All About Me

My friend Mitzi tagged me, so I'm going to share five things about myself that you may or may not already know:

1. I have always loved reading, to the point where when I was younger, my parents had to restrict me from my books so that I'd get other things done. I'd even go into the bathroom, turn the water on, and pretend like I was in the shower so I could read for a few more minutes. When someone would knock on the door and accuse me of reading, I'd toss the book out the window into the backyard and then just wait to retrieve it later.

2. Since I was four, I had a cat named Timmy, may she (yes, she was a girl) rest in peace. She died about three years ago and I was very devastated. She was the best cat ever. Hands down.

3. I have been to both jail and prison, and let me tell you that I do not ever want to go back. It was for a Crime and Justice class at school, a class where we went on some very interesting field trips.

4. I love McDonald's soft serve. Brad knows I can always be cheered up after a rough day if we stop for a cone.

5. I am a twin. My brother Stephen is older than me by a minute. I love and miss him very much as he is living in Washington now. And, contrary to popular belief, he named Timmy, not me. This picture pretty much sums up Stephen, he's laid back and likes to take it easy. I love you Stevie.

Who Doesn't Love Yoda?

Happy Halloween! Happy Nevada Day! Baby Johnny was very excited for his first Halloween ever, even though he wasn't going to be eating any candy. Doesn't he look so cute in his pumpkin onesie? (photo courtesy of Brad) Brad was excited about the fact that the onesie is glow-in-the-dark. But he was even more excited for the megamix of candy we bought from the store this week, and has been sneaking Snickers and Butterfingers for the past few days.
Neither Brad or I dressed up for Halloween, but it got me thinking about my costumes from when I was younger. I've been a witch, a ghost, a bag lady, a gypsy, and many other fun things. I do remember being jealous the year I was ghost, because it was just the sheet with cut-out eyes, while Stephen was a pirate. I was mostly jealous because he had a cool sword. Brad said his favorite was going as Zorro, coincidentally enough, because of the sword. Maybe that's why we're so perfect for each other. Baby Johnny sure looked adorable in his first Halloween costume. My sister lent us the costume that little Stevie wore last Halloween, and it fit him perfectly. We think he makes the cutest little Yoda. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

The Giant Bat

This post is dedicated to Samantha. Who doesn't love a giant bat and a cauldron of candy. I miss you Sam, and I hope you have fun this Halloween. It's just not the same without Spidey. And a special shout-out to Kayleen, the accomplice, for taking the picture.

Who Knew?

A while back I started getting random unsolicited texts on my phone. They don't happen very often, and I've never gotten anything objectionable or worth getting worked up over, but I still find it annoying. How are these people getting my number? Is this even legal? Is there some sort of "Do Not Text" registry I can sign up for so I can stop getting messages about rapid weight loss and tips on stock market investing. On the bright side, I did get a text today from getcash@yahoo.com telling me I was pre-qualified for up to $200K to expand my business. Unfortunately for me, I don't even have a business.

It's Called the FE and I Don't Like It

Today my husband is spending the entire day here:

This is the Salt Palace Convention Center up in Salt Lake. He is taking the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam along with many other engineering students. I think I was more nervous about it last night than he was. I had trouble falling asleep, and woke up a little after 3am. And stayed awake until my husband woke up sometime after 5am. I made him breakfast, and packed a lunch for him to take with him to Salt Lake. Johnny also woke up and wanted to join the party, so the three of us were having a little early-morning family time.

We wished Brad luck on his test, and have now been anxiously waiting for him to come home. Johnny and I have decided we do not like 8-hour tests that keep Brad away on Saturdays. Or any other day for that matter. Thankfully he only has to take it one time, because let's be honest here, he's going to pass.

Thanks for working so hard for our family Brad. Johnny and I both love you very much.

My Secret Love

I'll be honest, I have quite a few secret loves, but the one I am sharing with you today is the Cannon Center at BYU. My freshman year I lived in Helaman Halls which was a great experience for me my first year away from home. It also allowed me the joys of cafeteria food. Now fortunately for me I had Dining Plus so I did not have to eat every meal in the Cannon Center and usually only ate breakfast there. I love the options: waffles, french toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, breakfast casserole, french toast sticks, bacon, sausage, ham, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs, omelets, fresh fruit, tons of cereals, three different kinds of milk, orange juice, apple juice, passion orange guava juice, oatmeal, toast,donuts, bagels, and the list goes on.

The place had a lot of history. I say "had" specifically, because BYU recently TORE IT DOWN. I was devastated to say the least. I will admit that I have frequented the Cannon Center even as recently as this past year. It has a special place in my heart. I appreciated that Brad did not judge me for this secret love of mine. Which probably wasn't too secret for anyone who knows me very well.

We decided that we had to try out the new Commons at the Cannon Center that replaced the original cafeteria. We went for breakfast on a Saturday in September and really enjoyed ourselves. Well, Brad and I did, Johnny hung out in his stroller. And yes, people did look at us wondering if we lived in the dorms or what our story was. Even though I still love the original, this new Cannon Center is definitely an improvement from my freshmen year. So if you're ever in Provo and want a fun and family-friendly dining experience, I would suggest heading over to the Cannon Center.

And I promise I was trying to get Johnny to not make the fish-face and smile, but as you can see, he won.

The Hiatus Is Over

I am back in the blogging world. Let's be honest here, I doubt that many people actually read this blog besides a few family members and friends, but I myself have missed writing and sharing pictures about what's going on in our lives, so hopefully I'll get back in the habit again.

There are many things I haven't blogged about, and I'm not sure how much I want to go back in detail or even how exciting it would be to describe. But there are a few notable events, that I would like to share so I might break those up into a few posts depending on how much I end up sharing.

I did want to share two pictures with everyone though. Let me preface their appearance on the blog with the fact that I am actually quite an animal lover. But there is just something wrong with this picture. It's a picture of Gus, the 2008 winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest.


Now, I was a bit taken aback by Gus's picture. That is, until I saw last year's winner, Elwood: