Oops, Missionary Moment, and "Oh, So Cute!"

Oops

I uploaded my video card from my camera and realized that there were some things that I didn't post. K's First Birthday! He loved opening his present and playing with it...as you can see.

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Submissions

A few days ago, I did it. I submitted one of my poems to Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain Publishing and to Covenant Communications (aka Seagull Book). Because it's Christmas, I decided that maybe it was time to try. I don't expect that ANYTHING will come of it, but I figured that there was no harm in trying. If it's rejected, I'll try some other publishing companies and see what comes of it. The nice thing is that it isn't just for LDS readers. Spiritual yes, but very universial...to Christians anyway.

I wrote this a couple of years ago, and tried to make the verses match with 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as closely as possible.

Thanksgiving Trip

I am thankful for living close(r) to family.

I have done both Thanksgiving and Christmas without family and I have to say that Thanksgiving is a holiday that has to be with family...in my opinion. Christmas is a busy enough holiday, I don't need to add driving several hours in snow and packing EVERYTHING with you, or flying and trying to fit EVERYTHING into your bags. Plus, I can't make Thanksgiving dinner for 2 adults and 3 children who hardly eat. There is something special about having that huge family feast.

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Phantom!!! (Vote on the poll)

Gavin gave me an early Christmas/Anniversary present. He took me to The Phantom of the Opera. We've been to Les Miserables twice and I have been aching to see Phantom. They weren't the best seats, which wasn't horrible, but he kept say, "I'm sorry the seats are so bad," "It would be better if we were sitting there instead," or something to that affect. I was just grateful to be watching it at all. We got a good deal, and you get what you pay for, but it was still wonderful.

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Grandma + 3 = Bruise?

My mom came to visit a little bit ago. I wanted to get these pictures on before I forgot. We got some great pictures of everyone.

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Jeans

Today, I went to buy some much needed jeans. I was in a dressing room with about 20 pairs of jeans, trying them on one after one after one.

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My Last Meal (Homemade)

Here's what I would choose for my last meal, homemade style:

Drink -

1. Water (What can I say, I'm a water drinker)
2. Chocolate Milk (jugged not milk with chocolate syrup in it)
3. Lemonade (Grandpa's Homemade Lemonade, from lemons in his garden)

Bread -

1. Rolls (Grandpa's Recipe)
2. Rolls (Rhodes Rolls)
3. Focatcha Bread (Love my recipe)

Salad -

1. Any Salad made by Kenneth
2. Orange Jello Salad (Aunt Jenny)
3. Macaroni Salad (My mom)

Appetiser -

1. Egg Rolls (My mom)
2. I know there's more, but I can't think of it right now

Main Dish -

1. Cashew Chicken (Gavin's mom)
2. Steak (Gavin's mom. She flavors them perfectly)
3. Meatloaf Patties (My mom)

Dessert -

1. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (Mine)
2. Pretzel Jello Dessert (Aunt Vicki)
3. Barbershop (My mom)

My Last Meal

I have wanted to post this for a while now, but always needed to post more important things. Now that I'm caught up...I can do it!

If I had to choose my last meal from my favorite restaurant dishes, these are the 3 choices I would choose from:

Drink -

1. Water (Anywhere with good tap water.)
2. Raspberry Lemonade (Red Robin or comparable.)
3. Virgin Strawberry Amore (Olive Garden, it's actually their Virgin Chocolate Almond Amore, but you have to ask for a strawberry version. And you have to ask for a virgin because it does have alcoholic in it.)

Bread -

1. Bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (Macaroni Grill)
2. Bread Twists (Pizza Factory)
3. Bread Sticks (Olive Garden)

Salad -

• Not too picky

Appetiser -

1. Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip (Olive Garden)
2. Egg Rolls (The Mandarin)
3. Lettuce Wraps (PF Changs)

Main Dish -

1. Orange Beef (The Mandarin)
2. Lemon Herb Chicken (The Cheesecake Factory)
3. Pepperoni Pizza (Pizzeria Uno - this is not Uno Pizzeria the chain...this is the original in downtown Chicago. There IS a difference.)

Dessert -

1. Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie (Mimi's Cafe, but they don't have it anymore. I got a recipe online that I'm going to try.)
2. Banana Cream Cheesecake (The Cheesecake Factory)
3. Raspberry Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (The Mandarin)

That's my list, hope you enjoyed it because I have enjoyed eating them.

Halloween

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Park at Sunset

Gavin works late on Thursday nights, but the weather was perfect, the sunset was gorgeous, and the boys had some energy to burn. So, we went to the park and they loved every minute of it. I'm going to have to do this more when Gavin is gone. The boys get to play, we get to be outside, and it's very relaxing for me.

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Lots and lots

I have a lot of catching up to do. We've had a lot going on, and I've gotten so far behind that it seemed impossible to catch up. I just need to rip off the band aid and get it over with.

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My new Niece

Okay, I have got to post several things of my own, but before I do, I need to announce my brand new niece.

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My Eye, My Eye!

Tonight B comes over to me and says, "Mommy? My eye, my eye." I look and see him with his finger in his eye and repeating, "my eye, my eye." I asked him, "B, what's in your eye?" He then replied, "Uh...my finger."

My Final Say on the Matter

I have removed the two latest posts. I am not doing this because I regret what I said and felt, but how it was perceived. I am relatively new to my ward and most do not know me. My friends and family came to my defense because they knew my character and the tone in which I was saying it.

I will say it again. I was not attacking these girls. Despite whatever their situation in life has been, I was uncomfortable with the musical number and didn't think it was appropriate for a testimony meeting. I would have felt the same towards anyone. However, what I said could very much be misconstrued by the way it was written. My tone in writing it was more lighthearted and sarcastic. I was not trying to make a public statement to chastise these girls. If I was truly that malicious, I would've had my opportunity to publicly humiliate these girls when I bore my testimony. But again, that was not my intention at all. I didn't even think that anyone in the ward knew my blog address, but if I had known, my opinion would be no different but I would have made sure that it was worded in a way that couldn't be misinterpreted. I don't mean this as an accusation to those who took offense, but as an acknowledgement that typed words cannot show the true intent of what was meant.

I would not have deleted these normally because everyone is entitled to their opinion both me, my friends, and those who were offended, but it became a battle of words between those who supported me and those who did not. I also didn't want to defend myself against things that I never said or meant to imply. I didn't want my post to become a rift in the ward. Ward members are meant to have unity and love towards each other, and I felt that leaving my posts would have disrupted that.

I am not going to allow comments on this post because I do not want another battle of words to ensue and defeat the purposes of this post. I cannot change what was said by me or those who commented, but I have no hard feelings. I was taken aback by the accusation that this was done in a mean spirited way, and then tried to make it clear what my true intent was. If I wasn't clear then, let me be clear now. I was uncomfortable with that portion of the testimony meeting. I thought that my family and friends would enjoy a comical take on my experience and my opinion of it. I do feel that testimonies are beautiful and should be done in the spirit and guidelines that the brethren have set forth.

I can only hope that everyone who was offended will read this, understand my true meaning, and view it as an honest misunderstanding.

This is What I've Been Doing

I haven't been slacking on my blogging. In fact, I've been very busy with blogging...just not with this one. I've finally finished the My Gospel ABCs pages and put it in hardback as well. I'm really happy with how they turned out. Just wanted to fill you in one what I've been so busy doing. Check them out.

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Laughing During the Prayer

Okay, I had to write this down before I forgot. Tonight for dinner, it was B's turn to say the prayer. Well, he started out and then was ending the prayer without blessing the food, so Gavin says, "Please bless the food..." and B says, "Please bless the food to not have bad dreams and to nourish and strengthen our bottoms."

Visit, School, Hospital, and Headache

Visit - Gavin's mom came on Saturday and left Thursday. Gavin flew into Utah on Saturday and drove their truck and his mother back that same day. I'm sure that was a long day for him, but now we have two vehicles. Thanks Mom and Dad!

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Been Away For TOO Long

Okay, is it just me, or is possible that in the month that I wasn't blogging...that no one seems to be blogging so much anymore. Maybe it's just me. I may have my computer back, but when I'm on, I'm working.

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Shaggy Boys

We're finally moved in. Still setting up, but we are in and it feels great. I've been REALLY busy, but I finally had time to take some pictures and blog about it.

I love all the men in my life, but they were all getting floppy hair.

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Faux Hawk or Faux Pa?

Gavin and I have been having a little debate...and I won (aka gave up).

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A BIG Deal!

It's a BIG deal and and big DEAL!

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The Plan

Our schedule is going to be a little crazy when it comes time for the move. Gavin's last day of work is on Friday

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Preschool Grad!

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20 in 27!

We are moving, but this is a particularly monumental move for me. Most of you know that I have moved...well...a lot. That's a little bit of an understatement.

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The Official Trailer!

I have been waiting, like several others, for the New Moon trailer to be released. I've seen a lot of fan made trailers, but today I found it! The first New Moon trailer!!! Here it is for those who want to see it.

Their First Father/Son Campout!

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So Proud!

Yes, I am PROUD...of myself. The other day I got a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club(the ones from the grocery store are too small). I like to use the meat for casseroles and save myself a step. When I was done pealing all the meat from the bones and skin, I remembered that some people use the bones to make chicken broth. I had never made my own chicken soup before, so I decided to give it a whirl.

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FHE Visitor! (You've got to read this)

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Top 10!

A while ago I did a Top Ten list for Romantic Comedies, but I've recently been watching some of my favorite musicals of all time. This list is hard because there are so many great ones that didn't make it like Oklahoma, Grease, Annie, and Meet me in St. Louis. Most will not agree with my list and that's fine...that's why it's MY list! This time I thought it would be fun to place the trailers on so you could get a little peek if you haven't seen them yet. I couldn't find the trailers for two of them, so I put on a clip instead. Enjoy!

#10 - The Unsinkable Molly Brown This is my favorite Debbie Reynolds movie. You can tell that she had a lot of fun with this role, and Harve Presnell has such a rich voice!

#9 - Mary Poppins This is 1 of 3 for Julie Andrews...not that you can really go wrong with her. I love Dick Van Dyke in this too, but I especially love the underlying message.

#8 - The Music Man I love this one because Robert Preston reminds me so much of my grandpa. Shirley Jones makes listening to a soprano voice actually enjoyable (this is coming from a soprano). It's so funny to see Ron Howard as a little boy!

#7 - Hello Dolly Some of you maybe more familiar with Hello Dolly thanks to WALL E, but I've always loved this one. Barbara Streisand + Micheal Crawford + Walter Matthau + Gene Kelley(director) = GENIUS!

#6 - Singin' in the Rain Absolute classic! No one can deny that the most memorable moment in musical movie history is the scene Gene Kelley, an umbrella, some tap shoes, and a lot of water. This was my favorite for a long time. It's still in the top ten, but I've found others that I like a little bit more!

#5 - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Howard Keel has got to have the best male voice in musical history. He played in Calamity Jane, Showboat, and Kiss me Kate...which were good, but he was the best in this. Everyone loves this one!

#4 - The Sound of Music And everybody loves this one too! Julie Andrews, great! Christopher Plummer, HOT!

#3 - Fiddler on the Roof This is in my top 3 because although it is a musical with amazing music, it feels more like an actual movie verses a play made into a movie. The acting isn't as cheesy as your typical musical. Don't get me wrong, I love the cheesy acting in musicals or I wouldn't watch them, but this feels like more of a period movie that happens to have music.

#2 - Thoroughly Modern Millie #3 of 3 for Julie Andrews. This is one of the funniest musicals I've ever seen. I say one of because my #1 is the funniest to me. Any one who hasn't seen this is really missing out.

#1 - 1776 This is my absolute favorite musical of all time. It is so funny and charming, but I have to say that not everyone will think so. It swears more than most musicals and has some crude humor, but I can't help it. I love my history, and this movie is the closest to what actually took place during the summer of 1776 more than any other movie...plus you get some great one liners from Ben Franklin.

Bloging for the Sake of Blogging

Now that creating and working on blogs has become my business, I've been slacking on just blogging for me. I've had time to, but I've gotten a little sore from Photoshopping all day long. Who knew scrolling and clicking with a mouse for long periods of time could cause discomfort.

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Cookie Nut Creations

Yep, I'm at it again! Another blog

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What's Happening!

There has been a lot going on in the last few weeks and I've been too busy to post them.

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2 + Baby = A Happy Family

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Sick, Tired, and Sick and Tired!

I look at my blog like a journal. I do enjoy knowing that my close friends and family can see how we are doing, but this is one of those posts that you may not want to read. But I feel like that I need to journal what I'm going through and how I feel. I don't just want to journal about the good things in my life. I've a really good attitude about our stressful situation for a long time now, but this post is far from that.

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Way Overdue!

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LOVE!

This post is all about

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The Answer!

I have gotten several people asking me why I am going to go private, so I figured that this was the best way to tell everyone. You all know that I have an additional blog, A Pleasant Sunday.

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K is Betrothed!

When we lived in Chicago, we knew these weird people Kyle and Emily. Despite this weirdness, we soon became best friends with them. How could you not? You always have to be on your toes with them because they have a quick humor that Gavin and I fall for every time. They are so much fun to be around.

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Wedding Pics!

Keri and Daniel are married and I'm finally getting the pictures posted! I was the unofficial picture taker and I took A LOT! Here are just a few, but there's a whole lot that I didn't put on.

Congrats Keri and Daniel! We hope that you can be as happy as Gavin and I have been.

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Dino Museum!

One of the first things we did when we got to Utah was go to the Dinosaur Museum with my mother-in-law. The boys had a blast. They watched a 3D dino movie, played throughout the museum, and even got to eat dino nuggets.

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Brielle!

This is so overdue, but this is my beautiful new neice!

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Two Weeks Just Isn't Enough!

Wow, I am so behind. I've been in Utah for the past 2 weeks, and I've been too busy to blog. I'm only quickly writing this so people know that I haven't fallen off the earth.

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Finally!

This is a little over due, but I've been wanting to post the finished product. When we first moved in, I thought we would never get unpacked. I'm happy to say that we've been unpacked for several weeks now

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Our Courtship in 6 Word Snippets

I got this idea from my cousin Connie, and I just had to do one too!

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Favortie Things!

8 Favorite TV Shows

• The Office
• The Big Bang Theory
• How I Met Your Mother
• Chuck
• My Name is Earl
• Project Runway
• Anything on Fox News Channel
• (I hate to admit it) Spongebob Squarepants

8 Favorite Restaurants

• The Mandarin (In Bountiful, Utah, and the best ever!)
• PF Changs
• Cheesecake Factory
• Jacintos (No long exists, but the best Mexican I've ever had)
• Papa Johns
• Uno Pizzeria (The original in downtown Chicago)
• Panera Bread
• Red Robin

8 Books I Recommend

• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• The Harry Potter Books
• Jane Austin Books
• The Other Side of Heaven aka In the Eye of the Storm by John Groberg
• The Peacegiver by James Ferrell
• Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Beck Bailey
• The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
• The Book of Mormon

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

• Primary Presidency Meeting
• E-mailed
• Blogged
• Stressed
• Napped
• Watched Fox News
• Cleaned
• Went to bed

8 Things to look forward to

• Our house selling
• Going to visit family
• SPRING!!!
• Bennett being completely potty trained
• Harry Potter Movie
• Losing the baby weight
• My blog book (my birthday present)
• Reading the Twilight Series

8 Things on my Wish list

• Publish my book
• Get to the temple sometime
• Trip to Disneyland
• Get a degree
• Getting our Food Storage
• For Gavin and I to take a trip without the kids
• Be debt free
• That the economy will turn around

Tag for whoever wants to.

Sweet Victory!!!

Relish in the glory of a proud mommy!

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A Pleasant Sunday!

Introducing my new blog

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Adventures in Potty Training!

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Valentines Day!

My Valentines Day was spent at our ward's Primary Activity!

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Inevitable!

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My Top Picks!

Gavin and I were having a discussion about the best romantic comedy movies of all time. So, I decided to come up with my TOP TEN! Now none of these included the classic romances like Pride and Prejudice...just romantic comedies. There are some that I really like that didn't make the mark. Now this is MY top ten list. Everyone's list is a little bit different. My list considers what Gavin will actually watch with me.

#1- You've Got Mail - This movie is " the I Ching"! The pinnacle of romantic comedy.
#2- Music and Lyrics - If you watched this and didn't think it was the cutest thing ever...you need to watch it again. Drew Barrymore is adorable and Hugh Grant is too funny! Everytime I watch this movie..."Pop goes my heart"!
#3- 50 First Dates - Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have the best chemistry in this movie. It's definitely my favorite movie with him.
#4- One Fine Day - I love Michelle Pfeiffer in this. I could watch this movie over and over.
#5- Hitch - I do like Will Smith in this, but I mostly love it for Kevin James and Amber Valetta's characters. I also love all the pathetic guys who end up with the women they love. So cute!
#6- While You Were Sleeping - Absolute Classic! What else can you say?
#7 - Wimbledon - I love Paul Bettany! I normally am not a big fan of Kirsten Dunst, but I actually like her in this one. It makes you want to play tennis! Love/Love!
#8- French Kiss - Who would've thought that Kevin Kline could play a scruffy Frenchmen who smokes and still come off charming?
#9- The Holiday - This would be a little higher on my list if not for one HUGE flaw. I can't stand Cameron Diaz's character in this. She's so annoying. Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black are adorable, and I like Cameron Diaz in some things...this just was not one of them.
#10- Just Like Heaven - This didn't do well in the theaters, but I really liked it. Reese Witherspoon did awesome.

Sorry to the movies that came close, but just missed the mark. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding, Sleepless in Seattle, Notting Hill, Moonstruck, The Princess Bride, and a few others.

Back to School!

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The Perfectionist!

For those of you who don't know, I write poetry.

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Slow Week!

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"...and the rains came tumbling down..."

Our friend/neighbor/ward member, who's been watching the house for us, called us with some not so fun news.

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Snow Day!

Gavin didn't have to work on Monday because of Martin Luther King Day! And considering the fact the there was about a foot of soft snow...Gavin took them out to play.

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Pasghetti!

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K and the Illusive Smile!

Unfortunately, whenever he smiles, we rush to get the camera, and then he stops smiling. No matter what we do, as soon as that camera is in hand, he turns that smile upside down. I swear, it's like hunting for Big Foot! No one believes you unless you have it documented on film, but whenever you have him in your sights...your camera is too far away or you're out of film. You try to outsmart him, but to no avail. Then you start to doubt yourself and if you really saw what you saw. Here are the post-smile pictures.

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Our Introduction to Iowa!

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Surreal!

As we're getting closer to moving day, I assumed that it all would sink in and finally register that we are actually moving...

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K's Bleesing Day!

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Kids say the Darndest Things!

Okay, I had to post this. Today at breakfast we were talking to the kids about how we were moving and all the changes we were making. E, being older and understanding more of what's happening, asked what Gavin's new job was. Gavin stated that he would be working for Toyota Financial. E's eyes got super wide and he said, "Like my Toyota?" Gavin and I looked at each other perplexed because he didn't have anything Toyota and we didn't even think he'd ever heard of Toyota. We asked him what he meant and he said it again, but this time it made sense. "Like my 'toy, Yoda'!" We had a really good laugh over it, to say the least.

Whirlwind!

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