Thankful Thursday!

This week I have been thankful for lots of things. Here are a few of the things that make my life so wonderful!

Traditions- I love tradition, I think it adds so much to the holidays and life in general. I love that every year for Halloween we go to Toni and Bob’s for The Annual Pumpkin Carving Party, that every Thanksgiving we travel down to St. George for a feast complete with Dixie Salad, homemade noodles and Grandma’s rolls and that every Christmas we do a progressive dinner, fondue on Christmas Eve and attend Christmas Eve mass. I may not remember what design I carved in my pumpkin or what presents I received but I cherish the memories and these traditions are what I look forward to most when the holidays come.

Mike- I am truly thankful for my wonderful hubby who treats me much better than I deserve. I just love you Be.

Our Tivo- It keeps up with me and my busy schedule, is reliable and always makes sure I have something to watch when I finally crawl into bed for the evening.

The D.I.- I love the D.I. for providing countless Halloween, Ugly Sweater Party and various other costumes over the years.

Our Jobs- I am so grateful that Mike and I both have steady jobs that we can go to work at everyday. In this economy it’s such a blessing to have stability and not have the constant worry of losing either of our incomes. We are so thankful that our jobs provide a roof over our head, food in our bellies and lots of fun along the way. We couldn’t ask for more.

Make-up- I am so thankful for foundation, which can cover all my blemishes and zits that have recently popped up including the huge zit on my cheek right now!

Leftovers- I love leftovers and am extremely thankful that I have a big bowl of chicken chili that Toni made and so graciously gifted me. Lunch is so much better when you have real food instead of a microwave meal. I can’t wait!

Early Voting- This year I know there is going to be a record turnout for voters so I am extremely glad that they set up early voting in our precinct. Mike and I voted on Monday and we were in and out in 20 minutes. I highly suggest it.

My family and their friends- I have a great family who is very supportive and who surrounds themselves with great people. It makes life a whole lot easier not to have familial conflict and to enjoy being around all our family friends together. It makes for some great parties, get togethers and I really do count some of our friends as family. We really are so blessed.

That it's Thursday- I can't wait for the weekend!

A few of my new favorite things…

I stole this from my friend Ashley’s blog. These are some new things I have discovered in the past couple months that I love. Give them a try!

1. Five Guys Burgers and Fries- I could pass on the French fries but the Burgers are amazing.
2. Nothing Bundt Cakes Bundlets
3. Shop it to me
4. Cherry Coke Zero
5. Cinnamon Squares
6. Harmon’s Artisan Bread
7. Fels Napha Laundry Bar Soap
8. Fresh Bamboo Wallflowers from Bath and Body Works
9. Express' Online Store

Go UTES!!!!!!

This year we decided to splurge on season tickets for U of U football, and while I have been meaning to blog about our fun times for awhile, I just keep forgetting to bring my camera. This Saturday I remembered and so I went a little camera crazy! Anyway, Mike’s Sigma Chi brothers Harm, Combe, Ed, Justin and Bart along with Rachel, Annie, Lisa, Tyson and Jen have had tickets for a few years now and we were always hearing their fun stories so when Harm asked us if we wanted to join in on the festivities, we couldn’t turn him down! We have had an absolute blast tailgating and playing at the games with this great group and are extremely grateful that most the games have been after 4, giving us time to sleep in and spare us from the heat.

The best game so far has definitely been the Oregon State game because honestly it was amazing. I felt bad for all the people who thought it was over so they left early and missed the magic that happened, but honestly, why would you put in an entire evening and leave during the last two minutes when it’s such a close game? I just have never understood that! I am really looking forward to the TCU and BYU games though because I think both are so important to the season and will be great games to be at.

As much as I have enjoyed being at the games, my favorite part has been just hanging out, people watching and chatting with the girls. We have seen some interesting characters over the past few months and they have kept the games very entertaining! Here are some pictures of our favorites…

Where’s Waldo? This guy NEVER has his shirt on, yet he never has anything painted on his stomach either. I think he just doesn’t like wearing a shirt and it’s pretty funny to see him amongst a sea of red.

This guy is a mix of red-neck and New Orleans. He has an awesome mullet and is always wearing a cut off shirt tucked into his tight jeans with Mardi gras beads on.

This guy is head cheerleader for our section. He likes to stand up on benches and lead cheers and call people lazy who don’t do it with him. Here he is doing the “First Down” cheer.

This guy is definitely my favorite. He and his friend looked like they belonged at a Slipknot show. Here he is after the game passed out face down right next to the U golf course bathroom. Awesome!

Here are some pics of the game and our crew. We missed you Bills' and Albrechts but I promise to bring my camera next time to capture more good times.

Mike and ShawnTyson, Jenn and BartHarm, not so happy about this pic!

Katie's seats are so close to ours!A sea of red! Saturday was such a beautiful day! Touchdown UTES!After the game Harm needed a nap before he went hunting so while we threw the football around, he caught some z's. I love his buddy in the back!
The crew posing with Harm while he is STILL napping.
Thanks for such a great Saturday guys!

It's a Thriller...

For the last three years I have been begging Mike to go to Thriller with me because I have heard how great it is. This year I was finally able to talk him into it and I was really excited. For the most part I thought it was very well done and funny but it was more of a variety show than a dance concert, so I was a bit disappointed. I was extremely surprised and excited though that Brandon Bryant was in the cast and it was the highlight of my evening. I fell in love with his dancing when he auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance. His routine to the soundtrack or Requiem for a Dream was stunning and I was shocked he wasn't in the top 20, because he is INCREDIBLE. Every time he danced I was just mesmerized, especially during the Lost Boys routine.

The whole concert was very light hearted and funny and we really enjoyed ourselves, I just don’t think we will make it a yearly tradition. If you do ever go, I suggest getting seats as close to the front as possible or balcony seats because the theatre isn’t sloped at all, making it hard to see even from the 4th row. We had a good time and it was a real fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. Happy Halloween!

I am always right, at least in the Netflix world

So after months of begging Mike to let us get Netflix (I wanted to see the first season of Project Runway and couldn’t find anywhere to rent it), he finally gave in to my pleas. He was a bit apprehensive to start paying $18.00 a month for movie rentals when I am not much of a movie buff, but he decided we would try it out. I think he saw this as his way to finally see all the movies I had been too impatient to watch and it was my way to get into shows I had heard great things about or watch the cheesy romantic comedies I knew he never would. Anyway, we made a deal that we would trade off selections so we could each see a movie we wanted every other time and then would throw a TV show we were both interested in for nights we didn’t have time to watch an entire movie.

Well, we have now had Netflix for 2 months and Mike has only chosen ONE good movie. I want to take his selection ability away in order to save myself from yet another dud. Even worse is that even when he knows it’s a bad movie, he STILL makes us watch the whole thing because A. he thinks it will get better or B. he wants to see what happens. Seriously, he made us watch ALL of The Last King of Scotland, which next to Alexander was the worst movie I have ever seen. I know he has a lot of talent and skills but picking movies is not one of them. It’s ok, I still love him and will allow him to pick movies until he finally realizes that this is his one flaw and hands the reigns over to me for all future movie picks. I am not holding my breath though.

Even with Mike’s bad picks I have thoroughly enjoyed coming home to a movie in my mailbox and think it might be the greatest idea ever. The site is incredibly easy to use and has a huge selection of both new and old movies. It even has Return to Oz, which I am excited to make Mike, Laura, Seth and Jess watch so they will finally believe there was a sequel to the Wizard of Oz! One night I started talking about this movie and they thought I was making a story up in my head. Well, now I can prove them wrong!

Along with proving to people that I am NOT crazy, we also have discovered the amazing show that is Six Feet Under, thanks to Netflix. Seriously, whoever created and wrote this show I would like to give a big hug to, because they truly are inspiring. Who knew that such a morbid topic could be made into such a compelling, relevant and clever show. Having dealt with my dad’s death and volunteering at The Sharing Place, I can completely relate to grief and the different ways people cope, the stupid things people say when you are mourning a loss and everything else this show touches on in regards to life after a death. I highly HIGHLY recommend this show to anyone who can get past the profanity because the underlying message is so profound that it will touch and teach anyone willing to listen.

So, if you like to rent movies but hate running to the store or can never turn them in on time, I suggest trying out Netflix. It makes life so much easier and they have so many different plans to choose from that it can be affordable for anyone. I swear, Costco, Netflix, Bed Bath and Beyond, Tide to Go and American Express should all hire me because I endorse them all so much. I just love them all and a good product is hard to find these days! Oh, and if any of you have any good movie recommendations, I welcome them with open arms. Anything to save me from another King of Scotland!

Schmoopy Poo!

1- Where did you meet? At a 24th of July party at his house. My friend Laura was going to his party and thought I needed a night out with the girls. Little did she know how that girl’s night would pan out.

2- How long did you date before you were married? Let’s see, we dated for a year and a half and were engaged for 14 months so 2 years and 8 months

3- How long have you been married for? 1 years, 3 months, and 6 days.

4- What does he do that surprises you? His tenderness. He doesn’t show it often but he has a completely soft side that I adore. Seriously, sometimes I see him with children or our dogs and it melts my heart. It also surprises me when he brings me home roses or sends me flowers for no reason or just to brighten my day. He also gives me the best gifts, which is a huge surprise because he HATES shopping! I probably don’t give him enough credit but he always gets me stuff that is super thoughtful and just what I want.

5- What's your favorite feature about him? His back, his eyes, his cheek bones, basically his entire face. I think he is super sexy!

6- What's your favorite quality about him? His tenacity, his intelligence, his dedication, his softness, his frugalness, his unconditional love for me, his compassion, his ability to deal with me when I am undealable, his work ethic both at home, in our marriage and at his job and finally his determination to make our lives, marriage and family the best it can be.

7- Does he have a nickname for you? We call each other Be or he will call me Babe, Lil Tex, or Cheshire. (I smile like a Cheshire cat when I am up to something)

8- What's his favorite color? Blue.

9- What's his favorite food? A good steak, sushi and bacon. Seriously, I tried to give the dogs some of his bacon the other day and he freaked out!

10-What is his favorite sport? Football. He’s been lucky I have needed to catch up on shows or have had plans on Saturday because he has been watching A LOT of football!

11- Who said I love you first? I did. We were at a New Years party and it just came out. He said it right back and the rest is history.

12- When and where was your fist kiss? It was in the middle of December, 2004. We were on his porch overlooking the city. It was the most perfect first kiss!

13-What's your favorite thing to do as a couple? Lately we have been enjoying making breakfast and having Movie Mornings with the dogs.

14-Do you have kids? How many? Just the dogs but someday we will have 3.

15- What's a hidden talent that he has? He is ridiculously good at math.

16- How old is he? He will be 27 on November 11th

17- What's his favorite type of music? Anything pretty mellow with touching lyrics.

18- What do you admire most about him? His drive and his humbleness. He doesn’t think he deserves to just be handed anything and is an amazingly hard worker.

19-What's his favorite past time? The Sigma Chis. He adores them and the experiences he had up at school and I am grateful that we are able to see so many of them on such a regular basis. Hanging out with Andrew is also one of his favorite things to do. They have so much fun together and the platonic love they share is wonderful to watch.

20- Do you think he is going to read this? Only because I am going to email it to him :-)

I tag everyone who has an amazing hubby or significant other too!

Application Submitted

Now we wait...

Dear Michael:

Thank you for submitting your application to Harvard Business School. All applications submitted by 5:00 PM (Boston time) on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 will be considered in Round 1. Round 1 decisions will be distributed on Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

Please note that your application is not complete until your recommenders have submitted their online recommendation forms. It is your responsibiliy to ensure that your recommenders complete this process in time to meet the round deadline.

Thank you for your interest in Harvard Business School, and we look forward to reviewing your application.

Sincerely,

MBA Admissions

Harvard Business School

Soldiers Field Road

Dillon House

Boston, MA 02163

January 21st seems so far away! Good thing the holidays are coming up. That will keep us busy!

09.26.09

In celebration of Aubree and Terence's upcoming nuptuals, we all got together for an engagement party on Saturday. Katie did an amazing job decorating and hosting, her mom and sister made the best food and we all had a great time. It was very intimate with only Aubree and Terence's closest friends and it was really good to get to know everyone who will be a part of or in attendance when they say their "I do's".

Kudos to Katie for planning and pulling off such a fun and beautiful evening. You did a great job and I am looking forward to all of the parties we will be having in the next year.

.: A Little Note :.
These candles were so cute and creative!
Aubree and T

Katie did an amazing job decorating!
The Bridemaids and Aubree
Terence and two of his groomsmen
All the girls.