Today my family gathered for the wedding of my cousin. The wedding was fairly short and simple, but I fell in love. I fell in love with the little Hershey's Kisses on the table.

They were cookies and cream and they were to die for.

Labels: Just Me

I find myself very bored and anxious as I'm waiting for this new addition to our family. Every time someone asks me how much longer, I tell them, and they always respond "oh that's so close" or "it could be any day now." Trust me I know. Everyday I wake up and think...am I going to have my baby today? While I'm sitting around "patiently" waiting I've been thinking about a lot of random things.

-Has anyone seen the show Ice Road Truckers? Me neither. I heard the title and realized I now know what the worst job in the world would be. Driving a truck on ice sounds absolutely ludicrous. No thanks.

-Why do doctors even examine women to tell if they are dilated? When you can be dilated at a one and have your baby that day or dilated at a 4 for a few weeks? By the way, does it seem odd to anyone else that there really is no way to tell when you are going to go into labor?

-I think Micaela's princess theme has gone to far. She now has been calling Caleb "sir" and me "your majesty." Cute at first, but somewhat embarrassing in public. Although not as embarrassing as when she pulled up her dress to adjust her princess panties.

-I recently bought a whole bag of chewy chocolate chip cookies for myself to celebrate the last two weeks that I can eat whatever I want. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a diet where you can eat a whole bag of chewy chocolate chip cookies and lose weight?

-Is there any way I can convince my doctor to not weigh me tomorrow? If so, I will have a few more cookies.

-How are we possibly going to have two children? We should have raised Micaela and then, if we did a decent job, had another one. Or by that time we would only be 40, obviously still young enough to take a few years off and travel around the world. That's why we have to have the 2nd one now. Because there is no way we would give up our world travels to have another child. Just kidding. Kind of.

Labels: Just Me

This is Micaela's preggo picture of me. She just couldn't get my face, and when I told her to get my face, she got only my face and not my belly. We decided my belly would be more interesting than my face to post.

For those who haven't heard, I am scheduled to pop this baby out on August 13th at 7:30 am. Apparently the hospital doesn't realize that the majority of my family (Caleb and Micaela) do not arise at such an awful hour, but I'm hoping they'll make an exception. We were told we could only have 4 people in the labor room, and Caleb has gracefully offered to sacrifice his spot for anyone willing to come lend a hand. He gets a little queasy at hospitals, but I assured him that I would be the one doing all the work and he just gets to sit and look pretty.

Change of subject...on the 4th of July we got to go back to Reno! We had such an amazing time. We haven't been back since Thanksgiving and we were able to see almost everyone we wanted to see. Micaela enjoyed the fireworks, and Caleb and I went with Katy and my dad to see Boston in concert. I enjoyed the loud music, but was unable to stand the entire time, possibly because of my recent weight gain and the high heels I refuse to part with. Which could possibly have something to do with my constant back pain??

We saw movies, ate food you can't get in Utah (In and Out, El Pollo Loco, Super Burrito...) and visited with friends and family. Micaela played with her grandparents non-stop and had a chance to visit with her cousins.

Also, I have become more domestic. I usually shy away from building anything. I am not a handy, fix-it-yourself kind of person. I prefer to have things fixed for me, less chance of me making a bigger mess. I just don't have that intelligence that some people possess to be able to put things together. However, one day I decided to build all of the baby stuff I ordered. Here it is.

I built the baby bouncer, swing and bassinet all by myself. Except for one mistake that would have been fine, but Caleb noticed it and decided to fix it. No, I didn't have to use any more tools than a screwdriver to build this stuff, but I am proud of myself and I plan on building even more things...things that come with instructions and labeled pieces.

While in Reno I also made some baby blankets. I have been wanting some bright and unique blankets, so I made them myself, after shopping in my mother's sewing room and enlisting her help. Once again, this may be something that most people can do, but I have never used a sewing machine before so this was a big step!


The baby's room is pink and brown so these should match well. I'm also working towards making a bag. By working towards I mean my mother showed me a picture and I thought it looked cute.

So much else has been going on, but I think this is a long enough post. I'm excited to have Internet access again and look forward to blogging more often. I'm hoping this baby will be here soon and promise to post pictures ASAP when she makes her debut!

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

I have been avoiding blogging, mainly because I have been so busy "nesting." Nesting in my mind means shopping for things for the baby. I placed a large order at Babies R Us and basically it has been like Christmas around here. Every day a new package with new baby stuff arrives. It's quite exciting!
Another reason is this is my 100th post on my blog. I wanted to do something original, but my creative juices just aren't flowing. It's possible I am urinating them all out, as I use the restroom at least once an hour. Hydration is so important right now!
Anyways, I was reading about breastfeeding online to see if any new research has come out since Micaela was born. I found an interesting question asked by a reader. She was asking if it is ok for her husband to drink her breast mile. Odd, I thought, but it gets better. You have to read the question and the responses people left. I feel particularly sorry for all the women who talk about the "closeness" and "intimacy" that they feel when participating in this activity. I, for one, can think of a few things much more fun to do to promote closeness and intimacy in my marriage:)

Labels: Just Me

This has been a good week for our little family. The most exciting thing would have to be Caleb passing his commercial license exam! This basically means that he is done with all of his flight training. This is a huge deal for us because he has been working on this for the past four and half years and it has been a huge sacrifice of time and money for us. He has been studying non-stop for the past few weeks and he has been such a joy to live with as he has been stressed out. I was honestly wondering what he would do if he didn't pass, because there is no way I would have let him come home. Fortunately we got to have our celebration date night this Friday which was an opportunity for us both to de-stress. The best part was the play we were going to see was actually not a play, but a ballet! I was thrilled and Caleb didn't think it was so bad until he realized that there is no talking in ballets. He was pretty much done with it at that point, and I let him leave early to walk the 10 miles to get the car. The worst part about this is there is absolutely no way he will go with me to see The Nutcracker this Christmas, as he has sworn off ballets for the rest of his life. I am already strategizing to start Micaela in ballet, therefore he would be required to break his vow and attend her dance recitals.

I have been eating and growing at an alarming rate. I decided it was time to post another preggo picture, and soon realized how much I hate these pictures. Especially as I decided not to put on makeup or do my hair, so pardon the "just got out of bed look."



25 weeks in, 15 to go!

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

I am now officially one year older. Heading closer to 30 everyday. I remember turning 19 and thinking, yeah this isn't so fun...getting older is not so fun. However, I think birthdays are amazingly fun. Most of the time. You know there is that person who doesn't want anyone to know it is their birthday, doesn't want to get presents and what not. I find this more common as I get older..."birthdays are for kids" is a direct quote from a friend. I disagree. I think your birthday is the one time of year that you should be entitled to spend the entire day thinking of yourself and doing the things you enjoy. I also think splurging is necessary.
My birthdays tend to go one of two ways. Either they are absolutely insanely fun or they are absolutely insanely horrible. For example:

My 16th birthday was spent driving home from Vegas. So we were in the car the entire day. Also, I was convinced there would be a "special" birthday present waiting in the driveway. In fact, my mother and youngest sister had left to visit my grandma and I got a book from my parents. I'm sure I got something else besides a book, but I don't remember. I only remember that there was no car in the driveway.

My 17th birthday was spent in Great America with 5 of my girlfriends staying in a suit at a hotel. It was a blast. I mean how many 17-year-olds get to take their friends on an out-of-state trip for their birthday? My parents obviously felt guilty for not getting me a car.

My 18th birthday was one of the best. We spent 3 weeks in Africa traveling around the country. This was not exactly done for my birthday, but the trip was amazing and one of my best vacations ever. Also, my parents got me a small diamond necklace, which I had always wanted as a white diamond is my birthstone.

During my 19th birthday I had to study and take finals while my family traveled around Hawaii. Lame.

My 20th birthday was also a disappointment. My roommate tried to throw a surprise party, but I came home early and ruined it. Also two friends got in a fight, further ruining the party.

My 21st was the worst. It was about 3 weeks before I got married and Caleb and I were in a huge fight. We were considering calling off our wedding. I thought for sure we would make up on my birthday. We didn't and I spent my entire birthday planning how I would have to call everyone to cancel the wedding. Needless to say, we worked things out and still got married, but I still remember how painful that birthday was.

On my 23rd birthday I got in car accident and had to work all day. I also remember Micaela being sick that night and having to stay up with a puking baby.

My 25th was fantastic. I spent it eating sushi on the beach in Hawaii. Which is where I wish I was now...

Anyways, this trip down memory lane is to prove a point. My birthdays are either over the top or terribly disappointing. This year I wanted to have a "chill" birthday and just take the day to myself. Ok, so I really wanted to go on a vacation, but this was my 2nd choice. I took the day off work, slept in until 7:30, and went to brunch. Which by the way, is my new favorite meal. How perfect is breakfast food when you don't have to eat it early in the morning? I scheduled a massage and bought some clothes. Even though I have said I wouldn't waste money on any more maternity clothes I could not fathom an amazing day without a shopping trip. I had dinner with some great friends at The Cheesecake Factory and had the dutch apple cheesecake, which was divine. You may relate to the feeling of being so incredibly full, but completely unable to stop yourself from eating because it is just that good. That describes my experience with this cheesecake. I then finally got to watch Juno. I have been wanting to see this movie since it came out, but I never made it to the theatres. I knew it was coming out on video this week and I went to the video store the day it came out to make sure I would have a copy to watch this weekend. All week I have passed by it sitting on the coutner, and it has been begging me to watch it, but I have held my ground in deciding to save it for my birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In case anyone is wondering, Caleb delivered nicely. I got flowers and a card. The card is the most important thing for me and it has taken Caleb an awfully long time to realize that I want a personalized card for every occasion. He finally got it, and then we had Micaela and he had to learn that I also expect a card from her on every occasion, and he has to pick it out! He finally got that too this year. Micaela presented me with a card and sang a remixed version of Happy Birthday, which I think she thought meant it was her birthday. I was quick to remind her the flowers were for me! Also, Caleb bought us tickets to a play next week and arranged for us to have dinner before at my favorite restaurant that we can only eat at once a year because it's like $10 for a dinner roll. However, that dinner roll is dang good.
Overall, I think having a chill birthday is pretty good. Maybe falling in the middle isn't too bad. So happy birthday to me. I take great comfort in the fact that Caleb will always be older than I am. And he has some gray hairs and I do not. Burn.

Labels: Just Me

One of the groups I run at my job is a social skills group for young children. All of the kids in my group have a mental health diagnosis, mostly ADHD, an anxiety disorder or something on the Autistic spectrum. If you have ever met a child with one of these diagnoses you may be able to understand the difficulties they have making friends and interacting with others in a socially appropriate way. The group can be a little chaotic, but they are very entertaining and definitely the best group I have ever had.
In my group we talk a lot about initiating play with other children. One of the skills we work on is giving compliments. We practice giving compliments to others and then expressing how it feels to give a compliment and how it feels to receive one. Most of the kids get slightly embarrassed, showing shy smiles and a flush of pride. Many of them simply say thank you.
When I started the group, my supervisor suggested one of the grad students work with me to complete her requirements for gaining group experience. I found the task slightly daunting and wanted to refuse, but the student was a friend of a good friend of mine and she seemed generally interested in learning about working with young children, so I accepted the challenge. As her internship is coming to end, she wrote me an amazing letter thanking me for working with her. She remarked that I had taught her more about groups and young children than anyone else, and said that her time in my group was her favorite time of the week. I was thrilled to have been given such a great compliment, but still haven't responded back to her.
As I was thinking of what to say, I realized that most women do not accept compliments well. Why is that? I believe there are a few different tactics that women use when complimented.
1. Flat out denial. Refusing to believe or accept. "You look good today." "I look horrible today!"
2. Minimizing. "You are really good at this." "No I just did good today " or "So and so is so much better than I am."
3. Feeling the responsibility to return the compliment immediately to re-focus the attention.
4. Using humor or joking. I do this one all the time. For example "You are really smart." "Oh I just say things that make me sound smart"
The more I think about this the more I believe that as women it is deemed somewhat undesirable to simply accept a compliment. It is like the scene in Mean Girls where they say "you are so pretty," and the main character responds "thank you," then they say "oh so you admit you're pretty?" Because of course she should have denied it. I think there is some social standard that as women we should be modest and accepting compliments is seen as prideful or, even worse, conceited. Somewhere from being a young child to becoming a woman we develop this attitude that we should never admit that we are good at anything. This goes completely against the new focus of promoting positive self-esteem in young women, which research has shown to be a telling factor in predicting resiliency. Excuse me while I stand on my soapbox, but I believe we will continue to see an alarming growth in things such as eating disorders, drug abuse, teen suicide, and risky sexual behavior as long as young women are not fostered in developing positive self esteem.
To do my part, I vow that after the next compliment I receive I will smile, say thank you, and revel in the fact that I have strengths that are recognized by others and that is OK.

Labels: Just Me, Rant

Labels: Just Me

Lately I have been trying to do extra fun things with Micaela. As always, I deeply analyze my actions, and I believe I am doing this because on some deep level I am concerned about how Micaela will respond to having a sibling. This may seem trivial, as most people have siblings and have survived it somehow, but I am concerned about the adjustment a second child will be for all of us. Things are so easy right now. We have our routines and things work. Change has always been difficult for me, and I know change is difficult for children. I feel like having one child was a huge adjustment for us and I'm thinking having another one is still going to be a huge adjustment. As Caleb would say, if I don't have anything to worry about I find something to worry about.
Anyways, this last weekend we went to a luncheon with Belle. It was a little pricey, considering the food was quite small (I ate all of mine, most of Caleb's, and some of Micaela's!) However, I realize we paid for the experience and not the food. The girls were encouraged to wear princess dresses, which to me meant dresses, shoes, earrings, matching purse, and hair done. Micaela had a ball!

I love the serene look on Micaela's face as the little girl above her is screaming her head off!
Waiting patiently for Belle to make her appearance.
And here she is! She wasn't quite as friendly and charming in person as on TV.

She visited each table and handed our presents. This is Micaela's expression as she approached our table. Notice the measly portion of food!

After lunch Belle taught the girls how to wave, dance...


...and curtsy. You know, all of the important things for young girls to know. This is said with slight sarcasm...
She had a star painted on her face and glitter sprayed in her hair at a booth.
Right before we left she received a rose from Belle, which she had to smell immediately.

I forgot to mention that Caleb was one of about 5 dads who came. He was a little uncomfortable, but I gave him an A for effort. I told him this was just the beginning, we still have her prom, her wedding....

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

Well I am finally starting to pop. I knew it was bound to happen. I am actually grateful that I am starting to move away from the awkward stage I describe as the "I'm not really fat, honest!" stage. I am now in the "can't you see my little bump" stage. I gave up sqweezing into my jeans and put on maternity clothes. I figured it was also time to let people at work know I am pregnant too! Here is the first baby bump picture.

In other baby news we find out the sex of the baby on the 21st. Caleb is so excited he suggested that after we find out we spend the rest of the evening shopping for baby stuff. I almost started crying tears of joy. The majority of people have guessed that we will have another girl. I think this as well, although I feel it is important to note that I would be happy either way! Having a baby is a blessing enough. The reasons I think it will be a girl are very unscientific, but here they are:

1. There are no boys in my family. All girls and not a tomboy in the bunch.

2. None of Caleb's brothers have boys. In fact, in Caleb's family we have 2 nephews, the youngest is 12 (I think) and 8 nieces (not counting step-children.) So girls are definitely predominant and the latest trend.

3. I have 12 girl cousins and only 7 boy cousins, once again a predominant theme. My father and his sister both only have girls, and there are no all boy families.

4. We have a girl, a very girly girl. Therefore, we know we can have a girl. Still unsure of whether we can have a boy.

5. During Micaela's birthday party we asked my family members and they all thought we were having a girl. The only person who voted for a boy was Katy's roommate, but she just met me that day so she doesn't count.

6. Auntie BreAnn was the first person to feel the baby kick, aside from me, and she said it feels like a girl kick.

I feel I should point out that Caleb thinks it's a boy, and I guess his vote matters a little. Any guesses?

Labels: Just Me

If I could scream in typing I would. Without using capital letters of course because that is annoying. This last week has been crazy. I have not had the Internet for one whole week, and it was the longest week of my life. I almost cried when it was installed today, and I know that Caleb shed a tear or two as well. In a nutshell, we have been busy. This last weekend we made a painful move, celebrated Micaela's 3rd birthday, and hosted family in town. Having Micaela's birthday and family in town were great, and will be saved for later when I've unpacked my camera.
The move...was horrible, but thankfully over. Thanks to everyone who helped out! We needed it! For those who don't know, we have decided to spend the next few months in a smaller, cheaper place that is really right down the street from where we live now. The plan, fingers crossed, is to buy a house sometime between now and when the baby is born. I miss our old home terribly, but I am very slowly warming to the smaller space. Like the wonderful benefit of being able to hear my loud family regardless of what room I am in. It is that small.
In other news, I am through my first trimester! Successfully! I can't believe how fast it happened, fortunately August still feels a ways a way, as I have so many things to do before this baby comes. I feel like I am so big, and I have been complaining to Caleb that I feel wider and thicker. I was sure I had gained at least 5 pounds, but at my appointment I actually lost 2 pounds! Anyone like some diet suggestions? Just get knocked up! This is really surprising as I have had little morning sickness and have been eating a lot. The move must have burned a lot of calories. I am excited to check everyone's blogs and see what you all have been up to!

Labels: Just Me

This year I have the most amazing role in my agency's holiday charity drive. Every mental health agency I have ever worked for has done some kind of sub-for-santa charity event around the holidays. This year was not different. My normal role is to chose the families that need the most assistance, assist the families in filling out their applications, and making sure things remain relatively organized. Anyone who has any experience working for a non-profit organization understands the importance of the word relatively.



This year has been quite chaotic, and at the last minute 80 families were left without donors. Fortunately, we were able to retain a mass amount of gift cards for these families, but we still do not have the clothes/toys that the families need. This is where I come in. Being the shopping extraordinaire that I am, I will be taking the donations and gift cards and buying the gifts for these children. I have never in my life been so excited about a service project. I will not be doing all 80 families, but I still have quite a few to do.



In addition to this good news, I have been selected (as the SLC rep) to participate in a statewide training funded by a grant given to the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Through this grant I was able to meet with the Director of DSAMH to advocate for the rights of children and families with mental health. Although my job is far from perfect, I feel truly blessed to have a job where I can come home at the end of the day and feel that I have made a difference for the families of Utah. Even if it is just by making sure they get good stuff for Christmas:)

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

It feels like it's been forever since I was in Reno for Thanksgiving. We were in Reno for almost a week. Which is amazing as we hardly ever take week long vacations. We tend to stick to long weekends. You know I realize I always say "we never take vacations..." but in reality we go somewhere, even if it's just down to southern Utah, about every month. To top it off we have had two huge vacations just this year (Hawaii and D-land). So never mind, we vacation often! However, Caleb hasn't been to Reno since last January. For those who don't know, both of our families are from Reno and Caleb's family, with the exception of one brother, still live in Reno. Anyways, we went to Reno for Thanksgiving. I brought my camera and did not take one single picture. I could post for days about everything we did, but here are the highlights:

-Thanksgiving dinner with my parents at 1:00 and at Lacy's (C's sister) house at 4:00. Food was great at both places. My dad did an amazing turkey that only a man addicted to the Food Network could do. At Lacy and Jason's they had a spread better than most weddings I've attended, which included an appetizer table and a chocolate fountain. This is dangerous for young children who like chocolate and fountains and messes all over new clothes.

-Micaela was actually able to play with her cousin Ally, who is 3 months younger than her. In the past Ally and Micaela didn't really interact. Similar to the time a 1-year-old stole Micaela's toy and she ran crying to me, not realizing she was much bigger and could actually walk, which the one-year-old could not. Anyways, they played great together hiding from Uncle Eli by sitting in the dog's food and water in their new clothes.

-Went shopping! Of course I celebrated Black Friday. I saved $150. No I did not get up at the crack of dawn because I prefer to be well rested when blowing our bank account on clothes. I got many fabulous things that will be wrapped as Christmas presents.

-Ate sushi at Sushi Pier with John and Cari. This is the most divine sushi place on the mainland, Yes Hawaii does have better, but it's not a fair comparison. Oh and Caleb and I were such regulars when we lived in Reno that our picture is actually in their picture collage. John and C's friend Brandon also have their picture up, but mine and Caleb's is cuter.

-Watched American Gangster. It was ok, not as good as people said it was. It was nice to have a date night though.

-Watched a horrible football game with a horrible BYU fan, known as my father, who has the BYU fight song as his ring tone. Enough said.

-Went shopping again to ease the pain of the horrible football game. Bought more stuff.

-Ate Super Burrito and In-And-Out while Caleb complained about how Salt Lake has no good food joints. Required a chocolate shake to drown out his whining.

-Played cards almost every night with my parents. I won. I'm genetically programed to be good at cards. Unfortunately Caleb is not.

-Visited Caleb's sister Jessica at their new place to see our cute nieces who were absent from Thanksgiving dinner.

-Went to church. We took Micaela to nursery and introduced her to the leaders. One of them said "Oh Micaela, the Rands' grandbaby," to which Micaela raised her arms and said "ta da!" No joke. As if we were all blessed to be in presence of such greatness.

-Took Micaela to the Bee Movie. Ok Short rant. We went to an 11:30am showing on Monday morning. There were 4 families in the theatre. Three of these families had one or more toddlers. The other was a mother or grandmother with a boy about 8 or 9. One toddler boy was walking around the theatre, not bothering anyone. He came over to Micaela, who sat on the floor next to him. When the bees started flying he got really excited and began saying "Its a bee! A bee! A bee!" Of course Micaela became excited and repeated what he was saying. Then the lady with the older boy yelled at his mother saying "can you please keep your kid quiet so we can hear the movie!" Seriously we were right next to him and we could hear the movie just fine. It was a kids matinee movie with a bunch of toddlers, they may get excited and talk. The poor mother of the toddler boy was so upset she picked him up and left. The best part, later in the movie her son got bored and starting talking and we could all hear him! Of course Caleb wanted to say something, but I told him not to. It's just crazy how weird people can be about kids. They are not going to sit still for long periods of time, they get excited easily, they talk when they're not supposed to, and they obviously don't understand all of the social norms. Whatever.

-The night before we left we visited my friend Afton and met her new boyfriend. She actually cooked for us, which was slightly concerning. However, she made spaghetti and it was delicious. We had a blast as always.

-Drove home and at every little town Caleb asked if I wanted to live there. I responded, each and every time, no and don't ask me again.

Overall it was a great vacation. The only negative thing we experienced, besides the Bee movie witch, was on Thanksgiving. Caleb's sister Jessica had a miscarriage. She was due 4 days before I would have had my baby. This was very upsetting for everyone.
I just realized how long this post is. I will stop boring you all with my endless rant of vacation. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Welcome December, with your huge blizzard outside.

Labels: Friends, Just Me, Rant, The Fam

I thought it would be really hard to think of six things about myself that nobody knows. So I elected to do six things about myself that most people don't know. Caleb describes me as "an open book" and that is pretty much true. I asked him to help and he is whining and complaining, but he'll help. If only to get me off of the computer faster so he can play his game.

1. According to Caleb, I am the loudest person in the world. Particularly in the morning. He always complains that I am so loud when I wake up, shower and blow dry my hair. I'm wondering how I can possibly blow dry my hair quietly?? I think this is exacerbated by the fact that I tend to get up earlier than most people. Caleb could sleep all day, and if I'm lucky I can sleep until 9:00.

2. I absolutely love going out to dinner (or lunch or breakfast or for dessert.) I would eat out for every meal if it was possible. Cooking is ok, barbecuing is better, but nothing beats eating out. I think it stems from working as a waitress for so many years and being extremely envious of all the people who were able to sit and enjoy a meal while I was working. In addition to this I do not do fast food. I will take a diet soda about anywhere, but for the most part I will not eat a meal at a fast food joint.

3. I detest clothes that are too big. Even my sweatshirts are small. I feel that big and baggy clothes make me feel sloppy. This includes clothes that have been worn more than once before being washed. Especially jeans. I always want my jeans to feel like they have just been washed.

4. My "claim to fame" is being employee of the year...twice! At two different restaurants I was voted as the employee of the year. I think I got $100 at both places and the right to say I was employee of the year twice.

5. I am very sensitive to smell. I can identify certain people from their smell. Like a dog. There are certain people in this world that I cannot sit next to because I cannot tolerate their smell. This has happened in more than one class and with more than one client. I believe my smell is extra sensitive to compensate for the lack of hearing I have. I am practically deaf. There are certain people that I cannot hear when they talk on the phone. I also have to have the TV turned up very loudly to be able to hear it. Caleb keeps it at 22 but I need it to be at least 43, and if it's a good show 47. I am convinced I will be blind and deaf in my senior years.

6. I must always have "something to look forward to." My life is lived in anticipation of my next vacation, holiday, conference, or fun event. Fortunately my standards are low, I will look forward to a good game or much anticipated TV episode or even just the weekend. When I have nothing to look forward to I treat myself to a planned shopping trip or schedule a dinner with friends. I believe the break in the monotony is critical to my happiness.

Ok so I did it. I will double tag BreAnn, even though Meg has already tagged her because I want to see her response. I will also tag Katy, to give her something to blog about. Oh and I have tons to post about Thanksgiving, but not enough time today.

Labels: Just Me

This last weekend I embarked on a haunted adventure. I went with some friends out to eat and, in an effort to celebrate Halloween we went on a GhostTour. My first clue that something was a little creepy occurred during our wait for the Ghost Tour bus. We were told to wait at the Rio Grande in downtown Salt Lake. Being a bunch of girls who were dressed more for style than weather, we decided to go inside the Rio Grande cafe and wait in the warmth. We ended up in a deserted hallway that leads to the restrooms. Nancy decided to use the restroom, but instantly came back out because it was too creepy. So of course we all decided we had to see this bathroom. It looked like a bathroom in an insane asylum and we agreed that it would be wise to not empty our bladders in such a place.

Fast forward to the bus, which finally came and we loaded quickly.





The very first ghost story we hear is none other than the story of a young woman who was killed by a train at the Rio Grande and reportedly haunts the cafe's bathroom!

It gets worse. We take a pit stop at the Salt Lake cemetery and are told a legend about another ghost. I have my camera and decide to take pictures of the tombstone. Here is the picture.




Now is it just me or is there a white, floaty object in the picture? Apparently it is called an orb, defined as an object not visual to the naked eye, but captured on photos. The creepy photos continue...






To top the night off I had driven there by myself and parked in a deserted parking garage. I made everyone watch me leave the car and start my car, after checking the backseat of course. To help me feel less freaked I sang Brittany Spears all the way home. Of course, that may be even scarier than seeing a ghost.

Labels: Friends, Just Me

I attended a conference this week which was somewhat boring. However, one of the presenters played this song that I had never heard, most likely because it was a country song. I had that moment, which I'm sure most people can relate to, and I felt that these lyrics pretty much summed up my life right now. You can listen to the song here. Here are the lyrics:

The kids screaming, phone ringing
Dog barking at the mailman bringing
That stack of bills - overdue
Good morning baby, how are you?
Got a half hour, quick shower
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour
My funny face makes you laugh
Twist the top on and I put it back
There goes the washing machine
Baby, don't kick it.
I promise I'll fix it
Long about a million other things

Well, it's ok. It's so nice
It's just another day in paradise
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Friday, you're late
Guess we'll never make our dinner date
At the restaurant you start to cry
Baby, we'll just improvise
Well, plan B looks like
Dominoes' pizza in the candle light
Then we'll tippy toe to our room
Make a little love that's overdue
But somebody had a bad dream
Mama and daddy
Can me and my teddy
Come in to sleep in between?

Well, it's ok. It's so nice.
It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

For just another day in paradise
Well, it's the kids screaming. The phone ringing
Just another day
Well, it's Friday. You're late
Oh yeah, it's just another day in paradise

Of course this is the positive spin, which is how I am choosing to view my life right now.

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

Every so often Caleb and I banter, ok so more like every day we do the "back and forth." In the most loving manner we will threaten to do horrible things to each other. Our latest:

Me "I'm moving all your stuff out of the bathroom and into the guest bathroom."

Him "Then I'll move my clothes into your closet."

Me "I will delete your recordings of Shark Week."

Him "I will sell your car and buy you a minivan."

Me "I will delete your computer game."

Him "I will buy Micaela crocs and make her wear them in public."

He wins.

Labels: Just Me, The Fam

Every once in a while I remember who I am. I am a person that gets lost in roles and responsibilities, and every so often I have to remember that there is a person underneath the layers. It starts with a moment where I feel content, and when I analyze why I feel content I realize I may be doing something I enjoy. You see, I enjoy things that are just mine. I have a personality that is just me. I think this personality is a little lost lately. I'm not sure why.

I have been very busy at work (and I know I have been complaining all summer that I was slow, but I am soo busy now) and when I am there I focus 100% on my clients. I am a player in their lives and they assign me way too much responsibility. Then I pick up Micaela and I want to only be her mama. I want to read with her, go for walks, stop at Jamba and share a smoothie, or simply lay in bed and watch movies together. I want her to feel that I am nothing but her mother. After she goes to sleep I have one hour to do things for me, but I am usually tired and end up dozing off until Caleb comes home. Then I become a wife. I know I have it easy, as Caleb does as much housework as I do and wisely never expects me to cook for him, but I still talk about spouse things with him until I am too tired or he has a raid on his game (don't ask.) Then I wake up and start over again.

Every once in a while something happens, like I meet a friend for dinner, and she asks my opinion about her new shoes, or a friend stops by to quickly drop something off and tells me how much she enjoys our friendship because I do not pass judgement on her, or I have book club and spend three hours discussing everything from shaving to post-partum depression, or a friend emails me and asks for recommendations for good books and I remember. I remember that I am still a person who loves research, reads good literature, loves to jog in the night, and often cries about the injustices of life. I like this blog because it is just me. I include my family in it and I enjoy sharing pictures, but this is "my thing" and I need that. I think I will take my own advice and take a personal day next week.

Labels: Just Me