semester one.

can't believe my first semester is done. i couldn't be more happy. now the question is what will i do with all my free time...

road block

I have kind of hit a bloggers road block... with nothing new going on. School has kind of taken over my life and put everything else on the back burner. The good thing is I enjoy it... all except the early mornings and long days.

Before nursing school I didn't realize how excited people were to show off their wounds, incisions, scars... you name it. Before I have a chance to tell them I don't need to see it, they have already pulled down their pants or pulled up their shirt. I am then forced to oooh and ahhh. They trust me when I tell them their wounds look good (even though I have no idea how they should look.) I tend to wear masks when the nasty stuff happens so I can breathe through my mouth and gag with smiling eyes.

Happy November.

harvest boutique

many ladies (not myself) have been working their crafty magic to make adorable goods.

there is a man..

and by man i mean the cutest little old guy that walks his dog molly every single day... just around the time i take finn for a little jog. some mornings i see him twice. we always smile and wave and some days we talk. our conversations usually go a little something like this...

cute old man: "does your dog bark when someone comes to the door?"

me: "no"

cute old man: "he must! you need a protector not just a playboy! you must teach him. he cannot just be a playboy."

me: "ok... i will try"

but then one evening justin was with me and we stopped to talk... he asked how long we had been married and if i was happy. he asked if justin was good to me and if i was good to justin. he has been married for 58 years... and told us that marriage has its ups and downs but we need to be nice (he doesn't know what good advice this is for me... i try to be nice... but sometimes things don't come out as i intend them to.)

he said marriage is hard when you come from a different country... so naturally i asked where he is from.. he made us guess.. justin said germany. and he was right. he then told us that he fought in world war II. and now i am totally intrigued.. a few months ago i read a few books about world war II. one was excellent.. sarah's key... and i have thought about that story often in the last few months. on sunday i started reading night. i want to talk to the cute old man more about what the war was really like. i find it fascinating. justin told me not to ask... that people don't like to talk about the war. but i really want to know.. i am hoping one day he will tell me all about it.

lately...

summer has finally come and i feel like it is almost gone.

as of lately...

i have been living the life of leisure and going to school only two days a week.

finn and i have spent a lot of quality time together. he has also spent a lot of time with my mom and grandma.

i have loved my tuesday and thursday mornings spent doing yoga with whit. she is amazing.

glenwild pool with ash, addy and carly.

sewing.

eating yummy caramels and rum truffles.my mothers creations of course.

cleaned out a portion of one of my closets for our new roomie dave.

walks with justy.

pizza with cyndi and cole.

ugly duckling

and he's back...

a few pounds heavier and a couple inches taller.

i couldn't be more thrilled.

one for two, two for one

in one day craig and justin get home. can't wait to see them both!

and in two days dave gets home. i can't even believe it.

new york, new york.

eleven days of.....

* walking til we could walk no more

*eating til food repulsed us (or til the next meal time came around.)

*people watching... and then watching more people

*stroller up and down the subway

*laughing with ashley

*central park

*picnic in central park

*falling in the subway.... flat on my face. a stranger came to my aid.

*ashley running past me into the subway as i lay flat on my face

*itchy eyes

*seeing bry

*brooklyn flea. i love brooklyn

*firehouses

*frozen hot chocolate

*the MET

*battery park

*ninja... worst restaurant EVER.

*NOT waiting in line for the statue of liberty and ellis island

*ferry to new jersey for lunch with husbands

justin's ten extra days...

*dinner alone

*chewy steak room service

*adventures with jake and ash

*not putting bbq in the fridge and wanting to eat it the next day

*watching tv. lots of tv.

*missing taryn

taryn's ten days without j...

*taking care of finn

*steak cooked in a 1000 degree oven

*living in park city

*going to school

*missing justy

what can i say?... i love him.

and his posing with bird skills.

we may as well be italian...

our pizza is... that good.

the roaring fire.

the maker and the baker.

they're slippery little suckers.

cheese, basil, italian sausage.

cpk thai chicken pizza.

we all wanted to stop eating after the third pizza.. my mom said we must keep eating. we are on the hunt for the PERFECT italian dough. we tried six doughs this weekend.. which may or may not have been like 12 pizzas.. in two days with four people.

hippy hippy birthday

my big brother is aging. i cannot believe he is 28 years old today. i wish we were still running around the streets in umbro shorts. i wanted to be just like craig whe
n i was little. and he didn't seem to mind one bit. i think i was pretty lucky to have him.




nowadays he makes 1/2 of cute babies. and i like that too.

already dreaming of the sights and sounds...

not much more wait. map found here.

in case you haven't..

seen enough of our wedding, tessa from utahbrideandgroom put our wedding on her blog. i felt really bad.. i think it took me months and months to get all the questions answered.

don't you hate when life gets in the way... anyway sorry tessa. but, better late than never... right?!?!

today is the day...

that i am officially unemployed.

(it is much nicer being unemployed when it is by choice.)

the first thing i learned is that it is hard to drive and stuff your face with ice cream.

the semester is over (except for one minor chemistry final.)

i am hating the snow... but the grass sure does look purrty.

life is good.

wild hair&tan legs

lake mead... april 2008

(i miss those locks)

rain, snow or shine.

we hit the pavement... and finn stops to smell the tulips.

happy rainy friday.

i am completely content. sometimes life just seems to go right. it's a new week... the $1,400 that we owed the tax man last week is now done and taken care of. finn is clean thank goodness. i tried to teach him to dry himself in the sun.. instead of three people (finn is the size of a person) crammed in our pintsize bathroom. with the hot blowdryer and the smell of a wet dog.
i am attempting to cook rice for finn. it is boiling over and causing a big mess. i don't mind though. sure beats diarhea. i didn't cook rice the way justin told me i had too. i went a little heavy on the rice. oops.
i love this weather. spring is fun. especially when you are allergy free like me. justin went and bought himself a whole-lotta pills after accusing me of taking them. puh-lease. i don't need that stuff.
i have two weeks of work left.. yup.. count up the days. TEN. 10 days left and then i enter the sweet life of the UNEMPLOYEd. poor never felt so good.
i am excited for summer. not excited for the 50 pages that weber state sent to have filled out before starting school. the fbi will need to check me out, i will need to pee in a cup, get some shots... by shots i mean h1n1 and head shots. i read that and thought yea riiight. first of all i would not get a professional photo of myself.. just myself. head and shoulders. i think weber and my badge will just have to have a professional passport photo. i will be the most unglamorous nurse and i don't even care.
of to park city. xoxo

dave&47

hapPy BirthDay davey

i cannot believe i haven't seen you in 681 days(you haven't missed too much.) i hope you are still the same. i can't believe that you are 21 and that you will be back in utah in 47 days!

p.s. on day will you take me to sweden. cos it looks beautiful.

s&s

snow day and strawberries.

love strawberries.

hate snow.

'STOP! dream...'

i was driving to school the other day... kind of having a bad day. don't you hate when you aren't your chipper self for no good reason.

i was stuck in traffic. glanced left and a huge yellow and red sign caught my eye... it read, "STOP! DREAM HOMES SOLD HERE" i looked through the holes in the chain link fence.

and saw something like this:

i laughed. i smiled. and i had a better day.

is it easter already....

i wish my mom was here to hide some money eggs for me to find. but, i guess it wouldn't be fun looking for eggs all by myself... i miss my brothers and our footed pajamas.

any who... happy easter!

lauren and finn @ bella's birthday party...

the only two photos i took. bella was too busy partying with her friends anyway.

have i been cursed?

i am trying to think back to all of the bad things i have done in the last week to try to understand how i got cursed with bad luck. and nothing comes to mind.... well nothing out of the ordinary. possibly finn is the curse.

two weeks ago i had my moms car towed by AAA... easy harmless. when the tow man told me how familiar i look and asked if he had towed my car or anything before.blah.blah,blah.. i told him, "no, i have NEVER needed to use AAA before."
fast forward to wednesday... went to get in my car.. key would not turn. nothing would turn. but the radio would come on. how nice. well... in about 2 weeks and $750.00 later that will be fixed. lovely.
i didn't want to drive justin's green machine... so i had my dad's friend drive the car down to salt lake for me. i like my dad's car. it has been awhile. i used to drive it every time my parents would go away.
i loved it 'til it tried to kill me. and by kill i mean start an electrical fire over my head. i am now waiting for that car to be towed. i hope the care they let me borrow is problem free. i need a car. my dad will need a car. and to be honest i hate cars. they are so much trouble!!

the one reliable car in all of this is the 15 year old truck. she ain't fast, and she ain't pretty... but at least she works!

if i had a home phone... i would want it to be this one.

well... i want it anyway

spring.

i love the weather. i loved this weekend. day dreaming. long walks. cafe rio. yard work. sunshine. happy dog. wedding. catching up with family. losing my husband to march madness. ice-cream cones in the backyard. skyping mom & dad. i can't wait for more weekends like these.

a lot.

there is a lot going on when my mom leaves me in charge of her life and my own. next time my parents try to go on a trip i am going to have to put a time limit... two months is too long for me and grandma to handle.

so far this month i have:

- searched for money... a lot... then lost it and found it again.

-taken finn on too many walks to count. rain or shine.

-got into the first year of nursing at weber state. still in shock.

-gave two months notice to my job.

-been to park city. looked at the dust. taken pictures of dust.

-used bob and marilynn's microwave for some popcorn for the drive down the canyon (ended up eating the whole bag while talking to them.)

-watched movies with justin.

-sorted pills for grandma. lots of pills.

-skyped with craig, kate and linds.

-put off running my own errands.

-worked.

-schooled.

-wished my spring break included a trip... or something. anything.

time flies when you're having fun...

i can't believe i became a mrs. one whole year ago! i remember before i was married thinking the day would never come... and now days don't seem to stop! i am more in love with justin march 4, 2010 than i was march 4, 2009. i love the mornings (which are often... but not every!) when i wake up thinking life doesn't get much sweeter than this.

i love you justy!

-wifey xo

p.s. i wish we were here... tomorrow

o what a day...

let me preface this with... we are still getting used to the whole doggy thing. we wanted finn to get some fresh air while we hit the gym. we left our crying pup at the gate. when we got home we noticed he was just laying down. didn't move when we started walking towards him..

of course j and i looked at each other and said in unison "he is such a good dog."

as i got closer i realized that he wasn't moving because he couldn't. his head was STUCK in a hole that was in fact much smaller than his gigantic head. it wasn't pretty. and he wasn't happy. luckily a big tug from behind freed him.

we then took him up to park city to check out the remodel. i wouldn't let him move from a cardboard box that was flattened on the floor. the house looks great and i can't wait 'til everything is finished and the dust is gone. before heading home we thought it might be fun to walk finn on main street (in hopes to find some children to pet finn. he LOVES kids... wants to be with everyone that he sees.)

we found a dog park instead. one dog.. hunter took a fancy to cute finn. hunter skipped the whole first comes love, then comes marriage.. he jumped right into the let's make a baby for the baby carriage. luckily finn wanted NO part of that.. justin was dizzy from defending our boy.

finn.

our super-sized puppy.

finn is a one year old labradoodle. no one wanted him... so justin had to have him. i mean is face is pretty irresistable. he has had two previous owners... the first if which wanted him shot and buried on a farm and the second had no time for the little guy... that happens when you have five kids... two dogs and one cat (possibly more.)

sooooooo... after a sleepless night justin needed this dog. i said no. you would say no if you saw how giant his paws are. justin told me to trust him... i do trust him... and now we have a really cute and good dog.

if you have children... can we have a play date? he loves kids... pretty much stalks them giving his cutest puppy dog face in hopes to find a little child he can kiss and smell. (luckily he doesn't kiss adults!)

today:
i can barely move my legs because of the squats justin made me do yesterday.
i decided to have special k for breakfast instead of my usual oatmeal. i was hungry at like nine am. i will stick to oatmeal from now on.
anatomy class... depressing. i don't like talking about skin cancer.
my parents made it to sydney then back to new zealand. i am jealous. i want to be warm. and i don't like the prospects of holding down the fort.
an unfulfilling salad
intentions of studying muscles... very good intentions
talking to grandma
dinner with my wifey and her hubby and my hubby at eva. it was pretty yummy. i liked my fig and pig pizza. i like being back with my wifey. i have missed her.
loving getting into bed and resting my sore bod.

things i contemplate, so i figured i should share....

a) have you ever noticed how hairy guys necks are? especially at the gym. i am sorry but if you are at the gym i know you must kind of care how you look.... to all the men out there, maybe you should have a little look at the back of your NECK. and then shave it.

b) too many people like to hear themselves talk... okay (i might be one of those people.) BUT i certainly do not waste a whole chemistry class time trying to reinvent scientific theory. i swear one of these times i may scream "shut your pie-hole" from the back of the room.. and then pretend it wasn't me.

c) when it snows like one flake people forget how to drive. it bugs. big time.

d) it should be sunny and 80s all year around. i don't even care if i stop appreciating it. i just hate when i get cold... right down to my bones.

e) i now understand how sucky it is to work and go to school. i am sorry for thinking otherwise.

f) this is hilarious... we found it in the scrabble box. i love the man i married. just in case you can't tell by the scores... 'the winner is circled.' love it! vintage justy circa... 1990... at least let's hope he wasn't older than 10.

g) i gave my grandma some doctors order.. eventhough i am no doctor.. i told her she needs to have a bowl of ice cream everynight.... the more people i can make have ice cream everynight the less guilt i feel. i love coffee ice cream. i mean LOVE. and what i love even more is that i get the whole 1/2 gallon to myself. justin hates it. he just doesn't have refined buds.. as in taste buds like me.

happy valentine's day...

eleven thirty east made some cute couples. i think if you lived in the basement at our house it meant you would fall in love and get married. and have to move out... or in my case move upstairs.

three happily married basement dwellers... erin&adam, taryn&justin, ashley&jake.

i am sure glad i found my forever valentine!

i wish i took more pictures. SURPRISE....

30 thoughts for 30 years.

one: he makes me smile. a lot. even when i am mad ( well a few hours after.)
two: who do you know that grew up on border town in texas and doesn't speak a word of spanish... yup that would be my boy.

three: patient.

four: he grows out his nails so he can scratch my back. he is embarrassed to show white.. but i sure do love it!

five: justin has an obsession with new (or used) t-shirts and is ALWAYS on the hunt.

six: he likes the projects i give him.. and is gearing up for a painting extravaganza.

seven: he never complains.

eight: justin always exceeds my expectations... which are pretty high.

nine: when i want to share food he always will.. and even lets me eat it all. i know he knows i feel better cos we are sharing.

ten: we get to fight over who eats more special k. i swear before i even get a bowl the box is gone! eleven: he is a true people - watcher!

twelve: i have turned him into a vegetarian and he doesn't even mind.

thirteen: loves to cuddle and watch movies on friday nights.

fourteen: justin wanted an el camino for his birthday.

fifteen: he only makes me do hang-man with our primary class and he takes care of the rest.

sixteen: justin is a dang good brownie maker.

seventeen: justin is never allowed to cut his own hair again...

eighteen: justin would wear the same outfit everyday if he could. yet he... (see nineteen)

nineteen: justin acts like a kid in candy store when shopping... he comes right home and puts on all his new goods.

twenty: the laundry is justin's baby... and he does it well. he hasn't ruined one item of clothing yet.. this i consider a great accomplishment.

twenty-one: he has prescription goggles. basket-ball goggles.

twenty-two: i call justin puppy, and he likes it.

twenty-three: he bribes me to work out.

twenty-four: justin loves music...and i mean LOVES... but refuses to sing (even in church) and plays no intsruments.

twenty-five: justin is calm... calmlikeabomb (one of his passwords)

twenty-six: justin's curls are uncontrollable... and i love them!

twenty-seven: he looks good doing push-ups.

twenty-eight: justin could sit in silence. he only talks when he has something to say. frustrating... yet endearing.

twenty-nine: justin is a smarty pants. he teaches me a lot...and he enjoys watching the history channel.

thirty: i love you justypie and i am glad you are mine. here's to thirty more years (and hopefully more.. cos 60 is not too old.)

our fish.

was found floating at the bottom of his bowl. so long regi. it's been real. a real hassle having you. i asked justin if we should get another. the reply, "no, he was too much work."

we lost our friends to the big apple!

ashley, jake and baby addy are off on an adventure in nyc. our weekends will miss them!

we celebrated jake's new job at faustina... thanks thorntons!

feeling blue.

going back to school is not so fun... a quiz and a test the second week of school. are you freaking kidding me? i haven't even gotten used to the idea that i go to school.. let alone gotten the dumb books. ummm $284 for anatomy.. i don't think so.

first day of school.

my mom wasn't there to take my picture on the front porch...

yes... i kind of have a scowl. it was cold. and i was going back to school.

twenty ten resolutions.

twenty ten is the year i aspire to...

1. go to the gym ( something that didn't happen ONCE in '09)
2. run... maybe 6 miles consecutively.
3. make at least one new recipe every week.
4. learn how to make italian pizza (in my parents new oven coming feb '10)
5. go on a fun vacation ( this is of course a very selfless desire.. i want to show justy the world)
6. cook more meat for justin.
7. buy a rug for my front room.
8. visit grandma far more often than i did in '09.
9. get into school.
10. play... a lot.

Other fun things twenty ten promises... justin turns 30, davey comes home, and i will hit my quarter century mark!