The Millers

Surprise!

2012-02-11T09:10:00.010-07:00

Well our little miss decided she was done and wanted to make her debut early. On Saturday, January 28th, I called my doctor because I was concerned about something I was experiencing, and he told me to go to labor and delivery. When I got there, they said that I had been leaking amniotic fluid for three days and had to be induced. I was really overwhelmed and I just kept thinking, "I'm not ready yet!" I mean, I was only 35 weeks and had 5 weeks left, and 5 weeks is still a long time! But it didn't matter whether I was ready or not, I was gonna have a baby. At about 10:30 Saturday night they started me on Pitocin, which scared me. They did an ultrasound when I got there and told me that the baby was transverse (sideways) and told me that if she didn't go head down I would have to have a c-section. I told them that if it were medically necessary I would do it, but I was going to do everything in my power to avoid that option. Thank God, Evie must have heard me because 20 minutes later she was head down. They told me that I could have the epidural at any time but I wanted to wait until my contractions started. At 2:30 the rest of my water broke (WEIRD experience) and 5 minutes later the contractions started. Only took one for me to decide I was ready for the epidural! The epidural kicked in quickly and I was actually able to sleep through a lot of the contractions. At about 8:15 Sunday morning they told me to start pushing, and at 8:41 she was born! It worried me because I couldn't hear her crying but they told me she was breathing. She was so little! 5 pounds 12 ounces, and 18 inches long. And she was so beautiful! We named her Evelyn Murdock Miller.

I could only hold her for a few minutes because she had to go to the NICU for an evaluation. Thank God she didn't have any trouble breathing and was on room air from the beginning, but because she was so early they wanted to make sure there were no other problems. They moved me to a regular maternity ward room, and I didn't get to see Evie until like 5 o'clock that evening!

Unfortunately when Evie got to the NICU, they found that her blood sugar was low, and she couldn't keep her blood sugar up between feedings. She had to have an IV supplement and they had to test her blood sugar before every feeding. Poor thing had hamburger heels after a couple days because they kept having to stick her. After a few days, unfortunately jaundice set in and it set in hard. She had to be under the bili lights and a bili blanket. Her bilirubin levels went up and down, and then WAY up again. She ended up spending 8 days in the NICU, and it was SO hard on Spencer and I. After I was discharged we got a family room at the hospital and stayed there the whole week. We would go home to shower and that was about it. It was so difficult.

Evie's setup in the NICU

Under the bili lights

Holding Evie wrapped in a bili blanket. She looks like a glow worm!

When it was FINALLY time to come home (Superbowl Sunday!) We wrapped Evie up well and headed for the car.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of the car seat

We've had her home for a few days now and it's SO much easier than living at the hospital. Unfortunately I haven't been healing well (more on that later) but Evie's doing well. It's great to have our little family whole!

Pregnancy Update

2012-01-07T16:56:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I essentially stopped updating this blog because it seemed like no one was reading it. Not that I can blame anyone, cause it's so much easier and faster to get updates off of Facebook. But seeing as I'd like to continue this blog, especially after our Little One is born, I figured I'd better get back on the wagon.

I've tried to keep such a good attitude about this pregnancy. Every time I got sick, I just reminded myself it was worth it. Every time I was uncomfortable or in pain, I just smiled and remembered why. The problem with this outlook is that when you end up really sick or with something wrong, you tend not to notice cause you're so busy putting on your brave face. Which is exactly what happened. I never stopped to consider the fact that this has actually been very difficult for me, physically and emotionally. My anxiety has been through the roof and I've had a difficult time coping with even normal day-to-day problems, let alone baby- or money-related things. This I think is a combination of no anxiety meds (which I can't take while pregnant or breastfeeding) and the knowledge that my life is about to change in ways I can't even fathom. I go back and forth between being beyond thrilled about Little One and wondering, "Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into?" My arthritis (also had to go off my meds controlling that) has given me quite a problem as well. I'd forgotten just how much pain that caused me without the medication to control the inflammation. And the pregnancy itself has caused some problems. I STILL have morning sickness. I can count on both hands the number of days in the last 8 months that I have NOT thrown up. 32 weeks, 1 day, and still throwing up every morning. I ended up losing quite a bit of weight during the first half of the pregnancy cause I couldn't keep anything down, and I became fairly hydrated.

The lastest problem we've encountered is that my cervix began thinning around 28 weeks. This thinning is also referred to as effacing. Now, effacing isn't supposed to actually occur until you go into labor, but mine started thinning early. They don't know what causes it, but it's most likely the rest of a genetic predisposition combined with the pressure of Little One's head bearing down on the cervix. I had already been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions without any problems since about halfway through the pregnancy. On December 16th, I was having contractions one right after another, and had 22 in 4 hours. I called my doctor and said that I was concerned; that it just didn't feel right. He told me to come in for an immediate ultrasound and then to go on bed rest. The ultrasound showed that my cervix, which is supposed to be about 4 cm thick, was only 2.5 cm. He took me off work and ordered me to bed and said we'd check it again in 2 weeks and see what was going on. I noticed that the contractions decreased significantly when I was off my feet, and I felt like I was doing better (even though you can't "feel" if your cervix is doing something right or not.) Well after 2 weeks, I had thinned another 6mm! Now the good news is I haven't dilated at all (Thank GOD), but my thickness is down to less that 2cm. So I'm back on even more strict bed rest for the foreseeable future. The doctor said I may have to stay on bed rest until she gets here (especially if she decides to get here early.) This is going to do wonders for my job security, let me tell you. Oh well. Where God guides, God provides. I just have to keep my faith and I know He'll take care of us like He always has. I have another appointment with my doctor on Tuesday, so we'll see if it's gotten any worse then.

Oh Baby, Baby

2011-09-23T17:31:00.006-06:00

Well the other day I went in for a sonogram. That's right, THE sonogram. I was SO excited to be able to learn if it was a boy or a girl. Spence and I have been pulling our hair out waiting. Ok, maybe just me. But I've pulled out enough hair for both of us! This baby has such a little personality already! We had so much fun seeing the baby move around, though it was sleeping when we first saw it.

It was on its side with its back to us. I can't believe how much it's grown since I last saw it! We got a really good view of the body, head and the one arm. It was so cool that since the bones are starting to solidify, we could actually see them!

While we were watching, Baby decided it would be a good time to suck its thumb. I felt so badly waking it up just so I could get some satisfaction.

Yes, apparently I AM going to be one of those mothers who takes pictures of the back of their kids heads. I just thought Baby looked so peaceful.

So we got tired of watching baby sleep at decided we needed to move on to some information gathering. The ultrasound tech guided the probe up underneath Baby's bum, hoping we could get a view of its little parts. Well, of course Baby had its legs all curled up under it, and wasn't gonna have any of us looking. Here's an awesome view of a foot-with all 5 toes!

Finally Baby realized that the only was to get us to leave it alone would be to give us what we wanted. So finally it bent over and kinda did the splits for us...and wouldn't you know it, there was nothing there cause...

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

That's right! My first born is going to be a daughter! I actually started crying I was so thrilled. I was so excited just to find out what it was, but I was really hoping for a girl. The nurse said she looks healthy as can be. My weight gain is right on track and my blood pressure has actually gone down! I just can't believe how much God has watched over this pregnancy. He's just really blessed me with this baby. I put her in His hands and He's taking great care of her! Next up: registering!

Birthdays and Baby

2011-08-31T20:13:00.002-06:00

Both Spencer's and my 24th birthdays were really fun! I got some awesome stuff for my kitchen (immersion blender, nice digital food scale, a cast-iron skillet), and Spencer's birthday-Santa (me) was especially generous this year. Let's just say he won't be bored for a while, with all the games I got him! I also decided to try to get back up on my feet and I offered to make whatever he wanted for his birthday dinner. Well, he asked for Lobster bisque, so that's what I made! It took me a couple hours, and afterward I was hurting so much I was flat on my back for three days, but it was delicious and he was happy, so it was all worth it.

So in the last few days I've been doing some scrapbooking. The physical therapist said that the more I push myself back towards normalcy, the better I'll feel. So I've been trying to push my limits a little more and do some things I used to do before I got hurt. My scrapbook pages were all so bland when I first started making them, and I'm actually getting better at making them cuter. I'm really proud of the ones I just made!

At 11 weeks I had an ultrasound. Baby's getting big! I mean, I know it will get much bigger, but I'm amazed at how quickly it's growing. Sometimes it still doesn't feel completely real to me, but so far it's been an incredible experience. I have another appointment on September 6th, and assuming Baby cooperates and faces the ultrasound, we should be able to learn the sex on September 22nd! I'm so excited! Keep your fingers crossed it's a girl!

Ultrasound and Updates

2011-08-04T12:41:00.005-06:00

On Tuesday, August 2nd, I had my first official ultrasound. The baby is still small enough to only be seen as a vague lump on the screen, but it's growing! I got to see it's little blinking heartbeat, going strong at 180 bpm. My due date has been moved up to March 2nd. Spencer's starting to get really excited about having a baby, and we're having a lot of fun coming up with names.

On the other side of things, it's been difficult reestablishing a sense of normalcy since my injury. I have trouble doing basic things involving taking care of myself. I still don't trust myself to drive, and I can't stay on my feet for more than a few minutes. Grocery shopping is really difficult, even with help. My mom has been completely invaluable the last 6 weeks. I don't think I would have been able to manage it if she weren't here. We've been having to live on just Spencer's income, which has been tricky, but we're managing. Today I actually had some energy and ambition, so I decided to do just a little bit of baking. I decided to make some dog treats, since they only had like 5 ingredients and very little prep work. Of course, Spencer wandered through the kitchen and got very interested.

Spencer: oooh, whatcha making?

Me: peanut butter biscuits

Spencer: mmmmmm. sounds tasty.

Me: They're for the dogs, sweetie.

He seemed a little disappointed, but maybe soon I'll be able to make some cookies for him too.

6 Weeks

2011-07-11T11:31:00.002-06:00

So today I'm 6 weeks along and the morning sickness has kicked in full force. I love being pregnant, but I'm SO not a fan of my new relationship with the toilet!

So about 3 weeks ago I was at work and I got hurt. I ended up in the emergency room and before they could do a CT scan they did a blood test to see if I was pregnant, and that's how I found out! Makes for an interesting story to tell my child someday.

This week is my first prenatal visit. I'm hoping we'll be able to hear the heartbeat but I don't know if it's too early or not. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm going to talk to the doctor about my nausea. I've lost weight because I just can't bring myself to eat anything. It's really frustrating. Plus, since I'm hypoglycemic, I tend to get even sicker when I don't eat. I'm still trying to find the right balance. Wish me luck!

That was fast...

2011-06-29T08:35:00.003-06:00

Well it's a loooong story (which I'm sure I'll share at some point) but the short of it is:

I'M PREGNANT!!!!

We'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat on July 14th and I'm due March 5th!

I'm Impatient

2011-05-16T09:51:00.000-06:00

So I've seen all my doctors and I'm waiting for my IUD to come out. I've been on prenatals for 3 months now and I've lost some weight. I'm getting my body ready to be pregnant! I've weaned off of most of my medications, but there were some that were still in question. My doctor called the Pregnancy Risk Hotline to double check on my meds, but she wanted me to call on my own and confirm. So I called them and went over my situation and they said that I'd be high risk and the doctor would have to monitor my blood pressure and weight gain, but that I was good to go! I'm SO excited! And I called the doctor's office and they had a cancellation so instead of having to wait til the 2nd to have my IUD taken out, it's coming out TOMORROW! I can't even believe it!

The Next Step

2011-05-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

Well, Spence and I have been talking. And my doctors and I have been talking. I’m really feeling like I’m ready for the next step in our lives together, and Spence is starting to feel like he is too! Which really amazes me, cause he’s been fighting me on this for over a year now. J After a couple months weaning off my medication, and after about half a dozen visits to various doctors, and after a few months already on prenatal vitamins, I am READY to get pregnant! I’m having my IUD taken out June 2nd and we’re going to start trying to get pregnant. I am SO excited! Having our first child is going to be such a HUGE step forward for our relationship and for our family. But we’ve prayed and prepared and I’ve been taking better care of my body in anticipation of having to care for someone else. I’m really hoping to get pregnant right away but I know that it will happen according to God’s plan for me and for our family. I know Spencer will make a wonderful father and I hope I will do well as a mother. I guess we’ll find out!

Daddy's Girl

2011-04-29T13:25:00.002-06:00

When I was little, I used to go on ride-alongs with my dad (who is a cop, for those of you who don't already know). I would watch him pull people over, and some people he'd arrest, and then we would both go back to his office and he would write reports about it. He said it was like grown-up homework; kinda like a book report except for real life. He explained to me that just like at home, when you're a grown-up and you do something wrong you need to be disciplined, and people couldn't be disciplined and learn their lesson if he didn't to the report right. I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to catch bad people and write reports about them. I didn't necessarily want to be a cop, per se, but I wanted to be just like him.

One of the things I'm trained to do at my current job is to be able to spot documents that have either been altered or forged. Today I had someone try to pass me a federal document that was a complete forgery. I have to be able to know what to look for in a real document and quickly spot the problems in a fake one. I had to confiscate the document, and in order for any follow-through to happen, I had to write an incident report detailing the events and the document itself. An hour and a half and 9 pages later, I had a report written up detailing my interaction with the person, as well as copies of the document and a diagram of what I had noticed that indicate it was not genuine. My boss told me it was a "good catch." It was difficult to finish the report as well as perform my other expected duties, but I managed it. And for just a minute, I felt like I was what I wanted to be: just like my dad.

Our Home (well, most of it)

2011-03-13T14:40:00.022-06:00

Ok, So I'm finally getting to the point where the house is both clean and decorated enough that I'm comfortable taking pictures. I have to admit, I want my home to look like it's come out of a magazine; which is why we've been there a year and I'm just now getting around to putting up pictures. :) I don't have any of the bedroom right now cause it's not the same without the duvet cover, which is currently in the wash. :) So I'll post those in a few days.

Ok so as you come up on our porch you'll see this mosaic above the door.

and then you'll know you're at the right house cause our front door just can't be missed; it's probably my favorite part of the house. I LOVE the image of the Tree of Life, and I have a couple trees around the house.

This is the entry way. Or area. Not really large enough to be considered a "way." Anyway, I wanted to have an accent wall, so the smallest wall on the right (or left, as you walk in) is a really rich, warm chocolate brown, and the rest of the walls in the living room and hallway are a carmel. Lots of neutrals, but by no means boring.

Here's our couch (which Bowser LOVES messing up) and our curtains, which we had custom-made for the room. I love them, they're beautiful.

Here's the other part of the living room with the fireplace, bookshelf and chair. We have bamboo floors in the bedrooms and living room, and as the room came together we kind of ended up with a contemporary ethnic design. I had one elephant statue I had from before we were married and it kind of just went from there.

This is the elephant that started it all. I call him the Stealth Elephant cause it looks like he's trying to be all aerodyamic. I got him when I was working at Pier 1 in high school when Spence and I were dating.

They say the Devil is in the details, and it must be true cause that's where I focus. :) I love the elephant carving; it's from Indonesia and carved in teak.

Here's the lamp we have on top of the bookcase.

Last one, I promise. Not the last elephant in the room, but the last one I'll subject you to. Gotta have SOMETHING on the mantle!

This painting kind of pulls the theme into the hallway. It's monkeys instead of elephants, but it still has the same feel and coordinates with the curtains, which have coconut trees on them. Same look.
So here's the kitchen, seen from the dining area. I wanted the color to play off the skylight and just be really bright and happy. So I ended up with a really yummy butter yellow. I have to stop myself from eating the walls. The cabinets are maple, the tile is real stone (travertine) and the counters are black granite.

Behind the sink and the stove we have these really cool mosaics that are set in concrete. They're beautiful.

So yellow and red turned into a French Countryside look, which I must say I'm quite happy with. I LOVE how much natural light the kitchen and dining area get, between the skylight and the french doors.

No french countryside kitchen is complete without a rooster (we have a few, actually). This fellow is metal and about 2 1/2 feet tall. He nicely takes up the wall next to the back door.

"Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." We got this as a shower present and it goes beautifully over our dining table.
Just a friendly reminder

I believe that no home is complete without a dog to top it off, and this one certainly tops them all! LOL.

Ok, so in a couple of days I'll complete the set; I'll get some bedroom photos (which is like an east-asian getaway) and the bathroom (my personal spa). And maybe some day, if the office is ever finished, you'll see some pictures of that too. :)

2011 Legislative Session Results

2011-03-11T20:37:00.003-07:00

I used to be one of those people who didn't even know when Legislative Session was, let alone cared about it. But one of the joys of being employed by a branch of the State government is that the decisions they make up on the hill directly affect my daily life. It affects the way I do my job and my ability to do it. Every year there are some things proposed that scare me, and this year was particularly frightening. But now that the session is over I can breathe again. Here's what I was keeping an eye on this year:

1. A bill proposed to change the State work week back to five days. The wording in the bill specified that each division would have to have at least one branch open for at least 9 hours on each weekday. This bill passed, but I'm not entirely sure how it will affect my division. Driver License is technically already in compliance with what the bill specified; we have two offices that are open 10 hours, mon-fri. While I'm sure the Governor will want to reopen the other licensing offices on fridays, I'm hoping that my office (and my schedule) will not be affected by this.

2. Legislature approved an increase in our insurance premiums. Specifically, the premiums we pay for medical and dental coverage will double. I'm not looking forward to this, but it could be worse. At least the benefits themselves aren't being cut, like last year.

and last but not least...

3. Legislature had actually proposed a bill to take away State employee's sick leave. This would have cut our earned leave time in half. While I won't say what I actually think about this on here (cause I could lose my job for doing so) I will state the obvious that I did not support it. But guess what: IT DIDN'T PASS! That's right! I get to keep the leave that I earn and am entitled to. yay!

There are some other bills proposed that would affect that nature of my job, but we haven't received an announcement as to whether they have pass, let alone how they would be implemented. I'm sure it will make my job much more interesting, as always. But all in all I'd say this session was a victory for me. I came out of it with a few bumps and bruises and scratches, but with no major injury. :)

S.J.R. 7

2011-02-16T09:34:00.003-07:00

I first started devopling noticable symptoms of Fibromyalgia in 2001. It wasn't til 2006 that I was actually diagnosed, and I'm still working with my doctors to try and find a working system to manage the symptoms. For years I had doctors, friends, coworkers and strangers tell me that it was in my head. That I was just lazy or unambitious or not trying hard enough. They told me I had just pulled a muscle or something the day before; to take some IB Profin and I'd be fine. They told me to just push through it. They told me it was in my head and that I was a hypochondriac and that I just wanted attention. They told me there was nothing really wrong.

Every time a single person acknowledges that the condition is real, it fills me with joy knowing that they at least believe me. When someone tells me that they suffer from it, or know someone who does, I feel so gratified knowing that someone understands what I have to live with. There are 10 million sufferers in the country, and 57,000 of us in the state of Utah.

State Joint Resolution 7 was introduced during the 2011 Legislative Session, proposing that May 12th would be declared Fibromyalgia Awareness Day in Utah. I had my fingers crossed so tight hoping they would approve it. I figured there was no reason not to considering it wouldn't really cost anything; the State really has nothing to lose by doing this.

Well this morning I looked up it's progress and found that my new friend S.J.R. 7 has passed all the votes, and is sitting on the Governor's desk waiting to be signed! I actually started crying when I read it.

There is something so powerful about having people understand and admit that the pain you feel every moment is real. I can't even describe how I feel right now. You'd better bet that come May 12th, I'll be decked out in PURPLE!

I owe Spencer BIG...

2011-01-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Eeek, I am so excited! I must have done something good because Spencer gave me an AWESOME gift yesterday!We replaced ALL the kitchen appliances! Well, all the big ones anyway. :) We went to RC Willey and bought a new dishwasher, fridge and stove! Yay! All from the GE Profile line, and all stainless steel. Because of the holiday our work schedule is kinda funky this week, and I ended up with Friday off, so everything is being delivered Friday morning and the guys will come to install the dishwasher Friday afternoon. Which means that while Spencer is at work, I'll be able to get all the food moved into the new fridge and have everything cleaned, and even make him dinner on our NEW stove! Ack, I'm so excited!

The dishwasher has SmartRelease Technology, which means I can just fill the thing up with soap and it will release the right amount each load, and will just tell me when it's empty. And all the controls are on the top of the door instead of the front, so it's super sleek. This is gonna be really nice because our current dishwasher is starting to go on the fritz and not work as well.

The fridge has a bottom freezer and french doors. It has 26 cubic feet of space, which is HUGE! I LOVE it! The freezer opens as a draw and actually has another drawer inside to maximize space.

The stove is absolutely awesome. It has a full size oven with a second warming oven underneath, that's actually fully functional, so I can bake and broil in it! The range and main oven are gas and the warming oven is electric, so it just plugs into the regular 110 outlet, which is great cause we don't have a 220 installed and I really don't want to rewire the kitchen. Electricians are expensive!

Sheesh

2011-01-13T10:08:00.002-07:00

Well, too much has happened to catch up on all of it, so I guess I'll just pick up from here and hopefully get back into the habit of posting. Not that anyone reads this, but at least I can say I've accomplished something.

One of my coworkers is having a baby in May, and I decided this would be a good opportunity to learn how to sew/quilt. I never really learned how to do either. So I went to the fabric store, went nuts, and lemme tell you this quilt is gonna be bea-utiful! I'm really excited. It's purple and gold and I'm trying to give it a very regal feeling. Instead of making this girl into a princess I'm gonna make her into a queen! Plus it helps relieve the anxiety of not having one of my own yet. I'm so really do be pregnant.

I applied for a new job recently. I've decided I've grown and learned as much as I can in my current position, so when an Assistant Supervisor position opened up in our central office, I completely jumped on it. It would NOT be a pay cut (like moving over there normally would be); I wouldn't have to wear a uniform; I would have my own people. I'm really excited and I just feel really sure that this is my next step and this is where I'm supposed to go. I hope I don't have too much competition for the job because I WANT it! And I'll do whatever I have to do to get it! So keep your fingers crossed and pray for me; I should know within the next week or two (hopefully) if I get an interview!

R.I.P.

2010-11-08T11:54:00.004-07:00

Matthew Jewkes "Bud" Cherished dad, son, brother, grandson, and friend, Matthew Garth Jewkes passed away Friday, November 5, 2010. Born February 20, 1969 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Married Mindy Long Jewkes who preceded him in death. Graduate of Cottonwood High, 1987 and Utah Police Academy. Police Officer South Salt Lake 17 years. Survived by Larry and Jeanne Jewkes (parents), Morgan and Sterling, (brothers), son Mason, Grandmother Hardy and his beloved canine partner, Tyger, and many other family members and close friends. Matt loved his son, family, dirt biking, snowboarding, and Lake Powell.

We'll miss you Matt. I hope you find in the next life the peace you couldn't find here.

Puppies!

2010-11-01T09:16:00.004-06:00

Ok, so in all my experience with dogs (which is fairly extensive considering my age) I have never had a female who came into heat more than twice a year, and that was generally on the rare side. My Laborador defies the odds by coming into heat 3-4 times a year and it always catches us off guard. This last time for example. We didn't notice that she was in heat because we were distracted by taking care of a family member in hospice and since it was warm she spent a lot of time outside (cause we weren't home too much). One night we hear this bloodcurdling scream and we go outside and lo and behold she's gotten a tie with the German Shepherd. And 65 days later we had puppies! They're so flipping precious. There are six of them and they are 17 days old today. Their eyes are open, their ears are starting to unseal, they have little bumps along their gums where their teeth are starting to come in, and they are beginning to walk on their paws instead of crawling on their bellies. It's wonderful. The largest of the group is a female we've dubbed Big Mama and she's about 3 pounds. Usually when puppies are born you have to tear the amniotic sac away, clean their face and nose and convince them to breathe. Well Big Mama wasn't about to wait for me to remove the sac; she was squirming the second she came out and hasn't stopped moving since. She walked and opened her eyes before all the other puppies and she has the biggest attitude. She's a huge Diva! The other puppies are about 2.5 pounds with the exception of our little runt. He got his head stepped on about 4 days in (Koda is such a bad mother!) and his head swelled up pretty badly. We didn't think he would make it but he pulled through. He hasn't nursed properly since then so he's not growing like the others. We feed him from a bottle every 3 hours but he's still pretty thin and small; he's about 1.5 pounds. He such a sweet, mellow little guy. We handle him so much that he's really comfortable with us and relaxes very well. He sleeps a lot cause he's so weak. :) Since he's sustained a head injury and is smaller than the others we've named him Kimahri Ronso (Final Fantasy X fans will get the reference). Here are some photos of our babies! Haha I love them so much but Kimahri is definitely my favorite. I just adore him! Here are some pictures; the pics that all have just one puppy in them are pictures of Kimahri. :)

2nd Anniversary (plus updates)

2010-10-20T17:57:00.005-06:00

So it's been awhile huh! Lots to report I guess. Spencer and I are STILL getting settled in our house, even though it's been a year. Bowser is a BIG BOY now! He got up to 63 pounds but the vet said he was a little too heavy so we cut back his food and he's down to 59 now. He's such a good dog and he has such a quirky personality! He LOVES sleeping on the couch. He'll climb up on the back of the couch and make a nice little bed to prop himself up on. And he's the same color of the couch so he blends in! So I'll walk into the room and I'll be able to hear him (Cause he's such a loud breather) but I won't be able to see him. It's absolutely hilarious.

So we have 3 dogs at our house: the bulldog, a german shepherd named Daivi, and a chocolate lab named Koda. Well, Koda went into heat a couple months ago and we tried our darndest to keep the shepherd away from her but we must not have done a very good job because last week we had puppies! And yes, we knew she was pregnant before the puppies were born. We're not that clueless! And after a few failed attempts at counting (and a couple stillborns ): ) we ended up with 6 live, healthy puppies. They are all black (not surprising) and they have BIG noses like their father! Haha Daivi is such a good dad. It's SO cute cause dogs are not generally paternal in nature, but he's SO interested in them. He'll sit next to the puppy pen for hours and watch them with his ears up, and every now and then they'll make noise and he'll cock his head cause he's curious. And when we actually let him at the puppies, he'll lick them and nose them a little bit. It makes me so happy. I miss having puppies so much so I'm just LOVING this! I'll post pictures soon, as soon as I take some that aren't on my phone and aren't fuzzy.

So Spencer and I passed our 2-year mark last month. September 20th marked our 2nd anniversary. And I have been trying so hard to avoid making "best 2 years jokes" but I haven't been succeeding. We've been together 6 years now, though it doesn't feel like that long. And yet, it feels like forever. It's very weird. But we actually celebrated our anniversary this last weekend. We couldn't get any time off in September, and because of the way our pay periods work out we get an extra paycheck in October, so we decided to go out of town. We went to Park City and stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, one of only three 5-star resorts in the area. It was WONDERFUL! We drove up Sunday after church and checked in about 4 o'clock. It was so nice to be treated like someone special!
the view from our room
Champagne!

When we pulled up the valets opened the car doors, they knew our names already, they opened the door to the hotel and carried our bags for us. When we got to our room there was a bottle of real champagne waiting for us, with a personalized note welcoming us! We changed into our suits and went down to the heated pool and spent some time swimming and soaking in the whirlpool. Because we went in the off-season the hotel was almost empty so we had most of the place to ourselves (plus we got a great deal on the room)! After we soaked up some chlorine we went back to the room and we just had to order room service. We both ate shortrib chili (served with sour cream, promontory cheddar, green onions, avocado and lime) and cornbread popovers. Then for dessert we ordered beignets; little doughnut-hole-like pastries that were served with vanilla creme anglaise and raspberry preserves.

The room had a gas fireplace and cable-HD tv so we enjoyed the fire and some Discovery Channel while we ate. :) The next morning we woke up early and went a couple miles down the street to a local stable to go horseback riding! It was my anniversary gift to Spencer because he had never ridden a horse before. We went on a 2-hour tour and got LOTS of pictures! Because we actually get a Fall this year and the leaves were turning WHILE we were up there, the views were absolutely stunning. And Spencer loved riding the horse (so did I, for that matter!). I knew that we would both be super sore afterward (I'm STILL sore!) so I booked a special treat for us that afternoon.

After the ride we went back to the hotel and had lunch and then we went to the on-site spa. It's called the Golden Door spa and it's one of only 9 in the country. We got a 50-minute couples massage in their special couples futari suite. I also took serious advantage of their onsen. They had a steam room which felt incredible, and showers that had those funky square heads in the ceiling so it was like getting rained on. After the spa we went back to the room to get all "spruced" up and went to dinner at the Spruce restaurant, which is also on-site. It was expensive but it was SO worth it. Spencer had a bavette steak with greens and duck fat potatoes, and a French Rhone Valley red wine. I had the - get this - honey-lacquered duck breast with caramelized black mission figs and cinnamon foie gras, with a New World Pinot Noir. It was incredible! Then after dinner we took the hotel's complimentary "shuttle," which was actually a Mercedes SUV, up to main street so have ice cream and Java Cow. I LOVE the ice cream place. I have an affinity for holstein cows and they sell a bunch of cute cow stuff, so I make it a point to go there every time we're in Park City. We each got sundaes with hot fudge of course! Then we went back to the hotel and had a nice soak in the extra-large jetted tub in our room. Mmmmmm. Yesterday morning we woke up and ordered breakfast from room service. We their full-moon cake (a GIANT pancake big enough for three hungry people) served with sweetened nut butter and vermont maple syrup, and local honey yogurt which I could have gorged myself on. Seriously. Then we checked out (sadly I might add) and came home. Turns out Bowser missed us so much he refused to eat the whole time we were gone. It was so cute to see him absolutely flip out when we got home! And it was so nice to be treated so well by everyone at the hotel. They all knew who we were. When I would call room service they'd pick up the phone and say "What can I get for you Mrs. Miller?" I definitely want to go back!

Jewelry!

2010-07-26T10:08:00.012-06:00

Ok, so for the last couple weeks I've been making my own jewelry. I feel so much better when I'm creating something. All of these pieces I've sold, but as soon as I have some pieces to spare they're going to be going up on Etsy! I've been pretty successful so far, and it's really fun to come up with my own designs. Here's what I've been up to lately!

Here are some gold chain maille earrings. Pretty simple

These are some filagree lilies. They were the first thing I made. I liked the contrast between the copper and the green

Here's a gold chain maille ring I made. I was pretty proud of it. There's a closeup too. :)

These are my peacock bead stud earrings

These are shooting star earrings, made with swarovski crystals. I was particularly proud of these. :)

This is my current masterpiece. Took me between 3-4 hours to make but it was worth it. I'm so proud of it. It's a bracelet and for those of you who are skeptics: Yes, I made the chain by hand.

Anyway, soon I'll be able to put some stuff on Etsy. For now though, I'm just selling to friends and coworkers, mainly because they all keep claiming stuff before I have a chance to list it! It's a great feeling though. :)

The Next Step

2010-07-07T09:48:00.001-06:00

I've decided to start designing and making my own jewelry to sell. I had a booth at Taylorsville Dayzz and I didn't have a sign (my bad) and every time someone came into the booth they would ask "did you make this?" and each time I was just filled with this sense of shame that I hadn't. So I'm going to. I've made a pair of earrings that have been sold to someone else but I'm making another couple pair, if anyone is interested. I'm thinking I'll sell my stuff on etsy to start out with!

The house is still coming along. We just have to put the finishing touches on the office and it will be finished!

Well Hum

2010-05-03T15:05:00.002-06:00

So Spencer and I had a pregnance, well, I guess I'll say "scare" for lack of a better term. My body has just been acting SO weird the last few weeks that I decided to get a pregnancy test. After like a week of wondering it ended up coming back negative. Now I repeat, for those of you who just scan things instead of actually reading them, I AM NOT PREGNANT. So don't go gettin' all excited. But it was an interesting few days as we tried to emotionally prepare ourselves for the possibility that I was. If you had asked us a week or a month ago what we wanted, we would have both absolutely said that we weren't ready yet and we wanted to wait, even a few more years. But when the test came back negative, we were both actually a little disappointed. I know that God has a plan for our family and that when His time is right, I will get pregnant. But now neither of us are quite sure how we want the next year or so of our lives to play out. Hmmmm....

Viva Le Entrepreneurship!

2010-04-26T09:19:00.003-06:00

Well, it's official: I now own my own business! Now I don't own the company, but it's essentially a franchise and it's MINE! I have decided to do independent sales for a jewelry company called Park Lane. They are the country's #1 party planning jewelry sales company. I have fallen in love with the jewelry and I have such a passion for it and a belief in it. I'm so excited! I'm already 80% of the way towards making my first sales goal! If you want to place an order or just check out the jewelry, you can go to www.myparklane.com/caitlinmiller orders are of course appreciated, and if you have any questions you can email me at mrscaitiemiller@aol.com or call me at 801-647-7776. I love hearing from people about this! There's also a special going on right now where you can save hundreds of dollars off your order and even get jewelry for free! Gimme a call and I'll explain how it works!

I'm also having a lauch show on friday, May 7th at 7:00 pm. It's a great opportunity to bring your mom with you and buy her a lovely gift for Mother's Day! And remember we also have men's jewelry as well! Give me a call and I'll tell you all about it!

Awesome day

2010-04-26T08:32:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was an awesome day. I had so much fun! First, Spencer and I went to church and got to hear a sermon from Pastor Jim, since Pastor Terry was still stuck in Europe because of the volcano. It was nice to hear Pastor Jim speak. He's kind of excitable, but in a different way than Terry, so it made it fun. After church Spencer and I went home and we had some bread that was starting to mold so we went out to feed it to the chickens. I love the chickens so much; they're so fun. If they know you have food they will follow you around the yard like a little herd. They even followed me up onto the deck. Then I went to collect eggs and there were some eggs that were hot to the touch they were so fresh! It was such a cool experience. Then I made dinner. I decided to try a new recipe. I made almond-crusted halibut with a buerre blanc sauce. It was tasty. I mean, of course it would be tasty, the sauce was comprised entirely of white wine, butter and cream. After dinner I decided to take Bowser for a walk. He behaved himself so well on the leash! I was impressed. It was a great day.

Bowser's Namesake

2010-04-05T08:48:00.005-06:00

This weekend Spencer and I were walking around Sugarhouse and we passed one of those Play N Trade stores. We might not have a lot of money in the budget for entertainment right now, but we felt compelled to go in. When we did we discovered that not only did they have an original NES but a bunch of games for it. We got the NES, the original Metroid, and the ORIGINAL Super Mario Bros (with Duck Hunt) for $50. It was a pretty great deal we thought. So we get home and we're playing Mario Bros and at the end of the first world, the boss you fight is a freakin-sweet 8-bit Bowser!

So I yell across the house "Mom, get in here!" and she comes running in. I explain to her that this is the original Bowser after whom we named the dog. He's a big tough guy that causes a lot of collateral damage, but he's not necessarily evil, just misunderstood. So she's looking at the two Bowsers (mine doesn't breathe fire though, thank God) and she says "Ok, I get why you wanted to name him Bowser. It's perfect for him!" And it's true. I'm glad I named him Boswer cause it fits him perfectly!

Bowser

2010-03-02T09:26:00.001-07:00

Ok so since Bowser is the newest member of the family and quite the character, I decided to do a post about him. He has such a great little personality and I just want to share some of his quirks.

He refuses to set his butt down on anything that's not soft. if we tell him to sit, he'll seek out a rug or bed or laundry pile and THEN he'll sit. He loves sleeping on our recliner, but since he can't get up on his own, he'll ask. Kind of. He'll stand in front of the chair and growl at it until someone comes and lifts him up onto it. When he's finished with his nap, he'll growl at the floor til someone comes to put him down.

He enjoys going to the dog park but when we take him he's KINDA interested in the other dogs (particularly dogs with flat faces, he seems to relate to them) but he's much more interested in the people. We can't leave until he goes up to every person there and has them pet him at least once.

He doesn't sit back on his haunches. He sits with his back legs sticking through his front legs, like a person would sit. And because we taught him to sit before we feed him, whenever he's hungry he'll come sit right in front of you. And we taught him to high-five (which is just adorable) so if he wants a treat he'll come and start pawing at you, like "I'm doing a trick; where's my treat!"

When he was smaller he used to be able to fit under the couch. He can't anymore of course, but he still tries. All he can get under there now is his head and that's getting so fat as it is that it probably won't last for long.

He LOVES the fire. Whenever we build a fire, it doesn't matter how hot it is, he'll sit RIGHT in front of it and just stare at it. When the fire dies and cools we'll catch him eating charcoal, which we really don't approve of. But it doesn't matter how warm the room is, if there's a fire going, he has to be there. Whenever Spencer tries to build a fire, Bowser will try to climb into the fireplace and help. It's so sweet.

Now that his adult teeth are in, he's starting to get quite the underbite! It's so cute to see his bottom teeth sticking through his lips when his mouth is closed. It's just absolutely adorable.

When I lie flat on my back, he's discovered that his chin fits perfectly into my eye socket. So he'll use my face as a chin rest.

He hates having his nails clipped. Even though we don't his quick and we don't hurt him, he still doesn't like it one bit. When we're finished, he'll go into the bedroom and sit between the open door and the wall facing the corner, and he'll pout. It's so ridiculous. It's like, "I know you didn't feel a damn thing so stop trying to play that trick. But nice try." It takes him all night to forgive us, but by morning he acts like nothing at all happened.

He likes climbing on the back of the couch to see out the window. The other day he was looking outside and just watching cars go by and Spencer said to him "You wanna go outside boy? You can't, it's glass." and he tapped on the glass. It was so funny cause as soon as Bowser realized he couldn't get through, he started growling at the window.

Oh and he loves having his belly rubbed. Whenever we have company, the first thing he does is roll over on his back so they'll rub his stomach.

He is just the funniest dog. His temperment and personality are just great for our little family. I love having and We absolutely adore him.

I guess it's time I blogged...

2010-02-11T10:49:00.003-07:00

It's been a CRAZY couple of months! Spencer and I have been working non-stop; in general but also on this house. It's really coming along! We have all the common areas completely done; painted, curtained, decorated, everything. We're still finishing the bedroom and the office but with the bulk of the house done, we're feeling pretty good about it. Next month we'll start working on the yard. We have a whole landscape planned out and the yard is pretty torn up as it is so it's gonna be a lot of work. But when we're finished with this place, damn it's gonna look awesome! I'll be posting some pictures soon. As soon as I take them...

Bowser is doing great! He's getting so big and if it's even possible he's cuter now than when we got him. Bulldogs seem to work in reverse: the older they get, the cuter they get. We're teaching him stupid pet tricks. He can spin and high five and jump. He knows how to sit and he knows to sit by the back door and bark when he needs to go out. His housetraining is coming along great. I don't even remember the last time he had an accident in the house! He's really good about holding it until we let him out. I took him to the dog park yesterday and he had a GREAT time! He loved playing with all the other dogs and he actually loved playing with all the people more! It's so funny to watch him sleep. He rarely curls up in his bed. Usually he'll sleep with his butt in the bed and his head on the floor. He's very particular about what he lies on. He refuses to put his butt on anything that's not soft. If we tell him to sit, he'll go find a rug or a towel or a laundry pile and sit there. :)

The craziest thing happened the other day. My boss actually came to me and offerred me a promotion! This is really cool cause usually when positions become available you have to apply and interview and compete like everyone else. But my boss came to me and said this position was open and if I wanted it, it's mine. I was shocked! And, quite frankly, kind of flattered. It's not like a full step up from what I'm doing now. It's full-time hours with benefits but no retirement, and it's guaranteed for five years. And I can apply for other jobs and move in that, but at the end of that time the position won't exist anymore. I'm happy though. We'll have double coverage on our medical insurance now and I'll be getting a raise too. And it was offered to me. So I'm considering it a promotion. :)

I went to a rheumatologist awhile ago and it turns out I have something called psoriatic arthritis. It's actually an autoimmune disorder where the body things that tissue in the joints is dead and order more tissue to be produced even though there is healthy tissue there. It results in a a buildup of tissue in the joints which causes the pain, swelling and inflammation. The way they treat it is actually by prescribing and immuno-suppressant, which causes the body to stop sending those signals to the joints, but also decreases its ability to fight off infections in general. Unfortunately they can't engineer pills to only work on a specific area of the body (yet) so I have to live with it. I've been lucky so far that I haven't picked up anything too bad, but now I have a cold! Let's hope it doesn't latch on too bad!

Well Spencer and I are going to Wendover this weekend with some of our coworkers. I think we're gonna have a great time. I'm really looking forward to just kicking back for the weekend, relaxing, and maybe having a couple drinks. See you all next week!

We're Homeowners!

2009-12-09T08:15:00.005-07:00

Well, it's official! Spencer and I bought our first home! We closed last week and we've moved in, but we're still trying to unpack everything! The progess is slow going because we didn't have time to get the house ready before we moved, so we have to pull all the boxes away from one wall, paint that wall, move the boxes back, paint another wall. It's frustrating and progress is slow but it's continuous. It slowed down more when we got the puppy but we're all getting pretty well adjusted now so we've been able to get back into a routine. I'll be posting pictures as rooms are finished and everyone can have a virtual tour of our home! This first picture up here in the picture we're going to use for our Christmas card this year. We decided to take the picture in front of our fireplace cause we really like the natural rock background. And of course, Bowser had to have a little Santa hat, cause he's my Christmas present!

Bowser has been adjusting pretty well. He only cries in his crate if we're not in the room with him (like if we're leaving for work or eating dinner or something), and even then he'll only cry for a couple minutes and then fall asleep. If we're in the room with him, like when we go to bed, he doesn't cry at all. He only whines at night if he needs to go outside, and when we take him outside he does his business promptly and we can go back to bed! We do have to get up a couple times during the night to take him out, but as he gets older he'll gain more control over his functions and he'll be able to hold it til morning. I just wish it weren't so freaking cold out! That's the main problem I have with it! He loves our arm chair. LOVES it. But he's too small to get up on his own, so he'll sit in front of it and growl at it until someone comes and lifts him up. Then when he wants to get down, he growls at the floor until we let him off. He loves his kong (which we fill with peanut butter) and I got him a stuffed cow to chew on and he really enjoys that. We love having him in our little family. He has such a great personality and is so much fun to play with. He'll put ALL of his energy into playing and will just be the most energetic little thing, and then he'll just crash and nothing will wake him up. We just adore him!

New Member of the Family!

2009-11-23T12:52:00.003-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, if I may present to you, a one Mr. Bowser Miller!

We have a new addition to the family! His name is Bowser, and he's a 7-week-old english bulldog. He's gorgeous! I'm pretty sure God marked him just for me; there's thumbprint on his head! I've waited so long for this little boy. I've been dying since Spencer and I got married because it's the first time in my life I've ever lived without a dog. It was a very hard adjustment for me. And I've wanted an english bulldog for a long time. But good puppies are hard to come by, and generally very expensive. Natural ties rarely happen with bulldogs so you generally need artificial insemination; c-sections are almost always required, and the average litter size is about 3-4 puppies. So puppies are generally pretty expensive. Plus I insisted on getting a puppy from good lines. I don't plan on breeding or showing him, but a puppy with good breeding is going to have a better temperment, plus fewer health problems in the long run, so they'll live longer. My mom always said when I was growing up, "don't trade what you want now for what you want most." I've been dying for a puppy. But I knew that if I compromised and just got the first puppy I saw, I would end up regretting it. So I've been biding my time and waiting for the right puppy to come along. And I absolutely believe that the Holy Spirit led me to this little boy. I had had a bad day last wednesday, and for some stress relief I was on the Humane Society's website looking at adoption listings. They had some cute dogs on there but noone was jumping out at me. Now I never, EVER check KSL, because there are SO many bulldog puppy scams on there and I've already had my heart broken once. But that day, something was just compelling me to check KSL. So I got on their puppy ads and searched for english bulldogs. This gal's ad was the first one to pop up. I immediately recognized the name Dr Pew, who is the puppy's vet. Dr Pew is an AKC judge and the leading specialist on english bulldogs in the region. He is THE BEST. So I know my puppy's got a great vet and that he's well taken care of. Second, the puppy is AKC registered. He probably won't end up being show quality, but I don't mind. He has great show lines and no history of any major health problems in his family. We went down to Eagle Mountain on saturday to meet the puppy and the breeder. We also met the puppy's mom, who's name is Jazz. She's is such a lover! She didn't care that she didn't know who we were and that we were in her house, she just saw us as more people to pay attention to her! This little boy is SO laid back. He's super mellow and quiet. And he gives hugs! I picked him up and he wrapped his paws around my neck. He's so sweet! He gets so fiesty when he's playing though! He growls, then lies down and sticks his butt up in the air, and then instead of running he bounces. It's so freaking cute. And because his legs are so short, he's kinda awkward. It's so adorable! This weekend we're going to take a picture of the three of us and it will go on our Christmas cards for this year. I'm so happy to have a dog again!

Whew!

2009-10-21T09:08:00.004-06:00

What a couple of crazy weeks! It's been difficult settling in since we got back from our trip. They've been having mandatory overtime training at work because in a few weeks we're going to be switching to a new system called Module 1. It sounds very space-age-y but it's kinda of a pain in the butt to use. Between working so much and trying to get our finances back in order and trying to get and keep the apartment clean (which isn't really working) We haven't really had time to relax and just take it in. It feels like life is just rushing us right on through! I need to figure out some time management skills so I can get done all the things I want to get done!

Good news though; Spencer was awarded Driver License Division Employee of the Month for September! I'm so super proud of him! He works so hard and he brings his work home with him even though he doesn't have to, and he's always so focused on how he can be a better employee. I'm so proud!

We've thought up an awesome costume idea for halloween! Spencer is putting off his haircut and going as Dr. Who (the Tom Baker version; it's his favorite), I'm going as the sidekick Sarah Jane, and we're going to make us a K9 out of cardboard and duct tape! We're going to Lowe's this weekend to buy all the stuff for K9 and that's going to be a blast to make, but I've got some work ahead of me! Tom Baker's trademark accessory in that show was a mismatched scarf that ranged anywhere from 13 to 21 feet long. It's a hodgepodge of different yarn colors and looks really cool, but they're super difficult to find even online, which means I have to make one! I'm crocheting like crazy and am just praying that I'm gonna be finished before Halloween! But if I do, it sure is gonna be one great memory; I'm gonna have to take lots of pictures!

So to get all the yarn for the scarf I went to Joann's yesterday after work. While I was there I noticed that they were having one of their sales where their scrapbook stuff was ALL 40% off. I was able to pick up a few really cute things for not a lot of money. I'm still need to finish our wedding pictures, start and finish our honeymoon stuff, plus our anniversary pictures, plus we have the holidays coming up; I've got a lot of work ahead of me! But I want to get it done. I love looking through my scrapbook at the pages that are already done (even though I'm REALLY not good at it!) and seeing the memories put together in such a pretty way. After Joann's I couldn't resist and I made a stop in at Heartland Paper right next door. They're a scrapbooking specialty shop and I'd never been there before but let me tell you I definitely plan on going back. I bought a TON of travel and Italy and Spain embellishments and I only spent $35! and they give you a punch card; every time to spend $5 you get a punch, and when you spend $100 (that won't take long) you get $10 of credit to spend on anything in the store! This is gonna come in handy. But I've made myself an agreement; I will not let myself do ANY scrapbooking until I get the house in order. It needs to be deep-cleaned and starting up another big, distracting project and making another mess is not going to help! I have A LOT to do in the next two weeks. Hopefully I can get it all done!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-10-03T15:50:00.033-06:00

September 20th marked one full year of being married for Spencer and I! To celebrate, we went to Rome, Florence and Barcelona with my mom (we had never been to a foreign country before, and if you're going to get lost anywhere in the world, my mom is the one you want to have with you!).
The sunset in Rome, on our anniversary

Our trip got off to a rocky start. We were supposed to have an hour and a half layover in Boston. We fly into Boston, run to the check-in and find out that the plane left just as our last one was touching down. They had to reroute us through Madrid and then down to Rome. Well I’d forgotten that my migraines were triggered by tension and I freaked out about missing the plane. Sure enough, on the way to Madrid, I got a migraine. Seriously the worst migraine I have ever had. We were flying on Iberia airlines (instead of Delta) and while we were on board Spencer asked the flight attendant if they could arrange for a wheelchair to meet us at the gate to take us to our next plane. They said that they couldn’t do it because they require three hours notice to provide a wheelchair and we were only 45 minutes away from landing. So I figured I’d take my airsick bag and just walk slowly. Well the plane lands and we get off the plane and sure enough there’s a wheelchair there for me! They rushed us through security cause I was so ill; took us to the front of all the lines and we barely made it to the next plane on time. Even with them rushing us it still took an hour and a half to get to the next plane. If we had done it on our own, we never would have made it. The Madrid airport is BEAUTIFUL! Well, from what I could see of it. I was pretty much vomiting non-stop so my head was stuffed in a bag, but from what I could see it was gorgeous! LOL. I couldn’t understand why I had gotten so sick. We were literally about [] this close to spending the night in a hospital in Madrid. But my mom kept telling me that I was stronger than I thought I was and that there was a reason for everything and God would get me through it. She kept asking me, “who’s bigger: God or your headache?” Honestly in the moment I wasn’t quite sure; it was a pretty nasty headache! But I pushed myself harder than I’ve ever pushed before and somehow we made it onto the plane. I fell asleep right away; Spencer had to wake me up to get me to put my seatbelt on. I slept through the next flight, about two hours. And it was incredible: when I woke up my headache was gone. I was still a little queasy and really weak, but no headache! When we landed I told my mom that God must have given me the headache for two reasons: 1, without it we would have missed the flight. And 2, to show me that I am stronger than I think I am. We got into Rome and fell asleep about 2 in the afternoon; never woke up for dinner. Woke up about 1 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep! It definitely took some doing to get over the jetlag; we kept going to sleep at like 4 in the afternoon and getting up and like 2 or 3 in the morning.

Our first day in Rome we started off at the Trevi Fountain. It’s absolutely beautiful. Though I suppose I should stop saying that because everything there is beautiful. Anyway, the tradition says that if you throw a coin into the Trevi fountain, you will return. My mom threw a coin into the fountain 40 years ago and sure enough, there she was! The fountain is carved out of stone and attached to a building at its back, which also looks like it’s rising up out of the rock. It’s so cool. While we were at the fountain we met a Centurion! Ok, so it wasn’t a real centurion, it was just a guy who made his living by dressing up and taking pictures with tourists. But he was SO nice and SO funny! Definitely worth the money we paid for it! Then we walked a few blocks over to the Roman Parliament. The security there is insane! My mom wanted to get a picture with the police so she asked them. They gave her the dirtiest look! I’ll never ask a cop for a picture again! We made our way to Piazza Espagna, or the Spanish Steps. There’s a fountain shaped like a gondola at the bottom, then the steps, and then a cathedral at the top. It was really cool cause when we were there, there was a couple coming out of the church that had just been married and they were ringing the bells for them. Then we walked through a park that led up to the Galleria Borghese; it used to be the house of the Borghese family and was converted into a museum. Tells you what kind of house it is. It was very difficult to breathe in Rome. EVERYBODY smokes, and there’s so much traffic so there’s a ton of exhaust in the air and it’s so hard to breathe. But in this park the air was so clear; I could have spent the whole trip there and I would have been fine with it. Over at the Piazza de Sant’Giovanni, there is a particularly special flight of stairs. These steps were originally in Jerusalem; they were the steps up which Christ carried the cross on the way to be crucified. Emporer Constantine’s mother had the steps brought brick by brick and reassembled in Rome in the year 326. How incredible! That night when we got back to the hotel we tried to get the TV to work (it had been giving us trouble). We got it turned on and they were showing the Three Caballeros with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase. On Italian TV. But dubbed in German. It was too freaking funny.

By the time the 20th rolled around, my mom had really horrible blisters on her feet and they were so swollen that she couldn’t get her shoes on. So for our first anniversary ever, we were on our own in Rome! It was great though. We had a map and walking shoes and that was all we needed. We started off at Saint Peter’s Basilica. The square (which is actually round) is huge. It can fit 60,000 people, and the line to get into the Basilica wraps all the way around! But it’s so worth it. The inside of the cathedral is huge and absolutely gorgeous. The founts with the holy water have cherubs holding them up; the top of the cherub’s head is about level with mine. Absolutely huge. We were able to climb to the top of the dome and see not only the inside of the cathedral (watched mass) and outside we had a panoramic view of the whole city, including the gardens in the Vatican right behind the building. Unfortunately the elevator will only take you so far up the dome, then you have to climb the additional 329 steps to get to the top. We did it first thing in the morning cause I knew that was the only chance I had of making it. I made it to the top (it’s about an hour of non-stop climbing) and was pretty ready to kill someone. But it was a stunning view. From Saint Peter’s we walked over to Castel de San Angelo; Saint Angelo’s Castle. We didn’t go in (the line wrapped around the block) but we took pictures of the outside and hung out on the bridge over the river Tiber. It was raining but the temperature was just about perfect.

From there we wandered over to the Pantheon (which is cleverly hidden smack-dab in a residential area). The Pantheon was orginally built as a temple to the Roman gods ("Pantheon" literally meaning "all gods") but was taken over by the Catholic church and to this day remains the only cathedral with a completely circular interior. It also holds the record for the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The top of the dome is open and when it rains the water just pours right on in, and drains through 22 small holes in the center of the floor. You can't see it in the picture, unfortunately, but it was raining when we were there. We could look up and see the raindrops falling through the hole in the ceiling. The rain was silent and absolutely beautiful. It was an incredible effect.

After that we started walking to the Forum and the Colisseum, but got kind of distracted when we stumbled upon the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It puts the American tomb to shame; makes ours look like a cigar box. It’s this large, white marble structure that’s about 10 stories high and takes up like a whole block. Absolutely stunning. That night we were able to drive by it in a taxi and see it all lit up. We climbed up near the top and took pictures of the statues. They had guards posted there for posterity, and people had lain flowers on the steps, plus they have the eternal flame burning. It brought tears to my eyes, it really did.

After that we wandered off trying to find the Forum. No wonder we had trouble finding it, couldn’t see the forest over all the trees! The Forum takes up about 6 blocks, and we were right in the freaking middle of it wondering where it was. We finally figured that out. After we realized that the ruins we were looking at were the ruins we were looking for, we loved it. It was so awesome to see the steps that we heard to many lectures about in Latin class in high school (for the record, that’s where Spencer and I met). We wandered down the street next to the Forum on our way down the Colisseum. When we got there, we saw a couple having their wedding pictures taken in front of it (THAT would be an awesome experience!). We got to see the Colisseum up close and personal and let me tell you, for what is essentially a pile of bricks that’s falling apart, it’s beautiful. We walked back up the hill to the Capitoline Museums, where we were able to see ruins of Constantine’s statue (same size as his ego) and the original bronze statue of the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus. Then we went our for a nice romantic dinner at a wine bar; our waiter looked like he could have been Kevin Kline’s little brother (good-looking and super nice). LOL. It really was a wonderful day.

We took the train from Rome to Florence. We got to see the Tuscan countryside with all the olive groves and vineyards. It was great because I had been told the train ride would be 3 and a half hours, and we ended up getting a faster train that only took an hour and a half. We made it into town around noon and checked into our hotel; the people there were SO nice I never wanted to leave! The guy at the desk when we checked in said to us, “there’s only one gypsy here and he’s my brother, and he’s working now so you don’t have to worry about him.” It was hilarious. The main site in Florence was the Basilica de Santa Maria Del Fiore, also called Il Duomo (The Dome). Even though the word Duomo refers to any current or former Cathedral, ask an Italian where The Duomo is and they’ll point you toward Florence. Il Duomo was built on a site that originally held a cathedral dedicated to Santa Reparata, but by the time the 1200s rolled around it was in horrible disrepair and couldn’t meet the demands of the growing city. Il Duomo was redesigned in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and the first stone was laid on September 9th of that year. Progress slowed when Arnolfo died in 1302; the construction hit many roadblocks along the way and the cathedral and dome were both finally completed in 1436.

While in Florence we also visited the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge that crosses the river Arno. It was originally constructed out of wood in the year 996 but has been washed away by floods several times over the many years; the stone bridge that currently stands has been there since 1345. Part of what makes it so unique is that the bridge (which is only open to pedestrians, not vehicles, is covered with wall-to-wall jewelry shops. Of course, nothing we could afford, but lots of pretty stuff to look at! Yay sparkles! We also visited Gelateria Vivoli, an ice cream bar that claims (and critics agree) to have the “best gelato in the world.” Of course we had to go! We spent probably $15 or $20 on ice cream but it was SO worth it! They had your classic flavors like tiramisu, limone and stracciatella; but they also had unique ones like pear and fig. It was incredible. While in Florence we went to the Uffizi Gallery, mainly so I could see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus (in this country referred to as Venus on the Halfshell, as if she were an hors-douvre) and of course to the Galleria Del’Academia, to see Michaelangelo’s David. Absolutely. Incredible. David is about 15 feet tall and he’s stunning. I literally started crying when I saw him. I just can’t even describe the feeling.

Barcelona was beautiful, but by far the largest city we visited. We started out try to go around on foot, but between the size of the city and all the hills, I just couldn’t make it. I was already so exhausted from the rest of the trip that I just couldn’t manage! So the first full day we were there, we walked down to the beach and rented us some bikes. It was kind of expensive, but well worth it! Barcelona is set up to accommodate bikes; there are bike lanes on almost all the streets and the drivers all pay attention and actually stop at red lights! LOL. We biked down the boardwalk along the coast and got to marvel at the view the Mediterranean Sea provided us. The beach was wonderful; the sand was soft and the water was actually quite warm considering that it was such a large body. We promised ourselves that we’d have to come back and spend some more time on the beach before our trip was over.

The taxi driver that drove us to our hotel from the airport told us that there were two things we absolutely had to eat while in Spain: Paella (a rice dish similar to risotto but spicier) and Tortilla de Bacalao (salt cod omelet). Well we went to a restaurant for lunch and that’s what we ordered! The tortilla de bacalao was absolutely delicious, though the paella was a little on the bland side. We ordered seafood paella and it was filled with scallops, mussels, clams, and WHOLE crayfish. I couldn’t bring myself to eat the crayfish, it was too close to a big bug for me to handle (probably the cousin of the cockroach that ran across our table at one point). Of course Spencer couldn’t resist the opportunity to play torture, and didn’t waste any time picking up a crayfish and coming after me with it. After screaming enough to cause a scene, he finally put the damn thing down. After lunch we wandered up the street called La Rambla; the only area of the town that isn’t primarily on a grid (easy to get lost there!) and the home of most of the street vendors and shops. We wandered onto a back street and stumbled on La Catedral (the city’s primary cathedral [I’m not counting La Sagrada Familia because it has not yet been consecrated]). Most of the exterior of the cathedral was under renovation but we were still able to get some good pictures of the building.

That night we got to go to a Flamenco show and a really exclusive theater. The handles on the doors were silhouettes of flamenco dancers! It was so neat. They served us sangria and the show was about an hour and a half long; I cried at the end it was so beautiful. The next morning we were starting to crave a good, hearty American breakfast, so we went to this restaurant that advertised eggs and bacon on the sign. We go in and discover that the restaurant is run by a Chinese girl who spoke about 4 words of English and only like 7 words of Spanish. That should have been our first clue that something was wrong. She gave us menus (which were in Spanish of course) but they had pictures so we had a general idea of what it was we were looking at. So I see that they have bacon, and I see this one dish that looks a lot like poached eggs with potatoes on the side. I’m thinking, that’s perfect., and even though I didn’t understand the description my mom assured us that they were poached eggs (I should have been worried when she promised me they were eggs and then ordered something else!) So I order that, with bacon. The lady looked so confused when I ordered it with bacon but decided to go with it. So we wait a few minutes and the food comes and I look down at it and something’s just not quite right. So I look at Spencer and I say, “Spence, why does my egg have tentacles coming out of it?” Turns out they weren’t eggs, they were CUTTLEFISH! We all burst out laughing and just couldn’t stop; it was just too freaking funny! We learned one very important thing though: Don’t let my mom order for us in a restaurant!

After breakfast we went to Fundacio de Joan Miro; a museum dedicated to the artist. I learned a lot about my mom on that trip. My mom’s art is very clean and concise and I wouldn’t have expected her to be so intrigued by art that was so chaotic. But she loved it and had a great time, and so did we! The real treat was when we went to Park Guell, though. My mom kept telling us the whole time that the reason she wanted this trip was to go to Park Guell. I couldn’t figure out why she was so excited. I thought it was just a regular park with grass and trees; nothing special. But it was important to her, so of course we went. Well we get there, and it’s nothing like I imagined! The park was designed by Antoni Gaudi, and is covered in funky structures and mosaics and buildings held up by leaning columns; I just can’t even describe it. It was so stunning. We climbed up to the top of the hill at the back of the park and were able to have a view of the whole cityscape, complete with the sea in the background. When we went to leave the park (which is on the outskirts of the residential area) I looked in my wallet and realized that what I thought was a 20 was actually a 5. You know what that means? No cab fare! The closest ATM was in the center of town, so we had some walking to do. We started walking in the general direction of our hotel (thank God it was downhill) until we finally found an ATM. We withdrew some money and set about trying to find a taxi. We finally flag one down and we get in the car and give him the name and address of our hotel. He just looks at us like we’re speaking gibberish (for the record, we WERE speaking his language). So we pull out a map and mark with an X where our hotel is. He takes the map and holds it upside down and looks at it like it’s written in martian. So we give him another map that’s more detailed, again with an X to show where the hotel is. He holds that one upside down, too. So we finally get him to start driving, and after a couple blocks (at least it was somewhat in the right direction) he pulls over. So we’re trying to tell him “este aqui” (meaning, go left here) and apparently what he was hearing was “esta aqui” (meaning, it’s right here). So he’s just sitting there, by the curb, staring at us. Finally we give up and just get out and set off to find another cab. Luckily, that one was actually able to get us to our hotel.

Our last day in Barcelona was a beautiful one. We started out at the Picasso museum. When you think if Picasso you generally think of cubism, because that’s what he’s known for. But he started off with realism, doing landscapes and portraits. It was until much later in his life that he moved on to cubism. It was fascinating to go through the displays year by year and see the progression of his style, and to be able to see the influence of other artists he apprenticed under.
After the Picasso museum we went to La Sagrada Familia. This was probably THE highlight of our trip. Also designed by Antoni Gaudi, the temple is dedicated to “the sacred family,” meaning Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was designed and commissioned in the 1800’s and foundation was laid in 1865. The temple (when finished) will have three facades: The Nativity, The Passion, and The Resurrection. Gaudi knew that he would die before the temple was completed, so the first thing he had finished was the nativity façade. He said that having it there would help inspire the workers and remind them of the importance of the project. It will be finished in 2030, and I have every intention of going back in 20 years to see it completed.

The last thing we did in Barcelona was go back to the beach. We spent all afternoon of our last day swimming in the Mediterranean. Spencer had never swam in an ocean before, so this was completely new for him, and I haven’t been to the beach in like 11 years. The water was perfect and the waves were just big enough to bob around on and bodysurf to shore. It was the perfect end to a wonderful anniversary trip.

Fun Week!

2009-09-01T12:38:00.008-06:00

Here's some pictures from Spencer's birthday party.

That's right. The TARDIS landed in MY fridge!

On Saturday the 29th, Spencer I went to Wheeler Farm for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk For A Cure. Gosh that's a mouthful. I had a hart time with the walk but we finished! and raised some money for a good cause. Juvenile diabetes is something that affects millions of families around the world, including mine, and this was something we wanted to be a part of. It was a great experience!

And I just had to throw this in there because it was too cute. Spencer and I went to my dad's house one day to do laundry. i was sitting on the livingroom floor eating french fries and the dog seemed to actually believe that she was stealthy enough that I wouldn't see her sneaking up on my behind Spencer...

Happy Birthday to ME

2009-08-15T22:05:00.006-06:00

On Thursday, August 13th, I gracefully transitioned from the immature, party-hardy age of 21 to the responsible, somewhat-respectable age of 22. I think I'm going to like 22 a lot better honestly! Maybe people will take me a little more seriously now...

On wednesday night, Spencer and I got together with my dad and he took us out for a nice dinner. Afterwards we went back to my dad's house and he surprised me with a cake and Season 4 of House! I suppose it's not TOO surprising, considering it was my birthday and he's my dad, but honestly I was just expecting dinner! It was such a pretty cake; Dad didn't have any regular candles, just these ones shaped like tropical fish we've used like 4 years in a row now. We could only fit three on top of the cake, so we stuck the fourth one to the side. nothing like a fish, set on fire, stuck to a cake to make the day complete!

Thursday night Spencer was able to get off work a little early, and we went out to dinner with some of my friends at Buca di Beppo. I LOVE that restaurant! We had a great time hanging out; I got a peach bellini (yum!) and a limoncello martini! Probably the most entertaining part of the night was when someone accidentally started a domino effect with like 4 glasses on the table, culminating in my martini ending up in my lap! I could NOT stop laughing! The server laughed and said that since I took it so well she'd get me another drink for free! And of course Spencer and I HAD to get a tiramisu to take home with us!

Spencer and I waited til Friday to have our own celebration; we'd stuffed ourselves so much with cake and desserts on wed and thurs that we couldn't stand another cake on thursday night! So friday afternoon Spencer gave me the cake he got for me: it was PERFECT! It was a little 7.5 inch cake that looked kinda like a lopsided cube and it was just so awesome for two people! I absolutely loved it! Spencer got me a potato ricer (I promised to make homemade gnocchi), a magnetic cow for the fridge, a tiny stuffed cow that's supposed to be a screen wipe but I can't bear the thought of getting it dirty, and a really nice hookup to play my ipod in my car. For some reason my tape deck doesn't work so he found me one that plugs into the cigarette lighter. It was such an awesome birthday!

The Tao of Ben

2009-08-10T12:49:00.000-06:00

So some of you will remember my mom's friend Ben, who's from the Ukraine. He has no personal filter, and everything he says comes out un-edited. It's quite entertaining. Here's the most recent conversation they had:

Ben (imagine the russian accent): Katya pregnant yet?

Mom: No Ben, Katya is not pregnant yet.

Ben: She been married this boy now one year. Why she no pregnant yet? Something wrong with her?

Mom: No Ben, nothing's wrong with her.

Ben: Why she get married she no want children?

Mom: Because she loves him very much, and they just want to spend time together before they have children.

Ben: oh ::sigh:: America. I'm no understand these things.

5 Weeks To Go!

2009-08-09T17:10:00.002-06:00

I am getting SO EXCITED I can't even stand it! In 5 weeks Spencer and I will be leaving for the best anniversary trip ever! We will be going to Rome, Pompeii, Florence, and Barcelona baby! We will be gone for 12 glorious days. We didn't think we would be able to take this trip but everything is going smoothly and I just CANNOT WAIT! I have never been anywhere overseas before; Spencer and I both had to get our passports special for this trip. It's going to be awesome!

Park City Arts Festival

2009-08-03T13:20:00.004-06:00

On saturday, Spencer and I went up to Park City with my mom. We started out our day early and I learned my lesson not to drive on the freeway during construction! We were running a few minutes late, so instead of taking surface street like we normally do I hopped onto I-215. The last time I was on 215 the roads were clear, so I was a bit surprised to see that like 3 or 4 lanes were blocked off by barrels for a construction zone. For anyone who's not familiar with the onramp at 4700 south, it's a one-lane ramp that starts facing east and curves around into almost a complete circle to go northbound. Well It's like 7:40 in the morning and I'm trying to get on the ramp, and there's a guy on a motorcycle behind me. He's like 2 feet off my bumper, and is actually trying to pass me on the shoulder on the curve. So I'm keeping an eye on him and trying to watch the car in front of me cause they're slowing down to go through the construction zone. Next thing I know Spencer's yelling at me: the car in front of us had come to a dead stop. Well I couldn't merge left into traffic because the guy on the motorcycle was still in my blind spot on the left. So I had three options: go left and hit the motorcycle. Go straight and hit the car. Or go right, and hit the construction zone. I went right. Thank God they have those barrels set up! They're great for diffusing speed and energy without damaging your car. I ran over like 6 barrels before I was able to get back into traffic. Let me tell you, I am stay off 215 until that construction is done! And if I ever see that motorcycle driver in my office, you'd better believe he's getting a test...

So we picked up my mom at about 8 and we all went out to breakfast at Dee's. The guy who was our server was named Murray, and he stayed and chatted with us for awhile. He was REALLY nice and we had a good time talking with him. Then we all piled back into the car and started up the canyon. We got to the festival about 10, 10:15 or so. So we start wandering past the booths and seriously like the third booth we come to, we see this woodblock print and we just fall in love with it. I'm standing there thinking to myself, "Gosh I love that. But Spencer would never agree to spend that much money on a piece of art." We'll it turns out Spencer's standing there thinking, "Gosh I love this. But Cait will never agree to it. It's too much money." So we're talking to the artist about this piece and her inspiration and the meaning behind it, and she says "Well I don't know if I want to sell it now. Maybe I want to keep it!" and my mom chimes in, "Oh no, they're buying it!" So Spencer looks at me and asks me what I think, and if I'm ok spending the money on it. I didn't answer him. I just looked at the artist and said "We'll take it!" We hung it up above our bed; we just love it!

We didn't take too many pictures up there but the ones we got were pretty cute. My mom took a picture of Spence and I sitting on the bench next to the bronze bear (if you're in park city, you HAVE to take your picture with the bear!) and with my favorite statue, a Holstein cow outside of Java Cow (and ice cream and coffee shop). I LOVE holstein cows! I don't know why, but there's something about black and white cows that's just so perfect!

All total we were up there for like 5 or 6 hours! Honestly we weren't nearly as sunburned as I expected us to be, but we are a little less pasty than we were a couple days ago! It was so much fun going up the canyon and looking at all the art. I honestly believe you can learn a lot from someone based on their taste in art. And Spencer is just full of surprises! Like, I'll pick out a piece of art that I think he'll love, and he doesn't. and he'll point out something that he loves and it will be something that I wouldn't have picked for him. So it's always interesting to shop for art with someone else. We got a couple pieces on saturday; We got the woodprint for the both of us, and I got a piece as well. It's a photograph of a group of women under a veil out in the desert and it says "To wish you were someone else is to waste the person that you are. Look past the imperfections." I have a rule when shopping for art: if I start crying the minute I see it, I need to own it. So I bought a print of it. I also bought a piece of art for Spencer, but even though he probably knows which one it is I'm not going to put a picture up!

All-in-all it was a pretty fun day. We came home and just crashed. We were so exhausted from walking around all day. We both ached so much and spent the night rubbing aloe on our sunburns. I learned my lesson about parting my bangs to the side when I noticed that I had a sunburn on only half of my forehead. But it was so much fun!

Gecko Greeter

2009-07-27T16:20:00.002-06:00

So at the entrance to our apartment complex, there's a guy dressed in a gecko costume (just like this one) who holds a sign advertising move-in deals. He stands there all day waving at cars that pass by. Given that it's July in Utah it can get pretty hot standing out on the concrete all day! Whenever Spence and I drive or walk by him he always waves and he seems pretty nice. So today on my way home I stopped at the coffee shop on the corner and bought him a sprite. I took it out to him and he laughed. He seemed really relieved to have something to drink! So if you're ever driving along 47th and you see the waving gecko man, wave back. He suffers for his paycheck!

2009-07-21T16:33:00.004-06:00

Update time!

Not a whole heck of a lot has happened in the last couple months, but I suppose there are a few things worth noting.

Spencer and I bought new bedroom furniture! We were in R C Willey with his parents one day and we were wandering through the as-is section and we found this bedroom set that was a little banged up but absolutely beautiful! Plus it was like $500 or $600 off the original price...So we went home and thought about it and decided the next day we'd go back and try to buy it. So we find a salesperson (you can NEVER find them when you actually want to talk to to them!) and take them back to the as-is department and said we wanted to buy the set. So he says to us, "How bout I give you a new one for the same price." We're like, um that's totally fine with us! So a week later it was delivered: Headboard, footboard, rails, two nightstands, a dresser, and a mirror. Made of nice dark walnut and brushed steel fixtures, and the headboard has leather on it! It's absolutely so beautiful and now our bedroom doesn't look like we just moved out of a dorm room!

For the 4th of July, since Spencer and I didn't have any other plans, we decided to spend the day with his family. Every year on the 4th they go up the canyon to Brighton to the breakfast that the LDS church sponsors up there. Good food, music, people, nice scenery; it's a nice place to be. Especially in the morning before it gets too hot! So we all piled into the car about 7:30 that morning, and headed up to Brighton. We ate breakfast there and then hiked around Silver Lake. It's quite a pretty place to be, and the hike is short and level, which is nice for people like me who have no stamina! After that we went down to the family's cabin, which is just a couple miles down the canyon (if that really). The whole family camped out there for a few hours; we ate hotdogs and potato salad and watermelon. All-in-all we were having a nice time...until some random dog ran down and bit Spencer! The people who owned the next property over didn't have their dog on a leash, and the dog wandered down onto our property and spooked and bit Spencer! He was ok though. Good thing we've all had our shots!

Busy Weekend!

2009-06-15T12:44:00.006-06:00

So this last weekend, Spencer's oldest brother Jeremy came into town along with his daughter, Winter. She's 7 years old; Spence hadn't seen her in 5 years and I had never met her, so it was fun to be able to spend a couple days with them. On friday we all got together and had family pictures taken. I don't have the disc yet but when I do I'll upload them because we are a pretty good looking family! It was Spencer's parents; his brothers Mike, Shaun and Jeremy, Jeremy's daughter Winter, and then Spencer and I. It was kind of stressful getting us all set up for the pictures but it was fun and we have some cute pics to show for it. Saturday morning Jeremy was running the Utah Valley Marathon down in Provo. So EARLY saturday morning we all loaded into our cars and drove down to Provo! We were there at the finish line when Jeremy ran through: 26.2 miles in 3 hours, 11 minutes and 33 seconds! That's got to be a personal record!

Jeremy just after finishing

Winter with her dad's medal

On the way back into the valley, Spencer, his brother Mike, and I stopped at Ikea for breakfast. They have these HUGE breakfast plates that come with eggs, potatoes, bacon, and french toast sticks for $1.99! I'm not kidding! So after a nice breakfast we dropped off Mike and went back to the house for a while, then went over to his parents' house for lunch. We had salmon and potatoes and broccoli and it was yummy.

Winter with Grandpa Kevin

Sunday morning Spencer, Mike, Jeremy, Winter and I all went up to Liberty Park to wear out Winter for the drive back home to Vegas. She played on the playground for most of the morning, then we went down to the rides area. We went on the ferris wheel and the swings, then we all got snowcones. We walked across the bridge to a gazebo in the middle of the lake, and sat watching people play with dogs and feed the seagulls. Then we all said goodbye and Jeremy and Winter started the long drive back down to Nevada. It was a pretty good weekend and I'm so glad I got to meet Winter because she is just a doll!

Baking Time

2009-06-04T10:34:00.003-06:00

So last weekend Spencer and I picked up our shares from the food Co-op. along with all our meat and grains and stuff we also got a bunch of bananas and a couple zucchini. You know what thats means: BREAD! I'm also trying out a new recipe that I wrote myself....for those of you familiar with Great Harvest Bread Company, you might have tasted their raspberry white chocolate bread, which is aboslutely the definition of divine. Well I was not able to find a copycat recipe so I figured, meh, how hard could it be? So I'm using my vast knowledge of bread-y secrets (right) to try and do it myself. So monday is most likely going to be banana-zucchini-and-chocolate-bread-day for my coworkers, unless of course my oven explodes or the munchy fairy eats all of it and there's none left for anyone else..... If my recipe is a raging success (and if you're good) then maybe I'll post it on here. For the world (more like all three of you who read this) to see.

PROMOTION! [noisemaker sound]

2009-05-07T20:27:00.005-06:00

I am so excited, Spencer got a promotion at work! He is now certified to be a Driver License Examiner in 48 states (and some of Canada). He gets a raise and a certificate and all that good stuff. I would have made him a cake myself, but we didn't know when he'd get his test results back, so I wouldn't have had proper notice. Anyway, I ordered a cake to commemorate this special occasion, and wouldn't you know it I even got me a cake wreck! The decorator misspelled the word "contratulations." Haha it's nothing spectacular, but it's MINE! Haha!

Church at the Farm

2009-05-06T21:06:00.015-06:00

Wednesday evening Calvary held it's monthly Worship at the Farm service at Wheeler Farm. Spencer and I were able to get off work early so we could go. I was so excited. We went and were able to see our friends Becca and Steve, and their little girl Allie Joy. It was so much fun! There was free barbeque and the weather was just fantastic. Pastors John and Terry got up and gave a sermon from the books of Luke and John. It was the story about how Simon Peter denied Christ three times, then when Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to Simon Peter and asked him three times, "Do you love me." Peter denied Christ three times, but three times he was reconciled. It was an awesome story that just shows that no matter how much we screw up, God will never give up on us. He is always there and it's never too late to turn back to Him.

Allie, blending in with her surroundings.

My super-handsome hubby

Scott leading the worship

Pastor Terry giving the sermon

After dinner and the sermon Spencer and I decide to wander around the farm. I LOVE farm animals. Especially Cows! and ESPECIALLY the black and white ones! Well sure enough the first animals we came to were the cows. There was a nice black and white one that came right up to me! No one was watching so I snuck in a pat on its head. We also got to see the goats, along with the tinest little baby goatie! He was so cute! He was chasing this little girl along the fence; so playful! Then I saw a sheep who was just giving me the dirtiest look I decided not to get too close! Then we went to see the horses. There was a pretty red one that was kinda skiddish, but there was a big clydesdale that just came right up to us! There were no piggies though. Maybe next time! and one of these days I'm gonna go over at 5; they'll let you milk the cows! I had a really good time.

A Call to Serve...dinner

2009-04-26T15:08:00.004-06:00

So today at church they mentioned that they were looking for people to help serve in the kitchens. I've filled out an application and gotten my references together and hopefully they'll call me for an interview. God has given me a talent for cooking, and I'm hoping that this will be an opportunity that will open itself up for me to serve! I would like everyone to please pray for me, that God's will would be done and that doors would open up for me to serve. Also, please pray that I would be able to put my own will aside and follow where God would lead me. I'm very excited for this new opportunity, to potentially use God's gift to help spread His word!

Balloons

2009-04-16T16:16:00.002-06:00

So the weirdest thing happened today. I was on my home from work today and I got pummeled out of nowhere by a bunch of wayward balloons! They were tied to the sign at my apartment complex to attract people's attention. Well I was walking by and all of a sudden the wind shifted! These balloons (4 or 5 BIG balloons!)started banging against me! I was surrounded by balloons! and then something equally weird happened: I started laughing like a little kid. I had more fun in 3 seconds of balloon-bashing then I've had in a long time. It was just so pure; I literally felt like I was 5 years old. It's amazing how the older you get the less fascinating things are; the less magical they become. We get so bogged down in bills and schedules and responsibilites and life, and we start to feel that enjoying simple things makes us simple. Or it doesn't even occur to us that simple things are worth enjoying. But we can't let those little moments pass us by. They're so important. I fully experienced one of those little moments today. And I hope I have the wisdom to recognize the next one when it comes along.

Birthdays and Rebirth-days

2009-04-14T20:38:00.008-06:00

Like that title? I came up with that all on my own. Easter was pretty good, all around. We started off the day by going to my church and hearing an awesome sermon (as usual) from Pastor Terry. I had called my mom in the morning and convinced her to show up to church (she wasn't going to come) so I got to see my mom for the first time in a month or so. We ended up going out for a nice lunch after church, and we had a fun time catching up. After lunch Spence and I went over to visit my dad and play with the dog a bit. I miss that dog so much! I brought dad an easter basket filled with diet soda and sugar-free candy (he's diabetic) and he enjoyed it. He particularly liked using the basket as a hat. I had so much fun playing with that dog; I watched her shred a stuffed animal and fed her some treats and was sad to have to leave! Here's my baby girl smilin' at me!
After that we went to Spencer's parents' house for Easter dinner. I had made Easter baskets for his parents and his brothers and they all loved them. Dinner was fantastic; ham, cheesy potatoes (my favorite), broccoli, grean beans, and rolls. For dessert we had cream puffs and chocolate-dipped strawberries that Lana made herself! Yum! Monday was my niece Sophia's second birthday! Jessica invited us over after work for a little party, and we had a blast catching up and seeing the kids! I love them so much!

update

2009-04-02T11:13:00.002-06:00

Well I finally got my medicine. Yay! I'm feeling SO much better now. I haven't had a panic attack in 5 days, I'm not dizzy, and I'm sleeping better. If feels so good to not be up and down emotionally so much! Not much has happened in the last few weeks other than getting my meds. Spencer and I are just really enjoying our time together alone as a couple. It's really great. Although I can't wait to get a dog, I do admit that it is nice not to have to take care of one. And when Spencer's ready we'll get one and it will be great. We spend a lot of our time reading and watching tv together; the couch isn't quite big enough for the two of us which results in a lot of foot-fights. After 6 months the novelty of living with someone new still hasn't worn off, and it really is just like a massive sleepover with laundry thrown in. It's so great living with my best friend. We plan on waiting for at least another two years before having children, if not longer. It's important to us to just spend this time together before we bring another life into the mix. But we're enjoying ourselves. It's quite the adventure.

On a lighter note...

2009-03-23T11:08:00.003-06:00

Ok, I'm calm now. And since I have officially calmed down, for the moment, I'll write about all the good things that happened this weekend. Because there were a few. They just get overshadowed when I'm freaking out about everything.

Friday marked 6 months of being married. I celebrated early by getting up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the scrapbook expo with my friend Becca. I was only there til about noon but I had an awesome time. I got a bunch of great deals on scrapbook supplies (which I didn't own any) and actually was able to get a couple pages of wedding pictures done. Though I'm nowhere near finished! But now that I have some of my own supplies I think it will be a lot of fun putting this album together myself.

After the expo I met up with Spencer at Jordan Commons. We got a quick lunch there and saw a movie; we ended up seeing Knowing. It was AWESOME! We thought it was going to be this big numerology thing, but it's actually about the prophecy in the book of Ezekiel, and it was SO COOL! Highly recommended.

That evening we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It was yummy! He had a ribeye and I had the prime rib....it was way more than we could eat so we took leftovers home and ate them on saturday for breakfast. Best breakfast ever! Haha! The only problem was that I pushed myself way too hard on friday, and on saturday I got to pay for it! I was in SO MUCH pain on saturday; I could barely move. And I had absolutely no energy. We went to the grocery store and when we got back I couldn't even carry anything up the stairs. I was pretty miserable that day, only because I barely had the energy to stand. That gets in the way of things.

Sunday was pretty cool. I bought a new pair of earings. Solid pewter studs; they're little crosses with hearts in the middle. I never get to wear earrings because I'm usually allergic to them, but I'm not allergic to these! And then our sermon was awesome, as usual. We were finishing up the book of 2 Corinthians and it had a pretty strong message that Pastor Terry happened to feel very strongly about. By the end of our service (there are two others before us) he was starting to lose his voice from yelling so much. It was a very somber message, but you couldn't help laugh at the way he delivered it. It was awesome.

I'm attempting to feel more human now. It takes a couple hours for me to calm down each morning. I keep calling my doctor but she hasn't put anything through yet. Hopefully soon.

This Really Freaking Sucks

2009-03-23T08:41:00.002-06:00

Ok so a little background information. Pure gold is a very soft metal. When they form gold to make jewelry (especially white gold) they mix the gold with other metals to make an allow. These are usually tin, zinc, copper, and, rarely, nickel. For those who don't already know this about me, I am very allergic to nickel.

So I was wondering why for the last two months that I've had this new ring, I've been having a reaction. My finger's been swollen and itching like crazy, and it's usually flaky and bleeding because I can't stop scratching it. I couldn't figure this out because it's gold and I'm not allergic to gold. Well apparently the jeweler I bought the ring from uses nickel in their gold alloy! And to top it all off, A STONE FELL OUT OF THE FREAKING RING! That's right. Not even TWO MONTHS after I bought the freaking thing, it's falling apart. Which doesn't seem to matter because I can't wear it anyway. This stupid ring has spent more time in their shop being fixed than it's spent on my finger. So I've decided that I'm going to ask* for a refund and take my business elsewhere. Again. Maybe I'm just not meant to have a ring.

*demand

There's a reason I'm so particularly freaked out about this. 10 days ago I went to the pharmacy to pick up my refill on my anxiety medication. When I got to the pharmacy they told me that my insurance was no longer going to cover the medication. This was on a friday night, so there was nothing i could to til monday. This whole last week I've been going back and forth between my doctor, the pharmacy, and the insurance company. Even though I've been on this dose of medication for 4 or 5 months now, the insurance company is saying that because it exceeds the "manufacturer's recommended dose" that they will not cover it. The only way around this is to have my doctor file an appeal, which she would be able to do if she hadn't called in sick last week. So I've been cold turkey off my medication for about 10 days now. I'm completely losing my mind. I've been having panic attacks every day, and sometimes two or three times in a day. I'm completely miserable, physically ill, and having a hell of a time functioning. And I don't know when it's going to be fixed.

Still No Medcine

2009-03-19T07:57:00.003-06:00

Well, the insurance company has the paperwork they need from my doctor, but they still have not put my prescription through. I have now been cold turkey off my meds for 6 days, and let me say, I'm ready to kill something. I don't care if it's me, or someone else, but I am seriously on the verge. I've started having panic attacks again. Massive ones. Last night I thought I was going to end up at the hospital by the way I was feeling. I was hyperventilating, crying, and felt like there was a stone block with spikes in it resting on my chest. It was so painful. People don't think panic attacks can actually hurt, but believe me, they do. They are painful. I wasn't able to eat anything yesterday. I was nauseous and anxious as all hell and couldn't eat dinner. I slept like absolute crap last night. I was having a nightmare and I kept waking up and even though there were several blankets I was freezing. I woke up this morning in a really foul mood. I had another panic attack no the way to work, and was able to take some xanax when I got here and if it doesn't kick in soon I swear I'm going to throw myself through the freaking window. I'm having these really horrible, self-destructive feelings. I want to scratch myself and scream and beat the walls and just cause all sorts of mayhem. But I've settled with just crying. I am in so much physical pain I can't even describe it. Breathing hurts. Walking is miserable with this stupid bad knee of mine, which has been steadily getting worse over the last three weeks. I can barely walk! I just don't feel like I can function. And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Gah!

2009-03-15T19:56:00.002-06:00

So I called in a refill of my anxiety medication, and when I went to pick it up I found out that my medical insurance decided that they don't want to cover it right now. After covering it for the last six months with no problem, they have all of a sudden decided that they need a prior authorization to continue covering it. I never got a letter or a phone call or anything, I got to find out when my medication ran out because I can only get a one-month supply. So now I'm cold turkey off my meds and let me tell you I am freaking out. My face is numb, I have a nasty headache, I feel completely disconnected from the world around me and I swear I want to scream. I feel anxious and horrible and like I'll never feel good again. This sucks.

More Ring Trouble

2009-03-09T08:44:00.004-06:00

Well my ring is back in the shop again! The last six weeks I've had it, my finger has swelled up like crazy and has been itching so much it's driving me mad! I couldn't figure out why I was having an allergic reaction to gold which I'm supposed to be able to wear. So I took it back into the jewelry store this weekend and asked them if they knew what was going on and they figured out that when the ring was sized, it was nicked with one of their instruments and some metal was transfered onto the inside of the band. Apparently that metal contained nickel, because I'm itchy! Haha so they'll fix it, of course, and I can pick it up on tuesday. And after this, I don't care if anything else goes wrong I'm never giving it up again! In the meantime, I'm wearing this forget-me-knot ring that Spencer bought for me for Christmas a couple years ago. It's sterling silver in the shape of a knot. It's totally cute. But I still miss my wedding ring. But it'll be ok!

The Family Name

2009-03-05T16:11:00.005-07:00

So the last couple months I've been getting more and more intersted in where I come from. I don't have a lot of information about my ancestors (only a few generations' worth) but what I have I hold on to very tightly in my heart.

My dad never wanted children. Don't get me wrong; he loves me and I know that he does, but I was unplanned. In the 70s, when the technology behind contraception was not very understood or safe, my mom had a copper IUD put in. She had it for several years, after which her doctor told her that it had caused her to become barren and she would never have anymore children. In 1983 when my parents married my dad didn't have a problem with this because he didn't want children anyway, so they didn't exactly take any precautions. In 1987, I came along. My dad was furious when he found out my mom was pregnant, but as soon as he saw me he loved me. And he's always been a wonderful father. He has never had any children since of course; I'm the only one.

I'm all grown up (in theory) and married now, and plan on having children of my own someday. But I, and my future children, will carry my husband's name. My dad has a brother who has sons, and who will carry on the Carlson name. If this makes any sense at all, I feel like my grandfather's name will be carried on, but not my father's. I'm sure that the last thing my father worries about is the fact that his legacy ends with me. But I feel almost like I'm letting him down somehow (like it's my fault I was born a girl and traditionally take my husband's name). My father and I have always been very close. I feel sad that my children will not carry on my father's name. It's not like this is a pressing issue; not like I'm going to have any children anytime soon! But lately it's been something I've been thinking about a lot. It makes me sad.

Awesome Sunday!

2009-03-01T17:01:00.005-07:00

So the last few days I've been having some real emotional trouble. These really negative and really self-destructive thoughts keep forcing their way into my head, and I've been having trouble dealing with it. There are only two things that have been working to keep these thoughts out: One is if Spencer is touching me in some way. I was lying on the couch yesterday with this horrible headache, and he rested his hand on my head, and it was like this physical block that forced these thoughts out of my head. The other thing that has helped is reading my bible. If I keep my mind on the word and keep myself in prayer, it helps drive these thoughts away. I was really looking forward to church today so I could just immerse myself in the word of God and be completely safe from these thoughts. Service was awesome! Pastor Terry got off on a tangent about lifting up pain and bitterness and just giving it over to God. He said that if you wake up with that in you, you just have to give it up to God and let him have it. And the next morning when you wake up, it will be back. And you just have to lift it up to God again. He said that he hadn't gotten off on this track during first or second service, but he felt that there must be someone in third service that really needed to hear that. I just started crying because I knew that I was the person in the room that needed to hear it and I was so grateful God was able to speak to me through Terry. After service I went to visit my friend Becca (she attends second service and works with the kids during third service) and she was able to give me some great advice. She told me that I couldn't come to her for advice on anything, but to know that I might not like what she has to tell me because she's always going to point me back towards God and sometimes God tells us things we don't want to hear. That's fine with me! As far as I'm concerned my life is so much better when I stay with God, and I'm grateful for someone who will always point me back in that direction when I start to turn away.

After church Spencer and I went to visit my dad and Kalos, which was a really nice visit. I got lots of kisses from the dog! That always makes me feel good. Then we came home and I started on dinner. I made salmon. Spencer and I couldn't agree on what kind of salmon we wanted, so I cut the filet (which was huge) into two pieces and cooked them seperately. One I cooked with Yoshida's sauce (which is delicious) and one I cooked with lemon and dill. Yum! I also made a rice dish: basmati rice with peanuts, green onions, butter, turmeric, and a little bit of saffron. I've never actually cooked with saffron before; it's super expensive! It's about $30 an ounce, but it's very potent so a little goes a long way, and honestly how often am I going to use it? So it will last awhile. Saffron is gotten from the stamen of the crocus flower; a pretty purple flower that my mom used to grow in the garden when I was little. She would pick the saffron from the flower and use it in cooking. I got in a lot of trouble one time because I picked the pretty flowers and didn't realize that I could have saved my mom a lot of money by not picking the flowers! Haha. Good times. So all-in-all today was a good day. The only bad about it is I have to go back to work tomorrow.

LOOOOONG day!

2009-02-24T19:43:00.004-07:00

Oh my gosh today was such a long day! I woke up feeling exhausted; I wasn't sleep, I just felt like I had no physical energy. I was walking to work and I just felt like my legs would hold me up! Well I get to work and after a couple hours they tell me they are going to pull me off the counter and put me in the back doing paperwork (I happen to love it when they do that!) I worked through my breaks, got 15 minutes for lunch two hours late, spent an extra 3 1/2 hours at work,and MISSED JUDGE JUDY, but damn I got a lot done! I ended up leaving at 6:30 with Spencer, which was really nice because we got to watch the sun set as we walked home. But I wasn't done yet! After work Spencer stopped at a friend's apartment (happens to be in the same complex) to visit. I grabbed the car and went to the pharmacy for him. Spent a lot of money there, but that's ok! He needs insulin to live, so money is no object here! Haha. Then I had to come home and make dinner. It's on the stove now, and it's going to take at least an hour and a half, so we'll be eating late, and then I'm going straight to bed! And then we get to get up at the buttcrack of dawn and start it all again...

Food Co-op

2009-02-21T12:53:00.003-07:00

Ok I have totally fallen in love with the Food Cooperative of Utah. It's an organization that takes orders for food shares and buys the food in bulk so you get really good prices on packages. You have to order early in the month and then you pick up your food on like the third saturday. But it is absolutely awesome! I picked up my food today and was just astounded by what I got. Here's the list:

1 lb chicken breasts
1 lb beef stew meat
1 lb pork spare ribs
1 lb lean ground beef
1 5-lb bag red potatoes
6 oranges
6 apples
1 bundle green onions
1 head red leaf lettuce
3 artichokes
1 package mushrooms
8 kiwi

I also got another nut sample package:

1 lb whole roasted cashews
1 lb raw almonds
1 lb sunflower seeds
1 lb dried pineapple

the packages change every month depending on what's in season and what they can get, but it mixes it up so you get variety. You know how much I paid for all this? $33! That's right! I'm so amazed by how much I got. If you're interested, go to this website:

Utah Food Co-Op

you can order by fax, mail or over the phone. The people are all volunteers and they're super nice. All you do is order by the deadline, and pick it up on the day they tell you. And there's a couple dozen different pick-up sites in the valley so you can pick one closest to you. It's just awesome!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T23:10:00.008-07:00

Today was absolutely awesome! Spence and I started out the day by sleeping in! We slept SO late today! We finally got up and got dressed, and decided to grab lunch. We ended up at Quiznos, which is someplace I normally don't go because it's expensive, but since it was a special occasion we figured it was ok. The sandwich was SO good! So yummy! Then we made our way downtown to Capitol Theater to see Madame Butterfly! It was my surprise for Spencer; he knew I'd gotten tickets to something but didn't know what it was til we got there. We was very pleasantly surprised! We both loved the show; it was so powerful and just beautifully done! The only problem we had there was the two women who sat in the row in front of us. The arrived donning jeans, baggy sweatshirts and mullets (I kid you not) and would not put their cell phones away the whole show! It was aggravating, but I did my best to ignore it and still enjoyed myself! Then we came home and I made dinner for us. Bacon-wrapped filet mignon with red wine mushroom sauce; hearts of palm risotto; strawberry-avocado salad with a homemade honey vinagrette. And chocolate cappuccino cheesecake for dessert! We had wine of course; cabernet sauvignon for Spencer, white zinfandel for me. :) It was such a great day; we had so much fun just spending time together and enjoying each others' company. I had a great time!

my sauce, doing it's damndest to reduce (say that three times fast)

my yummy dinner :)

dessert plate: cheesecake, strawberries, raspberries, and almonds

the box of chocolates I got for Spence. They're dove chocolates with my own personal messages printed on the wrappers!

and this is the box of chocolates Spencer got for me. From Sees! It's a full pound and a half, but he said I'm not allowed to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Dang.

Bleh.

2009-02-12T17:54:00.004-07:00

On Wednesday Spencer and I had to go into work an hour early for a staff meeting. We stopped on the way to get coffee and croissants from the Brew Monkey so we could actually stay awake! and I was so focused on staying awake during the meeting (I usually nod off unintentionally) that as soon as the meeting was over and I went out to my counter, I started getting drowsy! Took me like another two hours to wake up! But the day usually goes more quickly after a staff meeting, because even though I go to work early, I don't actually start working til late. Anyway in the meeting we had to watch this video, "Defensive Driving for Government Employees." There were some really interesting things in there that I know will help keep me safe of the road, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in junior high again. You could tell the film was very low budget and it was kind of cheesy and mainly just showed pictures of car crashes. But the whole concept was quite entertaining.

I've been slacking off so much this week, it's insane. I finally worked up the ambition when I got home today to take out the garbage and load all the dishes into the dishwasher; I still need to wash the counters and put some clothes away in the bedroom but a lot of the work is finished. With the holiday this weekend, I don't want chores hanging over our heads; I just want to be able to enjoy our weekend! So I'm glad I was able to muster the energy to get things done.

This week I've been in the Lord of the Rings mood. On monday Spencer and I were both home sick from work and since we couldn't move anyway, we decided to watch a movie. We agreed on LOTR and it was a great distraction. It's been so long since I watched those movies that there were so many things that were like new again because I didn't remember them. Last night our regular shows weren't on so we decided to watch the Two Towers when Spence got home from work. Tonight I really wanted to watch Hell's Kitchen, but since it's been canceled for the NAACP Image Awards, we'll probably watch Return of the King! I love these movies!

I am SO excited for Valentine's Day! I've made some awesome plans (some of which Spencer doesn't know about) and I just can't wait! I don't want to say anything in case he reads it, but be sure I will post lots of pictures after saturday!

Groundhog Day

2009-02-03T08:39:00.003-07:00

This just made my day. I found this very sad-looking picture of Phil and just had to share it.

My Subconscious Hates Me

2009-02-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

I've been having these horrible nightmares lately and not only are they not going away, they're getting worse. I'll wake up in the night talking, or yelling, and people in my dreams and doing and saying all these horrible things to me. I wake up feeling sad and angry and they just won't stop!

2009-02-01T20:55:00.002-07:00

Spencer and I finally finished putting up our decorations around the house this weekend. We put up our big wedding portrait and also finally got the tree of life wall hanging up on the wall! It was a bit of a battle finding a nail that was thick enough to hold it up (it's pretty heavy) but we found one! So now I feel like everything is finally in place and I can move on.

On friday we went to the Tavernacle bar for my friend Kelsie's birthday. Spencer had never been before and he absolutely loved it! It's a really nice piano bar and they can make any kind of drink you can imagine. I was the designated driver for the night but I still had so much fun! Spencer got to try a bunch of new things and we knew practically every song they played, which it made it that much more fun. The girls at the table next to us were SUPER friendly, and this one girl kept insisting that she knew Spencer from somewhere. So we made a new friend that night!

On Sunday my church had a chili cookoff (which they do every year for the Superbowl) and the Fire Dept came to judge. I don't think I tried the chili that won first place, but then again there were 23 different chilis! Spencer and I had so much fun eating chili and hanging out with our friend Becca. I love my church so much! The game was SO much fun to watch! It was so close and Spencer and I were jumping out of our seats! That 100-yard run in the first half and that crazy catch right at the end...This why I'm a Steelers fan!

This is how cool my church is: They remodeled the elementary sunday school rooms to look like a jungle. Here are a couple pictures I took because the room is absolutely awesome. This is where we ate our chili. :)

Shanushka. Why you no listen me?

2009-01-28T09:20:00.002-07:00

So my mom (Shawn) has this friend named Ben who's Ukrainian. He does not understand the concept of a personal filter; he will say whatever he pleases and the idea that he might offend someone never even crosses his mind. This makes for some very entertaining conversations. Here's one they had the other day that I thought was too funny and had to share. (It's much funnier if you picture Ben speaking with a heavy russian accent):

Ben: So. Katya like this husband?

Shawn: yes Ben. That's why she married him.

Ben: Why this boy no come help you clean your house?

Shawn: Because he's very sick Ben.

Ben: Why Katya marry this sick boy? Why no marry healthy boy?

Shawn: Because she loves him. She doesn't care that he's sick.

Ben: well why Katya no come clean your house?

Shawn: Because Katya very sick too Ben.

Ben: This good then. They take care each other.

Shawn: Glad to you know you approve, Ben.

Random Thoughts This Week

2009-01-28T08:52:00.002-07:00

I'm super excited. It's a busy week for me!

Yesterday I had my mom over for a surprise. When I was little she had this book called the The Courtship of the Yonghy Bonghy Bo and she absolutely loved it. I did too; I was always asking her to read it to me or to tell me the story again and again. The book got lost during the divorce, and she's been trying for years to find another copy. Well a couple weeks ago I found one! They're impossible to come by because they stopped printing them in 1980 and event then they were only published in Great Britain. But I was able to get ahold of one and on monday it came in the mail. So yesterday I had her over to surprise her with it. I was trying to film her reaction but discovered after the fact that the camera wasn't actually recording...I was totally bummed. But she stillh as her book and she's still happy!

Tonight I get to go pick up my new ring, which I will post pictures of probably tomorrow. I am so excited because I feel so naked without my ring and I just want my ring back!

Tomorrow we finally get our prints of our wedding pictures. There was some problem with the printer so instead of getting them in like three days it's taken like four weeks, but we've been patient and our photographer has been awesomely reassuring, and it's really no big deal. But now I have to go buy frames for them! Haha I don't know if we'll have any wall space left at all after we get these all up!

I'm thinking I might go to the craft store today. Spencer's mom, Lana, gave us a really awesome suggestion. Since my wedding ring was replaced and I'll be wearing a new ring, she suggested I make a shadow box to display the original one. That way even though I won't be wearing it, I can still keep it without storing it in a box under the bed or something. So now I'm all antzy to go to the craft store and get stuff to put it all together. Plus this weekend is my friend Kelsie's birthday party, which is going to be a huge blast at the Tavernacle downtown (Spencer's never been and it's an awesome bar). Plus the Superbowl is this sunday which we're all totally stoked for. It's going to be a busy couple of days!

Thing Do Work Out

2009-01-25T14:35:00.005-07:00

So yesterday was a big day, at least emotionally. Spencer and I went to see Underworld, which was absolutely awesome! I completely loved it. We braved through walmart because we had to get some grocery shopping done, but we got it out of the way early because we wanted to get it over with and have the rest of the day to do what we wanted. So after the movie, we went over to Shubachs in the mall to talk to the jeweler there because I heard he might be able to help me with my ring. So he took a look at the ring and told me that the amount of wear and tear on the ring would be normal if I had beenwaring it 15 or 20 years, but not 1. He said that we essentially had three options:

1. reset the stone. It would make the ring wearable but wouldn't do anything to prevent the same thing happening again to that or other stones.
2. retip all the prongs which he said would cost a small fortune
3. replace the ring (they were having a sale)

I thought about having the ring fixed, but here was the problem: each prong costs $12 to retip. There are a total of 160 prongs on the whole ring. That's $1920 to fix the ring, which is a LOT more than what the ring originally cost on its own! So Spencer and I were talking about what to do and what are opions were and what we would be comfortable with, and he BOUGHT ME A NEW RING! He had picked out one that was way huge and cost like $4600 and offered to buy that one for me, but I wouldn't let him. I thought it was SO sweet though. But I found one I really liked and was comfortable with the price. With all the different promotions that were going on we ended up getting the ring for 30% off. It's almost exactly the same as my old one except it's bigger, and there's real diamonds in the center instead of a cz! The setting has a total of 1/2 a carat in diamonds and the center stones equal 3/4 of a carat. And we also bought the lifetime warranty so that if anything goes wrong with it ever, they'll fix it for free! I'm SO excited. It's being sized and I can pick it up on wednesday after work. I can't wait to get my new ring! Here it is:

Ring Update

2009-01-22T17:50:00.002-07:00

So I got a call from the jeweler today. I can come pick the ring up tomorrow but the stone hasn't been reset. Apparently all the prongs are insanely worn down and all the stones are hanging on by a thread, so they couldn't put the stone back in. Apparently there needs to be a lot of work done. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I feel so sad, just horribly depressed. Tomorrow I'm going to take the ring into another jeweler I've worked with before and see if he can fix it. If not, I think I might be pretty much screwed and without a wedding ring for a good long time. I wonder why this happened.

Bad Luck

2009-01-20T09:23:00.002-07:00

So yesterday Spencer and I had the day off, and I was getting cabin fever a little bit, so I suggested we go to the mall to walk off some pent-up energy. So we get to the mall and I think, well since I'm here I might as well get my rings cleaned. So I drop my rings off at the jeweler to be cleaned and I get them back and I notice that one of the diamonds is gone! So I take it back to the jeweler and point out that the ring was in one piece before they cleaned it and could they please check in their machine to see if the stone is in there. Well they can't find the stone. So they said that since it was their mistake they will replace the stone and fix the ring for free, but they have to send it out to their jeweler, and it will take about a week and a half. So in the meantime, I have no wedding ring! I was so upset, I was just bawling. I still have my wedding band but because of it's funky shape it doesn't really lend itself well to being worn on its own. I was able to find a cheap plastic ring floating around my house and right now I'm wearing that instead, but I just want my ring back! And poor Spencer got to put up with me being hormonal and emotional and acting like the world was ending because my ring broke. I was SO upset! I feel okay now but I just want my ring back. Hopefully this next week will go quickly!

I'm So Proud!

2009-01-09T16:04:00.002-07:00

Ok, so for you who haven't known me my whole life and know this story, my mom has some problems finishing things. I won't go into detail, but the last ten years have been very hard on my whole family and many of us are still recovering. I can finally honestly say now that I am "over" the things that happened years ago and fully support the rest of my family in their continued recovery efforts.

My mom has ADD, and along with some other problems this makes it very difficult for her to finish projects as well as interacting with other people. Well people, a breakthrough has been made.

MOM FINISHED A PIECE OF ART!

And, not only did she finish it, but it is now up on eBay for all to see! I of course bid, not just because she's my mom but because Spencer and I both happen to love this piece, and I want it for myself! Besides, what better way to support my mother than by buying her first piece of art in this century! My mother is Shawn Mory McMillion; a little before our generation but was quite popular in the 70s, 80s and 90s. She's sold art in 47 states and 11 countries and quite a few celebrities have owned her work, including Diana, Princess of Wales. She is not just one of those people who draws on a paper and calls herself an artist; in fact, a professional. Unfortunately, psychotic breakdowns can get in the way of one's career.

But, I digress. Here is my mother's lovely art for the world to see! Good job mom. I'm so proud of you!

Smile!

2009-01-07T12:08:00.002-07:00

Tag!

2009-01-06T13:14:00.006-07:00

So I got tagged on facebook and the idea is you have to write 20 facts, habits, or goals about yourself that people might not know. I had so much fun with it I decided to make it a blog post! Haha.

1. my middle name is Cory for no other reason than it rhymes with Mory, which is my mom's middle name.

2. If I had been born a boy, my name would have been Zachary Alric Carlson (initials: ZAC).

3. This is the first time in my life I have NOT had a dog. It can get very lonely.

4. I'm very emotionally dependent on other people. If I don't have the approval of everyone around me I completely break down. This tends to get in the way of things. I'm working on that one.

5. When I'm at home, I'm happy, confident, secure, all that good stuff. As soon as I leave the house, my self esteem drops and I become miserable and all-around useless. I don't get it.

6. Someday I want to own my own bakery. I don't know how this is going to happen. I'm kinda sorta hoping things will just fall into place. But until then, I'm comfortable where I am.

7. I'm addicted to Harvest Moon video games. I don't know what's so satisfying about virtual farming, but I just can't give it up.

8. I have to watch Judge Judy every day after work. If I don't, then I just can't unction for the evening.

9. Anything can give me a nightmare. Give me the most innocent, cute thing in the world and my subconscious will find a way to make it terrifying.

10. my full maiden name means "pure hill of Carl."

11. I am a compulsive shopper and a big believer in retail therapy. When I'm depressed, I can't leave the house because if I do I'll spend way too much money.

12. talk to me while I'm watching House and you might as well be talking to the wall.

13. I think I'm much prettier than I actually am. It's really funny, I picture myself one way in my head and I'll see a picture of me and be like, "That's not me. That girl's way uglier than me." people think I'm being self-depricating but I think it's the funniest damn thing.

14. I LOVE hospitals. I have no idea why. I love being inside hospitals.

15. I just don't get how people can live without having a dog. I'm sorry, I'm not being mean, I just don't get it.

16. I absolutely believe that animals are smarter than we think they are. Just ecause they don't speak english doesn't mean they can't understand what we're saying.

17. You know those Cadbury chocolate eggs that come out around Easter? The ones with the crispy shell? I buy those in bulk. I can't get enough of them.

18. I am very slowly learning that it's ok if I don't do something perfect the first time.

19. I would rather squint and give myself a headache than wear my glasses. I just on't like them. I get headaches a lot.

20. I love reading books about animals, like Alex & Me, You Are A Dog, and things like that.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T20:30:00.004-07:00

SO for new year's eve Spencer and I went to my good friend Amanda's for a new years party. It was so much fun, there was a great group of people there. We played some really fun group games; Spence and I actually won a game of SceneIt playing up against Kelsie and Amanda! It was sheer luck, I swear. We rang in the new years with martinis and wine (well, I did. Spencer was driving) then drove home. Between being up early for work that morning; staying up til 2; and the alcohol, I was beat! I got home and just crashed. We didn't wake up til like 10 this morning and didn't get out of bed til noon. It was wonderful. Then we wandered our way downtown to see the Bodyworlds exhibit (I bought us tickets for a Christmas present). It was AWESOME! It was absolutely amazing and I think that if you have the chance everyone should go before the exhibit closes. They had some absolutely fascinating things there and I learned a lot of new, amazing stuff! Did you know that when a woman's pregnant, she actually grows additional mammary glands and ducts? Who knew! There's so many amazing things about the body I didn't know!

Me looking gorgeous with my pomegranite martini.

Spencer and I: officially the Cutest Couple Ever.

Outside the Bodyworlds exhibit. Unfortunately, they didn't allow photography inside.

On the way home Spencer took me to Iceberg for dinner (I'm addicted to their chicken, it's amazing) and then we came home. It was a great day and we still have the whole weekend ahead of us!

ChristmasTime!

2008-12-29T07:52:00.002-07:00

Spencer and I had a great Christmas! Spencer was lucky enough to get off work early Christmas Eve, so we were able to go to his parents' for their Christmas dinner. Then we woke up early Christmas morning and I made monkey bread for us, and we had our own little Christmas. Spencer got an Xbox with some games and tickets to go see BodyWorlds 3. I got the computer game Spore and some really nice bath towels that actually fit all the way around me! Haha. Then we went over to his parents' again. Spencer got some more games and some movies. I got a nice sweater and a bag Spencer's brother made that has Domo on it. Domo is the mascot for Japanese public tv. He looks like a walking shag carpet and he's adorable. Then we went over to my dad's house so I could cook dinner. Dad got us this really beautiful wall hanging. It's a metal disk with a cutout of the Tree of Life. It's about 2 feet across and simply gorgeous. I made my famous ham and potato soup and served it in bread bowls with eggnog cheesecake to finish it off. Dad can't eat a lot because of his hernia so I had to keep the meal small which is why we had soup. Spencer and I were able to get home safely before it started snowing, and spent all weekend playing with our new games! We also took time out of our Christmas weekend to watch the first three original Star Wars movies (which are actually 4, 5 and 6 I understand) and they were so funny! I hadn't seen them in years and Yoda is absolutely the funniest character I've ever seen in a movie. Plus my friend Savannah had her baby and all us girls are so excited for her! It was a great weekend and now we're back at work!

My eggnog cheesecake. Yummm!!!!

My puppy after she just got a treat.

This is the wall hanging my dad bought us.

Spencer looking at one of his presents.

The sock puppet Spencer's mom made for us....for some reason.

Spence and I at Christmas Eve dinner.

Ready!

2008-12-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

So we are officially ready for Christmas in the new Miller house! Spencer and I finished up all of our last minute shopping today and got everything wrapped up. Then we sat on the couch and watched Elf, which Spencer had never seen before. He loved it! It's so funny and it's such a funny movie! we just have three days of work to get through and then Christmas is here! I can hardly wait!

What I Live With Every Day

2008-12-18T08:39:00.001-07:00

I started developing symptoms of fibromyalgia in 2001. Back then, it didn't have a name. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I thought I was a hypochondriac or maybe just stupid. It wasn't until 2006 that a rheumatologist was able to put a face to this problem for me. I was diagnosed in April 2006. Nothing has gotten better since then but at least there's a name for what I'm up against every day.

Fibromyalgia is not "just in my head." It won't kill me, but some days I wish I would just die because I don't have the energy to live my life. I have no control over when I feel good and when I feel terrible. Fibromyalgia never goes away. If I am able to function normally, it means I'm having a good day. I can have good days, or weeks or even months. Just because I'm having a good day does mean I'm not in pain and it doesn't mean I'm not exhausted. It just means that on that particular day I'm able to overcome it just to live my life. A good morning can quickly turn into a terrible afternoon. I get a feeling like someone has pulled out a plug and all the energy has run out of my body. I can get irritable during these flares, and suddenly get more sensitive to noise or touch or just collapse from deadening fatigue. I may just suddenly feel awful. I can't warn anyone when this is going to happen because there's just no way for me to know.

Fibromyalgics have a different kind of pain that is hard to treat. It is not caused by inflammation like an injurty. It is not a constant ache in one place like a broken bone. It moves around my body daily and hourly and changes in severity and type. Sometimes it is dull and sometimes is is cramping or prickly. Sometimes it's jabbing and excruciating. If Eskimos have a hundred words for snow, fibromyalgics have them for pain. The pain has no rhyme or reason. Sometimes wearing clothes or even showering seems impossible because the feel of anything on my skin causes agony.

Because I feel bad most of the time I am always pushing myself, and sometimes I push myself too hard. When this happens, I pay for it. Sometimes if I can summon the strength to do something special I will have to rest for a few days afterward because my body can only make so much energy. These are called flares. During these flares my fatige level and sensitivity is greatly increased, and almost anything can cause pain. During these times I will just want to be held, but I can't because it hurts too much for anyone to touch me.

I get depressed a lot. I feel alone and useless and it's hard. I get angry and frustrated and I can have nasty mood swings. Sometimes I know I'm being unreasonable but just can't admit it. Most days I just want to pull the covers over my head and stay it bed. It's so hard.

There are other symptoms, ilke irritable bowel and pelvic pain that take a toll on my personal life. These can be embarrassing to talk about but they never go away.

Fibromyalgia is real. A lot of people don't believe that it is but they don't have to live with the pain of it every day. It's important to my that the people in my life believe me when I say that I am not without ambition, and I'm not "just lazy." I have dreams and I have things that I want to achieve in life but my disability makes it harder for me. I can't participate in a lot of things I'd like to. I can't work full time, which makes it difficult to help support myself and my family. But I am still human. And that's what's important.

Last Night

2008-12-17T09:26:00.002-07:00

Last night two things happened. One was our office Christmas party, at which we were able to make an appearance but not able to stay. The other was the theater! Spencer's mom bought us tickets to go see A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater. It was so much fun! I haven't seen that show in years and I really enjoyed it. It was so much fun to sit there with my new family to enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season. Just makes me wish even more that Christmas would come even sooner!

Looking Forward to Christmas

2008-12-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for this year. I've got Spencer's presents all ready, I just have to wrap them and put them under the tree! I think I might do that today after work. This year my dad said that instead of a present he wanted me to come over and cook him a nice dinner. So since he actually has Christmass off for the first time in like six years, Spencer and I are going over to his house on Christmas to spend the day there and I will make him dinner there. Christmas Eve we will spend the evening with Spencer's parents, because they always have their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. I'm going to make my ham and potato soup with bread bowls (if I can find them. I want them fresh!). Then I'm thinking I might make a sweet potato pie. Or maybe peach. I don't know. Some kind of pie. I suppose it depends on what kind my dad wants! And there was something else I was going to make but I can't remember what....It's hard to think this early in the morning on a monday. Especially when Christmas is so close! I know what I'd like for Christmas but I have no idea what I'm getting! I can't wait to find out!

The First Step

2008-12-04T10:54:00.002-07:00

So for years I've dreamed of someday owning my own bakery. I've found great joy in baking things for family and friends for their holiday parties or office parties or just because they want something. Today I took the first step in someday starting that business. I made a pumpkin cheesecake for an office party we were having today. It got rave reviews, everyone who tried it absolutely loved it. Well one of my coworkers asked me if I would be willing to make a couple cheesecakes for her family holiday party, and she said she'd be willing to pay me to do it! So I officially have my first holiday cake order! I'm so excited, I really want them to turn out! I'm actually kind of nervous now that something will go wrong! But if this is meant to be then it will work out fine. I just have to trust myself and God and have faith that this will work. But I'm so excited!

Should I or Shouldn't I...

2008-12-01T13:25:00.004-07:00

I've been contemplating doing something new and exciting with my life. Currently Spencer are I are doing pretty well making a living at our current jobs, but if we ever want to move into a nicer place or afford to have children, at least one of us will need to get a different job. We just don't make enough as it is. I've been thinking about the possibility of getting certified to be a Pharmacy Technician. The certification program through SLCC takes about a year to complete, and all together costs between $2500-$3000, which is a lot less than the career colleges in the area, which can range from $12,000 up for an eighteen-month program. So I was considering that. My one problem is my current job: I don't ever want to leave. I mean yeah, the job can be really stressful, but I love the people here. I've been here for two years and I'm so completely settled in; I'm comfortable with my work and my commute (or lack thereof) and the people I work with. I generally don't like change, even if it is my idea. But as a pharm tech, I would be able to make more money. I just don't know what to do. I have an appointment with an academic advisor this wednesday. Hopefully after I meet with someone and have some questions answered I'll feel a little more confident about where to go. I just don't know if this is the right direction or not. Hmmm.

Life is Wonderful

2008-11-29T20:20:00.005-07:00

I'm sure there are a few people who are going to say that I'm still in the "honeymoon phase" and will probably change my perspective in a couple years. I find it unhealthy to think that if I'm excited or satisfied or content or happy with my life now, that just means that my perspective on life is somehow skewed and that it will be "fixed" in a couple years. And, quite frankly, if that is true, then I find that all the more reason to enjoy these feelings while they last.

I feel so incredibly blessed. My husband is so wonderful, and we have such a great relationship. We are able to be completely honest with each other, and can work through any issues without getting defensive or attacking the other. We have everything we need to get by each month; enough to put into savings and enough left over to give us most of what we want. I have a wonderful family. I feel like in the last few years I have learned a lot about life; there is so much joy to be had from it. Things don't matter. We could have a small apartment or a mansion; a giant tv or none at all; all the toys in the world or just each other. It doesn't matter because when we die, we don't get to take it with us. It seems like there's no point in making attachments to superficial, temporary things. What matters are the lessons we learn from life, how we treat people, and, most importantly, the relationships we form with those we love.

I have a wonderful relationship with my husband and I feel like that's all I really need to be happy in life. He takes wonderful care of me. When Spence and I were in a pre-marital communication class, they told us something we hadn't thought of (actually lots of things, but one thing in particular that I kept with me): That marriage isn't about each person giving 50/50, or one giving more or less so you meet in the middle. It's about each person giving 100% every day. And some days that's not possible; you just can't do it. But it's important to keep that perspective. Even if the other person isn't giving 100%, you still need to try. I don't feel the need to be famous or rich or to do something grand and important in my life. I'm already doing something important because I'm important to him. He loves me. And that's really all that matters.

Tree!

2008-11-28T20:11:00.004-07:00

So we got a tree today! I was so excited to get our first real tree together! Our eyes were a little big and we ended up getting a tree just a little too big for our apartment, but it's great! After we finished decorating the tree, we turned off all the lights (except the tree of course) and sat down and drank hot chocolate and just talked. It was a wonderful start to our first Christmas together. I love Christmas time! The first pictures here are Spence and I putting up the first ornaments. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T19:31:00.006-07:00

So for Thanksgiving Spence and I went to his parents' house. We even dragged my dad with us. All total there were 16 people there! It was a little overwhelming but it was fun. Here's some pictures. The last one is me hobo-in' it up on the floor. :)

Settling In

2008-11-23T17:32:00.003-07:00

Well we're pretty much as settled into this apartment as we're going to get. Plus I finally found the cord that connects the camera to the computer and I'm looking for an excuse to post some pictures.

This was so cute. When we were loading up the moving truck the dog jumped in and lied down. We couldn't get her out of the truck! It was like she wanted to come with us. :)

This was our first sunday dinner together as a married couple. I was quite proud of the meal. I made a pot roast with carrots and cheesy potatoes. If we could eat that every day, we'd both be happy people.

And here is Spencer playing Wii boxing. I was bored and amused by his enthusiasm so I took a picture.

Yeah I'm bored today. Is it that obvious?

Crazy World

2008-11-22T18:27:00.002-07:00

It really is. A lot's happened in the last few days.

My sister's husband, Paul, got into a car crash on the way to pick up Jack from school. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but their van is totalled. Paul's out of the hospital but still out of commission. We're just all thanking God that Jack wasn't in the car. Paul's doing ok, but there's no saying what kind of long-term damage will come from this. It doesn't take much to screw up your neck and back and stuff, and he got a pretty nast concussion.

A friend of mine from high school just found out that her identity was stolen. Someone in california got ahold of her credit card number and charged a couple thousand dollars worth of stuff to it. We're all hoping the company is nice to her and doesn't make her pay for it. But that royally bites for her. Makes me want to be even more careful. We all think stuff like that always happens to someone else, until it doesn't. You know?

I swear I've been completely bipolar lately. I keep going back and forth between these moods. One minute I will just be completely elated. So happy I actually cry and I feel like life is wonderful and nothing can ever happen to make it otherwise. And then something even mildly sucky will happen and I will fly off the deep end completely. I'll break down and sob and pick fights with Spencer who totally deserves better than that and I'll be depressed and miserable. It's starting to get on my nerves because it's like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. I'm already taking a high dose of antidepressants for my anxiety disorder. So why do I keep getting so depressed all the time?

Surgery

2008-11-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

So I had the surgery for my wrists on friday. My hands are SORE! and yes, I'm stubborn so I'm on the computer anyway. I get the stitches out next tuesday and I have some pretty neat bruising on my wrists and palms. The pain isn't too bad, when the medicine they gave me decides to actually work. It likes to be stubborn and take a couple hours to start working. It works really well for the pain and makes me really happy, but I feel like I'm going to fall asleep standing up. It makes me really tired. Also, the pharmacist told me that this kind of medication causes the body to release histamine, so I itch all over! He said if I just take a benadryl or something it will be fine. It's kind of irritating to itch all over and your hands hurt to much to scratch...it's a conspiracy. Anyway, here's a picture of what they do in the surgery. It took like half an hour; it's nothing major.

Scrapbooking!

2008-11-13T16:44:00.014-07:00

Ok so I'd really like to get into scrapbooking but I'm not really interested in investing all the money for all the paper and scissors and all that stuff. So then I discovered this website called Scrapblog, where you can digitally scrapbook your photos! Well I absolutely love it! Hopefully I'll have more in the future, but here's one that I made today:
My Wedding Scrapbook. Oh and here's another one. Enjoy!

It's SNOWING!

2008-11-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Haha it is now officially winter and that means Christmas! Spencer let me put up some of our christmas decorations the other day. He says I can decorate inside all I want but I'm not allowed to decorate outside yet. He says I have to wait AT LEAST another week. I don't agree. Christmas in my family starts the day after halloween. I'll have to find my cable for my camera so I can upload pictures. When we moved I have NO IDEA where that cord went. So currently my camera has no way to connect to my computer. Dang.

Anyway, we woke up this morning and there was lots of snow everywhere. It's really slow at work because no one wants to make the trip in because of the weather. That works for me. Makes the day a little slower but I'm not about to complain about slow business.

A Fall Weekend

2008-11-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I made an appointment to see a hand surgeon. My doctor says I have carpel tunnel and the pain is just excruciating. I wear my splints all the time (some days it's the only way to get through the day) and it's getting to the point where the pain is so bad I can barely hold my pen. This is a problem when my job consists of writing and typing! The surgery would only put me out of commission for a few days and then the pain would be gone permanently. I just hope it doesn't end up costing us too much money!

So Spencer and I went to his grandmother Eva's funeral saturday morning. Something was just not right there! Spencer's mother Lana and her sisters were all running around with their cameras taking pictures of the body in the casket! It was so wrong. I'm like, what are you going to do with those pictures, scrapbook them? And then one of Lana's sisters was complaining because she didn't bring her video recorder. She said she wanted to record the funeral ceremony. I'm sorry but that is just wrong. It's not like you're going to sit your family down and watch it after dinner on holidays or something! Spence and I were horrified. He wasn't too surprised but let me tell you, it was so uncomfortable. The ceremony lasted three hours. I was about ready to pass out by the time we finally got to leave.

One good thing on saturday was that Spencer and I got to have his brothers Jeremy and Shaun over to our apartment for dinner. I made ham and potato soup and served it in bread bowls, and then I made a peach cobbler for dessert. It was really good and the boys loved it! Even Shaun, who rarely says anything to me, told me it was delicious! So that made me feel really good.

Sunday was such a soggy day. It was great. It rained all day and all the leaves formed a paste all over the sidewalk. Spence and I spent the whole day lying on our bed playing video games and eating junk food. It was the perfect fall day! We didn't eat any real food until we went to his parent's for dinner. It was great!

Honeymoon

2008-10-07T17:17:00.002-06:00

So we're back from the honeymoon and have has some time to settle in and get our pictures developed. So here they are! We had a great time at Disneyland and California Adventures. We even were able to make an evening trip down to Laguna Beach for a gourmet dinner with some of my family who live in that area. Lots of good food, lots of wine, lots of love...what more could you ask for? So here's some pictures from our trip!

We're Back

2008-09-26T22:54:00.001-06:00

Ok, so we're officially home from the honeymoon and officially exhausted. It's 11 pm right now; and we get to get up at 8 tomorrow morning to move all of our stuff into our new apartment. At least, all the important stuff. Like furniture and my kitchenaid. really, the only furniture I need is a bed and an oven and I'm good! haha.

Spencer and I just went nuts today. We had a great time on the trip but we just wanted to come home! I hadn't seen my dog in like a week and it was driving me insane!

Anyway, expect to see pictures and details in a couple days here!

Here we are!

2008-09-12T23:50:00.003-06:00

Ok. so this is me starting a blog for my soon-to-be husband and I. You may have guessed, I'm Caitie and he is Spencer. We're getting married next saturday; September 20th, 2008. Neither of us could possibly be happier! We both believe that we were meant to be together and everything for this marriage has fallen into place so well it's like the world is giving us a big thumbs-up on getting married. Hopefully we'll be disciplined enough to keep this going! Love you all!