Mike, Melissa & Lucy

Lucy's First Battle Wound

2012-01-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

So, the other day, my mom calls me. And she says the most frightening thing I've heard in a while:

"Lucy got hurt."

Panic immediately enters my brain and I start calculating how fast I can get to Lucy and how many laws I'm willing to break to do it. (Answer: All of them.)

"But she's fine."

Okay . . .

"She didn't even cry."

Apparently, my amazing little girl (who is days away from walking), was showing her cousins how good she is at standing up all on her own and fell over and hit her head on my sister's hearth.

So . . . Lucy has her very first shiner!

Sorry the picture is so blurry. We wanted to tell everyone she got into a fight with the cat (believe me, if that was true, Lucy had it coming), but the real story is better: That Aimee gave her the black-eye. (Well, Aimee's house, technically.)

Hopefully, there won't be too many more of these incidents.

(As I knock on wood, throw salt over my left shoulder, and stroke a rabbit's foot.)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

How was your Christmas? Ours was really good.
Lucy was really spoiled. She got lots of new toys.
But this one was her favorite:
Yes, she played with the box more than she did with her new toys. Why we even bothered to buy her toys at all is still a mystery.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today is Mike's Birthday.

His 30th birthday. The big 3-0. As this is a huge milestone (and one that totally SUCKS, by the way (not that I know, being only 21 myself)), I was going to throw him a party. But . . . alas . . . life and promises made to others happened instead. (Plus, he told me he didn't want a party. The big party-pooper.)

So . . . I took him to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night. Yeah, that's the steak we ate last night (half-finished). The thing was bigger than my face. (Face? Try bigger than my whole head!) We got the Porterhouse for 2. I've never seen so much meat in my entire life. Although, Mike told me he could have finished it himself.

Have you ever been to Ruth's Chris? We never had before and we were very impressed with the service. (The food was good too, but not really worth the $$$$.) (Although, I highly recommend the Lobster Bisque.) I had made a reservation and they had asked me if we were celebrating anything special. So, when we arrived at our table, there was a little birthday card from Ruth's Chris sitting on the table for Mike. How nice.

So, we're sitting there, enjoying our 600 ounce steak, and all we can hear is the lady at the table behind us talking. LOUDLY. Seriously, a the fire alarm wouldn't have drowned her out.

So, Mike and I are pretty much sitting in silence, because it is impossible for us to talk over this lady. And I must have had a weird look on my face or something, because one of the waiters came up to our table and said to us, "Don't worry, I think their leaving soon."

It took me a minute to process what he was saying.

I was mortified!

I felt awful that my face must have registered my disdain for this loud woman and the staff felt that they needed to say something to me about it!

Although, Mike might have been right, that the wait staff was probably making fun of her too, so they were just letting us know that they felt our pain.

I was still mortified, though.

Anyway, since it was Mike's birthday, our waiter "bought" Mike dessert: He wanted the chocolate bread pudding. YUMMY! Although, we discussed it and we think Ruth's Chris needs to serve this dessert with whipped cream. It is really rich and we needed something to cut the sweetness.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

(If only this were true from Mike to me.)
P.S. Congratulations to Ed & Jen on the birth of their beautiful new baby girl! She's gorgeous!

A Christmas Tradition

2011-12-02T07:33:00.001-08:00

It's my favorite time of year! I love, love, love Christmas time. Love, love. LOVE.

LOVE.

Lucky for me, I grew up in a family who loves Christmas as much as I do. My mom always turns the house into an absolute fairyland! (And some years that is literally a fairyland. My mom does "themes" for Christmas. Each Christmas, she picks a different theme for the year. Santas, snowmen, nutcrackers, gingerbread men, and her favorite, fairies. (YES, she has enough Christmas decorations to decorate with just that one theme each year. YES, storing all those Christmas decorations drives my dad nuts.) And my mom loves glitter. To her, glitter is her prozac. Mike always says he knows when Lucy has been at Grandma's because she comes home with glitter on her. And her Christmas decorations have tons of glitter! My dad always says everything is glitter-covered at their house until July.)

Anyway, one of our traditions has been to visit the Festival of Trees. And this year, it means that Lucy met Santa for the first time! We had a hard time getting her to smile, because she really needed a nap, but she didn't scream, so I'd say it was a win. I've got to say (and Mike will laugh when I admit this) the trees were a little disappointing this year.

Except for this one: The "U" on top lit up. It was awesome. I must try to find one for our tree. I'm betting Mike would prefer that to the purple butterfly that adorns our tree now.

And this "Tangled" Gingerbread House was pretty impressive: But, mostly, it was a disappointment. Seriously (and I'm not sucking up so Santa will bring me more presents!), my mom's Christmas trees are a lot better than most of the trees we saw.

I'm so excited to be able to share my favorite time of year with Lucy this year (yeah, because an almost 8-month-old really knows what's going on, right?!)!

Right.

Something To Be Grateful For

2011-11-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

The fact that Lucy will sleep in the car. (And sometimes that is the ONLY place!)

Halloween Pictures

2011-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

As promised (and so Grandma Kay can see Lucy in her costume): My 2 nephews, my niece, and Lucy as a ladybug:

Yes, that red and black lump is Lucy. We got her that costume so she would be warm just in case Mike got his way. (He wanted to take her trick-or-treating. I said, "No." How do you take a 6-month-old trick-or-treating?! Obviously, who is the candy really for in that situation?!)If Lucy wants to give you a kiss, prepare to get wet!

And the Utes are doing much better now days. The last home game I'll be attending this year was on Saturday against UCLA. It snowed and was cold. Alan said he loved it, that it was the perfect football weather. I don't get it. Luckily, it only snowed for about the first quarter. Final score was 31-6.

I really don't understand what is so fun about sitting in the cold and getting wet on purpose. Guess that's the girl in me.
But I wouldn't change the girl in me either.
She has excellent taste in shoes.
Go UTES!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T08:07:00.001-07:00

It's Halloween. Lucy is being a ladybug.
(Yes, I know the picture is crappy. Better ones taken by a professional to soon follow.)

Tom Gets Married

2011-10-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Finally. After 4+ years of dating, Tom & Stephanie made it official. Having never been to a Catholic wedding before, I didn't know what to expect.
There was a lot of standing up and sitting down (including the time during the ceremony when I sat down on Lucy's Sophie Giraffe; it squeaks; that was fun; Patty said I covered it well; I should have just pointed at Jessie). And it was long. Lucy did really well up until Tom & Stephanie were about to say their vows, (of course, the important part) then I had to take her out. Plus, the priest was really hard to understand.
Heidi and Jessie both gave readings: And they did very well. I told them that they had better be exceptional because most of Tom & Stephanie's friends are actors (and we all know the harshest judges are actors), but they didn't let that phaze them at all.
After the ceremony, we went to the reception . . .
Where Lucy was the life of the party! Everyone wanted to hold her. Could be because her dress was so beautiful (thanks for the dress, Grandma!):
Big Mike even insisted on dancing with her:
She was tuckered out after all that partying.As the best man, Mike was required to give a toast (which he didn't know about until 2 minutes before). Even on the fly, he did a really good job and I swear he got choked up at one point (he denies it, even though I have video evidence).
Congratulations, Tom & Stephanie! This trip was also a bunch of firsts for Lucy. Besides her first plane ride, Mike couldn't let her go to California without going to: Roscoe's Chicken & WafflesNot my favorite, but Justin loved it so much he tried to convince us to go back again the next day.
And what California trip would be complete without a trip to the beach? Lucy wasn't really a fan of the sand. Oh, and a miracle happened.
Mike actually missed watching the University of Utah football game on Saturday.

I know. Talk about miraculous.

I guess being the best man at your brother's wedding is the only thing constitutes missing a Utah football game. (Kickoff was at 9:00 in the morning in Cali and the wedding was at 10.) Big Mike had the game going on his phone the entire ceremony was updating everyone (as most of Mike's family is as Ute-crazy as Mike is).

The Utes defeated Pitt 26-14.

Bout time we won.

Go Utes!

Books

2011-10-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love books. (Books and shoes are my two vices.)

Our front room is filled with my books (and that's not mentioning the bookcase filled upstairs).

Mike makes fun of me because instead of a purse, I carry a big bag (my current bag I purchased at the Josh Groban concert). He constantly asks me why I need to carry such a big bag around and my answer is always the same, "Because my books won't fit in a purse."

Mike told me yesterday that he wants to get me a Kindle for Christmas. He's actually said this since they came out, but I keep telling him how much I love actual books and I worry I wouldn't use it.

I can see the advantages of owing a digital bookstore. I have an ereader on my iphone and it is nice to not have to drag a book around sometimes. Plus, it means I would be able to carry 500 books at once!

But at the same time, I cry a little every time we go into Barnes & Noble and the bookshelves have been replaced with displays for the Nook. I feel bad for the books that aren't there anymore. Where did they go?! I know, I know, you can get them digitally, but it just isn't the same!

I love actual books. The smell of the pages, the feel of the story in your hand, being able to turn each page knowing there's so much more for these characters to go through before you get to the end.

So . . . I'm not sure. Do I want a Kindle or Nook?

6 Months

2011-10-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Lucy is (almost) 6 months. Officially she will turn 6 months old on the 12th of October. But, since we're going to California next week (Congratulations Tom & Stephanie! FINALLY!), I took her for her 6 month appointment yesterday.

I put her in the outfit that her awesome doctor gave her when she was born:

And she fell asleep on the way to her appointment:
I was sad to wake her up because she really needed the nap.

So, the interesting facts about our monkey: She now weighs 15lbs even and is 26 inches long. Which puts her in the 36% for weight and 68% for height.

How?! How is it possible that I, being only 5'2" tall and weighing . . . ahem. . . have a tall and skinny baby?!

How?!It's a mystery.

I had to go alone this time which was hard for me, because I tend to be more traumatized than Lucy is when she has to get shots. But, she did really well and only cried for a minute before the nurses had her smiling again.

It took me a little longer to calm down. Thanks for asking.

Oh, and the Utes lost last week.

She's One Smart Cookie, That Tina Fey

2011-09-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU (or in our case, U of U) logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half. Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age. Lead her away from Acting, but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes and only have to wear high heels if she wants to. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it. May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait. O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers and the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Crap. I will not have it. And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes. Amen.” -Tina Fey

B Y . . . WHO?

2011-09-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

So . . . the BYU/Utah Game.

Definitely a different feel now that Utah and BYU aren't in the same conference or really rivals anymore.

We weren't planning on going down to Provo for the game this year (and truth be told, Mike was a little relieved that he didn't have to go), but then he was invited to a swankified dinner and given tickets to the game, so we went. (The dinner was Toscano's and we received some excellent door prizes; I got a beautiful and really soft Utah blanket and Mike got a Utah helmet, which he's having the team sign this week; for some reason I passed on the Utah bikini, nobody needs to see my stretch-marked butt in a bikini.) If you'll recall, the last time we went to Provo for the BYU/Utah game in 2009, this was my view the ENTIRE game: And, unfortunately, this year wasn't much better: Naturally, we had to sit behind the 3 most obnoxious freshman alive. I really wanted to pants the kid in the middle. Whoever told him that it's cute to wear skinny jeans, but then have your pants hang off your butt is seriously disturbed.

I'm sure you've all heard about the game by now. Needless to say, this was the crowd by the end of the 3rd quarter: Hmmm . . . way to support your team, BYU fans.

Since the game, all we've heard is how BYU handed the game to us. Like it was a gift.

Well, then, thanks for the 54-10 gift, BYU.

Eh, whatever. Hope you enjoy your independence, BYU.
Go UTES!

Lucy's First Road Trip

2011-09-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Lucy experienced her first road trip. We went to Boise with the entire family (minus Jen, unfortunately) for a wedding. We used to go there all the time when my Grandparents were living there. We drove by their old house.
It's funny, but I chould have sworn that front gate was bigger. Other than that, it looks exactly the same. We all reminisced about the goods times we had with Grandma and Grandpa Hannaman. When we were kids, we spent an entire summer in Boise once. Lucky for us, the neighbors on one side had a pool and the neighbors on the other side had 6 kids.

We also went to visit the Grandparents. It was really hard to say the least. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

And then we went to the wedding. My "cousin," Little Linda (her mom's name is Linda too, so Big Linda and Little Linda) married a man in a kilt. The wedding was really fun. (Note to self: stilettos and grass don't mix. I think I spent the majority of the time trying to pull my (new!) shoes out of the ground.) And then disaster struck . . .

My dad was holding Lucy and, of course, she was sitting contentedly, smiling at everyone, and I was thinking to myself, "I should probably change her diaper soon."

When . . .

I noticed a "fountain" of sorts spraying my dad.

Seriously. It was a fountain. I saw the spurt.

Lucky for him, he was wearing dark pants, because the picture really doesn't do it justice. It was everywhere! (And by "it," I mean poop.) The poor guy! It was all down his lap and there was even a puddle on the chair. (I swear our kids wait until their Grandpa is holding them to shoot things out orifices. They throw up on him, poop on him, spit up on him, etc. And only him.) Lucy just laughed.

Poor Dad!

Then we came home. Lucy was really good in the car.

And the Utes lost their first PAC12 game to the USC Trojans 14-17.
Yes, Mike left the wedding to watch the game at a sports bar.

Which means he still owes me a dance.

Go UTES!

2011-09-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

I like shoes.

And chocolate.

And So It Begins . . .

2011-09-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Utah's 1st PAC 12 Season. Utah beats Montana State 27-10.

Not too exciting of a game, considering the team really only played the 1st quarter.

Jordan Wynn was rather disappointing.

But Lucy had her game-face on:
Yes, she wears red on game day, even though she won't be attending a game for a very long time.

Go UTES!

Grandpa & His New Love

2011-08-30T07:42:00.001-07:00

And there's only 2 more days until the Utes PAC 12 Season begins.

Which means . . . Cowboy Corndogs!

4 Month Stats

2011-08-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

So, some of the out-of-towners who read this blog have been bugging me because of my shocking lack of posts regarding Lucy.

There is a very good reason for this:

Mike and I have talked about not putting anything about her on the blog for fear that someone will kidnap her (mock if you will, but she's so darn beautiful and so amazingly gifted that of course she will get kidnapped).

And frankly, we just couldn't afford to pay the ransom.

And honestly, who wouldn't want to kidnap this face: Oh, gross. I just became one of those mothers.

But, for those dying to know, Lucy recently turned 4 months old and weighs 12lbs 14oz and is 24 inches long. Which puts her in the 36% for her weight and 73% for her height. (How I have a long and skinny baby, I'll never know.) And I can just say that it is way too hot outside right now.

Some People Are Really Stupid

2011-08-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

So, this morning I dropped Mike off at the University (as it is the first day of school, so parking would have been a nightmare for him), and proceeded to drive back down the hill to my office. When you turn right out of the bookstore parking lot, the road has a lane on each side and train tracks that run up the middle, and concrete barriers that protect the train tracks.

As I preceded down the hill, I noticed a car coming straight at me coming up the wrong side of the road. And as there was no place for me to go to avoid a collasion, I just stopped. The idiot driving come within about 5 feet of me before she realized I wasn't moving (and a line of cars had formed behind me).

And then she just stared at me.

Uh, excuse me, but you're the one who is going the wrong way.

It took her a good 5 minutes to realize she was on the wrong side of the road and to back down the hill.

I'm going to chalk this experience up to first day of school nerves for this woman.

Straight To You

2011-08-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

There are few things in life that I'm willing to pay big bucks for:

A house, a Bowl Game, the occasional pair of shoes . . .

And Josh Groban tickets.

Mike knows that when Josh comes to town, I'll be shelling out as much money as necessary to get me as close to that man as possible.

And it worked: Yes, that's me 10 feet from Josh Groban. So close we could hear him sing without the microphone.

How? I hear you ask.

Let's just say that I have zero shame when it comes to Josh.

ZERO.

Okay, here's the (edited for content and because my mother-in-law reads this blog and I'd hate for her to think poorly of me) story:

When Josh's tour was announced and tickets for Salt Lake went on sale, my "Copa Girls" and I all decided to get tickets (and Sarah too!). So, we all got floor seats. (Sarah and I were on a different row from the other girls, because we purchased our tickets separately.) Besides the main stage, in the middle of the floor, there was a stage set up with guitars and a piano, etc., and the other girls seats happened to be on the last row right before that "mini" stage. Before the show started, we were chatting by the "Copa Girls" seats, and I noticed a security guy standing there. So, I decided to talk to him. Just to see how he was of course, no other motive even crossed my mind.His name was Dave and he told us that he had been doing security for 27 years and that Cher put on the best show and that he once had to give Ozzy Osbourne oxygen. He also said that Josh was really nice (of course he is!).

So, being so cordial, Dave also told us to stand right where we were.

That we shouldn't move.

So, we didn't.

Which is why we were in prime position when Josh made his appearance. Front row, baby! We were so close, that at one point Josh acknowledged the six of us jumping up and down like maniacs! He "hearted" us! But he did it so fast that none of us could snap a picture. But we "hearted" him back. My knees were shaking, I was so excited!

Notice that Josh is laughing in this picture: It's because he just heard me yell something inappropriate at him. Then when Josh made his way to the main stage, he passed right by us and Sarah touched his bicep and I squeezed his hand! (This is the 2nd time I've touched Josh. The first was back when he came in 2008 on his "Awake" tour. You can actually see me touch him on the DVD of the concert.) He then commented on how Salt Lake is "grabby."

This is Josh and Tariqh Akoni, his lead guitarist and music director of The GroBand (whom Beth has a major crush on).Yes, I'm still hoarse 2 days later, but it's totally worth it.

2 Days!

2011-08-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Get excited, y'all.

12 Days . . .

2011-08-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

1826 Days

2011-06-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have been married for 1826 days today (2008 was a leap year). Or, if you prefer, 5 years.

So, looking back, what have we accomplished in those 1826 days of married bliss?

1. Lived in an apartment (next to a crack house) for 384 days.

2. Bought our townhouse where we were supposed to only live for 365 days, but has turned into 1442 days (with no end in sight).

3. We've both changed jobs twice.

4. Adopted 1 CAT.

5. Lived through 4 seasons of University of Utah football, including 2008-2009's undefeated season, where the Utes won the Sugar Bowl.

6. Physically went to 3 of last 4 Bowl games (3 victories. 1 defeat).

7. Visited Disneyland 6 times.

8. Gone to Vegas 3 times (including our honeymoon).

9. Have NEVER been in our clubhouse pool (and never will; too gross).

10. Had 1 baby.

Not too bad for 5 years.

Want to Know What I Think is BORING?

2011-06-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you.

(But please keep in mind, this is just my opinion.)

The most boring thing in the world is . . .

The NBA Draft.

Snoozer.

(And this coming from a girl whose favorite sport is baseball.)

Mike made me watch a whole hour of it yesterday.

Seriously, who cares which barely post-adolescent, 7 foot boy is now playing for which team? I'm pretty sure they don't even care, as long as they get their millions of dollars for their "talent."

I'm actually surprised that they were able to fit all those egos into one room.

Mike also made me listen to the draft on our drive home last night, and the Jazz picked Enes Kanter, who told reporters that he is the best basketball player ever. Seriously. He said that. Yeah, don't hold back, Buddy. Tell us what you really think of yourself. Talk about ego.

I will admit though, that it was a touching moment when twins Markieff and Marcus Morris (seriously? They are both named Mark?!) were drafted one right after the other.

Oh, to be the parents of those boys! TWO sons in the NBA?! Imagine the bankroll. Lucky parents.

Okay, enough.

I don't even like basketball.

Lucy's Baby Blessing

2011-06-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

We blessed Lucy this past Sunday. My amazing mom made her blessing dress. We had lots of family and friends come to support us.

These are some of Mike's nieces. Notice they are all wearing blue. (Not BYU blue, of course, not in this family.) They nicknamed themselves "The Cousin Blue Crew" for the day. I love this picture of Mike with his mom:
Mike gave Lucy the most beautiful blessing.

My favorite part?

The fact that he didn't change her name to "Larry." (He'd been threatening to do that since she was born.)
Thanks to all those who came and we missed those that couldn't make it!

Mom

2011-05-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

I realize that I am really late with this, but too bad (I've been sort-of busy), here is my tribute anyway:
Facts about my mom:

1: She is the most selfless person I know and I'm lucky enough that she's willing to watch the baby while I work so that we don't have to put her in daycare while she's still so little. (Can't tell you how grateful I am for that. Now, if only Mike would find a new job so I can stay home permanently (HINT!).)

2: She's willing to drop everything just to come over and make sure that I'm okay (yesterday I was running a fever and felt like crap; she was on her way to work, but came over anyway to watch the baby so I could rest).

3: She is known in some circles as "Creative Candee," which just shows you how amazing she is at everything.

4: She is the best hostess ever. Have you ever been to a party or shower or something like that and thought to yourself, "Eh, I've been to better?" You would never say that about a Creative Candee party. Seriously. I've had friends ask her to plan their weddings.

5: She still loves my dad. What? What does that have to do with anything?! My parents have been married for 30 some-odd years and now that the possibility of them living alone in the house together is looming, I asked my mom if she was nervous about living alone with my dad. (You know, like in that terrible movie that's always on TBS, the one where Kathy Bates is married to Terry Bradshaw and he has a "naked room." And Kathy is afraid to be alone with him because what if he doesn't love her anymore? You know that horrible, awful movie?) She told me that she wasn't worried about it at all, because she was pretty sure that my dad still likes her. (He does, I checked. And I'm pretty sure he would never have a "naked room.") (You might think this is a silly reason, but as a person who has worked on many divorces for marriages that went belly-up after 20-30+ years, or couples who stayed together "for the sake of the kids," I'm so grateful that my parents still love each other.)

6: She's an amazing Grandmother. (She's already spoiled the baby rotten. But she's so cute, it's hard NOT to spoil her. She actually has a sign in her house that says "Who Needs Santa When We Have Grandma.")

7: She raised 3 girls. That means caring for 3 girls who went through puberty and being snotty teenagers (oh, the 14 year-old; how I'm not looking forward to dealing with our girl in 14 years). Now, I have to admit that I don't really remember a lot of things, but I really don't think that me or my sisters were THAT bad as teenagers. (My parents can correct me if I'm wrong.) I've heard stories about girls that are seriously bratty at that age and I don't remember acting like a total and complete jerk during this time. Must be because my parents did a good job of raising us.

8: She's willing to help us out whenever we need it no matter what she's doing.

My mom is the absolute best and I appreciate her even more and what she has done for me now that I'm a mom. I'm only beginning to understand the sacrifices she made for us. And I can only hope to be half as good at being a mom as she is to me. I love you, Mom!

I just hope and pray that Lucy will feel the same way about me someday.

Lucy Kay Hurst

2011-04-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

Born April 12th @ 11:03 PM.

6lbs 15.5 oz and 19in long.

Suggestions Needed

2011-04-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

6 days until the scariest event in the history of time will happen:

Mike and I will become parents.

Dum, dum, dum!

(Oh my gosh, that sounds even scarier in print than in my head.)

(Yes, I know my ticker to the right of the screen says 9 days to go today, but because this little girl already has her father's stubborn nature (ha! further proof that she is his, despite his objections), she has refused to flip around and is still breech. Which means we have a c-section scheduled for April 12th. Yes, I know some of you will *insert gasp here!* And I know there are a lot of people out there who have very strong opinions against c-sections (and believe me, I think I've heard them ALL recently), it is going to be medically necessary in our case.)

Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

Unfortunately for this little girl, she has yet to be named. And no, we promise we're really not holding out and just not telling anyone her name until she is born.

SHE REALLY DOESN'T HAVE A NAME.

Not being one of those girls who had their babies names picked out since Jr. High, this has been a real challenge for us.

Auntie Karen tried to help with this at one of my baby showers by playing "Name Melissa's Baby" with Scrabble tiles. (The best name to come out of that was "Damn." So, then we could call her "The Damn Baby." Hilarious. At least Mike and I thought so.)

Mike's work also had a "Name Mike's Baby" Contest, which basically resulted in us having to veto the name "Swoop" over and over again.

Those who saw our registry know that Mike named her Beelezub on there, causing Mike's family to tentatively pick up the name "Beezus." (Or, Mike's preferred spelling: BeeZus.)

At this point, we're considering waiting until she's old enough to pick her own name so the pressure is off us. (And by then she'll probably be 3 years old and want to be called "Barbie," "Cinderella" or "Rapunzel." Great.)

So, consider this as an open call for suggestions.

Otherwise, Mike wants to name her "Sindi." (Yes, that's Cindy with an "S" and an "i."

I'm pretty sure there would be a pole in her future with a spelling like that.)

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Being of Irish decent, St. Patrick's Day has always been a big deal in my family, so here's an Irish joke to get you in the St. Patrick's Day mood:

A group of Americans was touring Ireland.

One of the women in the group was a real curmudgeon, constantly complaining. The bus seats are uncomfortable. The food is terrible. It's too hot. It's too cold. The accommodations are awful.

The group arrived at the site of the famous Blarney Stone. "Good luck will be followin' ya all your days if you kiss the Blarney Stone," the guide said. "Unfortunately, it's being cleaned today and so no one will be able to kiss it. Perhaps we can come back tomorrow."

"We can't be here tomorrow," the nasty woman shouted. "We have some other boring tour to go on. So I guess we can't kiss the stupid stone."

"Well now," the guide said, "it is said that if you kiss someone who has kissed the stone, you'll have the same good fortune."

"And I suppose you've kissed the stone," the woman scoffed.

"No, ma'am," the frustrated guide said, "but I've sat on it."

So, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all and here's hoping that Lucky the Leprechaun visits you, but doesn't play too many mean tricks! (I'd check the legs of that chair before you sit down, my friend, you never know.)

On a side note, Happy Birthday today to my friend, Christa!

My Boyfriend is Coming to Town . . .

2011-03-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

For the past 9 months, I 've been trying to convince Mike that our baby girl's middle name can be "Grobanite."

For some crazy reason, he keeps saying "No."

It's not like I want to name her "Josh." (If she comes out as a boy . . . !)

Guess I'll be stalking the Hotel Monacco the weekend of August 13th.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Not being a couple who normally celebrates this holiday (want proof? I believe my post last year on Valentine's Day sums up my feelings on this subject pretty well http://mikemelissahurst.blogspot.com/2010/02/thoughts-on-valentine.html), I was extremely surprised to find myself saying this to Mike the other day:

"Hey, Baby, you know how I usually hate Valentine's Day?"

Him: (somewhat skeptically) "Yeah . . . ."

Me: "What if I changed my mind this year?"

Him: (Speechless).

Yes.

I changed my mind about Valentine's Day.

Now, for those of you who are worried about my mental health at the moment, you should know that this moment of insanity only lasted about as long as it took for me to have the above conversation with Mike. After that brief lapse in judgment (and sanity), I returned to my senses and went back to my previous stance on the subject.

It's still the stupidest holiday ever.

(I'm blaming this incredible out of body experience on pregnancy hormones.)

So, that being said, what did we do for our last Valentine's Day before we bring a child into our family?

Mike, being incredibly amazing and romantic (even though I'm sure he would deny it if asked), made me chicken noodle soup and put me to bed (alone!) at 8:00. While he ate Arby's (which, as we all know, is a last resort for anything edible).

Yes, Mike has taken care of me lately because I've been too sick to (mostly) get out of bed.

So, even though I'm sick, it was probably the most romantic Valentine's Day we've spent together.

(Unless you count our first Valentine's together. 2006. We had only been dating a few months, and knew we were going to get married to each other at some point, so we figured we should probably do something "special" for Valentine's Day. You want to know what Mike did for me that year? He watched Breakfast at Tiffany's with me. Which, now, looking back, I'm sure he did in an effort to "seal the deal" (hey, it worked; he got me for eternity, didn't he? Not sure that he's so happy about that NOW). That, to me, was pure romance. I think I just made myself MORE sick. Bleh.)

So, to all those who celebrate the yucky love stuff out there, good for you. I hope you were showered in flowers, candy or "toys" by your "sweetheart."

For me, it's all about the day after Valentine's Day when JuJu Hearts are discounted merchandise.

So . . .

2011-01-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

Mike says to me yesterday, "Do you realize that you haven't updated the blog since Christmas Eve?"

To which I say, "Yes."

And he says, "Are you gonna?"

And I say (with my usual snarkiness), "I'm growing a person. What are you doing with your life?"

Needless to say, there have been things that have happened that we could have blogged about, such as:

1. Christmas with the families.

2. New Year's with Sarah, Ryan & Sophie.

3. Dad's birthday.

4. Cameron's 6th birthday (and his Harry Potter themed birthday party, which we sadly, could not attend. But my sister, of course, out-did herself and made a golden snitch cake (still waiting to see pictures)).

5. The Utah Red Rocks Gymnastics Team won their first meet of the year.

All things which could have been, but sadly were not, documented on this blog.

Hmmm . . .

To which I still respond, "I'm growing a person. What are you doing with your life?"

We're going to Disneyland next week with my family (Merry Christmas to us!), so maybe after that event there will be a proper post.

Emphasis on the MAYBE.

Gee, Melissa, how are those pregnancy hormones treating you?!

The Vegas Bowl and Stuff

2010-12-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

This year Mike and I didn't get each other gifts. Instead, we did things for Christmas, as in, we went to the Vegas Bowl for Mike and he took me to see White Christmas at Pioneer Theater Company for me.

The Vegas Bowl.

Let's just say I was extremely disappointed to drive ALL that way for the team to not show up at all in Vegas.

If you ever attend a game at UNLV, I hope you get to go there when it's not raining. The parking structure at the stadium isn't paved, so we were a muddy mess by the time we reached the stadium.

The game was a disaster. Boise State killed us! 3-26.

Yeah.

Humiliating.

But Mike took it all in stride and was a really good sport about the beating(better than me! I was MAD (still am)).

And so ends the 2010 season for the Utes. With their 13 bowl game winning streak defeated.

Stupid Boise.

Mike took me to see White Christmas on Christmas Eve. I really loved it. Made me want to dance! And it wasn't only me who was feeling the music. Every time there was an upbeat tap number, the baby was moving around like crazy! She must have been tap dancing inside my stomach.

She must be a stage diva in the making already.

Great.

Merry Christmas!

I Think this Baby is the Lucky One . . .

2010-12-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

And I don't mean because she's coming into our family (of course not! If anything, she'll be LUCKY to survive!).

Let me explain:

This last Friday was my company's work party and my first year celebrating with SC&M.

Our Christmas luncheon, held at The Little America, was delicious, and even though the entertainment was definitely a bit long for me (and NOT Christmas related, by the way (who planned that?!)), it was still fun to not have to be at work for a while.

So, apparently, at SC&M they do a prize drawing every year at the Christmas luncheon. And there were some really good prizes! A lot of cash was given away, Jazz tickets, laptops, and the ultimate prizes, 2 flat screen TV's.

Well, being me who never wins anything (okay, okay, so, yes, when Crack and I went to San Francisco she won 3rd row tickets to Wicked, but again, SHE won, not me. And then when Wicked came here last year, yes I won 3rd row tickets, but I went down and tried EVERYDAY, so the odds were that eventually I would win those, but other than those two examples, I really never win anything. Ask anyone in my family, we're just unlucky that way.), I was completely surprised when they pulled my name out for $100.

$100 great! I'll take it!

I sent Mike a message saying, "I won a $100, but that means I'm out of the running for the flat screen TV's."

He said: "Give it back." (Yeah, right.)

So . . . then there was more "entertainment" (and more yawning from me).

Then they did they drawings for the big prizes: laptops, TVs, big $.

And they put all the names that had already won back in for the big prizes.

So, guess what happened?!

I won a flat-screen TV.

Can you believe it?!

I know. Me either. I had to the give the $100 back, but who cares?! A flat screen vs. $100?

Tough decision.

It must be the baby.

How else do you explain something like that? The "Rookie' at the firm wins. Although, Mike wonders if they were secretly bribing me to make sure I stay after the baby is born.

P.S. Do you like the Santa on the side of the screen → ? I think he's hilarious! A hillbilly Santa with red eyes and only 2 teeth?! Definitely made me laugh.

Mike's Birthday

2010-12-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Mike's birthday.

And he was really sick. Poor guy.

So, we didn't get to do any of the fun and exciting things I had planned for him. Like visiting Zoolights at Hogle Zoo. Or taking him out to BBQ (his favorite thing).

All he really wanted to do was watch this: The claymation episode of Community.

Alas, we went up to get BBQ take-out and it took so long, we missed most of the episode.

I couldn't even get him the one thing he really wanted for his birthday!

Epic fail.

Oh, well. Next year.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

(This is where a normal wife would gush about how great her husband is and how she can't live without him and he's the love of her life and blah, blah, blah . . . oh, ugh. My gag reflex is extremely sensitive these days.

Oh, wait . . .

All that stuff is true.

Damn.)

The Rivalry Game

2010-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes. The BYU/Utah game arrived at last.

Remember last year's game?

I went with Mike down to Provo and was viciously beaten at corn-hole, lost my lucky earring and had my red scarf stolen! And then that solider stood in front of me for the whole entire game! Not to mention that we lost!

Last year really sucked.

But this year . . .
Oh, THIS YEAR!

To say it was a tense game would be an understatement. And I have to give Mike credit; he figured we were going to lose, but he was in a pretty good mood anyway.

He kept cheering when the refs would give BYU a good call.

I know.

It's like an alien pod-person was sitting next to me.

The game didn't go so well for Utah in the first half. Actually, for the first 3 quarters.BYU was ahead at the end of the 3rd quarter 0-13.

Mike has always said that God is a Notre Dame fan. And since Notre Dame humiliated us so completely earlier this year, I think He must have been giving us some redemption for that failure.

How do I know?

Because the Utes scored 17 points in the 4th quarter.

So . . . the score is 17-16 and BYU has the ball. All they have to do is get within field goal range and the game is theirs.

A VERY TENSE, NAIL-BITING, I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW-UP THAT DELCIOUS COWBOY CORNDOG I ATE EARLIER MOMENT.

BYU sets up the ball, preparing to kick a field goal, 1 second is left on the play clock, WHEN . . .

BRANDON BURTON blocks the field goal attempt!!! I literally think my heart stopped beating.

I kept waiting for the officials to tell us it hadn't really happened. That we didn't really just win the game with a blocked field goal attempt with 1 second left.

But it did happen.

The Utes defeat BYU 17-16.GO UTES! And with that victory, the regular season comes to an end. Not a bad record for the Utes: 10-2.

Mike thinks we'll be going to the Las Vegas Bowl.

We'll see if he's right.

Day 3 of Our Trip to California

2010-11-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Day 3.

Disneyland!

While waiting for Tom, Stephanie, Heidi & Jessie, Mike and I took a ride on the fire truck. Where we met Alfred:

He told us all sorts of stories during our ride (we were the only ones on the truck). And I got to ring the bell!

So, being in a certain condition, I wasn't allowed to go on some of the bigger rides, so while Mike, Tom and the girls went on Space Mountain, Stephanie and I took a ride on the Carousel: Which I hadn't been on since I was a kid, because Mike thinks it's a waste.

Once again, we missed seeing my friend Jared, because he was off doing an Independent Film (and yes! He really does exist!). Too bad.

Disneyland was actually pretty crowded this time around. Not as bad as last Christmas, but still not as good as it was when we went the same week 2 years ago.

The Toy Story 2 ride in California Adventure always has the longest line. Heidi, with her snazzy 3-D glasses, waiting to ride: My favorite part this time around?

While everyone else went to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (another no no for me), Stephanie and I went to see this: Yes, Michael Jackson in Captain Eo has returned to Disneyland!

Jessie bought a new hat: And Stephanie and I pushed our way to the front of the line to ride It's a Small World:

One thing I would recommend, but I didn't take any pictures of, would be to go see World of Color show in California Adventure. It's like the fountains at Bellagio on crack. It's a water show that has projections of Disney movies.

And I played the pregancy card for the first time. We had been walking all day and my back and hips starting hurting (for pretty much the first time ever) and there were these empty benches at the back of the pack of people that were roped off, and I went up to the Disney girl working there and told her that I was pregnant and couldn't bear to stand up anymore and might we sit on the benches? She let us right in.

I felt guilty about it, but not guilty enough to give up our seats.

My family is going to Disneyland at the end of January for our Christmas this year, and I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get a wheelchair just to get around!

The World of Color show was amazing! Until . . . the show ends and everyone claps and then . . . they put up an advertisment for Tron: Legacy. Mike said it totally ruined it for him. What a ploy, to sneak in advertising when least expected.

So, that was Day 3 of Our Trip to California.

We came home the next day, so that is also the last of Our Trip to California.

The End.

Day 2 of Our California Trip

2010-11-29T08:21:00.001-08:00

Day 2.

It rained.

So we visited an Aquarium.

See the storm coming in?
I thought it was never supposed to rain in California?!

Oh, wait. That's Camelot.

Tom insisted that when it rains in California, it's just a drizzle.

Well, this was no drizzle. This was more like going through a car wash.

We hit the mall to find warmer, dryer clothes (what! Aren't we in California?!) and dinner.

And look at what store they have there! No, I didn't go in. I just marveled from the sidewalk, because wearing all my Utah garb and having been rained on all day, I looked like a vagabond and definitely not classy enough to walk into Jimmy Choo! They would have laughed and turned me away!

Then we went to the game. Again, Jen is probably jealous, because we went to Heaven without her!

Notice how intent everyone looks (except Jessie, of course). The game wasn't going so well in the first half.

And it rained. And rained. And rained!

Stupid California.

But the Utes pulled out a victory in the end (finally! After the last 2 games, I was starting to lose hope!).
Final score: 38-34.
Go UTES!

And that's Day 2 of Our Trip to California.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

Day 1 of Our Trip to California

2010-11-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

So . . . we went to California.

For what else?

The Utah Game vs. San Diego.

Tom and Stephanie were kind enough to take us on a tour of all the hot spots in Los Angeles:

Where we walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame:And one of my very favorites:
We went to Grauman's Chinese Theater and compared footprints with the stars.
The Harry Potter cast. Gene Kelly
Of course, Judy Garland.Look! My hands are the same size as hers! And Natalie Woods.

Jessie got her picture taken with Samuel L:

And I took this one for my sister, Jennifer:

Then we ventured to the place Mike was the most excited to go:

Yes. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. After we ate, everyone was kind enough to help me search for this:

Audrey Hepburn's star.

Isn't it beautiful?! Yes, I will admit that Mike gave me a wet-nap to clean it off with before we took the picture. I wanted to get down and take one with me in it, but the street was WAY too dirty (L.A. is gross).

Then we went to the Cinerama Dome.

To watch this:

Which was VERY cool on the huge Cinerama Dome screen.

And that's Day 1 of our trip.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Oh, Boys, Boys, Boys!

2010-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

Well . . .

What can I say?

At least Mike didn't go to Notre Dame on our own dime. If he had, I would be really mad that we spent all that money to go watch the team LOSE (again!). But, he did get to go to Notre Dame courtesy of the bookstore. And he said it was a really good experience and he's thinking of applying for jobs out there.

Could he possibly become a Notre Dame fan (insert GASP here!) if he was working for them?

No.

Don't be silly.

He'll always be a Ute fan.

And I learned something about myself this weekend:

Mike was gone, and for the first time in 4 years, I didn't have to watch the game. Sarah asked me if I wanted to come over and watch it with them, but I said, no, because I figured if Mike wasn't with me, I wouldn't watch it.

Man, was I wrong.

I did watch it.

All by myself.

I was just sitting at our house and what do you know? The game just happened to keep appearing on the screen. (There were times when I had to change the channel, because it was just too difficult to watch, but I always came back to it.)

I know, right?

WHAT?!

Mike certainly has trained me well.

The final score of the game was 3-28. (Yes, the players will now be running back from Canada if they ever ask me for a ride again.) They just don't care anymore.

Some of the highlights from Mike's trip:

He saw the Sear's Tower:He ate at Gino's Pizza in Chicago.

He didn't see Oprah.

Or where Wicked is playing.

Oh, well, next time.

We're going to L.A. for the San Diego game this weekend. Which means . . . :

DISNEYLAND!

And we will also be watching the new Harry Potter movie on opening day . . . at the Cinerama Dome!

Jealous?

I . . . There . . . No Words

2010-11-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

I don't . . . there are . . . how could . . . WHAT THE HELL??!!!

Sad, disappointed, and MAD would be a few words.

7-47?!

Inexcusable, guys.

INEXCUSABLE.

And if any of you players ever ask me for a ride again, I'm going to drive you out to the Great Salt Lake and make you run back as punishment.

You guys PROMISED me that TCU would be no problem. That a win was in the bag. (And that's coming straight from the horses mouth. 3 players did tell me TO MY FACE that TCU would not be a problem. And, on top of that, they made my car smell like B.O. for 2 days. If I ever meet up with them again . . . just . . . look out!)

Jill & Durrant definitely had the right idea. I should have sold my ticket too.

Halloween (and Air Force)

2010-11-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Why is it that since Mike and I have been married Halloween always coincides with a football game? It really ruins my Halloween spirit!

This year, I really wanted to go and see The Rocky Horror Picture Show, like I want to every year, but Mike ALWAYS refuses me. I don't understand why. He would look really good as Dr. Frankenfurter in fishnet stockings, platforms and a corset. What can I say? The man is stubborn.

So . . . what did we dress up as?

You got it.

Utah fans.

I keep telling Mike that Halloween is not about being something you are everyday! It's the one day a year you can dress up crazy and no one can judge you! That's what is so great about Halloween!

Anyway, we went to the Steed's once again to watch the Air Force game on Saturday night. And, I'm not afraid to admit (afraid? on Halloween? Spooky.) that it was a close game. Too close for my comfort. Which is strange since I've been bored with the past few blow-outs. Hmmm . . . I guess Mike is right, there's just no pleasing me. I was definitely worried when we let a 28-10 lead go, but Mike just kept saying, "It's fine." It's a damn good thing they still won, because if they hadn't, I'm pretty sure Mike would have been in a bad mood for weeks.

Final score: 28-23.

GO UTES!

Anything else I want to share with you?

Thankfully, the Stupid Texas Rangers were embarrassed with their showing at the World Series. The San Francisco Giants won the title in 5 games last night. Which goes to show that my Yankees just didn't have the heart to win it this year. Oh, well. Next year. If it couldn't be my Yankees, then I'm happy the Giants were able to make a showing.

And, oh yeah . . .

There will be no belly pictures.

Colorado State

2010-10-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend, it rained. Which means I got very cold and VERY wet at the football game. And the Utes won 59-6 even considering the pouring rain and wet field conditions.

I'm starting to feel bad for our opponents.

GO UTES!

In other news, my Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers and will not be going to the World Series this year. Stupid Texas Rangers.

And Happy Birthday to my sister, Aimee!

April 15th

2010-10-19T13:27:00.001-07:00

Wyoming (and Stuff)

2010-10-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Utes win again. Not such a blow out this time. Score: 30-6. Jordan Wynn had 3 turnovers. 3! But, as Mike says, it's better that he got his bad game out of the way now rather than when we're playing Notre Dame or TCU (or even worse, BYU).

And she finally popped!

Sarah and Ryan welcomed Sophie Eileen last week (yes, I know, I'm a little late since she'll be a week old tomorrow, but give me a break). I stole these pictures from Ryan, because when we went to visit her, I was feeling pretty crappy and really didn't want to give her anything, so I didn't get close enough to the baby to really see her. It's so unfair that Sarah looks this good after just expelling a human being from her body:

68-27 Win Over Iowa State

2010-10-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

When Mike is disappointed that we didn't get to 70 points in one game, you know it's getting ridiculous. In other news, friends Cindy & Kevin Sproul welcomed their baby girl, Kaylee Jayne, to the world yesterday (10-10-10)!

We're still waiting for Sarah to pop and praying that little Baby *Insert First Name Here* Welling comes soon!

Oh, yeah.

And my Yanks slaughtered the Minnesota Twins in a sweep and are headed to the ALCS. We're waiting to see who we play between the Rays and the Rangers.

Two World Series Championships in a row?! Hell, yes! Bring it on!

San Jose State Slaughter

2010-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll say it.

Yes, we're happy that the Utes are currently 4-0. Yes, it looks like we'll have no trouble with Notre Dame or (especially) BYU (TCU might still give us a run for our money, but we can be optimistic on that front). Yes, it looks like Utah will have another outstanding season and we'll be headed into the PAC12 with a great record . . .

BUT . . .

Winning a game by 53 points just does not make for exciting football.

Yes.

The final score against San Jose on Saturday was 56-3.

Let me say that again:

56-3.

Needless to say, the Utes were happy with their win.

And I was bored.

BYU's record for the season is now 1-3. But they should have been asked to the PAC12 too, right?! (Just ask them. Big cry-babies.)

Blah (and New Mexico)

2010-09-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

I wish that I had something exciting and wonderful to write about. But, unfortunately, my interest in the blogging sphere has lessened somewhat of late.

Maybe I just have nothing to write about anymore.

Or maybe I have tons to write about, but enjoy keeping you all in suspense.

Can you feel it?! The tingling, hair-raising, What crazy adventures is Melissa going to write about? suspense?!

Yeah, me neither.

The Utes did have another victory this past weekend against New Mexico. My cousin, Caitlin, and her husband, Zach, live down in New Mexico, and when Mike remembered that, he was keen to go. But, since Caitlin and Zach just had a baby (welcome to the world, Easton!), I refused to do that to them. Lucky Zach still got to the go the game. http://zachandcaitlin.blogspot.com/

I don't know why Mike wanted to go so badly, though. It was an easy win for the Utes.

Final score 56-14. Which makes the Utes 3-0 and moves us up to 13th in the polls. And I thought last week was a massacre.

Wahoo.

Go UTES!

UNLV

2010-09-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Massacre? I'd say winning 38-10 qualifies as a massacre.

Go Utes!

Yeah, That's Right -- We Do Belong!

2010-09-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

As last night proves, Utah definitely earned their invitation to the PAC 12. First game of the "Farewell Tour" was last night against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Final score (after OT): 27-24.

Look! Latu Heimuli (#68) has a bubble butt in this picture!:

Great block, though.

Ouch. That one looked like it hurt.

This one too:HA, HA! You can't catch me!

That's right, we do belong and we earned and deserve our invitation to the PAC 12.

Suck on that, Cougars.

Go UTES!

My favorite part of the game? Remmington coming over (completely drunk), showing me his new Rolex (and his fun flask), and telling me about this girl who bit him on the lip and made him bleed.

I wonder if he even remembers seeing me?

How's the hangover today, Remmy?

Kaylee Comes to Stay

2010-08-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

My niece, Kaylee, turned 3 last week. So, in grand tradition, she gets to come and spend the night at Lissa and Mike's house.

We took her to see this:
Which she loved and was very good almost the entire time. Kaylee has been saying "It's so FLUFFY" since the promos came out (she can do the "does this count as annoying?" noise too), and she loved seeing the actual line it came from.

We also watched this:

Which she had also never seen before. (WHAT?! Melissa! Isn't that your favorite?! Why, yes, it is.)

But most of the time, she tried to play with the cat. She kept saying, "Kitty?" whenever the cat had managed to get out of the room without her noticing. Poor Cat was exhausted by the time she left.

We also took her to church with us, where the nursery workers told me she was a perfect angel and they would gladly trade her for some of the boys.

And we've never heard Kaylee talk to much! When she's with her brothers, she can barely get a word in edge-wise.

Kaylee is the cutest ever, and we were glad to take care of her for the weekend.

P.S. We did take pictures (of course, I swear, our kids grow up like the paparazzi is after them with all the pictures we take of them), but the cord to the camera has decided it doesn't want to work anymore, so we can't load them up. LAME.

SC&M Bees Night

2010-07-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Aww . . . the Salt Lake Bees.

One of the perks of the new firm I work for is that they sponsor a Bees Night for everybody and their families.

So . . . Mike and I went: And just to give you a picture of how alieninated I am at this firm, I only saw a few people from afar that I recognized. Hmmm . . . I should probably fix that.

Feel the stretch:

Bumble, Bumble, Bumble:

How do you become a mascot? Is there a mascot camp?

During the game, they made the announcement that Frank Layton was signing autographs. There was a line, but I did want a picture, so I took this from afar:

At all baseball events (okay, maybe not ALL, I don't think Little League does it), they play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch. And guess who led the crowd: Frank was literally RIGHT by us. We could have reached out and touched him. And we were probably on the jumbo-tron, being that close to him.

After the 7th inning stretch, Frank was kind enough to take pictures with fans. I was trying to just take a picture of him, and he motioned for me to come over. Frank was really nice. He even asked me what my name was and who the handsome man I was sitting with was and everything. (Part of me was thinking, "Is Frank Layton hitting on me? Or could he possibly be interested in Mike?"

What a nice, nice man.

Okay, it's summer, right? You'd think I'd be able to get at least a little tan, right?! Well, as this picture proves, that must be impossible for me:In the end, the Bees won, 5-4. The game was pretty exciting, which is why I love baseball!

This firm really does have some great perks.

A Weekend Away

2010-07-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have really great parents.

The best ever.

I'm sorry if you thought your parents were the best, but you're wrong. My parents are.

My parents will do anything for anybody and are the most generous people ever. EVER.

So, how do we pay them back for being so great?

We take them to the cabin for the weekend where they can relax.

My dad had never been to Yellowstone before. (I know, what?!) We didn't go as kids (why would we? Family of all girls. Camping = big no, no. Actually, OUTDOORS = BIG NO, NO), so we took him to:

Old Faithful:

(Yup, still boring.)

And the "Little Grand Canyon of Yellowstone:" Where there is a really pretty waterfall:

And we got caught in a buffalo traffic jam:

And we literally saw 2 buffalo butting heads feet away from our car. It was kind of scary, but really cool:

This is my dad:He's taking pictures of the fighting buffalo out of the sunroof.

My parents and Mike were also good sports and indulged me in going to see a show at Mack's Inn Theater. We had fun before the show started:

The show was a spoof of Robin Hood.

I think I said, "I'm sorry," to my family at least 50,000 times. It was awful. Well, no, the first act was awful, the second act was just okay. Mike leaned over to me at one point and said, "We drove 4 hours to listen to Mormon humor?" There were a lot of Mormon jokes. And it was funny, just not extremely funny. And the guy who played Robin Hood looked way to comfortable in his tighty, tight tights. So, that was my indulgence for the weekend.

The next day we went to Big Springs and Johnny Sack's Cabin. Whenever Mike and I have gone there in the past, the cabin has always been closed, so we'd never seen inside it before. Johnny Sack was a German immigrant who was only 4'11" tall. His house has become a historical monument in Big Springs.

Kind of cool: It was a really nice weekend. And it was especially great to get away from the heat (the high was 85 up there; jealous?) and relax.

My mom will do a much better job (and her pictures are better) of detailing our trip, so jump over to her blog: http://www.robinsonrubbish.blogspot.com/

Thank you to the Steed's for letting us use the cabin!

Slinkies

2010-07-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Some people are like slinkies. Not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down a flight of stairs.

TAG

2010-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

My sister, Aimee, sent me to do this a while ago, but, being me, I forgot until now. So . . . hang on. You're about to learn things about me you might not want to know . . .

#1: Favorite Shoes
This was hard for me (and you'll see why if you keep reading), but I decided to pick . . . my Madden Girl heels. Lately, these are my favorite because they make my stubby legs look long kind-of long.

#2: Kitchen Sink

#3: Favorite Room
Our big bathtub. It's probably the only thing I like about our house.

But I do like our front room or "home teacher room," because it houses most of my books.

#4: What are the kids doing right now?

No kids, but the cat is being obnoxious and keeps trying to attack me.

#5: Self Portrait

Bleh.

#6: Bathroom

Don't judge.

#7: Closet
You are about to learn the reason why I had a hard time picking a favorite pair of shoes.
Yes, that back wall is filled with my shoes.
And here's some more . . . And more . . .
And more . . .

Yes, I know it's a problem. Don't judge.

#8: Refrigerator
Hmmm . . . I should probably go to the store.

#9: Laundry Room
What can I say? Pretty typical.If you want to play and share your house (or, in my case, your mess) please do.

1461 Days

2010-06-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

1461 days.

Or 4 years.

Mike and I have been eternally bound to each other for 4 years.

And we haven't killed each other yet. Amazingly, enough.

I told Mike that the only thing I wanted for our anniversary was for him to plan the day and not ask me what I wanted to do. I just wanted him to do everything (kind of selfish of me, but . . . eh).

So, we went to the zoo.

Where we saw an exhibit entitled "Nature's Nightmares:And were told before we went in to not speak too loudly, or the bats might get upset and attack. (The zoo worker telling us this literally laughed at my face when she said that.)

Bats. Gross.

And we had to go and meet Zuri, the baby elephant. I was amazed at how human-like elephants are. Zuri was laying on the ground and she kept moving her leg to scratch and all I could think was how human-like it looked.

And then there were the giraffes:
And then . . . the camera died. So no pictures of the wolf (which Mike was sad about, because every time he's been to the zoo, the wolf is never out, and he was out front and center).

Oh, and by the way, it was HELLA-HOT at the zoo.

So, after our animal encounter, we went home to spend time in the air-conditioning (and to charge the camera), before heading out to dinner.

Mike took me to eat my very favorite thing in the entire world: No, not Japanese umbrellas . . .

Sushi.

I love it so much, I really think I could eat it everyday and not be sick of it. Even the picture looks yummy to me.

So, it's been 4 years.

And I wouldn't trade him for anything. Normally, we're not a couple who professes our love outright in front of other people, but I love Mike more than anything and I can't wait for the next 1461 days (and beyond).

I think I just threw up a little bit.

Abby

2010-06-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is my friend, Abby: Abby and I have been friends since we were both cast in Annie in 200 . . . 4(?). Ever since I met her, the only thing she has ever wanted to do was get married and start a family. Of 12 kids. That's right. Abby wants 12 kids.

Her wish came true. And she told me that the newlyweds (her new husband's name is Kyle) will start trying to have the first of their 12 kids in September.

We met Crack (aka Emily) and Mark (aka 2001 Ricky Martin) at the reception: The thing is, we all used to be really close. Crack, Abby, a friend of ours named Shelley (whom we didn't see at the reception) and I used to call ourselves "The Sisterhood." That's how close we were. And seeing them again made me realize just how much I miss them. But . . . such is life. Marriages (me and Shelley), kids (just Shelley), nannying in Boston (Abby), and missions (Crack) happen. While Abby and Kyle cut the cake . . .
They were serendadaed by an accordian player:

Classy.

And totally Abby.

These chips are yummy

2010-06-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have decided that these chips are delicious and that you should all try them.

The Search is On . . .

2010-06-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

You know that Twitter/Facebook commerical where the guy is sitting behind the news desk reading status updates like they're world-wide, ground-breaking news? And he says, "This just in . . . the search is on for cute boots."

Well, my search has just begun.

For cute brown wedge sandals.

Loosely translated, this means that I have a new skirt, but low and behold, no shoes to go with them! Oh, no! What shall I do?! How can I possibly wear my new skirt without the proper footwear?!

For those of you who know me and my shoe obsession (I believe the count is somewhere close to 200 pairs now), you probably wonder how this could be possible. (Don't judge. I know it's a problem. But I'm currently seeking professional help and taking injections. Electroshock is not as bad as everyone says. The only bad thing about it is . . . they make you take off your shoes to receive it.) How could I possibly not have shoes to go with any piece of new clothing?!

Confession:

I'll use any means possible to buy new shoes.

And I would apologize to my husband for this, but we all know he's the same way with almost anything that has the U logo on it.

So . . . time to go shopping?

The Tony Awards

2010-06-14T07:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay.

I freely admit that I love the Tony Awards. I look forward to them all year. Yes, that might be extremely nerdy of me to admit, but so what?! Big whoop? You want to fight about it?!

Having never been to New York (the sniffling begins), the Tony's happen to be the closest way I get to experience Broadway. So, I'll take the trash talk and the being made fun of in order to get to experience it, even if just for a night.

Yes, Mike hates it.

But I tell him that if I can watch football for 6 months, he can give me 1 night and watch the Tony's with me. He played on his computer most of the night.

Here's the thing I'm starting to resent about Broadway (insert GASP here!):

Hollywood has taken over.

It seems that every star in Hollywood wants to come and be on Broadway (not that I blame them. I want to be on Broadway). So, naturally, in order to entice more Hollywood names (that will bring in money) to Broadway, we must give them Tony Awards, so they'll tell their friends to come to Broadway, because they give you an award if your name is big enough.

Case in point:

This year Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, Kelsey Grammer, Jude Law, and Sean Hayes (who hosted) all made their Broadway debutes this past year. And every single one of them were nominated for Tony Awards. And Denzel and Scarlett won.

And specifically, Catherine Zeta Jones. She won the Tony for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical for her performace in A Little Night Music. And she sang "Send in the Clowns." Badly. But, she's an Oscar winner, so let's give her a Tony. (Apparently her voice was going out.)

See, here's the thing. It's not that I don't think these people are talented (I thoroughly believe that Catherine deserved to win her Oscar for Chicago), but I just hate it when people from Hollywood come and take over from the big names that only those of us who are true fans and love Broadway would recognize.

Like Kristen Chenoweth:

And Idina Menzel:

But you would think Mike would have been some-what entertained, because Green Day's musical American Idiot was nominated and performed last night. And he likes Green Day. Although American Idiot didn't take home the prize for Best New Musical (Memphis took that honor), it just goes to show that there really are no original ideas anymore (ahem, Spiderman, the Musical?! Yes, I'm serious. It was supposed to make it to Broadway last year, but has been postponed . . . and postponed . . . and postponed).

All in all, I think the Tony's were slightly disappointing this year. But, I still find it hard to wait another 365 days until I get to "go to" Broadway again. Maybe this year Mike will actually take me to the real Great White Way (hint!).

Worst dressed? I think Scarlett Johansson looked like a Christmas Tree:

As a lead producer of Broadway shows, Barbara Manocherian said: “As much as I love stars, we as a theater community must, must get back to having excellent theater actors in leading roles, and not let everything rise or fall on having a star name in the cast.”

Well said, Sister Suffragette.

Stage Freeze! (Don't Say "Stage Freeze," Just Do It.)

2010-06-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like crying.

You may ask yourself, Why would Melissa want to cry? I thought she was dead inside? Could she possibly be . . . the P word?!

You wash your mouth out with soap for even thinking that!

Go on.

I'll wait.

Now that you've been punished for your dirty thoughts, I feel like crying because it's over.

This is the set:

And this is my "station" where I spent most of the show:

Inside fact: I spent 90% of the show on stage. And I'm standing for 99% of that time.

I have to admit, when I first was cast in Steel Magnolias, I was extremely nervous. The first rehearsal scared the beejesus out of me. (You try spending every night with 11 divas and then tell me you wouldn't be scared too. For the first month or so, I just sat quietly in the corner and tried not to make anyone mad at me, because nothing is worse than having a diva yell at you for . . . I don't know . . . sitting in her chair, or using her prop, or something even more horrifying, like looking at her wrong.) And I thought maybe I had made a huge mistake and just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible. But then I decided to not be such a jerk and get to know these women. And I'm so glad I did! They are all amazing and I'm intimidated by each of their talent.

I really grew to love these ladies. This is my MWF cast:Yes, that's me in the hideous blond wig, behind me in the blue is Robyn Edwards (M'Lynn), the orange bow is Meredith Gibson (Ouiser), next to her in the middle is Chris Brown (Clairee), the circus performer is Missy Riffle (Truvy), and the purple curlers is Ashley Garner Carlson (Shelby).

This is Addison:Our wonderful stage manager. Yes, a male stage manager for an estrogen-filled show. He is the most amazing person ever. Extremely multi-talented. He sings, he dances, he acts, he paints, he sculpts, he . . . well, you name it he does it.

This is Jamie (and that's Angela Cole Brown next to her, she played Truvy in the TTHS cast): She was our stage manager when Addison couldn't be there. I really loved her, because after our quick change, she would bring our costumes back to the dressing room for us, so we didn't have to go get them after the show was over. I think Addison never did that because he was afraid to touch women's clothing.

This is me and Missy: I can't tell you how completely amazing Missy is. She's the most wonderful, talented, loving, sincere-hearted, capable person I have ever met. (Notice that she's a blond and I'm a redhead, but they decided to make us switch for the show and I was the blond and she looked like Peg Bundy in her red wig. But definitely more classy than Peg.)

The following are pictures from when I "played" with the TTHS cast closing week:

This is Angela Cole Brown with the wig on (Truvy):That's Jillian Tirado (Shelby) in the background, Jane Huefner (M'Lynn) in the blue, and Linda Jean Stephenson (Clairee) seated. That's Addison and Rebecca Hess (Ouiser):Anyway, back to my cast.

On closing night, I took a lot of pictures, so bear with me (okay, you can skip over them. We all know this blog is really for me to remember things anyway).

After the TTHS cast closed their show on Saturday, we had a big party at Chris Brown's house.

She made spudnuts:But mostly we just sat around and talked:Missy and her husband, Scott. Ashley had on these really cute sparkly heels. I want some.

Mike could never understand that whenever I would go out with the cast after a show, I would be out until 1 or 2 in the morning. After the party, I think he understood why. These women are hilarious! It's hard to get up and leave when you know Meredith will be telling another hilarious story any second. Laughter is abundant around her. This is Adrien Swenson:My counterpart (that's why there aren't any pictures of her). Adrien intimidated the hell out of me at first. She is incredibly talented.

I'm really going to miss this so much. Especially the friends I made.

Clairee has a line in the show that says, "If you can't say anything nice about anyone . . . Come sit by me."

True. Too true.

Hell Has Definitely Frozen Over

2010-06-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

How do I know this?

Because I went camping this past weekend.

Yes.

Camping.

You can stop laughing now.

(Mike said I looked like Kim Kardashian, so I was called "Kim" most of the weekend.)

Sarah and Ryan have this crazy tradition of going camping over Memorial Day Weekend. And I don't mean my kind of camping. I mean actual camping.

Which means in a tent:

And eating outside:

And especially (and most horrifying to me) using an outhouse: Don't let the sunshine, greenery, or nice siding fool you. Seriously. There was just a hole with a pot on top of it inside it. But I would never stay in there long enough to take a picture.

The weather was much nicer than it was last year (yes, yes, Hell froze over last year too), with mostly sunshiny skies. (It rained the entire time last year, which caused me to say I was never doing that again! What can I say? I'm a total pushover.)

This is Sarah and Ryan's tent. Mike took this picture while I was trying to take a nap. I must admit that it was nice to make yummy s'mores. If there was such a thing as a professional s'more maker, Sarah would definitely be it.

And the boys really got the fire blazing: It did get pretty cold at night:

This is Pip:Our chipmunk friend. He lives in several of the trees by our campsite and wasn't afraid of humans at all. When we left, we could hear him chattering in the trees, probably telling us good bye. (Or maybe good ridance, I don't speak chipmunk.)

The morning we were packing up, I was in our tent with the door open, putting away our sleeping bags, WHEN . . . Ryan came walking by. Knowing what he was up too, I yelled at him, "HEY, I CAN SEE YOU!" But he just . . . ignored me. It's so unfair that men can just pee anywhere, while we women are forced to use the gross, disgusting outhouse.

Review of Steel Magnolias

2010-05-24T10:56:00.001-07:00

A positive review of the show (one where my name actually appears!):

‘Steel Magnolias’ is a strong production at Rodgers
Written by: Dave Mortensen May 22, 2010.

Playing through June 5, 2010
CENTERVILLE – As a single 20-something male, the idea of going to see “Steel Magnolias” did not thrill me. But part of being a part of the UTBA means going to shows you probably wouldn’t attend otherwise. This latest production by Rodgers Memorial Theatre certainly changed my mind about the show. This is by far the strongest production I’ve seen at Rodgers and I’m very excited to see more.
The story is probably familiar to most. The 90-minute show is comprised of just four scenes spanning three and a half years. All take place in the local beauty salon run by Truvy (Missy Riffle/Angela C. Brown) and her new employee Annelle (Melissa Robinson Hurst (SEE! LOOK! THAT'S ME!!!)/Adren Swenson. The rest of the cast includes Shelby (Ashley Gardner Carlson/Jillian Tirado) with her mother M’Lynn (Robin M. Edwards/Jane Merrell Huefner) and two more neighbors: Clairee (Chris Brown/Linda Jean Stephenson) and ouiser (Meredith Gibson/Rebecca Hess).
I attended the Saturday evening performance (I ACTUALLY PERFORMED THIS SHOW, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T MY REGULAR NIGHT. Okay, no more commentating in this review, I promise.) and was incredibly pleased by the performance. This marvelous group of women has formed one of the strongest ensembles I have seen in Davis County. Each was wonderfully convincing in her own right and bring together a simple and powerful story of the beauty, pain and laughter experienced in Chinquapin, Louisiana. The story is immediately approachable and applicable to any household. Director Leslie Giles-Smith has done beautiful work bringing this story to the Centerville stage.
Special compliments go to the costume designer Sandy Hunsaker. The costuming for the production was subtle, strong and perfectly captured the spirit of these women and their community. Set designer Scott VanDyke and scenic artist Tammy Coleman created a clear design that transported me to 1980s Louisiana.
This is really great work by Rodgers. It’s so refreshing to not only see a non-musical performance in the space, to not be deafened by overzealous sound reinforcement, but also to see quality acting and direction on the community stage.
Steel Magnolias plays through June 5 at Rodgers Memorial Theater on Pages Lane in Centerville. Tickets are $11-17 and can be purchased at the box office or by calling 801-298-1302. More information can be found at RodgersMemorial.com.

The show has received several good reviews, but, for some reason, I haven't been mentioned in any of them!

Inside fact: I've never been mentioned in a review. Even shows where I've played the lead. Weird.

Not that I'm complaining. I guess it's better to not be mentioned at all than to be told you completely suck in print, right?!

Flowers

2010-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

As previously stated, I am not a nature girl.

Don't get me wrong, I love flowers. But only the kind where someone else did the growing and the weeding, that are bug-free and come in a vase with a packet of flower food. (And that have a thoughtfulness behind them, of course.)

So, when Mike suggested that we go look at flowers to plant in our front yard, I thought, "Why not? It's a Saturday, we have nothing to do, and they'll be so many people there, Mike will get frustrated and we'll leave before we buy anything."

My train of thought did not coincide with reality.

To say it was an out-of-body experience would be the understatement of the year.

We bought flowers.

Flowers that Mike was somehow convinced I was going to plant in our front yard.

Who did he think he was dealing with?

Me?!

Put my hands in the gross, dirty DIRT?!

There's a reason it's called DIRT!!!

I THINK NOT, MR.!!!

In case you can't tell, I hate dirt.

And when my mom called and asked what we were doing and I told her we were planting flowers, I think she laughed for 10 minutes straight.

Then she asked that I put her real daughter on the phone.

I really don't do things like this. And how Mike convinced me is nothing short of a miracle.

But in the end . . . I did it:

The only problem now is Mike expects me to remember to water them.

And weed them.

HA!

Yeah, like that's happening.

Opening Night

2010-05-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

For opening night, our costumer, Sandy, brought each of us a present: Yes.

Those are our very own individual bleeding armadillo groom's cakes. (Which is completely hilarious if you know the show.)

Just amazing. We haven't hacked into yet to see if it looks like it's bleeding to death, but I'm told from the rest of the cast that it does turn your teeth red. Which means we'd have to change the show to Dracula or Lestat or something with vampires (okay, I give, I'll state the obvious: Twilight) if we ate them before curtain.

Yes, That's Me

2010-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

For those who keep asking, yes, that is me in the Deseret News with the 80's hair and incredibly big Christmas bow.

GROSS.

There's a reason the 80's went out of style.

And that bow is the reason.

The worst part?

The 80's are coming back.

Let's just all keep our fingers crossed that shoulder pads don't come back like stretch pants and wide belts. Hopefully, we're fashion-conscious enough now to realize how embarrassing it was to walk around looking like Jerry Rice all the time.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700028724/Stage-calendar-Magnolias-among-theater-offerings.html

P.S. By the way, the show is Steel Magnolias and I'm in the MWF cast, except for Friday, May 21st and Wednesday, June 2nd. I will also be appearing with the TTHS cast on Saturday, May 22nd, Tuesday, June 1st and Thursday, June 3rd (although there is the possibility that Missy might get her way and I man up and tell my counterpart she can't have my shows, but, let's be honest here, that really doesn't sound like me). Steel Magnolias runs May 7th through June 5th.

And you want to know the very best part about playing Annelle?

She's supposed to be 19 years old.

Yes, I laughed REALLY hard when I was told that's who I would be playing.

P.P.S. Not that I'm expecting anyone to come and see me embarrass myself (Mike's not even coming; he's afraid a show with this much estrogen will start his "cycle"), but if you mention my name when you buy tickets, you get a whopping $2 off.

Gymnastics Fans Are CRAZY!

2010-04-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

So, this past weekend, the U had to opportunity to host the NCAA Gymnastics Regionals at the Huntsman Center.

And apparently Darryl thinks he's very funny.

Darryl is a friend of Mike's who works in the ticket office, so Mike asked him if he could get me a good seat for the meet.

And he did, just 4 rows away from all the action:

A seat that I was extremely happy to have.

Until I learned I was sitting smack dab in the middle of fans from 2 opposing teams.

The fans from Washington were actually pretty mellow (probably because they knew they didn't really have a shot), but the Denver fans . . . oh, the Denver fans.

So, basically, I spent the entire meet listening to why Utah is scored so much higher than the other teams just because their from the University of Utah. One of the Denver fans noticed that I was sitting there and he said to me, "You know it's true." And I said, "That we're better than you? You bet your ass." And he said, "I live here." And I said, "Then why are you rooting for the losing team?" That shut him up.

Oh, and I also got into a fist-fight with one of the fans from Denver.

Seriously, I almost slapped her.

We were sitting right in front of the beam apparatus:Which was the Red Rocks last event. And, apparently these Denver fans are also math-retarded (not that I'm so great myself, but I could see we had already beaten them), and they thought it was a closer meet than it really was. So, this Ox of a Denver fan thinks that it would be a good idea for all the Denver fans to "make a lot of noise" while the Utes were on the beam. You know, to throw them off. Because apparently the only way Denver was going to win was by cheating. Really poor losers, if you ask me. Anyway, I finally spoke up and said, "Come on, you guys. We didn't do that when you were on the beam." But they still didn't stop, and I almost popped the Ox in the face for being such a baby about it. I'm so sorry that our team is just plain better than the Denver Pioneers. Oh, boo whoo. Grow up, lady! Just because you have unfulfilled dreams of becoming a World-Class gymnast, please don't make those of us who are just there for fun listen to your whining!

Not being the professional photographer that Mike is, these are the best that I could do:

(This is the team dancing before their final event.)

(This is the team doing the YMCA.)

So, in the end, the Red Rocks placed 2nd.

2nd?! What?!

Florida beat us. But we still go to Nationals.

And in the middle of the meet, the Denver Gymnastics Ox gets this text and suddenly she's screaming at the top of her lungs, "GEORGIA DIDN'T MAKE NATIONALS! GEORGIA DIDN'T MAKE NATIONALS!!!"

Which, apparently, to the Gymnastics-crazed means that Georgia, the team who usually wins Nationals (when Utah doesn't win, of course) didn't qualify to compete at the National Championship.

There was this girl from the Florida team who Mike was afraid of. Solid muscle. He called her an "Amazon Woman." She placed in the top three in every event, so naturally she won the all-around prize. Seriously. The girl was built!

Go Red Rocks!

Thoughts on Easter

2010-04-05T07:58:00.001-07:00

Do you want to know why I love Easter?
Besides the religion aspect, of course?

Because I get to watch this:

Is there a better Easter movie out there? It's the ultimate movie-musical!

You know, the ones where they always do a show within the movie in order to pack it full of as many meaningless musical numbers that don't really go with the story as possible. My favorite kind!

And, it's the only movie Fred Astaire ever made where you don't watch him during the dance numbers. You watch Judy. Wonderful, amazing Judy Garland. She even dresses in drag in this movie! It's a Must-See for all ages.

Confession: I love this movie so much, I bought the soundtrack a couple of years ago and it's always on my ipod. (Yes, I freely admit that I'm that much of a musical geek. But it's JUDY, people. JUDY. A woman who, minus her drug-addiction and her multiple husbands, I wish I could be!)

I know that for some of you out there, your Easter traditions probably include watching this:

Okay.

I'll say it.

BORING.

Why in the world would your want to watch Charlton Heston talk in a monotone for 6 hours, when you could be watching Judy Garland sing and dance?! Yes, yes, there is the excitement of all the bare-chested men, but still not worth it.

Or! (At least in my opinion) this would be a better Easter choice (mainly just because it's always on every Easter):

I made Mike watch the end of it last night. Which just made me want to watch the entire thing. Again, what could be a better Easter tradition than a singing nun, a whistling-blowing captain, 7-kid families, and nazis?!

I say NOTHING!

Goodbye ClydeSnow

2010-03-14T19:51:00.001-07:00

My last day at Clyde Snow & Sessions.

Some wore purple just for me. These people know me too well. Good thing I'm getting out now.

The man in the middle is Perrin, one of my bosses. After I gave my notice, he didn't say a thing about it, and I just figured he didn't really care all that much. But when he said good bye to me, the man seriously got weepy. Which made me get weepy.

Goodbye Perrin. Yes, that cake says "Will Miss You Melissa." WILL. Brilliant.

Stay classy, Remmington.

Goodbye Bethany. You share my love of purple.

Goodbye Dawn. Thank you for organizing the farewell luncheon and being just so great. I hope you achieve your retirement dreams in that little 2000 population town in Oregon.

Goodbye Marilyn. I hope your sons remain safe on their missions.

Goodbye Janeen. Thanks for all the advice on Snow Christensen, listening when I needed to vent and GO UTES!

Goodbye Jennifer. You were a really great, low-maintanence boss.

Goodbye Lindsay. I still maintain that it's unfair for someone to be that beautiful and that nice.

(Notice the purple ribbons everyone is wearing. It was for "Melissa-Awareness Day."

I had no idea anyone cared that much.)

Goodbye Anneli. I'll miss you most of all. You were absolutely the best boss ever and the most amazing woman I've ever met. How you do what you do and put up with whom you put up with assures you a place in Heaven.Good bye Kim.

Good bye Wendy. You have the cutest kids ever. Tell Kayla I need a new picture to hang in the new place.

Goodbye Kim. You're the best, and enjoy singlehood.

Goodbye Kari (who wasn't there because she just had a baby. See previous post). You're going to be an amazing mother. And you're the most thoughtful, considerate person I know.

I love you both.

I'll try to find you both jobs so that the separation isn't too long!

Thanks for everything ClydeSnow.

Some things I loved, some things I truly hated, but all things I considered (and I considered A LOT of things), I enjoyed the ride.

Destroy and Conquer

2010-03-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

YUM!!!

The Mystery Baby

2010-03-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

Some months ago (9 to be exact), my friend, Kari, found out that she was expecting.

And she REFUSED to find out the sex of the baby.

REFUSED.

I begged. I pleaded. I even tried to bribe her to find out.

Still she refused.

Stubborn.

Kari was totally convinced that it was a boy, and for about the first 7 months, I was positive it was a girl. But Kari was so damn sure it was a boy, everyone who thought it was a girl eventually gave in and came over to the boy side. (I told her that there was a simple, easy, painless way to settle all the disputes. FIND OUT. She still refused.)

Part of Kari's birth plan was that if she happened to go into labor while she was at work, I would be the one to drive her to the hospital. (And I selfishly wished for this too, so I could miss work.)

Well, this past Tuesday, my wish came true.

About noon, Kari called me and asked if I had lunch plans, because I might need to drive her to the hospital. I cancelled all plans and waited anxiously for her to tell me if we were going, or it was a false alarm. And what was Kari doing, you might ask? She was in a meeting. Yup, the woman is invincible. Her water has broken and she's still able to sit in a meeting and discuss things like nothing important has happened.

So, after her meeting, Kari called her doctor's office and they told her to go the hospital.

Needless to say, I was a wreck. Do we have everything? Quit trying to work, Kari, we're having a baby!

And Kari was totally calm.

I called Kari's husband, Don, to come to the hospital, and he was totally calm too. Hello! We're having a baby! And this was their first baby, by the way. (What kind of baby was still up in the air, and driving me crazy.) How they could be so calm, I'll never know.

So, Kari trusted me to be calm enough to drive her and her unborn child (boy? girl? WHO KNOWS?) to the hospital.

So, Don couldn't get there for a while, and I wasn't about to leave Kari alone, so I stayed with her. And watched them put in her IV (gross). We're pretty sure the nurses must have thought we were a lesbian couple (right on).

And when the nurse came in with the ultrasound machine to see if the baby's head was in the right place, I freely admit that I tried to bribe her to tell me what the sex of the baby was. (She said she couldn't tell, and that all she was able to see was whether the head was facing down. I think she was lying.)

They hooked Kari up to a machine to monitor the baby's heartbeat and her contractions. And when she had a contraction, I would say, "Did you feel that?!" And she would say, "No." It was fun for a while, but I'll bet Kari got sick of me asking her if she "felt that."

Seriously, she must be wonderwoman.

And at 11:02 pm, a new life came into this world.

In the form of . . . A GIRL! (I was right all along.)

Josephine Ryan Peck was born at 11:02 pm on March 2nd. 7lbs 2oz and 22.5 inches long. (Yes, a long baby, but keep in mind her parents met in Utah's Tall Club. Don is something like 7'6". I come up to his waist. Literally.)

I'm really grateful that Kari let me go to the hospital with her and be there for some of it. I've never been there when a person is actually about to give birth, so it was a totally new view for me.

Look at her feet!
And those long toes!

She's going to be dancer!

Either that or a basketball player.

Congratulations you guys!

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T11:20:00.001-08:00

Here's my thoughts:

I think it's the stupidest holiday ever.

The end.

And, as the girls in my ward told me when I said that, I must have the luckiest husband ever, because he doesn't have to do anything for Valentine's Day.

Yup, he's a lucky one.

I know you were probably thinking I was going to say something like, "Mike and I don't need a special day to celebrate our love! We celebrate all year round!"

I just threw up a little bit.

Don't get me wrong.

I love Mike.

I love, love, love Mike.

But I don't need to give him those gross chalk-like conversation hearts for him to know that. Seriously, who invented those things? It's like someone took a piece of chalk, colored it pink, wrote "I love you" on it and called it candy. How is this a billion dollar idea?!

But I will admit my very favorite part of this holiday: JuJu Hearts.

They are my very favorite candy in the world and you can only get them at stupid, dumb Valentine's Day.

Mean, dumb-ass candy-nazis.

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-09T07:34:00.001-08:00

So, this past Sunday we got together to watch the Colts try to take out the Saints.

You want to know what the very best part of the Super Bowl is?

The fact that after it's over, there's NO MORE FOOTBALL for a long time! *Insert GASP here* Yes, I'm starting to like football, but after the Utes are done, I'm done. Carrie Underwood graced us with her rendition of "The National Anthem."
The Who performed at halftime. Who? The Who? Who is performing at halftime? Who? (Yeah that joke went on for quite a while.) And I thought they didn't start off very well, and it took them a couple of numbers to finally get into their stride, but in the end they had that stadium waving cell phones like it was Woodstock. And the stage was very cool.

In the 2nd half, I convinced Sarah to play Candyland and Checkers with me.

I won't say who won, because that would really deflate my pride.

In the end, the Saints were "blessed" and ran over the Colts for a final score of 31-17. Which, ironically enough, was the final score of the Sugar Bowl when the Utes played Alabama.

And does anybody actually know what the Saints mascot is?

The Pope? (Courtesy of Durrant.)

The Chicago Caper

2010-02-08T08:00:00.001-08:00

Anyone out there watch "The Office?"

Before Christmas, there was an episode where Michael tried to lift the spirits of everyone in the office by pretending that they were in a murder mystery.

Which gave me an idea.

We should totally do that!

So, I got Sarah on board and we started to plan. Jill immediately said she and Durrant were in (even though Durrant was hesitant at first, Jill convinced him. Oh, the powers of wifely persuasion).

After researching the different games out there, I picked The Chicago Caper, because the characters (and costumes!) sounded like they would be the most fun for everyone.

It turned out the most difficult part was finding a 4th couple. (I know. You'd think the most difficult part would be convincing Mike to dress up and pretend to be someone else, but he said "yes" right away. Probably because I was so excited about it.) And after exhausting most of my resources and asking every couple I could think of (and if any of you who turned me down are reading this, all I can say is YOU TOTALLY MISSED OUT! So, I blow a raspberry in your general direction! I understand, some men are totally party-poopers. And if we ever do it again, I hope you'll want to take part next time, because we had so much fun!) my sister, Jen, found a date and became our couple #4.

Because I am my mother's daughter (see previous posts for confirmation of this fact), I researched everything I could about Speakeasy's, prohibition, and the 1920's. So, I set the house up like a Speakeasy. We put a curtain up and the guests had to use "the secret knock and password" to enter into the Speakeasy. I also found out that Chinese takeout became big in the '20's, so that took care of the menu.

And, my dad was nice enough to be our "Chinese" waiter, complete with the offensive accent. Like I said, I'm my mother's daughter, as evidenced by the table:

The Players:

Molly M. Awbsterr & Billy "The Kid" Thrower

(Jill & Durrant) Anna Maria Carlotta Sassine ("Torchy") & Ernie "Bet-A-Million" G. Ambler

(Sarah & Ryan) Malissa F. Orrthot ("Scoop") & S. Treighton Harrow

(Jen & Chase) "Silky" M. Adam & Eddie "Socks" R. Gyle

(Me & Mike) So, after the game it turned out the murderer was . . .

***SPOILER ALERT****

ME!

And I really didn't plan it that way.

PROMISE!

For My Sister, Aimee

2010-02-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

A woman is often measured by the things she cannot control. she is measured by the way her body curves or doesn't curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. she is measured by 36-24-26 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that don't ever add up to who she is on the inside. and so if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become. because every woman knows, measurements are only statistics and statistics lie.

And what did I learn this weekend?

I'm a total bitch.

Utes Victory Over Georgia Dogs

2010-01-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Yes.

That's Georgia's mascot. A dog. Don't really know what that is about.In football, when the team is introduced, they get a smoke machine. In gymnastics, the girls get this: Lights around the floor, a fountain, and spotlights. I always wonder if the firealarm is going to go off, but it hasn't yet.
My friend, Remmington, came by:
He's so dramatic. And lucky! He was in the section that received the free t-shirts.

This meet was especially nerve-racking. Georgia are the dogs (get it? Dogs?!) that beat us out of the National Championship last year. We did well on the vault, but then the judges scored us extremely harsh on the uneven parallel bars. Really harsh. That's where we fell behind. But! Then, thanks to a redheaded gymnastic on Georgia's team who stepped out of bounds twice and fell during her floor routine and then fell off the beam, we managed to beat the Dogs by .05 of a point. I hate to say anything bad about a fellow redhead, but I'm sure was treated like a redheaded step-child by the rest of the team after the meet.

Between the beam and the floor, the Red Rocks have a tradition of chanting "Who Rocks The House?!"

The answer is "The Red Rocks Rock the House!"

Very close meet. But, a win is a win.

Daria Bijak, a senior gymnast who flirts with Mike every time she comes into the bookstore, took home the all-around prize. And this win over the Georgia Dogs jumped us in the national rankings to #3.

After the meet, Mike heard some of the gymnasts talking about how lucky they were to pull off a win when they were being judged so harshly, and if the judging had been fair, then we would have beaten them by more than a .05. Stupid judges.

When Sarah and I left to go home, we came outside to find big, fat, UGLY snowflakes.

I hate snow and Sarah loves it.

Kaylee

2010-01-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is my niece, Kaylee.

This is me and my niece, Kaylee. Do you see that dark pink thing she is holding? It's a purse. And guess who got it for her for Christmas? And guess what she refuses to leave the house without?!
This is me, extremely happy that Mike and I got her something that she loves (okay, truth be told, Mike actually picked it out in Disneyland). And that's Grandpa's head in the background. Hello, Grandpa's head!

Gymnastics Meet vs. Iowa State

2010-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

And here you were hoping that I'd have nothing to post about once football was over.

Since Mike has to go to every home meet anyway, he bought me a season ticket this year so that I can go too.

Amazingly enough, Mike really enjoys gymnastics. We went to most of the home meets last year too, and (it might be really girly for me to admit this about him, but he'll just have to forgive me) he actually got so that he can recognize when an event or a specific element is done well or not.

Unfortunately for this past meet, we didn't arrive until the very last event, the floor exercise, was taking place, but here are some pictures that I snapped:

And the Red Rocks beat Iowa by a fairly large margin.

Next weeks meet will be HUGE. Seriously. It's against Georgia, the team who took the #1 spot away from us last year.

Revenge will be had!

Congratulations Ed & Jen!

2010-01-19T08:14:00.001-08:00

It finally happened!

Jennifer Platts became Mrs. Edwin Parker on Friday, January 15th!

Since Mike had to work, Sarah & Ryan were kind enough to let me tag along with them to the reception.

Cupcakes! (Jen's favorite thing.) Congratulations, you guys!

Cindy & Kevin Come A-Visitin'

2010-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

The only reason I'm allowed to say "a-visitin'" is because Cindy & Kevin are from Kentucky.

Cindy is a friend of ours who came to Utah from San Diego to live with her cousin Shannon, then moved to Kentucky with our friend Christa, where she met the love of her life and is still currently (and happily) living there.

None of us have seen her since she moved to Kentucky, so this was the first time any of us had ever met her husband, Kevin. Because just what we need is another Kevin in our gaggle. And, I would say Kevin is a really nice guy, if it hadn't been for his comments concerning my beloved Yankees. For this, he is forever barred from my good will and I curse his filthy mouth! (Cindy, I'm sure you can kiss the curse away, if you try really hard.)

Raelynn was kind enough to host us for the evening, so what a nice reunion it was for all of us to get together! I'm trying to remember the last time all of us (well, mostly all of us, I'm pretty sure Shannon and Christa are excused, because they both live out of State now, but believe me, they were missed) were together. Minus Cindy, was it Beth's wedding?! That was in JULY! Bad us!

Kara & Lewis

Lewis & their daughter, Miriam. And what a ham she's turning into! I would point my camera at her and she would just "CHEESE" it. A Diva in the making? I think so! Also, she tends to stand on her toes, which means, she has the dancer's gene! Kimmy & her husband, Kevin (not to be confused with her brother, Kevin, or Cindy's husband, Kevin; I told you, too many Kevins!)CelestialKara & CelestialRaelynn & Miriam

The only ones I didn't get a picture of are Beth and her husband, Kevin (okay, not really, his name is Gayln, but I had you going there with the Kevins, didn't I?), because they had to leave early.

It was really nice to catch up with everyone! And we really missed those that couldn't be there!

P.S. For those who are wondering where my "Kevin" (aka, MIKE) was, he was busy putting $1 down some girl's g-string at a bachelor party.

Cameron's 5th Birthday Party

2010-01-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Cameron, is now officially five-years-old.

That's a whole hand!

And to celebrate, my sister threw him an "Animal Party." So, all the kids brought a favorite stuffed animal to the party, and we played Hide-'N'-Go-Seek with their animals. (Which means, Trent spent a lot of time hiding stuffed animals.)

Not to totally judge my sister (but I'm still gonna!), there was way too many kids there. Just look:

There's 1, 2, 3 . . . I don't think Cameron can even count that high!

(*NOTE* Reader, Beware: I am about to sit high on my non-child throne. I firmly believe that there should only be as many children at a child's birthday party as the number of years that child is turning. 3 years-old = 3 children, 6 years-old = 6 children. Yes, yes, I'm sure I will throw that rule out the window when it's my kid, but for now I will perch here on my throne and Aimee can comment and tell me that she was under obligation all she wants; I stand by my statement. WAY too many kids there. This incident did, however, give me a new found respect for Kindergarten teachers.)

Anyway, the kids all had a fun time banging on a pinata:

And after ALL the kids had a turn, the pinata still hadn't broken open (it was some sort of mutant gene of a "Super Pinata"), so Aimee and Trent let Tyson beat it until it burst open. After that, it was time for cake and ice cream. And, once again, my sister totally amazes me with her cake-making abilities:
I know.

Seriously.

Can you believe she made that?! My kids are going to be so embarassed by the store-bought cakes they're going to get for their birthdays from me. I hang my head in shame already.

After the cake, the kids came up with this fun game: It was called, "Hit Aunt Lissa with the Balloons." Kaylee thought it was hilarious. And after that, I constantly had kids "battling" me with balloons. I believe Grandma is responsible for thinking up that game. Thanks a lot. Happy Birthday, Cameron!Welcome to being a whole hand!

Welcoming 2010 . . .

2010-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

The "Ball" dropping in Times Square

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Poinsettia Bowl Game

2009-12-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

So, yes, we went to San Diego on the University's dime. And even though we did get to go to Disneyland, we spent the rest of the time opening boxes and selling merchandise.

One night, we were fortunate enough to be able to head down the the Gaslamp District to watch the "Battle of the Bands."

Which was really fun. Cal's band played, our band played, and everyone had a good time. Especially when the band played the Fight Song!

We were fortunate enough to be able to go the actual Bowl Game (we had everything re-boxed up and ready to ship out).

And I know that Jen is jealous, because we got to go here for the game: The San Diego Charger's Stadium. I'm pretty sure that it's what she thinks Heaven looks like.

The game started at a low point for the Utes, as Cal scored 2 touchdowns in the first half. But we rallied and things were looking up at half-time. Especially since there were fireworks!

The last one is my favorite, because it looks like the stadium is on FIRE!

So, anyway, we rallied and won. And I hate to say it, but it was COLD! I know, I know. It was 50 degrees and I shouldn't complain about that, because it was 7 degrees and snowing in Utah at the time, but come on! California should be warmer than that! That's why people go there.

I asked Tom to take a picture and this is what he gave me: So, I was more specific and asked him to take a picture of me and Mike with the field. I call this picture "Tom Being Snarcastic to Melissa":Snarcastic = Snarky + Sarcastic = TOM.

Then he took a real one for me: So we won!
Final Score:
37-27. Go Utes! The kid that was sitting behind us kept asking his dad if they were going to rush the field when we won. Mike kept laughing, because who rushes the field at the Poinsettia Bowl?!

After the game, we went out to dinner in the Gaslamp District again and found the most amazing thing!I loved this Big Red Chair so much I had to take a picture.

What We Did in San Diego

2009-12-30T12:42:00.001-08:00

This is what Mike and I did in San Diego:
And apparently, I suck at transactions.

The Happiest Place on Earth?

2009-12-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, Disneyland remains to this day the "Happiest Place on Earth." Except when 4 billion other people decide to make it their happiest place on earth the same day we do.

Since Mike and I had to go to California for the Poinsettia Bowl (more on that in a later post), we decided to take a day and visit a place I love and adore and am completely happy in.

Yes, Disneyland.

Tom & Stephanie were kind enough to meet us in The Magic Kingdom for fun, SUN and Churros.Having left behind single digit weather in Utah, we basked in all the sunshine that California has to offer. It's really strange to walk around Disneyland hearing Christmas music while it's 70 degrees outside. Doesn't really seem like Christmas to me.

We decided to hit Toon Town first.

And, of course, I had to take a picture with Jessica Rabbit.

One of the best things about Toone Town is that it's interactive.

A possible future for Mike?:
I have a friend who works at Disneyland (he plays Prince Philip and Bert from Mary Poppins), and we kept trying to figure out where he was in relation to us, but we could never quite figure it out. So, alas, another trip to Disneyland went by without seeing Jared. (And another trip with Mike believing that Jared is my imaginary friend, because he's never met him.)

While we were on The Haunted Mansion ride, it broke down. Sad, I know. So we entertained ourselves by taking pictures with the new camera.

My friend at work, Kari, asked me to say "Hi" to Mickey. Unfortunately, this is as close as we came to him.It's a show in California Adventure.

So, onto my favorite part. Which, since there were so many people, we thought about skipping because it was nearly impossible to even get to it with all the damn people.

At Christmas time, Disney changes "It's a Small World" into this:

Beautiful! And instead of just the song, "It's a Small World," they play a mash-up of "It's a Small World" and "Jingle Bells." And since they've redone the ride, it now has several Disney characters incorporated into it.

Including: ARIEL! My favorite! (She sings "Jingle Shells" instead of "Jingle Bells." Clever.)

All in all, it was a pretty good day. Minus the 4 billion other people there.

ChRisTMas TaG

2009-12-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping?
HA! Have to get past Mike's birthday (tomorrow) first.

2. Tell me about one of your special traditions.
My favorite is when Santa flies over on Christmas Eve and drops pajamas and a highway flare in the backyard and leaves a note telling us that he's flown over once and if we're not in bed the next time he flies over we're getting nothing for Christmas. (Santa's notes were more and more obscene the older we were.)
And I love that we open the presents one at a time.

3. When do you put up your tree?
This year it didn't happen until December. We were too busy going to Provo for the BYU/Utah game.

4. Are you a Black Friday shopper?
I went early with my mom and my sister once. ONCE. And I was so bruised by the time I came home from being hit with shopping carts that I vowed to never do that again. Black Friday shoppers are mean.

5. Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?
We travel to West Jordan to visit Mike's family.
But this year we're actually traveling to San Diego on the 20th and coming back on the 24th, because the Utes are playing in the Poinsettia Bowl on the 23rd. (I know! How fun is that going to be? Traveling home on Christmas Eve?! I just hope we make it back in time!)

6. What is your funniest Christmas memory?
When my grandparents were still alive, we used to always go to their house in Idaho for Christmas. My Grandpa would always pass out the presents, one by one. It would sometimes take hours for us to open all the presents (we were very spoiled as children; still are). I remember this one Christmas when my Grandpa was passing out the presents and he couldn't quit . . . well . . . passing gas, as he bent over pick up the presents.

My grandparents also had this really hideous fake white-flocked tree that really belonged in 1968 (which is when they probably bought it) and thinking about that tree now always makes me laugh.

7. What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?
White Christmas. I love it. Poor Mike has to suffer watching it several times each year.

8. Do you do your own Christmas baking? What's your favorite treat?
I am this year. And I'll take anything with sugar in it.

9. Fake or real tree?
FAKE! My sister and brother-in-law used to get a real tree every year until the year their tree came with its own personal spider-sac. They had little spiders running around for weeks.
No, thank you.

10. What day does the actual panic set in to get it all done?
Now.

11. Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
Probably this year, since we won't be home until the 24th. And this is me we're talking about, so the probability of getting everything done before we go to San Diego is really minimal.

12. What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?
I love it when we go see the Lights on Temple Square. But this year I really want to go ice skating at the Gallivan Center (HINT).

13. What Christmas Craft do you like the best?
Crafts?!

14. Christmas music? Yes or no, and if yes, what is your favorite song?
Anything from Josh's Christmas CD.

15. When do you plan to finish all your shopping?
I still have to get Mike something for his birthday first. Really, December birthdays should be outlawed.

Thanks for the tag Sar:) I tag Aimee, Candee, Jill and Jen, and anyone else who would like to play along:)

Team Down South ("TDS") Rivalry

2009-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

After spending this past Saturday tailgating with the Crimson Club at the BYU game, all I can say is,

"BEHOLD, MY FUTURE:"

Saturday I received a little taste of how Mike would really like to spend game days: Hanging with the Crimson Club while they tailgate, play "corn-hole," and drink all day (minus the drinking, right Baby?).

Mike had to work, so basically, it was up to me to entertain myself. Mike wanted me to go around and make friends with some of the members of the Crimson Club so that when he doesn't have to work, we have people to hang with during tailgates. But that would have meant I would have been doing exactly what he wanted me to do and I just couldn't do that. His assistant, Sean, wanted me to "use my femine wiles" to get free drinks for him. When I refused to support his drinking habit, he resigned himself to teaching me how to play Corn-Hole (you know, that game where you have a bean bag and you throw it at the board with the hole in it) instead.

Those of you who know me well can atest that I hate losing. I freely admit that I'm a terrible loser. If we're playing a game, we play until I win. That's just how it works.

Well, after an hour of losing to Sean at Corn-Hole (he was really good, I'm pretty sure he scammed me!), I finally gave it up. I never got a single bean bag into the hole. Yes, my head is still hung in shame.

I should have tried to play with these guys instead: It's hard to tell, but these men are playing a rowdy game of "Ho-Shoes." The man with his arm in the air has just thrown a stiletto heel and is aiming for that bucket in the background. 2 points if you make it into the bucket, 1 if you manage to hit the bucket.

Ho-Shoes.

Hilarious.

I was also slightly saddened by this, because some of their stilettos were pretty cute and it seemed a shame to be wasting perfectly good shoes in this fashion. Still made me laugh, though.

Then the team arrived: Yes, these fans are in the middle of the street and it's really lucky that nobody got hurt. Keep in mind that for many, tailgating = major amounts of alcohol. Or maybe they're just that stupid. So, being with people who believe that tailgating = alcohol, I'm saddened to report that I was a victim of theft! Mike and I think that someone was either slobbering drunk and didn't realize what they were doing, or someone is extremely mean.

I had my red scarf stolen. STOLEN!

And I lost my lucky earring!

Adding it all up: I was mercilessly beaten at Corn-Hole, lost my lucky earring AND had my red scarf stolen.

All in all, the tailgating was not a great time for me.

And then of course, there was the game. But this is what I spent most of the game looking at: Yes, that is the man in front of me's back. The row in front of us was a group of soliders dressed in their fatigues and, of course, I'm sitting behind the one who stands the whole damn game. And how do you tell a man who is willing to die for my freedom to think about the people behind him and sit the hell down?

Or he could have at least taken a hint from his comrade who sat in front of Mike. That guy was really tall, but he kept ducking down because he knew that the people behind him couldn't see. Very nice of him.

The game sucked. The refs were HANDING the game to BYU! Anyone ever heard of a "disconcerning" penalty? Me either. I know I'm new to understanding the game of football, but we received twice as many penalties as BYU. Sorry, this picture is from Mike's camera phone. But, after overtime, the score was 23-26.

Yes, we lost to BYU.

Oh, well.

Next year.

Go UTES!

San Diego Game

2009-11-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

Once again, we braved the cold (and supposed snow) to watch our beloved Utes play against San Diego this past Saturday.

Tom and Stephanie drove all the way from California just for the game (and Thanksgiving). They're here until after the BYU game, and I know Mike has been happy to spend some time with his closest brother. (Inside fact about Mike's family: Mike is the youngest of 9. Yes, 9. And there are 10 years between him and Tom, and then 10 years between Tom and the 7th child (which I can't remember who that is at the moment; sometimes it's hard to keep everyone straight in that family; I think it's either Elaine or Alan.), so even though Mike is the youngest of 9, he still was basically brought up as an only child. He also has siblings that are older than my parents. That really freaked me out in the beginning.)

The game was boring. Why? This was the score at halftime: You might think that it would be exciting to be up 38-0 at halftime, but in this scenerio it just made the game last even longer. I mean, there was zero excitement. ZERO. All we did was score touchdown after touchdown with no returns by San Diego. BORING. (Amazingly, I actually like it when there's some conflict during the game.) But, then the Sun Devils(?) (is that the mascot for San Diego?) rallied in the 2nd half and made one whole touchdown! Which made the final score: Wait a minute. We never scored in the 2nd half during this game? No wonder the 2nd half was even more boring than the 1st.

It was FREEZING! So cold, in fact, that Sarah and I had to buy new headgear to keep warm. Lucky for Sarah, she had Ryan to keep her warm, but I only had Mike next to me to block the wind for 1/2 the game. Anyway, we won. GO UTES!

Next week is the TDS RIVALRY! (TDS = Team Down South)

New Moon Premiere

2009-11-23T11:11:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's true. We went to the New Moon Premiere. At midnight. I'm sure lots of you out there have seen it and can't think why this would be so special. So, allow me to enlighten you.

We went to the New Moon Experience. Yes, EXPERIENCE.

Let's start at the very beginning (and in the words of Julie Andrews, "a very good place to start"):

About 2 months ago, Sarah called me up and asked if I wanted to go to New Moon at midnight. Now, I had my reservations. Mainly because it was on a Thursday at midnight and I knew I would have to work the next day. But how could I say no seeing it at midnight and with Sarah, Jill and Annie? I couldn't! So, I didn't. (Yes, I went to work the next day, and yes, I was exhausted.)

But I wouldn't have traded it for anything! So, Sarah booked me, Jill, her sister, Annie, and herself tickets to the New Moon Experience, Edward-style. Yes, Sarah loves Edward. So, naturally, we went to an Edward-themed theater. (Later, we found out that Jill is Pro-Jacob. Now, being one who would take either in a heart-beat, I tried not to take sides. Just call me Switerzland. I also sat between them during the movie, just to make sure no there was no squabbling. I had to play referee more than once!)

Sarah and I decided we needed to buy shirts to wear that night. It was really fun walking past people and hearing them read our shirts out loud. I have to say, mine is very true. It says, "I was pale before Twilight made it cool," in case you're having a hard time reading my boobs. Sarah's is a little more naughty, "Edward can Bust my headboard, Bite my pillows, and Bruise my body anyday!"When first we entered the Experience we immediately had to get jeweled and feathered-up courtesy of some hair school:

Annie getting "Sparkled."Jill getting "Sparkled."

Sarah getting "Sparkled." And the final shiny, be-jeweled product:
Then we wait. Sarah is a genius and thought to bring Phase Ten to pass the time.

Now for the fun part. The goody bags! We actually got a lot of really cool stuff, all Twilight-themed, of course. There was a license-plate cover that said "Faster than a Speeding Cullen," a t-shirt (Jill asked if she could have a Jacob t-shirt instead, but the Twilight nazi's refused her. The meanies.), a button with Edward's head on it, some sun-changing nail polish, and lots of other really cool stuff.

Then we were allowed to take our picture with Edward and Jacob!Notice how Edward is staring right at Sarah and Jacob is staring right at Jill! They were both so happy.

Our goody bags also came with (of course!) FANGS! We had a really good time and can't wait to do it again in June! (Yes, can you believe that Eclipse comes out in JUNE?! And June, as in, 6 months from now!)

(Oh, yeah. The movie. it was MUCH better than the first one. It's amazing what having a decent budget can do for special effects.

But, cheese with money is still cheese.

And, boy, are there some parts that are cheesey!

Example (Spoiler Alert!): When Alice is showing the Volturi that she sees Bella as a vampire, it shows her vision of Edward and Bella running through the forest. In slow motion. Seriously reminded me of Baywatch. The whole theater laughed.)

Tyson's Birthday

2009-11-21T09:35:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated Tyson's 8th birthday with a camping theme. Which means the kids fished off the balcony:

Here's Dad and Kaylee looking on: And Aimee made this really awesome cake that looks like a camp fire. I'm was extremely impressed!

Since the boys were all busy, I played with Kaylee most of the time. She really loves Mike (he's tickling her, that's why it looks like she's trying to get away, I promise). Kaylee wanted to show me how well she can brush her teeth.
And then she was patient and waited through the delay on my camera to let me take this one: Tyson got the one thing he's been wanting since he was about six years old:

A Nintendo DS.

The kids were supposed to be able to play outside around Aimee and Trent's firepit, but the weather didn't corporate that day, so they set up a tent in the basement and a blanket on the kitchen floor.

I gotta say, my sister is a genius when it comes to improvising at the last minute!

Happy Birthday, Tyson!

2009-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Today is my nephew, Tyson's, 8th birthday.

Tyson is special to me because his hair was redder when he was younger and whenever I took him anywhere, people always thought that he was mine. But being so special to me, I also spoil him way too much and he knows that he can get me to get him whatever he wants.

I'm such a sucker for his freckles.
I can't believe he's already 8!

My favorite thing about him? He can look so adorable and like such a sweet boy . . . but there's always mischief brewing beneath that redhead. Happy Birthday, Tys!

FIRE!!!

2009-11-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, fire. Literally.

After church on Sunday (yes, Mike and I actually went to church), we came home and decided to make hash-browns. So, I put oil in the pan and turned the stove top on and we ran upstairs to change "real quick." (It was REAL QUICK. There for no hanky-panky of any kind, but thanks for thinking that, DAD.) All Mike did was take off his church pants and replace them with his jeans and then he went back downstairs. That's when I heard this:

"OH, S**T!!!" (Yes, Mike swore, but I believe the situation called for it.)

And then the smoke detectors started going off. At least we know they work now. And we know how much it would really suck to die of asphyxiation. Smoke inhalation really burns.

Yup.

We were very lucky. The only causality was the pan (which I loved and I'm really sad has passed on).

And I can't rave enough about those Magic Eraser things from Mr. Clean. The front of the microwave was BLACK and I scrubbed and scrubbed and just created a bigger, blacker mess until inspiration hit and I decided to try one of those Magic Erasers. WOW. Again, we were very lucky.

Luckily it was Mike who found the fire and not me. I'm sure I would have panicked and thrown water on it, whereas he had the good sense to smother it.

So, besides the pan and the house now smelling like burnt french fries, there was no damage.

But this incident does remind me of The Fire of 1990. Same sitatuation, different house. And way more (but not quite enough, if you ask my mom) damage:
My mom was trying to do a nice thing and make enchiladas for someone in the ward and she thought that she had turned the pan with oil on the stove off, but in actuality, she had turned it UP. We had metal cabinets and a gross kitchen counter at the time (both of which were probably full of the stuff that gives you cancer in the long run), which my mom hated. But, of course, after the fire, they were the only things still left standing.

Such is life.

The things you really hate never seem to go away, but the things you love are always the ones that are consumed by the fire. (NOTE: I said things, not people. Please don't take this that I only have people I hate surrounding me, SO not true.)

Does anyone know how to get burnt french fry smell out of a house?

In other news, the Utes lost to TCU on Saturday. But we knew this would happen. TCU is ranked #4 and the Utes are (or were, probably we dropped in the polls after our loss) #16. Final score was 28-55.

But we did better than BYU when they played TCU. I believe their final score was 47-7, or something like that. At least we made more than one touchdown.

The New Mexico Massacre

2009-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I realized something this past Saturday.
We've become exactly what our husbands want us to be.

We've become Ute fans.

I know what you're thinking:

What? I thought they were always Ute fans? What the hell are all these football posts about if their NOT fans?!

Let me explain:

This past Saturday was a home game against the New Mexico Lobos. And Ryan couldn't come to the game. So, Sarah came anyway and brought her sister, Annie.

My friend, Remmington, from work and his friend, Carly (I love her sunglasses), came over to visit with us before the game started.
This is us "working" the camera.

And when Kim came: Sarah also brought her brother, Ryan, (not to be confused with her husband, Ryan) and his friend, Mark (maybe? Can't really remember). But they didn't last past the first half. Because they were kicked out. For bringing alcohol into the game. HA! Definitely made me laugh and I don't even know them! (Kim was careful with her fun flask this week.)

And now the moment you've all been waiting for: The delicousness that is Cowboy Corndogs! Sarah, Annie and I all thoroughly enjoyed our Cowboy Corndogs.

Mike came around eventually and we took the usual picture. (I've noticed that all of our pictures together at the game look like this. So this could really be from a different game and how would you know?) Anyway, back to the reason why Sarah and I are true fans now:

We're sitting there in the 4th quarter and it's freezing. Also, the Utes are up 45-7. So, the probability of a win is in the bag. Sarah leans over to me and says, "I can't believe we're still here. It's freezing and we've obviously won the game. Crap. Does this mean that we're real fans now?"

Me: "You mean we're here when our husbands aren't forcing us to be and we're having fun? In the freezing cold weather? Wow."

Anyway, for those fans who figured that since the win was in the bag and left early, the Lobos did score another touchdown. With 16.9 seconds left in the game. Give it up people! So, the final score was 45-14. Go UTES!

And, I totally found Mike's birthday present for this year! We saw this guy while standing in line while waiting to partake of the yumminess that is Cowboy Corndogs: Won't he look adorable?

World Champions!

2009-11-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

And it feels so good.

The Black-Out Game

2009-11-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

Halloween Night.

What else would we want to do but freeze our butts off at a football game? Saturday night was the 2nd Annual "Black-Out Game" for the U. That's when the team wears black jerseys and I have a hard time remembering which team I'm rooting for. It's all so confusing when they switch colors up on me like that. But it is pretty cool, because the crowd looks like this: Wyoming was the first on the board. And then we missed a field goal. Crap. But we made the next attempt and Wyoming answered with a touchdown. Needless to say, at the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was 9-10. And all of our points were field goals. FIELD GOALS. Were we going to win this game by FIELD GOALS? NO! The Utes finally scored 2 actual touchdowns in the 4th and the final score was 22-10.

Go UTES!

I finally remembered to bring my "game faces" for the game so Sarah and I really got into the spirit. Like my new beanie? Mike bought it for me especially for the Black-Out Game. He's so sweet.

Sarah has a fancy hat with a "bedazzled" drum and feather on it. It matched her shirt (which you can't see in the picture), and it felt really cool.

This was also a special occasion, because Jen finally made it to a game! Ed and Jen missed most of the first half because they were busy registering at Smith & Edwards. Heidi and Jessie bought matching beanies. If they didn't look like twins before . . . Mike was able to come and sit by us most of the first half this game. Which is really nice, because I miss him when he's not around. Anyway, Kim, from my own personal Hell on Earth (aka WORK), claimed my tickets again and I had so much fun sitting with her. Kim really is a great person.

At one point during the game, she dropped something. And this is the ensuing conversation:

Me: Kim, you dropped something.

Kim: Oops! (And she hurried and snatched it up.)

Me: Kim! Is that a FUN FLASK?!

Kim: Shhhhh!!!

Yes, Kim snuck a fun flask into the game. If anyone deserves to have a fun flask, it's Kim.

So, the Utes win again. In other (and more important, to me, anyway) news: Yankees lead the Phillies in the World Series 3-1! Last night's game was very exciting. In the top of the 9th inning, Johnny Damon had a base hit that put him on 1st base. When he stole 2nd, the 2nd baseman missed the throw and Johnny stole 3rd with the 2nd baseman chasing after him. It was like Johnny was saying, "Ha, ha, you can't catch me!" I'd never seen anything like that before.

Only 1 more win!

Go YANKS!!!

A Slutastic Halloween

2009-11-02T07:38:00.000-08:00

Mike doesn't dress up.

He thinks that if he wears anything with the University of Utah logo on it, he can pass himself off as a Ute fan on Halloween. So, for the past three years, it's always been a fight to convince him that you can't wear something you wear everyday for Halloween. It just doesn't work like that. That is not the point of Halloween! Halloween is the one day a year you can dress up and be crazy and no one can say anything.

So, since we needed costumes for a Halloween party, I knew a battle was brewing. I took Mike to the Halloween costume store and told him to pick something he would wear, and then I would try to find something to go with it.

Big mistake.

He came to me with this:

He wanted to go as Hugh Hefner.

Great.

Which meant that I was to go as his Playboy Bunny:

So not happening.

After a lengthy search, I finally found a costume that wasn't too revealing. (Don't get me wrong, in the words of Jen, it was "slutastic.") But, I figured if I wore my leotard underneath, maybe I wouldn't feel like I was baring it all. (I'm positive the only reason Mike wanted to be Hugh was so that he could get a pipe.)

Needless to say, this was the end result: Sarah & Ryan were adorable as Dorothy and the Scarecrow:
Luckily, Sarah was just as slutastic as I was:
Jill & Durrant (sorry guys, gotta say this) put NO thought into their costumes! Which is probably why I didn't get a picture of them. They just wore football jerseys. Again, Halloween is about being something you're not everyday!

But Jen & Ed (our newly engaged couple) were too cute as Mr. & Mrs. Republican: This is especially funny since Jen is a die-hard Democrat (I loved the pearls!).

I had invited a few friends to come and join us in the celebration and Justin & Janelle kindly obliged.

They also put no thought into their costumes:But they were coming from Janelle's Grandfather's 80th birthday party, so I accept their excuse. This time.

And I have to give Janelle major credit. Brave doesn't begin to describe her.

She wore a BYU shirt.

To a den full of Ute fans.

And not just any Ute fans. Season ticket holding, cry when they lose Ute fans.

It's amazing she came out alive.

We played that game where you tie the donut to the string and then have to eat it without your hands:
Mostly, it was a good time has by all. And major thanks to Jill & Durrant for opening their home to us.

Next year, I'm picking out our costumes.

Happy Birthday, Aimee!

2009-10-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

So, besides the Utes victory over Air Force and my Yankees making it into the World Series (YAY!), this past weekend was also my sister, Aimee's, birthday.

Wow. Busy weekend.

Sunday morning we headed down to "The Devil's Land," as Mike likes to call anything South of 21st South to see my nephews in their Primary Program. They both had speaking parts this year and did a fabulous job! Yes, my mom and Aimee cried, but what else is to be expected from this family? We cry when we read the phone book.

Then we headed back to Aimee and Trent's house for a small party in celebration of my sister. Mike and I bought her a cookie jar shaped like a cupcake. It was adorable and I think I might have to go back and buy one for myself.

Here's Aimee opening her presents and the only picture I got of her while she was looking at me:

And Tyson:

And Cameron (I love his dimples! Which, you can't really see in this picture, but he's still adorable!): And Kaylee:

After Aimee opened her presents, Trent was playing that "Airplane Game" with Kaylee (Look, Ma! No Hands!), which she thinks is hilarious:
Anyway, it was a fun time, and I was glad to spend some time with the kids.

Happy Birthday, Aimee!

As Promised . . .

2009-10-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Mike informed me that Bret Farve and Roger Clemens did the exact same thing; both claimed they were going to retire, but then switched to opposing teams for more money (which I knew, but apparently it didn't come off that way in my last post). But Roger did it first (the traitor), so I'd still call it "Pulling a Clemens."

Anyway, last Saturday was the Utes game against Air Force and the first time we've tailgated this year. It's been hard, because Mike has his new job, so he can't tailgate with us anymore. It's really strange for me to be doing something like that without him. I wish he had been there.

Oh, well.

So, Ryan had to step in as Grill Master for Mike. His burgers were . . . eh. (They were really excellent, actually, but I have to be true to my husband and his burgers; the Lord says so. Don't tell Mike I burger-cheated on him.)

Our little tailgating group was low on numbers that day, but we still had a good time. Jill & Durrant brought their son, Asher.

Sarah's right: you've got to start them young! So, you're on your way to an outdoor football and the weather says 60% chance of rain. What do you make sure you do? Dress warm for one. Duh.

Yes, I forgot my sweatshirt. I could have sworn I put it in the car! At least I remembered the camera!

So, we stopped by the bookstore before the game (and missed the Air Force flyover in the process, oh well) because of my stupidity (and Durrant's 40% off coupon). But I bought this black sweatshirt (this Saturday's game is the Black-Out Game, so doubly functional, SCORE!):

So, kick off. And then it begins to rain. And rain and rain and rain and rain and rain. (Okay, okay, it only really came down the 1st quarter, but it felt longer than that. But my new sweatshirt kept me just warm enough and it has a hood, so my hair was saved.)

But Sarah looked like this:

Only she could wear a poncho and still look beautiful! I must admit that we were slightly worried that they were going to get killed because their ponchos were Air Force blue.

Swoop came by at one point during the game and poised for my camera (stupid delay on the camera, he turned his head at the last second and so he's looking the other way)!

Our nephews, Justin and David, have become my escorts for the games. David graduated last year and Justin is a sophmore this year. And both are football players (of course). Maybe one day we'll see them in red and white!

So, the game. The Utes scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter, but missed the extra point (which would have come in handy later on). So, when the game was over, the score was 16 to 16. Okay, not over, because we went into overtime. (Yes, we were sorry we missed that extra point then!) This is the first time I'd ever been to a game where it went into OT. In college football, each team is given the chance to make a drive (or something like that; I'm sure Mike will correct me, if he ever gets around to reading this); and, luckily, we scored on our first drive (and scored the extra point), so the score was 23-16 when Air Force took their turn. Our defense didn't quit fighting and we were able to hold them back! Mike says that we had absolutely no business winning that game (not being an expert like he is, I wouldn't know), and we were lucky that we got the win at all.
Now, for all you BYU fans out there: HA, HA, HA, HA (That was me, laughing my ass off!)
Let's just say that this is extremely true: (Thanks, Sar, I stole this from you!)

TCU kicked their trash! 38-7! (I'm sure we'll get just as bad a beating when we play them in a few weeks, but in the meantime: HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!!)

Sorry for my lack of prudence and civility there.

Next game is on Halloween against Wyoming. Spooky. I really wanted to dress-up, but Mike vetoed my idea to go as BYU fans (it is Halloween, after all). But understandably so, since it's the Black-Out Game, and we would stick out like sore thumbs if we wore blue.

GO UTES!

Mike, Melissa & Lucy

Lucy's First Battle Wound

Christmas 2011

A Christmas Tradition

Something To Be Grateful For

Halloween Pictures

Halloween 2011

Tom Gets Married

Books

6 Months

She's One Smart Cookie, That Tina Fey

B Y . . . WHO?

Lucy's First Road Trip

And So It Begins . . .

Grandpa & His New Love

4 Month Stats

Some People Are Really Stupid

Straight To You

2 Days!

12 Days . . .

1826 Days

Want to Know What I Think is BORING?

Lucy's Baby Blessing

Mom

*Lucy Kay Hurst*

Suggestions Needed

St. Patrick's Day

My Boyfriend is Coming to Town . . .

Valentine's Day

So . . .

The Vegas Bowl and Stuff

I Think this Baby is the Lucky One . . .

Mike's Birthday

The Rivalry Game

Day 3 of Our Trip to California

Day 2 of Our California Trip

Day 1 of Our Trip to California

Oh, Boys, Boys, Boys!

I . . . There . . . No Words

Halloween (and Air Force)

Colorado State

April 15th

Wyoming (and Stuff)

68-27 Win Over Iowa State

San Jose State Slaughter

Blah (and New Mexico)

UNLV

Yeah, That's Right -- We Do Belong!

Kaylee Comes to Stay

SC&M Bees Night

A Weekend Away

Slinkies

TAG

1461 Days

Abby

These chips are yummy

The Search is On . . .

The Tony Awards

Stage Freeze! (Don't Say "Stage Freeze," Just Do It.)

Hell Has Definitely Frozen Over

Review of Steel Magnolias

Flowers

Opening Night

Yes, That's Me

Gymnastics Fans Are CRAZY!

Thoughts on Easter

Goodbye ClydeSnow

Destroy and Conquer

The Mystery Baby

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

Super Bowl Sunday

The Chicago Caper

For My Sister, Aimee

Utes Victory Over Georgia Dogs

Kaylee

Gymnastics Meet vs. Iowa State

Congratulations Ed & Jen!

Cindy & Kevin Come A-Visitin'

Cameron's 5th Birthday Party

Welcoming 2010 . . .

Lucy Kay Hurst