I still hate pickles. 

But I do love spring, breakfast foods, dark chocolate, and this kid.

 (and balloon animals. Shouldn't I have outgrown them by now?)

Who celebreates Presidents Day anyway?

Presidents day inspired me this year, and I thought it fitting to start a book that has been untouched on my shelf for years, Presidents and Prophets. Have you heard of it? Well, if you're like me, you heard it was boring and not worth reading. I today stand corrected. I am only a few presidents into the book and already I have been enlightened on a level so profound, that is is worthy of breaking  months long Blogging boycott. Not only has this book brought me back to my history loving days, but it brought me to the ever so obvious realization that God. Does. Love. Us.

HELLO! It's true people!

Here's where it started. President John Adams. A man I know virtually nothing about wrote this in a letter to Thomas Jefferson after his wife died:

"I know not how to prove, physically, that we shall know each other in a future state; nor does revelation [i.e. the scriptures as they were interpreted by the clergy] as I can find give any positive assurance of such felicity. My reasons for believing it, as I do most undoubtedly, are that I cannot conceive such a being as the human, merely to live and die on this earth. If I did not believe in a future state, I should believe in no God...And, if there be a future state, why should the Almighty dissolve forever the tender ties which unite us so delightfully in this world and forbid us to see each other in the next."

I have had a few very special moments in the last few months, that in all of my stubborn glory, I have not acknowledged as I should have. They are moments that are very very precious to me, but because I have only one feeler in my entire body, I have not lent myself to feel these experiences as they should be felt. UNTIL I read this entry. What a wise, wise old man, that President John Adams was. I however, would like to add to his words (much less eloquently I fear).

Not only are we to see each other again after death, but the people who pass before us CAN BE and STILL ARE a part of our mortal lives.

Sounds weird, I know. And yes, this could be taken in a creepy ghost stories kind of way. But what I'm talking about here is a peaceful, joyful feeling that only comes from one place.

Loved ones that are no longer with us physically are there; watching us, helping us, and waiting for us. I'm for reals people! Wait for the little heart taps that suddenly bring back memories you shared with those people. Wait for the hidden momentous that you forgot even existed anymore to show themselves. Wait for the time when you use something that person taught you. Savor the joy you feel when you even think of that person.  And then, if you can hold it all in... think of the moment when you'll get to see them again.

God. Loves. us.  Watch for it, I dare you.

Ay yay yay

New Year, new things right?

-Brookles is going on a mission, to Barcelona. Ay yay yay!
 She'll leave on May 1st, speak Spanish, and eat lots of sea food. We've been reading some books about Spain and have decided that it will be a cool place. For one, Barcelona doesn't allow bull fighting. Now, I'm not a crazy animal activist or anything, but I did a little happy dance when we read that in Barcelona they don't gladiator slay the large misunderstood animal just to prove that they are hard A's.
This however, I'd totally watch.

-We got a dog.
Her name is Maya. We got her from the shelter. She was super skinny, but other than that we have found no crazy side effects from the time she spent there at what I believe to be the saddest place this side of the Mississippi. As long as she goes on a walk that day, nothing gets chewed up and she sleeps through the night. We like her.

and she likes her duck.

-We are having a baby.
On May 22 (or so they say). Ever since the bean has been the size of an onion, we have called it (ever so endearingly I might add) "the Onion." I'm hoping the name doesn't stick postpartum, but for now it works. The Onion's favorite past time this month seems to be having Onion parties, which take place right on top of my bladder...honest. Sitting through movies is fun. We will find out the gender in exactly 5 days. Oh baby!

Here's to new things.

Frog to Prince

I always knew that I wanted to get married, but that doesn't mean that i didn't kiss a bunch of toads that I knew were nothing but bad news. I had a serious case of the bad-boy thing that needed to get out of my system. Is that some kind of right of passage? Get the whole bad-boy thing over and done with so you can move on to an actual healthy relationship? If I was looking for a man to actually marry, why was I so drawn to the frogs? It just makes no sense.

Until one day I met Will, and I knew that he was no frog. I don't know why I knew. I mean, he was 100 percent different than any of the other boys i'd ever been interested in, but for some reason I liked him... A LOT (the ridiculously good looking smile helped I'm sure).

As far as I can tell, when you meet the right one, you know because all of the feelings that were driving you before you met him (excitement, anxiety, uncertainty) are gone, and you're happier that way. This is what happened when Will and I started dating. I thought, "This available, reliable, predictable, totally righteous boy...he is the love of my life." Morning breath, dishes on the floor and all. That is what I want for the rest of my life. And that's the most exciting ending I can think of.

Happy two years chicken.

I don't have a favorite season

I don't have a favorite season, I have a favorite feeling. It's the windows open, dirty bare feet, sun on your back feeling. It's when I can walk straight outside without getting a jacket. It's zipping up a life jacket and jumping into the lake. It's morning drives with the windows down when the air it is still a bit chilly from the night before. It is sunsets and watermelon for dessert. It's the sound of lawnmowers, crickets, and rain against the window. I don't have a favorite season, I have a favorite feeling.

Ode to the season

If We Are Going to Be Friends

Every time I try to make a grilled cheese sandwich, I end up burning it.

I love drinking anything with a straw.

I'm 5'7. Average. Even though my Dad is 6'4.

I pee in front of my hubby...shamelessly.

I'm good at doing laundry, right up until things have to be put back into the closet.

When I was a kid I had a crazy obsession with dolphins, but was too afraid to pet them at Sea World.

I decorate my dinner plates with left over food before doing the dishes.

I love my long hair, though I don't do it very often.

Vacuum lines make me happy. 

What does OCD stand for again?

I knew Will and I would be good friends the first time I saw him...yes, really. The first time.

I sit on the same row every sacrament meeting.

I get excited to fold fitted sheets, thinking that I'll get it right this time. Truth is that after a few attempts I just wad it up and shove it into the closet. 

I'm partial to putting things {all things} on the left. Putting them on the right just feels wrong.

Cookies need milk, and milk needs ice.

I pray before making decisions.

Cuts and scrapes sometimes make me want to faint.

I don't always pull through to the next stall when parking.

I have lived in the same house for almost 20 years, and I am still unsure about the correct spelling of our street, Scirlein {Scirlien?} Drive {but I do know P.Sherman 42 Wallabee Way Sydney}.

I put quilt ties in my ear {I've been doing it since I was a kid}.

I put lotion on my feet every night before bed. 

Everytime I use vanilla, I smell the bottle.

{Watkins is the best vanilla just so you know for future reference}

Muchos Besos

This post was brought to you by...

John Tyler

My Dad took me to get a Slurpee when he thought that I punched a boy at school. My Dad let me skip school and go skiing with him when I got a 4.0 in high school. My Dad shared his testimony at girls camp. My Dad said I was the best looking baby he'd ever seen. My Dad used to bring me bowls of ice cream as I sat at the computer for hours pumping out homework. My Dad scoots the car that I'm leaning on away as I pee. My Dad gives me the biggest hugs you can ever imagine. 

I just don't know how to even begin to describe him.
Hero comes pretty darn close. 

Love you Dad.

Oh the painful Cliches! 

 Doesn't matter, all of it is so so so true. 

LYFSGUD

Ya know what made me happy today??

Instead of working from 3:00pm until 11:00pm {which I've been doing for about 8 months}, I now go to work at 5:00am and get home at 2:00pm. Will and I actually get to spend time together! Plus... I get paid to bake pretty food. Thank you Kneaders Bakery and Cafe!

I also work at a preschool for 3 hours on Monday mornings with a self contained language class...I can't even begin to describe the cuteness.

My yard is 100% dandelion free.  

Will used to get up early every morning, drive to Provo and then not get home until late in the evening. However, since he is now an official graduate, he got a job at a bank that is 10 minutes away from our house. Holy saving money on gas batman!

Two of my young women completed their personal progress. Happy dance!

My windows have been open all day long for an entire week.

Mangoes are on sale.

And, we're going to see the Avengers movie tomorrow night.

Life is good

Scentsational

Will has taken to calling my nose the "Super- Smeller" (ever seen Psych?). I never thought I had a good sense of smell, but since I've been with Will, I've noticed how many things I smell that he doesn't...so maybe it's true.

Even though he makes fun of the Super-Smeller, I am super super happy that I have it!
Wouldn't not smelling suck?

I met a guy the other day who has no sense of smell. So after choking on my word vomit, that wanted to inform him of how bad his life must stink suck, I offered him my condolences and moved on. But once I got out of there, I voiced my true thoughts: I'd be lost without my olfactory system! I use my nose to tell me when my car is broken, when I need to do laundry, when my cookies are done, when my kitchen needs to be cleaned, and so much more. 

So, today I'm going to go smell things. And enjoy it.

Flashback to snow

Has anyone else ever watched 9 episodes of Cake Boss in one day?

I sure wouldn't do that... uh...even if William and I got netflix...and there were no commercials. That would just be silly to watch that much t.v. in one day. Ahem.

Now here's the flash back.

We live in Utah. Greatest snow on earth right? Except this year there is only 38 inches of snow on at Snowbird right now (the normal snowfall for this month is 124 inches)! Weird right? So if you like to dodge logs while skiing give me a hooray.... Oh, that's right, no one likes to do that.

So today's flashback is flashing us to a better year. When a few of the greatest people I know had season passes to Snowbird...and there was actually enough snow. We went skiing about every Saturday. We listened to Red Jump Suit Apparatus, we ate Ramen, and we even grilled steak in the parking lot. There's no way to really describe how much fun we had up there. Or how many of our silly worries melted away while we were racing down Big "Enema" but these pictures help.

There are few things greater than skiing all day with your very best friends. I'm so glad I grew up in Utah.

Aren't you?

The Awkward and The Awesome

The Awkward:

-A second grader telling me that he would look hot with skinny jeans and chains (what am I supposed to say back to that?).

-Taking an order from a man on the phone at work and asking him "what color he will be coming in" when I meant to say, "What time he will be coming in." The best part is that he answered my first question. Without ANY hesitation he told me he would be coming in a "a grey-ish Honda." So I just let it slide.

-The snot bubble I got while talking to my Boss....yes, that really happened.

-Running into someone with the hubs who remembers you but you don't remember them. So rather than introducing them, you silently force the hubs to walk as far away as possible.

-Using the phrase "Go do what you do" at the end of a conversation.

-Finding out that you've been rockin' the rat tail for the entire day (aka the chunk of hair that didn't make it into your pony tail).

-Seeing Mothers at the mall sporting ridiculous amounts of cleavage...while shopping with their children.

-Not being told "this is a serious picture"

-Being asked if I'm a leader or a young women at activities (but lets be honest, I'm usually the one throwing things at people, so maybe they have a point).

-Being hi-five stood up by a 3rd grader.

-Dropping your phone (the bad drops, in which the back piece falls off and the battery flies 20 feet away) whilst being surrounded by a group of people.

The Awesome:

-Finishing the 500 at the alumni swim meet.

-Not having to put away the Christmas tree (here's the secret: we never put it up).

-Putting books on hold at the library. Seriously! All you do is click a mouse and then the little library maids 1) find the book (Dewy and I don't really get along), 2) put your name in it, 3) and then tell you when it's ready to come pick up. I always feel important when I pick up books that were on hold just for me.

-Finding Zee Sneetch planking.

-Eating cereal late at night.

-Finishing grad school applications.

-The happy birthday boy with his happy cake.

-Finding 2 pairs of jeans! At one store!! and only spending $50 on both!!!

-Our new TV!!

-Finishing puzzles. At 3:00AM.

-This movie. Though, the fact that I almost pee myself from excitement every time I see this trailer may be a little awkward.

Bumper my car

If I had my way, all vehicles would be made into bumper cars.
And the world would be a better place.
Think about it:
1- Learning to drive would be far more enjoyable.
2- We could teach children to drive at a much younger age.
3- There would be far less crash traffic (curse you rubber neckers).
4- There would be less road rage.
5- And Will and I would not currently be forced to find a new car in 2 days.

If all of our cars had a large bouncy structure surrounding the outside of our cars then we would not be in this wonderfully car-less predicament.

I t-boned someone the other day (it was their fault), and Jane Fonda the Honda was totaled.
It was a sad day.

I'm brilliant, I know.
Just one more reason I should rule the world.

p.s. If we're making renovations to our cars anyway, I would also like to make my horn sound like a fart.

It's the little things

It's all about the little things...

like 5 crowns,

stupid movie quotes,

the big brown couch,

Foosball,

bedtime story,

and pheonix chicken.

No Bones About It

The girls and I went to Garnder Village to see the witchee-poos...we didn't buy anything, but we got lots of ideas for projects! The following are the results of our inspiring excursion.

Skully

Materials: Plastic Skull (from dollar tree), Spray paint, Glitter paint

There were skulls like this at Gardner Village for $10.

Skully here, only cost $3... and he's sparkly.

Yarn Spider Web

Materials: Old yarn

I could have gotten this web (in an awfully bright green color) at Gardner Village for $15... I made it for free instead with some old yarn (in a color that isn't hazardous for epileptic individuals.).

Sweater Pillow

Materials: DI sweater. Pillow Form.

I find my self rather appalled at the price of throw pillows. Take for example this orange guy... $48 bucks. But I love me some throw pillows, so I bought it. When I got home and realized that I'd just spent $50 bucks on a sack of stuffing, I vowed to at least try to make my own pillows before I break down like that again. So, Mr. Sweater Pillow up there, cost me $12. Not bad huh? Especially when I've seen sweater pillows in stores for $39-$59. I'd be down with saving $27 any day, even if the edges on my pillow are a bit messy.

...uh...

Materials: Little sisters

This project was probably the easiest of all!

When we were all done, and proud of our creative, money saving, brilliance, we celebrated with sunglasses and ate our Halloween cake.

The moral of the story, you may ask, is that I was sad to put away my Halloween decorations this year.

Double Fricative

I was looking through some old pictures today and I asked myself, "Self, what good are these pictures doing just sitting on the computer?" To which I replied, "Well I don't know." Then both self and I decided to document them. That's what a blog is for after all, right? And so begin the Flashback Fridays (or Flashback whatever day I happen to write a flashback post) but we'll just call it Friday because it's catchy... get it? 'F' and 'F' ...k good.

This was spring of 2007, and we are going to Spring Fling. How cute are we?! This was probably one of my favorite high school dances for two reasons.

1) Because all of the girls have water polo tan lines from the weekend tournament we had just played.

2) Because this is the night that Steph's dress--a wonderful find from DI if i do say so myself--split open down the back more than 3 times. We had so many safety pins holding the back together, that it's amazing she could even move. It was also pretty amazing when she asked Winston Baby (boy in blue) to zip her dress back up for her after a split. And the problem with this was that Steph showed him her bare back, all the way down to her unders... She thought she was asking me, because I'm wearing blue too... but.... she was wrong. They were both pretty embarrassed, but it's ok because I still laugh about it today.

Back here in the present day, Steph just had a baby. She handled pregnancy like a champ and when I asked her how the delivery went, she said, "It was fun!"

Uh....

....Fun???

So, she's either crazy, or she's awesome. Probably the second. And you'd all agree with me if you could see her little boy. Ridiculous amounts of cuteness my friends. Ridiculous.

Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to highlight my Steph and our times together because she's cool. And we used to go by Stephica. And I allowed that because I liked the name... Not because I love her with all my heart. So don't get the wrong idea (and don't get the wrong idea about my gimp hand in this picture either... we're not even going to go there).

Pinterested?

Have you heard of pintrest? It's brilliant, and I'm a bit obsessed. If you like to spend little money, make things pretty, get lots of great ideas, and bask in other people's creative brilliance...then you'll love it too.
I'm mostly attached to all of the fabulously simple tips and ideas that I should have come up with myself but didn't. Here's some more of my favorites.

Saver your fingers, use a comb to hold the nail! & Use a tension rod to hold cleaners under the sink.
Line the pan with tin foil...duh & Use a rubber band to scrape off the extra paint.
Use a soda tab to hang up your pictures & Boycott cluttered counters!

Use clips and ribbon to hold towels in the kitchen & ketchup bottles for high tech pancakes.

Label the cords under the table with bread bag tags & binder clips to keep the cords from falling under the table

I've already tried most of these out and I've been so happy with the results. Not to mention, my husband thinks I'm brilliant for coming up with these great ideas all by myself. ;)

4 boys went to SLCC

What do you get when you have a group of boys trapped on a boat for a week? Well, I'll show you...

(These are boy feets)

The amazing thing is that I think they secretly liked it. I mean, what's not to like about a week in Lake Powell full of amazing things? Such as:

this

this

this

this

this

and lots of this.

We had a pretty great weak. Thank you Campbells for taking us!