aarp

well, it's official: i am TOTALLY geriatric.

why, you might ask?

yesterday for lunch i had cottage cheese and tomatoes. and thought it was LOVELY.

oh, how far i've fallen......

thankful thursday

**for the small al rounds st. george temple picture i conned my good man into buying me at costco--as i've gotten *ahem* more mature in these past years, i've found that i'm a sucker for anything that depicts the red rocks and beauty of southern utah.

i'm glad that i'm so persuasive--i have WAYS.


**for the chance i had to see footloose at tuacahn theater with thayne jasperson this week--

it was surprisingly good and we managed to avoid heatstroke when a rainstorm blew through.

the only thing that surprised me was how miniature thayne was--i swear, if the boy was 5'3'', i'd be shocked. but his dancing was so amazing that i wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home. and maybe place him under my pillow? hmmmmmm....



**for fellow glamazons--i got to see my blogging bff vanessa in pine valley on the 24th of july. she is freaking FABULOUS and every bit as funny and beautiful in real life. and between the two of us i'd say we have over 12 feet of height. so nobody is gonna mess with THIS business.

i just wish i would have remembered to actually comb my hair that day. YIKES.





**for little girls who like to dance. AND know the words to "don't stop believin'". train them young, i say.

my imaginary friends.

i've always felt like i "know" people on reality tv.

i like to talk about them as if they have been on my speed dial for years--i also like to dissect their problems, tackle their issues, & offer advice on their love life.

i know it's pathetic and somewhat disturbing. but i can't seem to help myself from becoming (as russ so aptly puts it) "an integral and vital part of their lives."

can you see his sarcasm dripping off of those letters? i hope so.

what i wish i COULD do, however, is to stop my celebrity pseudo-bff's imaginary (or non) situations/story lines/competition placements from affecting me or my mood. swings.



pathetic example 1: mindi agonizes over which sytycd dancer she should pledge her allegiance and un-dying devotion to. she is torn between brandon, jeanine, kayla, & janette. she decides to stick with her original first love, brandon, but then nearly comes unglued when he lands in the bottom two (all because of evan and the freaking eyelid sympathy vote! THERE. i said it!). she's relieved when he ends up staying, but is bent out of shape by jeanette being voted off. she thinks melissa should have gone home (sorry kami) but knows she's staying on because she tackled the breast-cancer issue. she then talks for an excruciatingly long amount of time about how janette would still be here if she had performed the b.c. dance. and had a better gum/teeth combo.



pathetic example 2: mindi has talked for weeks about how daisy should pick flex on daisy of love--he's (fairly) stable, good looking, and doesn't look like an unemployed d-bag with a closet full of affliction tank tops. she DOESN'T want daisy to pick london, who is an unemployed d-bag with a closet full of women's skinny jeans. daisy (of course) picks london, and the rest of mindi's night is filled with emotional eating & angry emails to vh1.


i am a smart enough woman to know that the only fact i should REALLY get my panties in a bunch over is the fact that i should be embarrassed to admit that i watch a show such as this.
and to solemly swear not to insert myself into said trashy reality-tv show dynamics, EVER AGAIN.


wait for it........



wait.

for.

it.



yeah, no. don't hold your breath.

thankful thursday

things i am thankful for this week:


**children that actually miss their parents when they are gone. (but not TOO much--thanks, kiersta~xoxo)



**this sweetest card that my man left for me on my computer keyboard--i lurve him. for REALS.

inside it read:


it just melted my heart :)



**for an old dog who can teach a young pup a 'new trick'~




**that my girls tiburon and jentix dialed me in on the rob thomas concert action--because everybody knows that i've been wanting to go to a concert this year......

(plus, isn't that a skull on his shirt? HELLO, win/win!)


**for a chance to celebrate a birthday with a special cake with a billion pink candles.

whoops.

note to self:

jumping from the basement landing to clear 9 (NINE!) stairs does NOT get you into the olympics.

it does, however, get you one wicked sweet pair of crutches. and the hippest ankle brace the world has ever seen.

101 thoughts

1. i liked this post when my blogging bff's tiburon & tiffany did it.
2. but i haven't done it because it seems like a lot of work.
3. and i'm lazy.
4. i have ant bait next to my computer even as i type.
5. which makes me feel like a dirty, dirty girl.
6. NOT in a good way.
7. i want to go back down to las vegas with caylor & amy.


8. and eat again at lavo. it was the bomb.
9. my laundry room carpeting needs to be replaced. YESTERDAY.
10. but nobody wants to be my carpet sponsor.
11. i cleaned out my kid's downstairs toy room this morning.
12. i found a lot of things that shouldn't be in a toy room.
13. which makes me all crazy-angry-road-ragey.
14. i like the smell of glade plug-ins in my house.
15. but i tend to have too many, and it can get too strong.
16. AND make almost any thing baked in my house taste like perfume.
17. unless you actually EAT it in my house. which is lame.
18. i can hear my children screaming at each other.
19. which is the loveliest sound on the earth.....
20. i want to send them to swiss boarding school.
21. i'm tired of being the only person to fill up water bottles in this house.


22. i want daisy and flex to get together on daisy of love.
23. which is a guilty pleasure that i shouldn't watch.
24. i drive on an empty gas tank for a LONG time.
25. i always think i can get at least 30 more miles out of it.
26. i have a gift for remembering an amazing amount of pop culture.
27. which is kind of a really lame gift.
28. since i can read something in the scriptures and not recall it 10 minutes later.
29. i fa-REEEEKING hate all those facebook quizzes. must. be. squashed.
30. but i still love you, even if you take them. I VALIDATE YOU.
31. i love having all girls, but sometimes i feel like i'm not a very good mother.
32. i think it has something to do with the fact that i'm not really a nurturer.
33. which is why it's a good thing that i married one.
34. but i can be very calm and diplomatic in some stressful situations with my children.


35 one of the funniest movies i've seen in a long time is 'the hangover'.
36. which i will deny seeing in a court of law. OR to my peers. or to my mother.
37. i had an idyllic childhood.
38. due to my awesome parents who i respect and love immensely.
39. i hang up on telemarketers.
40. i love to plan things for our group of friends to do.
41. i've been called our 'cruise director'.
42. but, alas, i've NEVER been on a cruise.
43. because of the confession booth, i learned a HUGE secret about another blogger.
44. it was by accident--they forgot to check 'anonymous'.
45. to even things out, i told them a secret about me.
46. we've become confidants. i trust them.
47. my naughty word i need to give up is 'd-bag'.


48. any male who still wears a puka shell necklace would fall into the d-bag category.
49. i LOVE where i live.
50. i fell out of my miniature van while leaning out to get the newspaper in my driveway.
51. which is on a steep hill.
52. my miniature van crashed into the neighbor's yard across the street.
53. it FREAKED me out.
54. but it's a helluva good story to tell at dinners and company christmas parties.


55. i've lived my whole life in utah.
56. when i get mad or frustrated, i tend to yell instead of cry.
57. i think my husband is really, REALLY handsome.
58. but he probably won't see this as he never really reads my blog.
59. a situation that i used to be bugged with.
60. but i'm okay with it now. i've achieved 'ZEN.'
61. i only comment on 2-3 blogs regularly.
62. but i read almost 50 on a daily basis.
63. i've resolved myself of all 'blog-guilt'.
64. i don't carry a credit card in my wallet.
65. because i learned to hard way that i tend to be naughty about it.
66. but i DO have my american express number memorized.
67. (strictly for emergencies. so i tell myself.)
68. i just took off my acrylic nails for the first time in over 4 years.
69. and my hands look ugly.
70. but, BOY! I CAN TYPE FAST!!!!
71. when i just typed the number 69 i giggled.
72. i like to share.
73. i wish i was rich so i could have my jody do my hair for me every day.
74. i hate to do my hair. because i've never been good at it.
75. a trait which i inherited from MY mother. bless her soul.


76. i feel a post coming on justifying why i bought concert tickets to nickelback.
77. FOR TWO CONCERTS. in slc AND vegas.
78. yikes!
79. i can make most people feel really comfortable in a social situation.
80. but i tend to talk way too much when i'm nervous.
81. i don't really like talking on the phone very much.
82. i think it's because i've spent most of my life doing that WAY TOO MUCH.
83. i've been told by quite a few people that i smell good.
84. which makes me happy.
85. and also makes me freak OUT when i smell b.o. under my armpits after working out.


86. i'm a bit of a freak about people's teeth.
87. i love to dance, but i'm not very good at it.
88. i'm ashamed to type that i like 'blame it on the alcohol' by jamie foxx.
89. and, YES, i know it has a bad message. BAD! BAD!
90. and, YES, i know that 98% of normal, well-adjusted people hate that song with a passion.
91. i love my sister's carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting.
92. but i don't like it with nuts.
93. i have a VERY WEAK bladder.
94. i can stop to go potty at every single city/rest stop between las vegas and salt lake.
95. i made cake pops last week. they were yummy.
96. but i ate almost all of them over the weekend.
97. which made me want to get bulimia.
98. but i didn't. i sucked it up instead. and ate the rest of them.
99. i'm too lazy to capitalize anything that i type anymore.
100. my naughty sense of humor can get me in trouble sometimes.
101. but i still go for it anyway!

don't stop believin'

i love that a simple photo booth can still bring this kind of joy to small people-- it warms my cold, dark heart......

thankful thursday

things i am thankful for this week:



**a fhe trip to the st. george temple visitor's center with cousins.






** my sisters (or "sisssers" if you speak mia)--



**the fact that i am still able to see something that makes me chuckle about an unfortunate but all-too-highly saturated topic.

3 reasons.....mia

1. i love how you 'speak mia' fluently. example: "hers curls hers hairs all the day long for sunday so hims loves hers."

2. it's amazing to your mother that you can make her soften on her hardcore "no children in mom's bed" rule with one tiny nudge of your warm little body.

3. you will always be my last baby. thank you for giving me that~

3 reasons.....abbey

1. i love how you want me or daddy to say a prayer with you and mia in bed every night. there's enough good in that little 8-year-old heart to heal the world~

2. you jump up and make your bed most every morning without me having to say a word--you do such a great job!

3. you have discovered that diet dr pepper is the best thing to drink. you do your mama PROUD!

eat to live or live to eat?

about 5 years ago we were planning a family trip with my adult brothers and sisters.

after hammering out the major details, my b-i-l neal said to me, "you know that you've basically planned this trip around places to eat, don't you?"

to which i replied, "um, YES. there isn't any other acceptable way to do it. welcome to the party!"

food has always been my bff--a source of comfort when i am down, a source of happiness when i am celebrating, a source of coping when i am stressed.

i like to reason with myself that i just REALLY APPRECIATE food. and i'd rather like to think that food feels the same way right back at me--i feel that it can sense my dedication and attention to detail when it comes to all things edible. sort of like i've achieved "all state" in food appreciation or snackology 101.

i do know some people, however, who are not that 'in' to food--they view it as a source of nourishment, or to sustain life. (that's some bat-shizzzz CRAZY thinking there!) they can take it or leave it, so to speak, and are fairly happy with the basest of basics.

i would LOVE to feel like that about food--i realize if my relationship with all things edible worked like that, i wouldn't have to watch every single carb i put into my mouth. which BLOWS, btw. but it seems to be the only thing that works. (still down 24 pounds from april! major miracle for me. but, again, did i mention that IT BLOWS to maintain? wasn't sure....)

so, my question to you is this: are you an "EAT TO LIVE" or "LIVE TO EAT" ??

3 reasons....chandler

1. you are my 'go-to gal' for all things electronic--if it can be programmed, downloaded, or texted, you are THE ONE to make it happen.

2. you have a really tender heart, which makes it hard for me to stay mad at you for long.

3. you are quick to do your chores--i appreciate that you are willing to help and LOVE your flair for organizing!

(encore of) encore!

note to self: do NOT delete photos from flickr after posting them to blog. because then they WON'T SHOW UP on same said blog.
note to reader: this is a re-post from the other day after learning the lesson mentioned above the hard way. if you've already seen this? move along.....



the rbc & i had been watching the rates for encore with heavy hearts--they didn't seem to be wanting us to occupy one of their luxurious suites (and why NOT? were they crazy?) with the dollar amounts they were charging to stay.

but they must have sensed our disappointment, because we got an offer in the mail by signing up for their mailing list that offered a rate that we couldn't pass up--we went down and stayed for our anniversary and LOVED it.

they had a really hip & cool butterfly/flower vibe going on:




they also had me at RED:




what i want to know, though, is on how many different levels is it wrong that i want casino-decor for my own home?

DON'T answer that.

TOTALLY caved. got CATS

i promised my girls that when we moved into our current home, we would get a pet.

that was 6 years ago this month. and STILL no delivering on that promise from the mother-figure. a fact of which i am reminded of by each of the three older girls at least ONCE per week.


so when kamari's catty, digit, had babies a few weeks ago, i had a weak moment and CAVED:


then i had another moment of non-clarity, and decided that if i was gonna do one kitty, i might as well make it two.


so we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of dave & martin. as i'm sure you are, too.

i just hope there aren't too many out there that subscribe to amy's theory of, "missing your cat? look under my car tire."

"himz in ur forests. kampin in ur sunshinez."

my seeeester loni turned me on to twiLOLs the other night and i've been giggling because i think mia learned how to talk by reading these:
















make sure you check out the random twiLOLs & the fan twiLOLs as well--good stuff!