Tara's Blog

That time of year...again.

2009-12-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

We saw A Christmas Carol last week. I can see how it would be a little scary for kids, but Steph's kids all liked it. And also, Ryken looked super cute in his 3D glasses.We made gingerbread houses with the kids. Some of the frosting was from last year's gingerbread house kit, which made for less then stellar houses.

Ryken's and my house was freakin' awesome.

This week was my 20th birthday (if it were 1999). To my shock, Candice drove 3 hrs from Boise to Poky last night to hang out for my birthday. She also brought her super yummy homemade Oreo cookies and my mom's Russian Tea Cake christmas cookies. Yowza. Thanks Candice! It was an awesome surprise.

A Lot of Goings on and Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

I hadn't been home since Halloween. Which may not seem like a long time, but, for me, it felt like forever. Thursday I worked half the day, drove 3 hrs to Boise, went to dinner (with Candice, mom and my sisters), Kathy Griffin, and then the New Moon midnight showing all in one day. Yowza, no wonder I fell asleep during the movie.

I miss hanging out with these guys. Especially Noelle's and my weekly Costco samples trip. Here are Laura, Noelle, Danielle, and Josie at the Cheesecake factory before Kathy Griffin.

Then Laura and I went to Kathy Griffin. You could say she's a tad raunchy. As you can clearly tell from this picture, she's wearing a Boise State shirt. Then comes the New Moon midnight showing. Candice went before we got there to save our place. Keep in mind, I bought our tickets 2 months ago. I'm not sure exactly what went down, but Candice was bugged and talked to the manager, pulled some strings (or whatever she did)and we were able to get our seats when we got there at 10:15. I told Candice I would pay for her ticket if she dressed like Harry Potter like she did for the Harry Potter midnight showing, but she chickened out...how awesome would this have been at the New Moon showing?Holy crap, teenagers at midnight showings can not be more annoying. Anyway, as you may have seen on Candice's blog, our first attempt at a group picture was a fail. Then we had some kid take this picture for us. I think that chick above us is dying, and also, Candice and I are apparently holding hands.

Surprise surprise, I actually really liked the movie. It followed the book really well. The visuals were much better, and everyone looked better. I will admit the acting isn't great, but, hello, didn't we know that going in? I do, however, wish they would have made the Alice's-vision-to-Aro-of-Bella-as-a-vampire-running-through-the-forest a little less cheesy. And yes, I did fall a sleep during parts - many parts. Never fear, I saw it again with Steph and Marlee. Also, Danielle and Candice still owe me a movie *cough cough*. Lily wanted me a take a picture of her with my iphone.
Then one of her from afar...
Josie's smile is probably my favorite smile ever. We celebrated Nicole's and my birthday on the same day. We decided on Chuck-o-rama, because come on, admit it, it is tasty. And if you get something you don't like, you don't have to eat it. Win/win.

Russ was confused, he thought it was date night with Nicole. Thanksgiving was at Steph's house this year. Noelle, Laura and Danielle all went to their in-laws so mom and dad came here to Pocatello. We celebrated with the EchoHawks - Paul's parents(Larry and Terry) and his brothers - Matt, Michael, and Mark and his family. Then we closed the evening by playing Nerts, Rockband, and a photoshoot...

Then we went to The Blind Side. It was actually packed so we ended up in the very front row. So that was awesome. Reguardless, the movie was really good.

iPhone!!!

2009-11-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

I feel like this needs it's own post. The greatest invention of mankind...well, except for maybe the DVR...and the HDTV.

Get it.

2009-11-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

Um yeah, that's right, that's Adam Lambert...no seriously, it is. Since he's single now, do you think he might go straight?

His album comes out in 2 1/2 weeks. You can get both his singles that are out now(they're both in my playlist below) - For Your Entertainment and Time For Miracles. I've had them on repeat since they came out - so good. He's already been on the cover of Rolling Stone, he's on Details mag now, he's performing on the AMA awards later this month, he's gonna be on GMA, Ellen, and Letterman...he's got Pink, Lady Gaga, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Katy Perry's producer, etc., etc., etc. involved with his album...huh, now, was he really the runner up?

Goodbye Boise

2009-11-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

Goodbye Dr. Buhrley's office...hello Poky. I lost my job in Boise, but I was lucky to find a job in Poky the next week. I now work for Steph's dentist, Dr. Smith. He lives down the street and he was her former bishop. No more Boise, no more Costco runs with Noelle and Danielle, no more good restaurants, no more decent mall. But it's not so bad, now I'm living at Steph's house...but it can be a little nutty. I feel kinda bad throwing Lola into the mix. Now Steph has to deal with 3 dogs. Sorry Steph...

This is what 3 dogs in the back of Steph's car looks like.

Now that I don't have Lola sleep in the crate at night, apparently she has taken to sleeping in the bed with me. She's actually looking a lot like Toby, which makes me a little sad but it's also kinda cool, kinda like I have a little bit of Toby around. Sometimes I call her 'T.J.' for Toby Jr.

Teagan wore this home from school...yeah. And then he wanted to wear it to school the next day.

Oh Ryken.

I share a bathroom with Marlee now. When you'd shower, within 10 minutes it turned into a bath. I told Marlee it was clogged with hair. Marlee claimed it was my hair, apparently I've lost a whole head of hair in 2 weeks. I couldn't stand it anymore so I got a hanger and Steph watched while I pulled this 'thing' out of the drain.

Aaand...Casablanca.

I'm not dead, I swear...oh and MIDDLE FORK

2009-11-06T18:19:00.001-08:00

Yeah yeah, I haven't posted in FOREVER. So I'm going to have to post a few updates to catch up.

In late July/early Aug. I went down the Middle Fork with Steph and her family and our Dad. It was kind of a crazy mash up of a private/outfitter trip. We had to pay a little more then a private trip but we got to take our own boats and then the guides took care of most of the work and the cooking. We went with a bunch of people Steph knows from Poky - Paul's brother Michael and his other brother Mark and his family, Marlee's best friend Sheridan and her family, Kim Smith (my now boss) and his daughter Whitney, and a few other people. I wish Noelle and/or Joseph could have come, but it was still SO much fun. Good fishing, good food, and we were lucky to have great weather.

Let's pretend Steph took a picture of the launch at Boundry Creek...it would have looked like this. (This is really our Middle Fork trip from 05'). But it's one of my favorite things.
Look closely and you'll see 2 rattle snakes in the bushes. This was at Rock Island camp during lunch. Whitney just happened to hear them when she walked by. There was a male and female. It's creepy how well they blend in. This is Sheridan and I entering Tappin.Cole taking his turn running the boat. He was actually doing pretty well.The cutthroat fishing was gooood.Kim Smith (Steph's dentist and now my boss) made us do a group floss every night. Marlee on the tube of my cat.Me and Sheridan on my cat at Indian Creek.

Here's myself, Steph, Sheri, Laramie, Miso, and Whitney at Lune Creek camp. I'd never stayed there but it made for a really cool camp. It was super hot a couple of the days. We put our chairs in the water to cool off while we waited for dinner.Marlee manning my cat.And here's the whole group, although I think dad was tinkering around on his cat and Lloyd was taking the picture.

"Her Name Was Lola..."

2009-07-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Steph and I got our puppies on Friday. Could they be any cuter? Sadly, I had to come home today and left Lola with Steph til Thursday when I go back. But we wanted Lola and Steph's puppy Presley to be together for the week. Here she is Friday, we weren't planning on picking them up til this coming Tuesday, but Steph and I have no restraint. We ended up going back that night and taking them home.As you can see, I took part in one of Marlee's photoshoots while playing with the puppies at Mark and Diana's house.

Then we went to Petco where I spent a buttload of money on puppy stuff. Ryken with his kiddie cart. Their first bath. She looked like a drowned rat.

Lola (I'm pretty sure)

2009-06-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here she is...her name is Lola, at least for now. She's still with her mom for another week and a half. Could she be any cuter? She's super calm, which is awesome.
She was clinging to Marlee like a baby.

Steph is also getting a puppy, Steph's puppy is on the left. Aww, they're gonna be best friends/sisters.
She was even calm when Ryken was harassing her.

Meet My Puppy

2009-06-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Steph's brother-in-law's dog had puppies 2 weeks ago, she had 7 girls and 2 boys. Steph and I will both be getting one. I'm not sure which one is mine yet, but she's in there somewhere.
Maybe she's this one. The name has also yet been decided. I like the name Gwen(surprised?). But until Laura has her baby next week, it's still unknown.

Could Ryken be cuter?

And this is way off topic, but the 'New Moon' trailer premiered on the MTV movie awards on Sunday(which was actually pretty funny this year...especially the 'Bruno'/Eminem thing, staged or not, that was hilarious). People seem to be on the fence about the trailer. I must say, the cinematography seems to be way better. I was not a big fan of the bluish-green tint in Twilight, among other things. The werewolf looks a little too CGI, but they've still got 6 months to work on it.

Noooo Dooooubt

2009-05-26T12:11:00.001-07:00

Steph, Noelle, Marlee, and I saw No Doubt last night in SLC. It. was. AWESOME! I seriously love No Doubt so much, it's the 6th time I've seen the whole band live. They are such amazing performers, so entertaining. Marlee's seen Gwen twice but this was her first ND show. She's been a fan since Noelle and I got her the Tragic Kingdom CD when she turned 2.

Today is Gwen's son Kingston's 3rd birthday. Since they don't have a show tonight, she had Kingston come on stage and we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. I took this video:

And I took this video of them performing their cover of Adam and the Ants - 'Stand and Deliver'. Adrian came down and played the snare drum in front of us.

Here we are at the venue, we were able to get in before the general public so we had an awesome spot in the pit.
Here are some of my fave pics, sorry, I posted kind of a lot.I love Adrian.They performed 'Sunday Morning' last and Gwen came down to the audience right by us...Steph, Noelle, and I touched her shoulder. I have yet to meet Gwen. Over the years, I've met every other member of the band, even their guitar tech and Gwen's brother Eric...I even talked to Gwen on the phone once, but at least I finally, after 6 shows and 13 years, I touched Gwen!

This week

2009-05-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

I went to Stanley last week for most of the week. It was so nice up there over the weekend. Sadly, no one could come with me, sucks for you guys. I went fishing and 'caught' 2 steelhead, we won't say how. But don't worry, I released them both. They were both just over 25 inches. I included a pic, because I look so awesome in it...
I know I've talked about him before, but seriously, he's just, so good. Today a patient said she doesn't want Adam to win cuz he's too talented. Uh, yeah, cuz he's awesome...I freakin love this guy. Ok, and maybe I find the 'guyliner' kinda really hot. So vote for him tonight.
Oh, and also, my puppy was born this morning. I'm planning on getting a girl, what do people think of the names: Gwen(if Laura doesn't use it), Luca, or Sam?

Oh how I love No Doubt

2009-05-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

My fave song right now. Just a week and a half left...muaahahaha!

No Doubt - Stand and Deliver (2009)

Nothing Important

2009-05-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

I found this video. It's pretty freakin funny. I especially like how they include both release dates.

Adam and Kris were in the bottom 3 last week. Uh, what? I was surpised about Kris cuz he's got the cute/sweet guy factor. But Adam is just amazing. He's the only one I can see having a real music career once the show ends. People say he shouldn't win cuz he's gay. Hello...it's a singing competition. I'm actually going to vote for Adam this week...if you can believe it or not, I'm actually an adult.

Busy Weekend

2009-04-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went to the Death Cab concert with Steph, Marlee, and Anthony(my BFF Candice's husband). They put on an awesome show. But really, anything Ben Gibbard is involved with is awesome. I tried getting a picture or video of this chick in front of us 'swaying' to the music the entire show, but it was too dark. We all took turns imitating her though.

So on No Doubt's official site they're asking fans to make a video of themselves, pets, friends, kids, etc. singing Just A Girl and they'll play a montage on their jumbo screen behind them at their shows during Just A Girl. So I wrestled all the kids together to play band members and video extras and Marlee as Gwen.

Toby

2009-04-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

The wound is still pretty fresh, I’ve been kind of an emotion wreck all week, but here we go. Tuesday I had to have Toby put down. It was getting to the point where he could barely get up to go to the bathroom. I knew it had to happen some time, but I think we all took it a little harder then we thought we would.

I bought him for just $10 from my mom's friend when I was 14. He's been around for the births of all 14 nieces and nephews and has been my fishing buddy for 15 years. It probably sounds crazy, but Toby was different, it was almost like there was a little bit human in him.

I’m planning on getting another dog. Probably some time this summer. I know I’ll never find another dog like Toby, but wish me luck.

The All Mighty Mini Egg

2009-04-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in forever. Stuff has been going on but I really haven't taken pictures. The last week of March was Spring Break and all the kids were around. We went bowling, that was a debacle. Marlee was in New York, D.C., and Boston - I love all those cities, I'm not jealous.

But what I really wanted to post about were these.

Oh, Cadbury Mini Eggs. How I love you, even more than Peeps. Forget about Easter candy, they're probably my favorite candy, period. The funny thing about Mini Eggs, they're the hardest Easter candy to find. You wouldn't think they would be considering everyone loves them. So when I do find them, I have to stock pile and get a couple bags. How do you eat your Mini Eggs? Do you suck on them and let the hard candy shell melt? Do you try to break the candy shell off without disturbing the chocolate center before eating the chocolate? Do you just eat it? Or do you melt it in the microwave like Laura? I personally like to eat the shell first and then the chocolate.

Goings On

2009-03-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went to go donate blood but my iron was too low...how is this possible when I consumed 4 iron pills a day for 3 days prior? That's 600% of my needed daily iron intake! Oh well, at least I got a cute little foam blood drop for my antenna.

Yesterday, mom, Noelle, Nicole, Candice, and I went to Donnie Mac's trailer park restaurant. It's down town on Grove street. The food is pretty good. They have super yummy sweet potato fries. Noelle was upset because they were not really sweet potatoes, rather, they were yams.

Last week, mom had gone there with some friends and their waiter told them that the Food Network show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' was going to be filming there the next week. Guy, the host, had already skipped town when we stopped by yesterday, but they were still fliming. They filmed us eating for a few minutes, so it's possible that you may catch us on the show. Now Candice is worried about stalker fans and paparazzi.

Charles in Charge

2009-02-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Remember the 80's show 'Charles in Charge'?

That's right, Teagan had 'Charles in Charge hair'. It's been months since Steph has had time to give her boys a proper haircut. I tried capturing the true essence of the flowy/feathery look, but you had to see it in live action.

Ryken's hair is still really cute when it's 'long'. Here he is ready for church with his 'scriptures' aka toys.

Well, with long hair comes sick bedhead.

The hair cutting process is always entertaining. Ryken looks so old in this pic.

We threatened Teagan that if he didn't stop moving around, he would have to go to school like this:
And the final product. They both were being uncooperative.

Side note...this was a GOOD movie. Made me feel very protective of my nieces.

Not Much

2009-02-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Not much has been going on. However, I'm going to Pocatello this weekend, and you know the kind of shenanigans I get into over there.

In the meantime, I wanted to throw this little nugget out there. I saw this movie over the weekend, and it was excellent. Crossing my fingers, hope it wins.

Side note, this movie is rated 'R'(which, I don't really get, cuz it shouldn't have been)...and I saw it with 2 people who typically don't see R rated movies. I won't name names, but you know who you are.

Best Office Clip Ever

2009-02-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Everyone's Obsessed

2009-01-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I came home after work and Noelle and Russ had taken it upon themselves to create their own 'Wii Mii's' and were in the middle of a golf game.

Noelle has been practicing her drumming skills on Rock Band. She was so excited when I let her join me on tour the other night.

This was her first attempt at drums last week. Yowza. Sorry Noelle, but I couldn't help it.

Rock Band

2009-01-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

I went to Steph's house this past weekend to help her out while Lincoln had to go to the hospital with croup. Here he is in his baby hospital gown.
Then I discovered Rock Band. Obsessed. That's what I am. We Rock Band-ed it up all weekend. So then when I got back home, I needed to get it for myself - yes Danielle, I said 'needed'.

Here's a bird's eye view of 'the band'.

Ryken getting in on the action. Notice his fauxhawk courtesy of me.
All the kids are getting good. Teagan is awesome at the drums. It's a sight to see. It's not super easy getting the foot petal in there along with both hands. Especially when he likes to mix it up and go 'lefty mode'.

It's also a sight to see Noelle try the drums...but I will refrain from posting that video clip, you're welcome Noelle.

All Steph's boys have super cool 'long' hair right now, it's fun to play with. Any longer though, and they'll look like the Beatles.

I saved a life...yet again.

2009-01-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

I did it again. I saved another life. Yesterday I donated blood with Candice. We went to IHop with her brother before-hand then met up at the Red Cross. The 50ish year old guy that drew my blood was being trained, so I knew he obviously hadn't stuck many people and I could tell he was nervous. Being a former phlebotomist myself, I was patient, trying not to show my slight nervousness considering that the needle gauge when you donate blood is ginormous. I felt bad, it took him forever, and when the blood started going through the tube when he finally stuck me, he was excited. I asked the girl that was training him if I was his first one, she said 'yes' - yowza.

Candice, Jared, and I raced to see who could fill a pint of blood the fastest - I dominated with 4 min. 35 sec. biotches! Here's me and Candice showing off our blood donating guns.

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

My family is big on Christmas tradition and don't like to mix it up much - ask any brother-in-law. Christmas Eve is the 'big night' when we all get together and have a turkey or ham dinner and invite a family over. Now that our family has gotten so big, we don't have other families over as often. Then we all gather around the tree and read a christmas story and the kids open one present.

Growning up, on Christmas morning we were not allowed to go downstairs and open presents until we were all gathered on the stairs and mom would take a picture of us...which typically consisted of mom and dad arguing about something for 10 minutes before the picture was taken. (I apologize to all involved about this picture, but keep in mind, it's not as bad as the other gems I could have chosen...also, I look the worst, check out my mullet). This year, it was just me and Nicole. Notice Nicole's devil horns - maybe she was confused and thought it was Satan's birthday.
This is the first year that Noelle has not been here for Christmas. Needless to say, it was a little rough on both of us. She opened a few presents before they left for American Falls. Here's Josie helping Noelle.
Then on Christmas day, we don't really do much. We play with our new 'toys', which in my case, was an iPod Touch (which conviently had a defect so I couldn't do anything with it anyway, I went to exchange it at Costco, and of course, they were out of all of their iPods) then in the evening everyone comes over and we open the presents under the tree. Most years some of us go to a movie. Sinny(mom) and I went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button...or in Sinny's case, The Curious 'Life' of Benjamin Button. I really liked it.

The Dangly

2008-12-17T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so nothing has really been going on lately. I was sick all November with a chest cold and was finally feeling better, but now suddenly I've got a head cold. I feel like maybe my immune isn't working, maybe I have AIDS or something. Anyway, I was thinking, what should I get Nicole for Christmas. Nicole has many interests: Movies, pop verisons of Disney songs, the cats, and 'danglies' (just like how it sounds. It's truely an art form and Nicole is a pro, refer to an earlier post of Nicole dangling in live action). It all started with Scroungy. At one point, mom had hung him over the back porch light to dry and in the process, burned off a limb. He eventually went MIA.

There have been many over the years: Simba, Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, Pinky...and most recently - Bluey. Call me crazy, but maybe it's time for Bluey to retire.

Birthday

2008-12-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

We won't mention my age, but I had a birthday this week. All my sisters, except for Steph (because she lives in beautiful Pocatello) took me to the Jim Brickman Christmas concert on Tuesday night. We went Olive Garden before the show, which is always yummy. Originally, Kirk was going to go but ended up scheduling a work trip at the same time...so poor Ross had to tag along as the only guy. And then at the concert, Josie kept crying so Noelle had to sit on the side, and then Laura ran to the restroom right before the concert started and got back right after the lights went down and they wouldn't let her back to her seat until intermission. So it was just me, Ross and Danielle for half the concert. At one point, Ross looked at Danielle and I with an almost painful look on his face asking where Laura was. I know he just wanted to be at home watching a game. Sorry Ross. Anyway, it was a fun night. Thanks guys!

Then yesterday, Candice came to my office with my favorite homemade oreo cookies and a homemade present. So that's why she was taking pictures in my car with all my pairs of glasses. Thanks Candice! It's on my wall, Biotch.

Ca-raaaazy

2008-11-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is long, so, prepare yourself...This weekend was JAM PACKED. Candice and I have been planning on going to SLC to see Coldplay for a while now, and it just so happened that Twilight came out on the same weekend. We were going to stay at Steph's house in Pokey so I purchased tickets for Twilight on Oct. 31st for the Friday night showing in Pocatello for the three of us, along with Marlee and her friend Sheridan. All day Thursday I kept thinking I really wanna go to the midnight showing. So when Candice called, she said her sister wanted to go to the midnight showing too. Then mom caught wind, and had to come along. Steph was so bugged that I was going, she couldn't resist, and ended up going with Marlee and Sheridan in Pokey. I've never gone to a midnight showing before, and yowza, it was an experience.

Then Candice and I went to Pocatello on Friday and we all went to Twilight on Friday night, and it was insane again. I really liked the movie, I thought for the budget they had, they did a really good job. There were scenes that I felt were crucial to the story, that were scapped, but otherwise, I loved it. When Robert Pattinson was cast, I was not thrilled, but he'd kinda grown on me over the last year...and as Candice said about his version of Edward, "I would totally make out with him".

Then yesterday, Candice and I went down to the Coldplay concert in SLC with Kirk and Danielle. Candice was a little bored on drive down and look pictures of herself wearing each of my 8 pairs of sunglasses, this was slightly disturbing:

Saturday morning Candice informed me that my hair was going to be curled. I usually straighten it so she and Marlee had to curl it for me. I kinda liked it. Now I just need to learn how to curl it myself.

The concert was awesome! They're really good live, Chris Martin's a funny dude. Candice made her own Coldplay jacket from scratch and wore it to the show. After the concert, we were walking around the venue and people kept staring at her thinking Chris Martin had given her the jacket, it was hilarious. Some people came up and asked if he gave it to her or where they could find one. A couple girls even put it on to take pictures in it.

Then, I discovered No Doubt are planning a tour for 2009. HOLY CRAP!

Thanks Candice for coming and Steph for letting us stay at your house, yet again.

Cough

2008-11-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

I've had a gross chest cold for a week and a half now. My voice has sounded horrible for 6 days and counting. Last Thursday Dr. Buhrley told me I wasn't allowed to assist, so I had Noelle come in and help. All I wanted to do was nothing over the weekend, but no, I had to go to Pokey for Lincoln's blessing. He's cute so I forgive him.

I sounded kinda like Sophia Bush - Brooke from One Tree Hill. So Russ, being the OTH fan that he is, had me say a string of OTH phrases: "I'm B. Davis", "P. Sawyer", "Tree Hill Ravens", "Clothes Over Bros", "I want a Mexican old lady baby", "my mom had me beaten up at my own store".

In case you don't know what Sophia Bush sounds like, here's an example:

Playlist

2008-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of you pause or mute my playlist when you check my blog, I often do that when I visit other blogs. But if you don't, don't be surprised if you hear Chirstmas music, you're not being punk'd.

For me, this is not early. When I was a kid, I would start listening to Christmas music in October. Of course, back then, we had one CD player and that was in the family room. So I'd have to curl up on the couch and listen to it on a Saturday afternoon when no one was watching TV. Now, I can Ipod it up and no one's the wiser.

One of my favorites is this hearbreaking ballad. Don't lie, we all love it. We can't help it. Apparently, Christmas brings out the gay in all of us (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I Got Mail

2008-10-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Initially, I was excited because I got a card in the mail - then I opened it, and was even more excited...

Inside:

...I love you too, Candice.

Blood & Teagalicous

2008-10-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Teagan's 6th Birthday. With Steph's family living in Pocatello, I had to call him to wish him a Happy Birthday. I got him on the phone with promises of a Walmart trip next time I see him. Then I jokingly asked if he wanted me to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him over the phone. To my horror, he said 'yes'. This is not like Teagan, so I asked again, thinking maybe I was mistaken - apparently not.

Then today I went to the local Red Cross and gave blood. If you've ever given blood, you know about all those questions they ask before you donate. Some of them are pretty ridiculous, but my favorite question is - Have you ever been given money or goods in exchange for sex? Better question - Who hasn't?

This picture is for Noelle's benefit. Does it give you the weebs Noelle?

I Said, We!

2008-10-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Not much has been going on. Work, home, practice 'The Office' theme on the piano, work, home. Yesterday though, Noelle, Josie and I were bored so we went to the mall and spotted 'Future Old Man Dwight'.

Later we went to Carino's(which I call "Johnny's", I refuse to conform) to meet Candice for dinner. On the way there it started snowing. Really? In October? Bug. But whatever, Johnny's was good. But if you go there, be advised, don't be duped into getting their $2 mini dessert, it was literally the size of a quarter.

Then Candice and I went to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I loved it, which is no surprise, but even Candice liked it.

And this is for Candice: "I said, WE!" 10 points to anyone who can guess where that line is from.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY Steph and Danielle! I thought about being mean and posting a sweet gem from your junior high years, but I found this one of 'Kiya and Chase' and thought it would be nicer of me to post it instead.

TP and Wasps

2008-09-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

I was in Pokey this last weekend while my office was in San Diego. Steph needed help, what do you do? There was a lot of driving kids around and trying to keep them occupied while Laura took pictures of Lincoln.

Late Saturday night I was downstairs watching The Office and the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there was a BUTTLOAD of toilet paper everywhere. I was bugged. I called Marlee and told here to come home. She did and brought some friends to help clean it up. She knew who did it and she called to tell them to come over and help clean it up. They were being rude so I grabbed the phone and yelled at them. I may have over-reacted but I was bugged. Anyway, they cleaned it up.

Then yesterday just before I left, I was helping Laura pack her car and I heard a buzz in my ear and a sharp pain followed by my ear burning. Now my ear is all red and swollen(that's what she said) but no really, it is. Here is the culprit. He left his stinger, hope he died.

Oh Joy

2008-09-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

First of all, Steph had Lincoln last week, I'm in Pocatello helping her out. I don't know how much I'm really helping, but I'm here. He's a cute little guy, he looks a lot like Teagan, I call him Teagan Version 2.0.

Now comes the good news. I got this little gem in the mail yesterday.

BUG. I've been summoned before but I was only on standby, I never actually had to go in. Noelle, mom, and dad have all had to go in to be prospective jurors but weren't picked. Danielle on the other hand, was selected and had to serve 3 weeks - on a boring trial, which ended up settling. She tried to use the excuse that she was selling a house or something, needless to say...that didn't work. If I have to go to the courthouse, I think the key will be to keep my mouth shut and pray they don't pick me.

Josie's First Costco Trip

2008-09-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for Josie. She tagged along with Noelle and I for her first of many trips to Costco. If you know my family, you know we love the Costco. You can see how ecstatic she is.

We got there around 3:30 - prime sample time. They had bacon and egg english muffins, bowtie pasta with chicken, 7 layer dip and chips, johnsonville brats, chicken tenders, and super yummy pumpkin and carmel pecan bread. They had some kind of potato chips too, but they were gross - Noelle tried to pawn them off on Josie.

Another Fall - Another season

2008-09-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting cooler (sorta) and the smell of fall is in the air (not really). What does this all mean? Well it means that it's the start of another TV season. Come on, as if I'm the only one excited here (in fact, I know I'm not). Finally a full season of our fave shows after we all got gipped after least year's writer's strike. There are so many good shows to choose from, and here in lies my dilemma. What to watch, what to DVR, and what to download.

Noelle Birthed Josie

2008-09-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Other then Noelle birthing her baby(that's for Natalie), not much has been going on. I was able to get off work about the time Josie was born so I could get to the hospital 10 minutes later. But now the poor kid has jaundice, and has been dubbed "Jaundice Josie" by her own father. Nice Russ, she's gonna have a complex at 5 days old. So I'm sure everyone has seen the pictures on Laura's blog, but, here's one of my faves.

Stanley, yet again.

2008-08-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well last weekend I went up to Stanley to hang out with my cousins on my mom's side, who I hadn't seen in a while. On Friday, I went fishing with Ho(Joe). He cracks me up, he's like, the male version of Noelle, but weirder. Then we played NERTS until 2AM. Saturday I went fishing with Ho and his wife Ellen. We went up the Yankee Fork of the Salmon. Ho's second cast he caught a 15 in. Bull Trout, which are illegal to keep, so we threw it back. The next cast he had a salmon on, which like, never happens. But sadly, it ripped the line. Ho was upset -

We had tons of bites but we just couldn't land many fish. It was frusterating.

I came back home on Saturday night, in case Noelle had her baby. Josie is still in Noelle's belly. Bug. I push on her stomach but she won't budge. Well hopefully this weekend.

Oh, LARP

2008-08-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so, a week and a half ago we went to the big Pond family reunion in Stanley. It was really cool seeing all the cousins after so many years. What I found interesting was that I thought everyone was camping, yet, maybe only 1/3 of us actually camped. Interesting. And somehow, I ended up in my tent with 5 kids, with certain kids refusing to sleep next to others. Also interesting.

I don't have any pics, so, if you want to see some, go to Laura's Blog.

Now on with the LARPing. I went to my parents ward picnic tonight with Russ and Noelle. There were maybe 70+ people that showed up. Shortly after we arrived, another small group of 7 or 8 people arrived. Three of which proceeded to put on armor...uh, yeah, that's right, you heard me. armor. And this is when I learned about LARPing - Live Action Role Playing. Yes, they are actually sword fighting. Luckily, I had my phone with me - Yowza.

Lagoon, Fishing and Breaking Freaking Dawn

2008-08-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend after Steph's kids spent the week in Boise, I took them back home to Pokafello, then down to Lagoon. Laura and Ross, and Kirk and Danielle were there aswell, with their families. Steph's kids had never been to Lagoon, which is shocking since they live only an hour and a half away, and they liked it better than Disneyland. Anyway, it was HOT but fun - we were there for 11 hours. The kids loved Colossus and I forced them to go on Wicked which goes straight up, then 180 degrees straight down. Even Faith, Teagan and Bo went on it. Here are Chase, Mase and Cole in front of Colossus(now called Fire Dragon - and yes, these are the same pics Laura had on her page).

The kid version of 'Blast Off'.

This last Friday I was about ready to leave to go to the Middle Fork of the Salmon and Stanley to go fishing for the day and Russ decided he was so bored that he wanted to tag along. He lost 4 flies within the first 1/2 hr of fishing. But anyway, it was a really nice day and the fishing was alright. I did catch this snake though. Russ wouldn't get near it.
We went to Stanley and fished on Valley Creek. We found this dead 'fish' on the side of the creek...it looks like some prehistoric saltwater fish, what the hell is it? If anyone know, please tell me.
Russ was bugged that the fishing suddenly started to suck.

And I just have to mention this...I went to Costco on Saturday an hour after they opened, and more then 1/2 the books were gone. I'm about 300 pages in, and so far it's probably my favorite.

Stanley Vacation and the Kiddies

2008-07-29T20:28:00.001-07:00

I finally got some pictures of our weekend in Stanley with the family a couple weeks ago. I freakin love Stanley and the Sawtooths. I've been going up there pretty much since I was born.

We took the horses up, dad was in SLC, so I had to drive all 4 of the horses, that was a crazy heavy load. The first day I took all the kids to Valley Creek across the highway. We attempted to fish with no luck, found a frog, saw some deer with 2 baby deer, searched for clams, and Marlee almost drifted away in the creek. Marlee, her friend Sheridan, mom and I rode the horses to the store, then ran up Nip and Tuck hill a few times. I forgot how awesome it is to run on Jamir, he's so fast and a little insane, it's almost scary.

Saturday we went to Redfish Lake. There were high winds last month and blew down a bunch of trees around the lake, our favorite beach looks like crap now apparently, so we had to go to the crowded beach. The kids still had fun though. Steph, Laura and I played nerts and spoons with some of the kids. I love seeing the kids start getting into the card games...and then winning.

Sunday before we went home, we went on your favorite hike up Iron Creek trail to the "Big Rock". It's only like 3/4 of a mile up. Last year I'd gone alone and went a little past the Big Rock and found this valley with the mountains all around and the creek going through it. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. So Laura, Ross, Kirk and some of the kids went up there to check it out with me.

Here's Teagalicious.

This is post part 2. Steph went to Vegas this past week with Marlee. Paul dropped the other 4 kids off at our house. I made all the kids make a sick face. As you can see, they're good at it.

Then Ryken walked in with this sweet headband on.

Noelle and I went to the grocery store with the kids. When we were walking back to the car Noelle found this present on the ground.

I'm So Smart...and Lame

2008-07-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm one of the most obsessive and over analytical people I know, and it's usually about the most pointless things...i.e. - this whole post. That said...Breaking Dawn, the 4th and final installment of the Twilight series is dropping(yes, I said 'dropping') on Saturday Aug. 2nd. I'm so freakin' excited. I've never been excited about a book release before, it's kinda weird. I've been kinda stressed about it because I live in Idaho and I know tons of people are going to be buying the book here. There's no way I'm going to be able to just walk into Borders or Barnes & Noble on Saturday morning and just causally pick up a copy. Not gonna happen. And I'm not going to order it online, because they'll probably SHIP it on Aug. 2nd and that's not ok with me. I want to have it in my hands ASAP. So then I thought, maybe Costco, they had a buttload of the other books in the series a few weeks ago. But then, what if they don't get the shipment in til like, Monday or something? So here's what I did...I was at the mall on Saturday with Noelle so I decided to go over to Borders and put a copy on hold. I walked up to a girl and said I needed to put a book on hold. She asked what book, I said Breaking Dawn, she said "oh, of course...well that's easy." She then tells me that I can go on Friday night at midnight because they're having a release party with games and a costume contest and there will probably be a line to get the book. I'm just like, seriously, dude, I just want the book in my paws so I can read it, I'm dying here...so, no. Also, Borders is expensive I don't want to deal with Borders, really. So here's my plan, and, I know how ridiculous I'm being...I'm going to go to Costco Saturday morning to get the book, IF they don't have it, I've got one reserved at Borders. Dude, I'm so smart. Btw, I know there are other Twilight fans here, if you want to reserve a copy of the book at Borders, you have to do so before July 27th or you're not guaranteed a copy.

Alright, I thought I would just get it out there since I've been obsessing and bugging people about it. Could I be any lamer?

Dark Knight

2008-07-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting to get pictures from Stanley from last weekend to post on here...but in the mean time, I'll talk about The Dark Knight(or as mom calls it 'The Black Knight') which I saw yesterday. I'm not like, a big Batman fan or even a super hero movie fan for that matter. I usually end up watching them eventually but typically find them drawn out and boring. But I really wanted to see this one. The movie itself was good, definately one of the best super hero movies in my opinion. For the most part, everyone did a good job. But in all seriousness, Heath Ledger's portayal of the Joker was insanely good, and not just because he's dead now. That guy could act.

4th of July

2008-07-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

So Steph and her 5 kids(plus Marlee's friend Sheridan) were in Boise for the 4th of July weekend...and still are.

Friday we had a BBQ at my parents house and then later watched the Meridian fireworks. I'm going to have to disagree with Russ...the Meridian fireworks are the best fireworks show west of the Mississippi.

Saturday we all went down the Main Payette river. Dad and I took catarafts and Paul guided the paddle boat with 13 people in it, including 8 kids - insane.

On the last rapid, called 'A.M.F', Dad went down first...he went to the right and was bumped around some, so Paul went down the left and was turned backwards. So I decided to go down the middle...not a good idea. As I got to the hole, it was way bigger than I thought. The cat started going sideways, as in, the right tube that Marlee was on, was practically under water and Sheridan was on the other side up in the air. Luckily we evened out. I've been in boats that have flipped and fallen out of boats, but that was the closest I've been to flipping my own boat.

Here's all of us. In the background, you can see Noelle, Marlee, and Sheridan, and myself on my cat. You can see Mom and Dad in the wee back.

All the little kids on the paddle boat.
On Sunday we played red rover. Mom, Russ, and I played with a bunch of the kids. Russ was on one side with Mason and Teagan and he was not going to let go of the boys hands, even if it ment ripping their arms off. So when they called Mom right over, poor Teagan was in the line of fire.

After Mom plowed Teagan over, Russ said to her, "Uh Sinny, I think you hurt him." and Mom defended herself by saying, "I play to win!" Hilarious. Teagan will love this video when he's older, but for now, whenever I play it, he tells me he hates me.

Cabin and 'self' photoshoot

2008-06-30T19:25:00.001-07:00

Well I went to the cabin in Stanley this past weekend. I went alone, but it was so nice up there that after 1 day, I was wishing someone else had come up with me. I wanted to spend time outside, but it's kinda boring alone. It was relaxing though. I did some reading, watched a couple movies, watched some episodes of Arrested Development(which is genius), and attempted to catch some fish. This is me on the way up, I was excited.

I think I'm wearing the same shirt as last time, well, that's embarrassing.

I tried to fish on Valley Creek, it was just too high and fast to really catch anything, but I love the view. Growing up, Dad said that when the 'X' in the middle of the Sawtooths still has snow in it on the 4th of July, it's a good snow year. I don't know if he was full of crap or not, but, there's still snow in the 'X', so I'm assuming it is indeed, a good snow year.
This is me on the way home, I never like leaving Stanley. Also, there were some super annoying slow drivers, as usual.
I rarely have pictures taken of me, let alone, taking pictures of myself, but, what would a self photoshoot be without the 'Marlee' pose?

The Scooter

2008-06-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Russ bought a scooter. It arrived yesterday. He had to finish assembling it with dad's 'help', which provided Russ with much frustration and us with much entertainment. Everyone wanted a ride. Here's Noelle and Russell.

Dad gave it a little whirl. He didn't like it much.

Even Nicole wanted a ride. She's been wearing that lay since she got it a week ago. It doubles as a dangley, how convenient.

Nicole holding on for dear life.

Me with Chase.

Russ with Bo.

And my personal favorite:

NYC Part Two

2008-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's my second New York blog...and it's a long one. We got home Friday afternoon. Our plane departed at 7:10 AM EST which is 5:10 at home - yowza. I've been fighting sleep ever since. I came home to Steph's kids for the weekend then back to work on Monday. This is my long explaination as to why it's taken me so long to update my blog.

Alright, so Tuesday we went on a 3 hour boat tour around the island, which was coolish, and informative...it was also hotter than hell fire. As you can see from the pictures below, it was quite enjoyable:

Then later we went to Cental Park and the Met museum. You can't tell from this picture, but Noelle and I did like Central Park.

Marlee and I with Alice:

Laura playing with her new camera:
Laura and I can not take a serious picture to save our lives:

Wednesday we went to the World Trade Center then to Canal Street. I love Canal Street, you can get knock off designer sunglasses, handbags, etc. I got a Dolce & Gabbana handbag and pair of sunglasses. Later we walked through SoHo to Washington Square Park where there was a guy painting a girl's body. She was topless, then later, bottomless...except for a g-string. Is that legal? I don't know, but it was hilarious watching guys stop and stare and take pictures. Much like this black guy is doing in the picture below. Thursday was our last day in New York. We went to B&H, which is an electronic store on 34th between 7th and 8th, I believe. Seriously, you should go to this store just for the experience. It's 2 stories with probably 200 employees, 99% of which were Jewish, and many of those were Orthodox Jew with the shaved heads and curled sideburns. Coming from Idaho, this was quite the sight. They also had bowls of kosher taffy type candy everywhere. At one point, Noelle was taking a handful of candy and an employee gave her a bag for the candy. So Noelle and I decided to stalk up at each station, filling the bag. If you wanted to buy something, you'd get a tag, go to the checkout, then go to another area to pick it up. They would order it from the basement and ship it up and you would literally see it on a coveyor belt above your head. At one point, Laura's item was lost in transit.

For lunch we went to Serendipity. The restaurant the movie was named after. Their food was really good and their frozen hot chocolate was delicious.

Then later we were walking around 7th Ave near Central Park in search of the infamous Black and White cookie. They have them everywhere in NY but the best ones are suppose to be at little bakeries. Needless to say, we ended up settling on Metro Cafe, a chain restaurant. But they were still good. But on our search, I bumped into a woman with her 2 kids. Laura said it was Uma Thurman. Laura is known to bull***t me - often...so I didn't believe her. I said "no it's not." she said, "yes it is." After going back and forth and me almost believing her, Laura finally said she was kidding and then as if on cue, Noelle says "no, but there's Roseanne's sister from the show, Roseanne." And to quote Noelle, she looked a little disheveled. Then not 5 minutes later, we past the guy that played Garrett on Crossing Jordan.

We rode the subway a few times, which is actually pretty cool, although, I wouldn't want to do it on a daily basis.

This is a picture Laura took of a random girl at FAO Schwarz toy store. Someone is obsessed with their camera. The girl was super cute though, and I don't say that about many kids.

On Saturday and Thursday night we stayed in NJ with Steph's friends Matt and Jesse. Thursday evening they took us to the Jersey shore with their 2 boys. Their little boy Liam is probably the cutest kid I've ever seen, excluding my own nieces and nephews.

Alright, so that's it. I am DONE.

NYC so far...

2008-06-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

So far New York has been tons of fun. But holy hell it's been hot. We Idahoans are not used to this disgusting humidity. Anyway, our hotel is near Times Square, so we've walked through it a few times. So that's mostly what we did the first day. Yesterday we went to the Today Show for like a half hour and saw Haylie Duff, eh. But Ann Curry was super nice. She stayed out there and took pictures and talked to everyone. As you can see:

Here's Noelle having fun at Rockefeller Center:

Noelle, Laura, mom, and I were on 5th Ave walking back to Rockefeller Center from FAO Schwarz to see Conan when I saw a familiar face...Tallulah Willis. I was like, dude, I know who that is! Then I looked over and saw two people hugging, one of which was Demi Moore. Then I looked back to see who Demi was hugging, totally Gisele Bundchen. It was like a celebrity explosion! Demi looks older in real life.

Ok, so then, we went to Conan and of course we were seated in the upper far corner...lame. So therefore, Conan didn't see the shirt, but some NBC pages thought it was pretty funny. So anyway, Conan seemed super cool though. He came out before the show for a few minutes and talked to the audience. When he came out for the actual show and the applause had died down, I yelled out "I'm having your baby!" Then Conan said, "ok, that was appropriate." Ha. Laura kept begging me to do it, I wasn't going to, then it just suddenly came out! I felt like an idiot, but you could barely hear it. Kate Hudson was the guest, along with Robert Smigel. He's the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and a writer on SNL.

Then last night we went to Carmine's restaurant in Times Square:Marlee outside Carmine's (thought it was a cute picture):

Me outside Carmine's:

Then me and Marlee:

Can you find mom?

We were in the middle of Times Square and I think there was a movie being filmed like 20 feet from where that above picture was taken. Anyway, I saw Dominique Swain watching behind the camera. Most of you probably don't know who she is, but, she was the daughter in Face/Off, she was also in Alpha Dog, and some other movies.

Then today we were eating lunch at a bakery and I swear Dan and Jenny's mom from 'Gossip Girl' came in, but I'm not 100% sure, whatever. Then we went to the Met and walked through Central Park. Then got on the subway to go back to the hotel and Ana Gasteyer (former SNL cast member) got on the subway with her husband, daugher, and baby. Laura talked to her for a minute about her daughter.

So that's it so far, tomorrow we're going to lower Manhattan.

UPDATED The Woman, The Myth, The Legend...

2008-06-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

...That is Noelle...in her super gay 'Conan/Noelle Mated' shirt. So far, Josie is the ugliest baby I have ever seen.

Noelle refuses to pack the shirt herself, she claims she doesn't "have room". I don't know what her deal is, it's not like it's ugly or embarrassing to wear.

I am so excited about this, I can't even tell you. So far, the guest is TBA, which makes me a little nervous, what if they decide not to tape that day? It's driving me nuts. UPDATE: I finally found out who will be on Conan on 6/9, Kate Hudson. I was afraid is was going to be like, Bob Saget or John Tesh, so this is good, ok?

We're leaving for New York on Saturday morning. Hopefully I'll see some famous people again. I'm such a dork, last time I was in New York I would look at everyone as I was walking down the streets to see if I saw anyone famous. My efforts were fruitless until the final day, I saw 'Doogie Howser', Howard Stern, and some guy that's in skits on Conan O'Brien, who I'm assuming is a writer. So we'll see, I'll keep you posted, don't you worry about that.

Dunder Mifflin...UPDATE

2008-05-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF POST

Well lookie loo...another wee little kitten was found in the trees behind mom and dad's house. Sinny aka mom, found the kitten in a wood pile. She probably stole it away from it's litter. I wouldn't doubt it if it's related to Vaughn and Tippin(and yes, these names are from Alias), the two kittens Marlee found in a 10 foot high tree hole back there 2 years ago.

We don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, we're guessing it's only about 4ish weeks old, but Russ and I have taken it upon ourselves to name it. Meet Dunder Mifflin (Dunder/Dun/Dundy for short):

Here is mom with Dun. So far it likes to cuddle in people hair.

Hmm...we fed Dunder Mifflin a bunch of cow's milk and mom just found out that cow's milk can kill kittens, fantabulous, I hope it's ok.

UPDATE: Well guess what? Russ found 2 more kittens in the same tree hole that Marlee did. Mom gave one to Nicole's bus driver...ha, and kept the other one. We have changed the names, the first kitten will be Dunder, the second kitten is now named Mifflin...unless we figure out better names. I'm not a big cat fan, but, dude, kittens are cute, ok?

Mifflin:

Conan O'Briiiiiiien!

2008-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yay, I can finally blog about this! I'll try to make the story short, but we all know me, so, it won't be.

In 2 weeks, I'm going to NYC with Steph, Marlee, Noelle, Mom, and Laura. We were planning on doing the usual touristy stuff but we wanted to do something else too, like, go to a taping of a TV show or a Broadway show, but, seeing as how Broadway is kinda gay, we didn't want to spend the $150+ per ticket to go. So for the last 2 months I've been calling NBC studios to check on Conan ticket availability. Finally 2 weeks ago, tickets were available for the week we'll be there. I'd heard they were tough to get so I called first thing the next morning and got through after 15 trys! I could only reserve 4 tickets and you have to be 16, so sadly, Marlee and Steph won't be able to go. But holy crap, I'm excited! I freaking love Conan.

A couple days later I went to Port of Subs with one of my best friends Candice(who is with child and ready to pop anytime) and her husband Anthony. They love Conan too, so I told them we're going to the show. Anthony suggested I make an "If They Mated" shirt and wear it to the show. Now, if you have never seen the "If They Mated" skit, this is how it works. They take 2 celebrities that are either dating or even vaguely rumored to be dating and photoshop pictures of them together to create this hideous 'child', which is a product of their 'mating'. It's awesome. So I said "NO! NOELLE NEEDS TO WEAR ONE!" Considering Noelle will be like, 27ish weeks pregant, this is genius!

I took a picture of Conan and then one of Noelle and with Candice's help, we 'mated' them together. I told Noelle that I would do all the work and to my shock, she is willing to wear it! So if you're lucky, Monday June 9th, you may see Noelle in her shirt on Conan. I'll post a picture of Noelle wearing the shirt once it's made, but enjoy the pictures below.

Conan:

Noelle:

Conelle:

The Shirt:

Everybody say "THANK YOU CANDICE!"

Tagged

2008-05-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks a lot Danielle.

Two names you've gone by: 1) Tarha Peend(thanks Candice) 2) Teet (thanks Noelle) 3) Tourettes(thanks Russ)

Two things I’m wearing right now: 1) Scrubs 2) t-shirt

Two things I want (or have) in a relationship: 1) a relationship 2) trust

Two of my favorite things to do: 1) playing with the kids 2) going to the cabin in Stanley

Two things you did last night: 1) had dinner with the fam 2) watched the Survivor finale...Amanda was gypped.

Two people you last talked to: 1) Russ 2) and Noelle, cuz they're watching One Tree Hill with me right now

Two things you’re doing tomorrow: 1) working 2) watching American Idol

Two longest car rides: 1) Boise to San Francisco in the 'Burb' with Isabel, our foreign exchange student (which is what I think Danielle was talking about, and for the record, mom only ever kicked you out of the car) 2) Boise to Victoria, British Columbia in the old VW Bus in 86'...I know for a fact that Laura enjoyed the drive up there the most. On the way back, the bus broke down and Steph, Laura, Noelle, and I hitchhicked back to Boise...amazing that we all survived.

Two favorite holidays: 1) Christmas 2) Thanksgiving

Two favorite drinks: 1)Hawaiian Ice snow cones, it's also a delicious treat 2) right now, cherry coke zero

Two things about me you may not have known: 1) I'm secret lifing it with Bobby up in Stanley - according to Russ. 2) I love teen drama TV shows and movies...I don't think this is a secret though.

Two jobs I’ve had in my life: 1) washed dogs at petsmart, better known as hell. 2) Dental ass't

Two movies I would watch over and over: 1) 10 Things I Hate About You 2) Braveheart

Two favorite foods: 1) chicken salad sandwich 2) dessert

Two places I’d rather be right now: 1) Middle Fork of the Salmon river w/ the fam-dam-ly 2) NYC...ohhhh that'll be next month.

Two people I tag: 1) Candice Biotch! 2) Steph

"Fishing" and Mayonnaise

2008-05-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Noelle and Russ went up to Stanley with me this weekend. We didn't do much, hung out, watched P.S. I Love You, which Russ loved btw.

Saturday they went fishing with me...I'll talk about that in a minute. Saturday night we went to dinner at a resturant that shall remain nameless(Bridge St. Burger and Brew). They didn't really acknowledge us when came in, then they had like 3 things on their menu. Then when we got our burgers, I asked for mayonnaise...some guy, that I don't even know if he worked there, went outside and came back with a jar of mayonnaise, put it on the table and walked away. So then I had to go ask for a knife to get it out of the jar. Then after we eat(and were still hungry), Noelle proceeds to tell me that the mayonnaise had expired 4 months ago. Excellent.

Back to the fishing story. First we went over to where Redfish Creek goes into the Main Salmon and weren't having any luck but we could see like 4 or 5 steelhead. I was determined that if I couldn't catch a steelhead, I was going to snag one(I refuse to admit that I've snagged steelhead before). There were 2 right in front of me and I snagged the same one 6 times but the lure would pop off the fish every time. Then after an hour and half I snagged the other one and landed it...as you can see below. Then I let it go.

My Snagged Steelhead:

Then we went over to the dredge ponds cuz I knew that there are tons of small fish planted there every spring along with 50-75 steelhead. We tried to catch and/or snag a steelhead but gave up after an hour or 2. We'd brought a net with us and as we were leaving, we had the idea to try and net a steelhead in a little pool that was sorta dammed off on both sides until the water rises and washes them down. Russ would hold the net downstream by the lower dam and I would move a stick in the water to force the steelhead back into the net, we netted 2 steelhead! HA! along with about 10 small fish (I do however realize that there were many things illegal here. 1. It's not steelhead season 2. it's illegal to snag fish 3. I can only assume it's illegal to net steelhead, especially in the off season. But, we did release all the steelhead we "caught".)

Steelhead Netting:

Russ and his Steelhead:

Twilight Trailer, already?

2008-05-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so, I know some of you have read the Twilight books and know how freaking awesome they are, and that they're filming a movie for the first book. What's nutty is that Stephenie Meyer - the author, is my dad's cousin's daughter. Too bad we don't really know eachother, otherwise, I would tell her how I want the series to end in the final book. But whatever, anyway, I found this trailer on myspace, which is weird, cuz they just started filming the movie in Feb. I'm starting to warm up to Robert Pattinson as 'Edward'. Although, he should be played by the guy done in my first post...but again, sadly, I don't pull the strings. Anyway, watch the trailer, it might make you want to read the books.

wait, apparently this a teaser, the extended trailer comes out in a few days. so i'll replace it when it comes out, for anyone that cares.

Nicole and the ipod

2008-04-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Noelle, Russ, and I get bored. So what do we do when we get bored? We tease Nicole.

When Nicole was little, Noelle and I used to take her into the entryway and turn The Little Mermaid on in the family room and see how long it took her to recognize the music...I'm not sure why we did this, I'm assuming out of boredom aswell. So about a month ago, Russ took this information and decided to take it a step further. He took his ihome with his ipod and placed it outside Nicole’s room on the floor. Then we hid in the other room and pushed play with the remote then waited for Nicole to emerge from her room in search of the Disney music. She came out and laid down on the floor and enjoyed the music, when she realized Russ and I were in the other room, she stormed back in her room and slammed the door.

A few days later Russ tweaked the prank, this time we hid the ihome under her bed, so when she went into her room to watch a movie, the music would play and she wouldn’t know where it was coming from. I had the brilliant idea to put my digital camera on her night stand to catch her reaction. After she’d discovered the camera she closed the door. We thought she was mad and stayed in her room but she used her stealthness and scared the crap out of us.

Deer and Kids

2008-04-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

I went from Stanley to Pocatello on Sunday. Pocatello gets a bad rap, they're so far behind the times, but it's because the city officials are so stupid, they don't like change. But to Pocatello's credit, it can be pretty. I looked outside yesterday morning and there were deer in the front yard.

Steph's 3 older kids are in so many things, dance, gym, baseball, etc. I didnt see them much, so I mostly hung out with these 2 nutballs. I told Ryken there was a spider in the carmera, he looks a little unsure, and Teagan just has a fake smile.

I also saw this movie, I was surprised, it was pretty good. This kid was beat up and left for dead, his spirit - i guess, is walking around and he doesn't know why no one can see him, then he thinks he's dead, then he realizes he's not, now he's trying to get someone to find his unconscious body.

Stanley

2008-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Stanley this past weekend. Holy cold. Still tons of snow, more than usual this time of year. Global warming - global smorming.

I brought Toby with me this time. I'm still having doubts about his alleged deafness. I took this picture of him:

...then he took a picture of me:

There's so much snow, I can't get into the driveway or even park on the side of the road, luckily, the neighbor's are nice enough, they let me park in their driveway. They're a nice gay couple, or I should say, I assume they're gay. But I only base this on the fact that they're two 50 year old men living together with a rainbow flag in their entryway.

I didn't fish much, it just got too cold. But, I did manage to catch 58(I always keep track), and as I predicted earlier, they were all about this sizeish:

So I pretty much just kinda hung out, watched a few movies, one of which was Lars and the Real Girl. I loved it, Ryan Gosling was amazing. It's about a guy that's in love with a sex doll, but it's not at all gross, it's actually really sweet.

First post and playlist

2008-04-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

This is my first post, so don't expect much. I'm not joking when I say that I spent 3 hrs randomly compiling my playlist. So don't turn it off! Also, I'm going to Stanley this weekend so I'm not going to be able to do anything on here til I get back. Which puts somewhat of a damper on my newfound blog kick. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll have random pointless crap to talk about on my return. Here's some eye candy to tide everyone over....well, probably no one else but me, but, whatever.

...seriously though. He's my version of Edward in the book series 'Twilight'. Look, he even has golden eyes, nutty. In case you didn't know, I'm actually 12 years old, so.

...and this is where I'll be this weekend:

except for a ton more snow.

...and hopefully I will catch another one of these:

...but probably a bunch of these:

Go Noelle!(can you even see it?)