Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hollywood Video Hoarder
These days, Joel and I are movie fanatics! We tend to watch anywhere from four to eight movies a week. Rather than brave the crowds and attend the movies in theaters, we like to sit at home with a cocktail and enjoy whatever movie we're in the mood for.
Well, we had been regulars at Hollywood Video since moving into our new home. Around September, we noticed they stopped receiving new releases. They also removed all "New Release" signage from the store. We inquired as to whether they were shutting down and they assured us they were not but were "waiting on their lease to be renewed."
By October, I was really wanting to rent Casper (the old Christina Ricci/Devon Sawa version... Yes, I used to have a huge crush on Devon when this movie was released). The sales associate, a twenty-something stereotypical video store worker, let me know he had set it aside for him to watch over the weekend. Over the past few months, I have tried several times to rent the Casper movie, and it is always conveniently rented.
Long story short, their movies started going on sale last month! Any movie in the entire store can be purchased for $3. I tried to find such classics as The Godfather trilogy, The Disney Princess Movies, and Braveheart. But no such luck.
This week, I found Meet Joe Black (One of my TOP TEN MOVIES OF ALL TIME!) and went to checkout. I asked the same sales associate whether Braveheart was rented or sold. He told me he had it behind the desk and proceeded to open one of the desk drawers. In the drawer there were AT LEAST 30 to 35 movies! He went on to explain that all of these movies have been reserved for him to buy and that he is just buying a couple movies after each paycheck.
And... what movie was in that drawer?
CASPER!
That's right, FREAKIN Casper! He had it hidden in his lame nerdy little drawer for the past FOUR months! That's right, FOUR months. Truly irritated, I simply said, "Well isn't that nice for you!" and left.
Stupid Hollywood Video Hoarder! Thanks for wasting my time!
Well, we had been regulars at Hollywood Video since moving into our new home. Around September, we noticed they stopped receiving new releases. They also removed all "New Release" signage from the store. We inquired as to whether they were shutting down and they assured us they were not but were "waiting on their lease to be renewed."
By October, I was really wanting to rent Casper (the old Christina Ricci/Devon Sawa version... Yes, I used to have a huge crush on Devon when this movie was released). The sales associate, a twenty-something stereotypical video store worker, let me know he had set it aside for him to watch over the weekend. Over the past few months, I have tried several times to rent the Casper movie, and it is always conveniently rented.
Long story short, their movies started going on sale last month! Any movie in the entire store can be purchased for $3. I tried to find such classics as The Godfather trilogy, The Disney Princess Movies, and Braveheart. But no such luck.
This week, I found Meet Joe Black (One of my TOP TEN MOVIES OF ALL TIME!) and went to checkout. I asked the same sales associate whether Braveheart was rented or sold. He told me he had it behind the desk and proceeded to open one of the desk drawers. In the drawer there were AT LEAST 30 to 35 movies! He went on to explain that all of these movies have been reserved for him to buy and that he is just buying a couple movies after each paycheck.
And... what movie was in that drawer?
CASPER!
That's right, FREAKIN Casper! He had it hidden in his lame nerdy little drawer for the past FOUR months! That's right, FOUR months. Truly irritated, I simply said, "Well isn't that nice for you!" and left.
Stupid Hollywood Video Hoarder! Thanks for wasting my time!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Dirty Thirty!
This past weekend was my husband's 30th Birthday. It was also his "Golden Birthday" since he turned 30 on the 30th. It was definitely a fun weekend of celebrating. On Thursday, our two friends from Las Vegas drove up to Utah. We never get to see Jess since we moved out of her house, so it was great having her and Nick in town.
Friday morning, I tried a new recipe to surprise Joel with for breakfast. The creation tasted wonderful but looked horrible. I will definitely cook it again but will roll them inside the crescent rolls instead of the way the recipe said. I also made a Hollandaise sauce but it didn't turn out well and looked like pure butter.
Egg Pinwheels:
6 slices of thinly shaved Ham
1 cup of Egg Beaters
Shredded American Cheese
1 Pkg of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
After Breakfast, I had to work for a couple hours but then we just hung around the house and played with the puppy. Friday night, Broke City played a birthday show for Joel.
All of his friends showed up in full force. The bar sold out and there was a line around the block to get in.
They originally were only going to play one set, but they ended up playing two due to the crowd which was a great surprise!
Saturday we went to lunch with Jess and Nick at a neat little place called Z'Tejas. Best queso I have found in Utah thus far! Big deal! When we got back to our house, we found a cake and balloons that his sisters had left on our porch!
He bought a Mac laptop from a friend a couple years ago but it has been having a lot of problems. I got him a new one that he will be able to record with while on the road. He was super excited :)
That night, a group of our friends all ate at Joel's favorite restaurant, David's Kitchen. If you're ever in Utah and want some AMAZING Chinese, this is the place!
We invited everyone back to our house for dessert and drinks after.
Joel invented a new drink for his birthday that consisted of pouring a shot of Jack into a beer. He called it the "Garth Brooks" .... "where the Whiskey drowns and the Beer chases my blues away..."
They also did shot relays....
Even Cleo came and hung out!
We only lasted til about 2:30am but it was still a WONDERFUL night!
And... we were cool like Fonzie!
Friday morning, I tried a new recipe to surprise Joel with for breakfast. The creation tasted wonderful but looked horrible. I will definitely cook it again but will roll them inside the crescent rolls instead of the way the recipe said. I also made a Hollandaise sauce but it didn't turn out well and looked like pure butter.
Egg Pinwheels:
6 slices of thinly shaved Ham
1 cup of Egg Beaters
Shredded American Cheese
1 Pkg of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
- Heat oven to 350.
- Scramble Eggs
- Spray a cookie sheet with Pam
- Lay the crescent dough flat on a cookie sheet
- Cover the dough with the slices of ham, leaving and inch of free space at one of the short sides of the dough
- Sprinkle the scrambled eggs evenly over the ham slices
- Sprinkle cheese evenly over the eggs and ham
- Roll into a log shape using the free inch of dough to secure it
- Slice into 8 pieces and arrange them on the cookie sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes
After Breakfast, I had to work for a couple hours but then we just hung around the house and played with the puppy. Friday night, Broke City played a birthday show for Joel.
All of his friends showed up in full force. The bar sold out and there was a line around the block to get in.
They originally were only going to play one set, but they ended up playing two due to the crowd which was a great surprise!
Saturday we went to lunch with Jess and Nick at a neat little place called Z'Tejas. Best queso I have found in Utah thus far! Big deal! When we got back to our house, we found a cake and balloons that his sisters had left on our porch!
He bought a Mac laptop from a friend a couple years ago but it has been having a lot of problems. I got him a new one that he will be able to record with while on the road. He was super excited :)
That night, a group of our friends all ate at Joel's favorite restaurant, David's Kitchen. If you're ever in Utah and want some AMAZING Chinese, this is the place!
We invited everyone back to our house for dessert and drinks after.
Joel invented a new drink for his birthday that consisted of pouring a shot of Jack into a beer. He called it the "Garth Brooks" .... "where the Whiskey drowns and the Beer chases my blues away..."
They also did shot relays....
Even Cleo came and hung out!
We only lasted til about 2:30am but it was still a WONDERFUL night!
And... we were cool like Fonzie!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Song suggestions please...
So I go through stages where I get really addicted to songs. Songs, not bands. Well lately I have been addicted to three songs by the Spill Canvas:
I've been craving more of their songs but I hate getting into songs by a band and then finding out the rest of their material sucks! So if anyone listens to them and can recommend a good song, please do!
Also, for the record... I do LOVE A Fine Frenzy's most recent album. She is one of the few exceptions to my band rule. I don't know if she will ever top "Almost Lover" ... "Near to You" ...or... "Ashes and Wine" but I am super excited to know she is in the studio with Butch Walker! Whatever those two cook up will most likely be perfection!
Here's the video for Almost Lover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_S_TbD1XFM
I'm in the market for new music so anyone with any good songs, send them my way please!
On a more interesting note, tonight is Joel's Bday Celebration! He turns 30 tomorrow so tonight Broke City is playing a show at A Bar Named Sue! Super excited for all the bday festivities!
AND... we gave Cleo her fist bath :)
- All Hail the Heartbreaker
- Sunsets and Car Crashes
- This is for Keeps
I've been craving more of their songs but I hate getting into songs by a band and then finding out the rest of their material sucks! So if anyone listens to them and can recommend a good song, please do!
Also, for the record... I do LOVE A Fine Frenzy's most recent album. She is one of the few exceptions to my band rule. I don't know if she will ever top "Almost Lover" ... "Near to You" ...or... "Ashes and Wine" but I am super excited to know she is in the studio with Butch Walker! Whatever those two cook up will most likely be perfection!
Here's the video for Almost Lover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_S_TbD1XFM
I'm in the market for new music so anyone with any good songs, send them my way please!
On a more interesting note, tonight is Joel's Bday Celebration! He turns 30 tomorrow so tonight Broke City is playing a show at A Bar Named Sue! Super excited for all the bday festivities!
AND... we gave Cleo her fist bath :)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Cleo
So if you know me, you know that I have wanted a dog for 13 years.... and I finally got her! Here's how...
I've been looking for a Maltese/Shih Tzu (Malshi) or a Shih tzu/Poodle (Shih-poo) for quite a while. Both are hypoallergenic and I'm allergic to dogs so it was a pretty narrow selection of breeds.
I had a pretty crappy couple of days while traveling for work. I go to two small towns once a month for site visits. The drive to the first town is a little over three hours through a couple different canyons. I get there, work all day and then drive another two hours through a canyon to the second town. Driving through Canyons in Utah during the winter months sucks pretty bad. Usually you are required to have snow tires because the snow is so bad but it hadn't snowed much so I figured I would make it through them just fine.
One word... FOG. I didn't expect it to be so dang foggy. On my way to the first town, visibility was only about two car lengths... ON EVERY SIDE.
Now normally this would have been okay, but factor in a winding canyon with an open range and it was scary! It's not uncommon for cows and deer to be hanging out in the middle of the two-lane road. Luckily I only saw two deer and I was driving slow enough that I didn't hit them.
Well, long story short (sort of) on the way to the second town the sun set and it got dark. The fog continued to increase and by this time I could barely even see the end of my car. The only other vehicles on the road were semi trucks that were pulled over on the edge of the canyon so I couldn't tail another vehicle. Nor did I feel comfortable spending the night in my car with no blankets and half a bottle of water. (Normally I would have considered it, but not knowing where in the canyon I was and having crappy cell service, I decided it was a bad idea.) So after lots of tears and prayers and lengthy spotty phone calls to Joel, I finally made it to the other town.
When I got back home the next day, I was SO happy and relieved... as was Joel. We had seen an ad on KSL for a Malshi female puppy that a local vet was keeping. So out of pure curiosity, we went to see if they were still open. They were and the three female puppies were just adorable. We picked out little Cleo and they got her all bathed for us. We were excited because the vet will continue to see Cleo her whole life and will spay her for free. She gave us a little puppy package with toys, food and heartworm medicine.
Cleo has been an absolute joy! We are slowly training her on pee-pads and she seems to be a smart little puppy. She has a current biting/chewing problem, but we're working on that too :)
I'm sure I will blog about her a lot as she grows and learns! We are enthralled by her and probably spoil her a little too much! Joel jokes that he thinks we'll be paranoid parents since we are constantly researching everything puppy oriented. Haha!
Luckily, we won't find out for a couple years :)
I've been looking for a Maltese/Shih Tzu (Malshi) or a Shih tzu/Poodle (Shih-poo) for quite a while. Both are hypoallergenic and I'm allergic to dogs so it was a pretty narrow selection of breeds.
I had a pretty crappy couple of days while traveling for work. I go to two small towns once a month for site visits. The drive to the first town is a little over three hours through a couple different canyons. I get there, work all day and then drive another two hours through a canyon to the second town. Driving through Canyons in Utah during the winter months sucks pretty bad. Usually you are required to have snow tires because the snow is so bad but it hadn't snowed much so I figured I would make it through them just fine.
One word... FOG. I didn't expect it to be so dang foggy. On my way to the first town, visibility was only about two car lengths... ON EVERY SIDE.
Now normally this would have been okay, but factor in a winding canyon with an open range and it was scary! It's not uncommon for cows and deer to be hanging out in the middle of the two-lane road. Luckily I only saw two deer and I was driving slow enough that I didn't hit them.
Well, long story short (sort of) on the way to the second town the sun set and it got dark. The fog continued to increase and by this time I could barely even see the end of my car. The only other vehicles on the road were semi trucks that were pulled over on the edge of the canyon so I couldn't tail another vehicle. Nor did I feel comfortable spending the night in my car with no blankets and half a bottle of water. (Normally I would have considered it, but not knowing where in the canyon I was and having crappy cell service, I decided it was a bad idea.) So after lots of tears and prayers and lengthy spotty phone calls to Joel, I finally made it to the other town.
When I got back home the next day, I was SO happy and relieved... as was Joel. We had seen an ad on KSL for a Malshi female puppy that a local vet was keeping. So out of pure curiosity, we went to see if they were still open. They were and the three female puppies were just adorable. We picked out little Cleo and they got her all bathed for us. We were excited because the vet will continue to see Cleo her whole life and will spay her for free. She gave us a little puppy package with toys, food and heartworm medicine.
Cleo has been an absolute joy! We are slowly training her on pee-pads and she seems to be a smart little puppy. She has a current biting/chewing problem, but we're working on that too :)
I'm sure I will blog about her a lot as she grows and learns! We are enthralled by her and probably spoil her a little too much! Joel jokes that he thinks we'll be paranoid parents since we are constantly researching everything puppy oriented. Haha!
Luckily, we won't find out for a couple years :)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday Bum-day
Well, today has been another lazy Sunday. I have been writing continuously since my last post but kind of fell off on actually posting them to my blog. I know, I know ... a full year of NOTHING getting posted. I am going to work really hard to blog on a regular basis from now on.
As a little update from the Econo-me post, I lost my job only a couple weeks after I posted it. The company I worked for was having a very profitable year but the owner made some bad investments in the process. So, the creditors came after our company for all the debt the owner had acquired.... which meant, I stopped getting paid by the end of January.
We had been in Vegas for less than a year, and already my company was filing bankruptcy. Joel and I weighed our options and decided that Vegas was not the best place to try to find a new job. We had two options on the table.
Option 1: Austin TX
-a sales rep job already offered to me
-Joel would have to quit the band and start over with building base clients for a recording studio
-We would have to find a place to live.
Option 2: Salt Lake City UT
-no job prospects for me
-cheap or free living with friends or family
-Joel continues working in the band and with the recording studio.
So, we decided option two was a much better option. We moved back to Utah in June of 09 and LUCKILY I was offered a job as a field rep after being back only a week! We had some WONDERFUL friends who let us stay in their basement apartment for free while we got on our feet. They were the biggest blessings in our life for letting us share their beautiful home.
We bought a house in July and now live close to downtown Salt Lake City. Our little brick bungalow was built in 1923 so it has all sorts of neat little details and lots of character. I'm hoping to have a cute little swing on the front porch this summer.
We're in the process of turning the basement into a recording studio but it is a slow process. Renovations take FOREVER, so I'm sure I will blog about them a lot. Joel replaced the hardwood in half our house as a surprise while I was on a business trip. And it looks amazing! Other than the floors, we have only completed my office and the dining room. They still need decorating but at least the painting is done.
Our dining room is a dark red with a black glaze. I love how the white woodwork accents the room :) I'm a nerd, but we just adore the paint in this room!
My office is my "Girly Room" and I love it! Basically, everything we own that is too girly for the main house or is to frilly or whatever, goes in my office. I love that Joel and I chose to have two rooms that were our own. He has his studio/man cave and I have my girly office :) I painted my office a dark grey but kept all the white trim. I've wanted a harlequin wall for a long time so we painted the little inlet harlequin. The only photo I have of it, was a "during" photo instead of an "after" but you can get the idea.
Well, that is pretty much all of the updating I have for the past year. I went to a knitting group with some girlfriends today which was pretty fun. I'm learning to make a scarf since it's the easiest project. If i actually make it through the entire scarf, I will probably blog about it :)
I'll leave you with two motivational posters that I just can't get enough of! They were both featured on thechive.com. And they are hilarious! If you get a chance, you should check out their website! It is GREAT for a little laugh during a break at the office!
As a little update from the Econo-me post, I lost my job only a couple weeks after I posted it. The company I worked for was having a very profitable year but the owner made some bad investments in the process. So, the creditors came after our company for all the debt the owner had acquired.... which meant, I stopped getting paid by the end of January.
We had been in Vegas for less than a year, and already my company was filing bankruptcy. Joel and I weighed our options and decided that Vegas was not the best place to try to find a new job. We had two options on the table.
Option 1: Austin TX
-a sales rep job already offered to me
-Joel would have to quit the band and start over with building base clients for a recording studio
-We would have to find a place to live.
Option 2: Salt Lake City UT
-no job prospects for me
-cheap or free living with friends or family
-Joel continues working in the band and with the recording studio.
So, we decided option two was a much better option. We moved back to Utah in June of 09 and LUCKILY I was offered a job as a field rep after being back only a week! We had some WONDERFUL friends who let us stay in their basement apartment for free while we got on our feet. They were the biggest blessings in our life for letting us share their beautiful home.
We bought a house in July and now live close to downtown Salt Lake City. Our little brick bungalow was built in 1923 so it has all sorts of neat little details and lots of character. I'm hoping to have a cute little swing on the front porch this summer.
We're in the process of turning the basement into a recording studio but it is a slow process. Renovations take FOREVER, so I'm sure I will blog about them a lot. Joel replaced the hardwood in half our house as a surprise while I was on a business trip. And it looks amazing! Other than the floors, we have only completed my office and the dining room. They still need decorating but at least the painting is done.
Our dining room is a dark red with a black glaze. I love how the white woodwork accents the room :) I'm a nerd, but we just adore the paint in this room!
My office is my "Girly Room" and I love it! Basically, everything we own that is too girly for the main house or is to frilly or whatever, goes in my office. I love that Joel and I chose to have two rooms that were our own. He has his studio/man cave and I have my girly office :) I painted my office a dark grey but kept all the white trim. I've wanted a harlequin wall for a long time so we painted the little inlet harlequin. The only photo I have of it, was a "during" photo instead of an "after" but you can get the idea.
Well, that is pretty much all of the updating I have for the past year. I went to a knitting group with some girlfriends today which was pretty fun. I'm learning to make a scarf since it's the easiest project. If i actually make it through the entire scarf, I will probably blog about it :)
I'll leave you with two motivational posters that I just can't get enough of! They were both featured on thechive.com. And they are hilarious! If you get a chance, you should check out their website! It is GREAT for a little laugh during a break at the office!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Econo-Me
"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."
FDR's speech to the Democratic National Convention, January 27, 1936
The economy has never really concerned me. Call me an irresponsible product of the baby boomer umbrella, but I never saw the economy as being anything more than a bunch of high-maintenance drama. Sure, I thought it was important. And I understand its relation to our entire way of life. But it was never personal.
For the first time in my life, I see the economy. I see it on the face of the man in his mid-50’s who went from white-collar management to blue-collar beginner. I see it in the eyes of the child who didn’t get fed yesterday and is eager for his school lunch today. I see it in the buildings, which were once thriving businesses and now are cement cemeteries. And I see it in the neighborhoods, once teeming with children playing amongst their homes, now just vacant houses.
The first week in January, at my company meeting, our CEO asked anyone who had an immediate member of their family lose their job to stand up. About a fourth of the room stood. Then he asked those who had an extended member like an aunt or cousin lose their job to stand. Over half the banquet hall was now standing on their feet. Then he said, “Finally, anyone who has had a close friend lose his/her job, please stand up.” The entire room, our entire corporation, was standing.
In 2008, a total of 2.6 million jobs were lost… the largest loss since 1946. The Unemployment rate is around 7.2, the highest since January of 1993. Obama considered it “a stark reminder of how urgently action is needed.” Many people have gone back to compare our current issues with those faced during the Great Depression. Is the recession largely based out of fear and thus the larger our fear, the more fuel to the fire?
A professor from a local Nevada university made a reference very similar to this when he said that unemployment is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When people are constantly fueled by the fear-ladened prophesy of a recession, they ultimately bring it about. They spend less due to the fear of losing their jobs and thus create a more defined problem. I am as guilty as the next. Ultimately it’s the lack of confidence. Fear. The majority is a powerful machine once it gets the wheel spinning.
Nevada has had the highest foreclosure rate in 2008 at 7.3 percent or roughly almost 78,000 homes. 8.9 percent of Vegas homes were affected. The little cul-de-sac I live in has 8 homes for sale right now. A buyer’s market I suppose.
The hardest part for me is the family that can’t provide for their kids. Joel and I have had our rough patches financially but we always made it out okay. There was a period of time where I was only bringing in about $600/month but we ate ramen and budgeted everything… and I mean EVERYTHING, and we made it work. We also went through a period of time where we didn’t have any running water for about 6 weeks. We showered with babywipes, I washed my hair every couple days with bottled water, and learned the fast food restaurants who had the best bathrooms. We made it work. Thank the Lord we didn’t have kids to look after.
It honestly breaks my heart to see it affect children. This past week, I had several eye-openers. While getting gas I noticed a grandma and a little girl about 8 years old walking into the gas station. She was wearing a blue, women’s skirt suit. It looked like a suit you would have seen a lawyer wear in 1982, but it swamped her little body. The little girl was just thrilled to be going to the gas station and you could tell this suit was probably one of the few clothing items they owned. For my job I’m in and out of schools all day. At one of the schools there was a little boy that was just sitting in office for hours. He was only in kindergarten and had been waiting for someone to pick him up for over 2 hours. The office called his parents, and with all the needs for jobs, they just couldn’t leave to pick him up yet.
The economy has become personal. I see it everyday in my neighborhood, at my job, and even at dinner when a middle-aged college grad comes bearing resume, begging to be hired as a waiter. Is FDR’s great statement true? “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” Change is coming… may take a while but I believe it is. I have to.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.”
-FDR
FDR's speech to the Democratic National Convention, January 27, 1936
The economy has never really concerned me. Call me an irresponsible product of the baby boomer umbrella, but I never saw the economy as being anything more than a bunch of high-maintenance drama. Sure, I thought it was important. And I understand its relation to our entire way of life. But it was never personal.
For the first time in my life, I see the economy. I see it on the face of the man in his mid-50’s who went from white-collar management to blue-collar beginner. I see it in the eyes of the child who didn’t get fed yesterday and is eager for his school lunch today. I see it in the buildings, which were once thriving businesses and now are cement cemeteries. And I see it in the neighborhoods, once teeming with children playing amongst their homes, now just vacant houses.
The first week in January, at my company meeting, our CEO asked anyone who had an immediate member of their family lose their job to stand up. About a fourth of the room stood. Then he asked those who had an extended member like an aunt or cousin lose their job to stand. Over half the banquet hall was now standing on their feet. Then he said, “Finally, anyone who has had a close friend lose his/her job, please stand up.” The entire room, our entire corporation, was standing.
In 2008, a total of 2.6 million jobs were lost… the largest loss since 1946. The Unemployment rate is around 7.2, the highest since January of 1993. Obama considered it “a stark reminder of how urgently action is needed.” Many people have gone back to compare our current issues with those faced during the Great Depression. Is the recession largely based out of fear and thus the larger our fear, the more fuel to the fire?
A professor from a local Nevada university made a reference very similar to this when he said that unemployment is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When people are constantly fueled by the fear-ladened prophesy of a recession, they ultimately bring it about. They spend less due to the fear of losing their jobs and thus create a more defined problem. I am as guilty as the next. Ultimately it’s the lack of confidence. Fear. The majority is a powerful machine once it gets the wheel spinning.
Nevada has had the highest foreclosure rate in 2008 at 7.3 percent or roughly almost 78,000 homes. 8.9 percent of Vegas homes were affected. The little cul-de-sac I live in has 8 homes for sale right now. A buyer’s market I suppose.
The hardest part for me is the family that can’t provide for their kids. Joel and I have had our rough patches financially but we always made it out okay. There was a period of time where I was only bringing in about $600/month but we ate ramen and budgeted everything… and I mean EVERYTHING, and we made it work. We also went through a period of time where we didn’t have any running water for about 6 weeks. We showered with babywipes, I washed my hair every couple days with bottled water, and learned the fast food restaurants who had the best bathrooms. We made it work. Thank the Lord we didn’t have kids to look after.
It honestly breaks my heart to see it affect children. This past week, I had several eye-openers. While getting gas I noticed a grandma and a little girl about 8 years old walking into the gas station. She was wearing a blue, women’s skirt suit. It looked like a suit you would have seen a lawyer wear in 1982, but it swamped her little body. The little girl was just thrilled to be going to the gas station and you could tell this suit was probably one of the few clothing items they owned. For my job I’m in and out of schools all day. At one of the schools there was a little boy that was just sitting in office for hours. He was only in kindergarten and had been waiting for someone to pick him up for over 2 hours. The office called his parents, and with all the needs for jobs, they just couldn’t leave to pick him up yet.
The economy has become personal. I see it everyday in my neighborhood, at my job, and even at dinner when a middle-aged college grad comes bearing resume, begging to be hired as a waiter. Is FDR’s great statement true? “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” Change is coming… may take a while but I believe it is. I have to.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.”
-FDR
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Flashback!
So one of my friends from home posted a yearbook picture as his myspace profile pic. This dear friend of mine is now mid-30's so I wasn't sure if it was a real pic or not. It wasn't... thanks to a wonderful website called Yearbookyourself.com :) Here are my pics through the decades ... although, I think my real yearbook photos are a lot worse haha!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Niece Update!
Since I haven't been feeling very creative lately, here is a new pic of my cute little niece! :)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Making my way in Sin City
Well we have officially lived in Vegas for almost a month. I honestly can't believe it. Some times it seems like we barely even lived in Utah and other days, it's like we just moved here yesterday. The first week we were here was a whirl-wind.
We got here late Saturday evening and Jessica (our landlord, roommate, and friend) was out of town until Monday. We decided to take advantage of her not being there by having everything unpacked and settled before she got home Monday. We woke up EARLY Sunday morning to go get furniture for our bedroom. Luckily we had enough gift cards from our wedding that we didn't have to spend a penny :)
We spent ALL day Sunday putting together 2 large dressers and 2 desks. (Or I guess I should say, Joel put together 2 desks and a dresser in the amount of time that it took me to build only one dresser... whatever, I'm a girl right?). :)
Sunday night we met up with one of my friends from Oklahoma, Ms. Jenny Hawkins and her significant other, Matt. We ate at a really fancy Steak restaurant named Del Frisco and it was AMAZING! It was SO good seeing Jenny and getting to catch up over a bottle of wine. (Plus I enjoyed watching the camaraderie build between Joel and Matt).
After our fancy steak dinner, Joel and I took them to Double Down Saloon. It's our favorite dive bar in Vegas and is famous for a drink called "Ass Juice." They claim that at the end of every night, they empty all their liquor bottles into a big tub. Sounds sketchy, but it basically tastes like Koolaid and is a MUST for any Vegas-goer.
After the Double Down, we all cruised back to their room at the Bellagio. Their room overlooked the fountains so we shared a bottle of wine while watching them from the room window.
That Monday, Joel did his first Vegas open-mic at a place called Aces & 8's. He made some great friends that first night and really knocked the socks off of everyone.
Joel and I spent the following days going to Lake Mead with 2 of his friends from Utah (Brigham and Liz) and their friends from Henderson (Steve and Brooke). Any of you that know me, know I have a HUGE fear of boats due to various negative experiences from over the years. But I braved it out the best I could. I didn't get in the water either afternoon but I at least rode around on the boat without fearing for our lives. haha! Steve and Brooke are awesome drivers so I felt safe. Next time, I may actually get in!
That Friday, Jessica threw Joel and I a "Welcome to Vegas" party/cookout. It was SO much fun.
We spent a couple hours playing Apples to Apples with our new amazing friends and even Brig and Liz were able to make it to the shindig. The games gets pretty intense.
The following night, we cruised down to Fremont Street to hang out with Brig and Liz before she had to fly home the next morning. We walked around Fremont and people watched while trying to convince Liz and Brig to tie the knot.
After watching the Fremont Experience, we strolled over to the Golden Nugget to do some late night hot-tubbing.
On our way through the hotel, we saw a group of 24 brides cruising the lobby and taking lots of pics... we tried to convince Brig and Liz it was a sign, but they didn't bite :)
Needless to say, Vegas is home... who would have thought?
We got here late Saturday evening and Jessica (our landlord, roommate, and friend) was out of town until Monday. We decided to take advantage of her not being there by having everything unpacked and settled before she got home Monday. We woke up EARLY Sunday morning to go get furniture for our bedroom. Luckily we had enough gift cards from our wedding that we didn't have to spend a penny :)
We spent ALL day Sunday putting together 2 large dressers and 2 desks. (Or I guess I should say, Joel put together 2 desks and a dresser in the amount of time that it took me to build only one dresser... whatever, I'm a girl right?). :)
Sunday night we met up with one of my friends from Oklahoma, Ms. Jenny Hawkins and her significant other, Matt. We ate at a really fancy Steak restaurant named Del Frisco and it was AMAZING! It was SO good seeing Jenny and getting to catch up over a bottle of wine. (Plus I enjoyed watching the camaraderie build between Joel and Matt).
After our fancy steak dinner, Joel and I took them to Double Down Saloon. It's our favorite dive bar in Vegas and is famous for a drink called "Ass Juice." They claim that at the end of every night, they empty all their liquor bottles into a big tub. Sounds sketchy, but it basically tastes like Koolaid and is a MUST for any Vegas-goer.
After the Double Down, we all cruised back to their room at the Bellagio. Their room overlooked the fountains so we shared a bottle of wine while watching them from the room window.
That Monday, Joel did his first Vegas open-mic at a place called Aces & 8's. He made some great friends that first night and really knocked the socks off of everyone.
Joel and I spent the following days going to Lake Mead with 2 of his friends from Utah (Brigham and Liz) and their friends from Henderson (Steve and Brooke). Any of you that know me, know I have a HUGE fear of boats due to various negative experiences from over the years. But I braved it out the best I could. I didn't get in the water either afternoon but I at least rode around on the boat without fearing for our lives. haha! Steve and Brooke are awesome drivers so I felt safe. Next time, I may actually get in!
That Friday, Jessica threw Joel and I a "Welcome to Vegas" party/cookout. It was SO much fun.
We spent a couple hours playing Apples to Apples with our new amazing friends and even Brig and Liz were able to make it to the shindig. The games gets pretty intense.
The following night, we cruised down to Fremont Street to hang out with Brig and Liz before she had to fly home the next morning. We walked around Fremont and people watched while trying to convince Liz and Brig to tie the knot.
After watching the Fremont Experience, we strolled over to the Golden Nugget to do some late night hot-tubbing.
On our way through the hotel, we saw a group of 24 brides cruising the lobby and taking lots of pics... we tried to convince Brig and Liz it was a sign, but they didn't bite :)
Needless to say, Vegas is home... who would have thought?
Sunday, July 13, 2008
ViVa LaS VeGaS
Well ... i seem to be pretty behind with updating my blog. Here is the latest:
We're moving ... that's right... to the city of lights! ha! I don't even know if it is really called that... and if it is, it's pretty silly in my opinion. But either way, we're heading to Vegas.
Why you ask? Change of scenery. It's our little adventure. We don't have jobs yet, but I'm looking and Joel is just going to focus on writing. But either way we're heading down to Nevada and are planning on making the best of whatever comes our way. I'm sure I'll write plenty of updates about how much I love or loathe the situation. Hopefully the former :)
So .. stay tuned haha!
We're moving ... that's right... to the city of lights! ha! I don't even know if it is really called that... and if it is, it's pretty silly in my opinion. But either way, we're heading to Vegas.
Why you ask? Change of scenery. It's our little adventure. We don't have jobs yet, but I'm looking and Joel is just going to focus on writing. But either way we're heading down to Nevada and are planning on making the best of whatever comes our way. I'm sure I'll write plenty of updates about how much I love or loathe the situation. Hopefully the former :)
So .. stay tuned haha!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Aunt Update!
Since it's been a while since I blogged anything, I thought I would load some more
recent pics of my niece :) Above is a photo of my sis with Reese in Dallas. To the right and below is a photo I took while visiting home in June. It's my mom and my sis with little Reese.
Below is my favorite photo because it just straight cracks me up! I can't help but wonder what Reese is thinking :)
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