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!!!