Update and Google Reader

News on Me

So, I think this post will be really random. First of all, I'd like to say I'm sorry for not updating my blog much. I have a lot going on to talk about, but the issue is I don't have a lot of time, and when I do have time to write for my own enjoyment, I usually don't want to.

Why? Because I've been writing for a job lately. In February, I applied for to be a writing intern at a media company in Draper, Utah. This has been basically my only source of income for the last few months. It's been consistent enough that I no longer get unemployment (though I assume I could sign up again if this work ends). It's been pretty good and I've enjoyed it for the most part. They even wanted to hire me, and proposed to their higher ups to hire a writer, but they denied the proposal. So until I find a more permanent job, this will help. If you want to see some of the writing I've done, you go to Purity Tox-X, Purity 12 Tri-Factor, Purity 12 Green Tea Metabolizer, Skin Care article, and Purity 12 Blogs. Those are just a few of the things I've written. Most of what I have done for them hasn't even been used yet.

What else is cool is they're paying me to learn about search engine optimization. They don't pay me much to do the training, but it's such good information to know, so to get paid to learn about it is great. I'm also doing some other training on my own to learn how to use Dreamweaver--which I can hopefully use to create my own site or something. So things have been going pretty well.

News on Alex

Crawling, Christmas, and Everything

Well, a lot has gone on in the past couple of weeks. First of all, three days before Christmas, Alex really started getting the hang of the whole crawling thing. He now can get anywhere and everywhere (well, except he's not going up stairs yet). This is frustrating because he doesn't want to be kept in his play yard (not surprising) and yet if I'm doing something (like pumping or cleaning), I need to know he's safe. Luckily he can be very patientat times. But it is exciting to see him crawling around everywhere. He's growing up so fast.

My Birthday

So this year's birthday was pretty good, and it's all thanks to my honey, Aaron. First we went out to breakfast at IHOP. With money being tight, the only reason we did this was because I had a two-for-one coupon. Well, when Aaron went out to the car to get something, he talked to a waitress on the way back. I thought it odd, so I asked what that was all about. He said he'd asked her where the bathroom was. Since my husband is so straight foward and honest, and isn't really good at deceiving me (like in the past how he tried to think of an excuse as to why he was leaving and couldn't think of anything, so finally admitted he was going to buy me a present), so I took his word, even though he didn't ever go to the bathroom. Then towards the end of the meal, 5 waitresses came over singing happy birthday and presented me with an ice cream sundae. I was so surprised. I love surprises, so I thought it was great, really thoughtful, and sweet.

So I figured that would be all, but later I got another surprise. We'd agreed not to buy any presents for each other's birthdays, so I knew I wasn't getting anything in the real world, but Aaron and I play Guild Wars and I really wanted a Mad King Thorn mini (you can see what he looks like here). He's pretty rare, but I think he's so cute. Anyway, Aaron had been talking about how he used all his money to buy Trick-or-Treat bags (they drop around Halloween, so once Halloween is over, you can't get more except by buying them from other players). So I figured he didn't have the money to buy me a Mad King Thorn. Then yesterday in the afternoon, he offered to help me learn how to raptor farm, and was like, "You should sell what's in your inventory, so you have plenty of room for what you pick up." I'm like, "Okay." So I open up my inventory and I'm looking to see what I have, and there in my inventory was a Mad King Thorn mini!! Because he's rare, it cost Aaron a lot of in-game gold (260,000 gold). That's a large chunk of change, and it takes a long time to accumulate that much gold. On top of that, Aaron wants a Mad King Thorn mini as well, so I'm sure he would have rather have kept it then give it to me, which makes the sacrifice mean more.

Later in the evening, Aaron made me dinner, and we hung out. I also talked to my sister earlier in the day. No one else in my family called, but I got two emails, and my other sister had called yesterday. Basically that means my brother and dad are in the doghouse for not doing anything to say happy birthday (though my brother did message me on Facebook today to say sorry, so I guess that's something).

So that's basically it. I'm glad I have a great husband who made my day special. Yay!

Trip to Washington

I'm so dead tired right now. I'm pretty much ready to pass out, but there are some things I need to do before going to bed, but first I needed a break to relax and to rejuvenate some before attacking those things, I thought I'd post.

So on Aug. 8, Aaron, Alex, and I headed out to Washington/Oregon to see family. My sister, whom I haven't seen in 5 years, was coming from North Carolina with her husband and four kids (two of whom I've never even met), so I took the opportunity to go as well so I could see her. My other sister and my brother were both there as well (the former lives in California and the latter lives in China). It was really great to see everyone and to see my nieces and nephews.

To take advantage of the rates, we decided to leave on a Friday morning and return on a Tuesday, a week and a half later, so it was a long trip, but with all who we had to see, it really needed to be that long. There was very little time where I had nothing to see or anyone to visit.

On the first day, we flew into Portland, and my sister Krissa (the one with kids) picked us up from the airport and took us to her mother-in-law's house to hang out till my mom picked us up. We were able to spend time with her and her four kids Jesse (8), Larissa (5), Mitchell (3), and Noah (8 months). And of course she had fun meeting and playing with Alex. In the afternoon, Mom picked us up and we went to my Grandma's in Salem, Oregon. We spent the night there (kind of crammed with six adults and a baby: us plus Mom; Roy, my step-dad; Jeremy, my brother, and Grandma). My sister Marcie flew in the same day with her boyfriend and his son. They came by for dinner and to hang out, but stayed in a hotel that night.

Merry Christmas 2007

So yeah, I know that this is REALLY late, but I pretty much have justbeen too lazy to write my Christmas blog.

Essentially, Christmas was AWESOME! I took a week and a half off of work and it was so nice to have a break. I spent most of it either relaxing (read being a lazy bum) or "nesting" (which according to my pregnancy book, I'm doing about a month early). I mentioned this in my last blog, and the urges continue. This time it was going through our second bedroom and basically getting rid of anything/everything I could convince Aaron to get rid of. Luckily, Aaron was very cooperative and we got rid a whole bunch of stuff including clothes he doesn't wear, a box of ties from his mission, a garment bag we never use, and whole bunch of little stuff. Basically when we were done (and this took a few hours a day for three days), we had a lot more space and things were way more organized. It will still be really tight trying to fit the crib and such in there (the room isn't very big), but I think that it will all work. I also got some plastic storage containers with drawers and put them in the closet, which will work as a dresser for baby clothes and such. Doing all this gave me a huge sense of relief.

Christmas itself was really great. Though I was tempted to open the presents we got from relatives before Christmas (since there are no parents to say no), I restrained myself and waited till the day of. Aaron was nice and let me wake him up semi-early so I wouldn't have to wait too long to open (he actually got up only about a half hour after me). We had a lot of fun opening presents from my dad and step-mom, his mom and step-dad, and each other (the rest of the parents just sent money). Aaron did very well at picking out my present: he got me soothing bubble bath, lotions, and a hot pink bathrobe from Bath & Body Works, as well as a jigsaw puzzle and a pink sweatshirt with Tinkerbell.

I got him a white noise machine (he has trouble sleeping and I hoped it would help drown out noise from neighbors to help him sleep better). I also got one for the baby's room. We've been using it every night since and it seems to be working really well for both of us. It basically just creates a fan sound, but doesn't blow around like a fan does, so it doesn't make your room cold.

Other gifts for us included a statue of a father and mother holding a baby (so cute!), gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse, earrings, a t-shirt, a traveling jewelry case, and baby clothes. It was a very fun Christmas.

I thought our Christmas tree turned out rather well this year. Here is a shot of it:



After presents were opened, the Christmas pudding was done. This is a breakfast that we have had in our home since I was a kid. It's a recipe created by my mom that is made with brown rice, apples, canned milk, sugar, and raisins and, when baked correctly, has a custard top to it. It's very yummy, and I'm excited to make it a tradition in our home as well. This was the first time I had attempted to make it on my own, so I was a little worried about it turning out. Overall I was really happy with the results. Since my mom doesn't really measure, she had to estimate when she gave me the recipe, so it did end up having too many raisins, so next time I'm going to half the amount I put in.

The rest of the day was spent pretty much relaxing and spending time together.

I got a picture of me the week before Christmas with my prego-belly:

Nothing much exciting happened the rest of the break. I just spent it organizing other portions of the apartment, taking things over to DI that we didn't want, and getting a better idea of what I wanted in terms of baby items: the crib, bassinet, car seat, stroller, etc. I also starting checking out Craig's List to see if any cribs and such were put up for sale that I liked. I think I've found a crib that looks promising, but the seller lives quite a ways away so she's trying to figure out a good way to get together (her husband works in Salt Lake City, so we're planning on meeting around there some time this week). It sounds like the crib is in good condition and comes with a mattress; in fact, she said her husband didn't want to sell it, but seeing as they aren't having any more kids, it would be awhile before they would need a crib again and she didn't want to store it. And I'm going to get a stroller and car seat today that has good reviews on Consumer Reports and by users.

So things seem to be coming together in terms of having things for the baby when he arrives (I know it's still 8 weeks or so away, but I think it will go by fast). If anyone in Utah County has any extra baby things that they don't need, let me know. Especially if you have boy clothes in good condition that you no longer need.

That's pretty much what's going on with me, and even though it's way belated, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Don't Give Up, You Are Loved

This song from Josh Groban is really awesome. Don't give up because you are loved!!!!

Pictures, Wedding, Dinosaurs, and Primary

So this last week was quite busy.

On Wednesday, Aaron and I had our anniversary pictures. I know what you're saying, "But your anniversary was in March!" Well, you're right. We held off on the pictures till after Aaron's semester was over. I think overall it went well. I'm not very happy with my hair cut, but I made the best and I think mostly it looked okay. There were some pictures where the angle or something made my bangs look funky. We went to JCPenney and I found out that they have gone digital. The plus side: We got to have lots of pictures taken rather than the 12 limit they had when they used film. The down side: They got rid of most of their backgrounds so we only had one background (don't ask me why. What does that have to do with digital) and they no longer have stools and such to sit on, so all the pictures were either standing up or sitting on the floor. Weird. Also, they no longer have a sheet that has a 5x7 with wallets, only two 5x7s. I really wish they would have the option of one or the other. Having two 5x7s on a page would be nice if you want multiple for parents and such, but isn't so much when you just need one, and wallets would be nice to give out to family. Whatever.

But the photographer was really fun and we did some fun poses. She didn't always follow exactly what I wanted her to do (and, of course, I didn't know till afterward when we looked at the proofs), but overall I think she did a great job and I think the pictures turned out well. They'll be put up online soon, and when they are I'll send out an email letting people know how to view them.

On Friday, my cousin Josh was married to Katie. Very exciting. You could tell when they looked at each other that they are very much in love, and I'm so glad that Josh found someone wonderful to marry. The reception was quite an experience. I've never been to one that had real plates and waiters and such. The food was all right, but a little fancy for my taste. The desserts were interesting—they came on plates about an inch square. I needed three of them to feel like I actually was eating anything.

I got to see my grandma, which I was glad of. She's real sweet and an awesome grandma, I think. I'm glad she was able to come from Oregon for the wedding.

One thing that I really liked at the reception was that they had a photo booth where you could take your picture (the old fashioned kind with four black and white pictures on a stip). You were suppose to take your picture then paste into a memory book for Josh and Katie. It replaced the registry book. You could also take extra for yourself to take. I was so excited about this, and then forgot the pictures there. I could kick myself.

On Saturday, I went to my aunt's to see my grandma and spend time with her before she left (and my aunt and uncle as well). They were headed out to the dinosaur museum up at Thanksgiving Point, so I tagged along. It was pretty interesting. They had a lot of dinosaur skeletons, including two T-Rexes and two Supersauruses. I have to say, I thought the T-Rexes were bigger, from what they looked like on Jurassic Park, but they were probably onl 15 feet tall (and not the 25–30 that I was thinking). I'm glad I got a chance to there and see it.

Then Sunday I had my first time teaching my Primary class. I was called to teach the CTR 6 class last week. We only had three kids in the class, so it wasn't so bad, but they were pretty wiggly. One of the girls in the class impressed me. I'm not sure if she is 5 or 6 years old, but she can already read most words (not just the basic cat, ball, Jane, etc.) and she knew a lot of answers to the questions. It was pretty fun to be in Primary rather than Sunday School and Relief Society. I just stress about giving lessons to kids because I don't really know how to make it interesting and not bore them out of their minds (although, I know that participation and activities help). I think I'll like it better than when I was the Primary Chorister. At least as a teacher I have a lesson manual. Plus I only have to worry about a few kids rather than 20–30.

Merry Christmas (really late!)

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I went home for Christmas and was without Internet for the majority of the time. I definitely felt withdrawals (mostly whenever I thought of searching for information online or checking email. How can people live without the Internet!).

So anyway, here are the highlights of my trip.

For fun my mother-in-law invited me and my mom to make our own jewelry. She had gotten into it recently and had all the supplies: beads, fishing line (to make the jewelry on), a beading board (this is a must-have. It allows you to lay out how you want the beads so you know you like it before you put it on the wire), bead glue, and crimping pliers. We had a lot of fun making necklaces and bracelets. I think by the end of the trip I’d made around 10 necklaces. Some for me and some for others (Susan wanted to make some for co-workers and friends. I was having fun, so I made some for her. I also made a necklace for my mom). We decided to have it be a tradition when I come to visit.

On the 22nd we had a family gathering at my Mom’s house. My step-siblings were there (except for one). We each had one other person/couple to buy for. Aaron and I had Amanda and her husband, Bryant (who was a no-show for unknown reasons). We got them a nice microfiber blanket and two nice pillows. In turn, Jennis and her husband, Justin, got a basket with goodies including a Phase 10 game, deck of cards, electronic 20 questions, soda, popcorn, and more. Justin was not there; he was out fixing electrical poles that had gone down in a recent wind storm, which was very similar to a hurricane and had caused over a million people to lose power. I felt sorry for him; I guess he’d been working pretty much 18 hours a day, and sometimes more. I got my mom some slippers and lotion from Bath and Body Works and some chocolates for Roy (Mom doesn’t eat chocolate, so he doesn’t get it much).

All in all, it was a good evening. Mom prepared a nice dinner and I got to meet two nieces and a nephew that I’d never met. (Pictures soon, hopefully.)

My nieces Kayla and Natalie came with their dad to visit while we were home. They spent a lot of their time away with other relatives. On Christmas Eve, we opened presents while they were away. They wouldn’t get to open their presents till they got home a week later and although they would other presents from relatives, Susan didn’t want them to feel real left out.

Susan gave me a photo box, keepsake box, wallet, a necklace (made with the beads), and a butterfly pin. Aunt Tammy gave me a bead bracelet that she’d made (which was very cute). And Aaron got me a heart pendant with diamonds (picture to come). It was quite a nice Christmas and I was proud of Aaron for getting me something without prompting (even if I did give him a list of possible gift ideas). I was even more proud when he thought of a creative way to give it to me. He wrapped (rather badly, but cutely) a box and inside put a card saying the gift wasn’t there, but to look in the desk of our bedroom. Then there was another card leading me to under the dining table, which led me to the couch and then to the master bedroom where my gift was sitting on the bed. Plus on each card he had written a compliment (like about how smart or pretty I was). It was creative, very cute, and very sweet.

The day after Christmas I made a killing at the After Christmas sales. I got these tall black boots at JC Penney that were regularly $130 for $30. They’re really gorgeous! Also some sweaters at Old Navy for $15 each (as well as some knee-length shorts for $12). I also got a pair of Tink pajamas at the Disney Store for only $15, which I love! So I had a good day.

On the Thursday after Christmas, Aaron and I went down to Vancouver to attend the wedding of his cousin Jason, which was on Friday. When we got there we realized we had a flat tire (my first one).

On Friday, my brother-in-law came and changed the tire to the spare (which is a full-sized tire). This enabled us to be able to drive down to the ceremony in Portland. We decided to go to the sealing only and then head down to my grandmother’s in Salem rather than go back to Vancouver for the reception and then down to Salem. Before heading to Salem, though, we went to Les Schwab, where the tire was purchased, and got a replacement tire. Lucky for us, the tire had a road hazard warranty on it, so it was replaced for free! Yay! We got some Subway for dinner and then headed to Salem.

The visit with my grandmother was very nice!! I think she’s the best grandma, and I have fun seeing her. She was so accommodating while we were there, and she has a very nice house with a great guest room. So we visited with her on Friday night and then on Saturday morning we went out for breakfast, which was fun. We left soon after we got home since we had a 3-hour drive to my mom’s.

On Sunday we packed up, went to church, and then went straight from there to the airport. Boy were we happy to get home! It was a great trip, but I am always ready to once again be in my own bed.

What a Busy Weekend!

Well, my weekend was really busy. I had fun, but I get stressed out when I'm around a lot of people for an extended period of time. I have always knew I needed my alone time, but I'm just now realizing that the reason is because otherwise I'm stressed. This worries me somewhat because I know when I have kids, alone time won't exist (except when I get a cherished moment when someone else is taking care of them). I still really want children, though. I think I'll just get somewhat used to the chaoticness, or something.

Anyway, so on Friday, Andrea arrived with Kayla and Natalie because Pat, Tina, and the kids were coming to Provo to take Ashley to BYU. It was fun seeing the girls, and overall, they're very well behaved and have fun with each other, which was good, but it seemed hard to keep them occupied (it doesn't help when we have no toys for them to play with!). I did find that Kayla loves playing games on children's Web sites, and that helped. But Natalie kept bugging her wanting to play Dora the Explorer games. Overall, though, they had fun with that.

We saw Ashley and the family later when we went to her new college apartment. I think she is really excited about starting college, and I'm glad we're nearby to help if she needs it. Saturday was filled with getting her situated and getting groceries to start her off. It takes me back to my first year of college. It's an exciting time, that's for sure! It wasn't till that night, when Andrea and the girls left to go home, that I really got some quiet alone time. It was good to see everyone, but it's good to have your house back, too. Overall, the weekend was really busy!

Josh Is Engaged

I can't believe it, but my little cousin, Tim's brother incidentally, got engaged! I can't believe it. When I went to Tim's wedding he kept saying how he wanted to get his bachelor's degree first because he's planning on going on to graduate school and thought that'd be easier. Then at the sealing for Tim, the sealer said to Josh, not knowing he was his brother or anything, and said, "You're next." He thought it was pretty funny, but that's all and then a week later he gets engaged to a girl that he was apparently dating, but I don't think he told anyone. I know he didn't tell me. He said he's been on a few dates since being home, but mostly they were disasters. And with him working 70 hours/week, I didn't figure he had much time for a girlfriend. Then one week later he's engaged! Weird.

EDIT 10/2006: Well, I guess the wedding is off. I didn't find out till I asked why I hadn't gotten an invite. I don't know what happened, nor did I pry. Not my place, but I know his family wasn't really feeling a good vibe about the relationship, so it's probably a good thing it didn't happen.

Tim's Wedding

So my cousin Tim got married last Thursday. I know, who gets married on a Thursday? I heard they wanted a long weekend because they were going back to work on Monday. It was a beautiful day, other than the fact that it was extremely windy! When Tim's wife, Liesl, walked out of the temple, her veil flew off. It took forever to get it back on her head! But she was gorgeous! After the wedding I went with Tim's little brother Josh to get some food for a luncheon that turned into a dinner. It was suppose to be at 3 p.m., but I don't think we started until 4:30. Really, when the ceremony is at 1:45, it makes sense it would take that long to get back from Salt Lake to Highland and have everything ready. I helped clean-up afterwards, but I decided not to go to the reception. I was completely beat! Plus I hadn't seen my husband all day, who was unable to go because he had two finals that day.

So congratulations to Tim and Liesl!

Nieces Came to Visit

I just remembered something that was fun. Andrea and her family finally moved here from Washington. This was very exciting, then we found out that they bought a house an hour an a half away! So sad. They were in Lehi, though, shopping last Saturday and so came down to see us. They had their two girls with them, Kayla and Natalie, and I got to play them . In fact, I felt like a jungle gym as they played on and around me. I haven't seen them in awhile and so that was fun. They're so cute.

Good News All Around

I've been feeling very lucky recently and I hope it keeps up. My dad came through town with my step-mom a week and a half ago. They were on their way to a real estate conference in California. They had an old '89 Corolla that they were not using any more and so they decided to give it to us. It was a wonderful and generous gift. We were worried about our '84 Civic. It hasn't been very easy to get it to pass the emissions test that is required where I live and I was worried about whether it would pass this next year. It also has over 223,000 miles on it. Quite old. So we were very excited about it. I was excited for other reasons as well. For one, the Corolla has power steering so I no longer have to crank the wheel every time I make a sharp turn. Also, our Honda had a draft in the driver's side door, and the heater didn't really work (and it's been between 20 and 40 degrees F here, so cold), and there was no radio. So it's good to have a car that has no draft, has a working heater, and has a radio. Yea!

So that's one good thing. Another is my mother-in-law came to town last weekend and we were able to have fun with her. She took us out to eat twice and to a movie, plus she reimbursed us for gas (which was very generous). So that was great. I guess she is giving us money for our birthdays and Christmas, so I'm grateful for that since if we move in December, we'll need it for stuff.

Finally, I was able to get a great deal on a washer and dryer set. My co-worker used to help the bank on foreclosed homes and now two of his sons have taken over. When they do this, they need to deal with anything in the house that is deemed hazardous or unsafe. This includes food, chemicals, refrigerators, and washers and dryers. At a house recently, that was actually in pretty good condition, they found a washer and dryer that was not too old and in good condition (as well as an almost brand new pool table that they decided to keep). I asked how much he'd sell it for and he said normally they'd sell for at least $300 for the set (although I wonder if it might not be more), but he agreed to sell them to me for only $200, since we're friends and all. And not only that, but his other son, who used to be in the washer/dryer business would clean them out and improve them so they will work better than new ones. Isn't that awesome! I'll be getting them Friday, but right now we're not in an apartment with washer/dryer hookups. We're planning on finding an apartment to move into that does and if that happens we'll move in December. Until then, our hometeacher is going to keep them in his garage. So nice! I'm just so excited. It seems to all be working out. Now all I need to do is find an apartment for us to move into that is bigger (with 2 bedrooms), has washer and dryer hookups, and is near a bus route to UVSC (that we can afford). Then we'll be set.

Update

So Aaron has continued to do well in school. He's had three more tests and received A's on all of them (not even an A-). He also got a 98 percent on his programming project. I'm so proud of how hard he's worked and how well he's done despite feeling like his classes are hard and some of his teachers aren't very good at their jobs.

My job is still doing okay. Costco came to my work to try to get us to sign up for memberships. They had a drawing for some Halloween candle holders, so I entered and won one. Funny huh? I always considered myself unlucky, but I've had a lot of luck lately. First the Dustbuster and now the candle holder. My work is taking all of us to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire next month (the day after it is released). I'm very excited about this. We were planning on going anyway, but this will save us money, although we have to drive 45 min to the theater, so I'm not sure how much it's really saving :). They also provide popcorn and pop, but since it will be at 9 in the morning, I'm not sure I'll be in the mood for those sorts of snacks.

It looks like we won't be able to go home for Christmas. We were planning on it (our parents, his and mine, were planning on paying for the plane tickets), but we weren't able to find a cheap flight and with it being around Christmas, it's extra hard to find flights anyway. So it looks like we're staying in Utah. I guess that's okay, especially since my sister and her family aren't going to be there around Christmas anymore (they're going for Thanksgiving or shortly after). But it still would have been good to go home and see family. I don't think Aaron's too sad, though, because he saw his step-dad and step-brother, and his dad, step-mom, and siblings came in August; his sister and her family are moving here within weeks; and his mom is coming here to visit next month. So he's seen all of his family with the last few months (or will before Christmas). I did see my parents (mom, step-dad, dad, and step-mom) in April, so it's not like it's been that long, but it'd still be nice to go home. Oh, well.

So as I said above, Aaron's sister Andrea and her family are moving to Utah in a few weeks. This weekend she's coming to look at houses. She's asked Aaron to look with her. I think she misses him and wants to spend time with him. I'm interested to see what house she picks and where they'll be living. It will be nice to have her near. And with his other sister Ashley moving here next fall, we'll be surrounded by family. Yeah!

Well, that's all for now.

My Husband's Family Visits

Last week my husband's family visited. I should clarify because he has so many families (his mother and step-father, his father and step-mother, his sister and her family, etc.). It was his father and step-mother who came with their three teenagers. Unfortunately, I was asked to attend training for four days at work, for 9 hours each day. I was able to get out of some of it to spend time with them, but normally I could have taken off as much as I wanted, so I was disappointed. It was fun to see them. Their oldest, Ashley, is planning on attending BYU next year after she graduates high school and so I showed her and her family around campus so she could get an idea of what BYU offers to students. She said that she knew that BYU was a good school academically, but she didn't realize how much they provide for the student including tons of computers, music practice rooms (she loves playing the piano), and a huge library. I also showed her the dorms so she could decide which one she wanted to live in. I was pushing for her to stay at Helaman Halls cause they are much nicer than Deseret Towers and would be more comfortably. Shy, humble Ashley just said to her mom, "I'll be happy to stay in either," since her parents are paying and she doesn't want to seem greedy.

Aaron and I can't wait until Ashley is able to come here for school. We really want to be near family and I am excited to mentor her through her college years (if she'll let me). The other two teenagers, Tim and Crystal, are also hoping to attend BYU when they graduate. This is great news for us and make us very excited. Free babysitters!

I guess this is a month of family visits cause Aaron's sister, Andrea, is also hoping to visit us this week. Her husband works for an airlines and so they can fly free, but only on standby. Yesterday Andrea tried to get a flight here and even though they expected 20 seats open, they had 75 people waiting to get on through standby. I am thinking it is those who decided to Education Week at the last minute. She is going to try again tomorrow, if there are projected spots, but we'll have to see. We're hoping it works out because we would like to see her and our two adorable nieces. So cute! Here's hoping.

To add to this, Aaron's step-father wants to bring us a dresser of theirs that they don't want any more and we could use and he is planning on coming Labor Day weekend, if he can get off work for it. I hope that works out cause I really want it and I think it would be great. Hopefully that works out.

Things Are Good

I don't really have anything important to write about, but I figure I should say something every once in awhile, if anything just so you know nothing is really going on.

Things are going well for us right now. We're trying to pay off the one student loan I got while in school. It's taken longer than I hoped, but we now only have $125 left. Yeah. Today I had lunch with a good friend of mine, Maryruth. We met while I worked at the Linguistics Department and we enjoyed each other so much that we have continued meeting monthly to have lunch and catch up. She is such a wonderful friend and I'm so glad she enjoys spending time with me.

Aaron and I are doing well, as well. We are enjoying the time we have to spend while he is out of school. We hang out together every night and go to the dollar theater on the weekends (I love cheap entertainment!). His family is coming to visit in August. With the exception of his step-mother, Tina, we have not seen them since our wedding over three years ago! Aaron's sister Ashley will be graduating next June and is planning on attending BYU upon graduation. We're excited about this and being able to show her campus when they come next month. We're also excited to show them around Provo and Utah. Yeah!

Welcome

So this is my blog. Thanks for visiting! I don't really have any new news to report. My sister, Krissa, had another baby on June 19. He was a whopping 10 lb 15 oz. She deserves much praise for birthing such a healthy baby boy! Of course, he is darling. It's pretty much impossible not to be and be related to me. *all viewers nod their heads*

I am still working for Altiris through my temp agency. I hope to be hired on soon, as I was promised I would be. I've been quite involved in a lot of projects and along with being an editor, I also seem to be a trouble shooter (this is not on purpose, but since I am using the new version of one of our programs more than most, and I know how it is suppose to work, I have caught a lot of the errors with it). I hope this will help my company realize how valuable I am so that I will be hired sooner.

As many of you know, I was made Primary chorister a few weeks back. This was my third time leading Singing Time, and I have to say, I never realized how hard it was. To make things worse, I haven't been in Primary since I was 12 and I, of course, do not remember anything about what they did for Singing Time (other than I remember I enjoyed it). I have been helped in creating ideas and have been told that I have done well, so hopefully with time I will grow into the calling. It is a great opportunity to share my musical skills.

At the moment Aaron and I don't have any plans for the 4th. We are going to play it by ear (in case you didn't know, this means waking up late, playing video games, and if we're really feeling ambitious, doing some housework. I know that you're very jealous of the wonderful plans we have made). I hope you all have a wonderful 4th and remember what we are really celebrating. God bless America!