Change With the Times

How do I best accomplish this? So much has been happening, so much going on. Where do I even begin? Maybe i'll try a timeline of events...
*** We struggle taking pictures. We have a few, but I havent had a chance to get them online. Or, better said, I havent had a chance to get Christian to put them online. Bear with me here.

November 1st-ish- Lisa is laid off from job. Boo hoo hoo hoo.

A few days later- Lisa finds a new job. :) (Better job, even. I'm loving it so far.)

Nov. 21st-ish- Christian finishes finals. YAY!

Thanksgiving- Spent in wonderful, sunny California, having a par-tay with my fam. Some of the highlights:
family
Kimi and Co. (there are three of them now!!)
Sees candy
Shopping with my mommie (lots and lots of shopping)
No snow
Seeing my Grandparents. They are so great.
lots of family
lots of love
mmmmmmmmmm.... just thinking about it... can I go back???
On Christians end...
He and Eric (my big brother) made a road trip to reno to buy blow guns. The remainder of the trip was spent trying to shoot birds, shooting eachother, and enjoying the fact that my parents are remodelling their house, so anything is free range to shoot with a dart. If he wants to expand of the story, he can.

okay, moving on...
Dec. 1- Lisa starts new job.

Dec. 5-Lisa gets a new gym membership, and loves it.

I am feeling a bit selfish, its all stuff about me. I promise that Christian is included in all of these festivities. he just needs to get on the ball and do a little blog-updating on his own.

Dec. 12- Christmas Party with Christians family at Temple Square. We had a nice time, and the program was beautiful.

The weekend of the 12th was spent in Salt Lake/ Provo. I got to hang out with my nephew. I love him more than I ever thought I would/could. Any spare minute that I have I try to spend with him.

Dec 24th- We head down to Salt Lake again to spend Christmas with Christians family. We had a really fun Christmas Eve, eating, laughing, and enjoying the season. Next day was Christmas, spent opening presents, then we (Christian and I) headed down to Provo to hang out with Michael and Co. Please refer to Hannah's blog for the photo shoot of the day. She does such a better job at this whole blogging thing than I do!! Eric and Hannah had a feast fit for a king. I think I gainned like, 5 lbs., just inhaling all of the food. It was delicious. Plus, its just so fun for me to be down there. Christmas or not, I love spending time with them. We opened up presents, than Christian and I had to head out for the Christmas party at his Grandma Barrett's house. It was really fun seeing all of the cousins, and, once again, eating all of the food that can be had. I am so sad that elastic waistbands are out of style. Day after Christmas Christian went hiking with his Dad and his brother. While they were out braving the wild west, I enjoyed the comapny of Michael. I love that kid. The 5 of us then spent the evening at Temple Square, testing Eric and Hannah's fancy new Camera. Again, please refer to Hannah's blog. Sunday, we went to the blessing of Christian's friends baby. They did a really nice job, lots of fun to see a little baby again. Sunday eveining, we headed back.

Now its Monday.

Happy New Years!!

SO Thankful

Dear Christian,

Thank you for choosing me. I love you forever.

Me

"Shoot him and cut out his tongue, then shoot his tongue! And trim that scraggly beard!"

This one goes to the nice guy! Ummmm...thats the guy with tattooed beard in the left picture. Wait, who is that anyways? Oh yeah, thats my brother, Ethan. I thought I would post a little something about him since he really doesn't get enough credit in this world.

Ethan is my only brother. So you would think that we are best buds, right? WRONG!!! We hate each others guts! Every time I see him, I want to shoot him and cut out his tongue, and then shoot his tongue! Actually, we really don't hate each other. I just said that for Ethan's benefit, in the event that he actually does read this blog. But I would have to say that our relationship is similar to that of Shaggy and Scooby Doo. I don't know who is who, but I'm sure you, the reader, can make some kind of assumption to who's personality matches best. Actually, I don't know who you could really compare us to. I think we are just unique all on our own. Of course, I would love to say that our relationship is like that of Hyrum and Joseph Smith's, but I don't know of anyone that could come even close to the unconditional love that united them as brothers.

Ethan is an amazing guy though. You could throw poop on him and would still hug ya,"Ethan, please, don't touch me." He is the nice guy in the family. He puts up with every ones crap. If you tell him to do the dishes by himself, he would do it. If you tell him to go clean up Cyrus SHEET in the workroom, he is down there cleaning away. But it doesn't stop there with doing dirty chores. The part that sticks out to me the most about Ethan is his genuine kindness to others. When Lisa and I lived in our funny old basement in Sandy, Ethan would stop by all the time. Usually he was on his way or on his way back from the library. But there were many times when we were his only stop. He really impressed me one time when Lisa was sick and at home alone. Ethan, being the super hero that he is, rode his bike to our place, in the cold of winter, just to check up on Lisa. Lisa really appreciated the surprise visit and it made her feel a little better, just knowing that she had a friend who cared.

Ethan doesn't look for thanks or attention when he does things like this. I'm sure there are many others that have experienced Ethan's kindness and genuine concern and noticed that he doesn't look for any type of reward. I don't quite know what drives him or what motivates him. All I know is that one day he is going to be a billionaire tycoon and he is going to take care of all of us. That's really all I know. But whatever he ends up doing in life it will involve his ability to affect.

So to finish up my ode to Ethan, I want to say to him that I love him. And I don't say this because he is cool or because he is a great biker or mountain climber. I say it because I appreciate who he is and what he does. He is not only my blood brother, but my good friend. And I'm not just talking about one of those friends that you do crazy stuff with, like yelling "Nudity" out the car window. Though we have done that. I'm talking about one of those friends that motivates you, without saying a word, to be your best self. That's what Ethan is to me. And of course a lot of people have that affect on me, including Lisa. But sometimes it can be really special when it comes from your younger brother. (This would be a good time to say Happy Birthday, but Ethan's birthday is past already.) So here is to Ethan and the good man that he is!!!

Mommie

Call it homesickness, call it the holiday season, call it whatever you'd like. But today, I really miss my Mom. Is it weird that I sometimes actually wish that something crazy would happen to me, so that my mom would have to come out here and help nurse me back to health?! Just so I could get a little more time/attention from my mom. Sometimes living so far away really stinks! I know that I am 22 years old, married, and really, really happy. I love my husband, im working on loving Logan, and building a life out here (for a few years). But sometimes, a mature, 22 year old girl misses her Mom. I really couldn't ask for a better, more loving, kind, giving, beautiful Mom. Seriously. She trumps them all.

I can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving!!!

**I know this picture is of the family (well, most of the family. Some of the most important people are missing!), but I just really think this os one of the cutest pictures of my Mom!!

Lucky #24!

Today happens to be November 12, 2008. A date which I have been gearing up for for quite awhile. My handsome, loving, wonderful husband has turned 24. YAY!! So, in honor for this momentous occasion, here are 24 reasons I love the man.

1. He whistles while he works.

2. The way his eyes smile when he is really happy.

3. His constant search to share more natural high moments with me.

4. His love for blogging :)

5. He listens to coutry music when I am in the car, just to make me happy.

6. He let everyone believe that it was HIM who drove the car into the garage with the bike in top, just because I was embarassed.

7.He is just as excited to see my family for Thanksgiving as I am!!

8. He daydreams about our life together as parents.

9. He has given up his crush on Jennifer Aniston for me.

10. All he ever wants for his birthday from me is a heart shaped cake that is made from a box.

11. He thinks sweats are the best outfit for me.

12. I have never heard him raise his voice at anyone. Not me, not his family, not the dog. Never.

13. He has a great appreciation for nature, and for that joy that comes for free.

14. He has the patience to answer all of my crazy, nutty gospel questions.

15. He understands that sometimes, girls just need a wardrobe update.

16. He says he loves taco salad, which happens to be the only thing I know how to cook. If that even counts as cooking.

17. Christian understands that sometimes, I just need to see my family, especially my nephew.

18. Life has a way of spinning out of control on me, and he is the only thing that can even it all out.

19. He understands that sometimes, weather its a bad haircut, or friends being mean to me, I just need a good cry.

20. He is always laughing at me. Makes it easier for me to laugh at myself.

21. His mission had a huge impact on who he is today, almost more than anything else.

22. He's fun to hang out with.

23. He is a good driver in the snow.

24. He is my very best friend.

And these are some of MY favorite things!

Well, its a lovely, crisp fall friday, and I am stuck in my lowely little cubbie here at work. Not that i don't love it, and all of the blessings we reap from my job (ie wages). However, the season is a little slow, so I had the idea that you all may like to see what I have been enjoying these past few weeks, months, here in Logan, Utah. Please, allow me...

Ah, the lovely ladies of Lipstick Jungle. I have been bored with Greys Anatomy lately,what with all the unecessary drama of the show that just seems to linger and never be cleared up. This drama, though, keeps me coming back.

Here I present my new hobby, of sorts. Yes, knitting. Please excuse the lack of quality in this picture. It is taken from the camera on my lovely, trusty, free cell phone. And realise that that scarf has already doubled, if not tripled in size. And the picture was taken less than two days ago. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And, no, I have not aged overnight. Just got a little bored, and remembered that my lovely wonderful, fertile best friend taught me how 2 years ago. So I brought out the old needles and took another stab at it. Pun intended.

And here is the little man, himself. My nephew. He is almost 9months old, and is the most precious thing that this earth has ever seen. Seriously. Never in my life have i felt so much love from one little person. And to thing, we moved ourselves 135 miles from him. How stupid can we be??? I can't wait to see him again, and almost daily find myself looking at his pictures, yet again. Many thanks to his wonderful mother for keeping us updated on his growing. WE MISS HIM!!!!

My daily dose of hot chocolate. Every morning, Christian sends me out the door for work with a warm toaster strudel, leancuisine, and a warm thermos of hot chocolate. Seriously. Funny thing is, I have never really been a huge fan of hot chocolate. I have always liked it, dont get me wrong. I just dont CRAVE it ever. But since this little tradition has been going on, I find myself looking forward to it, everyday. Mostly because Christian makes it for me. The one day I made it for myself, I didnt even touch it. :)

And, last but not least, socks. I have recently aquired all sorts of fun socks, and boy am I glad I did! Much like my beautiful mother, my feet are ALWAYS freezing. Seriously. We have a heated matress pad, a heated blanket, a space heater, and I am still cold all night long. Weird, I know. But during the day is when its the worst. I cant very well be walking around town with a heated mattress pad around me. Although, weirder things have been seen around Logan. So I throw on a cute pair of spiffy, fun socks, put on a pair of flats, and pretend that its normal. I am not willing to give up my quality of life for a cute pair of shoes to be work how they are supposed to. I am all about altering to fit your nees :)

Anyways, there is my life, however material and goofy it may sound. In other update news, my wonderful best friend, who is really the most kind, genuine, loud, and caring individual that you will meet, is pregnant. WAHOO!!!! I am loving having all of these babies around so that I can get my fill that way without feeling the need for one of my own. I have already gotten loads of fun stuff for bother her and the unnamed, ungendered child. I know that some of it will not be used, but being 700 miles away makes it a little hard to actually BE there. So I am doing all I can for the time being. Buying cute baby stuff. I cant wait for Thanksgiving though. I get to see her and the lovely little belly! Many pictures to follow of that joyous reunion!!

Protect Marriage + Family

Little Known Facts on Proposition 8:

Having tolerance without condoning.We can love someone while still maintaining and advocating our standards and beliefs.

Unless Proposition 8 passes, California society will soon undergo a profound change in its basic understanding of marriage and family life.That will affect everyone in numerous ways. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs.

Proposition 8 will not hurt gays. In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children.If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.

Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches.The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family.

For more information, please refer to: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/

Leaves are falling all around...

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."

Guess that movie!!! Hahahaha...Its "You've Got Mail!" Its is probably one of my most favorite movies, right up there next to "Live Free or Die Hard." Hahahaha...

Yeah, I'm a sucker for sentimental stuff, especially movies like "You've Got Mail." By the way, this is Christian, not Lisa. I know, you would usually expect something like this from Lisa and not from me. I'm very deceiving. Because, behind my rough and masculine appearance, there is a sappy sentimental weirdo that only Lisa and my family know about it. I won't go into detail, because I've already embarrassed myself by announcing my favorite movie.

But the real purpose I copied that quote from "You've Got Mail" is because it is officially fall here in Logan and it might very well be my favorite season of the year. I rode my bike up Green Canyon the other day and the colors were a magnificent red, yellow, green, and orange! The sun was set so perfect over the trees that the trail was illuminated with the different shades. So after I spinned my way through a painting of colors, I went home to share it with Lisa. So after my ride, we picked up some food from Papa Kelseys and drove up the canyon to eat and enjoy Gods art. It was a natural high to say the least.

So for those that actually check our blog, you have to take advantage of this moment and drive up one of the canyons to get your fill of some autumn ecstasy.

The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Hello again to my ever watchful, ever interested blog-readers. Thats right, Im talking to you... uh... whoever you are. Welcome to my venting corner. I would like to tell you all a tale of horror and devastation. Also known as, September 30, 2008.

The day starts to a pretty good start. My daily toaster studel and hug and kiss from my man. Work was busy, pretty eventful, which is always a shock. Nothing we couldn't totally handle. Managed to finish the season premeire of the office, which fully lived up to its own hype. Thank you, Jim and Pam. And many congrats sent your way.

As some of you may be aware of, I have a rather difficult time growing out my hair. I find the immediate gratification of a new, short do more satisfying than the ever monotonous growing out process. So, the fact that I have been growing out my hair for the past 6 months has been quite a feat. One that I have had to overcome myself in the porcess of, on a daily basis. I was ready for a new updated style, but one that I didn't have to loose any length with. I made an appt. with a salon in the Logan area, and, needless to say, have really been looking forward to it. Well, It was for 5:00pm on September 30, 2008. I get off work, and scoot my anxious little bum over there. I was so excited. A much deserved bang trim. Snip snip. She flips me around, and holy moly. I almost cried. Think bangs, circa 1994. Horrible, straight across, awful bangs. I am almost throwing up as I am writing this. My reaction was this "Well, I have been pinning them back for 6 months, whats another 6 months?" Horrible, awful, devastation. I have not had a good hair cut in about 2 years. The only girl I have really liked, well, she moved to AZ. Its was all i could do not to break down in tears right then and there. I got in the car, and cried. I was then on my way to pick up Christians contacts at Standard Optical. Their hours are 9-7pm. Except yesterday. They closed at 4pm, yesterday. Well, thank heavens for that. I would have hated to have heard soem good news for a change. Heaven forbid.

I then proceed to go home, lock myself in the bathroom, cry, eat dinner, cheer up upon reading a lovely blog post my dear husband wrote, then go to bed and cry some more. Over reaction? Perhaps. either way, I am taking myself shopping for headbands and hats, am glad that winter is coming up, and I can live in a beanie for the next 6 months till my hair grows out yet again, and am ever grateful for a husband who loves me despite over reactions and shopping sprees for hats and hairbands.

P.S. Nina- if you read this... any good places that you know of to get cute hair stuff? At this point I am desperate.

Surprise!!! I'm writing another post! This never happens! Usually Lisa would be egging me to post something sophisticated and delightful. But this time, she doesn't know I'm about to post something. It probably won't be sophisticated, but it definitley is delightful.
I hate to admit it, but I have become very keen on blogging. I'm always checking our friends blogs and hoping that someone will post something new for me to read. I have to read something new or I go crazy!
So the real reason that I am typing right now is because I remembered that just a few days ago it was the one year mark of the week I made Lisa mad and then a few days later I proposed to her. I can't believe it has been a year! It seems like just a few months ago that she got mad at me for not calling her for almost a week. But really it was all in my plan to surprise her a few days later with the most careful and thought out proposal ever! I did pretty good. Even if I do say so myself.
So happy one-year-since-I-made-you-mad-then-proposed Lisa!!! You are my lovely dinosaur!!!

Living Hardcore

Greetings from outerspace. Also known as, Logan. The shock of small town life is slowly wearing off, and I may just be able to enjoy myself here a little bit. But before life got too difficult, I gave myself permission to abandon my husband for a week and vacation in paradise. Also known as Southern California. The above picture is Knotts Berry Farm. Who knew their theme was Peanuts? I insisted that we all get pictures with Snoopy, much to my mothers dismay. So there is the whole gang, with me being the bright red lobster on the left. I am determined to be the only person in Logan with a REAL tan in October. Mission: Accomplished. Well, at least in a week or so when all the peeling dies down.
Then there was the glorious beach. This is out of order a bit, the beach was the day I roasted myself. Notice the lack of sunscreen, and the happy face. Two nececities of a day at the beach.


In fact, this is totally out of order. This was the first day. Please excuse my dorky facial expression. I had a lot on my mind. Think evil forces here.

Well, even after all this fun, it was nice to get back to Christian. A week is really a long time to be apart, esp when you have been married for less than a year. Or maybe I can no longer handle life on my own. Either way, it's back to the daily grind of sleep, work, and Christian.

Your not hardcore, unless you live hardcore

Hello! This is Christian, writing a much anticipated blog post I'm sure. Usually you only get to read posts from my partner, the lovely Lisa. Her posts are very fun and mesmerizing to read. She approached me recently, with a look on her face that said,"I mean business buster!" She proceeded to inform me that our fans will not get to hear from her again until I post something exciting of my own. Which we all know is very hard to do since Lisa, the lovely, has raised the bar for others, like myself, to create something as mind grabbing as her posts. So in a desperate plea to get Lisa, the lovely, to come back and fill us with her splendor of words, I'm writing this post to the best of my ability.

Instead of writing something thought provoking, I thought I would update everyone on the happenings of my life. Hopefully you won't stop reading here. As you know, Lisa and I are living in Grand Central, or my Grandma's Niederhausers house. Its amazing how many people enter this house everyday. Everyone wants to be around my Grandma! I don't blame them or anything, I was thrilled to death when she invited us to stay with her. People come by to chat with her, to eat her orange rolls, to buy one of her latest fabric creations, and people even come by just because they want to say they have been in her house! I apparently live at the hippest place in town.

But it has really been super fun living with Grandma N. Lisa and I both enjoy doing things with her. So far me and Grandma N are tied for 1st in our routine Sunday night games. Lisa says she is not bitter about not winning yet, but I know her better than that. From Garage sales to fixing shed doors, we have done quite a bit with Grandma N during the past few weeks.

Some good news is that Lisa finally got a job! We are both very excited about that. She interviewed for the job about two weeks ago and felt really good about it. So far she has been enjoying it and is doing really well.

As for myself, I'm working at the coolest bike shop in town! The highlight so far has been washing the windows out front. I'm sure one of these days I will get to put together some really cool bikes. Until then, I will just keep on riding my bike to work and doing whatever I'm asked to do. When I'm not working, I'm usually seen cruising around campus on my Grandpa's old GT Cruiser. Its such a natural high to be here in Logan with Lisa, going to school at a old small town college, and riding my bike everywhere I go. And not only that, but I really am enjoying school up here. I'm so motivated to study and work hard. I get excited every morning as I cruise through campus and see the hundreds of minds walking and riding their bikes to class. Its like you can feel intelligence and knowledge floating in the air. Its one of the most amazing feelings to me. I hope it never dies off.

So this is life as I know it: Living LARGE, Loving Lisa, and Learning Lots.

FYI

Well, here I sit, in Provo, on the eve before the eve of my departure. I have been babysitting my most wonderful nephew, who, by the way, is the most perfect thing on the face of this earth. Seriously.
I have been "single" again this past week, (meaning Christian has been in Logan, and I am currently flying solo) and I have realized a bit about myself. I stress. I worry. I let little things get to me. I feel like this past few days has been one chaotic event, extending over 62 hours. I need to clean our apartment, get my hair cut, shower, return things at Target, go to work, shower, drop off things to a friends house, get Christian his wallet, and SHOWER. To name a few. As I was running errands for work, Christian happened to call me. I was nicely exclaiming things that needed to be done, and how over whelmed I was; he was just nicely listening, and just saying, "I love you." And I thought of something. He keeps me balanced. He keeps me leveled. And I do the same for him. He registers for classes now. He shows up to places on time (mostly). He calls when he is going to be late. I stop and admire sunflowers, even when I need to be doing other things. I am more patient with people.
There is my sappy "I miss my husband, and can't wait to be with him again" post.

i LOVE my family.

The past few days have been a little rough going, and I just need to give a little shout-out to my family of lifesavers. Any situation that arises, I know I have a team of supporters there to rally around me and make me feel like a million bucks. Ever since I can remember, all I had to do was say the word, and I have a flood of phone calls and emails and voice mails and cards helping me get through any tough time, or to tell me that I had done a great job. I remember a day that I had had a disagreement with a boyfriend, and I was telling my mom about it. Not five minutes later, my brother had called me and invited me to have a bbq with him and Hannah, and they just spent the next 5 hours telling me how wonderful I am. I am terrified that now I will be moving even further from them, and that those nights will become less frequent, and more far between.
They really are the best. I can only hope that I can be that kind of friend and support to them.
Christian is so lucky to have married into the most wonderful family on this side of the moon. I may be a little biased, though.



And it wouldn't be complete without a tribute to my "new" family, who has welcomed me in with open arms. I have become such great friends with the girls, and have such a great time with them. How many could be boring fridays have been spent at the dollar theaters, giggling the afternoon away at the latest and greatest new chick flick? And Ethan, of course, has been my hero. He is the greatest brother in law ever. And, I like to think, my friend too. I have learned so much since joining th family, from What Not to Wear to where to put the silverware! Its been a wild ride, but we will miss you guys so much!

Movin' on Up!

Ever have those moments where you realize how much your life is changing and yet feel totally unprepared for it? Yeah? Me too. Like right now. Christian has been accepted to Utah State University, which is SO great! I am so proud of him. Want to know where it is located? Logan. 100 miles NORTH of where we are now. Negative 659,354 degrees in the winter. Seriously. There is no Target in the general area. General area being within like 50 miles. I have quit my job (which is really a good thing) and am actively seeking a new one up there. Big change. I have had this job for about 2 years, and have grown accustomed to the day to day ins and outs of a slow, small business office. I interviewed for a position yesterday that I feel is WAY out of my comfort zone, and to be honest, don't feel real great about. But hey, girl's gotta work. My wonderful and talented hubby has landed the ideal job for himself at a bike shop in Logan, real close to the school. Doing what he loves, building bikes. We are trying to sell a car, a bike, a couch, our washer/dryer, etc. I just feel so OVERWHELMED. which, to be honest, isn't real great for me. I have been going to physical therapy for the past month or so to help my back, but that has taken a "back" seat to the stresses of life. So I as I sit here, typing away on the trusty ol' work computer, I am hopped up on Ibuprofen and dreading my visit to pt today to have her drill me on my lack on dedication. I know, I know. Really.
Tonight, I am hoping for a little R and R with my husband, a chance to unwind and remember why life is changing and how great it will be to go through it all with the man that I love now, and forever.
P.S. I can't wait to visit California. Really. I need it.

Mamma Mia!

I'm a day late, but I am within the week, so I think I'm still okay.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I (we) love you sooo much and are so grateful for all you do. I hope you get to celebrate sometime with Dad this weekend, and that you guys have lots of fun. You deserve it!

P.S. I would have included a picture, but Christian has the wedding cd, so I don't have any here at work.

P.P.S. When are you coming out to visit again?! I miss you already.

Forgetful

PPS.
Another great surprise? The set of scriptures My Wonderful Husband gifted me with. With My name engraved on them. I am now officially Lisa Niederhauser in heaven.

22

This is pretty much how I spent my 22nd B Day. Large and in charge. My husband out did himself, yet again. Totally surprised me. Not a small feat, even for the trickiest of tricksters. I started pestering him the end of June. A month before the BIG DAY. I tried asking sweetly, I tried guilting him into telling me, I tried pestering him, I did it all. To no avail. All I knew was that I had to keep the night of the 23rd and the 24th open. So he gets home on the 23rd, whips out a suitcase, and tells me to pack. SWEET! We spent the evening up at the resort at Snowbird, swimming, watching movies, and eating Cafe Rio as much as our little hearts desired. It was awesome. Morning comes, and I was SO excited for a birthday, that I jumped out of bed at 7:30, and poor Christian had to follow suit. Selfish? yes. Just like any true Birthday Girl. So, we had breakfast at this breakfast buffet place there (I cannot make decisions, even at 22), then PLAYED all day. There is a wicked zipline that goes down the mountain, and yes it IS as sweet as it sounds. Careful on the unload though, its a doozy. The alpine slide is pretty sweet. It was a good time to be had by all. Seriously, the more i think about it, the more i LOVE my husband. He knows me better than I know myself.

After, we were pooped, so we went home and SLEPT. However, all was not lost, the day was still filled with surprises. Went to dinner (one word... YUM) then to his parents house to chill with the sisters and brother in law. LOVE them. I bought PS I love You on DVD, and we had quite the movie night; filled with candy, pizza, laughter, and love.

My mom and little brother were in town as well, so Friday I got to partay with them all day. It was sooo fun! Friday night, my mom and I had a girls night and went shopping, then to see Mamma Mia. WOO HOO!!! I loved it. Even with the crazy mean lady sitting next to me. Ahhh...

And it continues... Sunday night was my final celebration with Christians parents. Lots of yummy food, presents (:)) and fun.

I'm exhausted.

P.S. I now have a giant X on my back in heavy duty tape keeping me from being a hunch back. Thank you, physical therapy. You are making this body a better place for me to live. Ow.

Be Nice To Me, It's My Birthday

Yes, that IS a real cake. 

Pedal Pusher

Ain't she a beauty? Who would have thought, that one day I would become a biker chick?! But really, with a ride as sweet as this little lady, I can't help it!! My wonderful husband had finally convinced me about a month ago that getting a bike would be a worthwhile investment for us. He gets some pretty awesome deals at the bike shop where he spends his afternoons, and it will help me (hopefully) get into better shape. Plus, I had been feeling a little guilty that whenever someone would ask us what our hobbies were, I would reply with, "Each other". Plus Christian SO loves to bike, and I SO love him. The process of picking out this darling was a long and drawn out one, but well worth it. This was the first set of wheels I tried, and became attached. Of course, I picked out the one that is POUT OF STOCK until July. Wonderful Husband then tried to sell me on a few others, but I loved the seat on this one, and wasn't about to budge. Girls gotta protect her assets. :)
Given my track record, I can see how people might be a little skeptical of my biking abilities. I mean, I'm a shopping, sit-on-my-heinie-and-watch-the-world-go-by kind of gal. My own mother even said, "Do you enjoy to bike?" when I told her. I'll have you, the blogging world, know that I have been out there EVERY DAY since I got the thing. I even used it last night to go run errands. And I didn't even have to walk the bike up hills. I'm a regular cruiser.

Cheese

The above subject has been on my mind lately. Not because I crave it, but because i dread it. I can't stand cheese. Any kind, really. Except that macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite foods. So fake cheese is tolerable. Preferred, actually. I know I am a minority. I don't expect people to bend over backwards with this crazy fetish. Most of my life, this crazy dislike of cheese has been easy to work around. My family knows that I don't do cheese. However, I have realized over the past... oh, say 6 MONTHS or so, I have new family. They are cheese people. Which creates a problem for my "fly under the radar" policy I try to keep at other people homes. This brings us to Sunday evening. There was a 4th of July feast to be had at a member of Christians extended family's house. MMMMM, free food, right? SCORE. Hamburgers. Double score. At that point in the evening, I could honestly feel my stomach rejoicing. I sit at the table, salivating. Oh, DANG. CHEESEburgers. All of them. I look at Christian, panicked. His first thought was, Just take it off. Okay, I can work with that. Still flying under the radar. No one has noticed that I am a tad slower to dig in than the others. Red Flag. Cheese will NOT come off. The bun is crumbling. By this point people are looking at me. ugh. luckily, I have a wonderful husband that loves me despite my dislike of all condiments except mayo, which I LOVE, my hatred of cheese, etc. He was peeling off his cheese this whole time, which was a bit easier to remove. So I ended up with two top buns (insert The Office joke... THATS WHAT SHE SAID) and a patty. And just a slightly tarnished reputation. All for a cheeseless hamburger.
Happy day of freedom and fireworks.

P.S. The actual day of the 4th was glorious. And the days surrounding it. Its been hard to come back to reality. I will post pictures and stories when I can look back without feeling sad to be done.

HMS

Not to Be confused with HSM (High School Musical, which I LOVE)

I was blog-hopping today, and ran across this. I found it incredible validating and true.
Please, do not be offended.

I had a conversation with a friend today about what I will deem "hot mom syndrome" or "HMS"Maybe it is my five years living in UTAH, (aka capital of all things hot mom) but I am starting to feel an unseen pressure to be a "HM." Problem is, I don't even have children. *Disclaimer - if you are offended, I'm sorry.*

Now we all know what a "HM" consists of. Bleach blonde hair or possibly jet black - bonus points for extensions. Incredibly fake (but "hot") tan. Synthetic breasts. Ceramic nails. Thin body courtesy of the 3+ hours a day of exercise combined with the "Don't eat" diet. Perfectly arranged and in fashion outfits topped off with the wedge heels and plethora of silver jewelry. Full out Mac makeup job on a daily basis. Driving around in a black SUV complete with 3 children, under 3, all in car seats.

I'm curious as to if anyone else is starting to feel like this the NORM. Don't get me wrong, I fully endorse not "letting yourself go" post-child, but it is odd to me how it is almost standard in a lot of our community cultures. In addition, as appealing a goal as it sometimes seems to me - I honestly don't comprehend how any woman (even WITHOUT 3 kids) can ever keep it up. It is a burden even NOW for me to put on makeup daily. And hair? Ya, I never do that. Not to mention HOW DO THEY AFFORD IT? Much less find the time to keep it up.

It takes a lot of work/dough to be able to keep up that bleach and that tan.

I'm just curious as to if anyone else has noticed this phenomenon. Is it limited to the Utah/Arizona/California areas? Is it related to the LDS culture? Do you know someone like this? How do they do it? Do you want to be a self titled "hot mom"?

Just curious.
Oh and if anyone is wondering, I fully plan to wear seasonal sweatshirts and gain 20 lbs post-3rd child.

PS My mom is beautiful.

Word.

Another day. Another post.

1. Where is your cell phone? desk

2. Your significant other? Christian

3. Your hair? short

4. Your mother? fun

5. Your father? kind

6. Your favorite thing? christian

7. Your dream last night? dunno

8. Your favorite drink? coke

9. Your dream/goal? happiness

10. The room you're in? work

11. Your children? heaven

12. Your fear? ants

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? ELSEWHERE

14. Where were you last night? BBQ

15. What you're not? busy!

16. Muffins? chocolate

17. One of your wish list items? California

18. Where you grew up? california

19. What you read last. emails

20. What are you wearing? black

21. Your TV? off

22. Your pets? smelly.

23. Your computer? slow

24. Your life? fabulous

25. Your mood? anxious

26. Missing someone? Christian

27. Your car? sad

28. Something you're not wearing? socks

29. Favorite Store? Target

30. Your summer? Warm

31. Like someone? friends

32. Your favorite color? Green

33. Last time you laughed? today

34. Last time you cried? commercial

This is the Start of Something Good!

One thing about living in Utah is the lack of friends/ family. I mean, I haven't even seen Sex and the City yet. And its been out for 3 DAYS!! I refuse to go by myself. And I can't seem to drag Christian to go see the tribute to all things girly and pink. You'd think he would want to see all of those fabulous clothes and pink cosmos, but it just ain't gunna happen.
So imagine my joy when i stroll into work this morning and see that my BEST BEST BEST BEST girlfriend from California has planned an extended weekend stay in OUR BASEMENT (yay for 2 bedroom apartments!). I almost died. I am thrilled, as you can probably tell by the sheer number of BIG LETTERS int his post. And she is going to be here over the 4th or July, which is a huge culture shock for me over here. I am not used to the minute by minute packed excitement for the day. Give me a BBQ and some poppers and I'm feeling patriotic. Her bargaining point was that I am not required to run (HAHA who are we kidding, walk) a 5K in the morning. Fair enough. They are our all time favorite couple. Its totally worth it. Plus, then I get bragging rights.
I am so grateful for the sacrifice they are making to come out here. We all know gas isn't a joke these days. It'll kill ya. And she is going to be spending her 22nd Birthday here. Come on, ice cream cake!!! I am already getting a stash of fun gifts for her, and have been for months. It will be the fiesta to end all fiestaaas!!!

The countdown has begun... 1 MONTH AWAY!!!

Oh, my, GOSH!!!

A BIIIG happy birthday wish to Christians sister, my (wonderful, charming, lovely, talented) sister-in-law, Sarah! Sarah is turning 21 this month, and we got to celebrate it with her last night. We had such a fun time eating dinner and having cake. Later this month she is going to Japan, and we are soooo excited for her. Seriously. It will be wicked awesome!! :)
WE LOVE YOU SARAH!!!!

P.S. I will be posting soon on all of our other weekend activities. It was a great weekend!

Getting to know yooouuuu....

ABC Tag "getting to know you". Each player then tags 3 people.

A- Attached or single: Attached. Married. Ha Ha, that's still funny to say.

B- Best Friend: Well, there are two. Depends on the purpose. Christian, of course. But then, there is Kimi. World's Best Best Friend.

C-Cake or Pie:Ice Cream Cake.

D-Day: Friday. And Saturday too, but only if Christian doesn't work at the bike shop.

E- Essential Item: Chapstick.

F- Favorite Color: to wear? Blue and black. In general? Green.

G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms.

H-Hometown: Pleasanton, CA.

I- Indulgences: Ice Cream.

J- January or July?: July. Summer, my birthday, Kimi's Birthday.

K-Kids: 0

L-Life is incomplete without: Christian, My family, sunshine, Kimi and co.

M- Marriage Date: January 5, 2008.

N- Number of Siblings: 3 and 4 siblings in law.

O- Oranges or Apples: Mandarin Oranges.

P- Phobias or Fears: Heights. Snakes. Creepy Crawly Things. SNOW.

Q- Quote: "I DON'T want to talk about it!!"

R- Reason To Smile: Summer is on its WAY!! My family is in town! Baby Michael is here!

S- Season: Spring. There is hope for warmer weather in Spring!

T- Tag Three: Everyone that reads this!!

U- Unknown Fact About Me: Well, apparently I talk too much, because I can't think of anything.

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Oppressor. I love meat! I can't live without it

W- Worst Habit: I talk too much. I'm impatient. I bite my nails. I have too many bad habits.

X-Rays or Ultrasounds: umm... neither?

Y-Your favorite food: Ice Cream.

Z: Zodiac Sign: Leo.

I must be bored at work today.

Sad, but true

My wonderful husband has decided to leave me for the dusty trails of Moab for a weekend. Which is great, becuase he LOVES to bike, and LOVES Moab. However, I do not LOVE being without him. He left last night around 6:30, and after eating a healthy dinner of pizza and kool-aid, I drove around for an hour and a half to keep from being at home by myself. I then played solitare for 2 hours, then finished a book and finally crashed at 1:00 am. Whew. One night down. I know this sounds silly, but I never thought I could miss someone so much, when they are gone for such little tme. He truly is my better half. I realised this morning as I was driving to work just how perfect he is for me. Since he is the only reader of our blog, I will list the (David Letterman)

TOP TEN REASONS I LOVE MY HUSBAND

1. He sings to me. Whether its in the shower, while he is doing dishes, he is singing to me.

2. He is happy when I get to talk to my family or best friends on the phone, even when I talk for hours at a time. :)

3. As much as he loves hard biking, he loves when I come along and we only get about 1/2 mile away before my tush starts to hurt and we go back.

4. He does mornings REALLY WELL. Everyday (mostly) he gets up when I do, sometimes before I do, so that he can make me a smoothie, toast, a yummy lunch, and to warm up my car while I am getting ready. Oh, and he sings to me while doing it all.

5. He is a really nice guy. In the every meaning of the word.

6. He loves nothing more than to make me happy.

7. He was okay with the fact that last night, at 10:30 at night, I bought us two tickets to visit CA next weekend.

8. He tells me everyday how much he loves me and how lucky he is to have me.

9. All of a sudden, the little things in life are really really fun.

10. He is my very best friend, and loves me for who I am and for who we will become together.

I love you Sweetie-Pie!! Come home SOOOOOON! (We are out of ice-cream AND pizza!!! HELP!) :)

The "Fix-It-Up-Chappy"

I have never claimed to be handy, or even knowledgeable when it comes to fixing small repairs. So this weekend, when I hear a powerful gushing of *HOT* water coming from our kitchen sink, I felt fear surge from every part of my body. Seriously. There I was, minding my own business, when the hot water pipe decides to burst and hot water is streaming into our kitchen. LUCKILY, we got an overwhelming supply of towels for our wedding, so I threw those down real fast. The water was faster. I frantically called Christian, demanding him to come home NOW. Like the wonderful, devoted husband he is, he came home. HOWEVER, I still have about a half our to kill before he got there, and our old, funny, incapable landlord above us wasn't home. Not that he would have helped anyways. So what does any newly married girl do? Call their Dad. :) He tells me to go look around the house for the main water shut off. Picture this... this maniac girl, (who decided to work out the other day for the first time in a long time, so she was very sore) running/hobbling all around the exterior of the house in my PJ's turning every nozzle I can find, while talking on my phone. So after about 10 minutes of that, and realizing that, no, I can't fix anything on my own, I decide that I need to move ALL of the furniture in our kitchen, as to keep in away from the massive amounts of water that is now filling up most of our kitchen.
I can't do much, but I can move food. By the time this was done, my hero came home, turned off the water (by this time, it had turned cold), and began to clean it all up. While I watched and just LAUGHED. Because by this point I realised that the whole situation was pretty amusing. Christian then fixed the busted tube as I went shopping. Then he put everything back and cleaned it all up, while I slept in the next morning.

Love that guy.

oh p.s. I had JUST cleaned out house, moment before the geyser. MOMENTS. SCRUBBED.

The Destruction of Spring

A most toublesome event took place yesterday. As you know, we have many precious desserts in our home. I won't list them, because Lisa has already done so in her last post. But one dessert that I must mention is the Spring Cake with Strawberry frosting. Lisa and I made it to celebrate the arrival of spring! However, we recently went shopping at Costco and our fridge is now packed to capacity. The cake was taking up much of the room. We had to throw it out. It was a very difficult decision. It was either the Cake or the Banana Cream Pie, which happened to be the better tasting of the two. But it was sad since we spent a good amout of time and fun creating our Spring Sensation! I'm really not this dramatic about food. But we had hardly dented the cake before it was chucked! So I have every right to be upset about it! I can't wait for Lisa to read this post. She will get a kick out of it for sure!

Everyone has to grow up...

Easter candy has always brought joy to my heart. The moment that Valentines day is over, I rush to Target and load up on all of the Reeses eggs my little heart desires. I then proceed to eat them all that evening while watching a girlie movie, and then blissfully sleep the stomach ache away. Not this year. This year, the Reeses eggs are STILL in their wrapper, sitting on the pantry shelf, neglected. Along with the banana cream pie, the strawberry cake, the Sees easter candy, the ice cream, and last but not least, the frozen cookie dough in the freezer. I have no interest in eating anything resembling chocolate. I never thought I would see the day...

Oh wait. Do Girl Scout cookies count? Because I have totally been nibbling on those for the past 3 hours...

More Michael fun!

Ta- daaa!!! I think I am finally getting the hang of this blogging thing. Posting pictures, at least. Here is the little man. My mom has been in town since friday, and I was able to spend most of the weekend with them down in provo. Christian was even able to join us on Sunday! It was so much fun getting together with my family and enjoying each others company. Ill try to find some pictures of all of us.

Michael James Schott!

The big man has arrived! My brother Eric, and his wife, Hannah, welcomed the first grandchild/nephew of the family yesterday. Michael James Schott was born at 1:10 pm on March 5, 2008. We got to meet him last night and let me tell you, he is the most perfect baby in the world. I might be a little biased though. :)
I will have to post pictures a little later, for some reason I can't right now.

We Have Arrived!!!

Well, we have jumped on the bandwagon of blogging! I hope one day to have something exciting to put on here, but for new I will just try to figure this thing out!