants to be ready to transfer them when we move!

We have been able to do a bunch of work on our soon-to-be home. The landlord let us paint the rooms whatever colors we wanted and pick out light fixtures and stuff like that, so it starts to feel more like ours with every project that gets done. Our current project consists of a whole bucket of joint compound, a cement like substance, primer and paint. We still have a bunch to do - does any one like painting cabinet doors? - but the work is worth it. If we love it enough we are hoping that we can stay at this new place throughout John's adventure through law school.

I don't have any pictures because, quite frankly, it is a disaster right now. After some heavy duty cleaning and decorating, maybe I will feel more compelled to share.

~Daniel update: John and I got to visit with Daniel yesterday. It was great fun, he is back to his old self and we got to share stories of our criminal adventures(Daniel and I were good friends in high school) with Christine and John. He is doing really well and recovering amazingly.

Daniel's Blog

2009-04-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Daniel's uncle has set up a blog so that we can all receive information on his condition. I haven't been able to be to the hospital and Christine hasn't been there since yesterday afternoon (she is in Provo attending her classes until 5 this evening), so the information that I actually receive is somewhat limited. If you read from the beginning you will be able to catch up on all of the details.

Christine and Daniel on the mountain after getting engaged

As you get ready for the day today, please pray that Daniel will be strong enough and in a more stable condition so that he may receive the surgery that he needs. Also pray that he will remain strong during the surgery if he does go in this morning at 10:30 (the surgery is scheduled for a *fingers crossed* final, and long term fix for his elbow).

Rock Climbing - Daniel's favorite

Christine will be back this evening to spend the weekend with her fiance. Keep her in your prayers as well, I am sure you can understand why this is such a stressful and terrifying time for her. She has been doing all she can to stay on top of her school obligations driving back and forth from BYU sometimes more than once a day. I was discussing with someone yesterday how I personally would not have the strength to keep on top of other things if I were in a similar situation. Although it is unfortunate that she should have to deal with this, it has been amazing to actually see the love that she has for Daniel, and the determination that she has to be her best, and do the best for her future family. Christine and I have not always been the best of friends, but this has been a reminder of the importance of family, and I want Chris to know that I love her so much.

Sisters - I think we must be somewhere around 5-6 years old

If the link doesn't work, the blog address is: http://www.danielconner.blogspot.com/

Muddy butts after mountain biking at the cabin (aren't they are perfect for eachother!)

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support.

-Danielle

Little update.

2009-04-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Daniel was taken off of his ventilator a little earlier and is now strong enough to breathe on his own. I know Christine and his family are looking forward to finally being able to communicate with him.

2009-04-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Daniel and his family need our prayers.

My sister's fiance Daniel was in a motorcycle accident yesterday morning on his way to work. A car was turning into a gas station and he was unable to break in time. He is currently in the Surgical ICU at the University of Utah Hospital where he is being treated for (I will try my best to explain) a very broken elbow, damaged knee(no breaks), two broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, two dropped lungs (one of which has a tube in it to help him breathe and relieve pressure). He is also suffering from a very badly damaged kidney, lacerated liver and his spleen is also damaged. Thankfully there is no sign of brain injury.

Yesterday throughout the day Daniel had very serious internal bleeding. He had two blood transfusions, and was stable enough to be moved from the emergency room to the Surgical ICU around 10 a.m.. His blood pressure was very low, so the surgeons were unable to provide him with very much relief from his pain. Because his blood pressure was so low they were not able to operate on him. Around 7:30 p.m. the doctors felt like he was stable enough to take him into surgery, where they cleaned out his open wounds to greatly decrease his chances of infection. They were also able to temporarily set his elbow with wire (there were several breaks in his elbow). with this temporary fix, they will be able to wait until his body is strong enough to handle a more invasive repair. He came out of surgery (around 9:30 p.m.) cleaned up, but not any better than when he went into surgery. His blood pressure climbed back to a normal-ish level around 10:30 p.m. and they were finally able to give Daniel the pain relief that he needed.

Christine, and Daniel's parents are doing fairly well considering the situation. I know that they didn't spend the night at the hospital, but they were all there around 11 p.m. when I left, so they were there late. There has been a great deal of support from both families and friends.

Christine is going back down to Provo(BYU) this afternoon to go to her classes and take a test and will be back this evening to spend her time at the hospital.

Keep Daniel and his family in your prayers. We are praying that he will not lose any mobility as his limbs heal. We are also praying that his internal organs can repair themselves and if not, that he is able to handle any future surgeries that he may have to face. We are very grateful that he did not suffer any brain damage or any damage to his head or neck.

We love you Daniel, even though you are not technically part of our family yet! We all know how strong you are, and we hope we can have you back soon.

I will update as I receive updates.

Doggies are Swell

2009-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Oh, pup.
I lurve you.

Don't Be Jealous...

2009-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

But my husband has been accepted into the S.J. Quinney School of Law at the University of Utah.

Booya!

And even though I am totally not looking forward to dealing with school-mode-John, I am very excited.

Congratulations baby, I am so proud of you!

Mission Control Puppy Asleep at the Switch

2009-02-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have not had a decent post in a long time. We are still alive! I thought I would post a few things that have been going on lately.

I have been spending very much of my time with this little guy.

It is nice to be around family. Plus he is incredibly adorable(a stinker when waking up from naps), and terribly fun to be around. As much fun as we have been having, it is nice to get to leave him with his mom and dad when the day is done-we are not ready for this yet!

Things have been going well all around. Anyone who knows John and I knows that we can very easily drive each other into a deep madness....I had a wonderful realization last week at my brother-in-law Doug's birthday party, I was talking to Doug's mom and she asked me how I was liking married life. For the first time in a year and a half I said "I love it!" I was so relieved! I didn't know if I would ever say it! Up until that moment, when people asked that question I always said "Its good, but its hard" -Don't get me wrong guys, I love my hubby. Madly. But being married is hard. I think that we are finally starting to understand one another better and it makes all the difference. It is much nicer now coming home to someone that I don't start a fight with every 23 seconds.

The other thing that I love coming home to is...Sally Wag! She spends all day long running around with her pals at doggy day care and when she gets home all she wants to do is curl up on the couch. She wont let anything stand(or sit) in her way.

She is sitting right on top of me! Someday Sally, we will have a bigger couch. Yes, I let my dog sit with me on the couch, but dont worry, the bed is still off limits. Our 1 year anniversary with Ms. Sally Wag is coming up in just a few months. It is crazy to think that we have had her for a whole year.

Speaking of anniversaries,

This is the tiny-sized cake that I made John for valentines day(which also happens to be our half anniversary). As you can probably see, I was experimenting with food coloring. You may think that I am weird all you want, but I love making crazy, silly cakes. And it tasted amazing!

Cake making is my latest favorite thing to do. I desperately want to learn how to make a wedding cake and have already perfected my fondant recipe. I am trying to build up my supply of cake making tools. I still don't really have pans, but my trusty pyrex have been doing the job just fine. Someday.

My other favorite thing:

No, not Good Housekeeping. Jon and Kate Plus 8! It is my all time favorite show and I follow it religiously. John now knows that every Monday at 8 I need my time to watch the new episode. He hates it, and if I don't kick him out of the room he will sit and complain about how annoying Kate is (what do you want? she has 6 4 year olds!) and how dumb it is that I love it so much. At least he really doesn't mind that I watch it.

On a completely different note (this whole post has been a little unfocused) this thing is my new enemy:

I read about the clarisonic on some blog a while ago where the author raved about how great it was. About a week ago my sister gave me this one to use and so far it has brought me nothing but trouble. I haven't ever really had bad skin, so I thought that it would just keep my skin nice and clean. This is not so! I have been breaking out since using it! I keep hearing that you have to use it for two weeks before you see results. I think my skin must be uber-sensitive or something because things just arent working out like I had hoped. I will keep using it for another week just because I am holding out for positive results and hopefully my face will stay in one piece until that time.

It was hard for me to stay on one subject for very long during this post, but I am glad that I finally got around to blogging something again. Hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day like I did!

2009-02-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

It looks as though it has been about a month since I last posted. Everything is going well. John was recently promoted at work and is now working full time hours and I am taking care of our nephew Ben. John is sending out law school applications and I am taking a few classes this semester, considering law school myself(I don't know how we would make this work, but its just a thought). Hope everyone has had a wonderful 2009 so far!

Howdy All!

2008-12-24T10:59:00.001-08:00

I realize that I have posted several very depressing and miserable posts, and I am sorry for that, but what do you expect? I thought I would update for those of you who John and I don't really have much contact with. I am in my 8th day of recovery and here is what's going on:

I am still very depressing and miserable - ask anyone we have visited with the past week.

Day one and two were okay.
Day three was the worst.
Day four was the worst.
Day five was the worst.
Day six was the worst.
Day seven was the worst.
Merry Christmas Eve, day eight is the worst!

I have stopped taking the prescribed pain meds. they all make me incredibly sick. Tylenol PM, I heart you all hours of the day. Since I stopped taking them, I have been doing much better. It is far better to be in pain. I hope that none of you ever have to experience throwing up when your tonsils have just been removed.
This morning at 2:00 am I woke up and couldn't sleep, I decided to watch a little HGTV(which has become my favorite since the surgery). I fell back asleep and woke up a little before 4:00, my throat was bleeding which is a bad sign. I waited for it to stop for 30 minutes but it didn't so I called my doctor and he told me to get to the ER. There, they would put me back under and cauterize the site, it would be like starting over from the beginning. Luckily when we got there at 4:30 am the very nice doctor told me that the bleeding had stopped! Yay! At the moment I would have rather died then do this whole thing a second time. The very nice doctor made fun of my little ice pack that I always keep on my neck(which is gross, so I dont blame him), but it made me laugh and I was very happy that there was someone pleasant to be around at that hour in my situation.

I am back to eating stuff that I dont consider real food for a few days(doctors orders) to help prevent bleeding (if I can manage to force myself to eat). Ice cream really isn't doing it for me, I am finding myself getting pickier by the day.

It could be much, much worse and I am so incredibly thankful that it isnt.

I am so excited for Christmas! John hates it, but I still can't sleep on Christmas Eve, I get excited like a little kid. I dont even know why, we dont have presents for each other (except for little things that we spent like 20 bucks on) and I never got around to finishing the adorable felt stockings that I made. But you can bet that I will wake up at 6:30 and want John to do the same and I will take pictures of our tree and the little presents being opened and I will be as happy and excited as I was when I was ten. I just love Christmas Day. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! We love you all.

A little update on the surgery

2008-12-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Everything went pretty well. I don't really remember much from afterward except that I kept asking for John. Wednesday I was doing great, I was drinking plenty of fluids and I was able to manage the pain without too much trouble. Yesterday was a tiny bit worse, but I figured that the day after the surgery would be the hardest. I wish I would have been right. Today (3rd day after) I have had a pretty serious earache, and been terribly hungry, but its just so hard to eat. Not a good combination when you are taking pain meds, you can probably guess what happened with that. After spending some time on the bathroom floor I decided to force myself to eat. John went out and got me some fishy crackers and I was able to eat a bunch and take some more pain killers without getting sick again. I love my hubby! He has been taking care of me so well, making sure I stay in bed and that I keep eating and drinking. .
I have already lost about five pounds, which is disgusting. My body is withering away, but hopefully I can gain back the weight when I feel better. I try my best to eat as much as I can but I swear it gets harder by the day. I have even had problems talking today, but nothing too bad.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support! We love you all.

Merry Crazy Christmas.

2008-12-16T13:22:00.001-08:00

I am trying so hard to get all Christmas related stuff done today before I get my tonsils out. I ran all over the valley yesterday and this morning. I have done about 7 loads of laundry, 3 dishwasher loads and have attempted to start cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming the living space about a dozen times to no avail. Oh, and the 7 loads worth of clothes that need to be folded and put away. I have been very impatient today because I am pretty sure that I have some form of strep, and I am running a fever and the dog wont stop whining because all she wants to do is go outside and play in the snow.

I am SO looking forward to the surgery tomorrow.

In all of this craziness, I feel so incredibly blessed to have a healthy family. I know that we all have our little issues, but it is nothing compared to how it could be. We are all healthy and I hope very happy. Family and friends I love you all so much!

Merry Christmas a little early - I dont know if I will be capable of saying it by the time Christmas comes.

Happy 13th Birthday Aly!

2008-12-15T07:49:00.001-08:00

My youngest sister, Aly turned 13 years old on the 6th of December. (This was also the day that John took the L.S.A.T.) We celebrated as a family on Sunday night with an amazing dinner cooked by my mom, and an absolutely delicious cake.

I started making Aly a really cute felt bag for her birthday along with some one of a kind slippies. Unfortunately I havent finished either of those things yet, so I need to get on that.

My little brother and sisters are growing up so fast. Aly is in 7th grade at Hillside and Ben is going to be 15 in April and goes to Highland. Ben kicks butt on the swim team and is quite popular amongst the ladies.

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

On a completely different note, I have tried my hand at knitting. I quite like it, but all I know how to do are the rows. I cant make a hat yet, which is what I really want to do. Laura and Leslie: do you remember those cute little pants that were green and had a monster face knitted into the bum? I am pretty sure if I had a pattern, stuff like that would be so easy to make because you are just building off of the rows. I have been experimenting with patterns lately and this is what I have come up with.

I am trying to make this into a scarf for myself. I go outside in the freezing cold to take the dog out and I always wonder why I make dozens of hats, but never end up making one for myself. I decided that a scarf would be nice too. So this one is all mine!

2008-12-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

Lynda, I guess these are mostly for you.

About an hour ago, I got rear-ended while driving the truck. Luckily the woman that rear-ended me was a very nice lady and took responsibility from the start so I didn't have to fight with her about it. Here are the pictures of the damage:

If you blow this picture up, you can see two scratches on the bumper on the lower plastic part. Also, the bumper was pushed down about a half an inch. I was lucky enough to have my parents about 15 minutes behind me, so my dad came by and looked over the damage and tried to see if he could find anything else. As far as we could tell (even though we aren't mechanics) everything else was okay. The tailgate works just as well as it ever did. Of course we will have it looked at just to be sure.

The "not-damaged" side:

No one was hurt, and I didn't get a ticket. I just feel a little guilty because it is not my truck and I try so hard to take care of it. Just goes to show that you cant control everything.

Nieces and Nephews....and Sally

2008-11-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

We went out to Leslie and Cam's to watch the U of U v BYU game this evening (go UTES!). I had tons of hats that I wasn't sure would work or not (some seemed quite goofy) and I was looking forward to finally seeing them on little models. They turned out much better than I imagined and I look forward to making some more strange-but-absolutely adorable little hats.

I still cant get over how cute Ben looked in this one. I think that the plain hat with pom-pom is way under-rated. I mean, COME ON:

This is one I really thought would not be cute. I really liked the colors together and thought it was unique, but that no one would share my opinion. After seeing Lizzy in it I couldn't help but think of other designs that I wanted to get started on.

And of course, the always darling Jane.

It was fun to watch the game with everyone and I am so glad that I got these cute pictures.

You know I have to post at least one picture of my Sally Wag. This was taken a few weeks ago when it snowed really hard. It was hilarious how excited she was to be in the snow. I was snapping away trying to get the perfect picture when I accidentally hit the button and got this:

When I looked down at the little screen to see this, I started laughing so hard that I was crying...I couldn't even breathe. I immediately ran up the street to Costco and got a print of it. How I get these funny dog pictures I do not know but I love it.

Still Good.

2008-11-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so on Tuesday I subbed in the special needs preschool class. It was pretty easy because it was only about 1-3 kids per teacher and there were three teachers in the class. Really, all I did was just help out. It was a whole lot of fun and very thought provoking. During a break I was telling another one of the girls that was there about how someday I wanted twins. There was a 4 year old boy in the class who was about 95% immobile because of a stroke at birth. He basically has the functions and mental capacity of a 4 month old. He is a twin and his brother is a normal 4 year old. We started talking about all of the sad things that can happen. I got to thinking: It isn't scary enough to prevent me from truly looking forward to babis. Even if there are complications with the development of a baby, he is still yours and you are going to love him more than anything in the world.

So any way, Tuesday was a good day. Today I was in the fourth grade (this is when they are old enough to realize that you can treat a sub poorly and probably get away with it). It was challenging but super fun. Social studies was a blast...again. I cannot figure out for the life of me why I am feeling myself drawn to the social studies. I guess because it is much like history. I don't know. I decided that subbing elementary school is probably more fun because you actually get to teach and do stuff.

When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.

2008-11-10T20:16:00.001-08:00

After feverishly looking for a job for about two months, I was certain I had covered all of my bases when out of nowhere last week I thought "I should just substitute teach." Today was my first day. I substituted in a third grade class in which we went to a Ballet West performance (nothing like a little art to soothe the soul), and I taught an amazing social studies lesson that I came up with all on my own as I was teaching it- It may not be a "real job" but I do get paid AND I had such an amazingly wonderful day subbing that third grade class that I could not be more excited to go to work tomorrow. It might be sad to say, but I felt better today teaching those little kids than I have in a while. Best part is, if I ever have a crummy class I don't have to go back the next day! which is especially nice because tomorrow is pre preschool. Yes. They aren't even all potty trained. I still cant wait.

Slippies.

2008-11-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

I made these super-cute, super-comfy slipper socks for my sister for her birthday. I do plan on making tons more and putting them on my etsy shop. I absolutely love them and it will be hard to give them away!

Please ignore my legs, they look gross because I had socks on and they got all line-y.

Doggy Adventures

2008-10-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last week John and I took care of my sisters little dog, Bella while she went on her honeymoon. Here she is pictured below, you may recognize her from such posts as Doggies!, and Pictures Worth a Thousand Words:

Sally was absolutely thrilled to have her doggy cousin over for a whole week. Sadly, it took about a week for them to get used to each other. Bella liked to curl up in a little ball on any lap that would take her....including Sally's:

Just kidding, this picture was posed. John shoved Bella into Sally's lap, it is pretty cute though. Here is what's NOT cute:

This is what the doggies (mostly Sally) did while I was away one day.

These are the innards of Bella's favorite toy. He is now a mere shell. His remains were strewn across the floor and I am still finding pieces of fluff that Sally is hoarding.

After all is said and done, it was a fun week. But it is very hard taking care of two doggies and I am not planning on doing it again any time soon. Sally was sad to see Bella go and moped around for a day or so after we took her home.

Aw, but isn't her Halloween bandanna so cute?

....

2008-10-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Laura, I know you tagged me last time and I never did it. So, I will do this one.

This is a picture that I took on a hike that John and I went on. You can kind of see Sally in the back ground. The mountains are so beautiful this time of year. I love the fall.

I have (kind of) conquered the afghan!

2008-10-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

My chronic tonsillitis has been getting the better of me for the last couple of days. So has my newest creation:

It took a lot of will power to finish this thing, but I finally did this morning. It felt like it was taking me weeks to make it, but it only took a couple of days.

I started making this baby afghan when I came across the pattern in a book that I was browsing. I wish that you could see the colors a little better, but there are other pictures on my etsy site that show them better. I wish that I could say that I made a full size afghan but if I ever started one, I dont know that I would actually be able to finish it.

Okay, okay.

2008-10-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

Okay Laura, I guess I wont try to get away with posting only pictures. Plus, I got the link for my hats wrong.

I was feeling like I wanted to post, but have been working on some pretty time consuming projects that I am trying to get on my etsy site(dont worry-I am still looking for a job), I gave it a shot though.

Okay, so on Friday my sister and her fiance finally tied the knot atop a very windy mountain with a gorgeous view...it was funny because in the pictures that I posted you can see that her veil is blowing and right after I took the pictures the wind carried it right out of her hair.
Leslie, unfortunately I cant claim artistic ownership for the wretched dog sweater. But then again, maybe that is a good thing. John continued to hold the dog like a baby for twenty minutes after that. I mean it. Look:

The wedding party was fun and we are all glad that they are finally married.

On Sunday while listening to Conference in the car on the way to my parents the car over heated. John's phone was dead so I called my mom to come and get me. We managed to get the car to her house to cool down while we finished the first session and ate crepes. I then attempted to drive the car back home thinking that John was probably worried that I had been gone for so long. On the way home the car over heated again...luckily I was off of the freeway (on Redwood and 21st) and made it into a parking lot. I lifted the hood and smoke started billowing out. A nice gentleman named Otis happened to walk by at this very moment and stopped to see if there was anything that he could do to help. I told him that I wasn't too far from home and that I would be alright. He stayed to help anyway. It was even Otis that noticed that there was fluid completely pouring out of one of the hoses-he told me that I would be able to fix it and how to go about doing so.
I don't think that I will ever see him again, but I wish I could thank that wonderful man. And if I do ever see him again, I will thank him.
So I got home and pulled the busted hose out and fixed the car. I am proud to report that since Sunday everything is great with the car. I would also like to thank Dave for walking John through what to do with the radiator fluid. THANKS DAVE!! It is very satisfying when you learn something new that you thought was so beyond your power to learn. Although it was a hectic situation, I am so glad that it happened. And don't tell anyone, but I think that I secretly want to be a mechanic.

And last, on Monday I made and sold two hats to a woman in Canada. I was very happy to see at least some of the stuff that is cluttering our apartment go. I am now working on an absolutely adorable little pink baby cardigan dress thing-y and the sweetest little baby afghan. Hopefully at least one of them will be done by the end of the week and in my etsy shop. Then, hopefully someone will see it and have to have it.

All in all, everything is good.

The end.

Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

2008-10-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

first official hat sale of the year.

I sigh locked my keys in the car.

2008-10-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Be prepared, I am going to complain. I was helping my dad out today-I even brought Sally in with me-and when it came time for me to leave I realized that I had locked my keys in the car. So I have to wait for John to come pick me up and I have about an hour to go. I am really frustrated because I have tons of stuff that I need to do before my sister's wedding tomorrow afternoon-go to the bank, find shoes(we all know how long this could take), try to figure out how to force my husband to get a stupid hair cut, figure out what to do with the dog tomorrow and I dont know what to make for dinner. I dont even know where to start. At least we have a spare key! And at least I have my Sally Wag:

I cant figure out how to make this picture bigger. But if you can make anything out, it is my Sally on her bed with her green bone at work with me, you can kind of see all of the foam core stacked behind her-not that foam core has any importance except that it signifies that we are at work.

How could I forget

2008-09-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

To post a picture of my sweet Sally?
We still love her...we haven't "sent her up the river" like I have been threatening lately.

Wait...what is that sound?
Sally just stuck her nose in my huge ice cold cup of water and dumped it all over the floor. And when I look over(every time that it happens) this is what I see:

You think I did that??? How absurd!

I figure its something like having a child. Especially when she does something bad and I say to John "YOUR dog is being a little turd!" or "YOUR dog just knocked over my glass of water for the tenth time!" or "YOUR dog wont stop jumping on the counter!" I guess it is a way of placing blame when there really is no one to blame.

Oh, but I could not love her more.
Especially when she is like this:

I have been crafting....

2008-09-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back I was wandering around the Joann's craft store when I came upon a long lost friend...Vanna's Choice Yarn. Yes, you heard me right, Vanna. As in Vanna White. Yes, she has a line of yarn and yes, I am in love with it. It was on sale so I bought some and began crafting. I figured if I start now and get a big variety by October or so I can put them on etsy or something...we'll see.

This one is my current fav. because of the cute little flower that I learned how to make and because the colors(which are not properly represented in this photo) are so stinking cute.

Another favorite. I made one just like this in an adorable maroon-purple-ish which my boss bought for her grand baby and this pink one was later commissioned- I still have to put the flower on it. The tiny ones (which fit two months old to about six months) are fun because they are easy and quick.

I honestly can not get over how much I love the new colors.
This green is one of my favorites.

I decided that I would benefit from lowering the price from what I had it at last year...mostly because I am using less expensive (much cuter) yarn. The next few hats I sell, I am going to save the money to get a pattern book that I have had my eye on (its $25!!!). It has patterns for baby pants and onesies and little cardigans.

I LOVE CRAFTING!

Good Recipe.

2008-08-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

I know that I have already told most of you about this one, but there might be some out there who haven't tried it before. This is one of our favorites.

Italian Chicken

3-4 Chicken breasts (frozen works best)
1 packet of 8oz cream cheese
1 packet of Italian salad dressing (the powder kind)
1 Small can cream of chicken

Here is the best part...

Put it all in the Crockpot until the chicken can be easily shredded. It takes about 5 hours on high, and about 6 1/2 on low. It is so easy! Just serve over rice. Mmmm.

I love Crockpot recipes because you don't have to do anything. If anyone has any good ones send 'em my way.

Blessings.

2008-08-04T12:02:00.001-07:00

I had a dentist appointment today. I know its weird, but I actually love going to the dentist and I am seeing a new guy who actually seems to know what he is doing. Good news, only one cavity(much better than having eight)! I know there are people out there who have never had a cavity. I despise you all. My teeth are aparently so soft that the little cavity bugs cant help but chew right through them. This is something that my whole family is cursed with. To my future children, who will probably not like going to the dentist as much as I do-I am so sorry. He also thinks that I am going to need a veneer on one of my front teeth(although it would be 90% for cosmetic reasons), and I need a crown from a previous root canal. This is all good news. I really was expecting more like five cavities and another root canal. I guess my obsessive dental hygene habbits have paid off, and I will continue brushing three times a day(my mouth is so small he politely suggested using a childs toothbrush) and flossing in the morning and at night.

Moving on. I GOT A NEW JOB! And its the one I actually wanted. I interviewed with the company Advanced Lighting Solutions about two weeks ago. It all went really well and I thought for sure I would get the job. I called a week after the interview and they told me that they had filled the position. I was bummed, but then my current employer told me I could stay. I just brushed it off. This morning I got a call while I was hanging out at my parents house waiting for my appointment. It was the company and the want me to start in the morning! I am so thrilled.

The #1 most important thing that I have learned in my first year of marriage is that the Lord has his own time table for me. I get anxious and try to stretch things out longer or hurry and change something quick, and it never works out, ever. Then right when I am about to give up(or maybe already have), or don't know what else to do it just gets dropped right in my lap. I am always so amazed how things always work out-maybe not the way you want-if you just have faith. I honestly can't even begin to remember how many times this has happened to John and I in this first year...and I am so grateful for it.

Legs.

2008-08-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, legs. John claims(and I believe him) that he hasn't worn shorts since he was 13 years old. Well, yesterday we found some shorts at Target that he believed to be acceptable-they were only 9 dollars-and is now showing off his 10-years-of-never-having-seen-the-sun legs. I had to follow him around the apartment to get this pic.

Sally is joining John in the experimental clothing test and is wearing this cute little bandanna that I tied around her neck. She tried to get it off for a minute or so and then gave up. John insisted on taking it off as soon as I turned around, but isn't it just adorable how she posed for me!

I love my Sally Wag.
I also love the fact that after much hard work and being worried that it would never happen, we have managed to get her to stay close to us when she is not wearing a leash. We can now take her out to the side of the apartment where there is tons of grass and just throw the ball around until she passes out. There have been a few times when she got a little too excited about being able to run free and totally took off, but now we know she will always come back to us.

Look at that face!

Do It!

2008-08-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

Please, if you haven't already go eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Order their Cajun fries. Just do it!

I realize that sometimes John and I are a little behind when it comes to trying out recently opened places...I don't know how long they have been opened or if any of you out there have eaten there already. I just know that it is SO good, we have to recommend it.

It is so cool how they work-all that is on the menu are hamburger, cheeseburger or bacon burger in two different sizes, little or regular. Then you pick what toppings you want. You can have whatever it is that makes your tummy happy without making your wallet sad. We went last night for the first time and ordered their "regular" cheeseburger with the toppings that we wanted at no extra charge, how cool! Come to find out the "little burger" isn't really that little and the "regular" is freaking huge (two patties), and these aren't like McDonalds patties these are like grill your own in your backyard, huge patties. Good thing we were hungry! Also, don't trick yourself in to believing that you can eat anything but the regular sized order of fries. They fill a cup up with fries put it in your bag, and then throw a whole extra scoop in the bag on top of all of your food. It is awesome.

John and I both agree that they have the best burger that you can get-maybe even better than making your own. So, just do it!

Batman, Batman, Batman!

2008-07-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today was our third, yes third time of seeing the Dark Knight.

Come on though...we couldn't get tickets for IMAX until the Sunday after it came out and we weren't about to just wait for 3 whole days until we could see it! The first time was on Friday. Second on Sunday in the IMAX theater, which by the way is the only way to go. And the third was today with the majority of the Barron family. Who can turn down a family movie? Not us!

I guess I lost one of the tickets.

I realized that I never put pictures of us on the blog, so I took this one when we were in the car. I now realize that it would be a more entertaining picture if we were in the theater standing in front of the movie poster, but it was kind of an after thought...we are however in the movie theater parking lot. Not a very flattering pic, but oh well.

We are now anxiously awaiting the much-anticipated and very-long-way-away graphic novel-turned movie Watchmen. If you feel like it, you can see the trailer here. Be warned, it is kind of intense. We have both read, and loved the graphic novel and I am sure will be some of the first in line to see it when it comes out on 3.6.09.

Happy Birthday Jane!

2008-07-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Our little niece Jane turned 4 today!
These pictures were taken six months ago to the day.

John LOVES Jane. He is always talking about how smart and clever she is. We both think so.

Here is one from her party...I know Laura took some, so I'll just post these ones.

I loved her princess cake. I don't remember if it was mine or my little sisters, but once when we were younger my mom made a cake for one of our birthdays that was shaped like a little lamb. She was always so creative with our cakes for as long as I can remember. My mother is gifted when it comes to baked goods. Actually, she is just all around amazing.

Jane got to eat this cake all by herself. She appeared to have had a wonderful birthday- Happy Birthday Jane!

I also wanted to post these other pictures that I snapped of Ben and Lizzy-they were adorable.

If the pictures aren't enough to convince you of how bad Ben wanted the cake, I don't know what to tell you.

Jane finally decided to give him a little taste.

And he kept coming back for more...even though he couldn't reach it.

Happy 24th!

2008-07-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Our 24th of July consisted of the following:

Taking naps...

Sally doesn't like to be bothered while napping. She actually wedged herself between the cushions. This picture is actually from a while back, but I found it pretty amusing. I am a total sucker for taking naps, even if I don't feel tired. I guess it is just my way of relaxing?

We also did a little grocery shopping and...

Made sushi!

Don't be jealous. It really wasn't that great.
It does look pretty though, and I am sure that with some practice I will be able to figure out how to make it right.

Hope that everyone had a nice, relaxing 24th!

Getting the Boot...

2008-07-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Finally. As of August 30th, I will no longer have a job with Corner Canyon Marketing. Q:Are any of us really surprised? A: NO. Last Thursday I was pulled into my supervisors office and told that my co-workers and I need to be aware that we are "down sizing"-whatever that means. Q: Could it mean that my current employer has finally been called on all of his crap?

A: Quite possibly.

I am sitting here in my little cubicle while the guy across from me listens to Mr. Jones by Counting Crows and when I really think about it, I actually feel sad that I wont have this job anymore. For the most part, I enjoy the people that I work with and I hope that I will still know them when we dont have work in common anymore.

I guess I'd better see the dentist before we dont have insuance anymore! I can't figure out for the life of me why I always have to go to the dentist, it is pretty annoying.

I have been looking for jobs on craigslist and other places. I have had a few interviews. So far nothing. I know that I will be able to find something else, I just hope that it is sooner than later.

I need to send a shout out to Laura:

I love reading your blog. I love that you post so often. I love how clever you are. I love that no matter where I am when I am reading it, I always laugh out loud. You are raising such beautiful little girls who are just as clever and funny as you are. Jane is an absolute hoot, and Lizzy couldn't possibly be more adorable.

I love you guys!

Don't Do It!

2008-07-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

A while back I decided that I wanted to try out this new frozen yogurt place that was just recently built in the Union Park area. It is called the Red Mango and it is something similar to a Cold Stone, or a Marble Slab or whatever the other rip-off place is called...only they serve frozen yogurt. I walked in (John in his ultimate snobbishness wanted to have nothing to do with the place)and got a small cup of regular frozen yogurt with a little scoop of raspberries. I was excited to try it until I went to pay. IT WAS 6 DOLLARS! It was fun and all, but definately not worth it. So, don't do it. Don't go to the Red Mango.

Lazy Dog Days

2008-06-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't get around to posting this when I wanted to so here goes:

Last week (or maybe two weeks ago?) the apartment was being remodeled to have a stackable washer and dryer and we weren't allowed to be in the house for about 8 hours. I took Sally and stayed at my sisters house for the day. Here are the pictures of the wonderful doggy party that we had.

Stephanie has three dogs. Nebo and Bella are here with Sally. Sally LOVES little dogs and could play with them for hours. Bella didn't want to be played with.
Nebo is the sweetest pup. He just wants to love and snuggle all day long. Bella is his little baby and every time Sally wanted to play with her Nebo would step in and put Sally in her place. Syd did not like Sally AT ALL. Don't believe me?...

I cant believe I captured this. Sally was literally licking the inside of Syd's mouth and he wanted to have nothing to do with her. This wasn't the only time she got in his face...she didn't seem to mind that he almost ate her.

So the hook ups for the washer and dryer are all done and we should be receiving the machine by the end of next week, which means we will no longer have to pay to do our laundry. Hooray!

Thats it for the week. Sorry for not having anything more entertaining to report.

It has been a while.

2008-06-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a really long time. My last post didn't work for some reason and so I wasn't feeling too up to having that happen again. So here are some pictures of our new apartment from when we first moved. I will have to take some more pictures when everything is all nice and clean.Because John was sick the week we moved, I did most of the moving while he set up the television. These pictures (above and below) were taken from the front door.

I think that we would still be sitting on the floor if it weren't for Laura's couch, so thanks for letting us take if off of your hands!

It was such a mess. The hardest part was deciding where everything would belong.

This is the little nook which is situated across from the kitchen. This is where we have set up our computer desk-which we bought off of craigslist.

Across from the nook is the kitchen. It is pretty small, but compared to our last apartments kitchen it is great. There is plenty of cabinet space (even though they are pretty crappy), so I still have room for more if ever I need it. All of the appliances are new, including a dishwasher! - No more hand washing for me!

This is the "hallway"-I guess you could call it that. To the left is the kitchen, to the right is the nook. Straight ahead is the bedroom with the bathroom through the door on the right.

The bathroom is the worst! But at least we have one! It has a silly sliding shower door which I hate because it is so hard to clean, and the floor is sticky no matter what I clean it with. AND there is no room for anything (anybody know where to get a cheap over the toilet shelf thing-y?).

The bedroom is my favorite part of the apartment. It is the perfect size, plus it has a walk-in closet, and a regular closet. We do have our bed all put together now, but the mattress topper is where our bed is now.

So this is it. We love it here! The complex is really nice and we finally feel like we are settled in. There are still a few things that we need that we try to pick up here and there but things are coming right along. We are so grateful for the help that we have had to get to this point, and the help that we continue to receive. We love you all!

Thank You All!

2008-05-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Rainy Days and Dogs

2008-05-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, John and I adopted a sweet little doggy last Saturday. Ever since then our lives have been....better, or will be as soon as we adjust to this new schedule! This was the plan:

6:00 am-wake up so we can walk the dog
6:45ish - leave for work(get to work at 7:00ish).
7:15 John gets home and plays with Sally for 45 minutes.
8:30 they take a nap.
11:00 John leaves for work (leaving Sally in the bedroom with plenty of toys).
2:20 I leave work to catch the bus.
4:00 I get home (yes, it is an unbearably long trip) play fetch with Sally for 45 minutes.
5:45 John gets home.
6:15 we try to get out of the house for a little while (shopping, eating, etc.)
7:45 Another walk around the block
8:30 We usually start a movie or John plays video games while I get some extra work done.
9:45 One last round of fetch with the dog.
10:00 BED TIME!!!! How glorious.

It is actually pretty nice to be on a schedule-and we have followed it really well so far. But there is no doubt that we are both completely exhausted. It feels like there is not enough time in the day. I know those of you with kids are probably laughing at us right now thinking, oh you just wait until you have babies, and thats all fine and dandy, but we'll worry about that when we come to it. And it wont be soon. Especially not after this.

Today I got home from work after too long on the bus and an excruciatingly long walk and decided to go on a run with Sally (if the weather got bad we didn't want to take her out later). The weather was nice - it wasn't raining and the sun wasn't too bright. I laced up my running shoes and grabbed the dogs leash and we took off up the street. It then immediately started pouring rain. I thought, what the heck, and kept going. By the time we got home (we only ran for about ten minutes-way out of shape) we were both soaking wet. If my mom were here when I brought the dog in she would have thrown a fit.

Every time I wrapped the towel around her to try and dry her off, she thought I was trying to play tug-o-war with her and the towel. I quickly gave up and just let her roll around on her little blanket bed until she dried off. I wont lie, it smells really really horrible in our tiny room. Plus, now I have way more laundry to do. Oh well though, I guess.

We are clearly getting way more exercise now than we ever were before. Maybe our half hour walks will turn into half hour runs?

Oh! And another very bright spot. John and I (and Sally) have finally found a place to live! We are so incredibly excited. We get to move in on June first - looks like we're gonna beat Leslie and Cam. It is a one bedroom (after this, any thing sounds great) but apparently it is quite big. John went to look at it on Tuesday morning and fell in love with it. We are all going to see it on Saturday. Here is the link to the photo album of the model that we are moving into.

http://www.somersetvillageapts.com/4/Apartments-in-West-Valley-City-Utah/

I guess it didn't work as a link, but if you are feeling like looking you should check it out. It is a gated community, has an indoor and an outdoor pool AND a dog park right on the premises. Like I said, we are very excited.

WE'RE BACK!!!

2008-05-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know I haven't blogged in a long time but now I have my camera cable and Dave brought up the computer a few weeks ago so I don't have an excuse. Except maybe that I worked a total of 98 hours over the last two weeks. Its going to be a great pay check!

John graduated (kind of) from the University of Utah yesterday. It was very exciting for both of us. I was almost in tears the whole time, I am so proud of him. I did get video of him walking and taking his 'diploma' but we were pretty far away and it was really noisy. We did get this picture though.

I cant figure out why it is so small and such low quality. I must have screwed up with something. Luckily there are plenty of you out there who probably got a better one, so you'll have to get it to me.

He has a few more classes to go, but he will be done in the middle of July. Being at the graduation made me want to hurry up and graduate myself. Because I am liking my new job so much I am thinking about asking my boss if there would be advancement opportunity if I had a degree in business. We'll see where that goes.

So, over all things have been going really well. We are working on getting all of our 'stuff' payed off and then moving out of our tiny cube of a living space, we are closer than we ever thought we'd be...this job has been a miracle for us.

Thanks to everyone for all of the support. We wouldn't have made it to this point without you guys!

Not Tagged. But Pretending.

2008-02-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

No, I have not been tagged. But, because I never really have anything to say I decided to just pretend like I have.

10 Years ago...
I was not quite 11. Wow. I am just a pup! I don't think that I could even tell you what I was doing at this age.

5 things on my to-do list today...
1. Survive the day.
2. Do homework.
3. Finish the laundry that I abandoned yesterday.
4. Get Paid!
5. Make my mommies signature freezer jam. Yum, yum.

Snacks I enjoy...
Recently I have started to turn Barron, and my favorite snack of the last few weeks has been green olives. I have always liked them, but never enough to eat them like candy. At least not until now. I also love Swiss Miss hot chocolate, and microwaved hot dogs. (I think that something is wrong with me!) ...ooh! and miso soup from work.

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire...
I would buy a big house and adopt a bunch of children.

5 Bad habits...
1. I guess that talking in the baby voice is one of my bad habits...animals, babies, things on television all get the baby voice. I can't help it.
2. Watching t.v. I watch t.v while I do my homework and whenever else I can. Jon and Kate plus 8 is my favorite t.v. show.
3. I am very bad at keeping any car clean. I step into a car and all of a sudden there are things being spilled, important papers being scrunched and stepped on with muddy feet, c.d.'s get all scratched up and things go missing. Not to mention the whole wardrobe of mine that you would find.
4. Procrastinating. I don't know what else to say about that.
5. I have the worst memory. Ever! I would say that my bad memory is one of my bad habits.

5 Jobs that I have had...
Nanny/Dog walker/Servant
Swim Instructor
Life Guard
Working for my Dad at the office
Host at Ninja

5 things that people don't know about me...
I hope someday to become like my mother.
I love, love, love brussle sprouts (but don't know how to spell it!)
I can watch movies like a little kid. Just put one on loop and I could watch it probably 2 or 3 times in one day (as long as it is one that I like, of course).
I am fascinated by large flocks of birds. Mesmerized. I couldn't really tell you why, but if you ever want to distract me, point out birds in flight.
Okay, I feel like I have to put a bit of a note on this one. I know that I don't know what it is like to have children, but this is how I feel! I would have some of my own (4-5?), and adopt some more. I would love to have like 8-10 children. I have felt this way since I was about 10.

My Lovey (Tagged. A long time ago.)

2008-02-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, Laura tagged me a while ago. I have been very lazy, but Stephanie called me yesterday and told me that I needed to update my blog, so here goes.

What is his name?
John David Barron.
(Isn't he cute?)

How long have we known each other?
About four years. But if you really asked us we'd say two. We don't like to count the first two.

How long did we date? I think that we probably dated for a total of two years. It was an on-and-off thing.

How old is he?
23, 24 next month. Happy birthday babe...almost!

Who eats more?
I think that we eat the same amount.

Who said I love you first?
I think that it was probably me.

Who is taller?
John, by six inches. Yay, I can still wear heels.

Who can sing better?
John. If only I could get him to.

Who is smarter?
I think that John is smarter...but I think that I have a chance of catching up.

Who does the laundry?
Me. I do. John says that laundry is "womans work" and tells me to stay in my place. Ha ha. But really, I think that he has probably only helped me with the laundry a total of two times.

Who pays the bills?
John. Unfortunately, I have the worst memory when it comes to bills, it seems like I always pay mine late.

Who sleeps on the right side?
I do. I kind of took over Johns preferred spot.

Who mows the lawn?
We don't have a lawn, but something makes me think that I would be the one mowing it. I kind of like mowing.

Who cooks dinner?
We both take turns. John shows me up sometimes. I guess he's making up for not doing the laundry ever.

Who drives?
Usually John. Except for when he asks me to, which is not that often.

Who kissed who first?
It was a joint effort.

Who is more stubborn?
John. John, John, John. Look at his hair! He wont get it cut just because I keep asking him to.

Who asked who out first?
Neither. It was just sort of arrived at as a joint agreement.

Who is more sensitive?
Me. Trust me though, I used to be worse than I am now. I cried about everything. I particularly remember a ranch dressing commercial that really got me going.

Who has more siblings?
I have more siblings. One brother and three sisters. John has two sisters

Who wears the pants?
Sometimes I feel like I do. John thinks this is a pant-less relationship.

That was actually kind of fun! I love you Johnny!

Jobs, Blogs, Hoorays for Happy Things!

2008-02-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little late in officially announcing this, I got a job! Almost a month and a half ago, I randomly turned in an application to a sushi restaurant in Cedar City called Ninja Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi. I totally forgot about it two weeks later. I got a call after school about a week and a half ago, and was asked if I would come in. I set up an interview, and was immediately told that I was a great candidate, I would just have to show them that I knew what I was doing (I have never ever worked at a restaurant...my skills range from teaching little kids swimming lessons, baby-sitting little kids, and loving little kids). They gave me a little instruction, and then just kinda threw me into the operation. I actually had a lot of fun! I was asked to come in for another day of training, but still no word on whether or not I got the job. I told them that I didn't want to keep coming in for training unless I had a job (I put it much nicer than that). So I was sent home...thinking that I lost my chance. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long to find out. I got a call twenty minutes after I got home...I got the job! So now I am working about four days a week, I am only making seven dollars an hour, but it’s much better than nothing!

There were whispers going around between the employees of the restaurant for about the first hour of my first official day. Finally this funny Chinese kid came up to me and asked me how old I was. I told him and he was baffled. "We thought you were fifteen and we were wondering HOW you got this job" I was so sad, and kind of embarrassed. Everyone kept saying, "don’t you want to look younger than you are?" Uh, yeah, but not until I'm like 40! So I decided that I needed to make a change. We drove down to St. George to get the puppy for my sister and I decided to get my hair cut (thinking that would make me look less young). I chopped all of my hair off! I got it cut at the hair school in Washington (hooray for eight dollar hair cuts! --you can’t even get that from great clips!) I got a hair cut that I love, inspired by Katie Holmes new do. I love doing my hair. It takes like ten minutes; I don't have to get up at six to make it to school by eight-thirty! Unfortunately, only one person (out of 13) said that I looked older. (Frown, sigh.)

Look at all of the hair they cut off! Sorry if this grosses you out...I was very impressed.

Ugh! Now I am remembering all of these things that I want to tell everyone! I need to stay on top of the blog!

Here is something funny:

I don't have a parking pass for school. The only place available for someone like me to park is either on a really busy street, or about five blocks from the school, OR:

The broken parking meter! Hooray for broken meter number 4! I don't know if you can see the little hand, but is all the way to the right, stuck! Yay. I get to school extra early just so I can park in the spot where the meter is magically stuck at two hours. FREE PARKING!
Who needs parking passes? They are so over rated.

I love when it snows. LOVE IT. I don’t know why, that is just the way it is. Unfortunately, since it has snowed we have not been getting out of the house and walking as often as we had been. We got the left over storm from Salt Lake last week. I didn’t even want to get out of the car. It came so fast, I wasn’t properly equipped to handle it. I was wearing sling back shoes-basically sandals. I was freezing cold and soaking wet. John was just mad. He doesn’t like the snow.

Oh! I almost forgot. I have some pictures from our weekend in Salt Lake.

This is a picture of the newest edition to the Carter family; Lucky the dog. He is so cute. He is a poodle cocker spaniel mix. My mom would never dream of letting me and my sisters get a dog when we were little, due to a bad experience with a cat before I was old enough to remember. My mom LOVES this dog. She was the absolute last person on earth that I ever thought would even think about owning a dog. She spoils little Lucky like crazy. I think that hell has frozen over.

This is me and Aly.

Wow, I look tired. Probably because we spent a good part of the day in the car (I am still not used to the three plus hours it takes to get to Summit as apposed to the one and a half hours it took to get to Ephraim).

Here are Ben and Aly. Oh my gosh I miss them so much I could cry. They are on the very top of the list of my best friends.

It is so crazy to me how they have grown up so fast. Aly is already on point in dance and Ben is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwondo (I know it sounds nerdy, but it is one of the coolest things ever! It made him strong enough to easily take me down).

Here is John and I waiting for our pancakes to finish cooking. We went to a late movie the night before and we were tired. Ben and Aly had friends sleeping over. Needless to say, we were prematurely woken up.

Here are just a few more pictures of my siblings.

Ha ha. I never noticed that I had a googley eye!

I hope that you didn't think that I was going to forget about the nieces and nephew! Here are just a few photos that I snapped while visiting with the Barrons.

I don't think that either of us were ready for that one.

Thats better.

Here is adorable little Lizzy. Brent asked me to feed her while he helped Laura with the bed.

These ones are funny. Jane is trying to get John to play with her, but he is too tired.

She kept trying and trying.

And eventually gave up.

Silly Janiekins. She loves her uncle Johnny. We love her too.

This one is of Ben and Lizzy. They immediately darted towards me right when I took my camera out. They must know whats coming, Laura has trained them well.

Alright, well that pretty much sums up the week. Whew, I think that is the longest blog ever, it took like three hours. I guess I'll need no hone my blogging skills. Until next time, much love to all.

2008-01-29T19:58:00.001-08:00

Doggies!

2008-01-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just so everyone knows, this is not our dog. Don't worry. My sister bought this dog from someone in St. George, gave us some money to pick the dog up, and meet her in Filmore to make the doggy transfer. The dog is a tan long hair chiuahua (spelling?) and her name is bella. Contrary to popular beliefs and stereo types, this is actually a very loving animal, and John even said that he loved her! Anyway, I mostly posted these pictures for my sister to be able to see her dog, but I thought I would let you all know what was going on.

2008-01-29T18:40:00.001-08:00

Finally Some Pictures! (I hate dry, static-y weather)

2008-01-21T12:28:00.001-08:00

This week has been great. Not for any particular reason (we still don't have any jobs), it has just been "one of those" weeks. John and I have started to take time every day to get out of the house and take a walk or go on a little hike. It has done wonders for both of our attitudes towards our current situation, we have even been getting along better, and loosing weight!

I finally got batteries for the camera and so I have the long awaited pictures of the recently painted kitchen in Summit. It still needs another coat, but it looks great. Also, the pictures were taken at night and it looks a little more blue under natural light.

I have also been taking some pictures from the walks that we have been taking here's one:

I made myself a hat!

Okay, I just have to say that I am completely fed up with the static that is ever-present in this house. Every time I turn on a light, I get shocked by the little screws that hold the plates in place, every time I touch John, or he touches me we get shocked. And this is what happens when I get out of bed.

This is NOT an exaggeration, my hair was actually stuck to my face and standing straight up. I am sick of it!

Black Eyes, Blue Paint, and Dead Batteries

2008-01-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

This week has been an interesting one so far. At the end of last weekend, we helped (a little) with painting the kitchen in Summit. We were all SICK of the boring yellow paint and are thrilled with the blue coat that was applied. There is no denying that it adds a warmth and personality to the kitchen.

It took a little team effort to get the kitchen cleaned up so that we could take pictures, and then when I got the camera, the batteries were dead...and there were no working batteries to be found. Batteries are kind of expensive in general, and so people in our situation don't stand a chance to get our hands on some batteries...I wonder how worth it rechargeable batteries are?

Imagine a picture of a blue kitchen here

What I am getting at, is that I had the blog all ready to post and add all the pictures, but I cant because of the dead battery situation. I have decided to post anyway and add the pictures at a more opportune time.

Continuing on. On Tuesday my clumsiness got the better of me and I took quite a tumble. My hands got all tangled up in whatever it was that I was doing and I ended up face planting onto the bathroom floor. Now I have a black eye, my first black eye since walking into the corner of a wall with a Disney View Finder held up to my eyes. Which, I am sure that you deduced, left me with two black eyes. I was 5, you cant criticize me too harshly for it.

Picture of Danielle with a black eye

School is starting to pick up a little bit, I have my first test tomorrow in my math class. Yikes! And I always have tons of reading to do, but I think that I am beginning to enjoy it a little more.

We hope that everyone is doing well, we miss you all and look forward to our next trip up to Salt Lake on the 25th.

Fun in the Snow

2008-01-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a cool story. You may or may not be interested...and I am guessing most of you wont be.

On Saturday John and I took a trip to the local shooting range, where as luck would have it a group of people were there shooting some very rare guns. They were fully automatic M-14's and NOT the civilian kind. The real deal. John was so excited he was peeing in his pants, and they even asked us if we wanted to shoot them! (just so you know, it costs about 40.00 for ten rounds of ammunition and they let us each shoot 10 rounds.) John was able to shoot the machine gun with ease, but when I had my turn to shoot it, it basically spun me around in a circle. I had no idea what I was doing. So it was a very awesome once-in-a-lifetime experience that happened in the great little town of Cedar.

Things are looking good for John getting a job. We went and talked to a guy today who knows of three companies hiring, and is going to call us with their phone numbers. Pray for us that something will finally happen with regards to a job.

2008-01-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

After John and I decided to move, Laura began pestering us to start up our own blog so we could all keep in touch with each other. We had our minds made up that we would NEVER blog...but I was sucked into the blogging vortex when I was looking over Brent and Laura's blog while I was sitting in class this afternoon. Out of nowhere I had this overwhelming desire to join the blogging community, and John actually went along with me! So here we are!

John and I have been married for a little under five months. We recently moved to Southern Utah to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. I am going to school at SUU. I was supposed to start on Monday, but we were pounded with a foot and a half of snow. Needless to say, we spent two and a half hours on Monday morning shoveling what we figured to be about 1200 cubic feet of snow. And we only had one shovel. Any way, school has started and I have found it to be terribly boring thus far. I am crossing my fingers for things to improve.

So now we have a functional camera, and a blog all set up. Hopefully this will help us better document our time in Southern Utah, and keep in touch with the family.

John and Danielle

Untitled.

Rambling (Wo)man

Dognip

Creme Brulee

I am going on an adventure...

The Chocolate Factory

Netflix anyone?

Welcome baby Tess!

Third Time's the Charm

Seriously?

Moving Day.

Daniel's Blog

Little update.

Doggies are Swell

Don't Be Jealous...

Mission Control Puppy Asleep at the Switch

Howdy All!

A little update on the surgery

Merry Crazy Christmas.

Happy 13th Birthday Aly!

Nieces and Nephews....and Sally

Still Good.

When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.

Slippies.

Doggy Adventures

....

I have (kind of) conquered the afghan!

Okay, okay.

Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

I *sigh* locked my keys in the car.

How could I forget

I have been crafting....

Good Recipe.

Blessings.

Legs.

Do It!

Batman, Batman, Batman!

Happy Birthday Jane!

Happy 24th!

Getting the Boot...

Don't Do It!

Lazy Dog Days

It has been a while.

Thank You All!

Rainy Days and Dogs

WE'RE BACK!!!

Not Tagged. But Pretending.

My Lovey (Tagged. A long time ago.)

Jobs, Blogs, Hoorays for Happy Things!

Doggies!

Finally Some Pictures! (I hate dry, static-y weather)

Black Eyes, Blue Paint, and Dead Batteries

Fun in the Snow

I sigh locked my keys in the car.