mr & mrs richards

how to be a murkin

2012-02-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

A year and a half ago I was granted the "privilege" of becoming a permanent resident of the United States of America. I had to get my fingerprints taken and get asked a lot of questions by some man in a little office. I also had to fork over a lot of dough and fill out multiple, MULTIPLE forms. I stressed for a loooong time and was sure I was not going to pass my interview because I had worked in the USA getting paid under the table for a while (don't tattle on me please.) and I was positive they had spies on me and that I was sooo busted.

Obviously none of this happened cause here I am.

And now my conditional status is up in June and I have to renew. (When you get a Green Card through marriage you are placed on conditional status for 2 years, and then you have to prove that you are still married and living with your spouse and love each other, bla bla bla. Then in another year you can get your US citizenship, which includes denouncing any loyalties to any countries you used to be a citizen of. Not cool.)

In June 2013, if I so choose, I can apply for US citizenship. Basically what this will do for me is: (quoted from here)
- I can vote
- I get priority for bringing family members into the country
- A child born to a US citizen is automatically a US citizen
- A US passport gives me assistance from the US government when overseas
- I would be eligible for Federal jobs
- I could become an elected official! My dream come true.
And last but not least...
- I would be showing my patriotism

WOOHOO. sweet benefits right? (note slight sarcasm) I am still debating if it is worth denouncing my Canadian allegiance. Anyone who knows me at all, (especially acquaintances from my BYU-Hawaii days) they know how much I love Canada. But this June is something I cannot avoid. Oh, US Government, how long will you suck my funds for your pleasure? It's clearly not helping you get out of debt. Plus Obama isn't even REALLY american, so why doesn't he have pity on us immigrants?

Application to Register Permanent Residence, Form I-485: $985
Biometrics Fee: $85
Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765: $380
Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence, Form I-751: $505
Biometrics Fee: $85
Application for Naturalization, Form N-400: $595
Biometrics Fee: $85

True Love: Priceless
(cough cough, I mean $2720 freaking bones. ridiculous!)

I need a vacation.

2012-02-07T09:21:00.001-08:00

To somewhere warm. Where I can sleep in and then drag my butt to the poolside eating a bowl of shredded wheat with a plethora of fresh fruit and a drizzle of sugar. Then I want to lounge by the pool for the majority of the day, only moving to pee or cool off in the pool. Maybe these are some of the things open in my browser right now:

disneyland vacation packages?
california map?
flight confirmations?

I'm dying here! Even though the weather here in Boise is much sunnier and warmer than usual, May cannot come soon enough. Then it's off to Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. Until then I will just try to survive the next 3 months.

Oh and I will also try not to die on our roadtrip because I am going to be 7 months prego. Don't try and tell me it's a bad idea to go though cause I am going no matter what!

revolution

2012-01-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

Blake keeps telling me I am a selfish blogger because I never blog, but expect everyone else to blog. HELLO BLAKE, I am a busy girl. Plus I have nothing to blog about, I tell him. And I still don't. I don't even know why I do these "courtesy posts" because it's not really a courtesy to anyone, more just a waste of time. But I DID just polish off a diet coke and the better part of a bag of popcorn. Here's hoping I don't gain 50 pounds being pregnant.

I have decided (a little late) that my new years resolution is to

MORE

ORGANIZED

(I can't do the usual "get fit" resolution because growing a baby, how much hard core muscle toning can you do right?)

Getting Organized is a BIG LIST. It includes:
Cleaning out my itunes, and getting some new stuff on there
Cleaning out iphoto
Sorting through pictures, start TAKING pictures, printing pictures so baby will have a decent scrapbook
organize meals, including freezer meals
make a recipe book with most used recipes
fix up my blog
learn to use adobe illustrator so I can make my own cute stuff
make a detailed calendar (even though our lives don't have much going on) incluuuuding SCRIPTURE STUDY and prayer (I am so so bad at this)
be better with finances- get on a budget, save save save! (aka cut up my credit cards! except my gap card of course)
finish a few sewing projects and make some baby things
get on an exercise regiment, complete with prenatal yoga (and running in July- I'm planning on doing a half marathon in November/December... is this a lofty goal?)
learn all i can about my beebs before he/she gets here!
oh and also organize and plan my babymoon! (hopefully I'll remember to post on this later because I am so excited about it.)

So as you can see I've got my hands full. My to-do list just keeps getting longer and longer. My work week just went down from 53 hours a week to 34 though, so I think I will survive. And I was inspired by this talk- a goal a month Pres. Monson? I can do that. I love you all and thanks for sticking with me!

kinda funny...

2011-12-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

It's kinda funny how my expectancies of life have changed. I used to really want to be a career woman. I wanted a job with the forest service or fish and game. I wanted to spend my days out in the field, writing down population densities of elk and deer and writing papers on research I had conducted. I was ready to go back to school and so dedicated to graduating with a bachelors degree. That's all I wanted, was to be smart and "successful." and how I measured success was by how smart I was and how hard I was working. Then October came. I got tired, my classes got less interesting (or thats how I perceived them). I just wanted to hang out with my family and skip school and do stuff I love.
Then on October 14th, I found out I was pregnant! my initial reaction:

Obviously excited. Then, of course, the reality set in. My perfect life with just me and my husband, our comfortable financial status, my healthy non-pregnant body, my baby-less future for at least 2 more years... all gone! Since then, I have had many meltdowns. And I've realized that I have never been 100% positive of anything in my life. Even the morning before marrying Blake I had a meltdown. While I sat by the toilet at Blake's parents house because I swore I was going to throw up from nervousness...

Blake: "Do you still want to marry me?"

Me (between sobs and tears): "I don't know!"

Looking back at that, I am such a drama queen. I told Blake the other night (after one particularly depressing meltdown) that if I totally screw up in this life and am a complete failure, at least I married a really nice guy.

And I stand by that! I don't need to be 100% for sure, dead set on any life plan. Because I've realized that if I'm being a good girl and doing what I'm supposed to, and if I have faith, it's all gunna happen for me, and I'll be happy. The future is as bright as your faith.

(I think that's why this baby had to be un-planned, because I don't think I ever would have had the guts to start "trying" for a baby by myself.) YES, life will be hard. YES, I'm still going to get stressed out and worry about making ends meet, and making sure that my husband and I still love each other. YES, I am always going to want to move back to Canada. (just to clarify!) But I'm learning to find joy in the journey. And to tie in my initial thought, I just started a new nanny job working from 7am to 6pm, and it kinda breaks my heart seeing this mom spend such little time with her kids. Now all I want to do is be a mama! Forget working long days and only seeing my babies to wake them up and tuck them in, I want to be a big part in their lives as much as I can. Until then, I'll just keep growing my little peach and try to stay positive. Merry Christmas!

13 weeks, I swear it looks bigger than it is!

Mumsy and Maxi

2011-10-27T21:45:00.001-07:00

My mom and max came to visit! It was so great to have them stay with us, even if our "guest bedroom" is in a bit of a transitional phase. Thanks for putting up with the clutter!
We shopped shopped shopped and shopped. My mom loves to shop when she comes to the USA! It just about wiped me out! We also had a football day Saturday. With the bsu game in the afternoon and Aden's championship game in the evening. Aden's game was intense! Sure they are only grade sixers, but it was a triple overtime and I couldn't help getting off my seat and hootin and hollerin for the home team. Oh they won by the way.

Also we bought a neeeeeeeew car!!
(say it like we just won it on the price is right) It's a Subaru forester. We are pretty excited. Aw how cute our first car together!

So how do you like them apples? Back in the blogging town now that I have this app on my iPhone! Enjoy my glorious return!

No bloggy

2011-10-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I don't blog. We don't have internet yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Then I will tell you all about blake's birthday, the delicious cake I made from scratch (I really enjoy baking), our move, our new house, school endeavors, and various other exciting things. Like how I am starving right now.

Emergency Preparedness

2011-09-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Blake has really been complaining a lot lately that I spend too much time on pinterest and not enough time blogging.
"It just doesn't replace blogging." He says.
And he says he likes to have something to read.
So today in institute we talked about some emergency preparedness. I have a break until 12:15 so here I am blogging about it.
I then got on Pinterest (blogging and pinterest, unite!) and found a website with some tips on how to get it started with a week by week basis. So you don't break the bank :)

Week 1: Obtain a suitable 72-hour kit container (backpack, duffel bag, garbage can with lid). Make sure you have one kit for every member of your family, even children. (If you have a baby/child in diapers, buy an extra pack this week)

Week 2- Check the batteries in your smoke detector

Week 3- Place a flashlight next to your bed and one in an alternate location; check batteries on both of them.

Week 4- Add 1 1/2 gallons of water per person in your family to 72-hour kit.

Week 5- Add $10 cash to 72 hour kit. (The smaller the bills, the better!)

Week 6- Add a can opener to 72-hour kit.

Week 7- Add 2 cans tuna fish/canned meat to 72-hour kit.

Week 8- Add 1 large roll of paper towels to 72-hour kit.

Week 9- Add 1 blanket to 72 hour kit.

Week 10- Add $10 cash to 72-hour kit.

Week 11-Add 4 rolls of toilet paper to 72 hour kit

Week 12- Add 1 bar of soap to 72-hour kit.

There you have it. and here is a link for 72- hour kits. I know I'm gunna print this off and DO IT!

Stanley

2011-08-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Stanley is about 3 hours from Boise. It is like Waterton, but not quite as mountainous. And the mountains are pooooointy. That is why they are called the Sawtooths. It is sweet here.

rest stop for huckleberry milkshakes

pontoon boat transportation method

fish hatchery tour

chinkook salmon ready for spawning. hubba hubba!

dam.

fish ladder.

havin a rest at stanley lake

me and the sawtooths, Mt McGowen which I will climb someday

after an attempt at fishing the salmon river

breakfast of champions! donuts and chocolate milk!

This trip made me like Idaho a little more. Also it inspired me to volunteer with a salmon spawning in Riggins (3 hours north of Boise). I just can't wait to be done with school and working at stuff I love!

someone is giving away.

2011-08-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

check out the giveaway at this blog. check it out. I swear I WILL win on one of these things... someday...

on a side note, I WILL start blogging more. maybe.. ha. my life is just too full for blogging! We went to Stanley, ID this weekend. what do you know, Idaho has REAL mountains. I was in awe. post to come, I SWEAR.

Waterton-Glacier Relay

2011-07-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is why I haven't showered since Sunday. I sat on the couch all day yesterday putting this together, only for it to reach 2:45 and me not having enough time to shower and be to work at 3:00. I don't even mind though, cause it turned out great!

AWOL

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

So I realize I haven't blogged in over a month. Between my trip to Canada and working and pinterest (and that is literally all...) I just haven't cared to blog much. But FEAR NOT! I am back on the blogging train full-force...

But I'm not doing a Canada post. So stay tuned for some good shiz. In the meantime, enjoy this good shiz. I love Canada and this is one reason why.

Jezebel

papa squat

2011-06-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Supportive of any and everything his children choose to do. Even when I chose to move to Idaho and marry Blake, he told me to do what made me happy. Always just looking out for his kiddos.
Cute. Always kisses mom in the kitchen and ALWAYS tells his family he loves them.
Owl. He has probably used owl feathers in his internationally known fishing flies.
Thinker. My dadio is very smart. Knows big words, how to do math problems, and knows a lot about plants, fish, animals, and nature in general.
Thoughtful. I googled my dads name along with the word "fly" and found this:
http://www.castingforrecovery.com/grass_roots_supporters.htm
click on the link by his name and read the letter he wrote to this organization. it made me tear up.

Easy going. My dad loves the outdoors. I love hiking with him because his pace is one that enables you to take in all the beauty of the earth. Optimal pace for bonding with family and nature.
Reel. Fly fishing reel that is.
Importance of work. My dad has always been a great example of fairness in marriage. My mom isn't a big cook, but my dad picks up that end. My mom likes to do yard work, so sometimes my dad cleans up the kitchen for her. He is always working hard and has passed on a love and knowledge of importance of work to me.
Clearly I am his favorite. One time, my dad wanted to go to Waterton for the weekend. Noone wanted to go except me. And since that day, I will always be his favorite.
Kids. Dad has always stressed the importance of family bonding time. We would go on family vacation, and everyone was coming, and no friends were invited. That's just the way it was. It forced us siblings to spend time together and although we wanted to kill each other at times, it taught us to have fun together. I still cherish our family vacations and appreciate the time and effort my parents put into planning these trips.
Sings. My dad has also passed on a love of music to me. Most people I have ran into through my travels think I have just the strangest, widest variety of music that I love. I owe this to him and him taking me to his LA Jazz choir practices, listening to Rankin family and manhattan transfer on the way to vegas, going to music festivals with him, and him playing celtic music on sunday mornings.
Old? NO! This guy is so young at heart. He loves to tell jokes, make the fish he catches talk, and hang out with the kids. And although he may not be able to keep up with the Dudleys as far as CRAZY goes, he knows how to have a good time, and he's hilarious! if you can get everyone to be quiet long enough to listen to him, that is. :)
Never lets his children slack. Which I appreciate! My Dad has always made his kids hold up their end of deals. Never let us get away with much. You be lippy to mom, you are gunna get a serious talking to. You borrow money, you are going to pay it back. Late for curfew? You better hurry your butt home or you are going to lose some privileges, boy! I appreciate this strictness SO MUCH now in my life, and I hope I can be as good a parent (some day) as my daddy is.

Love you Dad! See you on Friday!

can't we all just get along?

2011-06-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

It is hard to discuss ideas. The world has been around for a while and there have been people on it for a LONG TIME, so a lot of ideas have already been taken. It's easy to discuss events, but hard to NOT discuss the people in these events. I have a small mind. I talk about people, how annoying it is when people are late, when people are rude at work, when road-bikers are in the middle of the road (see, i'm doing it now.) but from HENCEFORTH I am going to try harder to be a nice person. I am going to embrace differences. Embrace that we are not all just a cookie-cutter version of someone else. Embrace that maybe some people like to dip their pb&j in milk before they eat it. (me, cough cough) I am going to be patient, and help teach. I am going to compliment my peers. Tell them how nice they look or how great a job they're doing. I am going to make people smile.

it's a birthday, shee?!

2011-06-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

(if you are wondering where that title came from and how you should say it, watch this)

My birthday was awesome. I honestly have the most thoughtful, sweetest husband EVER. he takes my subtle hints and knows how to please a girl. I am a firm believer in multiple day birthday celebrations. your birthday is on a sunday this year? have no fear, cause saturday is your day too, baby! thursday birthday blues? it's a-okay cause you get friday too! Monday workday no-funday? (which in my case it was) ain't no thang! slap on a saturday sunday and you're raring to go!

So saturday we decided to go fishing and get sammiches. we tried a new sammich shop, Uncle Guiseppe's. so good. the cutest Italian straight fom new york, with the brooklyn accent and everything, took great care of us. "the difference of us is, we care about our customers. We care if you like it." so that was a great experience. At about high-noon, we took off fishing. Why did we go fishing at high noon? Because I wanted to, DANG IT! we didn't catch a bite and one time I got real excited cause I thought i did get a bite but turns out i just got snagged on the bottom. que sera sera. We gave up and took a walk by the river with Annie.

she chased ducks.

she be'd cute.

we be'd cute.

Annie even swam for the first time on her own. I will try and post a vid cause its awesome.

Sunday was a little dinner with the Richards family, and strawberry cheescake from the Cheesecake Factory! (see what I mean about a good husband?) I will have to show you my watch. it's pretty cool. MONDAY! THE BIRTHDAY! Woke up to this:

And check out this excellent card from Blake's Grandpa Pete:

so we were changing the sheets!

He always hand-makes cards on his computer. It's my favorite part of any holiday!

It was the greatest day. My love took me to Tucano's (first timer... SO GOOD! we ate ourselves sick. literally.) and to see X-men. ALSO SO GOOD. I love a good superhero flick. I also just ordered my birthday gifts...

I have been wanting a new suit FOREVS. thanks j.crew for being on sale.

don't judge me!

Thanks for the good time 21, and helloooooo 22!

the weekend report

2011-05-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, I would use my "agenda" (those calendar thingys they always gave you each year) as a journal. I wrote down what I did every day, complete with drawings of what I wore that day (yes seriously.) Just another clever way to pass the time in math or chem I suppose. Tina and I started a little something called the weekend report, and I shall reincarnate it here, today.

Tim and Kara went out of town this weekend to Disneyland for their Tatym's 12th birthday. Blake and I spent the weekend taking care of Josh (10) Piper (7) and Cooper (2). We attended the end-of-year carnival at the school, went garage-sale-ing, had a picnic (in honor of May Long) and went to a ward party... luau themed! I love these kids to death.

coops having a little jump-time

pick nick time

my favorite little pyscho

I also became part of the Cherokee tribe when I completed my walkabout and received the ceremonial feathers in my hair.

the ceremonial braid

a betta view... you likey?!

And check this haul! I love garage sales! (and did a good job at avoiding buying more junk, if I do say so myself)

versace

smith

Smith Sunglasses: $5
Versace (made in Italy, not Cambodia) Sunglasses: $5
Camelbak: $3
Old School Thermos: $2
Eat, Pray, Love Book: $1
Spyder Ski Pants (not pictured): $5
Total: $21
HOLLA!

We ended the weekend/began the week with an exquisite sunday dinner... t-bone steak! I haven't had such a delicious meal in all my married years. THAT IS NO LIE! it was so freaking good!

a little innovation... 2 rubbermates stacked on top off each
other and an piece of fabric tablecloth. classy

oh hey cute thing

AAAAAAW YEAAAAAH!!

And Annie cleared our plates for us. Such a good weekend!

youtube monday.

2011-05-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

watch this. when I watch it I think of the good ol' days. My dad's old chinese boss showed him this. So that makes it funny too (no disrespect meant!)

the great iPad debate

2011-05-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

It all started while we were grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. We often browse the electronics section to see if the TV mounts are on sale or if the $5 movie bin has anything to offer us. This time, I was looking at the new fancy "3DS." A 3D gameboy! what the!?
"Blake, I want a gameboy for my birthday." I told him. (15% joking, 85% serious)
"Seriously Jessica?"
"yes! for trips to Canada! so I can play tetris and not get bored outta my tree!"
"well if we're going to get a gameboy why not just get an iPad?"

nuh uh gurlfriend! ain't no ipads in THIS house!

That is when the word first TRULY entered our home. After that, Blake would spend his evenings googling the great things iPads can do, and searching the App store for anything he could use as leverage to convince me to buy one.

"Nope," I would say, "an iPad is something you have to earn in life. There are plenty of other, better, SMARTER things to spend that amount of money on. Let's put that money towards my student loans! Now THAT is a good idea. And besides, you can't always get everything you want. Not to mention we don't NEED one!"

(my arguments are obviously never any good because a lot of the time we both get exactly what we want.)

so the days go on, Blake continues to drop the subtle hints that an iPad would make life easier, better.
Nope nope nope was the only reply. We are going to Vegas, we are lucky and spoiled, we DON'T NEED AN IPAD!

Enter the scene: We have arrived in Vegas. I am excited, Blake is excited. It is his first time here. We do not own a camera to document our trip. This makes me sad. We need to go buy a cheap cheap camera so we can take pictures of our trip, I say. So we stop at Best Buy. While I am looking at cameras, Blake heads over to the (wait for it...) iPad section! I call him over, he approves the camera choice (a Canon obviously) and he drops the cash for my new little baby (thanks darling!). I assume we are home free! Okay, lets go now! The strip awaits!
"Jess, come look at this." Over to the iPad section he goes, wife in tow. He proceeds to explain some really neat and amazing things about the iPad to me, and that they have a 32 gig one for 30 dollars cheaper bla bla bla...
"Not right now Blake! We just bought a camera!" (poor guy always gets the shut-down from his crazy wife.)

We head back to Aunt and Uncle's house to eat and get ready for a night on the town. Blake corners me while I'm getting dressed...
"I really really REALLY want to go get that iPad." and then he did his cutest puppy dog face....

I guess it's true that you can't always get what you want... this time it was I that had to learn this lesson.
jokes on me I suppose!

Posted from my iPad

Spring cleaning?

2011-05-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Upon cleaning out my cedar chest, I found in my binder with the 'roxy' cover I made in grade 8 and a grand art collection full of splendors your eyes may not be able to comprehend. BEHOLD!!

"lets make like a fabric softener and snuggle"

"hey denise I'm picking up chicks, wanna RIDE?"

apparently I had a thing with creepy looking old men?

so I guess that's what we did aaaaall High school. seriously. Math? drawing. Social? doodling. English? creating. We should have been artists, or at least comic strip drawers.

vivaaaa las vegas!

2011-04-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

Vegas was magical. a real joy ride. we got in thursday night after a quick drive to twin falls and a hop, skip and jump over to vegas. first thing, we played by the pool with the cousins and then decided we needed to go buy a camera (YES, a point and shoot canon. FINALLY. SO HAPPY.)

we hung out until the rest of the fam arrived and then went straight for the strip! (after blake bought some shorts and a T Pain shirt of course...)

preppin' for the strip

this sign is for my mama... control yourself woman!

devil and angel?

insert -PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN- tune here

a gold man?

some fat man in a wheel chair conned me into paying him 3 bucks for these stupid hats! UGH.

the cousins in front a jelly belly lady liberty

how did this get on here? for shame!

Saturday we layed by the pool from 10:30-2:30 and I. GOT. FRIED. but dang it hurts so good. I mean my face has some color too it! SWEET! shopping and eating followed... and the we hit up the stratosphere for some last minute rides. (which there are some SWEET pics for as soon as blake goes and gets them out of his truck... they are waiting darling. MY FANS ARE WAITING!)

such dumbies

blake's first in n' out experience. also his first vegas experience DID I MENTION?

aaaah 1000 feet up. aaaaah.

this is the other ride blake did. I was much too chicken.

we went home sunday night after a wonderful Sunrise Service and a sunday nap. I was sad to leave, and so was blake, but he doesn't like to comply. such a rebel.

SNOW coming into twin falls.

and there you have it folks. good times had by all. Blake also says we are going back ASAP. he loved it.

spanish fifteen

2011-04-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

pictures of your dream home

hold on to your butts, this is a big one.

love these walls.

I will put this on my patio, please and thanks.

lovin this rug.

I am in love with grey paired with any pastel-ish color. and sweet rug!

flowers in every room please

love this floor...

perfect for little baby girl richards

love the green backs and white frame

stripey walls

i always wanted a bed like this!

striped curtains (and grey walls)

love this tanny/beige with floral curtains.

get me that owl print

once again, clean and simple. I love.

here comes grey again

cuuuuuutest little cottage shutters!

love the yellow/grey/white palette!

pillows (AND STUMPS!)

love this burnt orange with blake trim. so fall

also love this floor

peach is cute

DANG those some yellow as walls!

love love these earthy tones. that tan/brown is more magical than david copperfield

grey again (go figure)

love the brown!

those windows really caught my eye. photoshop? and hellooooo grey, hello blue table, hello rug.

wallpaper please! I LOVE the idea of wallpaper.

checkerboard flooring, yes.

checkboard again, and WHITE everywhere

and i love the color in this one. so many! tres biene!

from here, here, and here. oh and here too.

say good bye to this little challenge and a big HELLO to my old blogging ways!
oh and also hello to Sin City cause that's where I am. and for the record I am on vaca so anything goes from here on out. :)

spanish fourteen

2011-04-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

some pictures you love.

spanish thirteen

2011-04-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

goals

- write a childrens book

- pay off loans!

- learn to flyfish

- get my dream job

- stop biting my nails

- floss every day for a month

- grow my hair to my waist

- go to australia

- hike chief mountain

- update my autobiography

- spend a weekend backpacking

- become a us citizen

- learn to play the bagpipes, much to my husbands chagrin

- do 25 pushups in a row

- watch all LOTR's in one day

- take blake to a hutterite colony

- send a postcard to a different person every month for a year (this could be you!)

- be a better person

spanish twelve

2011-04-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

what you believe

I believe that you should treat the elderly with respect, always. even if they are in the wrong

I believe in work before play

I believe in God

I believe that people are intrinsically good

I believe in sleeping in and breakfast in bed

I believe that husbands should spoil their wives

I believe in eternal families, and heaven

I believe that dogs can make a person happier

I believe in being a free spirit

I believe in being comfortable in your own skin

I believe in being well-rounded

I believe in sunday drives and picnics

I believe in loooooove

spanish eleven, and I'm slacking

2011-04-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

favorite tv shows

let's be real, I watch American Idol, Real Housewives of OC, and the Office. Occasionally Jay Leno sneaks his way in there, mostly on wednesdays when he does Headlines. Blake looooves Tosh.0 and that guys rude antics, so i yell at him when he watches it, or I just scowl from across the apartment. so I guess that was an awesome post.... NOT!

let's hear from my peeps! what are your favorite shows? I'll give 'em a try!

dies

2011-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

something your afraid of

- the airplane I'm flying in crashing
- my hubs dying and me becoming a widow
- what happens after I pass day ten of this survey, cause I don't know eleven in spanish!
- getting some/any disease
- being a mother! seriously nothing freaks me out more.
- living in Boise my whole life
- going to school for 3 more years just to have kids and never use the degree I earn
- cameras

nueve

2011-04-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver
Big Love - Fleetwood Mac
Take What Ya Take - Lily Allen
Say My Name - Destiny's Child
Hold The Line - Toto
Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
Gotta Have You - The Weepies
Dead Flowers - Miranda Lambert
Walk The Line - The Tallest Man on Earth
Like O, Like H - Tegan & Sara

that one was kind of stupid, I feel like i'm in grade 6 again doing those forever-long surveys you're bff's emailed you! but there you have it!

ocho

2011-04-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

a place you've travelled to.

I haven't travelled to grand far away places. I haven't seen the eiffel tower, or stonehenge, or big ben. I haven't been even off this continent. But my favorite place I have ever travelled to (excluding Waterton) would be....

I think I was in grade 6 or so when my parents took us on summer vacation here. My grandfather was teaching at the local juvie (so B.A.) and my grandma had taken a job as a caregiver. (talk about livin' the dream!) We went up (and up, and up, and up) for a couple of weeks that summer in a borrowed Chevy AstroVan because my big bro had just rolled our van in his first few hours of being a driver.

we stopped in Hay River, The Hub of the North, and stayed there for a few days, quading on the beaches of the Great Slave Lake, hiking to waterfalls, playing with sled-dogs, and eating at all the best places Hay River has to offer. (Ptarmigan Inn please and thanks!) We then took off for Yellowknife, the city that is literally built on rocks! The Canadian Shield makes it pretty tough to get around these rocks. If you can't beat em, join em!

I KNOW, awesome.

So after our trip, we came home, lived our lives, la dee da. My grandparents were planning on moving home from the great white north the summer after i finished grade 7. When you are in grade 7, education doesn't mean much anyways, so my parents shipped me off to live with my grandparents for 6 weeks. I missed exams, school, soccer (that's why I'm not an athlete.) all to go explore what canada's 60th parallel was all about!

pit stop on the road to Hay River in my pj's and coveted roxy shirt.

I attended DJSS (Diamond Jeness Secondary School), which is practically famous for being the biggest, purple-est school EVER,

agreed!? I participated in the regional track meet (got a participation ribbon, which was also purple, thank you!),

reppin the panthers at opening ceremonies

learned to train the dog-sled dogs with grandpa,

the kennel of my gpa's friend Danny Beck.

went to lunch basically every day with G&G, watched movies with the juvie kids on friday nights (if they were good that week), had a SURVIVOR themed birthday party (that grandpa had to plan because granny got sick the day before! She was trying to teach me how to make the cake and would yell something at me from the bedroom and then throw up mid sentence. haaaa)

Survivor b-day party on the beach!

all my peeps gathered around the birthday girl

swam in the great slave lake with my native friend Meg (I think that was her name...) and took french, which was a first! (and a last.)

the 2 jessica's

my main hay river squeezes. jenna, corrine, chantel,
and the very native looking one is Megan, my bestie.

people in Hay River were SO nice. 6 weeks there and I made more friends than I have in the 6 months I've been in our student married ward. Hay River helped me appreciate the little SoAb town I'm from. Not to mention brought me the closeness I have to my grandparents. Someday I will revisit my other northern home, and chuck up on my peeps, see how they're doing. i love the great white north!

seite

2011-04-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

favorite movies

let me just start by saying that I have never seen Ferris Beuller's day off, and have never managed to sit through a Christmas Story. PHEW glad I got that off my chest. I am really not big into movies, but when I find one I like I watch it over, and over, and over, and over. so here goes.

1. Elizabethtown- I first saw this movie when I went to visit Amy in Hawaii. none of her friends liked it, but I did. Now it is my go-to feel good movie.
2. Princess Bride- can't go wrong here. And it's so quotable! "No more rhymes now I mean it! Anybody want a peanut?"
3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail- I would watch this pretty much every weekend in junior high. I haven't seen it in forever but I do own it, so if anyone wants to join me, come on over.
4. 3:10 to Yuma- I watched this once and looooved it. Russell and Christian are amazing.
5. There Will Be Blood- love how different this movie is. mostly quiet, and then it throws your for a loop at the end!
6. Donnie Darko- this movie reminds me of high school.
7. Wolverine- I love superhero movies to begin with, and Hugh Jackman? nuff said.
8. Moulin Rouge- not-your-ever-day-love-story with some great songs to sing along to.
9. LOTR- I seriously love the lord of the rings trilogy. seriously.
10. Grizzly Man- I am a sucker for documentaries, and the story of timothy treadwell is no exception. I first saw this in rexburg and fell in love with the idea of moving to the Alaskan wilderness and continuing life as one of the bears. until i discovered the outcome of Tim.

and now watch this trailer for a documentary I am dying to see...

seis

2011-04-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

a song that makes you cry and why

I know I missed yesterday's post, but thats because the husband stole the computer all day and I would way rather paint-by-numbers than blog.
so I was thinking about this post all day. WHAT SONG MAKES ME CRY? since it was sunday I was thinking about all the great hymns, and definitely had one picked out (poor wayfaring man of grief) but then I was sitting here listening to my iTunes Genius mix of Bon Iver, and this song came on:

don't get confused, I did not burst into tears. and really, if you want to get a reaction out of me don't play a sad song because songs don't really get me cryin, ya know what I'm sayin? But this song was one of our "wedding songs"... you know, put it in the slideshow of baby pictures that makes you cry because you see your whole life flash before your eyes and now your HERE, at the point of no return, with your bestie. and things couldn't be better. that song. so it just tugs at my heart strings. enjoy.

cinco

2011-04-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

pictures of things that make you happy.

just to name a few.
via here and me.

quatro

2011-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

something I am looking forward to.

notice the sweet white wall above my stove where the hood should be

- going to VEGAS for easter! and riding the new york new york roller coaster and big shot. Blake has never been and I just know he's going to love it.

- sunrise service in Vegas. it's been too long since I've been.

- becoming a student again.

- going home for max's graduation and JULY FIRST! and running the 10K and getting the t-shirt.

- being DONE with insanity. It is kicking my butt and my legs are always so tired and achey, but I just am having a hard time quitting it... I decided I want to start trail running.

- summer and warmth.

- not working on saturday

- getting our tax return!

- saturday's shock collar training session at Sportman's Warehouse.

tres

2011-04-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

day three-parents and siblings.

I am pretty sure I have the best family ever. seriously though.

father- my dad is the coolest. He makes jokes all the time. one time he tried to do the "banana knock knock" joke and it went something like this...

dad: knock knock

me: who's there?

dad: orange.

me: orange who?

dad: orange knock knock

me: who's there?

dad: orange.

me: orange who?

dad: orange knock knock

me: who's there?

dad: orange.

me: orange who?

dad: orange knock knock

me: who's there?

dad: banana.

me: banana who?

dad: orange you glad i... didn't say.... uuuuh....

HAHA. freaking hilarious. He also has taught me all that I know about music. i remember our family trips with dad and his giant case of cd's to listen to on the way. Rankin Family, U2, and Manhattan Transfer among the favorites. He also always had a bookshelf behind his bathroom door full of over 1000 cd's. He also has passed on a love of all things outdoors to me, which I LOVE. hiking, fishing, camping and even a little rock climbing. my dad is sweet.

mother- my mom is the best. she is teaching me how to sew. which is, in my opinion, a very handy motherly task. she says some pretty funny things too, and is always the BEST hostess when Blake and I come home. not to mention she spoils us rotten! She put up with me when I was being a B-RAT planning my wedding, and still loves me. and all my friends say she is the coolest of all the moms. she is up for anything and just plain FUN. I love her too much and miss her every stinking day.

zac- the goof of the family, always doing great impressions and mocking people. To be in the Erickson/Dudley family, you must take mockery willingly, and be able to dish it as well. He is so smart in all things technology and actually surprisingly has given me some great advice over the years... who knew?!

hilary- Hil fits into the Erickson fam like a glove. she makes just the right amount of fart jokes and knows who to make fun of and when. but seriously, she's not my mom but I can tell she is a great mama and wife!

nicholas- CUTEST baby ever. hands down. Nick is also the happiest baby I have ever met. Seriously I have heard him cry once. and it was because he was hungry. Maybe when he turns 12 or something he can come live with me and blake, cause we probably won't have kids by then... har har har

amy- one time for mutual we made glass candy. We live across the street from the church. Amy was talking to her friend and wouldnt give me a ride home. so i stabbed her in the forehead with the glass candy and gave her a nice little Harry Potter scar. I guess I'm a psycho. Amy is the most adventerous one in the family. She loves to travel and is really passionate about things she pursues. She is always doing nice things (like baking me a canada cake when I came home to visit) and she is also very fun to bug (apples and banans, payton?)

max- max is da bebe of the family and as such, gets teased the most. me and amy once wrestled him for like an hour when we stole his phone. at first he was really mad but then after about 20 minutes it turned it a big fat joke and it was quite hilarious. me and max used to fight the most of the family as well. I remember the time he pulled a kitchen knife on me... OH the good ol' days. in return I split his head on the tv stand and he had to get stitches. we are 4 years about but I think our favorite game to play on sundays after church was either kittens (or Lego). we would tie ropes to our necks as a leash and drink out of bowls. best game EVER. I love max and can't believe his is graduating this year... they grow up so fast!

it just makes me want to vomit that I don't live closer to these people, so I'm going to stop typing now.

dos

2011-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

something that stresses me out...

WHY would I want to dwell on things that stress me out? I've been feeling on top of the world lately! but since you asked...

I get freaked out that I will be stuck in Boise my whole life and never get to move closer to my family and that would NOT BE COOL.

I also stress about getting into school.

and money. curse the word.

I stress about my health. I am a bit of a hypochondriac. I think every little thing means that I have a potentially fatal disease. TURNS OUT I'm still alive and well..

I stress about what kind of mother I am going to be, even though there are no children on the horizon.

and about eating. I wish I never got hungry because I just forget to eat at work sometimes. except for mini cookies. I eat those all day and it doesn't treat me well. ask blake.

did I mention I stress about money? CAUSE I DO!

I sometimes stress about the end of the world because I don't have any food storage! I GOTTA get me some of that!

am I allowed to alter this challenge? I am going to do a self portrait e'ry day. here goes:

so when I wake up the first thing I do is blog, big whoop!

uno

2011-04-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

self portrait and 15 "interesting" facts

1. When I drink a whole rockstar to myself I get a little kookoo bananas. But my husband was trying to be sweet and bought me one cause "it was 2 for $3!" So sweet. I hate his rockstar burps.

2. When I lived in Hawaii I thought muffins were a sweet healthy treat so I had half a costco muffin for every meal in a bowl with milk poured over it. needless to say I gained about 25 pounds. That is not even an exaggeration.

3. I took bagpipe lessons once. literally one lesson. then i quit and when i did i cried. I also took highland dance lessons once and it was awesome. I wish I was a dancer.

4. I still love subway sammiches even after working there for a year. but I must say canadian subway is better than america. that's why canada doesnt have $5 ft longs. because we gots value.

I still tell the story of a man that would come in and get 2 footlongs, cold cut trio, DOUBLE MEAT. holy crap that is a LARGE sandwhich.

5. I once tried to superglue a co-workers water bottle lid on at the Hardware store, but since it was wet the superglue never dried. so when she took the lid off and drank it she got superglue all over her lips. it was hilarious.

6. my employment history, in chronological order: mcdonalds, walmart, east-side marios, byu-hawaii seasider cafe, byu-hawaii computer lab, peace advocate for the salamanders of waterton national park, raymond pro hardware, sod layer, nanny, dry creek mercantile.

7. i LOOOOOVE bike rides, picnics, napping on some soft grass in the spring sunshine somewhere, camping, fishing, and hiking. as soon as become a student of Boise State University, I am going to start rock climbing.

8. I have a goal to someday climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

9. We bought a printer yesterday. I LOVE having one. it is sweet.

10. I told Blake I loved him after knowing him for all of 2 weeks. I'M AWESOME!!!

11. My house has like 15 different decorating themes going on right now, ranging from vintage class to western commodore to african romance. I also have a collage picture frame up on the wall that has been there since christmas and I still haven't put pictures in it.

12. I like pb&j dipped in milk and ketchup on my macaroni. so sue me.

13. I also like to be crafty but have decided I'm not so good at it. I would someday like to take a graphic design class like my friend Jane. (shout out!) then i could stop asking her for favors all the time!

14. Every month I get all nervous until I start my "cycle" because I'm POSITIVE some how the birth control has been defective and we are going to be having a new little addition. every month I am proved wrong and my husband continues to think I'm insane.

15. The smell of protein shake is making me want to barf today. another reason why i think I might be PREGNANT!

how YOU doin?

PURPLE FONT!!!!! i don't even really like purple.

2011-04-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to blog about ever because A. our point-n-shoot camera got high-jacked and I hate it anyway cause it's cheap and i am pretty sure its broken and i hate olympus! curse the day i let my husband pick our new camera. CANON ALL THE WAY BABY!!!! and I feel like taking pics with the beastly camera is a nuisance (mostly cause I don't know how to use the dang thing) and its suuuuuuch a drama to plug that sucker into the computer and then PUT IT AWAY. oh that hard life of me. and REASON NUMBER TWO: I don't do many artsy cute things and I don't live a glamorous life with funny things to say about the funny things my BABY did (except annie is better than a lot of human babies i bet. she doesn't spit up and cry and stuff.) REASON 3: I drank a rockstar today so that is why I am acting like a psycho

REASON 5: I am going to embark on this silly goofy totally tubular challenge and if I quit its not cause I'm a quiter it's because I'm awesome. oh and by the way day 1 starts whenever I feel like it.

Day 1 - Self portrait and 15 interesting facts
Day 2 - Something that stresses you out
Day 3 - Your siblings and parents
Day 4 - Something you're looking forward to
Day 5 - Pictures of things that make you happy
Day 6 - A song that makes you cry and why
Day 7 - Favorite movies
Day 8 - A place you've traveled to
Day 9 - Put your ipod on shuffle, first ten songs
Day 10 - Something you're afraid of
Day 11 - Favorite TV shows
Day 12 - What you believe
Day 13 - Goals
Day 14 - Some pictures you love
Day 15 - Pictures of your dream house

i "googled" purple on youtube and it came up with this STUPID video and I would like to point some things out:

1. harry potter on the wall.

2. british accents make men seem wimpy.

3. he's like "FRED" but equally as annoying.

4. waste of 3 minutes.

AND NOW ITS 12:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my husband: the woodworker

2011-03-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

It all started with these stairs...

After these stairs were put in, the guy that did our walls kind of destroyed them. Our walls are this weird clay stuff that is apparently "green" and "breathes." yes, our walls are alive. anywho, after DON the plaster guy came in, they needed to be completely re-done. So i yelled at blake until something was done about it. Now they look like this.

So after all this business with sanding and staining, yadda yadda, I said "hey honey darling, if you can re-finish some stairs it should be a piece of cake to make me a hanger for my necklaces? they always get so tangled whine whine whine..."

So he did:

not too shabby. I really wanted the adorable 15 bucks a piece drawer pulls from anthropologie, but he wouldn't have it... next time i suppose.

The next thing I chose to whine about was that our bathroom was barren and just not cute at all. You see, we don't have finished cupboards in our apartment (kitchen and bathroom), and it makes me want to scream sometimes, but instead I just solve the problem with cute little shelves for holding cute things. like this one:

I won't even show you what the rest of the bathroom looks like cause it will make you so sad.

Next up was a coat hanger. I have a lot of coats and sweaters I decided. I don't have enough room in my closet. We got a sweet coat hanger for our wedding, but it was HUGE and black as night and didn't really match our place. So blake made this awesome coat hanger for our front entry and I sold the other hanger on craigslist and bought myself... something nice I'm sure.

He also made a coat hanger for my parents. Go to their house and see it. It is way cooler than mine (no offense darling, you just had more practice!)

Now my hubs is going full-boar. He is into making cutting boards and will some day make me a bed and coffee table.

Only problem is, I don't think he will ever let me paint anything he makes..

And as for me, WELL I have talents too! I made a bedroom curtain so I can quit being Jessica "the flasher" Richards. (our bedroom window overlooks the front driveway were there are always kids playing/people driving/men working. I thought people liked that kind of thing?)

and that's all folks.

spring-time inspiration

2011-03-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

some-day projects...

and for the foodie...

and for the baby...

all found here.

giveaway

2011-03-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

I don't enter giveaways much but when I do I GO BIG.

recent thoughts on life...

2011-03-19T16:01:00.001-07:00

to the family who came to get breakfast at 12:30: we stop serving breakfast at noon on saturdays. you may not get breakfast after that point. I told you I would ask our cook. YOU went right ahead and asked her yourself. she said yes. she probably would've said no to me. that was smart. and you gave me a good tip for it. but if you ever do it again I might rage. at least if its on one of my off days. which it was.

to amy: I very much appreciate the music you sent me. I freaking love rankin family and it makes me want to have a SoAb summer. and to dropbox: you are the best thing ever invented.

to the tv: stop sitting on my record player. I want to blare my eagles, sublime, and billy joel records. I realize you can't do much about this, and someday we will splurge and get a wall mount for you. but for today, just MOOOOOVE!!!!

to blake: where did this new found obsession with HACKING come from? watch out people, he's on to something.

to myself: you made a lot of money in tips this pay period. I think its because you started showering and wearing big earrings and perfume and lip gloss. it's all the Real Housewives of OC you've been watching. people like that. keep it up.

to the creeper 35 year old who was out on St Patty's Day with his girlfriend and lovechild: you are a creeper. don't ask 21 year old married girls to lunch when you JUST told her you were out with your girl. not to mention you're not my "type." type being the kind that downs a 12 pack of coors yourself. but thanks for the $20 tip.

to the drunk man at the bar: you are an idiot. keep your thoughts to yourself.

to EVERYONE at the merc on St Patty's Day: it is 11 o'clock. we close at 9. it is a wednesday. your kids have school in the morning. go home, PUT YOUR KIDS TO BED, and then maybe drink yourself into a dark abyss where you will find a hole filled with spiders and centipedes to crawl into.

have a wonderful tuesday.

i know its saturday, but....

2011-03-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday. We we we so excited. We so excited. We gunna have a ball today. Tomorrow is Saturday. and Sunday comes afterwards. I don't want this weekend to end."

Whoever wrote this song needs to be shot.

one of my favs.

2011-03-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

I decided St. Patty's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Whats not to love? Tons of green, plenty of celtic music, and little men with beards who give you either gold OR candy? Yes PLEASE. Last St Pattys Day was awesome. I skied all day and then came home to a delicious green dinner made by my hubs.

Yes that is green garlic bread.

This year I am spending my day working out, cleaning, and working. I miss the days of no job and going to "school." (I added the quotations because I didn't really work that hard at byui..) BUT just because I cant celebrate the way I like, doesn't mean I won't be blaring Lord of the Dance while I clean and lacing up my highland dance shoes (scotland, ireland, what's the difference really?) and prancing around the house. I may even buy a pipe and greet all my customers with a hearty "TOP O' THE MORNIN TO YA!" yup, st. pattys is the best.

December before I graduated high school my parents took me to Lord of the Dance and we bought the DVD. I still love it but can only watch it when blake's not around cause he can't stand anything that doesn't have "twang" to it, if you know what I mean. (for example, I was listening to Loreena McKennit sunday morning while getting ready for church and he asked me to turn it off! the nerve... instead I shut the bathroom door and turned it up louder! mwahaha!)

Anyways, here is a short clip of my favorite scene... ENJOY!

and for those of you who love the TAP portion of LOTD...

p.s. Michael Flatley is a HOTTIE!

my idols?

2011-03-04T09:14:00.001-08:00

yes, I am about to do a post about a TV show. What can I say?! I CANNOT get enough of American Idol! There are so many cool people on this year! And I have never watched it start to finish. Thank the heavens for dvr. Lets start with my favs... (and by the way I am still 2 episodes behind so please don't give anything away!)

Casey Abrams

This funky brother has captured my mind, body and soul. His bee-bops and doo-wops are enough to make a girl swoon. I also love when he pulls out the melodica or cello. yes, you said it J. Lo. Casey Abrams is SEXY!

Scottie McCreery

"You make a Bronx girl love country!" I feel the same way J. Lo, we are alike in so many ways! Blake is a country boy, as you obviously all know, so naturally he loves scottie. but it's not just his deep, smooth voice and cross choker-necklaces that get me: this boy has heart! Come on, he cried after Jaycee was kicked out of his group. and he is so dang cute.

Stefano Langone

"Is that black dot on his chin facial hair?" Why yes Blake, yes it is. That fuzz and the wifebeaters and the gold chain are enough for me to love this guy. Not to mention the scars from his car accident in '09 and his audition of Heard it Through the Grapvine. Hottie!

Paul McDonald

Seriously? This guy sounded EXACTLY like Rod Stewart when he sang Maggie May. In his audition I thought he sounded sort of like Ben Harper, and he looks like all the boys in Hawaii when I went to school. and I loooooved his white leather suit with embroidered flowers. soooo whats not to love?

Rachel Zevita

I'm not sure if its her insane style that I love or what, but this girl is pretty sweet. I also liked her randition of Eleanor Rigby. But I may have just spoiled things for me cause when I googled her name it said "Rachel Zevita disqualified." dang it google! I desperately need to catch up on my episodes.

Lauren Alaina

She's cute. What other 16 year old can pull off that dress?! seriously?! AND THOSE BOOTS?! not to mention she rocked it in her audition with "I don't wanna miss a thing." Can you say DIVA?

Hailey Reinhart

I love her hair. And she reminds me of that blonde girl with dreads from a few seasons back... help me out, WHAT WAS HER NAME?! And I love when she growls when she sings... I don't know what else to call it. this sisters got soul!

So pretty much since I love this show so much and they decided to finally get with the times and do online voting, I AM GOING TO SEE THESE PEOPLE THROUGH TO THE END! GO TEAM!

Stupid?

2011-02-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

Stella and Dot. I just found a catalogue on my mom's dresser and now I am convinced I should start selling this stuff. Do you think I could make 50K a year? Would you all come to my trunk shows? It's dang cute and I think I just may be stupid enough to try.

shmalentimes

2011-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

I have the best valentine in the USA. He started the morning with waking me up early (8:15... sooooo early.) saying "how fast can you get ready?" what the heck rich?! I said I didn't want to go anywhere. he then threw a stack of books at me and said "GET THE %(*# OUT OF BED!!!" After I checked my look in the mirror, noticing I had a black eye, (greaaat) we hopped in the car and headed to breakfast at Goldy's of course.

Then I had to work all night, but I made pretty good tips so I didn't mind. I surprised Blake with Martinellis and champagne glasses that I borrowed from my work place, as well as your typical cheezy valentines balloon that was put to good use when we turned the fan on and let the string get all tangled in the fan blades and let the balloon pop. Then blake swallowed the leftover helium and wished me a happy valentines day in his best chipmunk voice.

pretty simple; no roses, no confetti and rose petals, no italian men serenading me at my door step, no candy-gram. I have come to realize that Blake is a simple man. and I suppose I like that.

oh and all that about throwing the books and the black eye... I just put that in for dramatic effect. weird what valentines day does to you.

insane in the membrane

2011-02-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

sup ya'll! my name is shaun T and I am your new workout coach. I am going to kick your butt every morning as you attempt to become ripped in 60 days. my workout program is better than p90x because you don't need weights. also I am cuter than Tony. this is Insanity and it is going to take all you've got, but I'm smiling cause I LOVE IT!!! this s#*$ is bananas, yo!

(but seriously, hardest thing I've ever done. but seriously, I love it.)

youtube monday

2011-01-31T22:26:00.001-08:00

That is all.

I wanna be a...

2011-01-31T21:15:00.000-08:00

May I just start off with saying Blake and I haven't bought groceries in about 3 weeks. First we thought we would try to save some money and only buy the necessities such as milk, bread, etc. Then we babysat a family for 5 days at their house, so no groceries were needed there. NOW we are stuck in a house with a freezer full of black bananas with no purpose and a barren fridge with nothing but a few half-eaten veggies in the drawers and a bowl full of farm fresh eggs.

This means tomorrow is going to be one heck of a shopping day. And as I sit here trying to make a menu/grocery list I am reminded of a show I saw on our anniversary trip as I sat on the couch and watched TV for 3 days straight. Here is a clip:

and if you are serious about couponing (like me...?...) listen to this.

and watch this:

and be jealous that this lady got to be on the Today show:

OKAY so what if I want to be a crazy coupon lady? So what if I want my own personal PRACTICALLY FREE grocery store in my basement and a food storage that would make other mormon ladies drool? so what if I want a receipt that oozes hundreds of dollars in savings? SO WHAT if I wanna be on the Today show with KLG and Hoda, rubbing it in their faces about how much I don't spend on food and toiletries?

I WANT IT DANG IT! AND I'LL STOP AT NOTHING UNTIL I GET THERE!!! even if it means sitting on the couch cutting out coupons all night... blake is gunna be loooonely tonight.

buddy ol' pal

2011-01-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

This young man is coming home today from a 2 year jaunt in the land of Indonesia. I AM SO PUMPED. Payton and I are what you might call best buddies. We look out for each other. When I was trying to date the long-haired, jeep-diving, punk music listening bad boys in grade 10, Payton convinced me to go on a horse ride with him to sway my views of said bad-boy. We rode horses to Town Pump (back then it was known as Esso), tied them to a gas pipe, got slurpees and had a nice long chat. It was a great time and I was touched that my younger cousin cared so much about my personal life and well-being.

PAYTON! Welcome Home. Thanks for being the best cousin ever. Can't wait to annoy Amy to death singing Apples and Bananas.

three best friends

2011-01-20T14:49:00.001-08:00

Annie's best friends are named Sugar and Snap. And they're the three best friends that anybody could have.

(Disclaimer: I cannot stand the Hangover. That over-the-top humor is just not for me. I do love whats-his-face from the Office, though, but I can't stand Bradley Cooper or at least I think thats what his name is. Blue-eyes. But I do think Zack Galafrankinis is pretty funny. Mostly I like him in Due Date. How he dresses with his tight flood pants and trendy scarves and how he always walks very flamboyantly. And how he said "He enjoyed his coffee, and in the end he was enjoyed as coffee.")

youtube monday

2011-01-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

I can't stop watching this commercial. Every time it comes on I get butterflies and I say "Blake, our commercial is on!" It is just hilarious.

As for this, this is just awesome. And since my sister is leaving this week to do some humanitarian work in Africa, I thought I'd post it for her.

Hope your Monday is short and sweet!

Annie are you okay?

2011-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Annie. I am a German Shorthaired Pointer. I was born August 25th 2010, and that makes me just about 4 and a half months old. I love to snuggle, play fetch (sort of) eat, sleep, and run around outside with my friends Sugar and Snap. Sometimes I like to bark at 4 in the morning until Mom or Dad comes and lets me outside to pee.

One day I will be like the other big dogs and learn how to hunt and retrieve birds. My dad is going to teach me to be a very obedient bird-dog, even though that won't be hard. Mom and Dad say I am so good and smart already.

My favorite toy is a fluffy red robe that Dad gave to me. My favorite song is Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson. Dad sings it to me all the time. I love to ride girlfriend in Donny and go see new places. Mom and Dad say they are going to take me to CANADA! I can't wait to meet all my new friends while we are there. I'll see you all soon!

Love, Annie

twenty ten highlights

2011-01-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

-falling off the chairlift at Targhee in front of the whole gang and proceeding straight into a giant puddle

-getting my GREEN CARD on July 1st. best july 1st ever

-walking to school with blake in rexburg

-all the funny people at byu-i

-having classes together

-blake's obsession with naps in rexburg

-hawaii with the fam in february

-being a big grouchy spaz and realizing that is no way to live so i finally calmed down

-getting our BABY!! (of course I'm referring to Annie)

-2 trips home this year... not nearly enough.

-moving into our apartment! oh joy

-becoming an auntie

-running a half marathon

-my first successful non-quilt sewing project

-boise for chase's homecoming.

-loving blake more. i didn't even know that was possible.

-camping in yellowstone

-splurging on a camp chef!

-blake was nearly accident free this year!

I really like my life. It is really wonderful. Really.

happy anni

2011-01-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

I think I could show you 2 pictures and it would sum up our anniversary trip.

yup, we spent 3 days sleeping in till 11, watching a lot of TLC, and puzzling (look ma, it's the yellowstone puzzle you gave us!) while pretending I was sipping a gin and tonic on the rocks. oh, the glamourous life!

year one.

2011-01-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to us!

We got married at 5 in the afternoon so it made getting a good "newly married" picture difficult. Those are always my favorite pictures. how happy people are after they get sealed to their bff. I am so dang lucky to have mine!

love you b.

rockin'

2010-12-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

I must admit I was a little sad that I wouldn't be able to go to the Raymond High School Show Choir's christmas show this year. I do love christmas song and dance shows and was once a star myself.

anyways, Shannon and I went to see the Radio City Rockettes on tuesday! it was awesome. reminded me of a lord of the dance/show choir hybrid. my favorite number was by far March of the wooden soldiers. I couldn't find a great video but this is the best I got.

I also loooooved the Santa dance. Nothing like watching dozens upon dozens upon dozens of Santa's getting down to get you in the holiday spirit! If you ever get the chance, I suggest you go see them! it was awesome.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE!

the good news

2010-12-16T21:54:00.001-08:00

this is where I work. The Dry Creek Mercantile. The Dry Creek Mercantile warmly greets you as you enter into the Hidden Springs Community. This unique general store and eatery, known to locals as the Merc, acts as a dynamic social gathering place, party headquarters, and town center. A full menu is offered 7 days a week with themed buffets and live music going on every Friday night. The Merc is "the place."

On thanksgiving morning a sprinkler went off inside and cause all sorts of trouble. Mold issues, buckling of walls, soggy floors (Rexburg flashback). The Merc is going to have to undergo extensive repairs and will be closed from December 27th to February 3rd. Insurance is going to be covering the repairs as well as employees lost wages.

do you realize what this means?

I have a month vacation coming my way. I have started a to-do list for this month of freedom. This is what I have so far:

1. Go to Canada and play with Payton
2. Make bedroom curtains.
3. Sand and finish the stairs.
4. Clean my house every day.

5. Sew a quilt (...if I feel like forking out the cash that is)
6. Explore what its like making dinner for my husband
7. Miss night where I make 75 bucks in tips... (like tonight)
8. Somehow magically procure kitchen cabinets

I am currently taking suggestions so feel free to post your two-bits.

2010-12-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

all I wanna do today is sit around and listen to y2k hits while internet shopping.

and actually thats all ive done thus far. holla!

I even stood in front of the tv and got down to J.Lo for a few minutes. today's workout I suppose.

too bad I gotta go to work.

but stay tuned for some goood news!

and I'm not referring to this excellent picture.

directions

2010-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am SO BAD at following directions. I used to think I was really good at reading comprehension and I understood alot of what I read back in high school. But now, I blame everything I do wrong in the domestic world on not being able to understand directions. It is why I am a bad cook. It is why I am a bad seamstress. It is why I am a bad handy-man. (Well actually I am a pretty good handy-man.) Because when I can't figure out what the directions are trying to tell me to do, I do my own thang. (which you can get away with in the handy-man world.) I must get that from my mother.

I guess making up my own directions wouldn't be so bad if they made sense and led me to the same conclusion I was trying for in the first place...

I guess this is called learning? weird.

I guess I will call a seasoned professional (my mother) and have her tell me what to do...

but come on, they are gunna be dang cute stockings, right?!

a journal entry for me and posterity

2010-12-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

Picture yourself on Saturday October 24th 2009.

What were you doing this day?

I was getting the easiest pop quiz of my life.

Friday night I was tired. My mom, Amy, Blake and I had gone to Calgary that day to shop for wedding dresses/decorations (no, we were not engaged at this point. We also took engagement pictures before we were engaged. We did a lot of things backwards when it came to our nuptials.) We got home late and I was pooped so I went to bed, leaving Blakey alone with my parents.

Now, you must know that all through the day in Calgary there were some very sneaky and suspicious phone calls going around. Mostly to my dad who was at home in Raymond and to Blake's dad who was at home in Boise. I later came to find out that these were all about the buying/picking up of the ring at at-the-border storage in Shelby. Yes, I caught on but not quite to the subject matter. I thought they were all about the dress (the one I looooved was strapless and the modest version would have to be ordered in and we would have to come back to calgary to get it a week later).

I always bug Blake to do everything amazing imaginable. "Buy me flowers!" (One time he went to Wal-Mart at 3 in the morning to get some for me. What a darling.) "Give me a massage!" "Make me breakfast in bed!" Saturday morning I awoke to just this. A delicious collaboration of eggs, yogurt, bacon, OJ, and of course pancakes. He sat on my bed by me while I ate, I finished and said "you're so sweet!" and we embraced. If I remember right, he put the ring box under the pillow and left me to find it. (i will have to double check on that one cause I honestly can't remember.) and FIND IT I DID. It was the happiest, craziest feeling I had ever felt up to that point, knowing that I had found someone who loves me guts as much as I love his and that we were going to be together forever and look after each other and one day have a family together. I cried of course. and my Mom came running down the stairs and into my bedroom.

Jessica, what did you get?!

A RING!

A RIIIIING?!

We're getting married!

And of course more tears and hugging ensued, and it was the best day ever. Full of running around town telling Grandma and Grandpa, taking pictures, calling friends and family, finding out the real story of the ring which is this:

I had picked out about 45 different rings I reaaaally liked. The one I really liked (and still like) was about 300 dollars and real small and cute. apparently this was unacceptable to have such a small wedding ring.

So we looked on and on but just couldn't justify spending ALL our money on a ring. So we went to overstock.com and of course I found about 7 I loved on there. So Blake pretty much picked one and had it sent! My dad had to sneakily go pick it up at the border, but then they wouldn't let him across with it because he didn't have a receipt, so he had to call my mom who called Blake's dad and had the receipt faxed to the border, making my dad wait and wait and wait at the border only to beat us home by a nose.

Blake asked my dad that night if he could marry me. It went something like this...

Well, I have the ring so I guess you know what I'm going to ask. Can I marry your daughter?

And my mother told him to put the ring in the OJ and have me find it there. It would have been real good if I would have swallowed it eh?

I love Blake. I love the way he asked me, that it wasn't big and showy and that I didn't really see it coming (okay I kind of actually did). He is so sweet and simple and I could brag about him all day. I am the happiest girl.

I'm winning

2010-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

I feel like a big fat copy cat because I have just read 2 inspiring blog posts (here and here.) and now I feel inspired myself.

It's funny how what makes you happy can change so much in just a few short years. Like Tina, in the first years of high school, I strived to be the most different, awkward, and unfriendly person at RHS. I found everything others had or did that I didn't like and made sure all my friends knew how uncool that person was... (when it was really us who were uncool. funny how that works.) most of the time we wouldn't even try to lower our voices. "____ _____ smells like B.O. and I don't care who knows it!" Just plain rude girls.

Of course, things got better as the years went on. I was growing up. First kisses, getting my driver's license (I was a little late on that one) and the teenage badittude came along and phased me into a less-awkward, more-rude typical teenage brat. I ditched the black shirts and opted for a black/grey heart. Nobody was good enough to be my friend except the ones I already had.

This continued on into my first year of college. I thought people thought I was funny cause I wasn't afraid to speak my mind about things/people I didn't like. Turns out, when people find out that you are talking crap about them, they don't like you. Badittitude-1, Jessica- 0.

I think I figured it all out when I moved to Boise the first time. I had LITERALLY zero friends. I babysat from dawn to dusk. There was no one my age in the ward I was going to. It was time to TAKE A STAND. I started going to a singles ward BY MYSELF and sat at the back of the chapel during sacrament. I then sat in the back in sunday school and... big shocker... relief society. I was missssserable.

Then, I changed my attitude. I didn't need new friends to make my life complete. That was really the only reason I tried out the singles ward in the first place. So i started going to church for CHURCH, not to make friends. It was amazing how my difference in attitude changed my whole experience with this ward. I changed, transformed if you will, into someone that wasn't trying so hard to be different or conformist, but into myself. I did what I wanted because I wanted to do it. Not because everyone else, or no one else, was doing it. I thought differently about people. I became a happier, more content version of myself. Just Jessica. Badittude-1 Jessica-1.

Since then, life has only gotten weirder. I am a young, married woman, and when people find out I'm married I get strange looks because some people think I'm 17. Thanks guys? But I have a new errand in life now and it isn't listening to Alkaline Trio or hanging out at Video Cinema or egging B.O. girls car or making all the boys think I was a bad girl. It is simply to make me and my husband happy. And I think I have a pretty good idea how to do that.

Battitude-1 Jessica-2.

surprise surprise

2010-11-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

but really, I'm not surprised. Not surprised that he would drive me all the way to McCall on a "sunday drive" and surprise me with a hotel room for the night and the best pizza I've had since burger baron. seeing snow really reminded of home christmases. it made me happy and he makes me happier.

is there anything he CAN'T do?

13.1

2010-11-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

what of it? I ran a half marathon on saturday. it was actually fun and I'm not just saying this to toot my own horn, but it wasn't even that hard. kind of relaxing in a weird you-dont-stop-running-for-two-and-a-half-hours way.

I am an emotional person and at one point, about 2 miles in, I almost started crying. oh no, not from pain or fear of disappointing myself and others, but because the sound of hundreds of feet slapping up a large hill in unison--not giving up!-- was a little more unity than i could handle. i suppose everyone took their teamosil that morning.

probably my favorite part of it all, besides crossing the finish line and getting a free gatorade and shirt, was when i hit "the wall." (which in this case was a steep-as hill.) I was tired to say that least, but thank goodness for music and my go to "I'm-awesome-I-can-do-this" song

which is none other than....

hey, whatever works right?

ketchup

2010-11-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

so blake turned 23... on OCTOBER 9th. it's been a busy month okay?! anyways... i got spoiled for my birthday and got my beautiful bike AND birkenstocks... which all in all was quite possibly the most spoiled on a birthday ever before in my life. Blake wanted a new knife for his birthday for the longest time, but after we took hunters ed he changed his mind and wanted a RIFLE. hmmm.... I was suuuuper against this for a while. and EVEN MORE against it when he went to cabelas and bought it himself cause "there was only a few left." needless to say, I was not a happy wife. but eventually I took a chill pill and he love his rifle and i love him.

and all this blogging has really pooped me out...

hahaha I LOVE CHRISTMAS

2010-11-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

don't quit watching cause it gets real good at about 2 minutes...

i vant to suck your blood

2010-11-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

so i have become really bad at taking pictures of anything. ever since i lost my favorite little point and shoot cannon like 3 years ago i just have no ambition. so needless to say i didnt really take pictures of our halloween costumes this year. BUT THEY WERE GOOD!

we were Mr and Mrs Dracula, complete with very real-looking fangs and capes and pale faces. it was a great costume choice because now we can dress up as vampires to every twilight premiere (which blake did for the last one and people were loving him.)

we went to a ward halloween party friday night and it started at 7, ENDED AT 9? WHAT THE CRAP!? so when we got there at 8:15 and they announced that it was over at 9, i was pretty upset. people just don't know how to party down here in idaho.

saturday was a good day, after I worked 9 hours, I came home and went on a run with blake. THATS RIGHT, he came with me! we are doing the turkey trot Nov 20th. woohoo!

sunday was our scary movie marathon, which consisted of watching "The Crazies" and The Shining, of course. naturally I fell asleep half-way into the second.

so halloween was great, even though we never got around to carving our pumpkin. I think I will carve it with some thanksgiving turkey on it or something, cause I can't let that tradition go un-done!

HAPPY HALLOWEINER!

festive

2010-10-28T09:36:00.001-07:00

we went to the costume shop yesterday and spent too much money on our halloween costumes. just get excited, that's all i have to say.

and i have been playing my halloween party mix to get in the mood. complete with monster mash, time warp, and rock lobster...?

and halloween movies are all lined up for our spooky marathon sunday night. lost boys, donnie darko, and the shining. any other suggestions? I already watched silence of the lambs so don't say that.

and i realize that blake's vampire face is so much better than mine, but i just can't cut my own face out of a picture!

anyways, i really feel like my blogs are getting more and more pointless and I am really debating on ending this whole blog thing. happy halloween! stay tuned for mo and mo' betta picchas!

thank the heavens

2010-10-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

PhotoBooth has been MIA from our mac since april.

AND I GOT IT BACK ON!

now life can begin again

Maneater

2010-10-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

I am kind of referring to the Nelly Fertado song, although mostly what I wanna talk about is Hanibal Lector and Silence of the Lambs.

Don't get me wrong, Nelly does a GREAT maneater. so does Hall and Oats in fact. "woooooah here she comes. watch out boys, she'll chew you up!"

Hanibal Lector does a great maneater as well, but the actual man-eating kind.

I had dreams about Silence of the Lambs last night, after I fell asleep watching it with Blake. IN OUR OWN HOUSE. you know, to celebrate Halloween!

Myself and 3 others were stuck in a giant house with Buffalo Bill himself. The cops were all looking for us and Bill shoved us all in his giant secret elevator and sent us down to the basement/well, LIKE IN THE MOVIE.

SUBSEQUENTLY, the house caught on fire and we were all stuck in the basement and when we got out of the basement, Buffalo Bill was our friend. and we all hung out with him and played Uno at his house.

so... I guess all bad guys get whats coming to them? C'est La Vie? Que Cera Cera? Blake needs to come home with my gatorade so I can end this pointless post.

except I like this music video, speaking of Nelly...

rude.

2010-10-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

I hate you mr. bee.

danke schoen

2010-10-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

this is my thankful post. please press play on the vid before you read this, it will help you get the full effect.

TODAY is a new day. It is wednesday. I woke up this morning and went to the dentist. I am thankful for health care. I am thankful for reliable transportation. I am thankful for warm clothes. I am thankful for a comfy bed to sleep in. I am very thankful for bedside tables. I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for pets. I am thankful for the mountains. I am thankful for skiing. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for this computer.

TODAY is a great day. It is the day that we move into our apartment. I am thankful for nice people who are willing to help us out. I am thankful for Blake's lawn business. I am thankful fo

r education. I am thankful for student loans and more thankful for grants. I am thankful for second chances, forgiveness, repentance, and the atonement.

YESTERDAY was a great day too. We went on a date. I am thankful for a costco card, birthday presents, hobbies, and temples. I am thankful for a sewing machine that I haven't used yet. I am thankful my finger didn't fall off after I got stung by a bee. I am thankful for modern medicine and sleeping pills. I am thankful for flushing toilets and hot water. I am thankful for a strong healthy body. I am thankful for patience, or at least that my husband has some.

CARPE DIEM! SIEZE THE DAY! COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!

the highlandiest games

2010-09-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was great. I ran 7 miles, shot a bullseye at hunter's ed, and watched BSU beat Wyoming. But what made it the BEEEEST was the Treasure Valley Celtic Festival and Highland Games.

I got to watch a piping band (of which I will be taking lessons in come October) AND highland dancers, which took me back to the good ol' days of dancing with kyra, heather, and tina in the talent show...

ooooh to be young again.then I had the guilty pleasure of watching some cabertossing and... hay-bag throwing? this giant stud won like 8 events and got that giant axe thingy for it. i do admire his goatee and that haircut? very hot. but let's be honest, he's got nothing on my handsome man:I guess that Scottish men would get bored at work so they would stick a pitchfork in a 16lb bag of hay and see how high they could throw it? That's cool I guess, if that's what your into. I prefer Settlers of Catan.
And it wouldn't be a festival if I didn't dance around by myself to a one-armed man playing the didjeridoo!

This beaver was part of a Viking display... everything still attached!

Unfortunately since I was there by myself I didn't get any pictures of... myself. i feel a little vain when I am pointing a camera at myself all day. But just picture me dressed like this guy and you will get the full effect of how great a day it was for me and how much i love a good strong celtic heritage!

someday i'll be a sewer

2010-09-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

my mom is good at sewing. she can whip me up a skirt in 30 minutes and i will wear it that day. she has made oodles of quilts to put up on her walls to match the seasons and holidays, and has crocheted even more baby blankets for her unborn grandkiddies.

why didn't i get this talent?

all i can do is sew a straight line. i hate the confusion of patterns and hate cutting, measuring, pinning, and pressing. so that is why i need her help to make this:

because goodness knows i'm not paying $78 at urban, or $118 for this one at anthro:

good thing i found a tutorial.

come visit me, mama!

running man

2010-09-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

once upon my sister ran a half marathon. I THOUGHT SHE WAS NUTS. running isn't fun. running is boring and hard on your joints. why would you wanna do that?

now I am older and wiser and training for a half marathon. the determination and strength it takes to complete one was quite an intriguing thought to me. stick to a training schedule? sure i'll try it. fix up my diet? bring it on. get a proper amount of rest? that's my middle name!

so wish me luck as I eat some fancy runners food and hold a fancy water bottle and go run 6 miles to prepare for the Zeitgeist... my first halfsie marathon!

p.s. my favorite song to run to?

SWEET video too, am I right? plus their Canadian.

second chance

2010-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

When I was 15 I was a moody, whiney teenager. I refused to wear anything but "skate" brands and liked my t-shirts black. I was a girl who knew what she wants and when things didn't go my way I was to be avoided like the plague. My parents still loved me though... even though I probably made their lives miserable for those couple years.

The setting is August 2005. Livingston, Montana.

My parents had planned a trip for the family so my dad could go to the Fly Fishing Conclave in Livingston. While he was there, we would run around and explore Yellowstone National Park.

My dear friend Tina had just come home from a vacation to Yellowstone, that famous caldera

that is home to Old Faithful and the Morning Glory Pool. All she had to say was that "it stunk (literally) and was boooooring."

MEANWHILE, all my cousins were at the cabin in Lake Blaine, MT. There was nowhere I would have rather been than at that lake. Much to my dismay, my parents were insistent that I join the rest of the family on our vacation. So I did it, but not without a lot of whining.

I didn't love Yellowstone then. It was just as Tina said: stinky and boring. However, I have since matured and even taken some geology classes so now I find Yellowstone really interesting and seriously beautiful. I loved camping this weekend with Blakey for the FIRST TIME. I wanted to stay longer than the 3 days we camped, but alas...

we fed my parents breakfast TWICE because they brought us a brand new

tent.

we found this SASQUATCH at our campsite! please notice all our new camp gear: tent, air

matress, sweet camp stove.

this sums up the weather we had. cloudy, cold and rainy for the most part.

yay Old Faithful! it was pouring rain when she was going off.

We saw this wolf in the wild! Just kidding, I wish. Blake and I are both "wolf enthusiasts" to say the least, so we had to go to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. It was seriously awesome and Blake's favorite part of the trip. My favorite part? My new nightie.

underestimater

2010-08-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

last post I said nothing exciting has been happening. WRONG-O. plenty of exciting things have been going on. I started a new job. I am a waitress. I LOVE having a job and not having to sit around the house wanting to go into a coma I'm so bored. and I LOVE not getting mad at Blake all the time because I'm sitting around waiting for him. It truly is bliss.

How can I work in the United States legally you ask? With THIS:

Holla. It's official. Welcome to the USA, self.

great expectations

2010-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

image borrowed from Nat Geo

I really hope me and my husband make it to this. although we probably won't be dancing in our most dapper apparel ever (I would, if only Blake would comply) I always worry that one of us is gunna keel over before we make it to this point. and I can't really decide who I would rather have go if one had to. I just love my husband too much, and i thought this picture was too adorable not to share.

and it appears this blog is nothing but whining about missing home and bragging about how great my husband is. I promise once something eventful happens, I will blog about it!

15 reasons why i have mad love for this man

2010-08-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

1. he is constantly making me laugh... like when he dumps a pot full of cold water on me in the shower.

2. he is always reminding me how lucky we are (which i often need... cough cough previous post..)

3. he has a sexy body! he makes me feel very safe and protected.. and look at how GIANT his hand is in that picture!

4. he is good at surprises

5. he is pretty darn patient.. like when we took pictures for 4 hours in waterton.

6. he loves kids, and is so cute and sweet with them

7. he is an excellent cook

8. he is always pushing me to be my best and achieve my goals

9. he is very helpful with cleaning and doing laundry

10. he always makes time for family

11. he is a ward worker and has goals for the future

12. he is very good at skiing. it makes me happy to see him doing things he loves.

13. he is very generous, always thinking of others and is (hardly) ever stingy

14. he misses me when I am gone, and i like that

15. he is upstairs making me a milkshake right now

home again home again

2010-08-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

jigitty jig.

here's the thing. "home" has become a real strange word lately. home can mean several things.

1. the Cole house, where blake and i currently live in their basement.

2. my house in canada

3. raymond alberta

4. blake's parents house.

5. our unfinished apartment

so i just don't know where home is right now because i wouldn't classify someone else's basement as home. but if the old saying rings true, "home is where your heart is" then home is 207 N 200 E Raymond Alberta Canada t0k 2s0.

which ISN'T to say I don't love Boise, cause I do. and I love the people here. but meeting new people and leaving behind everyone i knew so well is hard. i do miss knowing who is getting married, who is moving, who is the newest scentsy rep, which teens have been knocked up, how the raymond comets are doing, who is building a new house, and i especially miss working at the hardware store and seeing the regulars and talking about my siblings and their children and who is the next to go to BYU Hawaii.

i found this quote that says

"home is where you can say anything you please because nobody pays attention to you anyway."

that reminds me of when the Dudley family gets together in waterton and its raining outside and there are 35 people crammed in the cabin and noone can here what anyone else is saying and the kids are screaming that they're hungry... and yet, we dudleys often compare these times to what heaven will be like.

I'm not trying to be negative nancy, because i like boise. i love my life and i LOVE my husband. but home is home for now.

ask me how I'm doing

2010-07-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am just cruising along with my 101 in 1001. In the 2 weeks I was in Canada I:
did no facebook for a week. it wasn't easy. how pathetic.
sang in church. that wasn't easy either. I thought I might pass out.

In the couple weeks before Canada, I:
got my Idaho driver's license! by the way, I rocked it. nothing like my driving experiences back home.
I organized an address book. and it is actually helpful.

So that's how I'm doing. next on the list... go to yellowstone!

when i turned 21

2010-07-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

it did happen. we did celebrate. I did get spoiled. i just couldn't find the camera cord for the longest time. now it is the night before I leave for canada and I couldn't leave you post-less while I'm gone.

saturday we went to goldy's. of course! it is our favorite. and the sweet apple sausage is divine.

i finally got new birkenstocks after 3 years of wearing them pretty much every day the weather would allow it.

sunday we had dinner (chef's salad for me thanks) and these cute boys got me some balloons.

it was a great weekend and it feels good to be 21. I am so grown up!

july first

2010-07-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

This is the best Canada Day ever. I am the happiest clam in the sea. Ask my mom. When I called her to tell her I pretty much just was crying the whole time. Her response: "I will come get you. I can leave tomorrow. I WILL COME GET YOU."

I love my family and my roots and can't wait to be Alberta bound once again.

Penny and Me

2010-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

I named my bike Penny. I went for a ride and gathered lilacs from the neighbors bushes. I also stopped by the crick and found some wild roses, crested wheatgrass, and other specimens that remind me of my semester at Lethbridge College. It was a lovely time. I love Penny.

dirtbike tuesday

2010-06-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

sometimes when it's nice out, blake takes out the ol' dirtbike and gets some gnarly air. tomorrow, he promises, he is going to get on his gear and go big.

all the kids wanted rides too (seth included). it pays to live with a family with a big hunk of dirt in their backyard. (we now have carpet, a fridge, dishwasher, and oven in our apartment!)

...our apartment balcony is the triangle up on the second smaller building... holla.

8 second ride

2010-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

I got a bike for my birthday. I love it. I rode it for 8 seconds yesterday and when I went to take it for a spin after church today the back tire was flat. I guess that's what I get for racing blake, who was on a dirtbike, through a field. I lost.

I am 21 now, but I not much smarter.

Happy birthday dear Jessica, happy birthday to me.

fools

2010-06-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

So on April first I posted this. I'm not sure all of you caught on to the date because I have had multiple, MULTIPLE people ask me when I'm due, tell me how excited they are for me, asking my mother and blake's mother if they are excited to be grandma's, etc. So I guess my joke was pretty good! But just know that I am not actually pregnant, and neither are we expecting to get pregnant anytime soon! I actually stole the picture off someone's blog who actually is pregnant. Good joke?

the best photobooth picture ever

2010-05-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

amen.

water

2010-05-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

water is a lot of things.

In the church, Christ is referred to as the living water, which I have always loved. outside of the church, water is almost always associated with life. water makes plants grow and it makes things clean. it quenches thirst. it is a source of recreation. it is WONDERFUL.

THEN WHY IS DRINKING EIGHT GLASSES OF WATER A DAY SO DIFFICULT!?

in honor of my new 101 in 1001 in one list, I decided to straight up tackle a goal. bright-eyed and with full force, I woke this morning and told myself that not only would I not eat any crap today, i would drink my 8 glasses of water.

which is number 084. drink eight 80z. glasses of water a day for a week
and 052. go without candy for 2 weeks

this is harder than it sounds, i promise.
I need a bridge over troubled water.
(hardy har har)

slow and steady

2010-05-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

So I know this was a fad like, 8 months ago, but I am hopping on the 101 in 1001 bandwagon. Why? Because I like goals and when I have things I have to do anyways and put them on a list, it makes me feel good about myself when I can cross them off. so here goes. (and if this looks a lot like Amy's list, you can't blame me! I'm not so proud I can't steal other people's goals.)

Started: May 11, 2010

Finished: February 6, 2013

001. try geocaching
002. go to a shooting range
003. visit a museum
004. write a children's book
005. climb a tree
006. make a quilt
007. pay off my student loan
008. make salsa
009. improve my posture
010. watch a foreign film
011. go to Yellowstone
012. learn a magic trick
013. learn to fly fish
014. make a new friend
015. buy a car
016. ride a train
017. stop biting my nails
018. have a baby
019. go to a driving range
020. run a half marathon
021. learn to snowboard
022. go to a music festival
023. join a club
024. try 10 new restaurants
025. get a dog
026. get a mani/pedi
027. attend general conference
028. floss every day for a month
029. grow my hair to my waist
030. read the book of Mormon
031. host a theme party
032. learn to drive a standard
033. get accepted to Boise State
034. get a bachelors degree of some kind
035. become a permanent resident of the USA
036. go to Australia
037. make a wedding scrapbook
038. do family history
039. submit names to the temple
040. make another quilt
041. learn to play "Don't Stop Me Now" on the piano
042. hike Chief Mountain
043. learn to make chocolates
044. get food storage
045. get emergency prepared
046.visit teach every month for a year
047. write down memories of grandparents E
048. write down memories of grandparents D
049. update my autobiography
050. continue to update my autobiography
051. go without pop for a month
052. go without candy for 2 weeks
053. buy a fixer-upper
054. plant a garden and harvest my veggies
055. read the doctrine and covenants
056. attend woman's conference
057. volunteer with a wildlife rescue something-or-other
058. get an Idaho driver's license
059. hike Vimy
060. get more brave on my skis ie. 360, improve control
061. read 15 books
062. make a bedframe and headboard or have Blake do it
063. spend a weekend backpacking
064. read the ensign every month
065. go to Hay River
066. exercise 3 times a week or 4 months
067. make a budget and stick to it
068. no facebook for a week
069. get a US passport
070. take bagpipe lessons
071. paint something and hang it in my house
072. run the July 1st 10K
073. play bingo
074. can peaches
075. can pears
076. make freezer jam
077. not dye my hair for 2 years
078. learn to cook roast
079. read 6 non-fiction books
080. pay back my parents
081. spend a day at the movies.. at least 2 in a row
082. do a run for a cause
083. do something crazy with Blake
084. drink eight 80z. glasses of water a day for a week
085. send a postcard to a different person every month for a year
086. have a girl's weekend away
087. for each task i complete, put away $5
088. clean out my itunes
089. clean out my pictures
090. get Blake a wii
091. watch all LOTR's in one day
092. watch all seasons of Grey's Anatomy or other TV show
093. perform something somewhere
094. organize an address book
095. do 25 push-ups in a row
096. make bread and scones
097. ski somewhere in Alberta besides Castle
098. get something free off craigslist
099. go to a hutterite colony with Blake
100. sleep under the stars
101. sell something homemade

(I use dayzeroproject.com to help track my progress)
Now START YOUR OWN!

today

2010-04-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

I am getting a haircut on Thursday. any suggestions what to do with this mop?

fish, eggs, ferns

2010-04-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

i love these lightswitch plates. cept i have the craft bug and don't want to buy them... i want to make them. but i don't want them to suck like the rest of my projects usually do. (here they are.)

i also might want this for my house that isn't done but will be soon. (found it here.)

update

2010-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

we now live in Boise

our apartment is about 2 weeks from being done (hopefully)

on thursday Blake and I put a finish on the hardwood floors

I am a nanny

Blake is a yard-boy

can't wait to have a house.

sleepy boy

2010-04-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Blake loves naps. He takes 4 naps a week at least. I, however, am not that into naps (which is weird because I used to be the nap queen! Now they just make me more tired than before the nap). I get very very bored while Blake naps. luckily he entertains me with all the strangest sleeping positions. Here is a small sampling...For this one he put a couch cushion on top of his stomach so he could put the blanket over it and have some peace and dark..Who sleeps like this?! This was after I woke him up to come play with me. It didn't work. On he slept. But isn't he so handsome? I love the phone on the chest too.

So there you go, Blake loves naps and naps in style. As for me... all I wanted this season of skiing is a goggle tan. I THINK I GOT ONE. what do ya think?

Pretty dec, eh? It's pretty much gone now after 2 weeks, but I had my glory days. Now I'm off to study for my only final--science--and finishing packing our apartment. We leave Rexburg in 2 days! We are SO excited to move to Boise! L is G!

it's true!

2010-04-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

I AM GROWING A BABY AND BLAKE IS GOING TO BE A DAD.
we could NOT be happier.
life is so good.

GT

2010-03-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

this weekend Blake and I went up to Driggs and stayed in a condo with the Richards and a bunch of other families. it was a ball. sure, maybe I could have done a little more homework and studying while I was there, but you only live once, right?!the Richards family (minus Hayden, Jess, and Josh) getting ready to shred middle earth. most of the crew just a couple of love birds Blake tried snowboarding. he was excellent!

attention bieber fans!

2010-03-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

this video is pretty funny.

ski trippin'

2010-03-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

this weekend, Seth and Hayden came to visit. Targhee had a sweet deal going on (stay in the lodge, get 2 ski passes for $98 bucks. which is good because a regular lift ticket is $70.) Sooo what I'm trying to say is Blake and I got a free hotel room thanks to our friends! we went up thursday night and skied friday. we also took advantage of the hot tub! there were also other adventures, but we won't mention them here. let's just say these three are a bunch of tough guys...

top o' the mornin' to ya!

2010-03-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

happy st. pat's day, if I do say so myself. complete with:

green dishes

green jello
green sprite
avocado
green fettucine alfredo
green garlic bread
clovers on my fingernails
green on my toes
green sweatpants
green shirts

my husband did this all for me while I was out skiing! I love my richard! (also, did you notice we are eating at a desk? can't wait to get a TABLE!)

hawaii, as promised

2010-03-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

In April 2009 my Grandpa Erickson passed away. He was a wise, hard-working, clever man. He left behind a small fortune which was divided 'tween his six children, and this is what my amazing father did with his share:

trying to surf... didn't go so well (curse you castles. and thank you carrie for letting us borrow the boards.)

I allowed my husband to throw himself out of a plane.

visited the Laie Temple (although due to renovations we couldn't go in)

boogie boarded our hearts out

jumped off cliffs

ate some shrimp and much other good foods

sat on the beach and watched the giant waves (also watched blake and max get worked).ate like kings at the PCC luau

visited the Haliewa farmers market for freshly made mango salsa!

the dole plantation, a crazy trip to costco, many hours chilling with the family I love, taking advantage of the time change (bed at 10, waking up at 8), a wonderful day immersed in culture at the Polynesian Cultural Center:
I love my family and I love Hawaii. Thanks for sharing, mom and dad.

since when?

2010-03-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

Since when was I so productive? Wanna know what I did today?

worked on my application for this:

ordered these:(no not the t-shirts... our thank you notes for the wedding!)

applied for school here:(Boise State... sweet campus.)

and I even went to class! Live is good and only 4 more weeks in rexburg! hooray!

choices, choices

2010-03-09T20:18:00.001-08:00

I'm not too sure how I feel about TOMS SHOES. it is great that they donate 1 pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you buy, sure. but they are so darn trendy. that aside--if you were me, which pair would you purchase?
(this is an attempt at blogging more... how am I doing? I have a good post coming up, don't you worry. plus I did two posts in one day! super-mega-ultra bonus!)maroon linen blue linen ash canvas

VOTE!