Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Y2K9--Zune Style

Setting up the story...
I got a Zune about a year and a half ago and for Christmas this year Nick got me a Zune speaker dock (he returned the Celine Dion tickets and got me this instead. He said I could listen to Celine whenever I wanted).
Today's story...
Well, this morning Nick went to go turn on the speaker and it didn't work. He pulled off the Zune and the screen was frozen with the zune loading screen. We thought that was strange so he went downstairs to Google it to see if there was something we could do and he found out this...
That sometime early this morning on Dec. 31, 2008 first time generation Zune owners with 30 gb crashed. My mom has 3 at her house and all 3 did the same thing. Microsoft has a post up saying they are aware of the problem and are trying to work on a solution. On the web someone says you can take the Zune completely apart and disconnect the battery--I don't really want to try that so I think I will just wait until Microsoft comes up with the solution. There are a few out there that might not be having this problem, but if you have attached it to a computer and had the updates you most likely have a Zune right now that doesn't work.
Crazy--Microsoft has a big glitch on their hands... it happened to a lot of people!
Ending of the story...
Hopefully my Zune will be working in a couple of days (if not it is okay, I just find it funny that I got speakers for it). It has been a good product so I hope they can fix it.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Santa Claus is coming to town...

In great anticipation for Christmas which is less than two days away-last Friday, my sister-in-law and I took our kids (I took Trevor and my niece Brooke) to see Santa. It was a crazy couple of moments. First, I wanted to get it done as soon as possible because it was suppose to snow, and we all know how much I love driving in the snow. So, we decided to go a little earlier: We got to Santa's at about 12:40 PM (When we got to the mall, I had to wake both Brooke and Trevor up because they fell asleep in the car) and there was a sign that said Santa was feeding his reindeer until 1:45 PM. (But he was still there finishing up the line) Well, I didn't want to wait an hour because Brooke and Trevor needed a nap and lunch, and Santa's helper said we should stay in line because if we left and came back at 1:45 PM there would be a long line waiting. So what to do... I decided to stand in line and guess what? There were about 7 extra minutes before Santa was supposed to go to lunch so they let us go. Yeah! One small problem, my sister in law was above Santa (on the second level) waiting to go in the elevator to come down and the elevator wasn't working so she had to carry her son in his stroller down the stairs. Some nice person helped carry the stroller down. And yes, we could have done it a different time, or day--but it worked out! So just a reminder for everyone who wants to go see Santa he feeds his reindeer at 1:00 PM and they stop taking people to finish up the line at 12:30 PM. Merry Christmas everyone!

Friday, December 19, 2008

How to bake a cake...by Trevor

Trevor baking a cake in 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Get the cake mix out.

Step 2: Mix the cake batter

Step 3: Put chocolate chips in the cake batter and bake the cake


Step 4: Take the cakes out of the oven and let cool
Step 5: Frost the cake and enjoy!!

Nick was out of town in October and Trevor and I needed something to do so we baked a cake. It was a lot of fun and Trevor was a great help and the cake was delicious.

High speed internet=huge post...

I am so excited...Nick and I finally have high speed internet and it is great. We have had dial-up for the last 4 1/2 years and now --it is amazing, just amazing. So as a result I am going to have a huge post of some random things over the past couple of months in no particular order. Enjoy! I finally finished my nativity before Christmas was even over. Trevor loves to play with it. A sister in my ward asked a few of us if we wanted to make one of these. I said sure thinking it wouldn't be that hard. It took a little more time and skill then I had originally thought it would, but it is done and I am glad I did it. I loved getting together and working on it.


So yesterday December 18, I finally did it-- I tied my chairs together so Brooke and Trevor would stop climbing up on the table. Does anyone else have a better idea? They think it is a game because all day long I have to go around taking them off the table. I tell them no, don't get up on the table, but they just laugh at me --it is pretty funny unless I am trying to get something else done. (Super Nanny would not be impressed with my follow through skills!) Well, yesterday I decided okay they can sit on the table no big deal (I was in the kitchen making dinner) , I was going to pick my battles what was it hurting. Well, they wouldn't just sit there, they would stand up and shake the table. So I got them down and tied the chairs together. It worked great. Except when dinner time came I had to untie the rope. Problem solved, until they learn how to untie the knot...

Aren't these the cutest pumpkins ever? I live in a townhouse but we have a little strip of dirt that we can plant things in. Well, I really wanted my own pumpkins to carve. So here they are. They started growing too late in the season, and they were still green when I picked them, and were still green at Halloween. But this is what they looked like at Thanksgiving. So we didn't get to carve them, but I loved having them by my front door as a decoration. I will try again next year.


My birthday was on December 8th and I turned the big "27". It was a great day. Here is Jeana and I blowing out the birthday cake. Nick and Rob made this amazing three dimensional tree cake. Every year my mom would make Jeana and I a tree cake so Nick and Rob know they have to and this year they out did themselves...What will they do next year???


My little sister Janessa and my older sister Jenn, came into town the week before Thanksgiving. It was so fun to have them here. We went to Gardner Village to see the Elves with Janessa.


Here is a picture of Nick and his mom on Thanksgiving. We went down to Cyndi's house (Nick's mom) and had Thanksgiving with her in Provo. It was so fun. We played a game of flag football before dinner and I scored 3 touchdowns!!!

In November, Trevor, Nick and I created our own snow storm inside. It was a lot of fun. We took a roll of toilet paper and ripped it to pieces and then threw it. Trevor loved it. Now we don't have to make our own snow there is plenty outside!


In September on the way to my sister's wedding in Nampa we stopped at Nick's Dad's house in Burley and stayed the night. On Saturday we went with him to Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls. Don't go to Shoshone Falls in September it wasn't more than a trickle, still very pretty. We will have to go in the spring next year.
My sister's husband had a birthday in October and Jeana decided to throw him a surprise birthday party. Well, part of that surprise was a life size guitar cake. Have you ever watched Ace of Cakes? That show was our inspiration. The cake was amazing. Jeana had all the ideas I was just her gopher. It took 6 cake mixes to make. After a crazy day, the party was a huge success!


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Random story--Celine Dion...

For about a year I have had Celine Dion tickets. My husband and son got them for me last Christmas. I was so excited. I had given my husband hints that we should go to Las Vegas and see her, but we never made it. So when I saw on a commercial about a year ago that she was coming to Salt Lake on a Friday I told my husband I would love to go. So he got them for me and yes was even willing to go with me (he loves me that much).
I lined up a babysitter a couple of weeks ago and we were going to go out to dinner and it was going to be great, just great. Well, on Saturday a friend of mine told me that she had read in the paper that day that Celine had postponed her concert till February. I said "no!" (I hadn't heard anything about it so she must have been mistaken--my friend even did the "cha cha" text to see and they still had the date as November 21,2008). Well later that night she called and sure enough Celine Dion changed it to February which is okay-- so a couple more months no big deal. Well she changed it to February 22--Sunday February 22! Looks like I won't get to see her in Salt Lake either. Oh well, my heart will go on... (picture taken from google image "Celine Dion")

Boy meets girl tag...

This tag is called "How I meet___."
This tag is going to require a lot of memory that I am not sure if I have—I will try my best and I may have to change some of the answers if Nick reads it and says I got some things wrong—his memory is better than mine…

1. Where did you meet?
In a student ward at BYU.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
He seemed like a nice guy. He started to talk to me at an FHE group. I was sitting on the floor and he was trying to let me have his seat. I said no. It was a good conversation—I wasn’t really looking to date anyone at the time.

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
No, if I would guess I would say jeans and a t-shirt.

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
We kissed on Valentine’s day at my apartment.

5. Where did you go for your first date?
On our first date we went to the Rocky Mountain Review at SLCC. It was a lot of fun. How we keep going on dates was we would have bets. So on this date we bet to see which team would win. Loser took the winner out for icecream. Nick was pretty cleaver.

6. How long did you know this person before you were a couple?
About 6+ months.

7. How did he ask you out?
He was swimming in the apartment complex pool and I was walking back to my apartment. He asked me if I was busy on Friday I said no and then he asked me if I wanted to go to the RMR. I said sure. I remember going up to my apartment and I being so excited!

8. Has this person ever purposed to you?
Yes, on my parents basketball court in Nampa, Idaho. We were dating long distance so some nights we would play horse over the phone. I thought this is what we were doing but he surprised me by running to the court and getting down on one knee. It was really sweet. (Side Note: I would actually beat him sometimes in horse.)

9. Do you and this person have kids together?
Yes, 1—he is the cutest little boy ever.

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Nope—not even a speeding ticket.

11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person?
He came to a surprise birthday party that my roommates threw for me. After it was over I walked him out to his car and we hugged. I thought to myself—I think I like him.

12. Do you get along with his family?
Yep, he has a great family.

13. Do you trust this person?
Yes!!! He is amazing.

14. Do you see him as your partner in the future?
Yes, forever, for always and no matter what!

15. What is the best gift he gave you?
The best gift I can think of that he gave me is that he was willing to marry me!

16. What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?
I can’t think of any, but I am sure he could think of a few for me.

17. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
Living in Utah with 3-5 kids and having the time of our life!

18. What causes the most arguments?
Me wanting to watch Little House on the Prairie--just kidding, we don’t argue too much. I can’t remember what we argue about so it probably isn’t that important.

19. How long have you been together?
We have been married for 4 ½ years.

20. Are you married?
Yep, July 2004.

21. Who do you tag?
Anyone that wants to and Jeana, Emily Murdock and Jaymee England.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Halloween

So my sister's (jeana) husband's company goes all out for Halloween and this year I was dragged (somewhat willingly) into the whole process. Jeana had wanted to make Monster's Inc. costumes for a while but wanted until Tuesday of this week to officially start and that is where I came in. I did all the sewing. It was a lot of fun but really messy. The blue fuzzy fabric got all over everything. It was like we had an animal living with us. All in all they turned out pretty great (after a few minor adjustments here and there) and boy am I grateful for duct tape!On Halloween night, Trevor and I went over to Rob and Jeana's house for dinner and then did a little trick-or-treating around their neighborhood. We then came back to our neighborhood and hit a few houses. It was a great night and the weather was perfect.
Trevor and Brooke wanting to eat their candy.
Trevor and I doing the trick-or-treating thing!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Family Photo...

Last night, my sister Jeana took pictures of Nick, Trevor and I. It was a lot of fun and Trevor did pretty good. The fall colors were amazing and it was a great night to take pictures! Jeana thanks for taking them, you do such a great job. You can go to jeanabirdphotography.blogspot.com to see more--here is one of my favorites... Trevor looks so happy!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

6 quirky things about me...

I was tagged to come up with 6 quirky things about myself... here goes
1. I have a blanket that I have had since I was born that I still sleep with. It is pretty much a see-through, hole ridden piece of fabric, and should have been thrown away about 15 years ago, but I love it. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to throw it away.
2. I love pepper. I don't usually put salt on my food, just pepper and a lot of it. Sometimes I put a little too much in when I cook.
3. My fashion of choice is: I love wearing athletic shorts or sweats and a t-shirt (if it is cold outside throw on a hoodie) and put my hair back in a messy bun. I think I would make a great candidate for "What Not to Wear." My sister says she should send in a tape of me.
4. I can't stand mushy, soggy bread. I hate when sandwiches get soggy spots or if I have to put bread down the disposal with the water running. Yuck! One time I ordered a French onion soup and I had no idea it comes with a piece of bread at the bottom of the soup-- I couldn't eat it. Okay this might be a little exaggerated…but you get the picture.
5. I have to sleep with a fan on at night. If I don't have one I can't sleep. (There are times I don't need one if I am away on vacation, but if I am home--I need one-- funny huh!) I have concluded that it is the humming sound it makes--it helps me turn my brain off at night otherwise I just think and think about everything I need to do.
6. I love to power nap. The only problem is that my power naps come at bedtime. It takes all of 5 minutes to get ready for bed, but I need that power nap so I can do it. I even did this when I was growing up, I would tell my mom I need 10 minutes--I will get ready for bed in 10 minutes. I would fall asleep for a couple of hours! (I don't need a power nap every night, but the nights that I do, Nick has to let me or else I get pretty grouchy!) Sometimes I fall asleep for 2-3 hours when all I wanted was a little power nap!!

It was fun to think up some things--it made me realize I am a pretty quirky person (there are plenty I haven’t listed)--I guess that is what makes me—me, for good or for bad!!

I am going to tag: whoever wants to do this and Jeana, Emily Eyre, and Emily Holm

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Trip to Idaho

My little sister, Jaymee, just got married the week of Sept. 18th. Nick, Trevor and I were able to go down all week to hang out and just have fun. We played a lot of tennis and Nick was able to go fishing with my brother. Below are a couple of photos from Jaymee's wedding. The whole family was able to get together for a photo. It was after a really long day (just look at Trevor...but he was a trooper) but great day.
Jaymee and Jason on their wedding day.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Thanksgiving Point in August

In August, Thanksgiving Point had a special where every Tuesday was $2.00 for each attraction you wanted to go and do. So we went to the Farm Country and the Children's Garden and it was only $4.00--Trevor was free because he was under 2. (Sidenote the line for the Dinosaur Museum reminded me of a line the day after Thanksgiving, needless to say we didn't wait in that line). Here are just a few pictures:
Trevor riding a pony. He loved it--notice the concentration on his face. The horse isn't even moving!!
Trevor and I standing by the pigs. Trevor what does a pig say? Okay he doesn't know that yet, but we are working on it.
Trevor and I in the Children's Garden. It was so pretty. Next time we need to remember to take swimming clothes I had no idea that Noah's Ark turned into a water fountain. It was really fun to see all of the kids playing in the water.
Here are all the kids watching the animals. They even had a chance to feed them. It was so cute seeing their reactions when the goats would come up and take the food out of their hands. It was a fun day.


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

4th of July Weekend...

Here are a couple of photos to go with the text below. Here is my sister, Jaymee in one of her bridals.Here is a photo of my beautiful nieces...Kaiden, Abby, Mallory and baby Brinley.

I had a great 4th of July weekend! I was able to go home and visit my family in Idaho. (Nick stayed home with Trevor so that wasn't so great, but they had a great time in Utah.) My sister, Jeana, and I drove down with a friend Thursday night and came back Sunday afternoon. So it was a fast trip--but it was fun to see everyone. My sister Jeana took bridals of my sister Jaymee who is getting married in September, and my sister-in-law Melissa had a baby girl the Thursday we came up. It was fun to get to see her. She was so tiny and cute!!! I also had the chance to play tennis a couple of times and go bowling with some of my family members. I do have pictures to prove it--but I beat everyone there with an almost all time high score of 174--my highest is 175. I had two chances to get a turkey and messed up each time--the pressure got to me. Just kidding. I don't really bowl all that well. The game before I got a 102. Let just say I had some luck on my side. My family also had a BBQ. It was fun to see everyone.

I missed Nick and Trevor a lot, but they had a great weekend. Friday afternoon Nick and Trevor went down to Provo for a BBQ with his mom and family. Before they did that though Trevor got to play in a swimming pool. Nick said he liked it, but that it was a little cold. Then Nick went with family to the Stadium of Fire and Trevor got to stay and play with his cousin Jackson and his Grandma Cyndi and Brad. Then Saturday morning they drove up to Rupert, Idaho with family for a baptism and then drove back Saturday night with Nick's
dad who was flying out Sunday morning from the Salt Lake Airport.

It was a great weekend! We were able to spend time with family! I am so grateful for this country and for all of the freedoms that we enjoy and for all the men and women who make it possible.

Monday, June 16, 2008

This last week...



This last week I had the chance to go up to Girl's Camp with the young women in my ward. It was so much fun. It was cold (at night), but it was a blast. I have always loved girl's camp, so it was fun to go up and get to participate in it again. It was so well organized by the camp director and her assistance that I just got to go up and have fun. Nick stayed home from work a couple of days and my sister Jeana watched Trevor for one day so that I could go. Thanks for doing that. I came home with a few funny stories that I should write in my journal. One though was my great fashion sense to keep the ticks away--putting my socks over my pants. I always did it when I was at girl's camp so I decided to do it again. I did look pretty funny--but the good news--No ticks!!!






Girl's Camp was a wonderful experience--I love how you get to be away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world for a few days to concentrate on what really matters.


I got back on Saturday morning just in time to clean up and get in the car to drive for 4 hours to Idaho Falls. Nick, Trevor and I got to spend time with family friends--Mike and Kerri--as they just adopted a little girl, named Taylor. It was so neat to spend time with them. Then we went up to Burley, Idaho to spend the night with Nick's dad. That night we went to a truck pull. If you have never been to a truck pull--you are missing out...



Then Sunday morning we went back down to Pocatello, Idaho so we could go to church with Mike and Kerri. It was a little bit of driving, but I am so glad that we could go and spend time with family and friends--it was a wonderful weekend. And Trevor did awesome in the car so that was really helpful.

It was a great week...

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Family Wall

My sister Jeana, took pictures of all of my siblings and their families. She gave them to my mom for Mother's Day. When we were here visiting, Jeana helped my mom find frames and then she and Janessa hung them all up. There are eight kids and we all have our senior picture hanging and then under it is a family picture of our own family. It looks amazing. I actually saw this done at a friends house and loved it and told my mom and sister they should do it--so they did...

Graduation

Here are some pictures of my brother Josh's graduation.
He is the last of 8 kids to graduate. It was so fun to be home and to hang out with my family for this last week. I love them all so much.
Trevor did pretty good being away from home--but he did get a cold and was teething, so sometimes he wasn't the happiest little boy, but after a few days he was feeling much better.
We fly home today. Trevor did good on the way here--we will see how today goes!

Last Tuesday, when Jeana and I got into town. My mom and dad treated all of us to PF Chang's for Josh's graduation dinner. We got babysitter's for the kids, so all of the adults could just go out. We had a lot of fun and got to try about 9 different dishes that are on the menu. Yum.

Here are all of my siblings at Josh's graduation. We are getting so old.

Here is Jeana and I with Josh. Josh is the coolest kid.

Here is Trevor with his Uncle!

Trevor's 1st Birthday Party

This is Trevor at his 1st Birthday at my parent's house in Nampa.
Trevor and I went to visit this last week. We are sitting with his great grandma.

The theme was balls and balloons. So I blow up about 30 balloons and had them all over the house. The cousins picked them all up and put them in the bath tub. It was really cute.
Trevor got a little ride on toy from his Uncle Jeff and Aunt Melissa. He loved it.