Real Life...

I'm back to real life this morning. Getting out of bed was not something I wanted to do, especially to make it to my 7:30 statistics class. But luckily I got up and was rewarded when I got to class. Our mid-terms were passed back and low and behold, I got the highest score in the class! I was so excited. That isn't such a bad way to start off a week (a four day work week mind you). I stopped at Banbury Cross Doughnuts to celebrate and then headed off to work. Unfortunately there are no compensating factors for being at work today, but I guess having Friday off unofficially makes today Tuesday, and it is always nice to skip Mondays.

Little Accident

This trip started out with a bang. James was playing on a water fountain and slipped and fell. He ended up cutting his head open and going to the hospital to get stitches.
Doesn't he look a little dead? Luckily he lived...
Poor boy, his head was swollen and sore...
He is doing well and was back to himself not too long after it happened. The only mean trick is that he isn't supposed to get it wet! How un-fun is that for a kid on vacation?

St. George Day One

After my mid-term this morning, we headed off for St. George. I was anxious to get there and start enjoying the sun. The drive was pretty uneventful, but I thought enough so to document it with pictures..

Practicing our safe driving..
Cute Baby Annie sleeping (cute, until she woke up and cried the rest of the way there)...
We made it and headed off to the pool right away. It was so hot and we decided to make this as comfortable as possible, so we put our chairs in the pool to stay cool...
After getting cleaned up after the pool we headed off to Tuacahn to catch the production of "Les Miserables." It was really fun to be there with the girls, soak in the surroundings, and enjoy the play...
Due to some last minute travel plans on my part, we had to get another ticket after we had already purchased the group tickets. Luckily there was one seat right behind us and Mom was nice enough to sit there. Doesn't she look amused to have her picture taken?...
Mom's view of the play, it was so much fun! (Sorry for the blurry picture)...

Overall it was a great start to this little getaway. Not having to work was genius! I really need to work on finding a job that pays me for traveling or doing whatever I want or something. Stay tuned for more updates...

Weekend Getaway II

I get to have another little weekend getaway this weekend. I am headed down south to the land of Dixie for several days. I have a mid-term in the morning, but after that I am starting my weekend early! I get to drive down with Jamie and meet up with the rest of the Jensen Clan in St. George. Hopefully I will get in some R&R and soak up the sun. I am actually really excited, I haven't had a vacation lately that I have had to pack warm weather clothes and swimsuits. I am sure it will be hot, but I can't wait to have no work and lay by the pool!

Blog Stalking Part II

I have found some more links I would love to share with you...

Your Heart Out - This is for everything local SLC has to offer! It give you tons of things going on, cool places to check out, and basically keeps you up to date on the swank things of SLC

Delightful Blogs - "Cutting through the blog smog" this is the best link ever if you are a blog stalker. It organizes blogs that have been reviewed and allows you to find fantastic blogs about exactly what you want! You could spend hours looking at the different blogs available!

Clearly it is a VERY busy day at work!

Blog Stalking.... and Jealousy

While in a study group last night, one of the girls brought up blogs. I was instantly excited because I always love finding new blogs. She gave me her address and told me who's to link to and then link from there for some good blogs. The new blogs are fun, and her recommendations are genius! I hope they don't mind, but I am going to share them with you. She told me to visit these two girls, and they are serious about blogging, art, creativity, and so many things I wish I appreciated. One of the girls name is Ali and the other Marta. You would think that the main blog is where all the action is, but these girls know how to use the side bar. I was so intrigued by everything they had linked and listed.

I know I have probably taken creepy to a new level, but I just loved this discovery so much I had to share. Thanks Alana!

Just So You Know...

I always knew kissing was a good thing, but I didn't realize this much about kissing. I ran across this article and thought I would share it with you. I think I could use a factoid or two to justify kissing and its good to know I have a few more boys to kiss before tying the knot!

10 Quirky Facts About Kissing
1. Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.
2. A simple peck uses two muscles; a passionate kiss, on the other hand, uses all 34 muscles in your face. Now that’s a rigorous workout!
3. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike.
4. Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.
5. The average person spends 336 hours of his or her life kissing.
6. Ever wonder how an “X” came to represent a kiss? Starting in the Middle Ages, people who could not read used an X as a signature. They would kiss this mark as a sign of sincerity. Eventually, the X came to represent the kiss itself.
7. Talk about a rush! Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters in our brains as parachuting, bungee jumping, and running.
8. The average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.
9. Men who kiss their partners before leaving for work average higher incomes than those who don’t.
10. The longest kiss in movie history was between Jane Wyman and Regis Tommey in the 1941 film, You’re in the Army Now. It lasted 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

Not Quite So Relaxing...

So I'm back and my little getaway turned out to be not so relaxing. Shortly after getting to the cabin we realized the propane tank was empty, this meant no generator, which equals no power. Seems to be some mishap with the oven being left on. The tension only built from there as my mom and I, trying to be ever so helpful, about flooded every room with a faucet when we turned on the water the wrong way. This sent my Dad into an even better mood, and it only got better as he discovered the leak into the basement wasn't fully fixed. After that I seemed to hear threats of burning down the place or scheduling the Air Force to nuke it.

I guess this was a learning trip, as well as a cleaning trip. We learned that D.A.D Magic is the driving force behind keeping the cabin running. Ever wonder why the 4-wheelers are never out of gas? D.A.D. Magic. Ever wonder why there is always propane to start the generator? D.A.D. Magic. Ever wonder how the cabin gets re-caulked so no bugs get in? D.A.D. Magic. Man, they do everything up there! I always new it was magic that things just kept working, and now I know the sponsoring magic company.

I really did learn how much my dad does to keep that place running and how much I have taken for granted. Dad, your the best! Thanks for always taking care of things, especially when your kids seem to get more benefit out of it than you.

Weekend Getaway

A little weekend getaway has evolved and I am heading to The Cabin tonight. I am actually really excited. I think that the cabin has always been a summer thing, and so going now makes summer seem official. It is the first time anyone has been up so it will be a big cleaning trip, but it will still be nice. It is so relaxing up there and peaceful being in nature. I am also excited to see the finished basement. That was the project last summer and I haven't been up since they started. We are so lucky to be able to have a little getaway, especially when a vacation is in order! It's been a long week!

Christmas Morning!

Working with Jamie was one of my favorite things about work, so her having a baby has thrown a major kink in my happiness at work. She recently started working again, but from home and only comes in 3 hours on Tuesdays. The first two Tuesdays she came back I was in my classes so I wasn't there to enjoy it. This past Tuesday was the first Tuesday I would be there to partake of time with Jamie. I was so anxious all morning! Its like I was waiting for Christmas morning to start! Having her there was so much fun, but it reminded me of how boring work is when she isn't there. I guess I will just have to remember the good ol' days and realize how lucky we were in the first place to get to work together for so long.

I am such a nerd, I know, I asked someone at work to take a picture to document the occasion.

Not in the Club

Lately around work, marriage has been a constant topic. A co-worker of mine recently got married, and another one is getting married next week. Naturally being single myself, the comments always come like "So when are you getting married?" or "You could be the next one to be having a shower." or "Are you going to be joining the club?" So now not only am I not married, I have to feel excluded from this exclusive club too! Do these people think that husbands grow on trees and I can just go out and pick one when I am ready? I think they all need a reality check, and just because they have found their path to happily-ever-after, doesn't mean everyone else has.

To make matters worse, the conversations go on to say how great marriage is, and how fun it is, and that it is the best thing ever! Seriously, give me a break. I am already painfully aware of how alone I am and how lonely and boring it is to be single, you don't need to talk up what I don't have.

Not only is marriage the topic, it is also babies. The one thing that comes after marriage that, despite what I might say, I do want.

Life was designed to feel completed by someone else and be fulfilled by children, but I just can't win at this game of life.

I know I am only 22 and shouldn't be in a rush to get married, but it seems like I am either being told to get married or not be in a rush. Make up your mind people, and only give me a hard time for one or the other.

P.S. If anyone happens to find my husband, please tell him I am looking for him, thanks.

Making My Dad Proud

Yesterday I spent the day at my parents for Father's Day, it also happened to be the last day of the US Open. This meant that of course the TV was on all day, tuned in. Surprisingly, even after the boys went downstairs to watch on the better TV, my mom and I left the TV on to watch. I have actually grown accustomed to golf, and get a lot more out of it having my dad explain it to me over the years.

Since Tiger and Rocco tied yesterday, that meant there would be a 18-hole game today to determine the winner. I surprised myself when I was overly interested when a co-worker had the audio for in on at his desk. When I got back to my own desk, I actually pulled up the website and started watching it in real time. I caught the last hole that determined that there was going to be the sudden death round. At this point I made my way back to the break room and joined about 12 other guys to watch the end. I was really glad Tiger won, I have always liked him, and he is just so fun to watch. I did feel bad for Rocco after all the masters he has played in, and to finally be this close to winning.

I think that any competition that gets down to an ending like that is exciting, but I am actually really glad I have an appreciation for golf. I have thought about taking it up, but the two times I have been to a driving range, I have walked away very discouraged with my longest drive being all of about 30 yards. Maybe someday I will really make my dad proud and start playing....

Night with the Girls

My night with the girls was so much fun! I usually spend so much time playing with the older kids that it was so nice to get a chance to play with the girls. They are in such a fun stage and are getting so big.

Morgan managed to get her pants off, and Paige was just kickin' it against the TV stand...

After a messy dinner, I decided to give the girls a bath... they loved it!!
Cute Paige...
Funny Morgan...
Morgan though Paige was so funny when she started splashing and laughing. They were so cute the way they interacted...
Two cute (naked) girls...

The girls and me, hanging out watching Baby Einstein..
Morgan babbling...
Paige was so funny, I was getting Morgan's shirt on and she grabbed hers and tried to put it on herself. I am always so surprised and these girls and how fast they grow up...
I think I have finally mastered the skill of the "baby burrito" wrap job...
This video might not be funny to everyone, but Paige was crawling toward me and then she looks like she sees something interesting on the floor and starts to Army crawl. I just thought it was funny. I'm going to call her Army Baby.

These girls are the best! They were so happy and good the whole night! I couldn't ask for better surrogate kids!

I Made It!!!

I MADE IT! I can hardly believe it. My two weeks of Hell are finally over and I think I actually did really well in my classes. 7 credits down and only 24 left!!! Two week classes are hard for the two weeks you are in session, but I can't tell you how nice it is to get it all done that fast!

To celebrate I went and got my favorite treat, an Oreo shake from Arctic Circle with extra Oreo. And when I got home my mom was here and she had brought me a rare treat, glazed croissants from The Hole. I haven't had one of these delicacies since I have lived in Logan. It was a treat! I am topping off my celebration with a night of babysitting Paige and Morgan. I know, you are all jealous of my outrageous plans.

Only 6 more weeks of the regular term and I will finally get a three week summer! Today was the first day it has felt like summer and it has me yearning for those three weeks of no school to get here!!!

Radomness...

Today during the break in one of my long classes, this older lady in the class approached me. I hadn't conversed with her at all or had any other classes with her, but our conversation went like this:

Lady: Would you mind if I took a picture of you?
Me: (a look of shock and surprise on me face)
L: Well, I think your glasses are so cute. I have ugly glasses, my husband got them for me in Taiwan and they are awful.
M: Oh..
L: I mean if you are going to wear glasses, they might as well be cute.
M: Yeah..
L: So I want to take it on my phone but I don't know how to do it, do you think you could figure it out?
M: I'm sure I can (take the phone, and get it to take a picture)
L: I just don't know how to use my phone and I love learning new things..
So she proceeds to stand up and take a picture of me in class. It was so awkward! I guess it was flattering, but I didn't quite know how to react.

To top it all off, I looked like garbage today, let me illustrate...

Stomp

Last night I went to see "STOMP" at Capital Theater. It was one of the best things I have ever seen. It tops almost any play or concert. I was captivated the whole time. There wasn't a singe word said the whole time and yet there was audience interaction and everything. It really was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

I've posted this video so you get a little idea of what it was like. Being live made it so much better, but this broom part was one of my favorites.

Half Way There

I officially have one week done and one to go. I got pretty tired by the end of this week, so hopefully this weekend will rejuvenate me for next week.

Day One Down.... Nine to go

Today was the first day of my condensed, accelerated two-week classes. I have two of them. They last for 3.5 hours everyday for two weeks. This is on top of my other three classes I have, plus going into work after class.

Day one wasn't too bad, the normal introduction to the course, syllabus, objectives, etc. It will be a lot of sitting in class, but the outside work shouldn't be too bad and it will be nice to knock out 7 credits in two weeks.

If no one hears from me, don't worry, I'm not dead. I'm probably just sitting in class.