Hubby Tag

What is your husband's name? Christopher, but you can call him Chris. I've always felt weird calling him "Chris."

How long have you been together? We started dating in April 2000, so almost 8 years. Married 7 on April 25th.

Who said I love you first? Christopher, underneath the summer stars....and then the sprinklers cam eon. No joke. It really happened.

Who is smarter? Let's just say if I had to pass all my doctoral Pharmacy classes with a 90%, it wouldn't have happened, but he did it! On the other hand, if he had to write a billion papers for his Master's program and work with juvenile delinquents, he couldn't. So we're a great balance of "soft science" (as he likes to refer to my counseling) and "real science". :) If memory equals smartness, than I definately have the upper hand. :) Sorry, babe, but you know it's true.

Who does the housework? I'm pretty much on indoor duty, but he mows the lawn and takes care of curb appeal...except for weeding, which I wish he would become passionate about. :)

Who sleeps on the right? I do and it's just always been that way. How exactly does that evolve?

Who pays the bills? He brings in the money, I send it on out.

Who cooks dinner? I do, unless I suddenly have a hankerin' for a mean batch of Pigs in a Blanket. :)

Who drives when you are together? He does--he's the only one in our household right now that 's legal to drive over 40 miles per hour! He gets the job by default.

Who is more stubborn? I would have to say I'm more stubborn. That is not saying, however, that I always get my way....

Who kissed who first? Picture if you will....actually, don't. That's gross. It was a Meet in the Middle type moment. And that's all I'm saying. But I will say our first kiss happened while "Busta Move" by Young MC was playing in the background. It's our theme song.

Who asked out who first? Christopher--after two attempts. (You should ask him about that sometime.) He wanted me the first time he saw me. :)

Who proposed? Christopher did. And while he was trying his best to be sneaky and probably would have succeeded, he slipped up in one major area. He put the ring--box and all--in the pocket of his cargo pants...maybe we should go back to that smart question... :)

Who has more siblings? He does--1 brother, 4 sissters--and I love, love, love his family.

Who wears the pants? Wearing the pants speaks loudly of masculininity. That's never something I've wanted to possess in any quantity. ;) However, we both prefer pants to, say, skirts or leg warmers, so I will say this: Chrisotpher works hard and finances the operation and is in close contact with his household's Commander-in Chief, so he always knows what's going on! :)

Twice to Price, A Landing in Blanding

Who doesn't love a really great theme? (But who doesn't hate that word? That's it...it's on the Bounced list.) There are theme songs, party themes, and as I recently discovered, even themes to a weekend.

Two weekends ago we hit the road to a Celebration of Babies-themed weekend.

Baby Theme Component 1: Stephanie's Baby Shower

Baby Theme Component 2: The Surprise Month-Before-She-Was-Due Arrival of Sylvia--yay!

Baby Theme Component 3: Baby Blessing in Blanding (Where in the....?)

We got a Point Out the Preggars Take 2 shot--please excuse Kim, she was busy having a baby. :) Michelle is also missing, but was NOT having a baby--she was just back in Texas.

One Preggars down, two more to go...and yes, this time, I am quite obviously one of them. :)

On to Blanding Sunday morning... and how does one exactly get to Blanding, you ask?

Well, you go to Price and you keep going.

Keep going some more.

Repeat step two.

Pass this rock.

And this one...

Keep on truckin' until you've been in the car approximately 5 hours.

Welcome to Blanding. :)

Our good friends, Chad and Tiawna, live in Blanding. (Chad is a pharmacist on the Reservation--he and Christopher spent almost every single day of their lives during Pharmacy school together. No kidding.)

They just had a baby girl and we went down to meet her for the first time and attend her blessing. Welcome, Olivia!

It was a big day of driving, but very worth it to see friends and family. Go ahead...ask Bennett what he thought of the trip..

MUNCHA MUNCHA

Eating is necessary, right?

It can be enjoyable...it can be disgusting...it can be utilitarian.

When you're pregnant, eating can become...interesting. It's a love-hate duo one day, a ravenous need the next. A moment later every smell and thought associated with food leads to a gag reflex.

Peculiar, this pregnancy eating ritual.

Even more peculiar are the things I craved during my first trimester. Let me share just a sampling.

With Bennett, my cravings remained constant and few. For example:
Buffalo wings or just the sauce, smothered on anything
Jalapenos
Banana peppers

Tacos

With (unknown gender and therefore no name), I crave the following--sometimes simultaneously, sometimes at odd hours of the day and night. This kid is haphazard and indecisive, at best. Take a look.

Tacos are the only consistent craving. Blessed little things. I could make them for dinner every single night. Christopher does not share my taco enthuiasm, however. Therefore, I may be forced to make a "Run to the Border", if you know what I mean.

I know. I'm not supposed to eat deli meats. Nevertheless, at the beginning, I could have made myself a permanent hangout at any local Subway. However, I limited myself to one a week. Thank you, Kelly Conroy, for making sure Subway stays on the map.


You see the size of this bottle? There is one in my refrigerator, purhcased 2 weeks ago...2/3 empty. All because of me. (My pineapple stash is doing fine, though, just in case you were wondering!)

Ice, delicious, glorious ice. No calories, no offensive texture or odor. Just a tall glass of ice water (set on the counter for approximately 10 minutes to let the ice get nice and soft) and consequently, a crunching session. Sorry, Mr. Dentist. (And Jo, everytime I chomp my delicious, heavenly ice I think of you and your statistics...thanks.)

Mmmmm.....

Peanut butter isn't necessarily a new craving for me. It's been a lifelong friend. But now...NOW we are BFFs.

And finally, possibly the best part of summer is the fruit. More specifically, nectarines. Fruit of the Gods. (The Fruit of the Tree of Life, if you ask me. :)



And the last thing is not so much a craving as a downright great find. If Easter=jellybeans, it now = Nerds Bumpy Jellybeans. Yum!

Oh man. A whole post on cravings? Someone please call my normal body and my somewhat rational mind and tell them I need them back here double time.

What?

They're on Leave of Absence 'til September?

*Sigh.*

Blog Goulash

This is what happens when one fails to blog often.

Mishmashiness

Hodgepodgelry

Miscellany

(Yes, miscellany is a real word...I promise. The other two--debatable. Then again, I like the sound of them, so they are now real words. I llike them and they're staying. :)

Below, you iwll find a series of four totally unrelated items and/or events. If you discern how any of the following relate to one another, you should probably win a prize. And indeed you would....if there was, in fact, a prize being given. :)

Event A: Domestic Beautification

I fainlly got some sofa pillows made. Only 543 to go. At least that's what it feels like. I have the others (actually only 5 more--in coordinating prints and colors, mind you) cut out, ready to sew. I don't mind the sewing part--although, keep in mind my sewing ability only allows straight lines, no funny business. The part I can't stand is the hand-stitching. Exasperating.

After the pillows, I have a mere 30 yards of fabric awaiting reincarnation into its final form: draperies. (Insert sound of sewing machine.)

Item B: Me...In A Past Decade

I got this picture of my grandma when I went to New Mexico a few weeks ago. I have often wondered what I might look like when I gracefully step into "The Golden Years". Having seen my grandma (on my dad's side) in her own Golden Years and now, in her younger years, I think I may have a fairly good idea...

Event C: Red Ink Shortage

November was NaNoWriMo--60,000 words of my YA novel are now on paper. Now it's March and March is NaNoEdMo. 50 hours of my month will be dutifully spent training and editing those 60,000 untamed and uncivilized little words. Oh man. Here I go....

Item D: American Idol Picks

Jason CastroDavid Archulaetta

Michael Johns

David Hernandez

Carley SmithsonBrooke White

I tend to like male artists better, but I love Carley and Brooke. Jason and David A. are my top two males. If I was a betting woman....

Brain Clutter Part 34a

Who decided that paper towels should be artistically enhanced with blue teddy bears? Teddy bears, for the love!

-AND-

Why is it that a 2-year-old's 30 second attention span can be suddenly expanded to 20, even 30, minutes when playing a silly, made-up game that gets old to their parental figures in 2 minutes?

A Hush-Hush From My Past: A Revelation for All

I'm going to let you in on two little secrets.

Really.

However, I'm *forewarning* you this confidential information might make some of you mad...but it's time you learned the truth.

SECRET 1: If you didn't go to CEU, your college experience was most definately sub-par.

SECRET 2: You didn't have the most star-studded roommates in the world, because I did and there are only so many to go around. Sorry.

I know, I know. It hurts. Sometimes, the truth does that. But it really is better that you know. :)

I am seeping CEU pride from every True Blue and Gold pore and it is with great pleasure I welcome you to

CEU HOMAGE WEEK
(or however long it takes me to stop seeping pride)

THEN:

NOW:

A little Roommate Reunion on Saturday night. We misssed you Tiff and Jessie!

Miranda, next time, don't wrestle for the Ricotta cheese. :)

Holli, please speak up. :)

And Jo, no more book titles. My Brother the Mother's selling potential is dismal. :)

As for Tiff and jessie, as if another state was too far to come. Please.

Thank goodness the hairstyles have improved since 1998!

Fairy Visitation Rights

We're not big into fairies at my house. They're too small for the likes of us. And I've never liked dust...even pixie/fairy dust. But Valentine's Day holds an exception. The Valentine's Fairy swings by for a swift, gift-bearing visit each year. We've never actually seen her, but she brings great gifts, so we're very welcoming.

This year she brought a few new flashy belt buckles for Christopher to add to his ever-growing collection. (A bottle-opener belt buckle for his heavier root beer drinking nights!) The Valentine's Fairy was also kind enough to bring Bennett his heart's desire--a bubble-blowing gun.

And, lovely little sprite that she is, she skipped the flowers, which I don't like getting, the chocolate, which I hate, and any form of mushiness (for which I have a weak constitution) and brought me a trip to the Shakesperean Festival in Cedar City!!!!!!! (To be redeemed in July.) Thanks, "Valentine's Fairy." (I think I may have an idea what "she" looks like now...)

There was also this strange ad Christopher found at work....

Needless to say, I ended up with a hot Friday night date. :)

We went and saw Jumper (2 stars--cool concept, terrible acting--I'm picky about my male actors-- and sketchy plot) and had a little non-gourmet, non-candlelit din-din with no booster seat, sippy cup or mutilated food in sight.

And THAT is a Happy Valentine's Day (and day after), indeed!

Fixin' to Take a Pilgrimmage to the Homeland

Ahhhh....The Land of Enchantment....New Mexico. My homeland, my birth place, the land of my forefathers, the epicenter of my childhood and early teenage years. The land wherein I acquired a taste for truly delicious New Mexican food along with my nice, dark glow....oh. Whoops. I guess that's one thing I didn't get from New Mexico. I suppose it also failed to give me a Mexican accent, the ability to speak Navajo and a penchant for the wearing of cowboy boots and turquoise jewelry, although every now and then, I admit....

At one time in my life, I did have a Southern drawl. I used "ya'll" and had a slight twang of which I was ignorant until I moved to Utah at the age of 14. It slowly faded out, but, to this day, I still use the word "fixin'". Some things are regionally ingrained into your genes. (Fixin' will now appear on my Delicious words list, FYI.)

Lest I wax more nostalgic than is bearable, I will begin with a photographic report of my Southwesterly sojourn last Thursday.

Bennett and I rode with my parents to my uncle's wedding in Roswell and Chrisotpher was left a lone man. It would have been even better if he could have come, but alas, someone has to make the money. :)

The long stretch of very, very straight road. 12 hours there, 12 hours back.

Welcome to Roswell!

JUST KIDDING! I bet this is what you thought New Mexican towns looked like, didn't you? No way, man. Roswell is MUCH classier than that.

For example (por ejemplo):

McDonald's--it makes those of us that are "foreigners" feel more at home. (It's in the shape of a UFO, in case it's hard to tell.)

The downtown lampposts--looks exactly like one of my best friends.

Good thing I'm welcome at Arby's. I'm starving!

Really this trip was to introduce Bennett to "his people". :) He seemed to take to it naturally.

Compare: 70 degree weather, New Mexico

Contrast: 20 degree weather, Utah

Take the Quiz here!

"THE KID" IS COMING!!

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008