I want comments!



Nate and I were talking about something that I want to hear other people's opinions:

Nate works with a guy who was talking about what he wants to do when he gets married, relating to the girl's ring. He said one option he thought of was just buying a ring from Wal-Mart while they're young, poor married college students. Then, in like 5 years when they have more money, he would buy a really nice ring. Nate said he didn't think the girl would go along with something like that.

I told Nate I wouldn't have minded something like that and he said I was lying! He said he didn't think there was a single girl who would be okay with something like that. I told him I thought there are plenty of girls who would be. Of course there are girls who wouldn't be okay with that, and that's fine. I don't think that's a bad thing to want a beautiful diamond right away. I LOVE my ring, but the point is if Nate had said he couldn't afford a nice one right now and would I be okay with wearing a cubic zirconia ring until he could afford a real one? I would have been fine with that. The guy would, of course, have to talk to the girl about it beforehand - make sure she was okay with that.

Nate says that's just something guys should do. If they're planning on getting married, they should be saving for a ring because it's an important token of the relationship and to get a Wal-Mart ring makes it seem like the guy doesn't care as much. Plus, he thinks almost any girl would be at least a little disappointed in not having a real diamond to show off. He said "what's the first thing a girl does after she gets engaged? She shows off her ring!" and most girls wouldn't like having to show a "fake" ring.

I actually have a friend who, when she got engaged, showed me her ring and I had no idea it wasn't a real diamond, so I think many people wouldn't know unless you told them. Plus, you could get a different ring every year if you wanted!

I may not have given Nate's side of this as well as he would want (I guess he'll just have to comment about it if he has more to say :D ) but now it's YOUR turn.

I want to hear your opinions. Neither Nate or I will be offended if you don't agree with us. I'm mostly just curious.

What could it hurt?

My friend Adam posted a link to a petition to Congress about drilling for oil here, in the US. While I realize some of you may be against drilling in ANWR, for those of you who aren't, click here.

After you've signed the petition, you'll get a couple of e-mails from them asking you to register , but you just have to unsubscribe and you'll have added your name to the list of over a million people who thing gas prices are sucking the life out of us and that we can do something about it! :)

I say again, what could it hurt to sign it?

"I've got you"

















Last night, we watched Vantage Point with Jordan, Paige and Travis. I had heard a few people say they didn't like it that much, so I wasn't expecting anything great.

I was pleasantly surprised that is was a VERY good movie. It had a bit of a "24" feel to it and I love "24" so I think that helped. I thought it had a good plot and kept you guessing the whole time (though, it seems like our guesses were often right).

Whenever I watch movies, in my mind I kind of predict what will happen. More often than not, I'm right. But I never voice my prediction and when I try to claim that I thought that would happen, no one believes me. So last night, early in the movie, I gave my prediction so I wouldn't have to say later "I knew that was going to happen!" I was SO wrong. I think I'll just keep my predictions to myself from now on.

Anyway, it's a good movie, lots of action, zero romance, a little confusing at times, but overall worth watching (Plus it has Matthew Fox - aka Jack Shepherd if you watch Lost - which makes it SO worth it :).

HOWEVER, beware of the final scene. There is a line that could potentially ruin the movie for you. SO CHEESY/CLICHE/ACTED BADLY. I think it completely ruined the movie for Trav. :)

BABY MAMA
(no, this is not a pregnancy announcement...)










This past weekend, we went to the movie Baby Mama. For those who haven't seen this, you need to. It's HILARIOUS!

While, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, its affect on my subconscious produced QUITE the dream. That night, I had a dream that I was pregnant. But the dream didn't end at pregnancy.

Oh no.

In my dream, I actually went into labor (I vividly remember the pain, even from a dream) and had the baby. Since I know you're all curious, it was a boy.

And he was beautiful.

It was SUCH a powerfully moving dream that I woke up depressed that is wasn't real. He was so amazing and I connected with him instantly. Weird how wanting a baby can do that, huh?

So, I say "Go watch Baby Mama" but I also warned you of the potential results of seeing it (which could be awkward if you're a boy).

BABY MAMA
(no, this is not a pregnancy announcement...)

This past weekend, we went to the movie Baby Mama. For those who haven't seen this, you need to. It's HILARIOUS!

While, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, its affect on my subconscious produced QUITE the dream. That night, I had a dream that I was pregnant. But the dream didn't end at pregnancy.

Oh no.
In my dream, I actually went into labor (I vividly remember the pain, even from a dream) and had the baby. Since I know you're all curious, it was a boy.

And he was beautiful.

It was SUCH a powerfully moving dream that I woke up depressed that is wasn't real. He was so amazing and I connected with him instantly. Weird how wanting a baby so much can do that, huh?

So, I say "Go watch Baby Mama" but I also warned you of the potential results of seeing it (which could be awkward if you're a boy).

Bridal Veil Falls

I promised I would post something unrelated to Twilight, but since I'm a dunce who doesn't take her camera anywhere (and even if I did, I wouldn't take pictures...), anything I post becomes sort of worthless (I have a friend who can pull off a post with no pictures, but she's really funny, so it's okay).

Last Saturday, Nate decided we needed to do something active, since we spent all of Friday night watching Friends and Gilmore Girls (well, I watched Gilmore Girls - he refused to watch with me). So we decided to go with Damien, Natalya, Brandon & Travis to Bridal Veil Falls.

We packed a picnic, which included Salt and Vinegar chips (which, in my opinion, made the whole picnic worth it) and headed to the Falls.

I have to explain here that when I was little, we lived in Roosevelt Utah and anytime we drove to Provo, we drove past Bridal Veil Falls. I think I spent the entire 2 hours with my head turned to the left, looking for the Falls. I just couldn't believe how pretty they were.

Anyway, we ate our picnic, then hiked to the bottom of the Falls. It was a rather hot evening, so it was nice to get the spray of the water to cool off.

I'm pretty sure I ruined my shoes, but it was fun and definitely good to be exercising. :)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Nate pointed this out to me in the Daily Universe (or Daily Uni"farce" as my dad affectionately calls the BYU newspaper). This was a letter to the editor today:



I thought I might die laughing. Sometimes I think people write letters to the editor, just to see how much controversy they can stir up.

I just laugh.

P.S. Eventually I will post something unrelated to Twilight. I promise.

Further UPDATE:

*Caveat for those who haven't read the Twilight series and are still planning on it: this may contain more information than you want to know before you read. I tried not to give away too much, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to know this stuff before I read. DON'T read this if you don't want, at the least, an idea of what happens.



I'm finished. I actually finished the night of my last post (two days ago), but haven't had time to say so.

So, now that I've finished I'll say just a little bit of what I think (like I said, I don't want to give away too much):







1. I think Bella is a moron and probably doesn't deserve to be with anyone mentioned in these books. I have really been wondering what Stephanie Meyer has in store for the next book and if she intentionally wants us to not like Bella (because everyone I've talked to agrees with me).

2. I'm still an Edward fan, for sure. I've talked to a couple of people who say they became Jacob fans later on (either after they read it again or after more time had passed) so maybe I'll change my mind, but for now, I'm still an Edward fan. I think that was solidified by the quote Bella reads from Wuthering Heights at the end of Eclipse ""If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger" I have LOVED that quote since I read this book in high school. I memorized it back then. I love that Stephanie used quotes like that to tie these stories to other novels we could relate to (Romeo and Juliet as well).

3. I definitely think Twilight is the best of the three, hands down. It kept me entertained the most, just wanting to know what was happening. New Moon and Eclipse didn't quite as much. But I still loved them.

4. This is actually something I've just realized of myself through reading these: I am a total romantic when it comes to novels and movies. I got butterflies and a big grin on my face for so many parts of the books. But I'm not like that in real life. If someone talked to me like Edward and Jacob talk to Bella, I would probably roll my eyes and laugh at how cheesy it is. But I like it in books and movies.

So that's about it for now. I suppose I could make more comments, but you'll just have to call or e-mail me to talk more! :)

Update:

I have finished New Moon and have less than 200 pages left of Eclipse.

I must say, I agree with mom. Bella is not my favorite character. Sometimes I want to slap her across the face (I don't want to say too much because I know some people haven't read it yet and I don't want to give too much info...) I can say, though, that I keep hearing people say "Are you a Jacob fan or an Edward fan?" Like I said, I still have about 200 pages, but I'm an Edward fan, all the way. Just so you all know. :)

Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts, but only say as much as you can without giving spoilers for those who haven't read. If you want to discuss in more detail, you'll have to call me! :)

Sucked in...


I've been hearing for months about "The Twlight Series" and "The Mormon vampire books" (so called because the author is LDS) and other names. I was intrigued and thought it was kind of funny that so many people "couldn't put it down." I watched a preview for the movie that's coming out and thought it sounded alright, but nothing to stop everything in life to read. My mom, who likes having deep discussions and reading deep, thought-provoking books even read all three books in FIVE days! I decided to put Twilight on hold at the library and try it out.

I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!

I started reading on Monday at 4:30 PM and finished on Tuesday at 9:30 PM (now, take out the 8 hours at work that I didn't read and the 7 hours I slept).

I read the back cover before I started and thought "Oh, boy," because it said "Of three things I was sure: 1. Edward was a vampire. 2. Some part of him, [can't remember exactly] wanted to drink my blood. 3. I was completely and irrevocably in love with him."

If you haven't read this book, don't let that turn you off. That part was, I admit, rather cheezy. :)

So that's it. I'm hooked.

And I'm going to the library tonight to get the next one.

Rock your Junk!
The first weekend in May, we went with a bunch of Nate's friend's from Colorado to MOAB!!! It's pretty much our favorite place in the world and it was SO fun to have so many friends there with us! So here are some (very random) pictures of our trip. I'll try to explain them. For some of them, you just have to understand that this is a strange bunch.

We're all a little off our rockers.

These first two are just group pictures. All but one person on this trip has some connection to Denver (lived there or married someone who did).






















This second group picture was taken at this arch: Corona Arch. Travis (Nate's brother, see below) and Brett climbed to the top of this arch. Nate and I started to and decided we didn't want to risk death.

One thing I love about Moab is that I get to CLIMB! Next to Landscape Arch, there's a rockface that's pretty easy to climb (getting down is the hard part...). This is me on top with Ryan, Damien and Brandon.









Nate also likes to climb...and swing.






This is Ryan - I won't put his last name so he doesn't get in trouble for...relieving himself on government land. :)
Remember the brother I said you would see below? This is Trav. You would not believe the amount of "babes" he picked up with this stellar...uh...hat...Okay, I warned you that this is an unusual bunch. We handle difficult situations...unusually. While we were getting ready to hike to Delicate Arch, Becki and Adam (who had to leave right after the hike to get back home to catch a flight) locked their keys in the car (if you want the full, very funny story, see Becki's blog). Luckily the trunk was open, so Nate pushed out part of the seats. However it wasn't nearly big enough for anyone to fit into. So Becki (who is extremely tall - very longs limbs) tried to reach her hand to the lock. She couldn't quite reach, so she turned around and tried her foot. Click. She got the lock. I, of course, was very helpful through this whole scenario. I took pictures.
























As I have mentioned before, I am trying to get into photography a little more, so I laboriously carried my camera everywhere in hopes of getting some good shots. I got a couple that I liked - nothing spectacular. The one on the right is my favorite. We were at the Indiana Jones Arch (which I think is actually called Double Arch) near sunset and it just worked so perfectly.























Um...They've been working on the railroad? (in case you can't tell, they're "carrying" picks and shovels...)
And finally, the boy whose joy is MOAB!

Before....



During....
AFTER!!!!

I Gragitated!

So, it's been almost two weeks since this blessed event and I'm just now posting about it.

Actually it was kind of an insane week, to be honest. My parents were here, Nate's parents were here, our friends Adam and Becki were staying at our house, Nate's brother Trav, who just got home from a mission was at our house, my brother, his wife and their little boy came for my graduation. All of these people were around while we re-tiled our kitchen (more on that later) so we basically had no kitchen. My uncle also passed away that week and another sister and her husband and four kids came (they didn't stay with us - there wasn't room!) for the funeral. Then, the following week we went to Moab (more on that as well) and I'm just NOW recovering from all of that!

So here are a few pictures from the day: This was before the ceremony - we took some pictures at the Hinckley Alumni House. I'm pretty sure these two are the reason I made it through college! Thanks for everything!
Here's a picture with Nate and his parents right after the ceremony. Thanks for coming mom and dad! I know it was a crazy week to be away from home!
There is actually an almost identical picture to this one from later in the day, after the ceremony. Very silly. He's a good guy to have around - keeps me from getting stressed out. Love you babe!
This is Nate's grandpa Dewey, who is a picture-taking-home-fixing-knows-everything kind of guy! We sure love having him and grandma Dewey nearby. Thanks for coming Grandpa and Grandma!

This is totally weird, but Nate wanted me to post it. If you have small children, don't let them look at this. :)

Nate was goofing around with the aperture on the camera and took this picture (for those of you who don't know, that's my stuffed animal Johnny that I've had since I was a year old. I still sleep with it.)

Creepy, huh?

So come home to North Dakota....

Nate's little brother Travis got home from his mission to Raleigh North Carolina last week and Dan & Kippy were nice enough to fly us home for the weekend! I took my camera with good intentions to take lots of pictures...and it sat in Kim's car until Sunday afternoon...

I really wanted a family picture with the whole family, but some were a little resistant, so we made it quick...and not that great. Mel took about 5 pictures for me and this was the only one where everyone was at least sort of smiling/not blinking/looking at the camera. Good looking bunch huh? For the past several months, every time I see a picture of Mel I think "that looks like a mix of mom and me when we were in high school." I thought I'd get a cute picture of us to prove my point. Though Mel is WAY cuter/skinnier/good at posing. :)
The Newlyweds! Nate's sister Lindsey got married in December and she's going to kill me if she finds out I posted this picture. :)
Jakey Wakey! This big guy is the reason I am totally okay with having a big dog. If you notice, he's in the family picture too. He's just part of the gang. (This was also an attempt at an action shot for my photography-ness. Not the greatest, but whatever).
And here's the papa. Anyone who knows him well knows he has a mean face that could almost kill you.

This is not it.
Overall, it was a very fun, relaxing weekend. Trav is surprisingly normal (well, by normal I mean not a dorky missionary - he's still a freak) and it was really fun to have everyone together for the first time EVER!

Photography


In January when I realized I would have my whole evenings free, I decided I would need a hobby. I considered some options and decided I wanted to try photography. However, since for the last four months, it has been almost dark when I got home from work, I decided I would wait to start my new fun (instead I watched movies, Friends & Lost all winter).

Now that it's finally warming up (and lighting up) I think I might start trying my hand at it.

The reason I thought of all this was because I was looking through some of our old pictures and found a couple I took that I was kind of impressed with.

This one is at Temple Square at Christmas - they put little floating candles on the reflection pool and I just thought they looked so beautiful.




This was at my cousin Alta's wedding last spring at the Logan temple. There were tulips EVERYWHERE! It kind of reminds me of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!" Doesn't it just look like you could take a walk through the flower bed?!

Anyway, wish me luck on my new hobby! I'll post if I manage to take any good pics.

HAPPY EASTER!

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God" (D&C 76:22-24)

Today at work some of the guys were talking about how many shoes girls have and how they just DON'T understand it. There was only one girl in the group that was talking that owned less than 5 pairs of shoes. NONE of the guys owned more than 5. We discussed shoes for awhile and the need we girls have for more than just one pair for each kind of event (dress shoes, tennis shoes, work shoes, etc.) -- different colors, styles, etc. Now, I will grant you, I don't have a lot of shoes - I have enough for my purposes (if I had more money, however, I would have many more shoes).

From there, the conversation turned to purses. What is the need for more than one purse? they asked. One of the guys said something about how he can use the same wallet for years. So I calmly explained to him that it's TOTALLY different.

And here's why: girls don't dress for guys. We may want them to think we look nice, but in the end we don't do it for them. I have a personal example of this: sometimes I will ask Nate to pick clothes for me to wear when we're going out. He'll pick something that he thinks looks good on me. However, in almost every case, it's something I don't think looks very good on me. So I change into something I think I look good in.

We don't dress for guys. And this isn't something new. Jane Austen, in her novel Northanger Abbey, said "Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone." That book was written 210 years ago! We dress for ourselves and other girls. Going back to the purse thing, when another woman compliments a purse (or shoes, or shirt), it validates us. If another woman who's opinion we respect likes our purse, it's all worth it!


But it made my wonder why? Why do we need/wants lots of shoes and purses? I realize not all girls do, but I am guilty of always wanting a new purse or new shoes. So why?

I have no idea.


Take a look at a study someone did about women's handbags! I only read the beginning, but maybe it has insight. I'll have to read it...

I did it! barely...

I did the Rex Lee 5k Run on Saturday and amazingly, I ran the whole thing. Even more amazingly, I finished in about 30 minutes! Compared to Melissa's 13 miles in 2 hours, that's nothing, but considering I haven't run since last July, I think I did pretty well.

Here I am before the race with Damien & Natalya (they were the only reason I ran the whole thing. I couldn't let them finish TOO far ahead of me. Thanks for running with me guys!)

Ready, set....

Here I am about 20 yards from the finish line. Thanks to my wonderful hubby for taking pictures! :)

And here I am looking ready to die. That's a horrible picture, but it kind of shows how I felt after the race. I couldn't really breathe.

Here is my attempt at a smile. I finished! Yay!

Here's what I learned:

1. Never try to run a 5k if you haven't run to several months.
2. Make sure to stretch. A lot.
3. Wear gloves! (I couldn't feel my hands by the end of the race - they were still tingling by Sat. evening).
4. Having music to jam to would have helped I think.
5. I am not cut out to run marathons, even with lots of training.

Feed people while making yourself smarter!

I was reading People magazine when I came across an article about a man who was trying to inspire his son to study for the SAT. He came up with a computer game that teaches vocabulary words and eventually made it into a website. It doesn't only teach vocabulary however. For every correct answer, this man (John Breen) donates 20 grains of rice to the U.N. World Food Program. The article said he has generated 20 billion grains of rice (enough to feed a million people for a day).

The website is www.freerice.com. I tried it and it's way fun! (I did realize, however, that the only reason I knew half the words I do is from reading Jane Austen books - that's kind of sad). I played for less than 5 minutes and donated 740 grains of rice. That would be a lot of rice if everyone who looks at this blog played for 5 minutes or less (especially if you have a bigger vocabulary than me - which most of you do I'm sure!).

Even if you think it's silly, go play to make your vocab bigger. People will think you're smart. :)

Which Disney Princess are You?

I found this on my sister's friend's blog and thought "why not?" This is amazing. You all should do this.
She is my FAVORITE!!!!! How did they DO that?!?

So click here to see the amazing results and find out which Disney Princess you are. ;)

Thank you Melissa! And Rex Lee!

My cousin ran a half marathon a couple of weeks ago and I thought "I want to do that!" (I seem to want to do what others do a lot....).

So I signed up to run the 5k of the Rex Lee Run. Next Saturday.

I haven't gone running for MONTHS. Literally. That last time I went running was with my father-in-law in July.

I do go to an aerobics class where I get a pretty SWEET workout, but I'll be honest: I'm a little worried I'm going to hurt myself somewhere in those 3 measly miles (I used to run that far and farther several times a week - it's sad how far I have digressed).

So I wanted to publicly thank Melissa for motivating me.

And ask you all to pray for me.

*I'll see if I can convince my husband to be at the finish line so you all can have proof that I CAN in fact run 3.1 miles. Ha ha

YUMMY!!!!

Molten Chocolate Cakes
I have this recipe for an AMAZING, yummy dessert. These are just like the Triple Chocolate Meltdown at Applebee's and SO easy to make (which is a bad thing, in my opinion - we'll just make them more!). We had all the ingredients just on hand and we ususally don't have anything too fantastic around the house. So here it is!

Prep: 20 min Bake: 14 min Stand: 3 min

Baking cocoa
6 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (I used 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Additional powdered sugar, if desired

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease bottoms and sides of 6-ounce custard cups with shortening and dust with cocoa.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.

3. In large bowl, beat whole eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended. Beat in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in melted chocolate mixture and flour. Divide batter evenly among custard cups. Place cups on cookie sheet with sides.

4. Bake 12-14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft (tops will be puffed and cracked). Let stand 3 minutes. Run small knife or metal spatula along sides of cakes to loosen. Immediately place heat proof serving plate upside down onto each cup; turn plate and cup over and remove cup. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Serve warm.

So there you go! I just want to add a couple of notes: First of all, you can make them ahead of time and refrigerate them - you will just have to cook them about 2-3 minutes longer. The way to tell if they are done is that the tops will be cracked, like the recipes says. If the top is not cracked, they are not quite done. We learned that the hard way (though they are still REALLY good if the center is really really runny - just not the right affect). The center should ooze out when you take your first bite.

Oh, I'm making myself hungry. :)

(and in case you're wondering, that picture is not mine. I got it off the internet. I have yet to have mine look so good! We usually just eat them before we have time to make them pretty :)

The Winds of Change......or something

My oldest sister recently got a haircut. My first thought when I looked at the pictures was "Oohhh, I want one!" But then I remembered I'm growing my hair out.

Then I thought "Maybe I'll just dye it." But then I remembered I love my hair color.

Then I thought "Maybe I'll buy a console table to go in my living room so IT looks different." But then I remembered we don't have $100+ to spend on silly furniture.

Then I thought "Maybe I'll just rearrange all my furniture to make it sort of different." But then I remembered it won't look good/fit any other way.

Then I thought "I'm a freak. Why does my sister's cutting her hair prompt all this thought process?"

And I realized. It has nothing to do with my sister.

It's all about my dad.

You see, my dad is the kind of person who always likes to be doing something. Even if he builds a brand new house, he has to have a new jeep to fix or an apartment that needs to be remodeled. And I just happen to be very much like my dad in that way. But I can't afford a jeep or a new house to build. But I need change and variety and stuff.

So, I need something different. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do to have a little variety in myself/my house/etc?

Yay for Amy who has a link to cool blog templates on her blog!

Happy St. Pat's Day! (soon...)

And too bad Easter is in March. I say we ditch the Lunar calendar and just make Easter the same day - like Mother's and Father's Day. That way, we don't get overloaded in one month (ha - like I do anything for St. Pat's Day anyway, except wear my green CTR ring...)

Also, if you notice anyone I forgot on my list (like yourself, for example) PLEASE let me know. Besides the fact that I'm scatterbrained, I did this at work and was kind of distracted. Don't be offended and please just tell me so I can add you! :)

100 Things....

I really love my job. I get super stressed out for a couple of hours, do some basic work for a couple of hours, then play on the internet for the rest of the day!

Since I have the time, I thought I'd do the oh-so-popular 100 things about myself. It seems rather selfish and vain to do, but I know several of you will read it anyway :) So here goes:


1. I want to be a mom more than anything in this world and always have.
2. I love being a wife, even though I'm not very good at it. I was even awarded "Most likely to be the best wife" by my high school graduating class.
3. Ramen is my FAVORITE food in the world.
4. I put ketchup on frozen burritos. My husband thinks it's disgusting.
5. I am a Jane Austen fanatic. I have read all but one of her books and seen all but one movie. And Becoming Jane is one of my favorite movies.
6. I used to be the worst dressed kid around.
7. I didn't kiss a boy until I was 18 - my first kiss was 8 days before I graduated from high school.
8. I received the Ernest Hemingway Writing Award from the Kansas City Star my senior year. It was a $2,500 scholarship.
9. I also received the North Dakota High School Journalist of the Year Award.
10. Even after the journalism awards, I did not major in journalism. I majored in Home and Family Living.
11. From August 2006-January 2008 (less than a year and a half), I have had 5 jobs and my favorite job EVER has been waitressing.
12. My favorite book in the world is A Tale of Two Cities.
13. My favorite number is 23 (because of #12, my fave book).
14. I have been to 7 countries and 35 states (I think...)
15. I have not been to Disneyland since I was 3 years old (I remember the Dumbo ride and Pirates of the Caribbean).
16. Before I got married, my only close female friends were sisters and cousins.
17. I have eaten a baby/miniature squid -- the whole thing.
18. I have lived in Russia - twice.
19. I think the Russian language is the most beautiful (Italian is right up there with it).
20. I was going to convince my dad to take my to Italy the summer after my sophomore year of college. I got married instead.
21. My husband and I met on a blind date set up by my mom.
22. While I was dating my husband was the first time I didn't have the desire to date other people at some point in the relationship.
23. I bite my fingernails and have since I was 7 years old.
24. I love homes that have creatively/beautifully decorated interiors, but I'm not creative enough to make mine look good.
25. I LOVE broccoli.
26. The only vegetables I don't like (but will still eat anyway) are onions, peppers and purple cabbage. I like the rest.
27. I tried on more than 50 wedding dresses before I found the one I chose.
28. I love watching most kinds of movies and my favorite movie in the world is "While You Were Sleeping"
29. I go through stages where I don't like to be around people, even Nate.
30. I don't love chocolate, like most women - I think my husband likes it more than me. That doesn't mean I don't eat it, but most of the time, I can do without it.
31. I am easily persuaded in most things.
32. I tend to act like people I'm around a lot. I think if I lived in the south, I would have a southern accent in about 2 weeks.
33. I LOVE wearing high heels and I am slowly but surely ruining my feet.
34. I'm not very good at cooking, but I'm pretty good at baking and LOVE it.
35. I LOVE to clean. I get mad at my husband when he cleans something he knows I like to (like vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom).
36. I enjoy traveling. I want to travel the world someday. I like seeing new places, but I don't like getting there because...
37. I get motion sick really easily. Car sick, especially but also boat sick and sometimes plane sick.
38. My two favorite names (what I wanted to name my first boy and girl) used to be Ethan and Ellie. Then, 2 years later, every other baby had those names!
39. When I was 3, I quoted a line of Ursula's from The Little Mermaid to our 60 year old neighbor. I've been quoting movies ever since.
40. Once I decide I like a song, I'll sometimes listen to it OVER and OVER (right now it's "Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade....)
41. Before Nate, I dated guys who were an average of 6 feet (a few a little shorter, some taller).
42. I love swimming.
43. My junior year of high school I pinched my rotator cuff in both shoulders and couldn't swim anymore.
44. My appendix ruptured when I was 10.
45. I like Backstreet Boys, even though I'm not 14.
46. I prefer to write cursive over print. I can write faster that way.
47. I am horrible at remembering to take pictures when I want a memory of something.
48. I remember dates very easily. I know all of my family's birthdays. However, for some reason I have a hard time remembering my husband's birthday. It's either the 18th or 19th and for some reason, I always forget which.
49. I organize like CRAZY.
50. Salt and Vinegar chips are my favorite. I once ate three vending machine bags of them in less than two days.
51. I get headaches from smells that are too strong (gasoline, smelly lotion, etc.)
52. The only bone I have ever broken was a hairline fracture in my foot from playing on some monkey bars.
53. In 8th grade, I basically became a clone of one of the "popular" girls at school (dressed like her, did my hair like her, ate what she ate for lunch).
54. In 9th grade, I realized people liked me because of who I was (ah, junior high enlightenment).
55. My longest crush was for 8 years (I'm not saying who...) :)
56. I once sprinted a mile because I was so angry about something that I ran faster and faster for 10 full blocks.
57. I ran hurdles in high school.
58. I tripped over the 5th hurdle in the 300's during regionals my senior year in front of at least 500 people.
59. I got a Tickle-me Elmo the year they were selling for $1,500. Mine was a Christmas gift from someone I still don't know.
60. I know it's lame, but I like to stay up-to-date on celebrity news. Except Britney Spears. I'm sick of her.
61. In 9th grade, people told me I looked like Britney Spears.
62. My senior year of high school, I cut 10 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love.
63. I once had a migraine that lasted 3 days. I couldn't get out of bed and when I did, I fainted.
64. I used to hate spicy foods, but since I married Nate, I eat spicy food a LOT. And like it.
65. I LOVE ballroom dancing (watching and doing).
66. I would love to live in Boston or San Diego or near any coast(unfortunately, my husband refuses...prices, politics, etc.)
67. I am a spontaneous person (I am less than I used to be since I married Nate who over analyzes everything and has taught me to analyze a little bit).
68. I love back massages, foot massages, hand massages, etc. etc. My poor hubby...
69. Someday I want to go to either cosmetology school or culinary school or a trade school to do interior design.
70. There was no hot water in the church the day I got baptized; one kid backed out because the water was so cold!
71. My favorite church calling so far has been the activities committee.
72. Half my ward is pregnant. The other half has a kid. And I'm only sort of exaggerating. This makes me more baby hungry.
73. I hate ice in my drinks and (with the exception of milk) would prefer my drinks room temperature.
74. I daydream all the time. If I'm not daydreaming I'm replaying a conversation in my mind (and changing what I should have said, so...turning it into a daydream).
75. In high school, I cross stitched all the time and made several quilts.
76. When I was a teenager, I spent hours on the phone. Now (with the exception of talking to my mom and occasionally my siblings) I usually spend as little time as possible on the phone.
77. When people ask for embarrassing moments I never know what to say because I forget mine (on purpose, subconsciously).
78. I love change, but rarely experience it (I don't buy new clothes that often, don't cut/color my hair often, live in the same place, etc). I think that's why I change jobs and used to change boys so often. That's so bad.
79. I get annoyed with people easily and have to force myself to realize that they're good people, despite what my mean mind thinks.
80. I love cloudy days. I wouldn't want them all the time (I just recently realized this), but occasionally, they make my day.
81. I hate contention. Nate and his brothers & friends will have "discussions" that seem to just be fighting and I get really uncomfortable. For the first several months of our marriage, when we would argue, I would just shut down because I hated fighting (still hate it, but I will hold my ground better now).
82. Reading magazines makes me nauseous. Not because of what the magazines say, but something about reading them makes me feel ill. It doesn't happen with books. Just magazines.
83. I love living in the same town as family and hate that I have no siblings in Utah right now.
84. I pretend to hate cheezy, love lines from movies, but secretly they give me chills.
85. Music has such a powerful affect on me.
86. If I wasn't LDS (and what that statement implies) I would wear halter tops all the time. I love my shoulders.
87. I think really dark brown eyes are amazing. I also think bright blue eyes (like Nate's) are pretty brilliant (hopefully our kids will have a mix!).
88. I have this ongoing battle in my mind of knowing that I need to eat healthy and loving to eat junk food.
89. I tend to hold grudges. I hate that I do, but have such a hard time forgetting when people have hurt me.
90. I used to be a night owl, but when I got married that changed. Now I hate mornings and really late nights. :)
91. I have claustrophobia and can remember the first time I felt that trapped feeling. It still makes me tense up just to think about it.
92. I am horrible at keeping in touch with people. I know what 2 friends from high school are doing and have no idea what any of my freshman roommates are up to.
93. I usually remember numbers and dates really well. Ask me my first crush's address (first grade). I can still remember it.
94. I HATE cold weather. I would much rather be sweating than shivering.
95. I love camping and I think it's mostly because I get to play with fire.
96. I love watching the food network - Iron Chef America is my favorite. :)
97. At the moment, I have a LOST obsession. Some nights I will watch it for about 4 hours.
98. I stole chap stick when I was 7. My mom caught me and made me go back to the store and pay for it.
99. I hate doing things I'm not good at (card games, sometimes cooking, etc.) because I hate looking stupid/incompetent (who doesn't, really).
100. After I post this, I will mostly likely think of several things I wish I had posted instead of what I posted.

I actually wrote this a couple of weeks ago and saved it until now to post, just in case I wanted to change some of my answers. That probably tells you something else about me.

Nate the Great!

I'm stealing Annie's spouse tag! :) Since my husband has yet to have any interest in starting/contributing to blogging, I'll just embarrass him by talking about him (plus, I have nothing to do at work right now....)!

What is his name? Nathan Andrew (which he would have you all know, means "manly") Frakes

How long have you been married? 20 months

How long did you date? 2 months, then we were engaged for 3 (look at that - we've been married 4 times as long as we knew each other before we got married!)

How old his he? 23

Who eats more? Probably me, which is pathetic. In fact, last year I gained weight and he lost. No good.

Who said I love you first? We still have a dispute about this I think. He said it in a text message (so maybe that doesn't count?), so he says I said it first. But honestly, I think we just can't remember.

Who is taller? Nate

Who can sing better? If one of us is actually trying? We both tend to belt horribly, but I probably sing better when I'm trying.

Who is smarter? Definitely Nate.

Who does the laundry? Alisa (though Nate does help fold when he has time)

Who does the dishes? Both, but mostly me because I have more time (and despise it less).

Who pays the bills? Alisa. Nate reminds and advises and asks how much money we have.

Who sleeps in the right side? Looking at the bed: me

Who mows the lawn? We both really like to. Nate used to own a lawnmowing business, so he usually does the edge trimming, but I really like to so I don't let him have all the fun!

Who cooks dinner? Usually me. Occasionally when I'm sleeping on Sunday and he's starving, Nate will make something. He's a much better cook though. If he had more time, I think he would more. He actually wants to send me to culinary school someday....That shows what kind of cook I am.

Who drives? Either. Depends on who wants to.

Who is more stubborn? Define stubborn - less willing to give in to views that are not his own? Nate. Actually any way you define it, it's Nate.

Who kissed who first? Nate kissed me first.

Who asked who out first? My mom asked Nate to take me out. Does that count? :) He got my number from my mom and asked me out first.

Who proposed? Nate, of course. And he did it one of the few ways I had always thought I wanted to be proposed to. How did he know? :)

Who has more friends? Definitely Nate. His friends have become my friends and that's about all I have (that we spend time with).

Who is more sensitive? Definitely me. I'm getting better at not getting offended, though.

Who has more siblings? Me by 2.

Who wears the pants? Nate does, but I give advice and make suggestions, which he's great about listening to.

Since my last post delivered so much commentary, I thought I would post something that will probably not get a single comment. Maybe one or two. :)

I saw this idea on someone else's blog and just tried it with the book I had, so here goes:

Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to p. 123.
3. Go down to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
(There was an instruction to tag five people, but I figure if you want to do this, you will)

I will be amazed at anyone who can name this novel (except Nathan and AJ), but you can try!

"Born to the prospect of such affluence! I cannot conceive of a situation more deplorable. The interest of two thousand pounds -- how can a man live on it!"

Men are from Mars.....

I used to mock my husband for always talking about this radio talk show host he listens to all the time. Well, here I am, talking about the same talk show radio host. His name is Dennis Prager and yesterday he did an interview with the guy who wrote the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," as well as a new book entitled "Why Mars and Venus collide" (I think that's the title). Anyway, John Gray, the author, basically reaffirmed VERY well the difference between men and women.

I am amazed that there are people in this world who believe men and women are basically the same. I don't mean to offend anyone, so please don't be if you believe that. But here's the thing: you see it everywhere. Little kids whose parents don't want them to be part of the stereotypical males/female roles will give their sons dolls and daughters trucks.

And you know what always happens?

The little boys turn the dolls into guns or swords and the little girls give their trucks names, tuck them into bed and invite them to tea parties! If you think about it, even homosexual couples have gender roles. There is always a more masculine partner and more feminine partner. Why is that?

Because IT'S NATURAL.

Anyway, that's not at all what the talk show segment is about. I just had to get on that soapbox for a minute. The talk show is mostly about the differences in how men and women deal with stress. It must be true because I found myself chuckling the whole way through at the TRUTH of what John Gray was saying!

Anyway, if you have the time, it's really interesting and worth the time - the whole segment is just over 30 minutes, but even listening to the first 10 is beneficial.

So here it is: Mars vs. Venus

Hey, for those of you thinking you'd rather not vote in November because you don't agree with either candidate (and all of you that are interested in the fate of this country....as I once again am - my resignation is over) read this article: Better than the alternative...

By the way, Michael Reagan is Ronald Reagan's oldest son. I think that gives a little more credence to this article.

Here's a cute little picture to go with it:

Strike is over!

This is completely contradictory to Shan's great post, but I thought I'd share the news: the Writer's Guild of America Strike is over! Do you realize what this means?!?

Great shows are back from reruns.

And probably better than ever since writers have had 14 weeks to come up with amazing plot ideas!!

For the depressed...

I talked to my brother and sister-in-law last night about Romney's decision to suspend from the race. They mentioned how upset they were by it and I realized I wasn't as much as I thought I would be. I think I owe it all to Adam Johnson. If you want to feel better about the whole political situation, check out his blog. The link to it is in my links under Brett Bubbles :) -- don't ask.

I resign.

I just wanted to let you all know, I am resigning from my interest in politics.

I don't like being an angry person and after yesterday, I'm just angry. Every news website -- actually nearly EVERY website -- I've seen today is just MAKING ME ANGRY. So I resign. No more politics.

But you're welcome to let me know if something good happens....

Something that might make me change my mind about finding a new country to live in.

Politics...usually not my topic....

My sister AJ and I have been talking politics a lot over the past couple of days. Since I'm married to a political freak :) I have learned a lot about the candidates and issues this time around and am actually amazed at how opinionated I am about the candidates. Basically (and I'm sorry if this offends anyone) I can't understand how any morally descent person could vote for McCain. Even if you agree with some of his policies/ideas/etc., his life resembles Bill Clinton's too closely for comfort (except McCain shows no remorse...). I know people say you shouldn't let a man's personal life affect your vote for him, but I can't help it (plus, I disagree with some of his views on issues). Anyway, AJ showed me this website that gives information about each of the candidates. If you have time, take a look. I would say specifically look at the difference in the bios for Romney and McCain. The stark difference between them really just baffles me. Anyway...that's my rant... :) Here's the website: Presidential Election 2008 Candidates

The Miracle of Babies

Read this article: How my twins saved my life. My jaw literally dropped at how amazing this story was. Enjoy!

Succession of a Prophet

I have loved reading what others have posted about President Hinckley and can honestly say "ditto" to everything I've read. He was and incredible man and touched my life in more ways than I can say. I've thought a lot in the last week about things he taught in my youth that completely affected the very path of my life. What an incredible man!

While I honor President Hinckley, I have a slightly different purpose for this post. It is a VERY long post and I won't be at all offended if it's not all read, but I think it's important stuff, so if you have time, please read it. This morning I googled President Hinckley and read a news article in the Salt Lake Tribune about who would succeed President Hinckley. These are the words of the article: "President Hinckley died Sunday; if tradition holds, the first counselor will take the helm."

I figured that a Utah newspaper, however liberal it may be, would at least be able to get the facts right about the MAJOR religion of the state. For some reason, it really frustrated me and maybe it's because during our ward's testimony meeting yesterday, people seemed to intentionally avoid saying that Elder Monson would be the next prophet and president of the Church. That got me thinking that maybe people don't know the doctrine of succession in the Church and perhaps many do think tradition has something to do with it.

So the purpose of this post is to enlighten those who may not know this doctrine and maybe it will reach the Salt Lake Tribune since I have no idea how I would write a letter to the editor...

The next prophet in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not, as some people think, the first counselor in the First Presidency. In fact, when the prophet passes away, the First Presidency is dissolved. Those of you who watched President Hinckley's funeral noticed that Thomas S. Monson introduced himself not as President Monson, but as ELDER Monson. An article on BYU's website that Nate pointed out to me explains really well the principle of succession. Click here to read that. The article states that everything is done in seniority. Elder Monson is the senior apostle, which is why he will be the next prophet - not because he was the first counselor. I think there is this idea that the next prophet is chosen by the twelve apostles through revelation -- that's what I used to think at least. However, that is not the case. Nate was telling me about something he heard -- and of course I've forgotten who said it -- that the Lord has created this principle of succession for a reason. If he doesn't want the next most senior apostle to be the president of the church, then basically (and I don't mean for this to sound callous) that person will no longer be alive to fulfill that responsibility. That's how the Lord handles succession of leadership.

Another interesting position in all of this is that of Elder Boyd K. Packer. To be perfectly honest, I didn't understand this, so that's why I'm posting about it now that my husband has enlightened me. I think this is important to know, especially since we're in this situation and it really is doctrine, so we should know it. Anyway, Elder Packer has been the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He wasn't actually the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Monson was. But since President Monson was in the First Presidency, he couldn't act as the president of the quorum. So Elder Packer acted for him, basically. Now that President Hinckley has passed away and the First Presidency has been dissolved, Elder Packer is no longer the acting president of the quorum.

One final important key to all of this (no pun intended) is that of Priesthood keys. Elder Nelson wrote an article concerning this idea that can be found at LDS.org and is entitled "Keys of the Priesthood." The President of the Church (the most senior apostle) is the only person on the earth who holds all the keys of the Priesthood. The 12 apostles, combined, hold all the keys, but the current prophet is the only man who holds ALL of them. After the death of the President of the Church, the Apostles meet and bestow all the keys on the new leader of the Church.

I hope this was as clear as I wanted it to be. I think the SL Tribune article really got to me and I just wanted to clarify as much for myself as for all of you. Please, if you hear someone discussing this matter, join in and share what you know. As silly as it may sound, just knowing all this and learning more about it because we're in the midst of it has strengthened my testimony of this principle. The Lord knows what he's doing with his Church on this earth. He will never let his children be led astray. In fact, President Woodruff said in the 61st Semiannual General Conference "The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty." How true that is. I believe that the succession of leaders of the church is the Lord's way of preventing what President Woodruff talked about.

Sorry this is so long. If you have any further insights, please share! That way, maybe I won't feel too preachy. :)