SSS

new blog

2011-08-14T23:04:00.002-06:00

Hola!!

Now that I'm a married woman the SSS blog doesn't seem very fitting. I haven't been wanting to have a tumblr blog for quite some time and figured this was the best time to change. You can visit my new blog at http://lifeofmrsa.tumblr.com/. I will start my updates and blogging there going forward!

PS - We haven't got the photos back from the photographer yet, but on my Facebook there are some photos from friends and family's cameras if you want to take a sneak peak!

Tim McGraw

2011-08-14T22:58:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Tim Surprised me with tickets to see Tim McGraw at USANA!!! It was a great surprise and an awesome concert. The Band Perry and Luke Bryan opened and both did a great job.

Wedding Day - My Story

2011-07-06T22:19:00.012-06:00

June 10, 2011 was the best day of my life so far. We got engaged last May (5-1-2010 to be exact) and had just over a year of planning. Yes, we got married on a Friday just like Prince William and Kate; ours was a wedding not to be missed! I have always been one to know exactly what I want, quick on decisions (when it comes to spending money, but never on dinner choices, haha). I have a more classical taste so I wanted the wedding to represent both Tim and I with a classic spin.

We chose Millcreek Inn for the ceremony and the reception, and it was absolutely perfect. I wanted to have a more intimate ceremony and so we did family and close friends at the ceremony with a plated three course meal following. We had 80 people at the ceremony and then invited about 125 more people to the reception which included gourmet sliders, salad, and fruit for the reception guests. The bar opened up after the ceremony while we did pictures and we served beer and wine. Our colors were pink and orange (watermelon and tangerine to be exact), and these happen to be Tim and I's favorite colors. We had 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen, and we also wrote our own vows. We kept our ceremony short and sweet; it was outdoors, and the weather was perfect. Our cake was from Carrie's Cakes and it was a 4 tier, round cake with fresh flowers in between each tier, with a pair of love birds on top. Our flavors were almond and raspberry swirl, alternating in each tier - it was absolutely delicious. My dress was a Sophia Tolli and it was the most perfect dress. It's true when they say you "just know its the one." Don Woodbury was our DJ and he was awesome! Jesse Erasmus was our photographer and he couldn't have been better - he did a great job blending in and (hopefully) catching every moment. Our wedding coordinator at Millcreek did a great job keeping everyone on queue and making sure the whole evening ran smoothly. We danced all night and everyone had a wonderful time down to our send off out the front doors with our family and friends lining the sidewalk cheering us on!

Those are the light details. A quick overview to say the least. Now I want to share more details, my memories, and last but not least, my vows to Tim. Just five days before the wedding I was in Las Vegas at the JCK jewelry show. I came home and Tim was finishing a few last minute details. His parents had a dinner at their house the night before for their out of town guests and then the next day we were both up getting ready for the wedding. My dad took Tim golfing the day of the wedding; I woke up full of nerves! I went for a run with Bruce, then called my mom to help calm me down. I was nervous to share my vows. Anyone who knows me knows that I am emotional - I cry, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I didn't want to cry during my vows in front of everyone. Tim and I agreed I could go first to help me, but I was still so nervous. Around noon my girlfriends, Mom, and sister came over to have a light lunch, enjoy some champagne, and get ready. Kara, who happened to be one of my bridesmaids as well, did my hair and make up and helped with some of the girls too. We looked amazing!!

Around 3:30 we were on our way up to Millcreek Inn to get changed and have the wedding party (minus me) run thru a quick rehearsal. I drove up with my Mom, Dad, and Nicki. I love my family - they are the best! We got to park in the "secret drive" in the back of Millcreek Inn and went straight to the bride's room. I didn't want to see Tim before the wedding. He hadn't seen my dress and I wanted to keep that element of surprise. We had a bottle of champagne, fruit, and cheese in the bride's room waiting; the boys had some beers. My dress had a lace up back and my sister and Mom helped tie me up and get me in. Kasi, Katie, Brittany, Kara, and Britt's mom helped get the centerpieces put out, the fresh flowers on the cake, and get the placecards out for the dinner guests. I was ready, the girls were dressed (pink strapless, knee length gowns), the boys were dressed (black tuxedos with silver vests and ties), and it was time for a run thru of the ceremony. I had to stay in the bride's room while everyone else was out rehearsing. I peaked thru some of the windows and had a visit from my friend Josh. The next thing I knew the wedding coordinator was back telling me that it was 5:30 and all guests had arrived and she was waiting for me to give the go ahead to start. All the girls grabbed their bouquets (my mom picked out the flowers and they were beautiful pink lily bouquets for the girls and my bouquet was pink, orange, and yellow lilies with roses and tulips) and my dad was back to walk me down the aisle - he looked so handsome in his tuxedo. The procession music had started, Canon in D by Pachelbel. First I saw Tim and Charlene (the minister and Avery family cousin) walk down the stone path, thru the first gazebo and stopping at the final gazebo waiting. Tim looked very handsome in his black tuxedo and orange vest. Then Nick walked my mom down the aisle and they looked great all dressed up. Next all the bridesmaids and groomsmen went in pairs and finally it was time for me and Dad. I was so nervous!! I stepped out, holding on to my dad, and the wedding coordinator pulled my dress out and then directed us on our way. Time went so slow, but we came down the path and I could see everyone. Sargent family on my left, Avery's on my right. My dad passed my hand off to Tim and we were there - finally getting married. Our ceremony was short and sweet. I had a beautiful view of a canyon and just held on to Tim's hands. I held it together pretty well until it came time to share vows. I started to tear up and had to wait a minute for the tears to pass and then I made it thru them without crying. Here they are...

"Tim, when I first met you six years ago, I didn’t think I would ever be watching birds, but I knew I had made a friend for life. I realized I loved you when every day was made better just by having you in my life. I promise to love you, be your partner in crime, and I promise to grow old with you. I look forward to our many adventures, and I promise to laugh every day. Even when the going gets tough I promise to support you, stand by your side, and give you my unconditional love. Today I am not only marrying my best friend, I am marrying my soul mate."

Tim shared his vows, they were beautiful - he got choked up in the middle - and it was special, because you knew it came straight from the heart. Rings were exchanged and then before we knew it, we were man and wife and the kiss the bride part was happening. Then the recession started and we had the DJ playing "I'm a Believer" by Smashmouth (from Shrek) as we walked back down the aisle (more of a jog, skip, whatever you want to call it) to start the party!

The bar opened up and we did photos with family and bridal party. Next, dinner was served. I had a NY steak and it was delicious! We started off dinner with toasts. The only problem was Millcreek Inn getting the champagne and sparking cider to the right guests! My dad gave a great toast - and of course incorporated the Green Bay Packers - I love my dad. Brittany gave a great toast and so did Matt and Tim's dad.

After dinner it was all a blur. The reception started at 7:30, and Tim and I were making our ways to each table to visit our family, friends, and everyone else that came. It was such a happy day!! Around 8:45 we cut the cake and just before the cake cutting we engraved our Lovelocks lock. Lovelocks is a charity for autistic children, and the idea behind the love lock is to engrave it, lock away your everlasting love, and throw away the key. Currently, our lovelock is not locked, but we are going back up for a lovelock dinner at Millcreek Inn when we will close the clock and "toss the key". Back to cake. Tim and I cut the cake, my mom brought up a nice silver cutter. We didn't smash cake - I think my dad was disappointed, ha ha, but I didn't want cake in my hair.

Right after cake cutting we had our first dance. The sun was just setting, the twinkle lights in the trees were just coming on, and the setting was perfect. We danced to "Divide Me" by Kalai. The song was absolutely perfect for the day and for me and Tim. Then came the Daddy/Daughter dance - we chose "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. I cried. I love my dad so much and he has always been such a great constant and such a wonderful influence on my life. The song felt like it was the longest song, but I loved every moment being with my dad. After Tim danced with his Mom to "Perfect Fan" by Backstreet Boys - yes I picked this song. Once we got those three songs out of the way the rest of the party started and it was dancing all night long!! Tim had created a 45 min slide show of photos from our each one of our life's from babies to now, and it was playing inside Millcreek. Cake was cut and everyone was socializing, eating cake, or dancing. All my family and friends, and Tim's friends were dancing. My dad and mom were dancing fools - and my dad threw his coat and jacket off and was quite the hit. I had never been to a wedding where so many people danced and danced for so long - it was the best time and I couldn't have been happier. Even the DJ came over and said that this was one of the most fun weddings he had done in a long time. Ripple caught the bouquet - in fact she fought for the bouquet, and my cousin, Alex, caught the garter.

As the evening came to an end, the groom's men put the gifts in Tim's car and then everyone gathered out front for our send off. We ran down with everyone cheering and jumped in the car and headed down the canyon. We had perfect weather the whole day. Sun shining, no rain (given the crazy spring Utah had this year) and everything was green and in bloom. As we drove down the canyon, it started to sprinkle. Truly, a great end to the perfect day. Everything went as perfect as can be and was the best day! I can't imagine having a better wedding. Many friends and family told me and Tim and my parents that it was the best wedding they had been to in a long time.

I had a great day and to share a little secret - I absolutely LOVED my dress. I was so sad to take the dress off at the end of the night, but wedding dresses are a one day thing anyways :).

Here’s to everlasting love and my life as a newlywed!!! Cheers!

Marriage

2011-07-01T22:42:00.002-06:00

Well....getting ready to change my name. I have all the necessary paperwork but now its time to go and wait in the lines to make it official. I will be Samantha Scott Avery. I am sad to change my name, but excited for the next chapter in life. SSS...soon to officially be SSA, ass backwards.

Honeymoon - Costa Rica

2011-06-24T21:32:00.012-06:00

Tim and I spent 10 days in Costa Rica. We spend the first half of our honeymoon at a resort (Timarai Bamboo Resort) on the beach staying in our own two-story villa. We had our own black sand beach and it was absolutely perfect. We spent lots of time at the beach, in the pool, visited Manuel Antonio Natl Park (saw some monkeys and sloths), visit Tarcoles Bridge and saw about 30 crocodiles, took a mangrove boat tour, found the best taco bar, and did a lot of shopping to name a few things!

The second half of our honeymoon we stayed at a villa in the jungle with an ocean view villa (Oxygen Jungle Villas) that was Balinese style. Our whole Villa had glass walls with bamboo blinds. It was very cool and absolutely perfect! The pool was an infinity pool that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and we also had our own private jungle hike to a river. This place was truly a peaceful/perfect resort.

We drove the Pan-America Highway and hiked in the rainforest. It was an amazing experience. We also went thru a few cloud forests and saw a lot of the beautiful country. The last night we went to a lodge by the Poas Volcano. The lodge was run by 2 South African guys and the food was amazing and the view was phenomenal. We spend the last day hiking to the Poas Volcano, visiting the Doka Estate (coffee plantation - delicious), and touring the La Paz Waterfall Garden.

The entire honeymoon was perfect and so much fun! We had great weather, got great tans, and enjoyed everything there was to enjoy about a honeymoon!

Wedding Teaser Picture

2011-06-24T19:40:00.003-06:00

I am waiting to post pictures until I get them from the photographer, but here is a teaser picture of me and my dress.

Update for May and Promotion at Work - Associate Buyer for Diamond Jewelry

2011-06-24T19:26:00.005-06:00

I know I have been behind at blogging lately, with the wedding and traveling for work, I have been very busy!

The first week of May I was in New York for May Market in the fashion industry looking at all the coming fall lines. It was a busy week and a lot of fun. I also was able to have dinner with Kevin and Deb Avery while I was there and we had a good time.

The second weekend of May, my cute cousins on the Sargent side thru me a bridal shower. They had great sandwiches, fruit dip, and cheesecake. We had a fun time and I was spoiled with gifts from my family and friends.

Over Memorial Day weekend I went to California for my bachelorette party. Kasi, Katie, Brittany, and I went (Nicki was in Hawaii and Kara couldn't get away from Denver and work). We went to Disneyland and California Adventures and had a great time! - more to come in a later post.

After the bachelorette party I had another bridal shower thrown by my mom's friends. My grandma took a fall at the shower and ended up breaking two ribs, but she was a trooper and stayed the whole time. Once again I was spoiled with gifts.

The weekend before the wedding I went to the JCK show in Las Vegas. For those of you that don't know, JCK is the biggest jewelry show in in the industry; It's a show with 1000's of vendors and a good time. My schedule was jam packed running from booth to booth, meeting with our partners, picking out product and discussing sales and predicted forecasts. The show was at Mandalay Bay and was a huge success. We went out with one of our partners to Pure at Caesar's Palace one night and had a great time.

After the JCK show I had three days of work before I took time off for my wedding and honeymoon. On Tuesday June 7, my boss and my director pulled me into a meeting (spur the moment meetings usually aren't a good thing). They told me there were lots of changes happening in the company and I was affected by them......I GOT PROMOTED! I was promoted to an Associate Buyer in the Diamond department. I would be getting a new boss, learning a whole new world, and of course, a lovely raise. I was so excited and so far everything has been great!

Next comes June 10, 2011 - WEDDING DAY! Tim and I got hitched on Friday June 10, 2011 at Millcreek Inn. The weather was perfect, my dress was perfect, the entire day and evening was absolutely perfect! Tim and I shared our own vows and the day was very special, thus far the best day of my life! I am so thankful to share it with my family and amazing friends. I had such a great time and it will be a day I never forgot! - I will post pictures later.

Last but not least, Tim and I went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon! We spent 10 days enjoying the beaches, rain forests, the jungle, and most of all....being newlyweds! - pictures to come!

Happy Fathers Day!!

2011-06-19T07:47:00.002-06:00

Happy Fathers Day, Dad!!! You are an amazing man and I am so lucky to have you in my life.

Love,
Sam

Bruce

2011-04-30T09:41:00.001-06:00

Here are some cute pictures of Bruce....

Salt Lake Half Marathon x2

2011-04-30T09:17:00.003-06:00

Saturday April 16, 2011 was the Salt Lake Half Marathon. This was my second half marathon. I have to say, I was not nearly as prepared as I should have been. Life has been busy and training had fallen to the wayside. I set a goal to beat my time last year, but at mile 11 I had a killer blister and pain from an ongoing injury with my peroneal tendon. I was only 7 minutes over my time last year, but oh well, I finished! I signed up for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon in July and I'm considering joining Team in Training for to raise money for leukemia and cancer. I'm nervous to sign up because I have to commit to raise at least $3200 and I have never done any fundraising before. We'll just see what happens.

behind...

2011-04-03T21:31:00.002-06:00

Well, I have been behind in my blogging these last few months, six to be exact. I've been adjusting to corporate America, a new house, planning a wedding, and training a puppy, BUT now I can't use that as an excuse anymore. Tim is blogging more than me on our website http://sam-and-tim.com and that is pathetic. I think I have done two maybe three posts on there (one being just barely). I like blogging, even if no one reads my blog except my Mom and Dad, it's really fun to go back and read my posts.

Here is quick update from the past three months:
-went to Lady Gaga with my sister, great concert until the end when I learned general admission is NOT for me.
-survived our first winter in our new house
-survived the "busy time" at work and just finished up Q1.
-took on additional responsibilities at work for the Health and Beauty/Relationships team starting in January at work
-went to Disneyland for my birthday (previous post)
-went to the Channel Islands
-slacked BIG time on Tuesday Date Night with Tim
-watched the ENTIRE third season of Jersey Shore
-bought my wedding dress. It's a Sophia Tolli and absolutely beautiful (it looks better on me than the model)
-reserved a photographer for our wedding and shot our engagements (Jesse Erasmus)
-picked out Bridesmaid's dresses from David's Bridal and had to battle them with Katie when they told us that dresses wouldn't be available until six days AFTER the wedding
-mailed out save the date cards (only to the ceremony guests, so reception guests don't be worried)
-Tim made sushi for Valentine's Day - delicious
-Tim and I celebrated our three year anniversary March 8 - we did absolutely nothing except hand made cards, possibly one of my favorite anniversaries, just us none of that cliche/big date stuff
-I bought Insanity and realized I like it, but not six days a week and decided to do it twice a week and interchange it with the gym
-picked a beautiful four-tier wedding cake with two flavors, almond and raspberry swirl. We will have have fresh cut flowers on our cake.
-registered at Bed Bath and Beyond for the wedding. That took much longer than we anticipated
-Tim got a great job. He was recruited by a company called Property Solutions. After some disappointing changes in his department he was definitely ready to move on. Not only did he get a nice pay increase, but he is doing exactly what he wanted to be doing, Senior UX Designer. His first big project is designing an iPad app for the company.

This is what is coming up the next 10 weeks:
-Salt Lake Half Marathon April 16
-florist for the wedding
-wedding final details at Millcreek Inn
-Tulip Festival with Mom and sister
-First camping trip of 2011 (with Bruce! I have been dying to go out hiking and camping. Some of my favorite memories with Tim are camping and hiking adventures)
-going to New York for a week in work for May Market
-Strut your Mutt
-Bridal Shower by my beautiful aunt and cousins
-JCK show in Vegas for work
-Bachelorette party in Denver OR San Diego...more details to come
-Shopping/planning for our honeymoon in Costa Rica
and last but not least....GETTING MARRIED June 10 at Millcreek Inn and honeymoon after!

A lot has been going on. Work has been very busy, but I really enjoy my job. Starting this week I am getting trained for additional responsibilities at work (Associate Buyer - next level). No promotion sadly, but taking on more responsibility to prepare me for next level since our Associate Buyer got promoted, but we are not filling the position. I've learned so much about jewelry, buying, merchandising, supply chain management, you name it. Work has been great and hopefully stays that way :) I also can't complain about the 10 minute commute. East Sandy to Cottonwood Heights...not too bad of a drive.

I am getting so excited to get married. Everything with the wedding has been so laid back and easy. I know exactly what I want and I am getting everything I want. A nice intimate ceremony at Millcreek Inn with family and close friends followed by a nice plated dinner. A big reception to follow with dancing and the rest of our friends. Up until the past few weeks the wedding has seemed surreal. Yeah we're getting married, but we are already living together in our own house and we've been planning for the wedding, but it hasn't seemed really "wedding-ish" until today. I realized "We are getting married! Legally we will be recognized as man and wife." I am so excited. Tim and I were in no rush to get married, we knew we wanted to, but we wanted to wait until the right time. Sure we might have done things backwards like buying a house before getting married and getting a dog, but we were engaged and everything was the right time. We are just like every other couple, we have our ups and downs. We fight, we make up, we love each other dearly. I couldn't imagine my life without him and I am so excited for that special day that will be ours. I am most looking forward to that moment when I walk out of Millcreek, under the gazebo and see him standing and waiting me at the the end of the aisle. For that split second when I first see him that moment will be ours to remember forever.

I'm not one to get mushy and gushy in my blog, so don't expect much more, HA! As for everything else, I will make sure to blog once every week or so, even if its just some ramblings about current events or thoughts I'm having.

Until then....stay classy San Diego (yes I watched part of Anchorman today).

Disneyland

2011-03-12T21:48:00.005-07:00

I know this post is a little late, I just haven't had time to blog. My 24th birthday was a few weeks ago (February 17th to be exact) and this birthday was great! Tim took me to Disneyland!! I haven't been to Disneyland in about four years so it definitely was time to visit again!! The whole day was great and we had a fabulous time. I could blog forever about Disney, but I don't want to bore you. The day after Disneyland we drove up the coast and stayed in Port Hueneme and then we took a boat ride out to the Channel Islands - it was a wild boat ride, but we saw a whale and plenty of dolphins. We also stopped at Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve to get stamps in my National Parks book. It was a great long weekend and we couldn't have had a better time.

Bruce

2011-02-27T10:41:00.003-07:00

Bruce is now 46 pounds and getting bigger every day. We had a little scare earlier in the month with a bump on his ankle. He had a spot on his ankle where there was no fur, there was no bump, but no fur either. Over the course of about 3 weeks it developed into a tiny bump and in the matter of a couple days it quadrupled in size so we took him to the vet. At first the vet told us that it could be an inflamed bug bite, so he gave us some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds and said if it didn't go down in a week to come back and we would have to check it, run some tests, and remove it. After just 3 days on the meds, the bump got bigger. We went back to the vet and they did an emergency surgery for tumor removal and biopsy. Luckily the tumor was on the skin not the bone, so I wasn't AS concerned, but still worried. Bruce was drugged up, stitched and stapled back together with his leg wrapped, and we got a cone for when we were gone. After 5 days we could remove the wrap and then on day 14 we were supposed to go in and have the staples removed.

On day 4, the vet called with biopsy results. Everything was negative, the tumor was benign, and nothing to worry about...such a relief! On day 5 we removed the wrap and got our first look and his ankle. There were 8 staples all in all and a big cut from his ankle all around his leg. We left for work on day 6, put Bruce in his kennel with his cone on (this was nothing new except this time his leg wasn't wrapped). When we came home on lunch, Bruce was normal, happy to see us, everything seemed fine. Tim checked his leg to see how the staples were doing, except the staples weren't there. Bruce has pulled every single one of them out and his leg was open like a filet fish...it was disgusting. We immediately called the vet and we had to take Bruce in for emergency surgery. Everything went well, but we had to start all over. We had to purchase another cone because the one the vet gave us wasn't big enough obviously since Bruce was able to pull his stitches out while wearing it. What was supposed to be an easy 14 day watch turned into a 19 day watch, and my family had to help because Tim and I were going to Disneyland for my birthday.

I took Bruce back to the vet this week to get the stitches and staples removed. The vet said his ankle was healing great. His fur is slowing growing back around his ankle and on his arm where they gave him his IV and he is back to normal!! He has a long scar and little dots from the staples, but he is doing great! I hope we don't have to go back to the vet anytime soon.

Sundance

2011-01-28T22:10:00.007-07:00

(some random crazy guy)

Josh got these awesome credential passes for Sundance and took me with him last Saturday. We had a great time. It started snowing when we first got there, but it turned out to be a great day. We started out at the Sundance HQ where we had free lunch, and then went upstairs where the Cosmopolitan at Las Vegas was hosting and had free drinks, a photo booth, and just a chill place to hang out. This was by far my favorite place of the day - it was a great start to our day. After we walked up main street and checked out all the places that our passes could get us into. We ran into James Franco completely random up Main Street - that was fun, and a swarm of people. Later we walked down to Swag which was the celeb hot spot.

New Computer

2011-01-28T22:05:00.002-07:00

After a week of struggling with my laptop (black screen, plugging it into a monitor so I could at least get everything off of it) I finally went and bought a new laptop. I got an HP - it was a good price, perfect size, and perfect for what I needed....oh yeah, how could I forget it has my favorite character's initials on it, Harry Potter!

I don't use a computer at home nearly as much as I used to ever since I graduated, but I still need one and learned this past week I definitely cannot live without one. Now that I have my new computer up and running I was able to start finalizing the wedding list, address Save the Date cards (they will be mailed this week), and just enjoy having a working laptop!

overwhelmed

2011-01-18T23:35:00.002-07:00

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. My laptop is broken - the screen is completely black, so the only way to use it is to hook it up to a desktop monitor. I need to get a new one before I go to NY.

On the plus side - we finally got dining room chairs.

Christmas

2010-12-26T12:42:00.003-07:00

I had a great Christmas this year. I am so spoiled by my family. I don't want to bore you with the list of what I got so here is the highlight - Tickets to Disneyland from Tim, a picture book with our pictures from Tim; a vacuum, house stuff, Keen shoes, heart rate monitor from my parents; and a giftcard to pier 1 from Tim's parents. Like I said that is just the highlight list. I got spoiled. ps I forgot that I got Harry Potter 1-6 on Blu Ray - woohoo!

We took a lot of pictures on Christmas, but I put just a few of the pictures Tim and I took while we opened our gifts at home. I also threw on a picture of the wreath I made that we hung above our garage and a picture of Tim on the roof when he was putting lights up. It's been a great year and I can't wait for 2011 and I am getting so excited for our wedding!!!

Countdown to Christmas and Top Ten Recap

2010-12-16T22:44:00.004-07:00

Wow! I have been a horrible blogger, but I guess that was expected when I quit my job where I had all the free time in the world to blog - I never blogged at home before. Anyways, sorry no pictures...I'm sitting on the couch and my camera is in the bedroom and I'm just too lazy to get up!

Anyways, Christmas is only 8 days away!!! I cannot wait! I love this time of year, and even though my work has been insane lately - I am still finding time to do all the holiday activities I love! Our Christmas lights and decorations are up, my shopping is pretty much done, and most of the gifts are wrapped!! I'm doubtful, but hoping we get snow for Christmas. I am liking my job so far as a Buyer's Assistant in Jewelry and Gemstones. I have learned SO much and some days I feel like I've got it all and other days, I'm learning something completely new. No matter what, my buyer keeps me busy and there is never a slow moment - helps the days go by fast. It's different working as a merchant - who would have ever thought I'd be a merchant and sh0pping/buying things for a living?

Tim and I decided to go to Southern California to San Diego and Santa Barbara for New Years. I am so excited to get out and head to the coast!! I will take lots of pictures. My parents are going to watch Bruce...I just hope they don't go the library the week we are gone...lol!

As the year is ending I am thinking about HOW different my life was one year ago today, so I decided to do a Top Ten list of the year.

1- Tim asking me to marry him. This was such an exciting event for both of us and our families. I couldn't be happier to be marrying Tim in June and start our new life together.

2- Tim and I bought a house! Who would have thought I would be living a my own house at the end of 2010? I sure didn't. It was a great time to buy and Tim and I knew we had time to look...we just happened to find the house for us before the wedding.

3- I got a new puppy!! Tim bought Bruce the pit bull for me in October this year. Tim had been gone for two weekends and I had been wanting a dog and it just so happened that he felt bad leaving me alone so he agreed to a puppy. Bruce has been a terror - destroyed books, clothes, carpet, doors, base boards, and the floor to name a few items, but we love him! He is so fun and has the sweetest heart.

4- I got my first 'grown up job'. In the fall I got a job at Overstock.com working as a Buyer's Assistant in Jewelry and Gemstones. It is a complete change of pace from any job I have ever had. I finally got into corporate America like I had been trying the last year and half (thanks economy) and now it's time to learn and grow. I really like my job - some days much more than others - but it's been a great change for me.

5- I ran my first Half Marathon. The Salt Lake Marathon/Half Marathon was in April and I set the goal to run it. It was hard training for it, but it was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. In fact I signed up again for the Half Marathon this year and I hope to run plenty more and eventually a full marathon.

6- Tim and I went to Seattle. Shortly before the half marathon - Tim and I went to Seattle for the week. It was so much fun! I have never been to Seattle and I had been wanting to go for the longest time and it was so wonderful! I love vacations!!!

7- Tim bought me a National Parks Passport and we set the goal to visit as many National Parks as we can. Without grabbing the passport I couldnt tell you how many, but we managed to get QUITE a few stamps in a book this year.

8- Tim and I went on the BEST trip to Moab and Arches NP and Canyonlands. We went down in spring and camped and it was just us all weekend long. I had been having a rough couple weeks down about job stuff (I was looking SO hard and having zero luck) and so we took a long weekend and it was absolutely amazing. That was the first time in a LONG time that I had truly had just a great time.

9- I went to Pensacola, FL to visit my best friend Brittany in May. It kinda sucks having your best friend live on the other side of the country - but no matter we are always best friends. I was able to go visit Brittany in Florida and see the naval base where she does all her flight training. We had a great time despite all the rain - we only got 1 hour of beach time.

10- Zion Park. Tim and I went down to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. It was a fun week - not too hot, not too cold, just right. So many great memories from this trip - hiking Hidden Canyon and turning around because I got scared, hiking Angel's landing in the RAIN to see a "rare bird", the temperature dropping 25 degrees driving to the grand canyon...so much fun!

I am so thankful for all the fun times and memories I had during 2010! It was a great year, rough and hard at times for me - especially with my job struggle the first 8 months of the year while I was still searching for my first grown up - corporate america job. The biggest thing I have learned this year is to keep those friends around that are true friends and that no matter what, your family will always be there for you. I have the best family and some of the greatest friends. Some days I think I don't have many friends, but then I think about the quality of friends and it makes me realize that I Quality over quantity any day is totally worth it! I am so happy to have Tim in my life - he puts up with me, when probably most people wouldn't. I can be neurotic, crazy, 'ridiculous', OCD - lots of not so fun things, but no matter what he loves me. I am getting SO excited to get married in June and can't wait to start our new life together!!

Happy New Year's! I will be posting some goals and resolutions soon!!

New Website and Blog

2010-12-04T11:52:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone!

So Tim designed a website for us sam-and-tim.com . He has been using it a lot lately and has been asking me to post on there too...so let's face it, I'm not going to update both blogs on the same thing but I"m going to use both. Check our Sam-and-Tim.com and click on "our blog" to see pictures and the latest happenings about our life together. The website isn't finished, but we hope to have it done soon and post wedding updates.

I have some pictures of Bruce in the snow and when I pull them off my camera I"ll share them on here.

Happy Holidays!

October Came and Went

2010-11-07T19:25:00.003-07:00

October was a busy month for us. With me starting a new job, being a homeowner, taking care of a puppy...it's been hard to find free time. About three days after we got Bruce he was really sick. He had a terrible cough and wasn't eating, drinking, or playing...so we took him to the vet. We found out he has a bad cold (the vet told us it wasn't kennel cough surprisingly) and that they were concerned of him getting pneumonia. They gave us a few antibiotics and said to bring him back in three days if he wasnt getting better. Well, the next three days were horrible. Bruce refused to eat, coughed nonstop, wouldnt drink anything, and kept us up all night long. We took him to the vet to find out he had a mild case of pneumonia and they gave us more antibiotics and a fluid IV to give to Bruce twice a day. Our dining room looked like a hospital room - we had an IV bag handing from the chandelier and a bag full of needles and dog meds everywhere. Eventually Bruce started feeling better and was back to himself within about 12 days, but it was a scary, rough 12 days.

Tim celebrated his 28th birthday (he's getting old, finally in the 'late 20's' category). I surprised him with dinner to Rodizio Grill - Tim had never ate there before so it was a fun experience for him. We went to the Utes v. Colorado State game on his birthday - in the pouring rain, but it was fun!

For Halloween, Tim dressed up as an 'extreme' bird watcher - everyone asks "isn't he pretty extreme already" - well it was a good costume and we got a good laugh. I dressed up as a pirate and Bruce was a football. We decorated pumpkins - well Tim carved and I supported. Tim's pumpkin was amazing - and mine was too. In fact, I won scariest pumpkin at work.

Bruce sleeps with his mouth open....its pretty cute. He is getting so good at shaking, sitting, stay, and come. On the flip side - he is not so good when we leave during the day. We both come home for lunch and he is never alone for more than 4 hours at a time, but he just doesnt like to be left alone. He barks and whines when we leave and he likes to tear up my stuff. He is really good at escaping any type of room we put him in. He destroyed the back of my bathroom door, my UofU pillow, a pair of ski goggles, 25 poker chips, 7 shoes (all mine), a bra, a tshirt----this dog likes to chew and only chews when he is left home alone. We have finally put him in Tim's bathroom and so far so good, minus the crying and whining when we leave. Bruce has been a fun guy and we like having him around.

Well, here comes the sad news. I am a Ute fan through and through. Win or Lose they are my team. I just didnt think the TCU game would be what it was. Tim, my dad, me, and Tim's dad went to the game. We were ready. We showed up to the game, over 47,000 fans showed up to the game, TCU showed up to the game, but the Utes were no where to be found. The stadium was insanely loud - and then TCU scored 3 touchdowns in the first quarter, it got pretty quiet and people were starting to leave. Whittingham kept Wynn in the game the whole and the fans (including myself) were booing him. It was a rough game. A very rough game. The stadium was so quiet you would hear the cheerleaders cheering...think about it, have you ever heard the cheerleaders cheering (and I was on row 52 for that). It was sad. I didnt lose faith, until Wynn kept doing the same thing...3 and out, 3 and out. I never leave football games early. I stay to cheer my Utes on no matter what...but the last interception in Q4 was the nail in the coffin and we left. I have great respect for TCU, I just wish the game wouldnt have been such a slaughter.

Hopefully I will blog more in November. I've been busy with boring/typical stuff...but my favorite time is here, and don't worry I've already started Christmas decorating!

Meet Bruce

2010-10-09T18:50:00.004-06:00

Meet Bruce! 4 months old, 17 pounds, Pit Bull.

Bruce is just about the sweetest puppy. Tim and I rescued him today and we couldn't be happier! So far he has slept on his dog bed, jumped up and cuddled on our bed, squeaked his toy, followed us everywhere we go - he has been just great!

update on everything else in life:
Work has been so busy! I'm liking my job and my coworkers and definitely loving the shorter commute (I'm going on week 3 with the same tank of gas). I finally feel like my balance of not knowing vs knowing is now in the favor of 'knowing'. I'm learning a lot about merchandising/buying/operations/everything. I also get to see all the jewelry samples that come in - I swear this job will break the bank because I want to buy everything!

As for our house - it is turning into our home. I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures - that just means you guys all need to come over and visit! Actually, if you login and check out my facebook I have pictures of the house on there (sorry the house is EMPTY in all the pictures). Hopefully when life slows down a little I will take some. We have unpacked everything - we still have 2 EMPTY rooms, but thats ok :). I love living up the street from my sister and down the street from my parents - I like being close to everyone. My sweet mom came over two weekends ago and helped me weed and plant flowers in the front yard. It was hard work, but we did a great job! I have some tulip bulbs I need to plant - hopefully tomorrow.

Wedding planning is coming along great. Brittany has been coming up with some great ideas for centerpieces, and I think we may have found the bridesmaid's dresses. Most of my bridesmaid's have been wonderful and helpful! Tim has been working on our website http://sam-and-tim.com check it out! We hope to have more wedding updates for you soon!

Ute Football and New Job

2010-09-19T15:02:00.005-06:00

So I promise I will get pictures of the house up soon....we have a few stuff on our new website http://sam-and-tim.com - check it out! Tim is still finishing the website, but we are going to use it for our wedding updates and our life.

*NEWS* I ordered my wedding dress on Saturday. Mom and me went shopping and as it just so happens I find the dress. I know its so cliche to say "you just know when its the right one," but its true - you know. I went shopping back in May with Brittany in Flordia for dresses, nothing stood out. I also went with Kasi and thought I found a good one, but I still wanted to look. Then me and Mom went and I found my dress at Danielle's in Holladay. It's a Sophia Tolli and its absolutely gorgeous! Chapel length train, lots of beading, silk dress, asymetrical hips, the 'swoosh' I wanted in my fabric, its BEAUTIFUL - I can't post too many more details for the small chance Tim might read this!! I can't wait! It will be here sometime in December or January and then we will start the fittings and alterations from there. I've been getting really excited lately over wedding planning (yes I realize its about 8 months away, but still) and am so thankful for Katie, Brittany, Kasi, and my Mom for all their support and excitement!

Anyways....I started my new job as a Buyer's Assistant for Jewelry in the Merchandising Department for Overstock.com. Yes - me, Nicki, and Tim all work there...BUT because it's such a big company I will never work with Tim- he works on the website team in Marketing (in fact we are two floors apart and except for lunch we never even see each other). My sister on the other hand works on my floor and I see her quite often - its fun! So far I am loving my job. I have great people around me and there is SO much to learn; essentially I am learning the entire process of the business and merchandising and job shadowing people in different positions to learn every aspect of the company. It's a nice change - my job is very fast paced and lots to do; I really like it.

You all know it - I'm a HUGE Ute fan! Of course I'm at the games. It just so happens that it was very sunny at the UNLV game. Tim and I took my parents with us - we had a great time - but my drum and feather sticker/tattoo left a lovely little tan line on my face after the game. The great thing, I didn't care because I love my Utes!!

Hopefully within the next two weeks I will get around to taking pictures of the house. We are unpacked. Life is good here. We are still waiting to find some French Doors, we need the electrician to come over so we can put our big fan up in the family room, and of course I want to find a lot of fun home decor!

Lots of News!!!

2010-09-08T21:47:00.010-06:00

Lots of new changes!! First off, Tim and I are homeowners!!!! We moved into our new house on August 30 and have been getting settled (pictures to come later). Next off, I got a new job as a buyer's assistant for watches --- more details on this later! Lastly (the only thing I have pictures of) Tim's brother, Josh, got married last weekend! They got married at St. Ambrose and had a nice ceremony and then later that night they had a reception, buffet-style dinner at Tuscany. Amy looked beautiful and it was a great day for them!

Jack Johnson

2010-08-22T21:16:00.002-06:00

Tim and I went to Jack Johnson on August 13. It was a GREAT concert - even better than the first three times I have seen Jack. The weather was a little chilly, but we had a great time together!

Life has been crazy lately. Tim and I close in 8 days on our house! I can't believe we are going to be homeowners together. We've been doing some packing (Tim is a pack rat) and some shopping getting new furniture and all sorts of odds and ends we need for the house.

When Tim and I were running errands today we saw this dog wearing goggles and a scarf riding on the back of a motorcycle...I can't help but laugh.

Countdown

2010-08-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

Leidy Peak

2010-08-08T16:44:00.008-06:00

This weekend Tim and I went to the Uintahs and hiked Leidy Peak. We had a great time - despite the colder weather. Like I've said before, Tim bought me a National Parks Passport - a book where you get a stamp every time you visit a National Park, National Monument, or something to that effect - its fun! So we went to Dinosaur National Monument. As much as I love dinosaurs, I hate to say it but this was a big let down. My parents took me and Nicki here as kids and it was fun! But this time the quarry was closed so all we did was go and get the stamp and leave.

I love being able to do our weekend trips! They're so much fun.

Home?

2010-08-06T13:09:00.003-06:00

Tim and I put an offer in on this house - the offer has been accepted - as long as everything goes as planned with the inspection and appraisal, we will be closing on August 31! The house is just over 2600 sq ft, 5 bedrooms, 3 bath, big kitchen, living room, dining room, family, laundry room, and storage room. We are excited!

ps- we are going camping this weekend. I'm excited

Bride Bootcamp

2010-08-03T11:21:00.002-06:00

The wedding is 10 months and 7 days away. I need to lose some weight and tone up my back and arms. I am going to start documenting my fitness and enrolling myself in my own 'Bride Bootcamp.' Lots of cardio, weights, and interval training!

End of July

2010-07-30T21:32:00.005-06:00

Tim and I went up to Twin Lakes where we came face to face with a moose! We turned a corner and he was right there about 8 feet away, I jumped back to Tim and I think we scared the moose more than he scared us because he took off running the opposite direction!

Tim and I are also still on the house lookout. As I was thinking about it, we really haven't looked at THAT many houses. As of right now the total is 6 -one before we got our awesome realtor, George Reade, and 5 that we looked at with George (3 of these were definite NO the second we walked in the front door). We are searching, doing drive by's before we ask George to take us in because some houses look A LOT better online than in person. Tomorrow we are going to look at 3 more houses; one in East Sandy, one in Holladay, and one right on the line between Millcreek and Olympus Cove. Wish us luck!

4th of July

2010-07-05T18:47:00.006-06:00

For the 4th of July, Tim and I went to Lander, WY to spend the holiday with his cousins - a family tradition he always did as a kid. Lander is a small town, but they are big on fireworks. We went up Saturday - made it just in time for lunch and then we went hiking to some really neat waterfalls. After we had a BBQ and then lots of friends and family came over to watch "Dr Bill's Firework Show". We had great seats from the back porch and saw a great fireworks show mixed in with some lightening (Tim got a neat lightening shot with fireworks). The next morning we woke up early to go visit 'The Sinks' - a place where the river sinks into a sandstone mountain and then 1/4 mile down road comes back out - after we went down to Main Street for the parade. The parade was fun, but VERY small townish. After we went and played a round of golf - We both started off great on the first few holes, then it went downhill (especially for me) after. We had dinner together that night, just the two of us and then we went over to Tim's cousin's house for another party and some fireworks. One thing in Lander is that the 4th is a HUGE holiday. EVERYONE was lighting off firecrackers nonstop, all day long - and at night its the roman candles, fireworks, and firecrackers ALL NIGHT LONG. We fell asleep listening and watching fireworks.

On our drive home we stopped at Fossil Butte National Monument to get another stamp in our National Parks Passport book. Like I've said before, Tim and I have made a 'goal' to go and visit as many National Parks, National Monuments, and National Historic Sites as we can. We had a great weekend together, but I am glad to be home!

Venue and Date Selected

2010-06-25T18:15:00.006-06:00

June 10, 2011 - Millcreek Inn

Tim and I signed the contract and paid the deposit today. Venue and date picked! We're doing the ceremony and reception at Millcreek Inn next June. You can check out Millcreek's website at http://millcreekinn.com/. It's absolutely beautiful, nestled up Millcreek Canyon; its rustic and romantic all in one - absolutely a beautiful venue!

Trivial fact for you...June is Juno's month - the Goddess of Marriage Fidelity. We didn't plan to get married in June for that reason, but its kinda fun. I knew of a lot of wedding traditions, but I have read a few things on weddings/traditions and I am learning about even more traditions. I didn't know this, but the reason wedding bands are worn on the ring finger on the left hand is because that finger is the only finger that has a blood vein that runs straight to your heart---sweet isn't it?

Zion NP and Grand Canyon NP

2010-06-13T12:06:00.010-06:00

This weekend Tim and I went down to Zion NP and the Grand Canyon North Rim NP. When we went to Arches NP last month, Tim bought me a National Parks Passport (something I didn't even know existed). Basically with this passport, every time you go to a national park or a national monument you get a stamp with the name and date to stamp in your book - its kinda fun; so we decided to buy one and hit up as many NP and NM that we can. We had a great time - had great weather, except for Saturday night. We left Thursday and drove down to Zion to camp. It was 80 degrees when we got there, it felt so nice. Friday morning we went into Zion, took the shuttle all the way to Temple of Sinawava and walked the River Walk. Next we went down and hiked Hidden Canyon - well most of it. I have a fear of heights, and Hidden Canyon is on a cliff face, walking along ledges with 1000 foot drops, and there is a chain to hold onto. I got past the first part everyone was turning around at and we kept going. I was in the front, and we got to a spot where the trail curved around the cliff, but I couldnt see it curving, and we were so high up I couldnt see any trees - I had a minor panic attack, and with tear filled eyes, turned to Tim and said "we have to go back." He was a gentleman and we turned around. After, we went down and had lunch, checked the weather and saw that it was going to be bad weather Saturday at the Grand Canyon, so we headed over there for the rest of Friday afternoon, while the weather was decent. The drive in reminded us both of Yellowstone NP and when we got there, we were above 8000 ft and it was pretty cold - quite the change from Zion NP. We stopped at the Lodge, went to the viewing deck and it was beautiful. It was cloudy and before we knew it, dark clouds were on the way. We planned on camping at the Grand Canyon and hiking down into it on Saturday, but the weather was not cooperating so we headed back to Zion.

Saturday morning we woke up early, headed into Zion NP and walked up to the Zion Lodge and did the Emerald Pools hike. We went to all 3 pools, lower, middle, and upper. They were pretty- but not green yet. On our hike down we could see dark clouds rolling in and we were planning on heading out to the desert to camp. Tim overheard a couple on the shuttle talking about an owl they had seen, so naturally he was interested. He talked with them, they showed him a picture of the owl and he got excited because it was a Spotted Owl - an endangered species and VERY hard to find. Even though it was raining, Tim wanted to go see the owl (which happened to be a mom and two babies). The downside, the owls were on the Angel's Landing hike and it was starting to rain. I agreed to go with him and I hiked us very fast up to the bottom of Walter's Wiggles. Tim saw the owls and they were amazing - I am glad I went. Knowing Tim would be taking pictures forever, I decided to finish the Angel's Landing hike. I made it up all the Walter Wiggle's switchbacks (which were steep and straight up - doesn't help with my fear of heights). It was starting to rain harder, but I was convinced to get to the top, no matter how scary. I got to the top of Scouts Lookout and the view was phenomenal (I wish I would have taken a camera). This is where the last .5 miles of Angel's Landing is - the part that is along a ridge with chains and with 1000 foot drop one side and a 1200 foot drop on the other - not for me thanks, and especially not for me since it was raining hard and the rocks were getting slippery, but I did see a lot of people continue on the hike completely disregarding the weather. I took in the view, but it started raining pretty hard and I had been gone awhile, so I turned back. I had to be careful walking down Walter's Wiggles because they are pretty steep and it was raining hard and they were slippery and along a cliff face. I think this hike was not nearly as scary as Hidden Canyon. I made it back to Tim - and I was soaked! Lucky for Tim where the owls were was right by an overhanging cliff so he was dry. We headed back down the rest of the hike and it only rained harder. We had rain jackets - thank god! But we were still soaked. It was absolutely beautiful to see the canyon in the rain - beautiful - so glad we got to do that.

The rain wasn't about to let up, so we decided to head home early. I wasn't about to camp in the rain, on top of being wet and dirty myself. Up until this point the weather was great---I didn't get any sun on my pasty body, but it was still nice. We had a great weekend and a great adventure together!

Summer is here!

2010-06-10T09:26:00.003-06:00

It feels like summer is finally here! Nothing overly exciting to update about right now, I just wanted to upload some pictures. Katie and I went to go see Sex and the City 2! We both loved it. I absolutely love that show and wish it was still a series - I watch it almost every night on TBS before bed, I own every season on DVD - I just love it!

Ripple and I had a picnic in the park. Sandwiches, Snow Cones, and Cupcakes! The ice cream truck came around and was playing CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! We couldn't stop laughing!!

Tim and I had a picnic and went up Big Cottonwood Canyon. My mom gave us a cute picnic basket and we had a great time. It was perfect weather and the lunch I made was delicious! Tim is an amazing cook and he spoils me too much cooking. I can bake and I make french toast, that is basically all I contribute in the kitchen. Tim and I have also been house shopping, going over the wedding details we can, and we are going to the Grand Canyon this weekend!

Strutt Your Mutt and FL

2010-06-02T12:02:00.008-06:00

A few weeks ago I did Strut Your Mutt. It was a lot of fun, cold, but fun. Here are some pictures. Hank did not go because I felt like he would be too excited and pull me all over the park!!!

I did go to Florida last weekend to visit my best friend Brittany. It rained the WHOLE time. Thunderstorms, rain, clouds, you name it! The temperature was nice and hot though! We had fun together! Brittany and me tried on wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses at David's Bridal since Brittany wont be able to dress shopping with me when I go in a few months. Also it was Pride Weekend in Pensacola, we went to a nice restaurant that had an Elton John look alike playing the piano, so much fun! and he was REALLY good. We laughed at our bracelets that were rainbow colored, smileys!

P.S. I FINALLY got a job!!! I'm super excited! I start June 14th

Florida

2010-05-25T15:58:00.001-06:00

I'm heading to Florida this weekend. I'm ready to leave now.

spring is finally here

2010-05-17T08:35:00.004-06:00

This was the first weekend that it truly felt like spring in SLC - and I was just recovering from being sick!! Saturday Tim and I bummed around all day, went and saw Robin Hood with Chris and then just relaxed. Sunday was a busy fun day. I started by going to the gym for a nice long workout (the first one in 4 days since I was sick). Ripple and I had brunch at Pago - it was delicious!! I asked her to be one of my Bride's maids and she was ecstatic!!!! Let the wedding frenzy begin!

After brunch I went over to Josh's house for a day date! We went to the mall, Nordstrom's Rack, Ulta, Target -- successful shopping trip. Then we went to Eva's for dinner. Let me tell you about Eva's, its possibly the most delicious and best find in SLC. It is a tapas and cocktail bar, OMG so good, I am in love!! Eva's was a recomendation from a coworker and its one of those 'rare finds.' The small plate were so tasty and it gives you a chance to try a variety of things without gaining 10 pounds. Highly recomended on my list!!

Tim and I have been touring wedding venues lately. We are pretty sure we have our final pick, BUT we havent signed any contracts yet. We have already ruled out Red Butte Gardnes, Rice Eccles Tower, and the Woods on Ninth. Red Butte had a crazy contract, 5 pages of 'read the small print;' Rice Eccles had a great view, no outdoor area (which we knew about) and we really want to have a garden-ish feel - plus there were extra charges for every little thing at the Tower; Woods on Ninth, well needless to say they have an amazing photographer taking the pictures for the website because it looks NOTHING like their photo gallery. We didn't even take the tour, we got there and it was a no from the street - they had a neon, flashing open sign in the window...if I wanted neon flashing lights at my wedding I'd go to Vegas.

Race for the Cure and Mother's Day

2010-05-10T09:31:00.003-06:00

Saturday my sister and I did the Race for the Cure. This was something we planned for a couple weeks to do together and I think we both had a great time. There were a TON of people. It was hard to actually run, let alone keep a decent walking pace, but we managed. We had a great time and I think we are going to make it a tradition for us to do it as sisters every year.

We didn't take any pictures because, well, it was morning, early morning, and neither of us were really in that 'glamorous' phase of the day quite yet.

Mother's Day was fun and relaxing this year. One of the things I got my mom she actually had bought Mother's Day morning for herself, so now she has two - this goes against her own advice of 'dont buy yourself anything around holidays.' It was just my parents, Tim and I for dinner. We did shish kabobs on the grill - which were delicious! We had chicken, steak, bacon, red peppers, squash, onion, and garlic bread. For dessert Tim mad dessert kabobs with pineapple, mango, and apples and lite whipped cream - so yum! After dinner we ran to the Avery house to drop off a gift for Tim's mother and say hi.

I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful mother! She is absolutely stunning and amazing; anyone who has the chance to get to know her is lucky and will be impressed with her wonderfulness.

news! news! news! news!

2010-05-02T00:07:00.003-06:00

TIM AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Glamping"

2010-04-26T11:32:00.005-06:00

This past weekend Tim and I went down to Moab, UT and did some "glamping" - glamorous camping. Typically when Tim and I camp, we make it easy as possible; we don't really "cook" any food, just mainly sandwiches and very easy food to make and prepare. Growing up my dad did everything in his power to make camping the best experience for my mom, sister, and me and we always woke up every morning to delicious warm breakfasts, fantastic lunches, and amazing dinners. I have given Tim a hard time that we need to do some "glamping" to make camping more enjoyable for me, so this time around Tim cooked. He made chicken quesadillas for us one night and then we had eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns for breakfast. The catch, he didn't use any stoves, pots, pans, nothing except fire and some tin foil. Crazy? yes he is, but it turned out DELICIOUS and we had a great time glamping!

Back to Moab. We went to Arches NP on Saturday. It was free National Parks weekend, we did not know this prior to our planning our trip or else we would have gone a different weekend. It was PACKED with families, screaming kids, and far too many byu fans (I'm convinced they were only there bc it was free and byu fans will take anything free). We hiked up to Delicate Arch, watched quite a few young children go running off from their parents and we watched a few trip; we were convinced we were going to see one go over a cliff, but thank goodness we didn't. We wandered throughout the park and saw a bunch of neat things. On Sunday we went to Canyonlands which was fun to see, and not nearly as many people (byu fans aren't about to go out on a Sunday - joke, I'm kidding, or am I?). Canyonlands was very neat and I decided I want to do the White Rim Trail that goes through the canyon sometime.

I had a great weekend with Tim. It was nice to be able to get away, catch some sun, and spend time together. For the first time in about ever, I can say that I actually wish our camping trip would have lasted longer. I had a blast and was sad to see the fun end.

ps- aren't you proud of my picture taking? I made a goal this year to take more pictures and I've done a good job so far :)

SLC 1/2 Marathon - 04/17/2010

2010-04-19T08:30:00.005-06:00

On Saturday April 17, 2010, I ran in my first half marathon! It was exciting, easier than I expected, and a lot of fun. My finish time ended up being 2:29:57 - I thought it was 10 minutes earlier, but my watch must have been set a little fast. But I'm still proud of that time for my first half marathon. My parents, Tim, and one of my very best friends Josh came down to support me! I loved having them there at the finish line, and I loved all the phone calls and text messages I receieved from my friends on Saturday asking me how the race was and congratulating me! Tim took a few pictures of me, don't mind the lack of makeup and my general lack beauty - I just ran 13.1 miles and was hot, sweaty, tired, and frankly not caring about my appearance.

A few things about the race. I had WAY more energy than I expected. I ran the first five miles without stopping once to walk, however, I did walk most of the Liberty Park loop and the mile 11 (which happened to be on State Street uphill to the Capitol), but other than that I ran pretty much the entire time. Some things I won't forget about the race

i) Lots of people watching and cute tank tops

ii) Not all runners are friendly - I had one guy run right into me at a water station and he was extremely rude; reminded me of Dane Cook "why did you stop at a red light and let me hit you doing 80?"

iii) Water Station#2 was out of cups - WHAT?! yes, no cups for water and it was only 7:25

iv) During a race, runners are not mindful of the environment. At all the water stations most runners ignored the numerous garbage cans and just chucked their garbage on the street. I get that its a race and its the 'easiest' thing to do, but really? you cant just toss it in the garbage?

v) On 1700 South some guy was cooking bacon; yes bacon! There were signs lining the street saying 'bacon' and then all of a sudden there was a guy in his front yard cooking bacon for all the runners and cheering us on. Sidenote- on this same street someone else was cooking hot dogs or sausages, and no I didn't have either.

vi) Mile 9. This was a memorable mile for me (seeing as to how I did not enjoy mile 7 OR 8). At Mile 9, I looked at my watch and realized I could walk the rest of the way and still finish under my goal mark of three hours - but I still kept running. I was so proud of myself at Mile 9 for keeping my stamina up and making this far without being dead tired or hurting. At Mile 9 I was feeling good.

vii) The hill up State Street. This was rough, not just for me, but for everyone else. I knew if I tried to run up this hill I would be dead; so I did a powerwalk. My powerwalk was faster than some people's run. I was passing people, I was getting passed by others. You could see pain and exhaustion on the face of most. This hill was a test of one final push at the end. The last mile to the finish was a piece of cake after this hill.

viii) My family and Tim and Josh at the end! I will never forget how excited I was to see them!!

its half marathon week!

2010-04-12T09:56:00.005-06:00

the salt lake city half marathon/marathon is this week! 7 am! see you there!!!

I'm excited and nervous for the half marathon. This is my first half marathon. I have been training for it since the end of January, but its still nerve wracking thinking that its 5 days away! I hope I'm prepared. I've been researching some "what to expect" articles/forums and talked with a few people who have run half marathons. Almost all have said the same thing - that it's going to be hard and it's going to hurt. It is all mental. For me 4-5 mile runs are something I can do pretty much every day and enjoy; 6-7 miles are fine too, but only every week or every two weeks. Anything longer than that is a challenge for me, not because I can't do it, but because after 7 miles, my mind starts playing tricks on me. My legs start telling me they're tired, my boday starts telling me its tired, my mind is starting to get bored with the run, but I don't give up. I keep going. I go because its what I came to do, its the reason I started my run. I plan to keep on running in half marathons, maybe one day do a triathalon or work up to a full marathon. But for now I am going to stick to running for enjoyment; if I ever enjoy long distance running, I"ll give it a try. Running is my time that is guaranteed alone time; it gives me a chance to break free from the day and any other worries/stress in life. It's my time and I own that time. Running is a mental sport, there are times you have to talk yourself through it, but in the end you'll be glad you did it.

Seattle

2010-04-09T09:04:00.005-06:00

I am back from Seattle, WA! -and this is my 100th post so this will be extra exciting to read ;) jk! Tim and I had a great time in Seattle.

Day 1- Our flight left early early Saturday morning so we had the whole day to enjoy. Our hotel was right by the Space Needle, in Belltown, and about one mile from downtown Seattle/waterfront. Once we checked into our hotel we walked downtown to waterfront and the famous Pike's Place Market. We had lunch at the Crab Pot, which consisted of crab dip (my favorite) and fish tacos. After we walked up the back up (up seven flights of stairs) to the market. The market was fun, but the shops were definintely more hippy-like and too ecclectic for my taste. However, the first floor with all the food and produce was very fun and lots to see, do, and buy! I was absolutely in LOVE with all the fresh flowers, specifically tulips, in the market. So many flowers, so cheap, and so beautiful!!! We watched them throw the fish, we went to the first Starbucks, we tried some tasty food, did lots of shopping, and just wandered around downtown Seattle and walked along waterfront to the SAM Olympic Scuplture Park before getting trapped in a rainstorm before reaching our hotel. The rainstorm was pouring rain and extremely windy. The wind broke my umbrella beyond use, but we made it back to the hotel. We went to a really tasty neopolitan style pizza place called Via Tribulani for dinner and then by the time we went back to the hotel we were both pretty tired and just relaxed together before bed.

Day 2- Today we woke up and went to this local taco place that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner tacos. The restaurant was a cute, tiny place and very "yuppy" as Tim would say. We ordered some breakfast tacos and of course, queso for breakfast. This was by far the best queso I have ever had in my life! After breakfast we walked back to our hotel, grabbed our stuff for the day and went back down to the market. We walked ALL over again, seeing lots of stuff, going in shops, buying me a rain jacket since the rainstorm yesterday destroyed my umbrella, and going on two ferry rides. We took the first ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. This was my first ferry ride and it was a lot of fun! After our ferry ride we decided we wanted to go again to Bremeonton; we had an hour to kill so we had lunch at Ivars and I ran to the market really quick to get a book to read on the ferry. At the market a nice man showed me a shortcut from the market to waterfront that avoided climbing the seven flights of stairs, and instead using a "secret" elevator - this was later be our lifesaver! The second ferry ride was a little chilly, but we still had fun. After our ferry ride, we did a little more wandering around town and got back to our hotel kinda late. We ordered take out to our hotel and just relaxed before bed.

Day 3- Today Tim had his first day of his conference. We woke up, grabbed some quick breakfast and walked downtown. I dropped him off at the conference and then I went down the waterfront to Starbucks on Pier 55, ordered a nice skinny vanilla latte and read my book for the next little bit. It was a beautiful day today, blue skies, sun shining and I was out for lots of walking. I went up to the mall and had so much fun shopping. I learned that Norstrom's started in Seattle, and don't worry the Nordstrom's is amazing here! Four floors, valet parking, just wonderful!! I bought a lot of stuff, and before I knew it, it was time to head back to waterfront to meet Tim. i found the gum wall that is covered with gum! Kinda fun and gross at the same time. I also walked past a small donut shop in the market that had a crazy long line on Saturday, but no one was in line this time so I stopped to buy some mini donuts. The donuts were simply amazing! I saved some and shared them with Tim - we were both in love with these fresh, tiny donuts. We went to the crab pot again for lunch, but this time we ordered the northen boil. This was an array of crab legs, prawn, oysters, claims, potatoes, corn, and sausage in a bucket dumped on our table. What a feast it was! We had fun. We went back up the market, bought a few more donuts, watched them throw the fish then we walked back to the conference center and relaxed a little before Tim's last presentation. I went back to the hotel, and took a nap. We went to the opening night party for the conference at a martini bar called Twist, which coincidentally was the same martini bar I told Tim I wanted to go to earlier today. The party was open bar, all food covered. We stayed for a couple horus and had a great time.

Day 4- Tim didnt have to be at his conference until later today. We went and had breakfast at a cute coffee shop called Cherry Street Coffee. It was yummy! After we walked back to the market (we spent a lot of time at the market it was a fun place to be). I was doing the underground tour today, so I had to book it to Pioneer Square to make it on time for tickets. Tim went to his conference I went on another adventure. I walked past the SAM -Seattle Art Museum on my way to the underground tour, it was kinda exciting seeing the huge museum. I found a few more cute shops I wanted to look in and I also went to the Yukon Gold Rush Museum. The underground tour was a lot of fun. I love history, so I loved the tour. After the tour, I ran back to the mall to grab some more things and then I went back to waterfront to meet Tim. We went back to the hotel together, relaxed before heading out again for the night. We went back to the same taco place for dinner and dinner was just as good as breakfast. After dinner we went to the Space Needle. For some reason the Space Needle reminded me a lot of Disneyland, gift shop, employees in uniforms, space theme, I felt like I was in Tomorrow Land. The Space Needle was fun! It was super windy and cold on top, but very neat!! Tim and I had a great day together.

Day 5- The last day. No conference today for Tim. We woke up, packed our stuff, and got ready for checkout. Lucky for us, our flight didn't leave until late tonight so we still had the whole day to do touristy stuff again. We had breakfast at Alaskan Sourdough Bakery, and then we went back to the market for more of those tasty mini donuts. We shopped around and decided to go on another ferry ride. Today the weather was windy, very overcast, and chilly. I spent most of the ferry ride inside because of the cold, but I did love the ride. We saw some sea lions which was very cool. After the ferry ride we stopped to have some crab dip for one last time and then we went and picked up last minute souvenirs for our family. I bought some fresh flowers to take home and then we said our goodbyes to Seattle and headed back to the hotel to catch our cab to the airport. I had a great time in Seattle and a great time with Tim!!! I took a lot of pictures; I just put a few on here. Tim took a lot of pictures too that you can view via his website here and here.

PS- yes I realize I am in my blasted rain coat or black fleece in pretty much every picture. It was wet, it was rainy, it was cold. Get off my case ;)

Time to Get Away!

2010-03-31T11:24:00.002-06:00

I am off to Seattle this Weekend and won't be back until Wednesday night! I am excited to go to the first Starbucks and enjoy a nice skinny vanilla latte, go to the top of the space needle, ride a ferry boat, go to the Seattle Art Museum, take the Underground Tour, Pike's Place Market, Science Fiction/Music Museum, shopping, seafood, and much much more!! Be excited for my pictures and travel stories when I get back!

I am also going to Florida Memorial Day weekend!!!

and Mexico in the fall!!!

dentist

2010-03-30T11:11:00.004-06:00

I absolutely love my Dentist. She is the best! I had my six month cleaning today and good news

NO CAVITIES!!!!!!!!

That's all I wanted to share with you today.

disclaimer: I usually don't have cavities; last September was my first time ever getting a cavity, so it was especially exciting going back this time hearing "NO cavities"

Running - I run because I can

2010-03-26T12:20:00.005-06:00

Did you know I am running the SLC 1/2 Marathon on April 17? I am and I am super excited for it.

Running has been such a big part of my life the last 3 months, but I haven't even blogged about it (wow that comment makes it sound like blogging is life! lol, well except that I blog about my life...so it kinda is life hahaha). I'm overweight. It sucks, but it's the truth. I lost a lot of weight my senior year of high school and kept it off for about three years, before I gained about 50 pounds back over the course of 2 years--yuck I know. I stayed at this new "high" weight for the last year, I didn't seem to care but in reality, deep down, I did care and I didn't like my body.

I ran the Cottonwood Heights 5K, well ran/walked it, this past Thanksgiving 2009. I really enjoy running, and I decided my next stop was the SLC 1/2 Marathon. WHOA! Lofty goal after my first 5K, but I have been training since January for it and I am well on my way. I have gone from being happy I ran 6 minutes straight on the treadmill, to running 8 miles! I have also lost 22 pounds over the last 3 months, and I hope to just keep losing. I feel great! I have mostly just been running and conditioning my body for the 1/2 marathon. I have slacked on the weight training, but I have been picking it up this past week. I hope to incorporate more cross training and weight training into my running schedule now.

In addition to just running more and losing weight, I've tried to tweak my diet. I was REALLY health conscious my freshmen year of college, and over the years the temptation of DORITOS, CHEESE FRIES, BURRITOS have played a big role and well my health consciousness went out the door and came back with 50 extra pounds. My freshmen year of college I actually gave up soda and doritos, and to this day I still do not drink soda. Doritos on the other hand, its a love/hate relationship with Nacho Cheese flavor. I buy the individual bags, which are just 150 calories and call it good.

Ok, I strayed from my subject of diet tweaks lol. Anyways I've been incorporating MORE fruits and veggies into my snakcs, I've been trying to do 'raw' foods for lunch at work 4 days a week, and I've been trying to make healthier dinner choices too. However, I'm not about a diet that restricts things, I want to lose weight through a lifestyle change so it will be easier for me to maintain overtime. I still go out with friends, Thursday night at El Chihuahua is something I will never give up, and I still indulge with my ever so favorite chocolate chip cookies.

April 17 is just around the corner. I think I'm ready, at least I feel ready. I've transitioned to running outside the last month or so, and it is FABULOUS! More then 3 mils on the treadmill is torture to me now; I must prefer to be outside! I can run forever outside. Usually I surpass my running mileage goal for the day whe I run outside, because I just want to keep going. I've been running on my lunch break up to Research Park and over up to the Hogle Zoo. I have run from my work at the University Ortho Center to Tim's house in Sugarhouse. I have run numerous times at Sugarhouse Park, plenty of times through my neighborhood. Let's face it -Outdoor running is the BEST!. One of my BFF's Brittany who lives in Florida (and she happens to be a runner and racer) said I had to try running outdoors and she was so right!

Tomorrow is a long run day for me --- 9 miles!

I Won!! - ish

2010-03-23T15:51:00.003-06:00

So about a month ago, Tim and I entered this 99day challenge on My99.5. Basically we emailed a picture in of ourselves, and then from those entries, 5 girls and 5 guys were chosen randomly to compete in a 99 day weight loss challenge!! and................Tim and I both were chosen!!! The person to lose the most weight in 99 days gets a free vacation for two!! In addition to just being chosen...we both get one year free gym membership at Gold's Gym (which I already have, but I'll take a free extra year), 99 bottles of water, and a gym bag full of swag!! I'm super excited...I never get chosen for anything, so this is exciting! We go down on Thursday to pick up our stuff and get details! To view more about the contest click here. You can also view the photo entries of all who entered - if you click on the link that says "click here to view all the entires" I'm number 37---wearing an orange shirt, jeans, and a brown scarf. Also if you click on the big blue button you can view the 10 contestants and I'm number 15/16. Yes, I realize I am in my scrubs, and super baggy scrubs for that mater, but they told me I would have a spot to change into something else and there wasn't! - so scrubs it is.

Escape to Warmer Weather....Kinda

2010-03-21T21:19:00.004-06:00

Tim and I tried to escape the cold weather in SLC this weekend and headed down to St. George. We both took Friday off work and left during the mini snow storm. Temperatures were in the upper 60's all weekend in St. George and the desert, however, when we came home Sunday it was warmer in SLC than it was St. George!

I'm not sure if you all know, but when Tim and I go to St. George we camp. We go out to the desert to this place called Lytle Ranch (where Tim has been bird watching for quite some time) and we camp. It's just past Santa Clara and Kayenta. There are Joshua trees EVERYWHERE, cows throughout, and its always warmer/hotter than St. George. We do get cell service, and 3G service throughout the desert area, not everywhere, but enough places that we are happy. It's just beautiful where we go, and watching the stars at night is amazing with clear skies. My dad gave us firewood and we built a fire both nights we were there. In one of my pictures you can see Tim playing with the burnt wood and painting his face.

I woke up Friday morning with a little cold, nothing too bad just a stuffy nose and a little congested. During the drive down, the change in elevation was messing with my sinuses, but thankfully Tim brought me some cold medicine. We stopped at a park by Dixie and saw a Vermillion Fly Catcher. I have never seen one of these birds and it was neat to see because they are vibrant red. We went back Sunday and Tim took some awesome picture, thanks to my help "flushing" the bird into the trees with the best light.

Saturday was a little windy, but we went down to the ranch and I ran three miles, which was plenty given the fact I was pretty congested. We drove around to a few parks, some reservoirs and just enjoyed being in the sun. We had hot dogs for dinner, my FAVORITE! and made a campfire, watched the stars, and enjoyed the night together.

On Sunday Tim and I went to another park that has a pond and LOTS of ducks. While Tim took pictures of some wild snow geese, which we saw fly into the pond on Saturday and they happened to stay there overnight, I fed the ducks and Coots (aren't you guys impressed with the random bird knowledge I've picked up over the last 2 years?). There were four big domestic geese and they were MEAN. I had some bread, and I was throwing it out in the water and I was ambushed by the four big geese. There was one in particular that was squawking at me and hissing and looked super mean. Essentially the goose was charging me and he waddled quite fast. I screamed and threw the bread bag and the goose left me alone. Whoever thought feeding the ducks and geese could be so scary? We stopped at In-and-Out for lunch, and yes it is still just as yummy even though we have one in SLC now, and then we were on our way home. I had a great weekend hanging out with Tim, and I'm glad I was able to go camping and bird watching with him since Tim is always so wonderful about shopping and doing girlie things with me when I ask.

Doom and Gloom of Monday

2010-03-15T11:47:00.005-06:00

First - don't be fooled by the blog post title. It's Monday, Mondays are never my favorite day, especially the Monday after "spring forward DST," and Doom and Gloom is really catching on to my theme of working at my job that I am not particular fond of, althought I am quite thankful to at least have a job. Second off, sorry there are no pictures. I know, I know, picture are what people want to see on the blog? Who cares about the novel of an update I could write, when a picture says 1000 words, right? I'm at work. No new pictures, nothing except my thoughts, news, and tons of free time to update.

Tim and I are going to St. George this weekend! I can't wait. Temperature is supposed to be in the 70's and I am just excited to get out of the valley. AND April 2-7 we are going to Seattle! Tim has a conference for work, so courtesy of Overstock.com I have a hotel for a week to go and play. I have the Science Fiction/Music Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Aquarium, Harbor Cruise, the Underground Tour, Pike's Place, and of course the Space Needle. Rumor has it the Nordstrom's in Seattle is amazing so I will stop by the mall and while I'm there check out H&M too.

So I lied, I had a picture of Hank doing what Hank does best...ENJOY!

its the little things that get me excited...like shopping?

2010-03-11T12:15:00.001-07:00

I have just decided that I love Urban Outfitters!! I, no joke, just looked at almost every piece of women's clothing on their website. Definitely planning a shopping trip to Gateway in two weeks!!!

2 years

2010-03-10T10:44:00.003-07:00

Monday, March 8, 2010 was Tim and mine's 2 year anniversary. sorry no pictures. We both worked and then went to the Melting Pot for dinner. We had a great time, just being together not having to worry about work, trying to find a job (for me) or anything but just focus on one another.

A little background on us. Tim and I met at Sportsman's Warehouse in the fall of 2005. I had just started college at the University of Utah and Tim had just graduated from Beloit College. We talked, we were friends, I had a crush on him, buthe moved that spring to Indianna and that was that. When Tim moved back in 2007 to Utah we met up again and things just weren't the right place/right time for us, but towards the end of 2007 we went on another date and started spending a lot of time together. We dated for almost three months before we decided to make it exclusive, and ever since then we have shared some great moments and happy times together! Excited for the next year and the adventures we have planned!!

Basic Life Requirement

2010-03-04T08:44:00.003-07:00

(dont mind his creepy glowing eyes)

I decided one thing yesterday. A dog is a BASIC LIFE REQUIREMENT for me, or perhaps in other words a minimum life requirement. Every day when I drive home from work I see people out walking their dogs and I can't help but smile. If I'm not going to be home until late, I always get a little bit sad and miss Hank. I was running at Sugar House Park yesterday, and I saw a lot of dogs - big and small, dark and light, fat and skinny - and thats when I decided having a dog is always going to be a basic life requirement for me or BLR. There are not many things required by me, granted there are many things I love having and will always want, but a dog is a must have!

I absolutely love dogs and anyone who is a dog lover is a-ok by me.

bad run of luck?

2010-03-03T09:24:00.003-07:00

Yesterday qualifies as one of those "bad days." My morning started with my bathroom light burning out while I was in the shower. What do you do mid-shampoo when the light goes off? Jump out and run to Home Depot for a new light? I finished my DARK shower, and let me remind me that I am scared of the dark. Work was not the best. I found out there was a misunderstanding on my paycheck, so instead of using my PTO for my time off, they used unpaid hours and I wouldnt be able to get reimbursed until my NEXT check. And I also found out that my cobalt car was having a recall on the power steering. To top it off, I went to a job interview that was good, until I found out it was part time, no benefits (and the posting was listed as fulltime). I get home to find my Shape magazine arrived, a month late. The magazine was in plastic and I was thinking to myself "is this a double issue because it was late?" But sadly, no, it was not a double issue. I opened it up to find a note from the United States Post Office stating they were sorry my magzine was mangled, but that due the high volume of mail processed at the post office sometimes pieces of mail falls through and gets destroyed. The USPS also recognized that my mail is important to me and that they are sorry and sending their regards. And I find my magazine scotch taped back together on the cover, pieces of the cover missing, and a giant hole that goes all the way from the cover to the pack hitting every page. In addition to the giant hole on each page, every page is either mangled, crumpled, ripped, or missing. What are the odds that all the trivial things that can go wrong did? Comical irony?

February Recap

2010-03-01T11:27:00.006-07:00

February, one of my favorite months, has come and gone! February was an exciting month. Started off with Tim getting a nice bonus and HUGE raise from Overstock.com. All his hard work and dedication paid off, and we both are happy and proud of his success with the company and excited to see future projects/endeavours with Overstock.com.

Olympics came next!! From Opening to Closing Ceremonies I took it all in. I just love the Olympics and I'm sad that they are only every two years. I'm not a hockey fan, but it was sure fun watching the Men's USA team play! Shaun White was amazing, as usual. Lindsey Vonn, however, was quite the disappointment to me. I must say, I agree with Julie Mancuso that the US Ski Team is more than just Lindsey Vonn. Vonn DNF more races than she finished! For being a World Champion and as one of the Olympic medal hopefuls, Vonn was quite the disappointment.

Tim and I had a nice Valentine's Day (previous post) followed by my 23rd birthday!! My birthday was low-key but fun. Ripple surprised me and took me to Eggs in the City for breakfast and then after Tim and I ran some errands and just hung out all day. I watched the Olympics that night, it was speed skating, men's halfpipe, and women's downhill and a record 5 medals in one day for Team USA. I went out Thursday night after my birthday with my friends to El Chihuahua and A Bar Named Sue for some karaoke and had a great time. Chris took me out the next week to dinner to celebrate my birthday as well!

Tim gave me two orchids for Valentine's Day...AND they are doing great!! I have new blossoms and the plants look great!!! Looking forward to March and spring weather!! I'm in DESPERATE need of a vacation!

New Owner

2010-02-22T08:41:00.003-07:00

I am the proud new owner of a a Droid Eris! Anyone who talked to me last week heard about my phone problems. In fact, anyone who knows me knows that I have a shelf life of anywhere from 6 months to 14 months before a phone breaks on me by some unfortunate incident. Anyways, last week my touch screen on my LG Dare went on the fritz. The area on the screen where the "7" key is freaked out and started pressing all on its own. Any application or menu in the "7" region would be opening and, well, it was downhill from there. So I decided it was time for an early upgrade, which conveniently you can upgrade on Verizon online after a year, for the same cost as your two-year, in-store upgrade. I did just that. Tim just got the Motorola Droid, and I had fun playing with it; I ordered HTC Droid Eris.

I LOVE this phone! It can keep me entertained at work, and I'm constantly connected to everyone and everything! So far no problems, except learning all the functions. This is my first smartphone, and I didn't realize just how smart these phones were. Every day I learn something new my phone can do. I even read the manual that came with my phone, the first time in YEARS I've read a phone manual, and the manual told me nothing except the basics - which I already had figured out. Luckily, Tim has had his phone a few days longer than me and if I have a question, he either knows the answer and can figure it out quick.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T10:46:00.003-07:00

Valentine's has always been one of my favorite holidays, maybe because it's only three days before my birthday? and close to President's Day? translation...a fun filled week for me! First off my favorite color is pink, followed closely by red. I love hearts, flowers, candles, cupcakes, and all of those things are associated with Valentine's Day. I've always thought it was just a fun holiday whether you are in a relationship or single, no need to do anything over the top, just enjoy the holiday and celebrate all the people in your life you love.

This year I started my Valentine's weekend by seeing Valentine's Day with Tim. It was a cute movie, but I was expecting all love and there was some heartbreak. Then on Saturday night I went over to Ripples and we did a girl's night in with Sharanya and watched Love Happens and had italian sodas, champagne, chips and salsa, veggies, blueberries, and cupcakes (which remain uneaten in the fridge---at least they BETTER be uneaten Ripple, jk). We had a great time hanging out, talking, and half watching the movie.

Sunday I woke up early and went to the gym and then Tim came over and we went to Porcupine Grill for brunch. We ran some errands after, I got new running shoes which I am so stoked for, and then we went home to relax and watch some Olympics. Tim gave me two orchids for Valentine's day, along with other great things but I wont bore you guys with a list, but I'm very excited and nervous for my orchids. I've been wanting orchids for the longest time, but every chance I've gotten to buy them I chicken out because I'm afraid I inherited my mom's plant killing gene. My orchids are phalaenopsis's and very pretty! If anyone has orchid keeping tips let me know. Later we went to dinner at Epic, and well, sad to say we were NOT impressed. We absolutely love Tiburon, and Epic is owned by the same people and even has similar menus, but the food was not great. We ordered crab cakes and they tasted fishy and seafood is never supposed to taste fishy. Tim orderd shrimp risotto; he didn't like it but I thought it was good. I ordered the angel hair chicken pasta, which was a little bland and lacked flavor. Minus the food, we had a great time together and just enjoyed being together. We stopped and picked up some cheesecake on our way home because we weren't about to go strike 3 with another course from Epic.

I had a great Valentine's Day weekend, and now I'm moving into birthday mode!

Courtesy of Ripple

2010-02-11T16:38:00.001-07:00

Please watch.

The Sky is Falling!!

2010-02-08T16:11:00.004-07:00

Who Dat Nation! Even though my Packers weren't in the Superbowl, I'm glad the the Saints/NFC still won!! The commercials weren't great but this one had me laughing!

Love is in my coffee?

2010-02-08T09:27:00.004-07:00

The most delicious cupcake and latte

When I got my latte...this is what I saw

Friday night Tim and I went to Coffee Garden before going to the Broadway Theatre to see The Road. I enjoyed a lovely red velvet cupcake and a nice vanilla latte. When I picked up my latte, the steamed milk made a heart in my cup. Love is in the air...and my coffee!

Pickles

2010-02-01T11:46:00.004-07:00

For those of you that might not know this about me, I HATE PICKLES. I hate everything there is about pickles. I can't even have a pickle on my plate because the pickle juice MIGHT touch other food and then the whole meal is tainted. Just the smell of pickles gets me sick. Whenever I order food, I always have to ask if it comes with pickles, because just the sight of a pickle on my plate can ruin a meal. The crazy thing is that I love cucumbers. And pickles are just pickled cucumbers, which translates to me as sour, bad cucumber! Cucumbers are great, but its the pickled, sour nastiness of the pickle and juice that I hate.

Have you ever had a pickle on your plate, one of the big ones sliced? and taken that pickle off your plate (very strategically with about 10 napkins to avoid any skin contact) only to have a TINY dot of pickle juice left and then have a fry (unknowlingly) touch that pickle juice dot and then eat it and die? Well, that happened to me yesterday at Hopper's. I ordered a turkey sandwich with cheese, onions, peppers, and fries (my favorite!) Not ANYWHERE on the menu did it say a pickle was coming with my meal. Our server comes back and puts Tim's plate down first and I saw a big juicy, disgusting pickle and my heart started racing. Was there a pickle on my plate? I couldn't see because our servers big arm was in the way. My plate gets put down and there is no pickle - thank God! But there WAS a pickle. Tim saw the pickle on my plate and grabbed it before it was even put down. What a greaty guy looking out for me and a potentially ruined meal. He took care of the pickle, put it on a spare plate on his side of the table, its like it didn't even exist on my plate. BUT, I was eating a fry, and thats when it happened.

I did not know where the pickle was on my plate originally because I could not see my plate before Tim took the pickle off. I didn't make my usual divide between food I can eat and food that was potentially close to the pickle. If a pickle touches a piece of bread, the ENTIRE slice gets tainted. If a pickle touches my fries, chips, etc. then I divide them in half and do not eat the half that is closest to the pickle. I'm serious about this pickle business - I hate them. I wasn't even thinking to make the divide on my plate at Hopper's because I never originally saw the pickle "out of sight out of mind" - wrong. I picked up a fry dipped it in ketchup and put it in my mouth. Two bites in and I was dry heaving and spitting the fry into my napkin. That fry touched the pickle. It was tainted and it tasted like pickle.

I recovered from this pickle incident only to make a note that even if pickles are not on the menu, I will always ask for no pickles. You can ask me what I want and I might not know the answer, but I can tell you what I don't want. I don't want pickles! and while we're at it I don't want mayo or mustard!

quote

2010-01-29T15:22:00.001-07:00

Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live

January 16, 2010 - The day of SUCK

2010-01-16T09:30:00.005-07:00

So I should be in Florida right now! Enjoying warmer temperatures (although only in the upper 50's, and today was full of rainshowers), but instead I am still in disgustingly air-filled SLC. Last night I went to the airport. I arrived at the Frontier desk only to be told my flight to Denver (which was connecting me to Charlotte) was cancelled "due to weather." Apparently the plane NEVER showed up from Denver and they let me know I was on a flight out tomorrow at 4 pm. Knowing I was trying to get to Pensacola, FL (the most difficult place to fly to it seems!) this did not work for me. I told them I was connecting in Denver and my final destination was Pensacola, FL and then it all began...

Pensacola, FL is not the biggest of cities, and getting there I had to fly int Fort Walton Beach, FL (which is a very small airport). Tickets were rather expensive. To fly from SLC, with one layover was over $1000 roundtrip. I bought my ticket with two layovers (Denver and Charlotte) and saved around $550.

I was at the airpot for a half hour waiting, patiently, to try and see what the Flight Agents could come up with for me to get to Pensacola. They had very serious looks on their faces. Calls were made to supervisors, calls were made to other airlines, and finally this is what I'm told.
"We can get you to Phoenix tomorrow morning. From there you need to talk with US AIR
see if they can get you on a flight. We can't book your flight from Phoenix because its soldout
and we can't overbook on a different airline."

I come to find out that US AIR can't do a whole lot either. I can basically be put on a stand-by list and HOPE for the best from Phoenix. Not wanting to be stuck in Phoenix or Charlotte (if I could ever get on a flight there) I decided to scrap my whole trip. I talked with Brittany and we decided that even if I could get into Pensacola eventually I would only have three or four days instead of the original six.

So here I sit. Saturday morning in my house. I'm quite bitter and I'm allowed to be bitter.
I was told last night I was getting a full refund on my ticket, only to wake up this morning to mass emails from Expedia saying my flights were listed as No Show and to call ASAP, so I call, and find out the person at Frontier that Expedia talked to last night did NOT cancel and refund my flight, translation NO REFUND to me. Honestly...could this get any better? After being on hold for a total of just over an hour with Expedia...they gave me a confirmation number and told me to expect a refund within one to two business days. Will there be a silver lining to the worst 24 hours of my life?

GOODBYE

2010-01-15T12:26:00.003-07:00

Goodbye everyone! I am off to Pensacola, FL!!! I hope you all have a good weekend and I will see you next week!!

You can follow me on Twitter while I'm gone!

Cold weather = movie time!

2010-01-11T10:55:00.003-07:00

This weekend was a movie weekend. Friday night Lindsey and I went and saw Leap Year - super cute, we both loved it!! Saturday afternoon Nicki and I went and saw Nine - neither one of us really liked it all that much...blah. Sunday Tim and I saw Did You Hear About the Morgan's? - cute show, lots of laughs!!

Good news! Hank is doing MUCH better. Other than the annoyance of having his paw wrapped, he is back to his old self.

If you didn't catch it on the news last week, there was a mix up with the payroll department at the University of Utah and Wells Fargo that ended with all University employees (hospital/clinic and main campus), including myself, not getting paid on time. Lovely way to start the New Year off...working for free he he he! Luckily everything got sorted out and I got paid that afternoon.

The air has been AWFUL in Salt Lake lately. Just purely awful. I hate it. On Sunday, Tim and I went up to Alta to get out of the nasty, inversion air and it was SO nice to see BLUE SKIES!! Fresh air, sun shining, slightly warmer temperatures, it was just lovely! Driving down the canyon you could see the nasty film of smog sitting on the valley. We stopped just at the parking lot at the bottom of of Little Cottonwood to take some pictures, and look at the goats! We saw three goats! SO fun to seem them just minutes from my house.

I'm leaving for Florida on Friday to go visit Brittany. I haven't seen her since the first week of June, and I can't wait to hang out and catch up. Thank you global warming for the changing climate and COLD Florida temps! I checked the weather and the forecast shows it to be in the 50's and 60's while I'm in Pensacola, and the air is cleaner - can't wait!

I have a 1/2 marathon training that I start on the 25th of January. Hopefully all the Resolution Gym Goers will be over working out by the end of January lol - it has been a nightmare at the gym lately, so crowded!

Hank

2010-01-06T14:50:00.005-07:00

On Sunday Tim and I went to the Jordan River Parkway around 12300 South and we took Hank, my chocolate lab. While Tim was bird watching, Hank and I went running to get his wiggles out. Before I knew it, Hank was bleeding from his back right paw. There was a lot of blood, so I yelled to Tim. He came running and checked out Hank's foot. We were a little ways from the car, and Hank is too big to carry, so we wrapped my gloves around his foot and carefully and gently made our way back to the car.

When we got home, Tim cleaned out the cut, and it was pretty deep. I called my parents and they came home and took Hank to Willow Creek Pet Center. They cleaned out his cut again and then ended up just cutting the dead skin part off, and then wrapped it up. He is on antibiotics and pain meds. Tim ended up going back to the same part of the parkway and followed some of the blood trail to a metal pipe, and thats what we think he cut his foot on.

Today, Hank went back to the vet to have his paw checked out and get rebandaged, and we find out that he needs surgery!! Apparently, part of the webbing inbetween his paws was cut a little bit too, and the only way to repair that is via surgery. Poor Hank! As if he hadn't been through enough already. He gets picked up today at 5 pm. Hopefully everything went great and he'll recover quick.

New Year - 2010

2009-12-31T10:44:00.003-07:00

2009 was a great year! Probably the one thing that stands out the most is graduating in the spring from the University of Utah with both my degrees, Political Science B.S. and Communication/PR B.S. and then going to D.C. after and seeing and doing it all!

I don't typically make New Year's Resolutions. I make goals throughout the year, but this year I decided to.

1. Complete the SLC half marathon in April! I just registered today, and have 16 weeks to train. I'm excited and nervous, but it will be fun.

2. Go to yoga twice a month. I love yoga, but I have not given it enough priority to make it to class.

3. Work out at the gym 4 times a week and do weights 3 times a week. This will help me with my training for the half marathon, Plus I love working out, I've just totally slacked these last two weeks of December.

4. Control portion sizes. I try to eat healthier, but its not the easiest thing to do. I really want to work on controlling portion sizes and learning a few new ways to cook healthier.

5. Build Every Mutt Matters. I've gotten off to a great start the past few weeks, but I want to keep working and buiding Every Mutt Matters.

6. Try to embrace life and enjoy. I've always felt like I've control over my life and exactly everything as planned. But with the economy hurting my job search and hopes of having a career starting job now that I've graduated, I haven't had that control. I have been actively searching for a job since graduation, and I have not had the luck I expected. I am either over qualified (yes I actually was rejected from a job because they said I was overqualified) or underqualified, and it's quite frustrating for me, stressful at times. I'm trying to live by the motto that "everything happens for a reason" and even though I might not know or see the reason right now, I will eventually. I'm young. I'm going to enjoy my 20's and take things as they come!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas update!

2009-12-26T18:24:00.009-07:00

Christmas this year was fabulous!! I loved spending the time with my family. On Christmas Eve my family went out for pizza at Robintino's (our tradition) and then down to Temple Square to look at the lights. It was freezing but we had a great time. After we drove through Christmas Street, and then Tim and I got dropped off at his parent's house for dessert.

Christmas morning Tim surprised me early morning at my house to be with me and my family to open gifts! I was spoiled this year!! My parents always go way above and beyond with Christmas. I got every single thing I asked for and then some. One of my favorite gifts was my Shop Vac. If you don't know what a Shop Vac is, you are missing out. The Shop Vac is an amazing vacuum, and I always use my dad's to vacuum my car. This vacuum will keep your car amazingly clean! I vacuum my car at least once a week (OCD---I hate dirt!) and now I have my own! I am so excited! Off the top of my head I also got a new bathrobe (pink color!), Confessions of a Shopaholic DVD, a few books I wanted, some shirts, a nice fleece jacket, a goose-down coat, workout clothes, Firehouse car wash gift certificates, iTunes giftcard, Cafe Rio giftcard, a spin brush toothbrush (I've been really wanting one), new gym shoes, Wii Fit Plus!, and always useful practical things in my stockings. Thanks Mom and Dad! I love everything

Nicki and Nick got me two pairs of shoes (I picked them out!- but thanks!), a new coffee mug, the Closet Genie, and a giftcard to In-and-Out for Tim and me. Thanks guys!

Tim gave me a pair of pearl earrings (to match my necklace and bracelet set he gave me for graduation), Harry Potter 6 DVD, 500 Days of Summer DVD, Tru Blood Season 1 DVD, Skull Candy ear buds, an ornament with my old broken John Toole ornament from last year inside (sentimental), some stocking stuffers, AND he designed me a website for Every Mutt Matters. I absolutely LOVE the website! He spent so much time on it and it is wonderful! He also got me some starter stuff for Every Mutt Matters, as well as some donations. Thanks honey!

My grandparents gave me money for Florida and stocking stuffers, Tim's parents gave me a gift card to Nordstroms and some blankets for Every Mutt Matters, Cousin Alex and Sara gave me an awesome Sigg water bottle (love it!), and Uncle Bud gave me a Macy's giftcard!

After gifts, my dad made his famous french toast! I always look forward to his french toast. Tim and I stopped by his parent's house after and spent some time opening gifts there and then we came back to my house. My mom and dad cooked a yummy ham dinner for Christmas and I've decided my eating habits are going back to a little more healthy now that the holidays are over he he he.

Christmas was wonderful this year! I am so thankful for my family - I love each and every one of them!

Every Mutt Matters New Website

2009-12-25T14:34:00.002-07:00

Tim designed me a website for Every Mutt Matters! Check it out!

http://www.everymuttmatters.org/

Mid Month Update

2009-12-21T17:54:00.008-07:00

Lindsey and me

Ripple and me

Last week I had a girl's night with Ripple and Lindsey - two of my favorite girls! Even though I talk with them all day and night, every day via text, email, chat, or phone calls, I love getting together with them! We went to Hog's Wallow for food and drinks and had a great time! Love these ladies!

I've been steadily looking for a job, and hoping that soon one will pan out for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job at the Ortho Center working in radiology/MRI, but I'm ready to move on and find a job that makes me feel like the past four years in college and my two Bachelor's degrees weren't a complete waste of time. I did have an interview last week, that I'm waiting to hear back on -- fingers crossed!

In the mean time, I've still been teaching myself HTML and it's been really fun. I love learning the new code and tags and then watching the code transform into a design and changes! I'm getting into some advanced HTML, and I definitely will be going to Tim for some private lessons ;).

Also, I'm sure most of you can't fail to notice, but I've been getting really involved in getting Every Mutt Matters off to a great start! I've had great success so far with the blanket drive, thanks to the help of family and friends - especially my cousin Janessa and her work for all their support, and Tim for all his help with the logo and helping with the flyer. I am in the process of getting Every Mutt Matters to a 501(c)3 NPO status, but that requires a mission statement (check), bylaws (I need to get started on these), filling out lots of forms with the state and IRS, paying some fees, and then waiting months to get reviewed, and then finally - NPO status! I am really excited to be working on starting a really great organization, and I can't wait to see what Every Mutt Matters turns into. Thanks for all your support, and always...pass along the word!

Lastly, but not least...CHRISTMAS! Tim and I finished all our Christmas shopping this past weekend - such a good feeling to be done! On Sunday, I went bird watching with Tim, not something I recommend on a cold, smoggy day in SLC. I am not a bird watcher, but I go to support Tim. In the summer I have a great time going and hiking and its lots of fun, but in the winter its cold, sitting in the car, getting out in the snow, and frankly, just not my cup of tea. But I was a fantastic girlfriend and went with him, especially since he was on my good graces for bringing me flowers after work on Friday.

After bird watching we went and saw Avatar. I am not into Sci-Fi movies, but its James Cameron, the Titanic man, I had to see this movie. It was good. Not my favorite, I definitely won't go see it again, but I'm glad I saw it. Tim enjoyed it, minus the use of Papyrus font for the script, he he he - such a designer.

I am all ready for Christmas. Only two more days of work to get through. Two more slow-patient days, which will give me plenty of time to keep going with Every Mutt Matters and to try to get into my new book Water For Elephants. Our plan for Christmas this year is to try to spend as much time with each family as we can. I'm learning as I get older, that it's definitely hard to coordinate holidays with two families, but we make it work.

Happy Holidays!

Quote of the day...

2009-12-15T22:49:00.001-07:00

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
--Thomas Edison

Every Mutt Matters

2009-12-15T13:59:00.006-07:00

Having great success so far with Every Mutt Matters! Tim designed this logo for me last night and I love it! I also created a "fan page" on Facebook, so log in and search for "Every Mutt Matters" and become a fan!

Every Mutt Matters' Blog

Congrats Tim

2009-12-14T13:05:00.010-07:00

Tim designed the snowman and snow scene on the header of Overstock.com's homepage. There was a contest with 18 designers and he won! Overstock.com is famous for using white space, and never has any type of design in its header, apart from its traditional look, so this was quite the honor to design, and WIN, the first design on the header. Let me take a few minutes to brag...

Tim is the team lead and Front End Web Developer for Overstock.com. He has worked VERY hard for the last year and a half and has had a lot of success at the company. He first started with the email team and designed the highest grossing email in Overstock.com's history (2008 Black Friday). Shortly after, there was a contest on a new design for the company's homepage. All designers had to participate and come up with an idea, and Tim won! He was moved over to the website team as Senior Front End Web Developer and spent the next few weeks designing and coding Overstock.com's new homepage. Tim's success with the new homepage led him to the promotion of Team Lead over the entire website team. Tim has been changing old styles and designs and putting Overstock.com's on the map with modern and up-to-date design. Overstock.com's sent him to the Web 2.0 conference in New York City, just before the holidays, and they put him in the nicest hotel in NYC, and he had a great time. With 2009 Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Tim was insanely busy but had plenty of success with his designs for the website, and Cyber Monday grossed a lot of revenue. Currently Tim is working on designing new templates to make the website more uniform in design. He continues to design and develop new ideas for Overstock.com, and one of his designs was even used on Overstock.com's iPhone application. Tim has added a lot to his resume, and I am proud of all the hard work he does.

First December Weekend

2009-12-07T12:19:00.013-07:00

I made Tim take a picture because we haven't taken one in forever

This weekend was very low-key. I am not proud to say it, but I didn't work out once all weekend - shame on me. Saturday I ran errands, got my last free oil change from Larry Miller, and put together an 8 page portfolio for a job with the City of South Salt Lake (fingers crossed). Later that night Tim and I went to Red Rock for dinner to celebrate my good friend, Josh's birthday and after we went right next door to Poplar. Sunday was my SUPER lazy day. I woke up, showered, and got right back into my pajamas! The last two weeks have worn me out! I finished my book, "Holidays on Ice" by David Sedaris -highly recommend it. Tim was able to finish his last bird presentation for his classes. Good news---my Christmas shopping is mostly done!!! I have 2 things left I need to pick up, but they are easy and my shopping is finished!

I bought a plane ticket to go to Florida in January for a week to go see Brittany. I'm excited! I haven't seen her since the end of May, plus I get to go to warmer weather!! The weather right now is FREEZING! On my way to work this morning it was 14 degrees!! I was able to listen to an entire album on my drive this morning, and this never happens! It usually takes me about 25 minutes in the mornings to get to work---and today it took me 50 minutes! No accidents, no snow, no construction, just overly cautious drivers I suppose exercising caution for extreme cold.

Right now I am in the works of getting all the legal work taken care of for starting a charity, Every Mutt Matters, for animal shelters, and more specifically "No Kill" animal shelters. Like I've mentioned in my previous posts, I am collecting blankets, sheets, towels, and needed supplies to donate to various animal shelters throughout Salt Lake. I've already received a few donations, and I'd like to collect as many as possible so please spread the word. I will gladly come and pick up any donations, just email me, everymuttmatters@gmail.com.

In my spare time, I've decided to also start volunteering for the Salt Lake Community Writing Center as a youth writing coach. I love writing, so I am excited to get started with a great program. I'm also teaching myself HTML and coding - why not add some more to my resume? Ever since graduation, I have been looking for new job. One where I can begin and train and move into the direction from just a job to a career. Right now my main interests are something in government relations, public relations or marketing, any type of work within a nonprofit, those are my main areas of interest, but I am open to any opportunities. If you know of anywhere or anyone you can put me in connection with, I'd love to hear. For now I am just happy to have my job at the Ortho Center, working with good people, awesome benefits, and a nice shift.

Elfed

2009-12-05T09:45:00.009-07:00

Happy Holidays!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Old Blankets, Sheets, Comforters, or Towels??

2009-11-30T08:47:00.006-07:00

My mom gave me this great idea, and I want to do something with it. Do you have old towels, blankets, sheets, or comforters that are too old and ratty to donate to homeless shelters or Deseret Industries? Animals could use them! It is starting to get cold and animal shelters need to be well equipped to take care of homeless pets. Animals are not picky and could use all the blankets etc. that they can get. I am going to start collecting old, used blankets, sheets, comforters and towels and distribute them to various animal shelters throughout the Salt Lake Valley. I would be glad to come and pick up any donations and deliver them to the animal shelters.
Anyone interested in donating can email me at everymuttmatters@gmail.com or visit Every Mutt Matters.

update from last week

2009-11-23T15:08:00.006-07:00

Tim was in NY all week for the Web2.0 conference, and I was lucky enough to be able to see some of my favorite friends! I definitely need to make sure I see ALL of them more than once every couple weeks.

On Sunday I had coffee with Kristy at Beans and Brews. This was my frist time ever going to Beans and Brews and I was impressed! I tried their egg nog latte (not my best choice calorie wise lol) but it was delicious! We chatted for awhile over everything and especially on trying to find jobs. We both just graduated this year and neither one of us are having ANY luck with our job searches. It's almost starting to feel like a lost cause to me :(

After brunch I ran to Eggs in the City to meet with one of my favorites, Ripple! Ripple and I have brunch quite a bit and its turning into a Sunday favorite. We stayed and chatted for a long time until they finally kicked us out because they were getting ready to close. I went home and took a nap and then had a nice dinner with my family.

Lindsey and I went on a Sunday night drive. Before Tim and I started dating, Lindsey and I used to go on Sunday night drives and catch up on gossip and everything and so we decided to go again. It was tons of fun- she is definitely one of my bestest and greatest friends!

Monday I worked all day (surprise, surprise) but that night Lindsey and I had a gym date and then we ran some errands. We stopped at Frogurt and tried that out, not bad, unique, but I'd rather have Spoon Me.

Tuesday I hung out with Ripple and we just had a good time. We always have a good time together.

Wednesday I was spoiled and Josh made me dinner! We had a tasty chicken and rice and then carmelized pears for dessert! Josh is an excellent cook and anybody who is lucky enough to try his food will agree. Josh also got a cute new puppy earlier in the week. He got a min pin/chihuahua mix and named him Keoki. He is DARLING!! So small and tiny, yet so fun! I already love him to pieces.

After I ran to the gym and met up with Katie for a little bit - with our work schedules it is almost impossible for us to ever coordinate a time to meet up. We had fun catching up (in person for once)! We email, gtalk, and text all day, but have a hard time actually physically meeting up.

Thursday, well you all know from a previous post...was NEW MOON with Lindsey!

This past week flew by and I still wasn't able to get everything finished that I had planned. This coming week is a short work week - THANK GOD - and my plans are roughly yoga on wednesday, Cottonwood Heights 5K run Thursday morning, Thanksgiving with my family and then visiting Tim's family after, and on Friday I get my hair done!! I cannot WAIT to get my hair done! I am going to a new salon in Holladay called Evolve and I am so excited!!

go UTES!

2009-11-23T14:51:00.004-07:00

Tim and me at the Game (WTF is up with my eye?)

Our lovely and yet not so lovely view from our seats

Saturday Tim and I went to the University of Utah vs. San Diego football game. This was the last home game of the season, and because I wasn't able to get season tickets this year, I had to make it to at least one game! The weather was chilly, but not freezing and we were dressed warm -me in my University crimson gear and Tim just in boring, plain black ;). Our seats, were good and bad. Good because we were on the 13th row and bad because we were at the far southwest end of the stadium. The Utes dominated the 1st half and it was fun cheering them on. Next year I definitely plan on getting season tickets, whether Tim wants to go or not, I am getting season tickets because I love football! After the game we went to El Chihuahua for dinner - my favorite Mexican restaurant :) (their chile verde is the best!!).

New Moon

2009-11-23T14:34:00.005-07:00

Blogging is like an outlet from work - as strange as that sounds. I'm not the happiest with my job, but blogging always gives me something to do with my downtime at work or whatever, so I guess I will blog. Plus rereading old posts can be entertaining.

Lindsey and Me (not sure why she is so white and why my eye shadow looks orange)

Thursday night Lindsey and i got advanced screening passes to see New Moon at 930pm from Nordstrom's! The down side...we had to drive to a theatre in PROVO to get there. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a strong distaste for Utah County and anything in Utah County, but it was for New Moon so we went! We had a lovely dinner at Noodles & Co before we set off for our adventure to, gulp, UT County. When we got to the parking lot there were people lined up OUTSIDE the theatre waiting for the midnight shows, it was only 830 pm and we looked at eachother and thought "oh no, no way." It was freezing, but lucky for us we were able to get our tickets and get seated right away. When we walked into the theatre it was freakishly small. We ended up counting the seats and there were 70 seats total...compared to Jordan Commons and Gateway Megaplexes...this was super tiny. We both loved the movie, although I do have to say that there were some corny parts (Edward and Bella running through the woods...glistening...anyone?), but all in all I enjoyed it. I had just finished rereading New Moon on Wednesday before the movie, and even though it was a nice refresher I regret reading the book because it set a high expectation for the movie, but the movie failed to deliver. I've always been Team Jacob from the start so this movie was definitely more exciting for me than the first one.

My sister and I saw the first Twilight movie together opening day, so we had to do it again for the second movie. So I went, again, to New Moon the very next day at 325 pm (yay for early days at work). The movie was just as good the second time around, in fact, possibly better because of the larger theatre. I can't believe Eclipse is already filmed and coming out in June!

hello!

2009-11-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

So.....I am pretty sure the only ones who read my blog are my sister and cousin Janessa...AND they pretty much know everything that goes into my blog before its even posted. I'm not so sure how much I will be posting for now on.....

Zo Bug and O Dog

2009-11-10T08:20:00.003-07:00

Zoey

Oreo

My sister has two of the cutest dogs /Every time they come over to visit they always run and jump in my bed. Zoey usually doesnt stay still, so this picture is a rarity. Oreo always burrows down to the bottom of the bed under the sheets and pretends she is not there. Both are so darling and fun and I love when they come over!

Puzzling Puzzles

2009-11-05T09:39:00.002-07:00

My grandpa has been doing puzzles lately. My mom and sister decided last weekend to do a puzzle, and Tim helped them a little. Then Tim decided he wanted to do a puzzle with me, so I recommended a 1000 piece puzzle complete with lots of pine trees, mountains, sky, flowers, rocks, clouds, snow...the great outdoors. We have spent maybe 6 hours on this puzzle all together, and we're ALMOST done!!! We're stuck with all the pine trees because every piece looks the exact same!! Every time I find a piece there is a sense of fulfillment and greatness. After this puzzle I have another 1000 piece puzzle of the beach, except this time we will start the puzzle somewhere other than our kitchen counter.

Scariest Pumpkin!

2009-11-01T10:00:00.003-07:00

Every year Overstock.com has a Halloween party for their employees and they have a potluck, pumpkin carving contest, and costume contest. Tim, being the artist he is, decided to carve an owl pumpkin. He spent 2 days doing the feather details and making a 3D beak! The pumpkin was awesome and had a lot of detail! He won scariest pumpkin!! YAY!!

I carved a pumpkin too. I am not an artist by any means, and not very good with a knife. My pumpkin took me maybe 45 minutes, which includes "gutting" time. I wanted to make something friendly, so I chose a flower....well from the picture you can see its a flower, but I should stick to the traditional Jack-O-Lantern faces from now on.

2009-10-31T10:40:00.001-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

And...
Happy Birthday to my cousin Janessa!!

Tim's Birthday Weekend

2009-10-26T15:46:00.009-06:00

Tim turned 27 on Friday 10/23! I woke up early and made him his favorite breakfast - French Toast!! I gave him Pearl Jam Tickets back in September for his birthday, but I also had a couple gifts for him to open the day of, you always have to have at least something to open the day of! After we left for Southen Utah.

As you all know, Tim is a bird watcher. The one thing he likes to do more than spend time with me, is to watch those damn birds. He holds the state record in Utah for seeing the highest number of different species in Utah in a given year (355 species). After almost 2 years of dating I've learned quite a bit about birds, despite my resistance to it. Anyways, Southern Utah has some of the "best birds" in Utah, so naturally it is one of Tim's favorite places to go bird watching. We went camping for three days, two nights...I am a GOOD sport. The weather was fabulous, in the mid 80's all weekend- I LOVED being in the sun. I took my exercise band and was very creative with my workout while we were down there and was able to get in a full body workout as well as lots of cardio! I also took the first Twilight book and finished that too (bird watching = lots of downtime).

Cute baby calf/ Lytle Ranch - the patch of green in the middle of desert/ At Lytle Ranch

We had In-and-Out and that is always a treat. I'm not sure how excited I am for it to come to the SL valley though. I wanted to Tim to have a birthday cake and candles to blow out for his birthday, but knew bringing a cake camping for just the 2 of us wouldn't work out so well. I made cupcakes! I tried to make them pretty, but basically ended up with yellow cake, chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Despite all my efforts to keep the cupcakes from moving in their container, they did, but they served their purpose!

My cupcake creation!

It was a great weekend, a great birthday for Tim - or so he says. Sad to be back in the fall weather with temps in the 30's on my way to work.

happy psuedo birthday!

2009-10-22T08:31:00.007-06:00

Last night I took Tim out for his birthday. His birthday is on Friday October 23, but we're going to Southern Utah this weekend, and I wanted to take him out for his birthday anyways, so we went last night. We went to Tiburon, which is fantastic! We had a 5 course meal that started with crab cakes -my favorite. I was nervous to try crab cakes in UT, where the closet thing to an ocean is a 12 hour drive away. I've been the east coast many times and I am very particular when it comes to getting the "best" seafood, especially crab - 2 words - Maryland Crab! The Tiburon crab cakes were good, definitely not east coast quality, but impressive for UT seafood standards. We had amazing salad that was accompanied by bread, and then the house sorbet just before our entres. Tim ordered the rib eye steak and I ordered the beef tenderloin -both were delicious! To finish it off we shared creme brule -another one of my favorites - and it was delicious!

After dinner we went to see Where the Wild Things Are. This was one of Tim's favorite books as a kid and he was so excited to see the movie. I never read the book growing up, so I didn't quite know what to expect. The movie was good, different, but good - and most importantly Tim loved it! We had a great night to start off Tim's birthday celebration! We're off to Southern Utah tomorrow!

Day Date

2009-10-18T19:32:00.004-06:00

On Sunday Tim and I did a day date. He came over to surprise me with breakfast and then we got ready and went to the zoo to see the baby elephant, Zuri. The elephant was SO darling! I was just in love with her!

Also, this summer at the Hogle Zoo, a baby giraffe was born. The giraffe ws about 6.5 feet tall already, but still very cute. We had fun watching all the baby animals.

Tim took some great pictures of all the animals with his camera, but these are just the few I took. You can always look at his pictures on his website. It was perfect weather and we couldn't have asked for a better October day.

After the zoo we went to the Gateway and had lunch at The Counter. Both Tim and I have heard rave reviews of this burger place so we decided we had to try it out! The Counter is a "make yourself" burger place. You fill out the toppings, type of burger, type of bun, etc. and then they have a few different types of fries to choose from. Both of us were excited to try our burgers. When we got our food, the burgers were huge. and by huge I mean ridiculous tall. I do not particularly like huge burgers, I prefer smaller and daintier. I cut my burger in half to try to make it more manageable but each bite it just fell apart even more. I was super flustered trying to eat my burger and officially have decided I do NOT like The Counter. Five Guys or SmashBurger is much better.

Tim and I decided to walk off lunch and he took me shopping around Gateway. I found some cute stuff and then after we headed up to Farmington Bay to go see a particular bird Tim wanted to photograph. Then we stopped at RedBox and Tim let me pick out a movie to watch tonight, before making me dinner. I had a great Day Date with Tim and I am looking so forward to this coming weekend because we are going down to Southern Utah to celebrate Tim's 27th birthday!

September Update

2009-10-03T09:34:00.007-06:00

A few weekends ago Tim and I went camping up by Strawberry. When we got to our camping spot the weather was nice. There was a 30% chance of rain, but it didn't look like it was going to rain. We went a nice hike and enjoyed the trees that were starting to change leaves. Tim wanted to scout for some elk while we were there, so he had his elk calls and let me try, I'm not that good, but it was fun. After our hike the sun went down and it was freezing! We made a glorious dinner or turkey sandwiches and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were amazing because it was SO cold. I decided I wanted to just get in the tent, so we did and I had my ipod with me so we watched Vampire Diaries, my new guilty pleasure! Around midnight it started to rain. It POURED! WE were in the tent and it rained nonstop. When I woke up it was still raining. I turned to Tim and said, "We are leaving." So we did just that. We managed to pack up our tent, sleeping bags, everything in a matter of minutes and were on our way. When we got back to Salt Lake the sun was shining, the weather was hot, you would have never known we were in a monsoon just hours earlier!

Tim in his camo ready to see some elk/Tim and me in the tent during the rain

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go to Oktoberfest at Snowbird. It is the same every year, but it is a good end to summer for me. This year Tim, Chris, and I went and had a ton of fun. There were SO many people this year, but we still had a good time and enjoyed one of the last warm weekends in Salt Lake.

For Tim's birthday (10/23) I decided to surprise him with an early birthday gift! I got him tickets to Pearl Jam who were at the E center September 28. We had really good seats and the concert was awesome! Ben Harper opened, and Tim was so excited to Ben Harper live! Pearl Jam played for 3 hours! We had a ton of fun!

L0ok at my awesome new layout!

2009-09-27T10:35:00.001-06:00

My boyfriend Tim is soooo wonderful! Last night he redesigned my blog for me :)

check...check...check.......and check!

2009-09-25T13:26:00.002-06:00

So I was just reading on Yahoo.com "9 Signs a Guy is a Keeper." Naturally, having nothing better to do at the moment I read it and wanted to see where Tim fit in this list.

#1 He has his act together. Ok, check. Tim is grown up, working a fulltime job, having adult reseponsibilities, and he's not just messing around doing nothing with his life.

#2 He puts you first. Ok, another check. Tim ALWAYS puts me first. Always asking me what I want to do, letting me pick out what we have for dinner, down to saving me the last cookie (because he knows chocolate chip is my favorite).

#3 He's not afraid of your germs. Check again! EVERY single time I have been sick or hurt Tim has always been there for me. Even when we were first dating I managed to get a pretty bad cold and he brought me juice, soup, and watched movies with me. When I hurt my ankle last year he took care of me, and even when I had a tooth pulled he iced my cheek and made sure I got all my meds on time.

#4 He's a family man. This is more tricky, but check. Tim gets along so well with my family. He isn't as inovled with his own family, but is very involved with my family and my dog and I cannot ask for anymore.

#5 He makes time for your friends. Check. When we were first dating Tim met all my friends without any complaints when I asked him to. He doesn't care when I invite my friends to come with us (even if I don't ask him first). My sister is my best friend and he is such a good sport to just sit and play brickblaster when me and my sister are having a gab session he got pulled to.

#6 He's your biggest cheerleader. Check! Tim is always there to support me when I need it. Just last week I got flowers and a card from him because he knew how stressed I was with some stuff and finding a new job.

#7 He remembers the little things. Check. Tim doesn't hear everything I say, but he does remember the little things that matter. He remembers when I point out something at the store I like and then he surprises me a few days or weeks later. If I have something going on thats a big deal, like a test when I was still in class, he would always send me a good luck text message right before.

#8 He's happy when you're happy. This is Tim perfectly. He will go see chick flics with me because he knows I want to. He will go shopping at the mall with me because he knows it makes me happy. And he never does these things to get anything back in return, he just does them because he knows I want to.

#9 He makes you the best you can be. Final check. Tim supports me, loves me despite all my imperfections. He helps me when I ask. He really is my better half.

Reading this list Tim got 9/9 checks. I always knew I had a good guy, I didn't need some article on Yahoo to tell me this, but it sure was fun.

Mr. Fox

2009-09-09T13:07:00.002-06:00

Monday night Tim and I went to the International Center, just west of the airport, so Tim could do some bird watching. While we were getting eaten to death by mosquitoes we saw this cute little fox in one of the parking lots by Fox13. He followed us around and Tim took a ton of pictures of him. He was very social and not shy at all. This was the closest I've ever seen a fox, except at the zoo of course.

Keys on Main

2009-08-31T10:34:00.005-06:00

Keys on Main is definitely becoming one of my favorite places to hang out on the weekends. For those of you that don't know, Keys is a piano bar. Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat is dueling pianos and it's a ton of fun. This past weekend, Lindsey, Tim, Jared, and me went and it didn't disappoint. We had a table up close and in a prime spot for some people watching. An odd crowd was out Saturday. There was a table of older ladies by us getting a little too excited with each song. We had a big empty table next to us with just one person at it waiting for her guests (and when they finally showed up it was quite the awkward crowd, hello grandma?), screaming out for them to play Nickelback. Apparently it was her first time because she never sent up song requests $$$. There was the awkward person standing behind us, alone, singing off key and loudly to each song. There wasn't a lot of "dueling" this week, and the songs being requested weren't as fabulous as normal, but none the less I always have fun being there.

Sunsets and Hiking and BATS!

2009-08-12T09:32:00.008-06:00

Last night Tim and I went to Antelope Island to watch the sunset (and let's be honest, to see some birds for Tim as well). The sunset was amazing! So beautiful!!! There are some burrowing owls nesting on the causeway. I LOVE owls, because of Harry Potter. We saw all kinds of birds. I can say that even though I have made no effort to learn about birds, but rather I just go to be with Tim and to support him and occasionally see something really neat. However, I have caught on a lot for someone not trying to be a "good birder". I can identify violet green swallows, just by how they fly. I can also identify about 20 other birds, down to the correct name for them (not just swallow, or gull, but California gull, violet green swallow, you get my point). As much as I hate to admit it, it is more fun than you would expect watching birds once you know a little more.

Anyways, Tim always takes fantastic photos, you can view most of his picutres at www.timaverybirding.com. But I still like to take pictures with my camera because it's just fun. I took quite a few pictures of the sunset, but essentially they're one in the same. I also took a picture of one of the burrowing owls; they're just so cute!

HIKING

About a month or so ago, Tim and I and some friends went hiking in the Uintahs to Mt. Baldy. We were told it was a 2 mile hike and it turned into a 7.5 roundtrip hike, but nonetheless I had an awesome time and got a good workout. It rained on us when we got the top/destination, unfortunately we didn't take that many picturse, but we managed to take a few. Lucky for me I got zero bug bites! The hike was mostly switchbacks all the way up. We saw plenty of cows, deer, and a baby moose and mama moose. The baby moose started runnnig and it was so awkward and darling!

BATS!

So there are bats in my neighborhood. About five or so. We have decided they are coming from a bat house about a street over. While Tim and I were in Cedar City, my dad said he found a dead bat on our front porch! YIKES-bats in Cottonwood Heights! So almost every night for the past week, Tim and my dad have been going out at dusk to watch the bats. Tim brought his camera one night and got some really good pictures, and once he edits and uploads them I will post some for your enjoyment!

baby quail

2009-08-10T08:50:00.003-06:00

So there are ALWAYS California quail in my neighborhood. There are about 2-3 families, and they are always running around. Quail aren't so common in Tim's neighborhood, but the other day I spotted a family across the street with little tiny babies. They were so darling! They all hopped up on the curb and ran into some bushes, except one baby didn't make it. Tim decided he need to help it, so he captured the baby quail (I took a picture) and then the papa quail came over and we let the baby go in the yard with the family. It was a cute little afternoon and bird moment.

from awhile back...

2009-08-04T11:43:00.002-06:00

On May 28, 2009, my cute friend Emalie married her boyfriend Marty Case. She asked me to be a bride's maid and the wedding was the week I got back from DC. It was a little chaotic that week for me getting back from work, dealing with my stuff from DC and getting everything completed for school and going back to work, but I was happy to be a part of her big day. Emalie looked so gorgeous (look at her in the picture and not me...she is insanely skinny and I look like a cow---ps I was standing a step lower than her). Anyways, her wedding was at Heritage Gardens and it was beautiful! Her mom did all the flowers and they looked wonderful...you couldn't have asked for a better wedding for Emalie.

Blue Dye in M&M's Reduces Spine Injury

2009-07-30T08:56:00.002-06:00

I saw this article the other day on CNN.com titled Same Blue Dye in M&M's Linked to Reducing Spine Injury. Basically the article said that researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered that by injecting the blue dye found in M&M's (Brilliant Blue G, BBG) into rats with spinal cord injuries, that the rats were able to walk again with a limp. The side effect...it turned the rats temporarily blue (see pictures above). I found this so funny and interesting at the same time. If you want to read more on the article here is the link http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/28/spinal.injury.blue.dye/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail