So Long, Fair Well

Todd finished his last week of work! His last day was Thursday and all the ladies brought him some delicious mexican food. Now he has two weeks off until school starts up again! Yeah! Friday was my last day of work for two weeks. It seems kinda weird, but very nice, and much needed. Sometimes I feel like everything revolves around work and I worry about it when I leave, but now I can just relax. I still feel like I need to be there, but I know I don't need to be. It's nice to get away.

So now we're in good ol' Texas. We left Saturday for Salt Lake and spent some time with friends. A couple months ago I made a list of resturants I wanted to eat at when back home and we were able to hit two spots in Salt Lake! I seriously miss civilization and convinence. I got my Pei Wei kick Saturday night and Todd got his Chipotle kick yesterday. I have a feeling those are not the last times we'll eat at those places on our trip. Eating my Sweet and Sour Chicken just made me want more. Love it!

We left yesterday for Texas and got in late last night. I didn't think we'd make it, but luckily the people at the airport are nice and bumped us to another flight so we'd make our connection in Houston to get to Austin. Now we're just relaxing and enjoying our time with the Wilson family!

New Hobby

Todd has acquired a new hobby......Reading. And I think he's actaully really enjoying it! If any of you really know Todd then he has probably told you that he LOVES TV. I think he could watch it all day. But out of a request from me, he has tried doing other things which has resulted to this (the picture).

Birthday Weekend

I had an amazing birthday! Todd did a pretty good job. I kept telling him all week I should be able to have a birthday week, but he didn't agree. But I did kinda get a birthday weekend. Friday night he grilled some hamburgers, that were delicious. It made me really excited for the summer. We've already been talking to Alma and Jessica about our bar-b-ques we're going to have. After dinner I ran down to Rigby and when I got back Todd had wrapped my present and stuck it on the entertainment center trying to tempt me. Then he'd ask if I wanted to open it and then tell me I couldn't. He's so nice.

Saturday morning he made be breakfast. French toast-my favorite. Now it was time for the presents. I was so excited. He had pretty much built up his present to be awesome. So I was expecting something that had a lot of thought and time put into. I go and pick it up and it's really light. Ok...Have no clue what it is. I go to open it.

What do I get??....

K, I'll admit I was a little shocked. We saw this naglene on The Biggest Loser and I really wanted one. We made a bet and if I won I'd get one. Needless to say I lost. So I was excited, but a little surprised. It was great,and I love it, but it didn't match with his hints he kept giving. Finally he tells me to go look behind the couch.

I was so excited. I love it! He went and framed our certificate we got after we were sealed. We were told that we should frame that with a picture of the temple, in our room, to always remind us of what we did. After almost a year and a half we finally got it done! It's already up on our wall. I was very surprised and happy. He did a really good job. I love both my presents! Now he's set the bar. I know what he can do!

The rest of the morning we just kinda hung out till the afternoon when we went down to Idaho Falls. I got to go spend a little of my birthday money from my parents. The best part, he let me shop at any store for as long as I wanted. He was a good sport especially with the amount of people that were there.

That night we went and saw 4 Christmas' and then our friends came over last night for some cake. I had an awesome weekend. Now it's over and I have another year to build up my excitement for my next birthday.

Quotables Part III

"Gee, no wonder why the electric bill's so high. SOMEBODY leaves all the lights on...Shirley." (11/2/08)I tend to go into a room, turn the light on, and then forget to turn it off when I leave. He likes to let me know that quite often.

I was joking around asking him if he lied about something:

"Shirley, I don't lie. I may stretch the truth, but I don't lie. Let me rephrase that, I try not to lie." (11/4/08) At least he's honest.

Todd and I were out in the living room watching TV. I was doing some work on the computer. The TV was way loud so I kindly asked Todd to turn the TV down.

Todd: "As long as you keep your clicking to a minimum." Clever. Very Clever. (11/7/08)

Todd was getting his own ice cream and noticed how much more ice cream we had. “For a while I thought you were spoiling me. Looks like the wools been pulled over my eyes. Giving me big scoops in little bowls.” (11/708)

When I told him I had lemon pudding the night before and he had ice cream he asked why I didn’t give him any pudding and I told him because I got him ice cream. “Shirley I’m a man I like to eat.” (11/7/08)

At work one day the ladies Todd works with were telling him he had cool eyes. This is what took place when he was telling me about it:

Nicki: "They said you had cool eyes."
Todd: "Yeah look at them...They're hazel!" (11/10/08)

This past month he was on a roll, and I'm glad I remembered to write a lot down this time. He makes me laugh each and every day and I love it.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Nicki, 23 years old. I hope that you have a wonderful day. Love you a lot, and I'm grateful for you and all you do.

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Yesterday afternoon Todd and I had the opportunity to go with our neighbors, Trent and Kim, to go cut down a Christmas tree! I'm so glad we went. We had so much fun. We drove up almost to Island Park. It was snowing pretty good the whole time. I've never had a real Christmas tree (at least that I can remember), and I always pictured them real big and full, but that wasn't the case here. I guess the ones you buy on the lots are, but we had a hard time finding one. We all kept making fun that we were getting our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Ours ended up being tall and skinny, but it actually doesn't look too bad now that there are lights up on it. It's our first Christmas tree together and it's our own little unique one!

Thanksgiving Week

Well the family has come and gone. We had a blast!

Last Saturday Todd and I drove down and met my parents at the airport. Sunday Scott, Julie, and Spencer got in. We went and visited my Dad's sister, Aunt Cheryl, and her family. Then we went back to my Uncle Jim and Aunt Marcie's and hung out the rest of the night. Our cousins Jessica and Barry came over and my cousin Kim and her family. We were able to look at old family photos and just have fun.

Monday we drove up to Park City. We got to drive aimlessly looking for a bathroom for Scott, walk up and down main street, and experience a heated bench. After Park City we drove through Immigration Mountain and then through Down Town Salt Lake looking for an Artisan Well. We just kept taking turns and finally ran into it. From our experience there's something in that water! We all went and filled up our water bottles. It was quite the experience. After all the excitement we drove out Tooele to visit our friends Don and Alice first stopping by the Great Salt Lake.

Tuesday Todd and I drove back home, while my family stayed a little longer and then met us up in Rexburg later that night. We were able to enjoy our favorite meat pies with chili and gravy along with some good ol' cheese curds!

Wednesday Todd and I had to work so my family went out and did some dinner shopping. On their way home they picked me up from work and then drove up to St. Anthony and Henry's Lake. In St. Anthony we got to see my grandpa Tuckett's house he grew up in and then go to the cemetery were my Great Grandparents are. After St. Anthony we made our way up to Henry's Lake. Along the way there were some little lakes that had ice on them, but you could tell they weren't completely frozen. So when we get to Henry's Lake we're thinkin that it's just going to be normal and not frozen. boy were we wrong! It was completely frozen! Scott and I tried to see how far we could go out, but didn't have enough guts to go too far. Spencer kept skipping rocks on it and then tried to see if he could get a big enough rock to break it. It was a blast! It was also freezing cold! Later we met Todd back at home and enjoyed some Delicious Baked Potato Soup.

Thanksgiving day was filled with cooking, relaxation, visiting, and excitement. We started the day off with some flag football. Todd and our neighbor got some guys together to play. Scott and Spencer weren't quite use to the altitude though. Scott was his usual self playing in jeans, a vest and t-shirt and his everyday shoes! Todd got to play on the opposing team and made the game winning touch down! The rest of the day we sat around watching some Dallas Cowboys and Texas A&M game. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner with our dad's amazing turkey and stuffing! Our Uncle Claude, Aunt Sherlene, and cousin Tana stopped by for a little bit to visit.

Friday was our excursion. We drove up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. First we had to drive through the Jackson Pass. I wasn't the biggest fan of it and my brothers had the enjoyment of teasing me the rest of the trip. Once getting into Jackson we went to the Elk Refuge Center and saw some swans, mallards, and a hole bunch of Elk. They were huge! We then made our way up through Targhee National Forest seeing some more elk on the way. We also spotted a moose, bison, and a coyote. We made it all the way up to Jackson Lake. It was beautiful. On the way back we spotted some more moose. After making it back to Jackson we were able to see their city Christmas lights and Santa come. On the way home we decided not to go through the pass (which cause for some more teasing from the brothers) and went through a little town called Alpine, Wyoming. We were trying to find some place to eat. The first place we decided not to go to so we found this place called Bull Moose Bar. We walk in and all that was open was the bar. I think that city shut down at 8. So Julie and I decide to use the restroom while we were there. On our way out we heard some guys swearing and kinda think it's Scott and Spencer for some reason. As we go and turn the corner we witnessed a little bar fight. It wasn't bad, but it was a first for me. The guy knocked the other guy of the stool. More could have happened, but we left before anything else could. So we decided to head back to the first restaurant we found which ended up being the best. They had a buy one meal get one free special and we were the only ones in there! After dinner it was time to make our trek back to Rexburg. We finally made it back safe and sound.

Yesterday morning everyone came over and we had some cinnamon rolls for breakfast then they all got ready to drive back to Salt Lake for their flight. We had a pretty fun and adventurous week. There was lots of laughing, reminiscing, coffee, and hot chocolate. Every place we stopped we got hot chocolate and coffee. Some places were pretty good, some not so good. I'm grateful they all got to come up and spend thanksgiving with us. We had so much fun. It will be an unforgettable week to say the least.

They're Here!!

Well, the time finally came! My family's finally here. My parents got into Salt Lake Saturday night. So Todd and I drove down to surprise them. My mom had no clue, but my dad kept saying he knew we'd show up. The funny part was that it took them a sec to notice us. My dad looked straight at us a couple times! Scott, Julie, and Spencer came in yesterday afternoon. So we've just been visiting family and hanging out. Todd and I drive back to Rexburg today and the rest will come up tomorrow.

Come What May and Love It

Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the 12 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, gave a talk at this last General Conference titled "Come What May and Love It". I think this talk hit me the most and I've been trying to remind myself of this constantly. Except for some reason I haven't for the past couple of days.

I was writing an email today and brought this up and it hit me. Duh Nick! I was telling someone something I needed and I didn't realize it until I went back to reread what I wrote. I don't know if I helped them much, but it helped me.

Elder Wirthlin's talk is based around handling adversity. He began with sharing a story about when something happened to him and his mother told him "come what may and love it." He goes on to say "How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life."

We all will receive trials and pain. I like how he puts it "But the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt." But like Elder Writhlin says it's how we handle them that matters most. Things happen and I have no clue why. I can't see what Heavenly Father can, but I know that he has a reason for everything. Whether I'm suppose to know what that reason is or not, I just need to rely on my faith and enjoy the journey. As Gordon B. Hinckley has once said "In all of living have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

If anyone wants to read the full talk go here. It's amazing. I love it.

So the things that I found to help me enjoy today:

Frozen Mint M&Ms. They're great when you've had a frustrating day at work!

Todd's smile. It's more like his whole face. I love his eyes when he smiles. They're warm and there's something about it that just comforts me. I love us and I think that's what has helped get me through hard times. I know he's there and I know he loves me and wants me to be happy. And I know that I wont just be with him in this life, but for eternity.

He always knows what to say. Sometimes I don't think he thinks I listen, but I do. I can just be a little stubborn to show it.

Just One of Those Weeks

Have you ever had one of those weeks were it feels like it's going the way you want and then one little thing changes it. Ahh.. Good times....

I'm glad tomorrow's Thursday. Only a couple more days till my family is here. Much much needed. I'm ready to see them. I'm ready to hug my mom.

You know the closer you get to seeing people you really miss you'd think that you'd be getting really excited and everything, but for some reason something else is happening in this situation. Don't get me wrong, I'm way excited and every time I think of them coming I get really really excited. It's been almost a year since I've seen them and it's been hard. But for some reason every time I think of them coming I start crying. I get really excited and then I start tearing up. They're tears of joy! I'm just really really REALLY ready for them to be here. And I'm really really REALLY ready to be home in December. To be in the comforts of the place I grew up in. To be with the people I love most.

My brother, Spencer, will talk to me on facebook and inform me there are only a couple more days and it's getting closer. Yeah! I get all giddy and happy, but the tears start coming.

Is that suppose to happen? Luckily I have a husband who has learned how to comfort me. From bawling my eyes out last Christmas when leaving home, to bawling my eyes out on Monday just thinking of my mom. And pretty much right now. There's been many mood swings in between and he's still here by my side.

I thought you were suppose to get use to being a way. I thought I was getting use to it, until this week when the realization hit that I was really going to be seeing them in a matter of days. No more months, or weeks, but days!

I'm ready.

So week, you have my permission to speed along. Just a little faster. Not too fast that I don't get to enjoy it, but just fast enough for next week to be here.

Surprise!!!

Friday afternoon I get a call from my parents seeing if UPS came by. Umm... No. They looked up the tracking number and it showed that there was no apartment number, so it was going back to the warehouse. So my dad has me call the warehouse and they said I could pick it up at 5:30 when the trucks would be back. So my dad then informs me that the box would be too big to fit in the back of our car! What the heck?!? I was thinking my mom had sent me some cinnamon chips or something. Alright. So we go and borrow our neighbors truck and head over to UPS. This was our surprise:

A sweet new grill!! Oh man.... I was so excited. I've been wanting a grill forever! Our little George Foreman just doesn't always do the trick. When I call my parents my dad informs me that it's his and he'll be shipping it back after Thanksgiving. Yeah Yeah. Honestly I was way excited!! I can't wait to use it, but I think I just might wait so my dad can be the first to use it when he's cookin Thanksgiving dinner! Can't wait!

We went out yesterday and found a cover for it so it doesn't get ruined by the snow. So dad it's up and ready for you. Only a week a half and you can try this new baby out!

Cheating the System?!

I get this call from a pharmacy today saying that a lady came to pick up some prescriptions. She was claiming them through workman's comp for an accident that happened at our facility 3 years ago and they just wanted to make sure it was still credible. He had called our workman's comp people and they had no record of it. He thought maybe we used someone else back then, but we've always used State Insurance Fund. So I look in the system and the lady worked here in 2005 for 2 weeks. Since she's an old employee I had to go look for her file upstairs. When I find it there's no paperwork filled out that the accident went to workman's comp, but there was a paper filled out by a doctor for the same accident this guy was referring too. On it it stated that she got soap in the eye and that the diagnosis was chemical conjunctivitis. How long would you have to get prescriptions for, for getting soap in your eye?!?! 3 years? So when I informed the guy of what happened I asked what the prescriptions were for. He looks it up and finds out that the prescriptions were for a muscle relaxer and arthritis!! Seriously!!! Yeah I would say that was bogus and she was completely trying to cheat the system. Good thing there's people like that guy to review those kinda claims!

Todd

So after doing my astrology, thought I'd do Todd's.

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help Others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos. Attractive.

I just think it's funny cause I'm the Happy Go Lucky and he's The Boss. Social and outgoing though?!?! No he can be out going, but for those that just meet Todd will know he's not very social persay. Extrovert? Yeah try introvert. LIkes to keep things to himself. Although he is very warm-hearted and loving and does the right thing. More than me probably. Attractive, well here's a conversatoin he had at work the other day:

These ladies were talking to him and you know telling him he had a pretty wife ands she liked to smile. And one goes on to say how he doesn't talk much and goes "how did you get her to date you and then to marry you?" I'm surprised he didn't come up with his respsonse sooner. But later he said it's because of his looks. I will admit he is attractive.

Me?!

I'm not huge zodiac person, but I just got this email from my friend Christie. It was supposedly true descriptions of each zodiac. So here's mine

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Umm....I think I'm like some of the things listed, but really...it's not me. Doesn't want to grow up? Heck I've wanted to be older since I was in middle school. Indulges self? Well, maybe with some blue bell ice cream when I go home for Christmas. Boastful? Like luxuries..maybe some Steve Maddens if ya call that luxury. Gambling? Always got sick spending money, why would I want to really waste it? Social and out going? Ummm...not really. I can be outgoing once I get to know people. Doesn't like responsibilities? Who does? No I would rather have a responsibility and get it done my way then let someone else do something and not like what they did. Fantasizes? My ranch house in Texas....... Impatient? Ask Todd.... Fun to be around...Uhhh Yeah come on people. Just ask my sister, she LOVES when I'm home!! Lots of friends? Sure I don't know. Flirtatious....Yeah no. Unless maybe ask Todd. I never thought I was. Doesn't like rules? I like having guidelines so I know what to do. Like baking you have to follow everything precisely or it most likely wont turn out. That's how my life is. Gotta have rules. Dislikes being confined? Don't mind tight spaces. Tight clothes on the other hand? Yeah no.... Doesn't like be doubted? Yeah I think it fits. I hate when people don't think I can't do something. Beautiful inside and out? Hmm......

So maybe 50/50 I don't know. I just think they're fun to read sometimes.

Isn't He So Sweet

Todd found this potato the other day while working. He brought it down with my lunch! He's so sweet.

Just in case you can't tell what it is, it's a W. And yes it stands for Wilson.

Psycho in the House?!

This is Vicki. We really, really, really, don't care for Vicki

Alright, so two weeks ago I thought Heba, from The Biggest Loser, was so crazy (still do), but there is someone completely psychotic. Vicki. Seriosuly people, over the top. Bob even mentioned last night that she was manipulative. To me this show is a game to win money, but for those people it's also a life changing event. On all the seasons I've seen you have to kick people off, but at the same time you still have respect for that person and you want them to keep losing weight and doing good. Last night they had all the cast memebers that were kicked off come back on and one had the chance to get back on the show. Well, our friend Phil had lost the most weight out of any of the old members. And if it was like last season he would have gotten to return. But they changed it. So anyway, Vicki's all (in front of everyone mind you) as long as the one at the top doesn't stay I'm fine. Whatever. I really like Phil. I think he's a good guy. All I got to say to her though is karma.

Shes been saying how her, Brady, Heba, and now Ed, were going to be in the top 4 at the finale. So last night at the weigh in the whole blue team is talking about how they were all voting Michelle (black team) off. Well, little miss Amy who was smart last night voted for her well being, which she should have considering the rest of the blue team was going to vote her off anyway later on. Brady got kicked off!!! Woohoo. Take that Vicki. Your little plan was just ruined.

Down with the blue team (except Amy C.)

I tried downloading a video, but it wont let me, but if you go here you can watch it and the rest of my post might make more sense.

They don't show what everyone said at elimination, but it was good. I loved Vicki's remarks about how Amy C. was stupid. Whatever. She was the only smart one on that team. Why would you want to go into the finale with 4 large people?!?! If you're smart you kick the bigger people off so you have a better chance at winning. Plus it's not teams anymore. Yeah they still work out together, but they don't vote together anymore. Booya to you Vicki.

I wish I could find a clip with what happens next week. From what we saw Vicki posts a sign saying revenge on it. Weirdo. They even show a clip where Ed says she's crazy. Hopefully he'll get some sence into Heba and then'll steer away from her.

Alright, enough of my Biggest Loser ramblings.

If you go here you can read the recap for yourself and dislike this woman as much as we do! You can also go here and then to videos and watch the full episode for your self. It was awesome. You'd be able to see the fight between Vicki and Phil!

Go Black Team!!

Halloween Weekend

I would have to say that Todd and I had a pretty enjoyable weekend. Friday Jessica and Alma came over and had some chili with us. Since my dad's not here to make his chili I had to create something. It didn't turn out too bad. I didn't like any of the recipes I found, so I decided to combine a few. Although I've decided to half what I made next time. We still have a ton left over.

After dinner Kim and Trent came up and we played Boxers or Briefs. As always, it was pretty fun. We had one set of trick or treaters. And we didn't answer. We didn't even buy any candy. And I'm glad we didn't if we only had one knock at the door. Kim and Trent had to leave early to put Ethan to bed, so the rest of us ended up playing a game called Bananas. Alma brought it over. It's kinda like scrabble, but not. It was fun. I would have to say that Alma was the word master out of the group.

Saturday was a pretty relaxing day. Didn't do much in the morning. This is pretty much what Todd did while I was straightening my hair.

Later we got ready and went down to Idaho Falls. We went and returned some stuff at Target and then went to Kohls. Todd learned to either never separate from me, or to always bring a phone while shopping with me. After 15 minutes of looking at stuff for him, he was done so he started to look for me. I was probably in the dressing room half the time, so needless to say it took him forever to find me. After his tenth time around the store he found me by the shoes. I was on my way to the mens section to look for him, and got a little sidetracked. I was told that if he hadn't just found me he was about to have me paged. Yeah it wasn't an exciting shopping trip for him, but I enjoyed it.

After our eventful shopping trip we got to enjoy a nice dinner thanks to my parents. My mom sent us a little Halloween package with some money. So we decided to go out to Texas Roadhouse. Hopefully that made up for all the walking around Todd had to do at Kohls.

Before we went I was trying to get some pictures of us. I've realized we've pretty much stopped taking pictures lately. Mostly cause we really haven't done much. Since I usually have pictures of Todd with a funny face, we finally have one with me. He went to take a picture and out of the corner of my eye it looked like he was doing something, so I thought I'd make a funny face like him, but he wasn't doing anything. He looks nice in this picture. Me on the other hand....

This one is the only half way decent one we got. All the other ones that would have been nice were blurry. Can't ya tell Todd loves when I make him take pictures like this?!

Quotables Part II

I didn't remember to write many of the things Todd said this past month, but here are just a few:

Todd had just got on a break, at work, and was getting some water. After filling up his cup he leaned against the filing cabinet. This is the conversation that took place:

Nicki: "You look like you're posing or something."
Todd: "I'm just a natural model."
Nicki: Starts laughing
Todd: "Wanna make a bet, you're not the first person to tell me that."

My husband, the natural born model.

After doing our budget, if we have extra money we each get some "blow" money. Todd needed a new pair of jeans, and had mentioned a couple days before that that is what he was going to get this time. When I asked where he was going to buy new jeans he responded:

"No, you're gonna patch up the hole, & I'm going to get a bike cover." I give him a funny look. He goes on "It's gonna start snowing and getting cold!" (10/21/08)

Yup his bike was more important than a new pair of jeans. Although he still hasn't bought the cover.

Todd had his music on and some spanish song came on. He starts dancing and getting way into it. His reasoning for his dancing:

"I can feel the music run through my bones." (10/26/08)

Oh How I Love Tuesdays

Why you might ask.......

1. Monday is officially over

2. The Biggest Loser is on

Seriously, I love that show. During the eliminations I tear up. Sometimes, I'll admit, I sob. Evening during the show when these people talk about their lives and what they've gone through. It's a tear jerker. I usually like all the contestants. There's some that even though they truly play it like a game, cause it is, I still like them.

(this is Heba. We really don't care for Heba.)

But this season there are a few that I cannot stand. Heba, Vicky, and Brady. I just want Heba to get kicked off. She's horrible. She's like a girl stuck in high school the way she's so catty sometimes. Todd even said, last night, that she should get kicked off and stay fat! Now he was joking, but seriously she has issues and thinks the world revolves around her. I just hope she doesn't win, or even is in the finale. Same with Vicky. I think she straight up lied to Bob last night. She told him that her and her husband, Brady, didn't cheat last week by throwing the weigh in. My rear end they didn't. But whatever, it's just a show. I just hope someone from the black team wins. I like them, and though they are probably in it for the money too, they care more about losing weight than anything.

Due to our countries presidental elections, we get to wait 2 long weeks till The Biggest Loser returns. And man will I be excited! But, next week go out and vote if you can!

Car Trouble and FHE

We're in the wonderful world of do it yourself to save money! A few weeks ago Todd noticed that our reverse lights weren't working. He checked the bulbs, but they both looked fine. So he got out a car manual (thanks to my Uncle Jim) and found where a switch thingy was that probably went out. So Friday he went to find this switch thing, but in the process lost some transmission fluid. He called his dad, my Uncle Jim, and we had some of the people I work with help us and tell us what we needed to do. So we went to Auto Zone to get some more transmission fluid to replace the fluid that was lost. Todd had to end up ordering the new part, so we had to wait for that. Yesterday Todd got a message from Auto Zone letting him know the part came in. After picking it up he let the car cool down a little before he got under the hood. After a little bit of working he comes back in the apartment, the switch is in, but we've lost even more transmission fluid. So we thought we'd just see if the lights work and then go from there.

Start the car...It wont even go into reverse. It was like there was a huge brick. By this time it's getting darker, and our neighbors came down and we all stood around the car wondering what the problem was. After a little more of trying different things to get it to work, another neighbor came out and told us we probably need more transmission fluid and that could be our problem.

So Todd heads back over to Auto Zone to pick up some more fluid. In the mean time, I thought I'd be a dutiful wife and clean up the mess a little. I throw some stuff away, clean up the bucket that the fluid leaked in. Todd gets back and asks:

"Did you throw anything away."
Me: "yes"
Todd: "where?"
Me: "umm... the dumpster"

Turns out some of the stuff I threw away had a piece he needed to put back in. So we head to the dumpster. In the dumpster there's a pile right next to the opening and we're looking through that. I recall that it was in a target bag. Right as I say that we notice the bag. I couldn't just have layed the trash in there so it would of been ontop of all the other trash. I threw it in there so it was on the very bottom....in the back. Todd, being the brave man he is, jumped in. There was a car driving by and probably thought we were a bunch of bums, but whatever. Todd was very calm for just having to jump in a dumpster for something I threw away. Lucky for me:)

We get back, and our neighbor Trent came out and to help Todd. So I go in a chat with everyone else. They ended up getting the car to go in reverse again but ..... the lights still don't work. So who knows what's really wrong with it. The lights aren't burnt out, there's brand new switch thingy (sorry for my term, I honestly can't remember what it's called), and all brand new transmission oil. So we'll see what happens. Through all of this we cleaned out the transmission oil, which is probably a good thing and was needed, and learned some new things about the car. It was still a good experience, despite the original problem not being fixed. Todd's becoming a pretty good handy man.

During this whole eventful evening, we were suppose to be going to Trent and Kim's to have Family Home Evening with all our neighbors. We were a little late, but made it in time to play games. We ended up playing Would You Rather.... Todd and I got this as a wedding gift. The first time we played it was in the car driving to Kentucky with his parents and Tara. We didn't think it was a rather entertaining game, but last night was so fun. You learn some interesting things about each other. There were some pretty interesting discussion like would your rather itch constantly, or feel like you have to always pee? Would you rather be known for your accomplishments, or your kindness, but not both? We were still discussing that one even when the round was over. It was quite humorous. We were also able to witness Trent dancing to his own humming for 30 seconds! Yeah we had some good times.

We've truly been blessed with where we live. We have awesome neighbors, who have also been great friends. It's gonna be sad when someday we're all done with school and moved away. But now we're just enjoying the time we have! So despite the rocky beginning to the evening, it turned out pretty good. We got the car to work again, and had some fun with friends!

Green Kitchen

So I've gotten to where I like going and looking at random pictures of kitchens. Just to you know get ideas. Anyway, I want green on my walls some how. So in google I typed in green kitchen. Well, this came up:



I love green, but I don't think I could handle bright green counter tops! I've never seen that before, and thought it was kinda funny.

Shoe Crazy?!

About a month or so ago I saw this girl at church wearing some really cute shoes. I just kept staring at them. If she saw me she probably thought I was a freak. But whatever. Anyway, I kept thinking to myself those look like Steve Maddens. I could just tell (probably cause I have two pairs of his shoes that if I put them together they'd look like these). I like to get on DSW and look at their shoes so I've been trying to hunt these ones down, or even something similar. Well, this morning I was on Dillards' website and found the shoes, and guess what?!? They're Steve Maddens! I'm so good. I love his shoes. Seriously love them. If our budget ever gets to the point were it can accomadate my love for his shoes I would have a whole closet full of them. They'd be in rubbermaid boxes (so they don't get dusty) with a picture of the shoe on the front so I could easily pick them out. Oh that'll be the day. I'll have that closet in my ranch house, with the varanda, somewhere in Texas. Oh someday.....

Anyway, love the shoes. So I was thinking I could save up for them now! Except they're $80,which isn't bad for Steve Maddens. But unforunately our budget,and my husband, doesn't care how much I love shoes. So hopefully they'll go on sale somewhat soon cause then maybe I can jusitfy buying them at that point. Except I do need a new pair of brown flats....

Zucchini... Lots of Zucchini

There's a little house, next to our apartments, that had a box of free zucchini this past week. I decided I might as well take advantage of their generosity. The zucchini was huge!! I ended up taking two home. So this weekend I made Zucchini Casserole, per Todd's request. It was his mom's recipe. I was a little leery, but it was pretty good. Then on Sunday I made some Zucchini Bread and Muffins. For some reason I had a really hard time with the bread. Most likely because I grew impatient, but for some reason it was taking a lot longer to bake and didn't rise real well. But the muffins were amazing. I decided to do them in my little muffin tin. I love that thing! They make the perfect bite size snacks.


Today I decided to add some cream cheese frosting to them. I added some cinnamon to the frosting cause I can never get enough of cinnamon. Mmmm.... They were so good. Love em. At least the muffins turned out and my baking experiment this weekend didn't completely fail:)

Hooded Dancer

So this was done on a Sunday afternoon. Todd likes to dance, especially when there is a good tune on. Some may think he's weird, but he says "maybe I'm normal, and everyone else is weird." I'll let you all be the judge of that. I would say that Todd is high on L-I-F-E. Enjoy, I hope this brings some laughter into your life's.

My parents bought their plane tickets!! They're coming for Thanksgiving!!! Oh man! So excited!

Conference Weekend

Well, once again our conference weekend has come and gone. Todd and I enjoyed ourselves. Friday night we went to the temple. Amazing as always. It just felt so good to go. The temple is pretty much in our backyard, which is a constant reminder of what we need to do. After, the weather had cooled down so we went home and had some hot chocolate. Yum! Saturday we watched the first two sessions of Conference. Todd went to the Priesthood Session, while I went with our neighbor, Kim, to another neighbors, where we watch The Last Holiday and just chatted. When the guys got home, Todd and I went to Trent and Kim's to play some cards. We had quite a few laughs. It's always fun to hang out with them. Especially to hear the stories that Trent comes up with. He has some pretty good ones.

Today we finished watching conference. It seems like it goes by so fast. The one talk that has kinda stuck with me, throughout, is Elder Wirthlin's. The one thing I keep remembering is that he talked about how his mother told him "Come what may, and love it". His talked was based around overcoming sorrow and anger and to just laugh a little more. I need to live that motto more. Sometimes I feel like things come, but I just don't care for them, but I know that as I do find the good and humor in things life will be more enjoyable and memorable. I'm so grateful for conference and for the opportunity we have to listen to the leaders of our church. I know that they each have received inspiration from Heavenly Father on what we need to be counseled on.

For dinner we enjoyed some Baked Potato Soup with some delicious rolls. We had a nice rainy day, and the soup was perfect for the weather. Sorry Bernie, had to post a picture of the rolls. Seriously I love this rolls. I've been making them forever! Each time I feel like they come out better and better. I was surprised how flaky they were this time. Mmmm... so good.


Now we're just enjoying the rest of day. As you can tell, Todd sure is excited!

This is exactly how I feel.....Exhausted!

I passed out, last night, at 9. Woke up at 6:45. I think I over slept. Plus today I had the opportunity to work in the back and package some twice baked potatoes for like 3 hours. Manual labor=hard work. I think I work hard on the things I do, but what I did today was TIRING!! It reminded me of when I worked in a kitchen. Kinda miss it. But since then all I've wanted to do is sleep. I'm ready for a break.

Isn't that such a cute cat?! It makes me miss Tootsie and Kitty.

It's Coming Back!!

In high school I loved baking. If there was any activity I'd bake. Any holiday I'd bake. Loved it. Since I've been in school, surprisingly enough, I've lost that passion. I still liked to bake, but I just never felt like what I made was good enough. Sometimes I hate telling people what I went to school for cause I feel like I have to live up to something. I probably should, but I've just lost my confidence, which has resulted in product that isn't that great. Too me at least. I know I have so much more in me to do better.

Tonight I could feel it coming back. I could feel the drive. I don't know why. I made Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies from Yummy Fun. I just had fun, which is what I use to feel. While in school and after I've had fun, but it hasn't been the same. This may sound weird, but I loved baking tonight. It wasn't just something I was doing, I really enjoyed it. I'm so excited!! Hopefully it'll continue and it's not just a one night thing!

Veranda

It's official. After last night I definitely want a wrap around porch on our future house. When I was in middle school I read a book where they lived in a house that had a veranda and I've always wanted one. Last night Jessica and I were out on our porch sitting in her chairs and just talked. I don't know how long we were out there, but it was just nice and kinda relaxing.

I would love a ranch style home with a huge wrap around porch with a bunch of sitting areas. No matter where you sit you have a different view. Love it. So hopefully someday we'll have that home somewhere... close to a big city.... in Texas. I can dream can't I.

Sunday Dinner

I'm a little proud of myself for my dinner last night. It was my first time to make a Pot Roast. It turned out to be a little dry, but I thought it was pretty good for my first time. Now I know what to do for next time. I made it with potatoes, carrots, and onions. I was going to make my usual rolls, but my mom suggested I make Yorkshire Pudding. I had no clue what they were, but she said they're good with a roast, and you pour your gravy all over it. They actually turned out pretty good. I didn't know what to expect, but I liked them.

(Yorkshire Pudding)

(My pot roast)

We had our neighbors, Alma and Jessica, come over for dinner too. I'm so grateful for the neighbors we have. It really makes apartment living so much better. We had so much fun having them over and then just being able to sit around and talk. We ended the evening with some delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. So good.

(mmm..yummy chocolate peanut butter cup cookies)

Canning

About 2 weeks ago my friend, Shauna, and I went a picked a whole bunch of apples off a tree behind work. I ended up taking home about 30 pounds! I was a little excited cause I'd never canned before. She was making a bunch of apple pie filling, but I'm not a big fan of canned apple pie filling. I'd rather make it fresh. So I ended up making Apple Butter, Cinnamon Applesauce, and just regular Applesauce. My first weekend I spent doing the apple butter, and I just finished the applesauces the other day. I actaully really enjoyed it. I didn't reall care for the peeling, coring, and slicing part, but the rest was fun!

Sad Sad Day

Tuesday night I think I could have almost been one of the saddest people. I started making some bread and when I went to turn on my Kitchen Aid it started to make a loud clunking noise. I looked at Todd and he gave me a look like what's goin on. Well it ended up stopping, but when I went and turned it off it wouldn't turn back on!!

So Todd went and got his tools and took everything apart and found that the bearing broke. My mixer has always been kinda loud, at least louder than I thought it should be, so I'm wondering if something has always been wrong with it. It'll be 2 years in December since I got it so it's not very old. Anyway, Todd went and found some place that sold the bearing, ordered it, and now we get to wait 7-10 business days till it gets in so he can fix it for me!

They're Here

I got my new shoes in last Tuesdsay. Little late on the picture, but I've been wearing them almost every day. They're so comfortable which is awesome for work. I got them to replace an older pair of black flats. I thought those ones were pretty decent, but now that I've had my new ones I've realized how uncomfortable they were. I love shoes. FYI to anyone who wants a pair of comfortable shoes look at Rocket Dogs. I use to be all about the heels. I love love LOVE Steve Madden, but do to the lack of dressing up for work I rarely wear them anymore, and can't justify buying them when I'll most likely only wear them on Sunday. But anyway, they're comfortable and last forever. Love them.

1 Wall Down....2 More To Go

I finally have something on our walls!! I've been wanting to put up a collage picture frame above our kitchen table, but just haven't gotten down to do it, or when I do I just can't justify spending the money. last week I found one that I love that Kohl's had on sale. I was sooo excited. I finally got Todd to feel sorry for me and he let me get it ;) That or he just wanted me to finally leave him alone, either or I still got it!

Quotable

I love my husband. He always knows how to make me laugh with his random sense of humor. He comes out of no where with things. Lately I've been thinking that I should really write some of the things he says down. So I've tried, sometimes I forget, but for the past week I've been trying to be good at remembering what he says. I thought I'd let everyone else partake of his humor and enjoy the things that I get to everyday. Here are some of Todd's quotes that have made me laugh, sometimes uncontrollably.


After coming out of the bathroom:

"I activated the do do shoot." (8/22/08)

I came home one day and noticed that Todd decided to start growing a mustache. It wasn't just a mustache though. His name for it:

"It's a mustache with handle bars." (8/21/08) I hope you guys can all picture that. Luckily it lasted for about 2 days.

After I came out of the room from changing:

"Shirley do you realize how much laundry I have to do cause you change so much!?" (9/10/08) My mother could probably relate to that one.

When Todd was off for two weeks, before I would leave for work I would usually go into the room and give him a kiss. This day I gave him a kiss and if I can remember correctly he wasn't quite awake, but as I went to turn I tripped. As I catch my balance Todd says:

"You're just drunk on love." Oh yeah


For the past month or so Todd has been soaking his ankles in hot water after work. One day as he was doing so he was examining his foot and tells me he could go for a pedicure. So I say why don't you give me a pedicure. His reply:

"Shirley we only have that kind of money to spend on one person is this family." (9/16/08) Gotta love him.


Todd, thank you for your quick wittiness and making my days more enjoyable. Love you.