What my Christmas Stands For:

C is for...Chocolates
I got to make chocolates with Mikey's mom and it was delish but surprisingly hard to do.

H is for...Heading To the Movies
The Holidays tend to lead my family to the features or to our own movie collection. I have to admit I may have watched more than ten movies over the break. Some of them include: White Christmas, Australia, Four Christmas, Seven Pounds, Click, Jumper, The Women, The Grinch, Home Alone, Sydney White, and Totoro. I know these are some crazy flicks but I had some major down time. What's a girl to do.

R is for...Rising Above Portland
We took the gondola up to see the OHSU campus (where I'd really like to go to PA School) and also got some great views of the city. Oh did I mention I got to go to Portland/Vancouver with Mikey to spend time with his family. I had a great time.
I is for...Ice on the Plane
I had a terrible time getting home from Washington because of bad weather and canceled flights. I thought I wasn't going to make it home for Christmas, but then Mikey saved the day by finding me a flight. It was one with two layovers, one in Vegas, then in Denver, then finally to Salt Lake, but it did the job. 14 hours later I was home in one piece, but baggage-less. It made for a good story and adventure. What can ya do but roll with the punches?

S is for...Soaking at Lava Hot Springs
This is of me and Steph right after a nice dip. Lava is just up the road from Malad and such a cute town.

T is for...Temple Square
Its one of my favorite things to do and if you haven't done it you should. All you do is walk around Temple Square (during the month of December) and check out the lights and Christmas displays.
M is for...Mikey and Melissa, of course
Another photo from the gondola PS We can't seem to agree on the pronounciation of the word gondola although I know I'm right in how I say it.
A is for...A Huge Mess
This is our living room after opening presents. It was a delightful mess.
S is for...Snow!

Have a Happy New Year!

Holiday Post

So every day I think to myself that I really need to post something but then I can't really think of what to post. I've decided today is the day I will finally come up with something brilliant...or maybe I'll just fill my life and what's been going on recently.

What made up my Thanksgiving Break:

1)Flags for some good cheesy fries. This place to any outside eye would seem like just a regular truck stop but to those who know it better know it as a great hang out for maladites...maladians...oh you get the point. 2)Your typical thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry, the cheesy fries weren't for the acutal thanksgiving feast. My mom whipped up a fabulous meal as always. This is the best photo I got at the table. 3)Boise, Idaho because my dad is a crazy boise state fan and there was a game the next day.

4)Black Friday shopping. I was ever so frightened to do it because I never had but it turned out to be totally worth it. But I learned a few things and that was to never buy a candy bar from a fabric store and to always head to the movie bins (office season 3 for $13.00, woohoo).

O Christmas Tree

So I kept telling Mikey I wanted to put up my little Christmas tree but there's no room at my place, and I'm never there anyway. The only thing that made sense was to put it up at his place. He didn't seem to keen on the idea. I begged and pleaded but to my dismay I didn't think it was going to happen. Well a couple days later I walked in his place and found this little tree (predecorations). He surprized me and put it up proving he was no Christmas scrooge.

O Wendover

I recently made my first trip to Wendover. As my brother-in-law, Tim, would ask, "ain't you got no shame girl". It was a lot of fun as obvious from my expression (yikes).

New Job

As for other news, I just got a new job as a medical assistant and really ecstatic about it. I'm sad to be leaving my reception job but ready to experience something new.

Phone on Loan

Never mind! I got a phone on loan so feel free to call....you know...if you want.

Dang Phone!

I'm just letting you all know that my phone decided to break on me. It's only the 2nd time this year that this same model broke on me, so I'm not to happy about it. I even thought about it. I even thought I should put a picture of this particular type of phone on my blog just to warn you not to ever ever purchase one, but I thought that might be a little much. Anyway, to reach me you can email me or find me on facebook til next week or so.

Still Here At Work

Bet you thought I was done with blogging for the day. No, not quite. I just found this video that makes me laugh. It's from my mission at the Henry Doorly Zoo and is of one of my companions as she runs up to the window of the monkey's domain and catches an unsuspecting chimp.


Hehe! That's good stuff.
Wow, am I bored or what?

Today at work

So I'm here at the health center (where I work) the day before thanksgiving. Work is calmer than ever. No on is in Provo. So now I ask...Why am I still here and not in Idaho? I love work and I love this fine college town, but I'm a little anxious to get my holiday started.

.....

I just read my first paragraph and realized its full of complaint. This is certainly no way to get my holiday started, expecially considering its the holiday of gratitude. To cure this, I'll do what any dutiful blogger should do during this blessed holiday, and blog about what I'm thankful for. But lets add a twist; I will call this blog:

Why I'm Thankful For The Student Health Center On The Day Before Thanksgiving:

1. The fabulous fellow reception squad members: they type with speed and accuacy, schedule appointments in a flash, get even the naughtiest child with a nasty cough to wear a face mask, and all of this is done with a smile.



2. The cheese ball and crackers in the phone room - thank you Megan



3. MSN messenger - so I can send secret messages to my coworkers even when we're setting four feet apart. It makes me look busy in those slow moments.



4. The loads of time i've had to do homework...oh wait, I'm not doing homework right now.



5. The intellectual disscussions about Twilight that i have with Erika and Heather. "So what did you think of the movie?" "I loved the dynamics of the characters....blah blah blah." We are like thirteen year olds trying to hold a book club meeting, but we love it.



6. Fresca from the vending machines.



7. Friendly customers who chat with me about their plans for tomorrow.

Well that's about as grateful as I can get. :) In about six and half hours I'll be the freeway heading to my Idaho. Oh and I won't be heading along. I'll be carpooling with this little guy.

Here's the story, my cousin's wife bought the dog but didn't know how to get it home. I'm closest to its home so I get to be the transporter of this special holiday delivery. My one concern is that is poops in my car. My mom's ingenious idea was to tie a plastic bag to its butt. I don't know if I'll be doing that, mostly because I don't want a call from the humane society.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

WARNING: This song was not rehearsed. We are strictly amateurs.

Oh Wow…Best Forward Ever

So I’m not really one for forwards but today I received one from my little sister and it made my day. It holds so much truth and I laughed at every comment on it. I don’t know who originally wrote it, but to whomever it was I give you full credit. You are genius.

"You know you're from Malad when...
-Your last name is either Hess, Evans, Williams, Thomas or Jones.
-You are mostly Welsh.
-You are the shortest of all of your friends. -Your favorite adolescent activities were pumice jumping, playing Sardines, Rambo or toilet-papering.
-You went to school with at least four of your cousins.
-Your schoolteachers were your friends parents.
-Your schoolteachers confuse you for your older siblings.
-Your parents are either farmers, schoolteachers or work at Hess Pumice, La-Z-Boy, Thiokol or Nucor.
-As you drive you have the urge to wave at people in passing cars.
-You are slightly suspcious of traffic lights.
-You laugh when people don't understand four-way stops.
-Drive a car from the previous decade and was probably previously driven by your older siblings. -You knew everyone in your graduating class.
-Know gossip about your friends before they do.
-Miss the mountains when you leave home.

-Use words like 'borrow pit, 'jockey box' and 'sluffing school'.
-Samaria isn't a place in Israel, Saint John isn't a Catholic saint, Stone isn't another name for a rock, the Summit isn't the peak of a mountain...
-You've had the same haircutter, doctor or dentist for your entire life.
-You knew some of your teachers by their first names and may have had their #s in your phone.
-You have hiked to the M.
-You remember the time that school and church was cancelled for a week because of the flu. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20031206/ai_n11424125
-You remember the pipe bomb that was diffused in the courthouse parking lot.
-You laugh at all the "Lotto-Day Saints" that come up from Utah to play the lottery when it gets huge.
-You miss Paula's Sandwich Shop.
-Whenever you come home you have to eat at the Drive-In, the Dude Ranch or Tillie's just to make the trip complete. -Your summer jobs were provided by the city or county (cemetery, parks, lifeguarding, road crew), or worked on the family farm or on the sod farms.
-You've had some of the same friends since Kindergarten.
-You go anywhere and someone knows somebody from Malad.
-Your parents are best-friends with your best-friends parents.
-You had a specific parking spot at the high school.
-You could find your parents pictures in the old school yearbooks and the senior class pictures in the halls of the high school.
-You've learned, from sad experience, that the weather in Idaho can change with the drop of a hat.
-You have no qualms with playing in the rain.
-Humidity kills you.
-You have one rockin' farmer's tan and your lips are always chapped.
-Know what 4-H is and have entered a project in the county fair.

-Once a year you go to Lagoon and the State Fair.
-Compare the 4th of July fireworks with the previous year and the result is always different.
-You love the unique festivities in Malad like The Welsh Festival and the Christmas Parade. -On the last day of school you rode your bike to school, had a waterfight or went swimming.
-A Friday night isn't fulfilled unless you cruise Main Street, hang out at the corner or eat at the Drive-in. -You've become adept at entertaining yourself no matter how bleak and boring your situation may be.
-When you leave home you realize that not everyone is as awesome as people from Malad."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malad_City,_Idaho

A year ago today....

The weather today makes me miss the midwest. I don't know why, but it just does that too me. Its just like when you smell a familar scent from the past and it brings back a flood of memories.

I was in the midwest for my mission. This is just a picture of me and Heather and Terrence at the Glenwood, Iowa ward party. If you can't tell we were angels...I know, so cheesy, yet so clever . If anybody from Nebraska/Iowa is reading this, I miss your guts.

Have a Happy Halloween!

So here's the real story...

This is what happened:

• I got a blog
• I didn't tell Mikey about it. (gasps!) I know, I know. I did this mostly because I was shy about it and then I just plain forgot to tell him
• Mikey finds my blog because as he says he just good like that
• Mikey posts a blog (the one before this) - out doing in me with his creativity and wit

While I was amused by his twist on the truth, I want to set the record straight and share what I know about the real Mikey....

This is MIKEY and he is DEAD SEXY!

As much as I hate to admit it, Mikey may be a teensy weensy bit better at driving then me.

He has a great voice. He's the only one out all of our friend brave enough to sing at Karaoke night. He does a mean version of the Cheers theme song.

Kids love Mikey!

He shares the same love that I have the classic Boys II Men. Haha, for reals, this was the best concert. Oh and by the way he has great taste in music which especially helpful for someone like me who is musically challenged.

He bleeds blue.

There is much more to be said of him, but most of all he's the coolest guy I know. Stay tuned - you never know if he'll decide to post another blog.

This is MIKEY! And he is DEAD SEXY!

Mike is not shy... He is actually really crazy...

He dresses good too!

Mike is addicted to snorting colored cocain... He obviously got a little out of control. Rehab is next! HAHA.

Mike was originally slated for this statue, but was cut out. So this is what it should have looked like.

Right after this I tipped the canoe...

This is right after Mike left the skin heads... He now has long hair... the transformation was beautiful... like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Its a good thing he changed cause I being with a gang member is out of the question.

This is us hiking at the Oregon Coast.

So I have kept this blog a secret from Mike, but now you all can get to know him. He is 39, has two illegitimate children, and lives out of his car. He doesn't like to file taxes so he sits outside Home Depot and gets picked up for work with his day laborer friends. He mostly works at this 'herb' farm. I think its called hashish, but I don't know what that is. All I know is that he is always really chill when he comes home from work. Mike recently got hit by a Ben and Jerry's ice cream truck, so he sued them and got free ice cream for life. Its what we always eat when we are together. I love 'Moose Tracks'. He is really funny though, so that makes up for most of it. His most significant trait is sarcasm. Maybe in the future I will tell you all much more about him. I hope he doesn't find out about this blog, so keep it a secret if you can!

California Dreamin'

So I made it to San Diego. No zoo, no beach - no need. I was quite content bumming around my sister's house with her and her little family. We did make it to a pumpkin patch and corn maze to celebrate the season. They were so accomodating letting me hold Isabelle and take extra turns putting her down for a nap. Bonus of my little trip: an In-and-Out Chocolate Shake

A funny tag

Once again I've tagged myself because this looked fun.

1. Go to your pictures

2. Upload 4th picture of 4th folder

3. Post.

This is me with Stephanie and my dear old dad.

I tag Allison (for getting me addited to blogging) and Meagan (just because) and Lindsey.

Guilty Pleasures

Today I got a Root Canal. On days like this, when I'm feeling bad for myself I decide that I can indulge in any of my guilty pleasures. What should it be? Sweets, chick flicks, shopping, listening to lisa loeb... I knew the answer to that question before I even asked it. While sitting in the dentist's waiting room earlier (reading Women's Day), I found a scrumpcious Halloween treats article. You know the kind of article that teaches you how to make your food look festive so everyone is happy. Well it got me wanting to make halloween cupcakes. I don't even like cake, let alone cupcakes, but I got a root canal so I deserved to make cupcakes, whether I liked them or not. Maybe it was because I'm feeling the Halloween spirit, maybe it was an excuse to eat cake batter (because I like that much more than cake), or maybe I was feeling extra domestic. Any way you look at it, it somehow made the root canal feel a little better.

Those old favorite songs

So after reminiscing about some of the fun things I did with Tressa, I got thinking about the music from the late 80's and early 90's that I just love. So what did I do? I looked it up on youtube of course. (I finally have internet at home and this is good since youtube is not allowed at BYU). Here are a few that I found, including that great song "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant.

Date night

Well it is Friday night and I'm on a date. Yes I'm on a date with Harold...and Mikey. Harold is the name of our library here at BYU. Mikey had some last minute cramming to do and I...well I have homework, but I decided to leave Mikey's side (he's fine, he has his book) to work on my blog.

I love distractions.

Well I've talked about my sister Stephanie and about Isabelle, now it is time to talk about my beautiful sister Tressa. Things that remind me of Tressa:
1) That "baby, baby" song by Amy Grant. (Don't act like you don't know it, and if you really don't, look it up on youtube-now.) We learned every word to that song. That's when it was a cool song to know. I still know it but rarely do I bust it out like we did back then.
2) Family vacations - We had many adventures, mostly disasters, which included dragging her bike named pinky, behind our vehicle for many miles, sleeping in a leaky tent trailer, mom accidentally scorching a bird's nest (chicks included). Hilarious stories, yes, but for another day.3) Donuts - I recently found out my health conscious sister has an obsession with them. Who would've thunk.
4) New Kids On the Block (not now, but when they were cool). In fact any of that late 80's and early 90's music. I love it all because of her. They made the best music then.
5) Hollywood - No she's not famous, although she could be. She introduced me to Hollywood and how fun it is to try to run into a star.
7) Cleaning and Exercising - she does these to relieve stress. Just more reason I wish I could be more like her.
8) What is takes to be a good mom. She is 100% devoted to her baby girl. There are so many more things remind me of her but there are far too many to go into. Can't wait to see you next week, Tress.

Wrinkled Nose Face

Am I not the luckiest aunt in the world? I mean, come on. She's a Doll! I giggle everytime I see this picture. I hope it has the same effect on you.

I just made plans to go see this little fart. I'll be there next weekend. I'm convinced that I am most definately the luckiest aunt.

Tag to myself

I wasn’t tagged personally, but I took the liberty of tagging myself. Anyway, I was bored so I thought what the heck.

10 years ago:
1. I was thirteen
2. I had a big, fat crush on Brooks Forester
3. I had really bushy eyebrows
4. I was playing softball all the time
5. I was fighting with my little sister and when I say fighting I mean full-out, on-the-floor, pulling-the-hair, brawls

5 things on today's to-do list:
1. Keep on working
2. Go to my chemistry review
3. Read for psychology
4. Go to my biology lab
5. See Mikey

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Cheese snacks (for those of you who are less cultured, this is the real name for those things you call quesadillas)
2. Cereal
3. Chocolate anything
4. Oreos
5. Chips Seven layer dip

5 Things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
1. Buy plane tickets to visit anywhere I want in the world
2. Buy a little fixer upper – learn the tricks of the trade from my mom
3. Hire a personal chef
4. Hire a personal trainer
5. Buy a boat

5 Places I've lived:
1. Malad, Idaho
2. Provo, Utah
3. Portland, Oregon (only for 3 weeks but I still count it)
4. Hauula, Hawaii
5. Glenwood, Iowa

5 jobs I've had:
1. Carhop at the Malad Drive In
2. Malad School District Summer Janitor
3. On call, part-time, early morning pastry girl for the BYU Bakery
4. Janitor/Receptionist/Medical Assistant at the Malad Valley Clinic
5. Receptionist at the BYU Health Center (this is starting to feel like a resume)

I’m going to tag anyone who feels like doing it (since there are a select few of you who actually visit this blog)

Note to Allison

Hey Allison,
So the secret is out and I'm a little more comfortable with this whole blogging thing. Just wanted to let you know incase you were planning on posting any secret messages.
Kuthuseth (do you remember that word). haha.
Sincerely,
the gif

Ladies and Gentleman, Now Presenting My Sister...

This is my beautiful little sister. She is full of spunk and humor. Despite our six year difference in age, we make pretty good friends. We play together now, just as well as we did when we were little girls. When we were little we used to dress up in my mom's old dresses from the 80's. Me in the blue paisley one, Steph in the zebra patterned one. Oh how I wish I had a picture. We were hot. We would get out our nerf tennis raquets and use them as our guitars. We would put on concerts singing the "josie and the pussycats" theme song. We didn't know the words so we would sing, "josie and the pussycats, they are extremely fat."(It doesn't work unless you sing it with the tune.) Who knows where we got that one. The coffee table was our stage. Steph would run out to introduce our band and then yell out, "Ladies and Gentleman, now presenting my sister." She would throw out her arms with all the presence and showmanship in the world. Now I feel like it is my turn to take a minute and present my sister.
This last weekend was her weekend. From the volleyball tournament, to homecoming dress shopping, then going to church in pink high heels, I loved being with my sister and seeing what she is all about these days. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean.

Can you see why I love this girl? Stay tuned for more family introductions.