7.25.2008

my babies are the bestest.

i have two really good stories about my babies (aka my nieces and nephews). just to preface, i made it to arizona and i'm still in solid form. no melting here, at least not today. it is blasted hot, though. it was 102 degrees when i arrived, and tonight at 9:00 pm, it was a cool 99 degrees. i can't believe people live here. anyway...story number one.

well, i worked a graveyard shift last night and then headed straight for the airport when i got off (and after i packed). no sleep for me today. when i got to my sister's house, i was beat and needed a nap, so i went to my niece, kaylie's room to have a lay down on her bed. her door was closed, so i figured she was in there, but when i opened the door, i didn't see her. i just went over and plopped down on her bed and started dozing.

after a few minutes, i'm guessing about 10 or 15 minutes, i hear a random noise that rouses me. i look around, but i don't see anything, so i lay my head back down. i hear another noise and i look around again, and again, nothing.

i was half out of it, so i just said, "kaylie?" and from underneath the bed (yes, i did say underneath) i hear this faint little, "yeah?"

hysterical. she was playing with one of her toys and she thought she was going to be in trouble, so she hid under her bed and was just playing under there. it was the funniest thing ever. love that girl.

second funny story: i was laying on the bed with my nephew, jesse, while he was trying to go to sleep. of course, we were having a very serious conversation. jesse was a little perturbed because little brother, malcolm, was getting to lay with dad in the other room. we were talking about when jesse was malcolm's age, he got to do the same thing. this is the conversation that followed:

jesse: i'm growing up so fast, aunt chelle.
me: oh, you will always be my baby jesse...even when you are all grown up, you will still be my baby jesse.
jesse: well, i'm five now and then i will be six, seven, eight, nine, ten. aunt chelle, were you sixteen when you got your driver's license?
me: yep, i was sixteen.
jesse: when i turn sixteen, i'm gonna get my driver's license, too.
me: are you going to date girls when you turn sixteen, too?
jesse: aunt chelle, you know what i'm going to do when i turn sixteen? i'm gonna drive a girl around.
me: where are you going to drive to?
jesse: i'm gonna drive to the taco place.
me: are you going to eat tacos at the taco place?
jesse: yeah.
me: then what are you going to do?
jesse: i'm gonna drive her around and show her where i live.

the kid is a stud. and he is prepared. there are going to be some hearts breaking all around the world when jesse starts driving girls to the taco place and showing them where he lives.

you can bet that there will be a thousand more incidents/conversations like these to come during this next week. and trust, i will report every last one of them.

7.24.2008

happy pioneer day.

just want to wish you all a very happy pioneer day.
gotta love random state holidays.
and ya gotta love utah.


i'm headed to the hot, hot heat of arizona tomorrow.
i hope i don't melt.

anyway, enjoy your 24th and this weekend.

7.21.2008

insight.

i love the sound of: silence.

i love the sight of: clouds.

i love the taste of: diet mt. dew.

i love the smell of: fresh flowers.

i love the feel of: sunshine.

7.18.2008

memories.

here's something fun that lots of people have been doing...and since i am a follower, i'll do it too.

1. leave a comment on my blog. leave one memory that you have of the two of us. it doesn't matter if you only know me a little or if you know me a lot. just write anything you remember

2. next, post this same post on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

have fun!

7.17.2008

sytycd--week six.

i love this show so much...except for the fact that they let a booted dancer come back. i mean, i get it, but why comfort? she sucks. still. and the fact that kherington got kicked off over comfort pisses me off. seriously. i'm angered by the whole turn of events.

that being said, i still do love this show and i fell in love with two new dancers this week, will and katee. katee is a beautiful dancer and her partnership with will (who is obviously and amazing dancer) was perfection. here are their two dances for the week. the pas de deux was, by far, the best dance of the night...even with the little mess up.




chelsie is still my front runner. i thought she and gev made a very good couple. their contemporary was my favorite of their two dances. their jive was pretty good, too. i think it's sad that gev was voted off; mark should have been the one to go.


and for the worst dance of the night...it pains me to watch this, but i had to watch it a couple of times just to make sure that it was as bad as i thought it was. granted, it was a two-step, but it was horrible. and maybe it's legit that kherington was voted off, but still, i think comfort stinks.

7.10.2008

insight.

i love the sound of: good and new music.

i love the sight of: pictures that bring back memories.

i love the taste of: friendship bread.

i love the smell of: food being grilled.

i love the feel of: vindication.

sytycd--week five.

so, my favorite couple is still chelsie and mark, although gev and courtney are right up there. and i really liked twitch and kherrington this week, too.

i knew they should have gotten rid of thayne and comfort last week. they couldn't even pull off a good enough hip hop routine...comfort's genre. and their contemporary dance was painful to watch. if they don't go this week, i'm definitely boycotting. (also, i like to make idle threats.)

again, i had many favorites but this was, by far, the best of the night. so much fun.



and this was my second favorite. love choreographed krump. doesn't that defeat the purpose of krump? oh well. still loved it.

7.09.2008

some thoughts.

my life is so boring. i wish i had more to talk about, but i don't.

well except, i guess i could tell you about how i had the most emotional sunday of my life this past sunday. i left work bawling, but the reason why i was bawling wasn't because i was sad. i was so angry, i was driven to tears. that has never happened to me before. it was the craziest. and then i was consumed with the situation that caused the anger for the next three days. until i was vindicated in our staff meeting. but i am still a little, tiny bit upset about the situation. i'm hoping that over the next couple of days it will be completely worked out and that it will just be a passing memory. (sorry about the vagueness, but the nature of my job calls for it.)

my cute niece, lillie, had surgery on her crossed little eye last week. it went well, thankfully. and she is still as cute as can be, even with straight eyes. hahaha. (i stole this picture from my sister...thanks for sending it.)


a few weeks ago, my friend sara and her brother bill came over and we planted a vegetable garden. i can't wait for it to start producing some goods. there is a tiny green tomato on one of the tomato plants, so that is exciting. so, we planted tomatoes, green and red peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, butternut squash, summer squash, snow peas, beets, beans and pumpkins. i've never been into gardening much, but i kind of like it. it's very satisfying and i am sure that when we start getting some produce, it will feel even more satisfying.

monday was roku night. i love roku. we have so much fun and it is so random. the best part about this past monday is that sara got to get after some kids playing outside. they were throwing rocks, real big rocks and one almost hit a car. it was so funny, because jaime and i just laughed (we work together, just so you understand), and the others were taking care of the situation. something funny is always bound to happen and we get to eat good food together. love roku.

i got my hair done yesterday. it's getting lighter, gradually. we just put some low-lights, if you will, around. it made a big difference. i love getting my hair done. sara is the bestest hairstylist around, if i do say so myself. and i trust her to do whatever she wants. sometimes i have ideas, but they are vague ideas, so she gets to put her own spin on them. she's the best. while i was under the hair dryer thing, i was sweating to death, but i just reminded myself that was what i was going to feel like in arizona.

yep, the arizona vacation is upon us. two weeks and two days. i'm so excited to spend time with my family. not excited about the heat, but what can i do about that. it'll only be for a few days. i will survive.

and one last thing. yesterday, after i got my hair done, sara and i made dinner at her house. we tried to replicate our favorite tacos from this little mexican bakery and i think we did a pretty good job. i also found a recipe for a chicken marinade and so we tested it out. it was delicious. i was nervous about making it though, because it had jalapeno in it. for some reason, jalapenos scare me. i called my sister, laurie, from the grocery store asking her how to cut it up because i was afraid i was going to burn my eyes out. i didn't burn my eyes out and the chances of me using a jalapeno again are pretty high.

so, yeah, my life is pretty boring. hahaha.

7.04.2008

insight.

i love the sound of: fireworks in the distance.

i love the sight of: families spending time together.

i love the taste of: good ole' barbecued food.

i love the smell of: a summer breeze.

i love the feel of: freedom.

happy independance day.

i'm so grateful that i am a citizen of this great country and i am so thankful for the freedoms i am afforded. and i am extremely grateful for all those who have ever put themselves in harms way to make sure that i can enjoy those freedoms.


especially the freedoms to enjoy fireworks, picnics, barbecues and family reunions to their fullest.

but let us always remember what this holiday truly represents.

happy independance day!

7.03.2008

sytycd--week four.

i was so excited that all the couples had to do two dances this week. double the pleasure, that is for sure. chelsie and mark kicked butt again, of course. i was impressed by some couples that haven't impressed me before and i was disappointed in others that i expected more from. i had a lot of favorite dances this week, but a couple really stuck out. here are my top three, in no particular order (obviously excluding chelsie and mark's):







honorable mentions go to gev and courtney, for sure.

and now i'm going to rant...i think it is c-r-a-p that matt and kourtni got the boot. thayne and comfort's solos were ridiculously bad. and if you are basing the boot on how they have done over the course of the season, matt and kourtni have done better, by far. i know that comfort is staying because of stupid tabitha and napoleon. (who-fyi-i really do like). i think the judges are prejudice against tall people. that's it. it's a conspiracy. if i didn't love the show so much, i would boycott it, but i can't. so i will just be mad...in cyberspace.

that's all.

quick visit.

the other day, my sister and her family came to town. julie had an appointment for a haircut and it was an opportunity for a family outing. while julie was getting her haircut, i was across town getting a pedicure. they were nice enough to stop and see me (or really, so i could see the kids) before they headed home.

this is sweet lucie and i.
i love that her hair is growing in and that it is so dark, just like her mom.

this is a pretty good picture of her squishable arms and legs.
and don't you want to squish those cheeks, too?

and this is the one picture that jake let me take of him.
sometimes he just doesn't like the camera.
it's pretty funny.

i don't get to see them very often, but i am grateful the few opportunities that i do get to spend some time with them. i can't wait until our family vay-cay at the end of the month...a week with my babies. good times are bound to flow.

simple fun.

my sister and her kids came up to logan last week to get haircuts. i love when they come and visit and this particular day, they came early and stayed late, so i got to spend some quality time with them.

we were just lounging around and i had my nephew get my camera so we could document the family time together. my nephew, jesse, is always pulling funny faces in pictures and wanting to pose in weird ways. i remembered my friend, megan, posting about some fun pictures that her friend took, so i played copy-cat. you go "1-2-3, motorboat" and then the subject of the picture does motorboat and you take a picture. while most of them were ridiculous, it was all for a good laugh. here are the funniest photos.

take one.

and take two.

and don't worry, i got in on the action, too.

kristen decided that it would just be easier if they just shaved the boys' hair off.
sara (hairstylist extraordinaire) wanted to make jesse look like an old man.
when we took the picture, we told him to make an old man face, and this is what he came up with.
he is hilarious.

i told malcolm to show me his hair and this is the view i got.
he kept rubbing his head and saying that his hair was "nice."
love that kid.

here are some random pictures that i took while we were just hanging out. these kids are always up for picture time.

lillie has been spending some time in the sun.
she's got quite the tan going on.

i love this picture.

she is the sweetest thing.

they paused for a minute to pose for this picture.
i love malcolm's cup of ice...that's what he has in his mouth, too.

he is such a cheeser.

i love his smile and how his whole face lights up.
i'm not sure about the fist, though...it kind of contradicts the smile, don't ya think? hahaha.

7.02.2008

i can cook.

sometimes when i get off work at 6:00 am, i head to my friend's house and we make breakfast. one morning, not too long ago, i showed up and i made this:

crab and swiss quiche.

i know this picture doesn't make it look very appetizing, but trust me, it's probably one of the best things i make. awhile ago, my sister and i bought a huge package of crab at costco and split it. i wasn't sure what to make with the crab, so i googled crab recipes and this is one that i found. there are lots of variations of this recipe, but i stuck with the simplest. and now i am going to share it with you.

crab and swiss quiche

2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ pound imitation crab meat
1½ cups shredded swiss cheese
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust*

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in a medium bowl, mix together eggs, milk, mayonnaise and cornstarch. mix in the imitation crab and swiss cheese. pour into pie shell.

bake in preheated oven until a knife inserted into center of the quiche comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.

*the first couple of times i made this, i used an unbaked pie crust and it turned out okay. however, the last time i made it, i used a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust and i baked it for about five to seven minutes before i poured in the mixture. it turned out so much better. i highly recommend baking the crust a little first.

{recipe found here}

little roo.

this is my friend's dog, roo. isn't he the cutest thing. he used to be pretty skittish around me, but now we are buddies and i love it. every time i see him, i love him even more than the last time i saw him. i didn't think it would be possible to love a dog as much as i love roo.

when i go to sara's house in the morning and we are in the kitchen cooking, this is roo's favorite place to sit.
i love that he just sits and watches what we are doing.
granted, he doesn't sit there that long, but long enough that it's funny.

in the beginning, if we were in the car and sara would have to get out, roo would go into major panic mode.
he would literally (and obviously) climb into the dash or wherever he could climb so he could see her.
he doesn't do that anymore...which i love.

i just want to squish him, he's so adorable.

and i love that he loves to snuggle.
he used to only snuggle with sara, but now he will snuggle with me.


so, that's roo. oh, how i love that little roo.

7.01.2008

spt.

the challenge: our routines can seem out-of-whack in the summer and it's more important than ever that we funnel our energy into the hearts of our families. not so easy to do when there are more snacks to prepare, more laundry to do, more trips to the store/movies/museums/gas station...we must strike a balance between pool time, library time, travel time and quiet time! to help channel our personal chi, let's take time this month to focus on the five elements of summer: sun, water, shade, grass and ice cream!

week one: sun.
week two: water.
week three: shade.
week four: grass.
week five: ice cream.

so, for this week...sun. let's be honest, i don't look like i spend much time in the sun, and that is true. i hate to be hot. i hate being sweaty. i like to be outside, but sweat is a deterrent for me. so, lots of sun time during the summer doesn't appeal to me. that is, unless i am pool side at a mountain resort. it's nice and breezy and scenic, and still sunny.

this is me, last year, headed to the mountain resort.

and this was the view, poolside.
can you really go wrong with this scene?

unfortunately, this year, we aren't headed to the mountain resort. wanna know where we are going? i'll tell you...arizona. i know. i better get used to being sweaty and being hot real fast. i mean, seriously, it's gonna be a train wreck. it'll be fun to spend time with the family, but we are going to spending most of that time in our air-conditioned rooms, i'm afraid. i'm a fan of sun, but not arizona sun. (sorry to my arizona family, friends and readers...but i think y'all are crazy!)