Halloweentime at Disneyland

I realize that I can be very random. When Brian requested a particular cake for his birthday, I was more than willing to give it to him to make him happy. Well, then he decided he didn't want the cake because a whole cake is too many calories. So, I decided that instead of the $30 tiramisu cake, we'd go to Disneyland. Yeah, seems odd, but that's how I roll. Anyway, here's the pics we took while on our whirlwind trip to Anaheim. It was a fun and exhausting trip. And I wish that there were rules regarding the age of children in strollers . . . as in, your 12 year old can walk, you don't need a stroller. (Argh!)

Brian attempting to eat a "turkey leg"

We decided that Katie owes us $8 for this "turkey leg." It was actually really gross, and we're pretty sure that it was actually a ham shank. Regardless, we won't be getting that again. Ick!

Waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion!

Candy corn Halloween Time sign on the Golden Gate Bridge outside of California Adventure.

Candy corn Cactus in California Adventure

Giant Candy Corn contest winner-California Adventure

The Francis Ladybug spinner ride-California Adventure

Proof I was there!!!

Effalumps and Woozles

So, Mom and I decided we wanted to go to the zoo and see the new baby elephant. So, we planned a Saturday as a mommy-daughter day in Emmigration Canyon. We went to the zoo and saw not just the new elephant, but there were baby tigers, and baby snow leapards. And a baby giraffe. And, just for the record, a baby giraffe falls six feet to the hard earth when it's born. I think that's a rough way to enter the world. Anyway, below are some pics from the adventure. I think my favorite part was seeing my mom watch the baby elephant. It was fun. When we were done, I kidnapped Mom and took her to one of our favorite places to eat. It's called Ruth's and it's a little further up the canyon. It has been highlighted on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and it ROCKS MY SOCKS!!! We had a good lunch and got a reuben to go for Brian. All in all, a great day with my mom.

I know, I'm bad

I was sitting in front of my computer yesterday, doing my weekly review of blogs of friends and family. I found myself thinking that many of them updated their blogs more often. Then I realized that I'm the worst about doing that! So, I'm going to try to do better. You will now get an update on my life since the last major posting. Sorry, it will be a long read . . .

Mid-March, I started working for the Utah College of Applied Technology. It was a totally random situation, but it was what we felt I needed to do, so here I am. I'm the Operations Officer, which is a fancy way of saying "I do whatever needs to be done." It's a small office, only ten of us here, but it's a good crew. We all get along really well and have a good time getting work done, so it makes coming to work everyday really easy. Again, it's another position that isn't exactly "anthropological" but it pays the bills and I can use my skills. (I have MAD skills!) Occasionally, I get the opportunity to do a random case study in my head, but beyond that, my degree has done nothing but bump me up a salary bracket. I guess that's really what degrees are for. :)


Our summer has been relatively uneventful. Brian is still working at ARS. It's hard to deal with the revolving door, but he's hanging in there! He figures he's seen over 300 people in the last year. That's a lot! We haven't done much this summer as far as vacation, mostly because I don't have much time accrued yet. We did go to Midway for our anniversary and spent a good portion of time watching tv in bed. That's the best kind of vacation, in my opinion.

We did decide that we should be grown-ups and get some decent furniture. We were lucky to be able to get a second-hand couch and chair for a steal when we were first married, but while we were out window shopping, we saw a couch/love seat set that we loved and it was a killer deal so we bought them. Then came the hard part . . . getting Brian to understand the importance of throw pillows. Several weeks of debates finally ended with a trip to JCPenny. They were having a great sale and had pillows that I liked and that weren't too "girly" for Brian. We were afraid that they would make our little living room look even smaller, but the change in tone did just the opposite. I didn't realize how closed in the room looked with our old black couch. While our new one is a bit smaller, it makes a HUGE difference. Now, if only I could get Brian to quit obsessing with every little mark on them.


My last bit of information is this:
I got frogs.
Yes, I know that seems weird. I'm pretty sure my mom thinks I'm losing it. I actually got them to take to my office, but they are currently next to my dresser. UCAT will be moving to a new office building in January, and they'll make the trek to my desk then. I just couldn't wait to get them. So, if everyone (all three of you) would please cast your vote on the name, I need some input. They are funny little guys. I love watching them when they swim to the bottom of the tank and they go spread eagle and float to the top. Oh, to have the life of a frog . . .

Well, that's all my news. I realize it's not exciting, but it's all I've got!

Wait for it . . . .

Please watch in it's entirety, it's worth it. And don't ask how I came to find it, my youtube wanderings are really random. :)

Oh My Gosh!

They might be a new fav . . .

Two things I like:
1-Clinking the beer bottles together
2-The little cymbals

Two things I don't like:
1-Britney in the background (She's gross)
2-Skinny jeans

Please enjoy!

Since we're on the subject:

Let's again talk about the interesting things that happen at the courthouse. If I did not work for a very nice, upstanding, honest lawyer, I would never have any need to go to the courthouse. At least, I don't think I would have any need. But as paperwork runs the legal system, I had to contribute yet again by filing an eviction complaint for a new client of ours. So, I went over at the end of the day, because typically there are fewer "defendants" there at that time of day. Unfortunately, there were lots of other people who had to add paper to the legal system, so I waited patiently for my turn.
As I stood in line to go through the oh-so-fabulous metal detector, I had the pleasure of witnessing another genius at work. By the time I joined the line, he had pretty much stripped off anything that might contain and metal and had created a pile on the table next to the metal detector. Yet, every time he walked through the dumb thing, it went off like a siren. So, the constable says: "Are your boots steel-toed?" To which the gentlemen responds: "No." So he walks through again, still setting off the alarm. The constable says: "Are you sure your boots aren't steel-toed?" Man's reply: "No they aren't steel-toed, but they do have these metal rivets all over them." (Stated as he lifts up his pant leg to show us all that he's wearing ugly black boots that are simply COVERED in metal. Really? He had no other shoes he could wear to the courthouse. Flip flops even? It was a somewhat warm Utah day. Anyway, the constable tells him he will have to take off his boots and send them through the x-ray machine. He gets all onery and walks to the bench to take off his boots. Honestly.
Enter the bad news: Somewhere between handing the documents to Dave (my boss) to sign and his handing them back to me to put in my little folder (see previous post) I lost half of what I needed to take to the court clerk. So, when I got to the desk and she started going through it, she couldn't find the first half of the coversheet that has all the important information she needs to file the complaint. I ended up waiting in line to get through the metal detector and again in line to speak to a clerk, all for nothing. I had to gather what I had and wander back to the office to try and figure out what happened. This was two days ago, and I still have not found the other parts of the documents. I just reprinted what I needed and took it home with me so I would stop on the way to work the next morning. So, I went through the mess I was trying to avoid the following morning in dealing with more people there to plead their supposed innocence before I left the courthouse thanking Heavenly Father that I have good people in my life. Because if I had to deal with that population all the time like my Brian does, I would go CRAZY!!!