Click here to see Miss South Carolina.
Monday, January 28, 2008
And the winner is . . .
I was talking to a group of people yesterday and we were laughing about Miss Teen USA 2007 contestant, Miss South Carolina. Someone had not seen the clip of this brilliant teen, so I thought I'd share it. Be prepared. She is a smart! Oh, by the way, she did not win.
Click here to see Miss South Carolina.
Click here to see Miss South Carolina.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Meet Jess
Meet Jessica. Joey's older sister. She is everything this picture typifies: warmth, happiness, creativity and she sings of sunshine.
She brings light and life to any room. Here she is taking her daughter, Cassidy Star, on a joy ride. She is ridiculously artistic, bringing that passion and creativity to children at an art studio in Malibu. She never stops smiling and her kindness, innocence and honesty make her the incredible 30 something she is. We love you Jess. Happy Birthday!
She brings light and life to any room. Here she is taking her daughter, Cassidy Star, on a joy ride. She is ridiculously artistic, bringing that passion and creativity to children at an art studio in Malibu. She never stops smiling and her kindness, innocence and honesty make her the incredible 30 something she is. We love you Jess. Happy Birthday!
Friday, January 25, 2008
1 Month Late
Now that it is officially one month after Christmas, it is about time I posted some pics. We had a busy, crazy, fabulous Christmas. We tried to do it all, and ended up doing most. One notable event: Christmas Eve. I thought it would be fun to spend Christmas Eve at my parent's house. In my dream world, I thought this would mean tucking Owen into bed and then staying up late watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, playing games and enjoying our families. I was also secretly avoiding the snow storm heading our way that night.
With Owen still awake at 2:30 am, (not without much tears and attempts to get him to sleep by his parents) we loaded him into the car and braved the six inches of snow that had newly fallen.
We made it home and enjoyed our four hours of sleep. Santa made it through the night without shutting an eye, so I really shouldn't complain.
Yes, my mom is wearing an apron that you would usually see on a four-year-old girl. Don't worry, Sammie had one to match.
Christmas pj's opened on Christmas Eve. They danced and hugged for a good 10 minutes.
Say Cheese!
Owen opening his gifts from Santa Christmas morning.
Yes, we gave him cleaning supplies. He uses them daily. We would have bought him a play Dyson, but the toy version ran $40. I could buy a real hand-vac for less than that.
By far, this puzzle was Owen's favorite present. I need to convince him that it is more fun putting it back together than it is ripping it apart or eating the letters. I'm pretty sure the dot of the "i" is somewhere in his small intestine.
This talking Mickey phone was dubbed "most annoying toy" by my brother.
What you can't see in the picture: a photo of my 22-year old brother sitting on Santa's lap wearing what can only be called "an ugly Christmas sweatshirt" that belongs to my mother. He went to her hairdresser before the photo and had his hair cut and styled just like hers. He said the walk through the mall was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.
Joey made this shirts for our nephews. The boys sport their nicknames.
With Owen still awake at 2:30 am, (not without much tears and attempts to get him to sleep by his parents) we loaded him into the car and braved the six inches of snow that had newly fallen.
We made it home and enjoyed our four hours of sleep. Santa made it through the night without shutting an eye, so I really shouldn't complain.
Yes, my mom is wearing an apron that you would usually see on a four-year-old girl. Don't worry, Sammie had one to match.
Christmas pj's opened on Christmas Eve. They danced and hugged for a good 10 minutes.
Say Cheese!
Owen opening his gifts from Santa Christmas morning. 
Yes, we gave him cleaning supplies. He uses them daily. We would have bought him a play Dyson, but the toy version ran $40. I could buy a real hand-vac for less than that.
By far, this puzzle was Owen's favorite present. I need to convince him that it is more fun putting it back together than it is ripping it apart or eating the letters. I'm pretty sure the dot of the "i" is somewhere in his small intestine.
This talking Mickey phone was dubbed "most annoying toy" by my brother.
What you can't see in the picture: a photo of my 22-year old brother sitting on Santa's lap wearing what can only be called "an ugly Christmas sweatshirt" that belongs to my mother. He went to her hairdresser before the photo and had his hair cut and styled just like hers. He said the walk through the mall was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.
Joey made this shirts for our nephews. The boys sport their nicknames.Monday, January 21, 2008
THOSE BORN 1920-1979
Both Joey and I were products of the 80's, but I thought this was an interesting read:
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright color ed lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day.And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer's, no Internet or chat rooms......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
Joey's family, pre-1980
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright color ed lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day.And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer's, no Internet or chat rooms......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
Joey's family, pre-1980Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Last Man Standing
My cute friend, Allie, tagged me. Thank heavens! I was starting to think I would live my entire life without being tagged. I'm not sure what makes me a bigger loser - being the only one left "untagged" or being sad about it. But, thanks to Allie, I can finally sleep easy.
I have come to appreciate that I lived a crazy and exciting life as a child, but am rather dull now. So, most of the things I share, come from a much more thrilling time. Lastly, I am going to be brutally honest in this post - probably more information than most would care to know. As far as I am concerned, if I am going to document some of these things, I might as well tell the whole story.
1. I worked at Lagoon the summer before I turned 16. I worked with my sister and best friend Amy twice a week, 10 hour shifts, at a Kiosk just outside of the white roller coaster. We did hair wraps (think friendship bracelet for your hair). If I remember correctly it was $1 an inch plus more for beads or charms. One lady's hair fell out in Amy's hands. It was a disgusting but very entertaining job. Also worthy of note - my sister was very thin in high school and Amy and I ordered the same size of polyester blue shorts as her. We had to unbutton our pants if we ate anything and generously blouse our multi-colored shirts so you couldn't tell.
2. I have over two hours worth of homemade music videos. In most of them, I am wearing a leotard from 10 years of dance as a child (i.e. very tight hot pink sequin spandex). I have everything from New Kids on the Block, to Milli Vanilli, to a full episode of Baywatch Barbie. You've got to see it to believe it. It is amazing I had friends or a boyfriend in high school.
3. I would do anything to play soccer. I get ridiculously nostalgic (and a little depressed) when the fall comes around and I am not playing daily. I even miss two-a-days. My happiest high school memories are on a soccer field, despite having a coach who should have been put in a mental institution. I played sweeper and my friends called me "gonzalas" as in speedy. I ran track in high school and hold the 100 meter record. It worked to my advantage in soccer.
4. Sleep is extremely important to me, although I rarely get more than four hours of consecutive sleep. (Obviously, I worry too much and need to settle down, but until that happens, I will be a late night/early morning waker). Joey knows that I get tired around 9 pm and will often ask, "Are you mad because you are upset, or because you are cranky tired?" Note to all husbands, this question won't make your wife any less mad.
5. I am a fish at heart. I could spend hours in the pool. Every vacation my family took when I was growing up, I'd insist we go somewhere warm so I could swim. I would spend around eight hours each day in the ocean, in the pool or hot tub. I was fried to a crisp. I swam competitively throughout my life and coaching and teaching privately were how I earned my living when I was first married.
Here I am with my girls, the tot class.
6. If I didn't know better, I'd eat a mint OREO milkshake every night. I try to keep it to once a week, but let's be honest, sometimes it is hard. I saw this on another blog, and I couldn't relate more:
7. My favorite subject in school was math. In junior high, they didn't have a class for me to take, because I had finished the ones the school offered. During my math block I sat at the back of another class and had to teach myself. Once a month I had to take a test that Mr. Stott administered. It was great. If I had my college career to do over again, I would have become an accountant or statistician. One day, when Joey has completed his PhD and we are rolling in the big bucks (yes, I'm kidding), I will go back and get another degree. Either that or open up my bakery.
8. (I was only supposed to do 7, but I'm on a roll. Last one, I promise.) I love junk mail. Catalogs help me unwind. In kindergarten, I collected old wedding magazines. There is always a magazine shoved under my pillow or mattress. Don't worry, I recycle.
I have come to appreciate that I lived a crazy and exciting life as a child, but am rather dull now. So, most of the things I share, come from a much more thrilling time. Lastly, I am going to be brutally honest in this post - probably more information than most would care to know. As far as I am concerned, if I am going to document some of these things, I might as well tell the whole story.
1. I worked at Lagoon the summer before I turned 16. I worked with my sister and best friend Amy twice a week, 10 hour shifts, at a Kiosk just outside of the white roller coaster. We did hair wraps (think friendship bracelet for your hair). If I remember correctly it was $1 an inch plus more for beads or charms. One lady's hair fell out in Amy's hands. It was a disgusting but very entertaining job. Also worthy of note - my sister was very thin in high school and Amy and I ordered the same size of polyester blue shorts as her. We had to unbutton our pants if we ate anything and generously blouse our multi-colored shirts so you couldn't tell.
2. I have over two hours worth of homemade music videos. In most of them, I am wearing a leotard from 10 years of dance as a child (i.e. very tight hot pink sequin spandex). I have everything from New Kids on the Block, to Milli Vanilli, to a full episode of Baywatch Barbie. You've got to see it to believe it. It is amazing I had friends or a boyfriend in high school.
3. I would do anything to play soccer. I get ridiculously nostalgic (and a little depressed) when the fall comes around and I am not playing daily. I even miss two-a-days. My happiest high school memories are on a soccer field, despite having a coach who should have been put in a mental institution. I played sweeper and my friends called me "gonzalas" as in speedy. I ran track in high school and hold the 100 meter record. It worked to my advantage in soccer.
4. Sleep is extremely important to me, although I rarely get more than four hours of consecutive sleep. (Obviously, I worry too much and need to settle down, but until that happens, I will be a late night/early morning waker). Joey knows that I get tired around 9 pm and will often ask, "Are you mad because you are upset, or because you are cranky tired?" Note to all husbands, this question won't make your wife any less mad.
5. I am a fish at heart. I could spend hours in the pool. Every vacation my family took when I was growing up, I'd insist we go somewhere warm so I could swim. I would spend around eight hours each day in the ocean, in the pool or hot tub. I was fried to a crisp. I swam competitively throughout my life and coaching and teaching privately were how I earned my living when I was first married.
Here I am with my girls, the tot class.6. If I didn't know better, I'd eat a mint OREO milkshake every night. I try to keep it to once a week, but let's be honest, sometimes it is hard. I saw this on another blog, and I couldn't relate more:
7. My favorite subject in school was math. In junior high, they didn't have a class for me to take, because I had finished the ones the school offered. During my math block I sat at the back of another class and had to teach myself. Once a month I had to take a test that Mr. Stott administered. It was great. If I had my college career to do over again, I would have become an accountant or statistician. One day, when Joey has completed his PhD and we are rolling in the big bucks (yes, I'm kidding), I will go back and get another degree. Either that or open up my bakery.
8. (I was only supposed to do 7, but I'm on a roll. Last one, I promise.) I love junk mail. Catalogs help me unwind. In kindergarten, I collected old wedding magazines. There is always a magazine shoved under my pillow or mattress. Don't worry, I recycle.
Rubbing Off
It is clear. Being married to Joey has its advantages. 24-hour tech help and advice can't be beat. I know many of you occasionally check his Double Stamp blog, with his latest recommendations for how to make your life technically easier, more efficient, or down right smart. He has mentioned the topic I'm about to give nods to before, but here goes a computer illiterate, blond version of the subject.
1-800-Goog-411 can't be beat! This free service allows you to call the aforementioned phone number and be connected directly to a company or residential listing. I have used this service three times in the last week. On Friday, I stood outside a business that was supposed to be open at 11 am, but there I stood at 11:15, outside in the cold. I called Goog-411, selected Salt Lake City and then gave the business name. I was connected with the store and found out why they were closed. My sister, who lives in North Salt Lake, needed a phone number in a different city and was able to call the service, make reservations all without a phone book or internet. Lastly, (now this is the part where Joey really started to rub off on me), I entered a business this morning and a man could not remember the phone number of an appointment he had later in the day. The person at the front desk did not have a phone book (how unhelpful was he!) so I politely volunteered this phone service. I told him the number showed him how it worked and reminded him the most important point - it's free! He was floored to be honest, but grateful. I spent the rest of the morning thinking: that was so Joey - sharing technological advice with strangers.
(For the record, neither Joey nor I work for Google, but with the amount of free press they get on our blogs combined, we should be getting paid.)
1-800-Goog-411 can't be beat! This free service allows you to call the aforementioned phone number and be connected directly to a company or residential listing. I have used this service three times in the last week. On Friday, I stood outside a business that was supposed to be open at 11 am, but there I stood at 11:15, outside in the cold. I called Goog-411, selected Salt Lake City and then gave the business name. I was connected with the store and found out why they were closed. My sister, who lives in North Salt Lake, needed a phone number in a different city and was able to call the service, make reservations all without a phone book or internet. Lastly, (now this is the part where Joey really started to rub off on me), I entered a business this morning and a man could not remember the phone number of an appointment he had later in the day. The person at the front desk did not have a phone book (how unhelpful was he!) so I politely volunteered this phone service. I told him the number showed him how it worked and reminded him the most important point - it's free! He was floored to be honest, but grateful. I spent the rest of the morning thinking: that was so Joey - sharing technological advice with strangers.
(For the record, neither Joey nor I work for Google, but with the amount of free press they get on our blogs combined, we should be getting paid.)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Mistake
We attended a large family party where Santa made an appearance. He had a bag of treats sitting next to him to give to the children as they left his lap. One boy, who has a strong disdain for anything licorice, hopped off Santa's lap and took the treat Santa gave him. It only took a few seconds before this little boy realized the mistake. He looked at his treat to find a large licorice rope. He let out a shocked cry:"Santa messed up!" Hopefully he got it write on Christmas day.
Bigger Problem
I have completed all three books in Meyer's vampire series in less than a week and in response to many comments, I report the following:
- Yes, I have dreamed about Edward. I have also had Bella's recurring dream in book 2. Not a good dream. I'd rather dream of Edward.
- Yes, I neglected household chores and other necessary activities to find out the fate of Edward, Bella and Jacob.
- Yes, I have had to remind myself that werewolves and vampires do not exist when I have met some people this week who might just be from science fiction books.
- Yes, I have quit worrying about Bella, for now . . .
- Yes, I am extremely put off that I have to wait until fall for Meyer's next installment. I should have started the books when the series was complete.
- Yes, I have big problems.
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