Mat and Amanda Taylor

Ragged Edge Quilt

2012-01-24T18:16:00.001-08:00

I took on a new project without a pattern and it turned out great. Check out the ragged edge baby quilt I made for a friend:

Here's all I did:

1) Cut squares out of two or more different flannels (looser weaves work better)

2) Arrange them on floor for pattern

3) Pin Columns together in one long strip, with print outward, then sew together with 1/2 inch seams.

4) Iron seams open

5) Pin two columns together with seams outward and sew with 1/2 inch seam. Continue until all are sewn together.

6) Pin and sew back of quilt to front, with seams outward.

7) With small pair of scissors, clip outward seams (they should all be facing upward to the top of the quilt) clip edges about every 1/2 inch.

8) Wash and Dry a couple times, and viola!

Cool, huh?

Captions Worth a Thousand Words

2012-01-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

"Hey guys? This is fun and all, but will someone get me down? Guys? Guys? Hello...?"

"Wow, it sure was easier to get up here than it will be to get down...huge oversight on my part."

"I have an itch on my nose; Can someone get it?"

"...8, 9, and 10. Whew! That's one set."

The possibilities are endless...

Curtains, Canvases and Chandeliers

2012-01-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Mat and I have been on this DIY rampage to try and spruce up our townhome (ok, more I am, but Mat likes to participate... so he says...) and here are a few new additions to our home:

My mother made Camden some blackout curtains for Christmas. They are fabulous! Before them, we had cheap curtains and about 4 blankets hanging over his gigantic window (I wish I had a picture of it--it was comical...) but these curtains are fantastic and so beautiful! Take a look:

We had to add our own DIY to make it just slightly darker in the morning. He gets a brilliant sun in the mornings in his room, so we bought a 7$ tension rod and hung a blanket inside and... viola!

Mat and I love artwork in our home but can't afford it right now, so we made our own. we made one with Camden's feet on it, and another set with some painters tape. I think the geometric ones cost a total of like 7$ to make. Have a go at it! It was really fun!

And last, but not least, my Christmas gift from Mat. I love my husband. SOOOO much. Isn't this beautiful?

Stay tuned for pictures of the projects we are currently working on.

Playing with your food

2012-01-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

My nephew sent this video to me today. It brings new meaning to the phrase, "playing with your food." I might actually let my children play with their vegetables if they did this.

Christmas Traditions

2012-01-13T09:21:00.001-08:00

Mat and I were on our own for part of Christmas, so we decided to start some traditions of our own. I decided to carry on one of my mothers traditions and make ornaments for the tree each year. They were basic and about my skill level, but I had a fun time doing them. Only 11 more months until I get to do it again! I wonder what I'll make...

Mommy Wow... I'm a big kid now!

2012-01-12T16:29:00.001-08:00

Take a look at our little one's progress...

Christmas

2012-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! A little late... Our Christmas holiday was pretty amazing. It went way too fast. We spent 5 days in Orem, then went up to Park City with Mat's family for a get-a-way vacation. We had a blast. Here are a few highlights:

The day we left for Utah, Mat and Cam and I had our own little Christmas here in Lexington and opened the gifts from our family. Camden wasn't quite sure what to think of the gift until the wrapping paper was off. Then he played in it.

He really did love his toys however. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Richards and Grandma and Grandpa Taylor for the toys for Christmas. He loves them a lot! (and thus, so does mommy. :) Happy baby = happy mommy)

When we first arrived, Cam's cousins couldn't seem to get enough of him and Mat. Mat told them made-up stories about "Super Cam" and "Super Kel" until they were blue in the face from laughter.

At the family party, Mat, his brother Kimball and sister-in-law Aubrey prepared a little Christmas diddy for the family and rapped for us all. Take a look:

Mat and I saw some of our good friends while we were there.

We went swimming as a family. It was fun to see Mat enjoying his family. We both love them so much and it was so great to see everyone!

Camden enjoyed watching the hubbub of Christmas, but again, enjoyed the wrappings a little more than the toys.

After Christmas we went up to Park City, where we partied a little more. One of our first adventures was sledding. We bundled Camden in more layers than I care to count and he looked a lot like Ralphie's little brother off A Christmas Story. He seemed to enjoy it though.

That is, until he fell asleep. No really.

We also went to a Children's Science Museum where we...

Rode horses...

and Swans...

and Anvils...

and Played with insane amounts of toys.

We had a great time the rest of the week eating out, going to movies, challenging each other to "Just Dance" competitions, and playing games. It was a great vacation. Thanks, Mom and Dad Taylor for bringing us out for the holidays!

Noise Levels and Neighbors

2012-01-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

When we got home from Christmas vacation, Camden wasn't feeling well. Consequently he had a difficult time readjusting to his crib. He screamed a scream I'd never heard before. Mat and I wanted to teach him to learn so we went back and forth between letting him scream, and visiting him in his room and talking to him. During one of these bouts of screaming when we happened to already be in Camden's room, we heard this obnoxious loud pounding right on the other side of the wall where Camden's crib is. It was loud, prominent, and if i could label it this way, rude. It was as if the sound was intended to tell us something. Mat and I looked at each other like, "What should we do?" Eventually Camden fell asleep, but I laid awake that night trying to figure out what to do. I didn't want to be rude to our neighbors by letting him scream, but Camden needed to learn to get himself back to sleep at night. I felt so bad for our neighbors and decided the next day to do something to say thanks for their patience.

I apparently gave them too much credit. Over the next few nights, Mat and I were unpleasantly surprised to hear a vacuum running at 10:30 at night. Then moving furniture at a similar hour. Thudding footsteps. Pounding. I was honestly worried that the tumultuous noises would wake Camden. I have a hard time believing that they did it accidentally. I'm doing my best to be a good person and not say anything though.

What would you do if you were me? Would you say something? Would you ignore it? I got to thinking that maybe we are louder than we think (besides Camden's crying), and I need to be more considerate. At least that's what I've been telling myself so I don't get mad...

Vacation Surprises

2011-12-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

I felt this deserved a post of its own... Mat and I had a long, long layover in Salt Lake on our way back from Thanksgiving so on a whim we got to see his parents and sister! We had lots of fun seeing them and it got us really excited to see them at Christmas!

Then, after flight delays, etc, when we got in at three in the morning, to my surprise my husband had painted our downstairs without me knowing. It is absolutely beautiful and was an amazing surprise. Love you Mat!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-14T10:32:00.001-08:00

Mat and I were lucky enough to be with family for Thanksgiving this year. I flew out a week ahead of Mat to spend time with my family, then he flew out right before Thanksgiving. It was a blast for all of us. Here are a few of the adventures we had:

Cam and I went swimming with his cousins. Camden could not stop laughing at the other kids splashing... needless to say bathtime is now a sopping adventure for both Mat and I.

I had a girl's night with my sisters, mom, and my nieces, which was a blast. It is tradition for

girl's nights to involve cheesecake pudding so we watched a movie and dipped graham crackers,

bananas and strawberries in it...the pudding, not the movie, that is.

Some of my nephews participated in a turkey trot, where a child from every grade is put together onto a team and then they run about 400 meters and are ranked by speed. the team with the lowest combined score wins. My sister has four boys who they let all be on the same team and they and their two teammates won! It was pretty cool to watch. Normally, they let each winner take home a gift certificate for a 20 lb. turkey, so my sister, who ended up with 4 of them, donated them to different causes. It was a cool experience. Here they are:

And here's an interesting picture. This is a horrible pic of me, but I thought it was interesting. Upon taking this, my mother said, "Hey cool! My oldest with her youngest, and my youngest with her oldest!" (Ok, maybe not as cool as I thought it was at the time. But indulge me. If not,

enjoy a horrible cross-eyed picture of me.)

My bro-in-law took us all to a WSU volleyball game and we had a blast there. More to come in a later post about that.

Thanksgiving day was fun, involving lots of food, family, fun, and babies. We had, throughout the day, 4 children ages one and under.

Riley, my cousin's child, got a little hyped up on the excitement and accidently puked on the back of Camden's head. Ooops! Cam hardly noticed.

We had lots of fun cousin time. My mom took some good pictures of her youngest three grandchildren together.

We also went Black Friday shopping (wow, that was crazy... I'm not sure I'll ever do that again),

watched tons of football, the men played basketball, the women made pies, we ate, and ate, and ate until we couldn't fit in our pants, and had to wear sweats. :) Just kidding, Mat.

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all!

Thankful

2011-11-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving has come and gone, I find myself taking a moment to think of the things that I am thankful for (doesn't everyone do this a little?). Here are a few of the things that I have been grateful for recently.

My loving husband, who is the most amazing person I've ever met; who gets up in the night with our little son if ever he wakes; who treats me like a princess even when I don't deserve it; who works hard every day, every hour, to be the best person he can; who loves and serves everyone around him unconditionally; and who makes me laugh constantly.

My little son, who is perfect in every way, and really is the best baby ever. He is my life, and my pride and joy.

My family, who put up with my shenanigans and is so patient with me. They make me laugh and smile and I love being with them, and love them each dearly.

My In-laws, who are some of the funnest, funniest, most genuine people you'll ever meet. I absolutely love every one of them.

My religion, that is the guiding light in my life, and helps me to be a better person every day. It is my reason for being who I am.

The United States of America. I really do take for granted all that it has to offer--all the freedoms that I have because of the inspiration the founding fathers had. I'm so grateful to be free to think as I wish, and be what I want to be, to worship as I wish.

Good food. Not only do I appreciate having food to eat every day, but I am grateful to have healthy food (and some not so healthy food, like the mint cookies I made yesterday...so... darn...good...)

Funny people. I love a good laugh here and there... ok, pretty much any time.

Cribs, baby monitors, baby bjorns, keltis, exersaucers, baby swings, bouncers, bumbos, high chairs, etc, etc. it makes it so much easier to have a child... and to get a two minute break... :)

Skype.

Online shopping. (So... incredibly...easy...wait, maybe not such a good thing.)

Enchiladas... really, any Mexican food.

My sewing machine.

Books.

The babysitters at the YMCA who tend Camden for an hour while I work out.

The list goes on...

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-04T11:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween all! Ours was very uneventful, but I'm taking advantage of that while I can before Camden really knows what Halloween is. I'm almost positive his understanding of Halloween so far is "a holiday where Mom dresses me up uncomfortably any way she pleasesto show off to others." Let's be honest, he's mostly right.

This was our backup costume...

But fortunately Aunt Tiffy provided this years costume for Cam. (Drum roll please...)

We thought it fitting since he's a little veggie baby anyways. :) Our ward had a Halloween party a few days before which was a lot of fun. Cam and I decorated cookies together,

His dad did tricks with him,

And we just played and enjoyed he overall splendor that is Halloween.

Then, on Halloween, Mat and I heard through the grapevine (thank you Online Coupon Ladies) that Chipotle, one of Mat's FAVORITE restaurants, was giving out 2$ burritos to all those who came in dressed like anything that had to do with a farm. We couldn't pass it up. Mat dressed as a farmer, I dressed as a cow, and Camden was, again, a peapod. What's more farm than a farmer, cow and crop, right?

It is a good day in the Taylor home when Dad gets a burrito and Mom finds a bargain.

Just as a side note, my birthday was great. My loving husband and little boy got me some beautiful flowers. Thank you to all who helped me celebrate it. :)

Saturday Night Date Night, plus one

2011-10-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Despite having a permanent tag-a-long, Mat and I have been trying to still go on dates together. We usually do something that we think is great, but I'm sure the rest of the world would consider boring. Actually I know the rest of the world is less enthusiastic because Mat usually tells his classmates and, bless their hearts, they usually give a "Oh, that's nice." None-the-less, we had a blast this last weekend carving pumpkins and watching a movie. Here's some of the pumpkin carving:

Then we let Cam in on the action:

We thought it would be fun to show him this when he's 16 and see if he could get in a pumpkin then. Just a thought.

5 Months and Counting

2011-10-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was looking back through my pictures and got a little nostalgic at how much Camden has grown in his short little life. (I apologize that Camden has eaten my blog... actually no I don't. He's my life. Get used to it.)

Birth

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

Its fun to see them grow so fast!

On your Mark, Get Set... Go!

2011-10-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Keeneland, and for those of you who don't "habla Kentuckian", its one of the top three biggest/most famous horse-race tracks in the country. I must admit, i'm not a horse person per-say, but these horses were truly elite animals. They were absolutely beautiful. We went on raceday to watch them practice in the morning.

Camden was so confused and interested. He couldn't quite figure out what these beasts were doing...

and why his daddy was around (for the first time in a while...)

He sure loves his daddy!

It was great to spend some time as a family.

This guy walked in with us and talked our ear off about horse racing. I felt like he was speaking a different language. Definitely going to have to learn about horses before trying to convince someone were from here. (And work on the accent! Ha ha... some lady said to me yesterday, "Well, honey, you are CLEARLY not from 'round here." She, CLEARLY, was.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words, Part Two

2011-10-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, exhibit B (2 days later, I might add):

The picture doesn't do it justice. It was chunky. Outside of his diaper. Did I mention that the last three times I have taken him to the YMCA he's had a blow-out? Serious bowel issues...

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

2011-10-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mat and I had an interesting experience today. I took a picture of it:

Take a closer look:

Even closer:

That's right, ladies and gents. That's poo. A big pile of baby poo. While hanging out in the exersaucer, Camden pooed the world's most memorable poo--so big, that it went through the diaper and puddled onto the floor of the exersaucer. I have to honestly admit, I burst out laughing when I saw it. I had no other reaction than to break out in fits. There he was, giggling and laughing, literally playing in his own poo. Mat didn't share my sentiments. He obviously doesn't change enough diapers.

First Adventures in Lexington

2011-09-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Since we've been here, we've tried to take the time to discover lexington a little. Here's a little of what we've done:

Went swimming with some friends (Cam's first time swimming... he wasn't too sure about it...)

We discovered this weird bird sculpture (I guess its supposed to be artistic?) in a nearby Arboretum that is awesome! (the arboretum, not the sculpture)

We've located 99.9% of the Mexican restaurants, per Mat's request... and taste-tested a few.

We've found some good bocci fields...

...guess who lost?

I found a bunch of fun places to walk to, from and through.

And our most recent adventure: Boyd's Orchard!

We taught Cam how to pick apples...

Ooops! There he is.

We showed him what pumpkins look like...

...And what horses look like.

He loved the pumpkins the most!

We have really enjoyed discovering Lexington -- We love it here!

My Growing Baby

2011-09-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

Just a few pictures of our little boy....Hope you enjoy!

Hanging out with his binky (which he finally loves!)...

Hanging out in the exersaucer...

And hangin' with dad...

Playing with Mom...

And cooking with Mom...

Watching TV with Dad...

And watching BYU Football with Dad... go Cougars!

Standing...

Did I mention he likes to stand?

He loves the stroller...

Almost as much as he LOVES Mat...

And he now loves to swing!

We love this little addition to our family!

Moving to Kentucky

2011-08-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

I know that we've been here for 2 months now, but I thought it was time to write about our move. Back in July, we packed up our stuff in Moscow...

...including Camden... (just kidding, sort of...)

and realized that we had accumulated waaayyyy to much stuff to fit in our car. We had to purchase a roof top carrier to bring it back to Utah.

We spent 5 days in Utah with family and then set off for Kentucky. Bless my mother's heart, she flew to Utah so she could drive with me and Cam while Mat drove the U-haul. We had intended to switch off driving, but it turned out that it was easier for me to entertain Camden in the back while she drove. He was mostly and angel, but when he got a little fussy we got creative. Exhibit A:

Yes, that is Diego on my laptop...sitting ON his carseat. He LOVED it. Absolutely mesmerized him.

We survived the 27 hour drive and right when we got out here Mat started orientation. He had his white coat ceremony, which was fun. take a look:

It was a great way to start our new life here. We have made so many friends and absolutely love our ward. It's like having family here.

We have an awesome family!

2011-08-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this Mormon Message... there might be someone that we know... (Love you Spencer! You're awesome!) look at about minute 2-3.

Our Hands His Hands, Our Hearts His Hearts

"You should see the other guy..."

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

Camden idolizes Harry Potter, so he's been crying with a british accent, using his invisibility cloke, and even donning a scar on his forehead. It was a painful experience trying to get that scar there, but well worth the experience.

Camden's Blessing

2011-06-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday we had the opportunity to bless Camden. He was so good and didn't cry at all during the blessing. And the blessing was beautiful. Mom and Dad Taylor and Grandma Starley came to visit and we took lots of pictures.

We are so grateful for this little guy in our lives!

Our Firstborn

2011-06-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Camden for those who have been asking.

Camden's First Trip to the Lake

2011-06-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we took Camden to our family's lake cabin for the first time. It holds a lot of memories for me, so it was fun to share those with him. As you can see in the pictures, he really enjoyed the experience a lot...

While we were there, we took a walk with my sister and her family. We put Cam in the baby bjorn, which he did not like at first. Mat tried to get him to fall asleep by swinging him in it.

It worked.

It is still cold up in Northern Idaho so we wrapped a blanket around him and off we went. The kids stopped to throw rocks and Mat wanted Camden to participate. Here is Camden "participating"...

Overall, it was a fun trip, and I'm glad we went. I'm looking forward to spending the Fourth of July up there.

Middle of the Night Feedings

2011-06-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

So Camden is still getting up a couple times in the night to eat, and Mat is so sweet to be supportive. Normally, I'll get up to feed him, then if he isn't asleep, I'll give him to Mat and go to bed while Mat rocks him to sleep. Well, last night Camden went right to sleep after I fed him, which he sometimes does, so I got back in bed. As I cuddled up to Mat, I stuck my foot near his, which must have startled Mat out of sleep because he quickly sat up in bed, reached down to our feet and started stroking my foot, and said something like, "Shhh... it's ok, Camden. You're ok..." I just had to smile. He's such a supportive husband. He can even soothe our child in his sleep.

The best part is he has no recollection of any of it.

Thoughts on Broadway and the LDS Church

2011-06-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk about the recent Broadway production about Mormons. I do not pretend to know a lot, nor do I wish to start a fire or a debate. But my mother found an article written by the Head of Public Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I thought was so amazing. It is a good way to explain how most of us probably feel, and why we do or don't react to the recent buzz. Take a look and let me know what you think.

A Latter-day Saint view of Book of Mormon musical

For more information about the LDS church, visit mormon.org

First Lessons in Motherhood

2011-06-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

It seems as if everyone has things to tell you about kids and motherhood, yet no one really tells you the important things. Like how come there are so many different kinds of diapers? And does it really matter what kind you use?

So, for your entertainment, the IMPORTANT things that I have learned in my first month of motherhood.

1) Huggies – they really are the best. Unless, of course, your child really is build like a box. Then you really would need a square diaper. For the more ‘curvy’ children, however, I highly suggest huggies. Much better… less poopy messes.

2) Recovery—Don’ t think you are the exception to the rule and pack jeans to wear home from the hospital. I mean, who is going to see you right when you get home anyway? Do you go home to a party with a newborn? Really…

3) Naming your child – We received so many different reactions to the names we liked while I was pregnant. (I honestly thought all of the names we considered were somewhat normal, but apparently some people didn’t.) Some days it was comical, other days it annoyed me that people were so honest. I have decided that no one ever tells you they hate your baby’s name after you actually name it. Isn’t that wonderful? Because, I mean, really, what does that accomplish other than making you hate that person?

4) Putting diapers on boys—point him downward. (have you ever wondered why no one ever really tells you that in their hours of advice? I mean, you could save someone from hours of changing clothes and wet bedding and crying children. Now THAT is good advice!)

5) Although people tell you that “sometimes babies just cry,” it doesn’t make it any easier as a mother and it doesn’t make your mind race any slower wondering if you’ve done something wrong or could do something to fix it. Just get used to it.

6) If you have something to do in the evening and need to look nice, don’t expect to put a shirt on in the morning and wear it that evening, unless of course it comes into fashion to have stains and spit-up on you, in which case, I salute you for your decision.

7) Optimal nursing shirts = ones you don’t have to wear an undershirt with. That’s harder than it sounds. Think about it. J

8) Laughter has become my antidote for any problem.

9) The best thing that has happened to me has been to have my mother and sister close. I love their advice, but what I love the most is, after asking them a question, hearing the words, “That is totally normal.” After hearing that, I just don’t worry.

10) My only piece of advice: don’t listen to advice. You’ll most likely have a different opinion. J

Love equals...

2011-06-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have realized that there are a lot of definitions for love. Here are just a few that I’ve come to discover:

Love =

Still loving a child after he pees in your face.

Love =

The look on your husband’s face when, after having to deal with a crying child for 15 minutes, he realizes all that you do all day.

Love =

Doing the “binky dance” at night, just so your child will go back to sleep after spitting it out for the 17^th time.

Love =

That moment when you realize what it means that God sacrificed his Only Begotten Son, and how hard that must have been, and that you’d probably never be able to give up your son like that.

Love =

Holding in your laughter when your child spits up on your husband.

Love =

Moving in with your in-laws for two months so that your wife has company after having a baby.

Love =

Watching your grandson for a few minutes while your daughter takes a shower…maybe one of the only things she’ll do for herself that day.

Love =

Staying away from your parents home for a few weeks to protect your new little nephew from illness.

Love =

Calling your sister, a new mother, just to see how SHE is doing, not the baby.

Love =

Flying up for the blessing of your grandchild.

Love =

Thinking of another before yourself.

Camden Mathew Taylor

2011-05-24T15:53:00.001-07:00

Meet our new addition to the family! Introducing…

Camden Mathew Taylor

Born: May 17^th, 2011 at 11:22 am

8 lbs. 8 oz., 21.5 inches long

Everything went very well. I went into labor at 2:00 am, was in hard labor by 4:45 am, went to the hospital and had an epidural by 6:30am. It was a pretty textbook delivery.

Check out our little guy:

Mat giving him his first bath

Right after birth

Taking a snooze ON Dad

Then taking a snooze WITH Dad

Meeting some cousins

And by far my favorite picture yet...

We feel so blessed to have this little guy in our new family. He is an amazing baby and is everything we've ever wanted and more.

A Special Thank You

2011-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this post is to say thank you. About a week ago, my brother-in-law, Matt, came down ill and was taken to the hospital. Not two days later, he was life-flighted to Spokane, Washington because his pneumonia had worsened. It has been a long week, but he has finally stabilized and is improving little by little.

In the process, however, not only have we, as a family, seen miracles in Matt's progress, but those around us have bound together to bless our lives. Thank you! Thank you to...

...the hundreds of family members and friends who have prayed unceasingly for Matt and for our family.

...the cousins, sisters, and other women and men who

helped in caring for Jaxon, Ty, Caleb, Zach and Jessa for the past week by taking them to and from activities, school and tending them, and continue to do so.

...the stake and ward members who fasted for Matt and his health. As sacrament meeting was closing this last Sunday, Matt was taken off the ventilator. I know that this was not a coincidence.

...the Young Women of the Rolling Hills Ward who have volunteered their time after school to play with the kids this week. You are amazing.

...the many people who have brought in meals and food to provide for the family.

...those who have called, texted, emailed, etc., showing their concern and asking how Matt is progressing.

...those who have visited Matt in the hospital, and have gone above and beyond to help the family.

...our Heavenly Father for answered prayers, and for the many miracles we have seen this week.

Super Star of the Month

2011-05-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

No Joke. This is a real sign folks. Glad we could fulfill that parking space for them.

Moving and Saying Goodbye to Friends

2011-05-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Amidst work and school and preparing to have a baby, Mat and I decided to make life interesting and decided to move. We spent the last week packing up our apartment, putting our stuff in storage, and saying goodbye to friends. In the process, I was able to say goodbye to...

some mission friends...

the volleyball wives club...

some dear friends from the ward...

and many other people. It has been a little strange to pack up and not really know where we'll be in 6 months, but we are excited for the adventure. It'll be a good experience to be out on our own and try to make a name for ourselves. Goodbye to all those who we were unable to get together with and thank you for your friendship. We love you all!

Pregnancy

2011-05-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

As baby has been growing, I have conveniently tried not to take pictures, in hopes that I'd have one day late in pregnancy where I could say, "Wait! Take a picture--I actually look good today!" Ha! Yeah right. For me, that day never came. But, regardless, here are a few pictures of what Jr. and I look like: (No judging please...)

28 weeks:

32 weeks:

36 weeks: (I don't have any standing pics of me at this stage, but you can see my huge belly in this picture...)

38 weeks:

As you can see, I hardly gained weight until about 33 weeks, at which time the baby finally decided to start growing... into my face, arms and legs. But we're so happy about our little boy that will be coming in 2 weeks (or so).

Hard Work and Dedication

2011-02-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! Mat and I watched this video about Tyler Haws on lds.org for part of Family Home Evening this week (it's just the two of us so we struggle coming up with lessons), and thought you'd enjoy it too. I was close to tears, but then again, I'm pregnant, so that's not saying much. Check it out.

Skiing in Blizzards

2010-12-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

Mat and I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Taylor side of the family up at Snowbird this year. The Tuesday before thanksgiving, a blizzard warning was sent out, in which all schools closed down early and all businesses were heeded to close and go home and get inside. Indeed, the blizzard did come, which confined us to the condo we were in for a week. Despite the snow, however, we did get a chance to get out skiing. We took the four oldest boys out to teach them how. Take a look:

The men also went out skiing one day just for fun. The outdoor temperature: 6 degrees. Windchill on top of the mountain: -40 degrees. Needless to say, Mat came home with minor frost bite, and couldn’t feel his toes or nose for a bit, but all that is left is a mark on his face. (I think it makes him look handsome though. J )

During the week, we also made shirts, one of which Kaysie made for our new baby which looked something like this:

For thanksgiving, we answered the age-old question “What do vegetarians do on thanksgiving?” and went to Chuck-a-rama! Sadly, the meal was less than delightful, so we spent the rest of the vacation eating delectable food to make up for it. J

Then, upon our return, some friends invited us to go snowshoeing! I highly suggest this as a hobby to anyone who is looking for a good time!

My New Hobby

2010-12-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

Since we have been married, Mat and I try our hardest to be frugal. We are nowhere near perfect, but I have become addicted to coupon clipping. This was one of my greatest feats the other day. (Granted, in sharing this I realize that there are others who will scoff at my savings, but I was impressed with myself, so away with you and your 4-wisdom-tooth-tale.)

Included in my purchase: 1 jumbo laundry detergent, I jumbo ketchup bottle, 1 dishwasher detergent, 5 tubes of Crest, 2 Old Spice Deodorant s, 2 Secret Deodorants, 1 package of Women’s razors, 2 bottles of Dawn dishwashing soap, 1 Neutrogena Face Wash, 1 Herbal Essence Mousse, 1 Herbal Essence Hair Spray, 1 Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner, 1 mascara, 1 jumbo pack of Q-tips, 1 carton of ice cream, 4 bottles of Old Spice body wash, 1 roll of paper towels, 2 boxes of Kleenex, 2 cans of pineapple, 2 cans of mandarin oranges, and 1 package of pasta.

Total price: $104.08

Price after store discounts and coupons: $42.39

Savings: $61.69

Percent Saved: 59.27%

It was a good moment. Then, just a month later, Mat came up with this one:

Included in Mat’s purchase: 10 boxes of life cereal, 1 bag of Malt-O-Meal, and 1 loaf of bread.

Total Price: $41.22

Price after discounts and coupons: $16.53

Savings: $24.69

Percent Saved: 59.89%

We’ll let you be the judge of who did better. J

"P.S. This IS NOT an announcement"

2010-12-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

For the last year and a half, Mat and I have felt compelled to remind people that we are not expecting whenever comments were made about what our children might be like. Most comments started or ended with the phrase, “This is not an announcement.”

Finally, we’d like to apologize formally to all those to whom we lied within the last 4 months about me not being pregnant and tell you, wholeheartedly…

“THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT!”

And… IT’S A BOY!

Fall, Fun and Families

2010-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

The last few months have been nothing but vacations and family excursions (although if you ask Mat he may mention the 15 grad credits he took… minor detail…) But it’s been an adventure.

In October, my mother, sister, and niece Emma came down to see General Conference and we had so much fun having an 8-year-old around. We introduced Emma to Travis and Kelly’s chickens, ate more candy and ice cream than I care to admit to, and had late night sleepovers.

Watching Emma at conference was by far the best part. I was humbled to realize that not everyone gets the experience to ever see a prophet of God, let alone be in the same room as him and hear him speak. Mat held Emma up as the Prophet walked in and it was amazing to see this newly baptized little member of the church light up and feel and see that the Prophet is a real person.

September, October and November brought 7 Medical School interviews for Mat, sufficiently putting a dent in our bank account and our weekends. But it seems that it paid off, as he has been accepted to four of the seven schools and we are still waiting to hear from the other 3. As of now, our top choice is most likely TCOM in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, but we’ll see what the next few months bring.

At Halloween, we spent lots of time with friends, carving pumpkins and doing cornmazes. We even won an award for the scariest pumpkin at our ward party. (I wish I had a picture of it… but alas, it died before I got around to it.)

In November we went down to Vegas for an interview, and to meet our new niece, Teagan Elizabeth Richards. Isn’t she cute?

I also flew to Spokane to spend a weekend with my sisters and mother to shop for Christmas. It was the first time my mom had been with her 3 daughters alone for years—we had a blast. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing in the form of Mexican food, Krispee Kreams and Blizzards.

Things Discovered

2010-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened over the last year and a half of our lives, and since it would be impossible to try and blog about everything, I have decided to share all of the many things that Mat and I have learned since we tied the knot.

Discovery #1: Amanda can often fit in the weirdest places...
Discovery #2: Stairs can double as a crib. (I'm not sure what the wet spot is on the carpet...I prefer not to think about it...)
Discovery #3: Amanda can fall asleep anywhere......and so can Mat.Discovery #4: Did anyone know that you can make farting noises by blowing a straw into your armpit?Discovery #5: "Never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against 3 padawans when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha.
Discovery #6: If the car ever breaks down, we have a backup plan...it might be a little cold in the winter, but would probably be as fast as the bus!
Discovery #7: Waste not, want not. Just because all the mints are gone, doesn't mean you cant freshen your breathe using the container...Discovery #8: MnM's truly are a staple in our household. (And what's with all the creepy faces Mat has been wearing?)
Discovery #9: We still haven't convinced anyone to like tofu.
Discovery #10: I still can't convince Mat to buy new socks...
Discovery #11: Mat thoroughly enjoyed his first thanksgiving with a real turkey...
Discovery #12: Amanda still fits in a shopping cart...
Whereas Mat...cannot. (I think he may have pulled a hammy getting out...)Discovery #13: Never leave chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on a plate for later.
Discovery #14: Mat is the real "Tool-Man" Taylor.
Discovery #15: Menus are not edible.Discovery #16: Elephants are not for riding...unless it happens to be a technicolored one...in which case, ride away!Discovery #17: When we all get to the other side, Brother-in-Law David may very well give Joseph Smith a run for his money in Indian Leg Wrestling.Discovery #18: Do not drink from watering cans...Discovery #19: How true that is...

Discovery #20: Cereal is our favorite food. You'd smile that big too if you had that much cereal. (I wish I could tell you that this is the most we've ever had...but its not even close.)
Discovery #21: If no candles are available, a red and brown tootsie pop will do the trick.
Discovery #22: Even real men enjoy the luxuries of life.Discovery #23: Mat has finally learned what to look forward to in aging.
Discovery #24: Mom may have some sort of pirate fantasy...Discovery #25: Contrary to what Brigham Young may have said, "This is the right place."Discovery #26: We will never be royalty in England.Discovery #27: Mat is asking for these for Christmas.Discovery #28: Even Donald Duck thinks Mat has big feet.Discovery #29: In a battle of burritos, Meg can outdo Uncle Shawn any day on fitting more in a burrito.Discovery #30: Animal Crackers dipped in cookie dough = goodness.
Discovery #31: No one ever wants to stand after running 13.1 miles.Discovery #32: If you ask your husband to do the laundry, you may be surprised at his methods.Overall, its been a great year and a half! We've learned a lot, but what we've learned the most is how perfect we are for each other! Here's to the next 50 years! (I promise I'll blog again before we hit 50 years though...)

Classic

2010-02-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

No need to ever fry a pound of bacon again with one of these babies.

Words of Wisdom

2010-02-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

So, I can't take full credit for this, as I stole it from my cousins blog. But I wanted a wider range of people to laugh as hard as I did upon reading it. So have a laugh.

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again..
Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
There is a great need for sarcasm font.
Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
Was learning cursive really necessary?
Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it....thanks Mario Kart.
MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
Bad decisions make good stories.
Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....
You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.
I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the h do I respond to that?
I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fatty before dinner.

Wedding Extravaganza

2009-08-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

What a summer it has been! Regretfully, this is the first post I’ve made all summer, but I blame it on the hard drive crash we had removing all wedding pictures from my life. Yes, that’s right. We lost the drive with all our professional wedding pictures on it. That is the delay of my blogging…

Did I make your heart stop yet? Truthfully, the drive did crash, and took 2 months to recover. But it is fully recovered. So now I can blog. Sorry for the delay… and for making you feel sorry for me.

Mat and I have been married for 3 months today, and it’s been a great 3 months. All our friends are right. Married life is SOOO much better than the single scene. It’s so nice to have your best friend with you all the time.

The ceremony itself was amazing. We had both of our immediate families there and the sealer was inspired and perfect for us. He said some things that will help us throughout our lives and throughout our marriage. And, not to be sappy but, I’ll never forget kneeling across the altar from Mat. It was the best moment of my life. And on top of that, it was the first time that all 5 kids in my family and their siblings were in the temple together. It was a cool experience. Love you fam! I look forward to Kaysie’s marriage so the Taylor family can experience that.

Take a look at all the pictures to the side. Don’t we look like a happy couple? We had a lot of fun things happen that day. While we were waiting to take the ever-so-common-and-impossible-to-see-anyone-picture-in-the-stairway of the Salt Lake Temple entryway, I looked at the group before us and spotted one of my old mission buddies, Emily Carlson Hartvigsen! She was there for her cousin’s wedding. It was the craziest coincidence.

At the luncheon all of our siblings and parents had the chance to stand up and say something nice about us and it was fun to hear stories of the things that our siblings remember and love. Mat learned that our 4-year-old girls will have the capacity to order pizza and I learned that Mat will be carrying me to bed every night… just because he can.

It rained on our parade mid-day, but my family were troopers and rolled with the punches… and the thunder. Thanks for being so flexible and doing pictures later fam!

The reception was great, my feet hurt like the dickens, and we actually got a little of the food. (Mat and I had heard horror stories of how the bride and groom never got any of the food and we just wouldn’t stand for that so we asked friends to bring us food. Nope, food doesn’t drive our lives at all, not at all… Mmm...carrot cake…salad…)

We spent the next week on our honeymoon on a Mexican Cruise, which was a blast. Again, eating and no responsibility… more eating.. Nope food doesn’t run our lives at all…

We got home on Thursday, drove to Moscow on Friday and had another reception on Saturday, which was wonderful. Mom had the backyard decked out (bless her) and we felt so blessed by all the people that came to congratulate us.

Well, that’s about it for the wedding. It’s been an amazing 3 months. Mat and I have found out new things that make us perfect for each other and realized every day how perfect we really are for each other. Toon in for more blogs on the last three months.

Just for laughs...

2009-04-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

My boss sent me this email at work and I thought it was hilarious. Thought I'd share the wealth. (slightly edited to make it PG. :) )

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa invitational -which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. Intaxication (n.): Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

3. Reintarnation (n.): Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

4. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

5. Giraffiti (n.): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm (n.): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the Person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte (v.): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Osteopornosis (n.): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

9. Karmageddon (n.): It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

10. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

11. Glibido (n.): All talk and no action.

12. Dopeler effect (n.): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

15. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:

1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.

6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.

7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.

9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.

11. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

12. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with yiddishisms.

13. Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

14. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

We're Engaged!

2009-02-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

Mat completely caught me off guard this last Wednesday, the 4th of February, and asked me to marry him. We had decided to get married 3 weeks before, and had kept it a secret from the world for that whole time. It was actually a comical experience for both of us. In the moment that we decided to get married, people started randomly asking us if we were going to get engaged! Mat and I started having a daily ritual of telling each other the experiences we had had that day where people had asked us and we had to flat out lie to them.

We looked at rings about a week later, about the 21st of January, and I assumed that it would take forever for the whole process to happen, so I was just happily going through life, thinking we wouldn’t actually get engaged for a long time.

Mat was gone last weekend, so when he got back on Sunday, I asked him what his plans were for this week. I had Wednesday free, which was a miracle, so asked if he wanted to do something. He seemed surprised, said he didn’t know what to do, and as I looked at him with a “hmmm…” look on my face he stumbled out, “oh, wanna go get something to eat?” I consented, thinking it would just be another “dinner and hang-out” night, which is fine.

Wednesday came and after nutrition class, which we have together, Mat told me that he had late practice including film and lifting, so he wouldn’t be done until 7:30 or so. Seven-thirty rolled around and Mat came over. When he came in, he looked completely palid—literally pale. I asked him if he was ok, and he said he was just really hungry, which made complete sense. I was putting together a piano with my roommates, so I made Mat wait for a little while until we finished.

We went to dinner at Macaroni Grill, which was really fun. As we walked out, Kyrsten, my best friend and roommate called me saying that she and another of our roommates locked her keys in her car and needed me to go back to the apartment to get Kyrsten’s spare and bring it to them. So Mat and I headed back to my apartment. We pulled into a nearby parking lot where Mat normally parks, but there was a cop there so Mat didn’t want to park. I suggested he just wait in the car and I could run up, but he wouldn’t park there. So then I suggested he do the same in our lot, and I would just run up, but he was bent on going up with me. I guess I just thought he was being chivalrous or something so we went up to the apartment together. As I opened it up and looked in the living room, all I saw was a beautiful array of candles and flowers everywhere, and Mat’s guitar on the couch. He escorted me in and began singing one of my favorite songs that he must have been learning recently (Dark Blue, by Jack’s Mannequin), then got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and proposed.

Mat told me later all of the funny lies that he had told me, but it didn’t matter. It only made the experience more special and enjoyable. It definitely caught me off-guard, and will be an experience that I will never forget. We will be getting married on the 22nd of May and are so excited.

Just for your entertainment: the funny lies that Mat (and my roommates) told me:
~Mat didn’t have late practice; he was preparing everything for that night
~Mat had told me that he needed to change his shirt because his teammate Rusty had thrown soap at him in the locker room and had splattered his shirt. Amazingly fabricated story; very well told; I totally believed it, yet a FLAT OUT LIE. Pretty hilarious though…
~When he arrived, apparently he had left all of the stuff he needed set up in the apartment in the north stairwell, so when I made him wait while I put together a piano, both he and Kyrsten were a little agitated, trying to get me out of the apartment as soon as possible so she could go get the stuff.
~Mat told me during dinner that he was texting his roommate Vance. Yeah, apparently “Vance” was code for “Kyrsten.” Good work Kyrst.
~Kyrsten told me that she was at Smith’s, where we were supposed to take the key. That’s like 3 blocks from our house. If I would have been smart, I probably should have asked why they didn’t just walk home… yeah… good blonde moment, Amanda….
~Kyrsten doesn’t even HAVE a spare key for her car!!!

Girls...or Mechanics?

2009-02-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Who says girls can't put things together?

Thanks Mom and Dad for the wonderful gift! You are amazing!

Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun...

2009-02-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

My roommates and I had a blast the other night making fools out of ourselves by krimping our hair, putting on massive 80's make-up and going out on the town. it was a blast. we felt like we were 16 again. Which brings me to a great discussion question: what are everyone's feelings on bringing back the krimp hairstyle? I'm thinking it would be great. What does everyone think?

The Slanket and the Snuggie

2009-01-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

I recently saw an infomercial for a blanket with sleeves, called a Snuggie. Apparently it is just too difficult to hold a blanket around you AND get the phone/use your laptop/hold a child/color in a coloring book/use the remote. Really folks? Are we that lazy of a generation?

I chalked it up to a silly infomercial and had a good laugh, until a few days later I was flipping through the SkyMiles Magazine and found, lo and behold, a snuggie, but it wasn’t called a snuggie. It was now, hold on to your hats folks, a Slanket.

Mat mentioned to me that he used the word as a catch phrase yesterday, which got me to thinking. Can you really turn any word you want into a verb? An expletive? Can you turn it into an adverb or an adjective? So to answer my questions I did what any modern sleuth would have done: I searched the web.

Try it. Enter in Slanket and see what comes up. You might find the following words or phrases: The Slankets (maybe they know the Who’s down in Whoville), The Slanket Kids, or my personal favorite, the verb form, slanketteering. Yes, it is now a verb. What do you suppose it means to slanketteer? And when would you do it? Maybe they’ll make a new movie (obviously called something like “Meet the Slankets,” The Slanket Kid,” or “The Slanket, the Snuggie and the Wardrobe”) and a character may yell, “to the slankets!”, or “frankly my dear, I don’t give a slanket!” or “do or do not, there is no slanketteer.”
Just a thought…

Meet the Parents

2009-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Mat came to Moscow to visit over break and it was an entertaining few days...

We went ice skating for FHE and took 7 of the nieces and nephews along. They had so much fun! And let's be honest...so did we. Even the twins (who are not yet 4) enjoyed themselves!

The kids just adored Mat. We often had more than three of them with us at all times, which was great!

Most of the break we just hung out around the house or ran errands. Mat fixed Grandpa's computer and TV (which I think lost me my inheritance to him...) and we went to play games at the church. I think the nieces and nephews enjoyed just chasing Mat around trying to tickle him....
All in all, it was a great vacation...I think I've lost my "favorite Aunt/Uncle" status with the kids though... Any ideas on how to get it back?

Snow in Idaho!

2008-12-27T22:49:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a White Christmas North Idaho Style!

Times with the Taylors

2008-12-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months, I've had the chance to get to know my boyfriend's family and it has been amazing. We've had some great times, and some pretty funny ones!

I went to see Twilight first with Mat's sisters for the midnight showing...

Then again with Mat, and his brother Kimball and his sister-in-law Aubrey. Mat and I decided that it would be fun to make T-shirts for the occasion. Mine read: "Hasn't Read the Books," Mat's said, "Eduardo Marry Me"; Kimball decided that he wanted to get in on the action and made a shirt that said: "Eddie or Jake: I Can't Decide!" The shirts were pretty hilarious, but the best part about it was that Mat and Kimball got stuck walking in together, one of them handing over the tickets as if they were a couple...classic. Something I won't forget.

Mat's nephew's Ross, Rogan, Tad and Peter have decided that I'm okay (after much persuasion and coaxing with treats and playdates). We've bonded through raisins, tickling and, as my family calls it, "The Holey-Doley Store" (kids game). They'll even come and sit on my lap at Mat's volleyball games!

We went to a Kurt Bestor concert and had some fun. Mat got the chance to talk to some people who had served in Slovenia, which seemed to elate him. I imagine that doesn't happen very often. This is Kimball on an important call at dinner that night...so important that he hadn't realized he'd stuck broccoli in his ear...

Other fun experiences: We went to a Ward Christmas Party in Mat's Family's Ward and I think the whole world was shocked to see Mat holding hands with a girl. My wonders were solidified when the man sitting in front of us leaned back and exclaimed, "Mat! I didn't even know you LIKED girls!" Ha ha ha, I am so entertained when Mat is embarrassed.

When Mat's family found out he was coming to meet my family over break, I had a hay-day answering questions about my family. My favorites came from Dave however. It was so entertaining to watch as I explained how cold it is, that not only was my Dad an Obstetrician, but that he rides a motorcycle to work; also, that there are Aryan Nations in Northern Idaho, that we have a gun cabinet from everything from a shotgun to a pistol inside, that I know how to shoot them, the list goes on. Again, experiences that make Mat squirm are so entertaining to me.

It has been amazing to get to know his family, and hopefully the experiences will continue!

Thanksgiving..a little late...

2008-12-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post pictures from my vacation in Kentucky for about a month now. But i guess better late than never, right?

When I got there, Mom and I spent the first evening watching my niece Millie sing and dance to "Good Morning Baltimore" and "He Touched Me" from the movie Hairspray. Literally folks, this girl can even do the little booty shake...she's 3, mind you... it's utterly hilarious...

While in Kentucky (I went to see my brother who is in residency and U of K) we took the kids to a Shaker community. Has anyone ever learned about Shaker's before? They have some....interesting...beliefs. The kids stay in one part of the house (hmm....i'm liking this idea...), the men in one room and the women in another (wait...not liking this anymore...) they don't use technology (no blowdryer? cellphone? laptop? not cool...) but here's the one that threw us all for a loop: they live a life of celebacy. hmmm... I wonder what God thinks about that one? I think they missed the "multiply and replenish the earth" part in the bible... but that kinda makes you wonder though. How does a community like that thrive?

At the village, there were some farm animals. Here we are staring down a goat...

and charging a bull...

stopped to swing on an old swing...

Saw my brother's work, and a few of us got our eye's checked!

Shawn and I had a good time together. When i was little, he used to love to fling me around and use me as a personal weight set. We thought it would be fun if he tried it aga in .

All in all, it was a great vacation. The best part however, was being able to chat and help the missionaries. They came over for Thanksgiving Dinner and one of them happened to be a greenie from Mexico. He we elated to find out that my brother, Dad and I all spoke spanish. On Sunday we saw them again and i saw him speaking to the spanish elders. when i asked him in passing about speaking with them, he gave me this very concerned look and said, "yeah, but i don't know what they were speaking...i didn't understand that. You i understand, and i'm even learning Puerto Rican, but them...wow, i have no idea." I had a good laugh about that. It brought back good memories of greenies learning spanish. Good times....good times, in Kentucky.

Finals Week

2008-12-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

Things that make finals week bearable:
1) being introduced as "Amber" by my boss
2) BYU catering brownies with nuts
3) the sun
4) knowing I'll be home in 2 days!
5) not ever having to name another bird again!
6) Christmas shopping
7) bundling under a blanket
8) Not having to plan study groups for at least a month!
9) helping women with strollers get through big puddles
10) temple sealings with family
11) watching my boyfriend get teased because of me (i mean, really, did i need the rest of the list?)

The Memorable Brother Bott

2008-12-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

I think anyone who has been a student at BYU has probably heard of or taken a class from Brother Randy Bott. Just wanted to let you all in on a little news. Check out the following article. (This is just pieces of it, but you can check it out on the BYU webpage: www.byu.edu
Randy Bott doesn't sugarcoat the challenges his Brigham Young University students will face when they serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He tells it like it is during the missionary preparation courses he teaches, with a mixture of wit and wisdom, and they love him for it. They love him so much that Bott is the highest-rated professor in America in 2008 at RateMyProfessors.com.

"Everyone says before you leave BYU, you have to take a class from Brother Bott," said psychology major Cassandra Lawyer, a 22-year-old senior from San Diego...This year alone, 3,149 have taken Bott's classes. That's a full 10 percent of BYU's student body.

"It's ruined my life," Bott said with customary deadpan humor. "My colleagues ask me if they should bow or curtsey. I am by no stretch of the imagination the top professor in the United States."

BYU ranked seventh on the Web site's list of highest-rated faculties, but Bott's place at the top isn't a surprise...Students consider him a mission coach and self-help guru. At the start of his mission prep class on Monday night, Bott asked which of a couple hundred students had received mission calls in the prior week. One woman stood to announce she will be going to Portugal in February. A man was called to go to Brazil in April. Bott also asked if anyone got engaged during the week. None had. "Huh," Bott said, shaking his head in sadness at a sorry group. "Anybody manage a date?"

Short, stout and 63, Bott wore a white, long-sleeved shirt and tie. A low-lying crown of white hair circled his head topped by a wisp of white on top. The packaging made him wonder at the RateMyProfessors.com rankings. "I'm a bland person," he said. "I'm not audio-visually friendly." The smile came after the joke.

To his students, Bott is like a cool older uncle or grandfather who makes you laugh, makes you feel good about yourself and sometimes tells a family secret when parents won't, but only to teach you and help you love the family more. He peppers his teaching with highly relevant stories drawn from those sources and his own mission to Samoa.

"Those lessons stick, said Ken Alford, who joined BYU's religion faculty this fall after nearly 30 years as an Army officer. "I have a son on a mission in Fiji who took a class from Brother Bott," he said. "He raved about him then, and he's raved about him even from the mission field."

Bott's ministry extends beyond the classroom. He spends four to six hours a day responding to e-mails from students and former students who ask him for help with life problems. The issues range from the silly — an Armenian woman was told by missionaries he could help her prepare a Relief Society lesson — to the heartbreaking, like handling the divorce of parents and moral trouble. "You get known for that type of stuff," Bott said. "Now I get e-mails from parents and friends of students, too."

Getting an "A" from Bott is easy, according to the ratings on RateMyProfessors.com. Lawyer said tests are open-note, open-book. "It doesn't have to be a hard class to be a good class," she said. "Missionaries all over the world will tell you they are using things he taught them."

I love food!

2008-11-19T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey all! I was blog-hopping and found a cool blog that has tons of great recipes! Check it out: dinnerdoldrumsnomore.blogspot.com or click on the link in my favorites. Thanks Aubrey!

Funny Conversations

2008-11-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Mat and I had a funny conversation the other day that still has me laughing. It went something like this:

Me: "que dijo el?" (asking about a movie...)
Mat: "He said that...."
Me: "You know, Mat, you always say that you don't speak Spanish, but every time I speak it to you you answer accordingly."
Mat: "Well, that's because I only understand BAD spanish..."
Me: "Ha ha, Uh, thanks Mat..."
Mat: "Wait, I uh, (laughing)...I'm not getting myself out of that am I?"
Me: "Ha ha...nope....."

Tag...you're it!

2008-11-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

So I just got tagged by a friend to do a picture blog post (had no idea what this was, but loving Gina knew my inner thoughts and decided to post the rules for me... thanks Gina!), which means that I have to post a random picture on my blog then explain it. Then I'm supposed to tag four others to follow suit. So for them (I Tag: Kelly, Kyrsten, Michelle, and Tiffanie) here are the directions:

1) Post the fourth picture in the fourth folder of the pictures on your computer.
2) Tell everyone what is happening in the picture, stories, etc.
3) Tag four others to do the same.

Good Luck to you four!
Here's my picture and explanation:This is a picture of about 2 weeks after I got home from my mission. Eric Berglund, one of my very good friends from High School, and I went to Elk River Falls and swam in the freezing cold water falls (come to think of it, it probably wasn't that cold, but I'd just come home of a tropical island...so everything was cold...). At the second falls i almost fell in the water and Eric saved me (my hero!). This was taken at the lower falls. Notice our amazing fashion. That's right, I'm wearing my tennis shoes with a swimming suit and you can't see this, but Eric has one sandal and one shoe on. Those are the Falls behind us. It was beautiful!

So that's my story! Good luck to all those that take the challenge!

A Thanksgiving Story

2008-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

This story made me laugh...hope it does you too!

Ahhhhh ..... The joys of having girls. My mother taught me to read when I was four years old (her first mistake). One day, I was in the bathroom and noticed one of the cabinet doors was ajar. I read the boxin the cabinet. I then asked my mother why she was keeping 'napkins' in the bathroom. Didn't they belong in the kitchen? Not wanting to burden me with unnecessary facts, she told me that those were for 'special occasions' (her second mistake). Now fast forward a few months......It's Thanksgiving Day, and my folks are leaving to pick up my uncle and his wife for dinner. Mom had assignments for all of us while they were gone. Mine was to set the table. When they returned, my uncle came in first and immediately burst into laughter. Next came his wife who gasped, then began giggling. Next came my father, who roared with laughter. Then came Mom, who almost died of embarrassment when she saw each place setting on the table with a 'special occasion' Kotex napkin at each plate, with the fork carefully arranged on top. I had even tucked the little tail in so they didn't hang off the edge!! My mother asked me why I used these and, of course, my response sent the other adults into further fits of laughter. “Mom, you said they were for special occasions!!!” Life is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly........and for heaven’s sake, use the good napkins whenever you can!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's a small world...

2008-11-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

So my cousin is dating a kid from my mission...it's a small world after all... aren't they cute?

Halloween, Birthday, and Stuff

2008-11-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I posted, but I really haven't had too much to say...so here's the update:

I turned 23 a few weeks ago, and had an incredibly relaxing birthday, which I loved, and halloween was a blast. Mat and I dressed up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

We also carved pumpkins another day. If you look closely at the pumpkin, we (and when i say we, I mean Mat) carved Shia Lebouf's name into the mouth...Mat has a man-crush on him...

Mat left me this last week to go to Hawaii (but i'm not bitter...grrr), so I decided to celebrate, by catching up on my studies...hiding from the snow...Man, it's cold! This is me with 2 shirts, a sweatshirt, pants, two pairs of socks and a blanket...and I was still cold!

Ode to T9Word and Language Follies

2008-10-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

So I have this really bad habit of not reading what I text before I send it, which makes texting rather entertaining for my friends. On top of that, I just discovered this whole T9word concept (I know, welcome to the 21st century Manda.) I'm starting to learn which words I need to check, but I think my phone has a mind of it's own sometimes. For example, no matter how many times I type the word 'sounds,' my phone brings up the letters 'pmtmdp'...which, in case you were wondering, isn't a word...yet, somehow in Amanda-language it's more common...and did you know that the word 'dummies' is more common than 'funnier'? What is the world coming to?

I got to thinking about language though, and I shouldn't be surprised that this happens to me. I often find myself making funny word choices, thinking that it clearly makes sense to me, only to see the receiver of my rhetoric tilt their head and say, "What?" Then as I repeat it, have them ask me to repeat it...again...oh, dear...

Or the many times I get so excited about what I am saying that my brain working faster than my mouth, literally causing my words to make NO SENSE...

Or when I quote movies, that's just a disaster, mostly because 90% of the people I talk to have no idea how my brain used such transductive reasoning to come to the phrase that I said.

Or the time when I told everyone in Spanish that I loved underwear...yeah, not my finest moment.

Or how about every time I'm walking somewhere and people watch my hands as I compulsively "handspell" my own thoughts...yes, even when I run I do it...strange, I know...

So I write this post in hopes that others have had such blunders and would be so kind as to share them with me, and the rest of the world, thus easing my tongue-twister woes...

Come Thou Fount

2008-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! My boss showed me this video and I wanted to share it. It was done from the Mesa Temple Pageant. The photos are fantastic! I couldn't get the video to add in for some reason, but here's the link:

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

My Grandmother's Name

2008-10-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

I went to the temple this morning and received an interesting surprise. Before i came down to college, I asked Grandpa Zirker if he had any family names that I could do, and he ended up giving me tons of names to do, mostly sealings, but a few endowments. I have been in the process of finishing the women's endowments.

As I sat in the temple waiting for the session to start, I began to gaze over the card from Grandpa I had chosen to do today. I looked at the name, Mary Barber, and said a prayer in my heart for her, hoping and praying she would accept this last piece of her temple work (she had already been sealed to her parents). Looking over the card, I was randomly drawn to the extractors name. To my surprise, this time it didn't day "Kenneth Eugene Zirker" as the hundreds of other cards I've done for Grandpa. This time it said: Leona Sagers Shields Zirker. Completely taken aback and confused, I looked at the dates on the card. This woman's ordinances had been started back in February of 1999. Grandma passed away a year later, and never had the chance to finish them. Mary had been waiting 9 years for someone to finish it. 9 years! Can you imagine that?! All i could think was, "All this time..."

I learned a good lesson from that. I had been so nonchalant in doing her work, and she'd been waiting nine years, knowing full well that her name was ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM! What a humbling experience it was for me to be reminded of my part in genealogy. I may not be as amazing as Grandpa on Family Search (come to think of it, I'm not even sure I know how to use it, sadly), but I can do my small part. I'm so excited to meet Mary Barber someday and ask her about her side of the experience. Waiting for NINE years -- what a lesson of patience! I wonder if she and Grandma are friends...

Celebrity Siting!

2008-10-11T19:12:00.001-07:00

Just to keep you all informed, the caddy from Happy Gilmore is still alive and well. We saw him at the BYU game and he has decided to broaden his career to include photography as well...however, I'm sure he still spends the weekends on the green for old times sake.

Kids Have More Fun

2008-10-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was at the BYU football game today and there were some cute little girls in front of us who could not seem to keep themselves in one place at the same time. Ironically enough, they were actually watching the game from time to time. One was so enthralled that she went to great lengths to be able to see better. here she is:

Yes, that's right. She just couldn't see through that sign...so she flipped it over her head and watched from there. Boy and I thought I was a dedicated fan!

Well, that got me to thinking...is it just kids that do these things? I don't seem to think so.
Take exhibit A for example....
Yes, that is a 19-year-old girl with underwear on her head....

Or maybe we all just go to great lengths to be a kid again.

We shove ourselves inside the same underwear as someone else...

Drink out of our children's sippy-cups...

We even shove ourselves into remotely small locations..."just for laughs"..yeah, it's all fun until we can't get out!

But despite our efforts, we all just seem to be getting older and older, faster and faster...i mean, take a look at this kid...he grew up so fast that his beard turned green!

It seems to be unanimous...kids do have more fun. Now all I need to do is figure out how to stay young...

Sources of Living Water

2008-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I was approached by a girl that I barely knew and had an interesting experience. She came up to me after ward prayer and just stood there, waiting for me. I looked at her and said, “Hey Ashley! How are you?” As I said it though, I just looked at her and was startled by my own emotions, and responded quickly, “Would you like to talk?” Stifling tears, she just nodded, so we got in my car and drove up to the temple. As we drove, she unloaded to me, sobbing, expressing her frustration with life. There seemed to be an overpowering theme to her frustrations. You see, she is amazing; although I don’t know her incredibly well, I could and can feel and tell that she is amazingly charitable, and always reaching out to others. (After meeting her once, and showing interest in her life, she made me a pie…Yeah, that’s how sweet this girl is.) But last night she had had enough. Over the last few weeks she had given and given, and had been taken advantage of as a friend one too many times.
As I listened to her, my favorite analogy that I learned on my mission came to mind, and I had the opportunity to share it with her. This analogy has changed my life. And I wish to share it with each of you as well. The analogy goes something like this:
Each of us in this life has a bucket, full of water, which we carry with us everywhere. The water represents happiness, compliments, and energy that we have, or rather in a gospel perspective, the love of God. as we go throughout life, we have the ability to give water to others through service, compliments, etc. and people have the opportunity to do the same to us. Thus, in healthy living, your bucket should stay neutral - as you give to another, you dip out of your own bucket and give to theirs. Similarly, another can do the same and fill your bucket. This process keeps one emotionally stable as he passes through the difficulties and trials of this earth life. But what happens if someone is always giving, always dipping the water out of their bucket to give to others, and never receiving? Sooner or later, his bucket runs dry, he can give no more, and he either gives up, breaks down, or becomes bitter.
This is exactly what happened to Ashley. She had completely emptied her bucket, without receiving anything in return. Her bucket ran dry and she could give no more, causing her to resort to frustration and tears.
This analogy causes one to think: Are you a giver or a taker? And how is your bucket doing? Are you running dry? If so, what is the formula to fill your bucket again?
Naturally, the easiest way to fill your bucket would be to seek compliments from others, or surround yourself with good friends. I would be a fool to not admit that this is an excellent tactic. I believe that this is why Heavenly Father has given us families, so that we can lift each other up, or fill each other's bucket. Similarly, good friends can be a source to receive the love of God daily. Is there any doubt why the leaders of the church counsel us to surround ourselves with good friends?
Let us not forget, however, that there is a greater source of water, living water that we can receive whenever we need it: the light and love of our Savior. Jesus counseled the Samaritan woman, saying, "If thou knewest...who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee LIVING WATER." Confused the woman asked where she could find such water. Jesus answers humbly, helping us to understand the HE himself is the living water. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give shall never thirst." (John 4:10-15)
Our Savior is the living source of water from which we can and should fill our bucket. We can dip from his bucket freely, for His is the only one that never runs dry. His water is a source that leads to everlasting life.
May we each be conscious of two things in our lives: that we daily drink from the living water of the Savior, and that we also remember to fill the buckets of those around us. There are those, like Ashley, who ache for their bucket to be filled. The spirit gave me a chance to fill her bucket; and I believe that he grants these opportunities to each of us. May we be in tune enough to act on them.
One last thing: For those of you who feel like your bucket might be a little empty at the moment: know how much I love you, appreciate you and pray for you. You mean the world to me and make a difference in my life. I’m so grateful I know you. Your Savior is mindful of you and can help you fill your bucket, so that you can reach out to others. He’s done it a million times for me, when I’ve felt completely empty. I know He can do it for you.

Understanding about Understanding

2008-09-29T11:23:00.001-07:00

I had an interesting experience at the broadcast this last weekend that I wanted to share with you. I learned a really good lesson that didn’t come from anything that the speakers said. As the broadcast began, the girls in front of me began to whisper back and forth and laugh…and it was so distracting. On first impulse, I was annoyed, wanting to listen to our leaders who were and are called of God to help us here on earth. It was so bad that I seriously considered moving seats. As I sat there annoyed for a couple seconds because I couldn’t focus with these girls chattering and laughing in front of me, I had an inspired thought that called me to repentance. I looked at them, and wondered how often I had been on the other side. How often had I been the distraction to the people around me? How often had someone been trying to feel the spirit, had maybe been going through a hard time, and because of me, they were denied the opportunity to feel the spirit and receive answers. I felt sick, ashamed at my many faults, for the many times that I had restricted the revelation of others. The only thing I could think to do was bow my head and ask for forgiveness for the many times that I had been an interference for the spirit. I found myself pleading for these girls in front of me, who just happened to be in my ward, asking Heavenly Father to touch their hearts so that they would receive the answers and peace that they needed, and to help them calm down, then pleading that if that wasn’t his will, that I would be able to focus so that I could receive answers.
How often are we, myself included, so quick to judge? Christ teaches that we should remove the beam in our own eyes before removing the mote in someone else’s. I learned a great lesson that day. As I closed my prayer, i felt a greater love for these girls in my ward, hoping that they would be able to receive answers as well. And I WAS able to focus after that because of the greater love that I had for them. What a blessing it was to partake of the blessings of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. I’m so grateful that I can be forgiven for all the times I was a deterrent from the spirit. May we each be able to feel greater love for those around us, even when they cause us frustration and pain.

Blood and Bruises

2008-09-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! I love volleyball! Just wanted to prove it…

P.S. That's my knee in case you didn't know...so worth it...

Wedding Bells

2008-09-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

No, no. Not MY wedding bells. Sorry to disappoint you all. I had the chance to go to cousin Skyler’s wedding this last weekend and I saw a bunch of family members that I hadn’t seen in years….seriously, I saw one cousin and I asked her if she was a friend of the bride…only to have her say, “uh, I don’t know if you remember me…I’m Sara Kay.” Boy, did I feel sheepish…but we laughed about it later. Here are some pictures for everyone so they can participate in the fun.

Here are four of my dad’s siblings and their spouses…and me. I’m the young one in the middle.

And some of the girls (that’s Sara Kay standing next to me…yeah, now you see why I didn’t recognize her…I think the last time I saw her she was like 11 or 12…)
Some more of the girls…

And the bride and groom. Aren't they cute?

Close to Glory

2008-09-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, it usually pays off to have friends in high places. That was almost true for me last weekend. Because I know someone who is in ROTC, I was offered the chance to fire off George Q. Cannon. Yeah, I know! That’s like a dream, huh? Anywho, I was supposed to fire off touchdown number four. Long story short: got pushed back in the list and was standing down by the cannon…as the game ended. I was so close to doing it! Sad…oh, well. I got some good pictures though. Maybe someday I’ll get to live my dream…

"This one time, on my mission..."

2008-09-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

So, has it ever made you laugh how often RM's use the phrase "So, this one time, on my mission...?" Yeah, i thought it was really funny too...that is until i served a mission! Then i found myself eating my words...so, to completely ruin myself, i thought I'd have a little fun and write a few funny stories from my mission. So.....

this one time, on my mission...

~ I ate Iguana
~ I accidentally slide tackled an elder playing soccer in the rain
~ I got clotheslined by my Trainer playing football
~ We did a mission-wide fast to turn a hurricane...and it worked!
~ I transposed an entire piano piece...by ear, from a CD!
~ I had to play the piano every week for a year in sacrament meeting
~ We tracted in the rain for 4 hours...really fun!!
~ The last day of the mission, i found the best investigator in the world -- she approached us and is now a faithful member!
~ Ran the car through a puddle...more like a lake...and blew out the radiator
~ Was called, "gordita", "llenita", and "gorda"... meaning "the fat one"...good titles to have! :)
~ Used Cholesterol in my hair, a foot scrubber on my face, and hydrogen peroxide to "beautify"
~ Convinced my companion to use Ex-lax because she was sick
~ Watched the sun rise in the rain
~ Was almost given a priesthood blessing by a woman (apostasy! she really tried!)
~ Was asked if my companion was my daughter
~ Developed Hypoglycemia (don't ask...it's a long story)
~ Ate four dinners in one night. After the 3rd, we had to come home and throw up just so the 4th would fit...
~ Got *punked* by all the elders in our Zone -- they told us that we were getting whitewashed instead of actually telling us what was happening at transfers...i wanted to kill them!

Hope you enjoyed that as much as i did! Aren't mission experiences fun?

"The Adjustment"

2008-09-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

I’ve successfully been back from the mission for…9 weeks I think (it makes it hurt less to count by weeks…that means I can justify still being weird. By the way, at what point do I have to switch over and start saying months? Or even years!? Maybe I’ll wait till I get to like….4,598 or something…when I’ve fully adjusted…)…needless to say, life has been interesting. Everyone takes the adjustment differently. There are some adjustments that were easier for me like: hugging little children,
or wearing a swimming suit (although I do apologize to all those that are still going through eye therapy from the whiteness of my legs. Really sorry about that.).

The whole not have to wear a dress thing is just delightful, as I can now wear sweats to school, wear the cutest heels in the world, and not shower, just because I don’t want to! However, some adjustments just still make the world laugh…causing me to wonder how long it takes to adjust to:
~Not studying your scriptures all the time

~Being in the same room as a guy without your companion…
~Or, dare I say…date!?
~Doing your hair….AND makeup….on the same day! Or at all!
~Or what about getting used to styles? Since when did side ponytails come back in? does it make it not so 80’s if it’s a side bun?
Needless to say, I’m still trying to find out who this “new me is”, and apparently so is the rest of the world! Every time I see someone they say something like, “wow! You look so….different!” which I’m starting to wonder what the pause means before they say different… but still get a good laugh when people tilt their heads as if it were a better view of my face… I guess I shouldn’t mock it, I’ve never seen my own face from a head tilted view…maybe I should try it…

Who came up with the Word Blog?

2008-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and start my own blog. Since I’m the type of person that it is way faster to contact me by computer than by phone and since we have such a big family consequently needing me to tell the same story 15 times in the same week, blogging my life seems to be the way to go. Although I’m not sure I will ever come anywhere near the hilarity of Michelle’s blogs, hopefully this will save us all some time…and in a strange way bring us all closer together. So here’s a few entries to make you laugh and give you an inside to my life! Luv you all!