Let's Talk About Chirstmas

Last weekend, the 16th through the 20th was spent in Kaysville with my awesome sauce parentals and siblings. It was a lot of fun. On the Saturday we had a Pitt family Christmas party at Golden Corral. It's an ongoing tradition of sorts. And the food was awesome. Sunday we had church with the family and that was nice. My dad gave the sunday school lesson. Go Dad! Monday morning my Dad was Santa for the preschool. Later on Monday Ross had a check up with his doctor at the Primary Children Hospital. He is alive and his aorta has not exploded. Thank goodness. The doctor told us that we would probably want to get an in depth ultra sound of our baby's heart to make sure it is not like Ross's. So we may be doing that in the next month or two or so. I have an appointment with my OB/GYN on Thursday and I will ask him what he thinks. After Ross was done at the doctor we went to the Gateway and had a party there for a few hours. Just walked around and looked at stuff and enjoyed each others' company. It was really nice. We had dinner at the food court because I wanted Chinese and Ross wanted Subway. Hooray for food courts! It was lovely. After dinner we went and looked at the lights on Temple Square. They were beautiful. It was a nice day spent together for sure. We left and came back up to Logan on Tuesday.
On the 23rd we headed up to Afton, WY for Christmas. Ross got pulled over on our way up and got a ticket. Tee hee! He always gives me a hard time because I've gotten two tickets since we've known each other and this was his first. Awesome. Well, when we arrived at Ross's parents' house it was 13 degrees below 0. Brr. ya, it was really cold there. Saturday was just a fun day around the house. My brother-in-law, Jason was there with his wife Shalee and kids Eli, Elsie, and Archer. Those kids are stinkin' adorable. sister-in-law, Lark was also there. Grandma Lark and Uncle Pete also showed up on Christmas Eve. I spent a few hours at the Cottage, which is a fabric/craft/party store my mother-in-law owns. We spent a lot of time looking through a big bin of buttons, which I enjoyed saying. I had a lot of fun just chatting with her and getting to know her better. She is awesome!
Christmas Day was also a lot of fun. Ross and I got up around 7:30. I went downstairs to where the presents were and Elsie came running out in the nude screaming excitedly and pointing at the presents. I have no idea what she was saying, but she sure was excited! (she's 2 years old) I told her she should probably get some clothes on and she rushed off to do so. We had church at 9, so we didn't open the presents until after church, but we did go through our stockings! It was really awesome because Santa came! I had put a candy bar in my stocking and also Ross's, but in the morning there was all sorts of goodies! I got a really cute ty brand beanie baby. Ross was not impressed, but I sure was excited. It was really fun to see Eli and Elsie get ecstatic about their goodies and gifts. That was probably my favorite part, seeing how happy and thrilled they were about everything. That makes me really excited for when I have a bunch of kids that will get excited, too. :)After sacrament meeting was over we opened presents. And boy was that epic! Ross and I got a good haul. We got a big box and a little box of diapers. It is good to start getting prepared I guess. We also got some little things for the baby as well as a pack-n-play playpen thing for the kid. Oh, and a hiking backpack/child carrier. It will be epic. We also got a new digital camera so that we can take pictures of our son once he is here. We got clothes, candy, and some photo albums. It was a pretty spectacular Christmas! The rest of the day was spent relaxing for the adults and playing with the toys for the kids.
Monday morning came and Ross was sick. He gets really bad migraines a few times a year and he feels like he's gonna throw up and such. So he slept in a whole lot. I did most of the packing of the car and such and we left that afternoon. It was a wonderful weekend in Wyoming! I sure do love my in-laws. They are wonderful!
And that is my Christmas post. Woot! Sorry there aren't more pictures. Ross and I are just starting to use our new camera, and then we will have lots of pictures of our adventures that I can use. :D
OH, sorry no pictures again, blogger thing is being retarded still. I'm trying to work it out. Lame sauce.

The Glow

So apparently pregnant women have a special glow about them. I've never really seen it. But I guess I'm one of those women that glow when pregnant. We had a ward member mention it to Ross on Sunday that I was all aglow in pregnancy. And then color guard girls at practice last night were all bubbly and giddy about how I was glowing. And they all had to rub my tummy. At least they asked first. That is a good thing.
On another note, I finished a blanket for my son. It's pretty awesome. And it will keep him toasty and warm in the cold winters of Logan. I tried to upload a picture, but it keeps putting the HTML version up, which is just letters and stuff. Lame sauce.

The Little Baby

Yesterday I had my 20 week ultra sound. Ultra sounds are amazing. I just think it is so cool that they put this thing on my belly and I can see my baby on a tv screen. Technology astounds me. The baby is totally healthy! This first picture is of the little one's face. You can see the nose and lips, there's an arrow pointing at them in case you are confused. :) Such a cutie pie!

In this next picture you can see the four chambers of the heart. How amazing that I got to see the heart pumping in my little one! Cool stuff for sure.

This is a picture of the baby's spine. A very healthy little spine if I do say so myself.

And this last picture is of what makes the little baby a man. :) It's a boy! And Ross and I are very excited to meet the little fellow in April.

I Don't Like Doctor Appointments

So back in October when I had my first ever doctor appointment for the baby, I set up another appointment for this Friday, the 2nd. I put it in my phone so I wouldn't forget. I put it in my phone as being at 9:00 AM. Cool stuff, right? But for some reason when they reminded me of this appointment when I had my November check up, they said it was at 10:00. I guess that is ok. Just an hour, right? So today I get a reminder call for the appointment. The computer said that the appointment is at 10:45. Do we seriously need to do that? I don't know. I thought it was ridiculous. Why this would happen, I have no idea. But that is why I don't like doctor appointments right now. At least I get to find out the gender of my baby tomorrow. Supposing it reveals its genitalia.

Thanksgiving Weekend

This year Ross and I spent Thanksgiving at home in Logan. Just me and him. In the morning we just hung out for a while. After lunch we went for a drive. Ross really wanted to. We found a pretty cool old house in Wellsville, I think, not really sure where we were, very West though. Ross wanted to stop and look at it. It was a remake of some historical guys house. So naturally, we had to stop and look at it. Instances like this make Ross remind me very much of my sister Sarah.

After getting home from our drive we started working on our Thanksgiving dinner. I was going to make a chicken pot pie. Ross helped me out by cutting the chicken and cooking it. I made the filling and the crust. We added the chicken, filled the pie, and cooked it. And it was super duper delicious! Hooray! It was a very nice dinner. Ross also made some rolls. They came from one of those can things that explode open. I made jello, but I forgot about it in the fridge until that night. But here's a picture of Ross and our lovely meal!

On Friday Ross had work in the afternoon, but had no school in the morning. so what does he do? Plays nintendo. Hadn't even had breakfast and I got this lovely picture of him playing his 007 Golden Eye game with a sucker in his mouth. And he beat the game for the first time in his life! I'm so proud. :) He was very excited to beat a level he never had before, then it started showing the credits. He was a little upset to find out that that was all he had left of the game all this time. Poor guy. We also did a little bit of black Friday shopping. Got something nice for ourselves for Christmas. Woot!

Friday night when Ross got off work we headed down to Kaysville. Saturday my awesome cousin, Alison got married! It was a party. We went to the Bountiful Temple to see her and her new husband Kendall come out. She was so beautiful! It was fun. We also got to go to a luncheon for them and hear her Uncle Andy recite his famous 'Thong' poem. Hooray for cowboy poetry. And in the evening was the reception, where this picture was taken. Woot.

Now Ross and I are back in Logan. We set up our little Christmas Tree today. It is so little and cute. I really wanted to buy a bigger one, Ross wasn't so keen on that idea, so no new bigger tree for us this year. Maybe I can talk him into it next year. We shall see
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Institute!!!

So I just registered for institute classes next semester. :) I haven't gone to institute in a very long time, so I'm really excited. I'm taking two classes. One, Doctrines of the Gospel Part 2, I already took part one quite a while ago. That class is for just me while Ross is at another class for school. Then, when Ross is done, we are both going to a class. That one is Book of Mormon Part 2. Goes from Alma 30-Moroni 10. I'm really excited to take those classes!!!

A Reading Party

I have been reading a whole lot of books this year, and that has been wonderful! The past three days I have been reading like crazy. The final book of The Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini, has come out. I wanted to borrow it from my parents and read it. I read the first three books at the beginning of this year. When I was down in Kaysville this weekend I told Leslie I was taking the book, my mom already said it was ok. Leslie was not pleased. But she was still on the second book at the time. Still has one more to read. Party. I read half the book on Monday, which would be about 400 pages. Yes. Yesterday I only read about 100, but today I have to finish it so that my awesome sister Sarah can take it down to Leslie so she won't kill me for taking the book. It is really fantastic and I have loved reading it!

After I'm done with this one I'm going to read The Hunger Games. I've not heard anything bad about it, so it should be good. I'm hoping to read that and the two other books in the series before the year is done. Then I shall post a list of all the books I've read this year! What a party. I was originally shooting for 100 books in a year, and I'm not even close, but honestly, I'm at about 25 and that is still a whole lot of books to read in a year. So ya. :)

Seriously?

I guess so. Ya know how life just kind of sucks sometimes? That's the boat I'm in right now. I just want to know that I have a purpose. I just have this parasite sucking the life out of me and that's really all I feel good for. Making a baby. And I'm frustrated with Pandora Radio at the moment. It keeps playing stupid songs that I don't want to listen to. Lame sauce. Another issue, I have been writing a book. Haven't worked on it in a while because I got stuck. That was six months ago. Still stuck. So much for that idea. Or maybe not. I'm gonna just try writing and see where that gets me. Some random ideas are better than none, I guess.

So I have been on a leave of absence from my Convergys job for a while. But somewhere along the way the paperwork was misplaced. And that sucks. So I'm trying to get that all figured out, but to be honest, I really don't want to go back to work there. I should probably just quit. Ugh. I hate that job. Which is a reason Ross has been pushing me to work on my book, because he thinks I could get it published eventually. And make money for us and our kid. It's nice to have a supportive husband. I sure do love that guy.

Fetus

My dear little fetus child is growing. And that has me pretty happy! I've got a little baby bump, which is fantastic. So this morning at about 10:25 AM the little critter rolled over and I FELT IT! It was lovely and wonderful. It felt really weird though, but I was really happy to feel it. I sure do love my little critter. :)

Apparently I'm Stupid

This has been a long time coming, but today I just feel stupid. Ross hasn't helped that at all. Ross asked me what I was going to do today. I said I was going to clean the apartment. He said that I should also apply for WIC and MediCaid stuff. I asked him to make sure I knew where all our financial stuff was. Then I told him that I was worried I would mess it up because I am stupid. What Ross should have said was: "You're not stupid, it's ok to be worried about messing up. If it would make you feel better we can apply for those things together later." Instead he stood in the hallway for a second, then busted out laughing, then said: "I'm sorry you're stupid." Thanks Ross. Then I told him what he should have said and then he said that, but it didn't mean anything because he was laughing all the way through it. Gosh.

So then I was reading my awesome sister-in-law's blog. That would be Candi. And she was talking about a party plan that was in the back of some book her daughter was reading. (sorry Candi, I didn't get through the whole post yet, and you will see why shortly) This book is about a mouse by the name of Geronimo. Ross asked me to read the post out loud so he could hear. I pronounced the mouse's name Gair-(rhymes with chair)-oh-nemo(like the fish). Ross busted out laughing again. "Um," he said, "That Geronimo." Which he pronounced Ger-(like the beginning of German)-on-im-oh. Well don't I look like a dunce. Thanks again husband for making me feel stupid. I still love the guy though. And then I was too upset to finish reading so I just closed out of it. Oh, and there's a picture of the mouse Geronimo

This reminded me of a time when I was on a first date with my ex, Tanner. (Who, as my father-in-law would be happy to know, is the son of Ross's second cousin.) We were going to see a movie. Woot. There was a poster for the movie Penelope. I said, "Hey look, Penelope!" Which I pronounced Penn-elle-ope(rhyming with nope). My kind date said, "Um, that's Penelope." Which he pronounced Penn-elle-oh-pee. My bad. That's actually a really great movie, by the way. Just saying. And there's a picture of the movie poster, too. .

So apparently I can't read and I'm kind of stupid. But don't worry, I got the last laugh. Ross couldn't open the door this afternoon on his way to work. "Who's stupid now?!" I shouted and laughed. It's sure a good thing we love each other, me and that Ross.

Productivity

I am trying so hard to be productive through my day. And that is ridiculously harder than it sounds. I've really been feeling crappy the past few days. I've been nauseated, but thankfully haven't thrown up in a while. My head gets all dizzy when I'm standing for too long, which my doctor says is due to my body getting used to pumping more blood through itself for the pregnancy. Lovely. I really hate feeling all lazy and unproductive, as I have felt for the past two months. Yes. That is how long I've been sick. And it is gross and lame and I hate it.

I did clean the toilet today, that was good. It was really gross. I only did the inside, the outside is also pretty nasty. I wiped it down pretty quick today, but it needs to be scrubbed. It is also just hard to be productive when I am so exhausted. This baby is really wiping me out. I had no idea that so much energy had to go toward making a baby. Goodness. It is a little ridiculous. needs to be done, too. Lame. I really need to clean the whole bathroom and living room. They're pretty messy. Oh, and I'll have to do the laundry again soon. Lame sauce. And poor Chuck needs a cage cleaning. He also needs a bath and to have his nails trimmed. Poor baby. I really need to get on this stuff.

On the bright side, I'm almost at 15 weeks. Within the next month or so I should be able to feel the baby. And that is a pretty exciting thought! It sure is crazy to think that I'm gonna be a mom. I doubt that I will ever feel like I'm ready for this, but who knows. Everything will work out for the best.

On another note, marching band has been fantastic. I freaking love being involved at Mountain Crest. The band has done really well this year. We were the only Utah band at the Idaho State competition this year and we got all of the captions and first place in our 5A division. I'm really proud of those kids. I started to realize the other day that I pray for them. I sure must love those kids a lot. And I do. The picture is of (in order from left to right) Allycia, Chris, Jamie, Angie, and Laisha. They would be the guard captains and the drum majors. That picture is from ISU. What a party that was.

What Is That Thing?

I realized the other day that I couldn't button up one of my pairs of pants. I looked down and poked my tummy. Blubber. The whole thing. Just kidding. Apparently the fetus is growing! Right now it is just pushing my insides all around so that is what is poking out, not baby yet, but a lot of innards. And it is quite the belly indeed. Woot. It is nice to see the effects of pregnancy, such as my freaking huge boobs. Just saying. It is nice because it helps me know that this morning sickness and exhaustion is really for a purpose. I'M HAVING A BABY! I tend to say that a lot. It surprises me every time. Holy crap, I'm gonna be a mom. Yikes.

Truth About Pregnancy

So it is true. I am pregnant. To be honest, I hate it. I don't hate that I'm having a child, what I hate is that I am nauseated all the time, throw up pretty much every day, have sore chesticles, can smell EVERYTHING for the first time in my life, have terrible breath, am completely exhausted all the time, can only keep down a few different foods, and my mind is way more scattered than it was before. The other day Ross had dropped some papers on the kitchen floor and I didn't notice until he was at work. But I didn't pick them up because I thought he wanted them there. He laughed when I told him that when he was home. The food at the moment that is staying down best is Eggo waffles. Yum. Usually with lots of butter and a little bit of powdered sugar. Today I tried it with cinnamon sugar, it has stayed down, but was not as good as the powdered sugar.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for the first time which will be very nice. Then I can learn stuff and know that all this gunk I'm going through really is worth it. I just pretty much feel bloated and fat all the time, like I'm about to start my period, though I haven't had that in two and a half months. It'll just be nice to see the little fetus on a monitor. Woot. It will also be nice to get a more affirmative due date. Then I can know how much longer I'm supposed to be having this dreaded mourning sickness. Which is what I am calling it because it lasts all blasted day long.

Ross's Birthday

So Ross's birthday is coming up in about a week. And I just realized nobody knows what to get him!!! So here's a quick list. To be honest, he doesn't really want much at all. He's such a pansy. And he won't let me spend lots of money on him for his birthday, but he always spends tons of money on me. No fair. Maybe.

Ross would like, and also needs, some new black socks. He likes the ones that go up his calves. They keep him warm. He also does not like really thin socks because they don't last very long. So he needs thicker ones to be happy.

Ross is also in need of some white socks. He prefers the ones that go up his calf as well, and those would be fine. But he is also in need of some white ankle socks so that I will let him go out in public. So yes, white socks of either length would be nice. Oh, and same as the black socks, he likes thicker ones.

Ross would like some casual button down shirts. He says that he would like more short sleeve ones, but I'm sure long sleeve ones would be fine as well.

One of Ross's favorite candies is Peanut Butter M&M's. So if you don't know what else to get him, you can get him some candy. He also likes Twixes, Snickers, and Peanut Butter Cups.

Ross does NOT want any movies. I'm a movie person and always want them, but Ross does not. He thinks our collection is fine as it is. Posh.

I Hate Being Sick

Being sick is the worst thing ever. I've been home sick for the past three days. And it sucks. Just saying. I've been throwing up and sleeping all day. Bleck.

Ross has started a new semester of school. He is only taking a few classes, so that he can still survive working full time. What an amazing husband I have. He sure is a hard worker. And he takes such good care of me since I'm so sick. He is fantastic.

And color guard is going splendidly. Unfortunately I haven't been to the last few practices because I've been throwing up. Gross. At least I'm not the only person working with the guard, because then I would have to go anyway. Thank goodness.

1 Year Anniversary

So I am a little behind in my posting, but that is ok. So on July 31st Ross and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. Pretty much freaking awesome sauce! Yes, I do think so. It was on a Sunday so we went on a date on Saturday. We went to the Logan Aquatic Center in the afternoon. The picture is us after eating out lunch at the water place. It was a pretty fun little swimming pool and play area and slides and such. We liked the kid pool best because it was way warmer than the other pool. Heck yes.

After the Aquatic Center we came home and took a nap after which we did laundry. I don't like doing laundry, but it sure does need to be done.

In the evening we went to the batting cages and hit some baseballs around. This was where I learned that I am much more sporty than my husband. It had really been a while since I had hit a baseball or a softball or anything, it was fantastic!!!

It has been a wonderful year together. We discussed what we had learned, the thing that both of us said first was that we learned to watch what we say. Pretty good stuff to learn if I do say so myself. :) I sure do love my husband!

Insurance Sucks, But Harry Potter Does Not

I hate insurance. That is all there is to it. I can get covered anywhere, because I am all healthy and stuff. But Ross is another story. I have this great job where I am able to get benefits. We signed up for medical and vision insurance. Got information about it in the mail yesterday. Due to Ross's pre-existing condition, he can't be covered by the insurance for another year. Stupid? Yes, I do think so. And Ross even needs it more than I do. Pa-thet-ick. yes indeed.

Well, last Saturday Ross and I traveled down to Kaysville. My parents, who are awesome, took us to see the new Harry Potter movie. Unfortunately, it is the last Harry Potter movie. The movie was intense and awesome. They did a good job with it. Sorry Julie, we did not see the 3D version. But I was ok with that because 3D movies give me a retched headache. But the movie was good. I think they made the beginning scenes too short, and everything else too long. Just saying. It was a good movie, but I was expecting quite a bit more from the finale. Oh, well. It was still really good.

Friends At Work

I'm sorry that there aren't any pictures with this post, but I don't really have any pictures that would work for it. I hope you all like to read...

Summertime is surely fantastic. I love the sunshine! Life has been going pretty great for me. I am really enjoying my new job at Convergys. I'm making a lot of really good friends in my training group. Here's a little something about the friends I've made.

Becky is a really awesome girl. She is a little shy, but a lot of fun once you get her out of her shell. She went to Layton High School and didn't like Davis very much. I felt the same way about her school. She's a year younger than me.

Camie is totally crazy and tons of fun. She always has something sarcastic to say, and I do love sarcastic people. She is engaged, but the ring isn't finished yet. The ring is is going to cost her lover $22,000 dollars. Absolutely ridiculous. The maid diamond is 3.5 karots. Wow. She's a lot of fun to goof off with.

Taylor is a really awesome girl who is also married to Carson, another of my fiends in class. Taylor is in the army, which I think is pretty kick butt awesome. She loves to quote movies. Carson has a goatee because, as he says, he looks like a twelve year old when he doesn't have facial hair. Which is unfortunate.

Alex is this freaking hilarious guy. He's 29 and only has about half of his hair left on his head. He is really tall and has a great sense of humor. He plays the guitar and is majoring in Computer Science at USU.

Tom is a middle aged man with two kids and a wife that makes great desserts, or so he says. He's a really nice guy and is also very smart. We like to crack jokes together, and that is pretty much cool beans.

Another of my buddies is Joe. He actually lives in Layton but is trying to find a place in Logan for his family. So he commutes over an hour to and from work each day. Crazy. He used to fly Thunderbirds in the military. And he has gotten to shake President Obama's hand. He has two little daughters that are stinking adorable, he showed me pictures, so I know.

Amanda is one of my trainers. I haven't seen her for a week because she's been out of town. She loves sports and has a 5 year old step-daughter who she loves very much. She is proud of herself because she used to be really over-weight and now only weighs half of what she used to weigh. Way to go, Amanda.

JD is the other trainer and he is freaking hilarious. His favorite color is pink and he has a wife and son named Owen. He loves to brag about his family, which I think is pretty cute. He loves shoes and when I asked him how many pairs of shoes he had his reply was: "About 52 pairs." Holy crap.

Anyway, that's just a little about my friends at work. I really enjoy it. I think I will probably stick around this company for a while. I would like to be a trainer eventually. I told JD and he said that I should work really hard to be really great at everything we're learning. And he said to remind him and he would introduce me to the right people. Woot!

Convergys

So yesterday I saw on ldsjobs.org, which is a fabulous website by the way, that the call center place called Convergys was hiring. Naturally, as a person looking for a job, I applied. Last night I got an email from them with some assessments they wanted me to take and also a typing test. Dude, I totally typed that thing's face off. Anyway, it all went well and I finished the assessments.

This morning I got a call from a man by the name of Richard who works at Convergys. And he wanted to set up a phone interview for this afternoon. I said yes. And had my interview at 3:50 pm. Woot. We chatted, he asked me about my schedule and about myself and I rocked. Half an hour from the beginning of our conversation and him asking me all sorts of interview-ish questions he offered me a job. And I said yes.

And that is the story of how I got a job in two days. :) So here's a little bit about Convergys. It is located behind Lee's Marketplace in Logan. And it is a call center, as I mentioned earlier. So I get to be one of the people like those in this here picture. Yes, yes I do. And I'm gonna be the best phone answering person EVER. So Convergys has some basic goals and values within the company. The main goal is to have a strong relationship with the customers and to help them fix problems. The Convergys here in Logan works with Comcast, so I can help people with their tv problems. Woot! Quote from their website: "Convergys has approximately 70,000 employees in 67 customer contact centers and other facilities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and our global headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio." That's a lot of employees. And now I am one of them! Party. I think mostly I am excited to have a job so I can start making money for Ross's school. Woot!

Woes of a Retainer

So I have a permanent retainer on the bottom row of my teeth connected to my canines then running across the back of my incisors. I also have one on the top of my mouth. This one is connected to all four of my top incisors. When I went to the dentist last month, the dentist told me that the top retainer was broken between my two right side insiders, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Hooray! So then last night, Ross and I were eating corn dogs. I felt the retainer crunch against something and it disconnected from my right front tooth. So I just had this wire hanging there and it was bothersome, so then I put on my retainer that comes in and out so I wouldn't feel an annoying wire. Things seemed to be alright today until I just a little after 2:00 pm brushed my teeth. Yikes. The toothbrush got caught on the loosely hanging wire and ripped the whole thing off of my other two teeth! Ouch, that freaking hurt a lot. So now there is no wire there, except the little piece that I guess is still connected to my right tooth next to the canine. Sad day. So I have my other retainer on now. Woot. All this trouble over trying to keep my teeth strait and clean. Sheesh.

Schindler's List

So last night Ross and I watched the movie Schindler's List. We had found it edited at the Books of Yesterday, which also rents out movies for 1 dollar a week. Woot! Anyway, the movie was all done in black and white, except for the occasional color. Which only happened about 4 times and it was only specific things, like the flame in a fire or a little girl's jacket.

Anyway, it was a good movie. The movie wasn't really what I expected at all, which is fine. Ross really enjoyed it. I felt like it didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was still a really good movie. And of course, John Williams wrote some amazing music for it. I also enjoyed seeing a much younger Liam Neeson. Yes. Anyway, I think that it is a movie that everyone should see sometime in their lives. Yup, that's what I think. :)

Eat, Sleep, Guard

Basically, that's how my last four days went. Practice for the Mountain Crest Marching Band was on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8-11; but the guard went from 7:30-11. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening there was practice again from 6-8, but again, the guard started early at 5. Woot! The color guard adviser, Kacie, is in California for the summer where her husband got a summer job. She hired Bryan Berger, who I have spun with before, to lead the practices. I got in touch with her and I am going to get paid and I get to stay around through fall season and even into the winter. Woot!

So yes. I got up and ate breakfast, went to color guard, came home and ate lunch then took a nap, then headed back to the school early to work on organizing the color guard closet, then got home and made dinner for me and Ross when he got home. Then I went to bed and started over again. Holy cow, what an exhausting week! But it was really great to be so busy. Practices are slowing down now, it was just so busy for this first week to learn a lot of basic marching stuff. Woo hoo!

Anyway, I'm totally worn out from the week. Thankfully, there wasn't practice today. But I still woke up at 7 without an alarm clock. Wow. But then I just snoozed until 8 because I wanted to sleep in. Yes, yes I did.

CELEBRATION!!!

I had contacted Jason Petrovich, the band director at Mountain Crest High School. He talked with the guard director and they want me there to help with guard!!! I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!! I start on Monday. Woot! Fast stuff, I'm uber duber excited for this! I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have such an opportunity after leaving Lone Peak. Huzzah!

Top Ten Favorite Actors

So now I am going to do a post of my top ten most favorite actors. Ross did not like my actress post, he did not agree with anything I said in it. But that is ok, I still love him. So here goes:

10. Ashton Kutcher

What a stud! But that is not how he made the list. I actually enjoy the characters he plays in movies he's been in. I especially liked his parts in The Guardian and Cheaper By The Dozen. Ya, he is definitely not my all time favorite actor, but was able to make it to number 10. Here's a quote from this guy: "I'll probably never be the best actor in Hollywood, but I hope to be the hardest working."

9. Harrison Ford

Han Solo, Indana Jones, what a spectacular actor! Those would be my favorite movies that he is in. And he was such a hunk back in the day. But again, that is not why he made the list. He is just an outstanding actor, if I do say so myself. And I do! He's done a lot of incredible movies and I think he is awesome sauce. Here's a Harrison Ford quote: "Whoever had the bright idea of putting Indiana Jones in a leather jacket and a fedora in the jungle ought to be dragged into the street and shot."

8. Tom Hanks

Mr. Hanks, someone that I have noticed a lot of people really love. I have to say I am on that list, though I'm not a fanatic. From Forest Gump to the Davinci Code, this guy can play almost any part, in my opinion. And that's really all I have to say about this awesome dude. But here's a quote: "If you're funny, if there's something that makes you laugh, then every day's going to be okay."

7. Liam Neeson

Aslan! Qui-Gon Jinn! That one guy in Batman Begins! And even Jean Valjean! Oh, and also the dad in Taken! Holy cow, this guy is amazing. I absolutely love his work and he pretty much kicks butt. He takes every part he gets and basically rocks the world with it. Yes, indeed. And here is a quote: "I never did think of myself as handsome--terribly attractive, yes, but not handsome."

6. Alan Rickman

Snape, Snape, Severus Snape. And my, what a fantastic Snape he is! I absolutely love this guy. He's awesome. I totally freaking love when he is that guy, Alex, in Galaxy Quest. Awesome movie. Yes. And he's even the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. Anyway, I think he is awesome sauce. Here's a quote: "I do take my work seriously and the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously."

5. Will Smith

Will Smith kicks butt, 'nuff said. I love that he can play a variety of characters. From I Am Legend to Hitch, holy cow he's amazing. And really funny and really good at what he does. I actually won a Will Smith Look-Alike Contest once. I was dressed as Hancock. And I've never seen the movie, but my roommate had. I guess I'm good at pretending to be black. Here's a Will Smith quote: "I really believe that a man and a woman together, raising a family, is the purest form of happiness we can experience."

4. James Marsden

This man has a nice smile, no? And I love his versatility with film! And he can sing. I think he was absolutely phenomenal in Enchanted! I freaking love that movie. But Ross doesn't, but I don't care. Anyway, this actor rocks my socks. And here's a quote from him: "If you're an attractive guy, everyone thinks you're successful just because of the way you look. I hate that."

3. Hugh Jackman

Wolverine!!! And kick butt awesome and a very attractive man. I recently saw Kate and Leopold, loved Mr. Jackman in that movie! He's got style. I also love him in the Prestige. Great movie. I just totally love his talent, and he sure does have talent! And here's a quote: "Becoming a father, I think it inevitably changes your perspective of life. I don't get nearly enough sleep. And the simplest things in life are completely

satisfying."

2. Ewan Mcgreggor

Did you know that his name is actually pronounced "you-an?" ya, I didn't. It's amazing what you can learn on IMDB. Holy cow, this guy is probably the most handsome actor out there! And is fantastic with a light saber. I am so amazed by his work! I mean Big Fish, Star Wars, Moulin Rouge, The Island; he's kind of amazing. This guy is a very talented man. I wish I could meet him one day. Here's a quote from him: "I've been waiting nearly twenty years to have my own light saber. Nothing's cooler than being a Jedi Knight."

1. Michael Caine

I FREAKING LOVE THIS ACTOR! I think the first movie I ever saw him in was the Muppet Christmas Carol. I sure loved that movie! And now he's in all of these fantastic films. The Prestige, Batman, Secondhand Lions, even Inception. He is by far my favorite actor of all time. He was born in 1933, and I hope he doesn't die anytime soon, I will surely miss him. I love his accent, and he has such an impressive talent for acting. He's great. Here's a quote: "Be like a duck, my mother used to tell me. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath."

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

And I'm moving back to Logan, hoping that another color guard opportunity will come up in the near future.

My Top Ten Favorite Actresses

I had the idea the other day to post about who my to ten favorite actresses are. If there's one thing I love, it would be movies. I freaking love movies!

So heres a list of my most favorite actresses ever. :)

10. Scarlett Johansson

Miss Johansson, mostly known for how sexy she is. I do think that she is very beautiful, but I like her more as an actress than a pretty girl. And I think that she is a talented actress. I just hope that she doesn't get too caught up in her good looks. Here's a quote from her: "It's a great thing to get older and learn. I don't feel bound in any way by how many years I've lived. I identify just as much with my 86-year-old grandmother as I do with my sister."

9. Audrey Hepburn

I honestly wasn't a fan of Audrey Hepburn for the longest time. Then I saw the movie 'Wait Until Dark.' Holy crap she was amazing in that one. I was amazed and

in awe at her talent at playing a blind woman. Yes, indeed. To be honest I haven't seen very many of her movies. But I am definitely wanting to see more of them. Here is a quote form this popular actress: "Success is like reaching an important bi

rthday and finding you're exactly the same."

8. Julie Andrews

Ah, Merry Poppins! I love Julie Andrews! She is an incredibly amazing actress. She has so much talent and beauty and grace. Naturally, I chose a younger picture of her. Not that I don't like her older, but I just always remember the younger her when I think of her. She's cool beans for sure! Here is a quote from her: "Sometimes I'm so sweet even I can't stand it."

7. Jenna Fischer

Pam Beesly, yes indeed! To be honest I've only ever seen Jenna Fischer in the Office, which is one of my favorite tv shows ever. But it is a good show and Miss Fischer does a fantastic job with it! She's my favorite character, aside from Dwight that is. ;) And here is a quote: "Honestly it would be great to get to play Pam for a long, long time...I don't have real big aspirations to be a movie star. I would love to be on a long-running hit TV show. You end up playing a defining role."

6. Emma Watson

Holy crap Hermione is amazing. And that is who Emma Watson

will always be to me. We are the same age, but I am three months and two days older. Woot! I have loved watching the Harry Potter movies and Emma Watson is the best! It was great to see how much she could improve her acting ability from the first movie to the last. She's totally my hero. Here's a quote from Miss Watson: "I hope my head doesn't get very big. I'm just going to keep my feet on the ground, stick to friends and family and try and lead a normal life."

5. Natalie Portman

My thing for Miss Portman began with Star Wars Episode 1, naturally. She made a fantastic Padme Amidala. I love to see her in other movies because I think she is a great actress. She has a beautiful smile. But she will always be Padme to me. :) Here's a quote from her: "I'm going to college. I don't care if it ruined my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star."

4. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman is a person that took me some getting used to. She is so different and unique, but I have grown to admire and respect her work. She is a fantastic actress. Oh, and she can sing, too; as was seen in Moulin Rouge. And for a Nicole Kidman Quote: "Regrets are ridiculous, so I don't regret, no."

3. Sigourney Weaver

Ah, this actress became my hero back when Galaxy Quest came out. And that is a fantastic movie. I admire her ability to portray such a variety of characters. I enjoyed seeing her as a 'navi' in Avatar, that was pretty cool. But yes, I do like Sigourney Weaver. And for a quote from her: "I'd rather have a small part in a movie I love than a bigger part in one I don't care about."

2. Gwyneth Paltrow

This actress is awesome! I absolutely love her in the movie Emma. And she is awesome because she is in Iron Man. Yes indeed she is. And she also has an amazing singing voice! It was when she was on an episode of Glee that I came to love this actress. Yes. I think she is beautiful and very talented. She is an amazing person! And her is a quote from Miss Paltrow: "The simpler things are, the happier they are."

1. Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter is my absolute favorite actress ever!!! I have always been impressed by her skills in acting. I think she is a uniquely beautiful woman who is full of spunk and personality. I admire her ability to take any character and make them her own. She is so talented and can play any variety of characters without flaw. Oh, and today is also her birthday! Happy birthday! And a quote by Helena Bonham Carter: "I should get a few ribs taken out, because I'll be in a corset for the rest of my life." Ya, there wasn't really anything superb that she said, but that is ok. She is still my favorite.

Interview Thursday

So I have an interview at the Ribbonwood Vet Clinic tomorrow. And today I got a call from Wendy's, the fast food place, and now I have an interview there as well. I hope one of these work out! Preferably the vet one, but I'm pretty much good with anything at this point. :) Pray for me!

The Job Search

This entire month my searching for a job has not gone well at all. I've been trying to be productive and stay positive. It's hard not to get discouraged. I've gotten this amazing opportunity to work with the Lone Peak Guard, and I freaking love it. I just feel like I belong there. I love the girls and I love teaching them. I always dreamed of being a guard director for the rest of my life, and now that I've done it, I can actually see myself doing it and loving it for all of my life. Unfortunately, if I haven't found a job down here by this week, then I am going to be moving back to Logan with Ross. I don't know when another color guard opportunity will come up for me, and that makes me sad to think about leaving.

At church on Sunday I made a new friend, Lorraine. She is this really old lady that is full of spunk. She can't walk very well, and uses a walker. She's really outspoken and is not afraid to speak her mind. I bet she drove men crazy back in the day. Anyway, she is a widow and basically thinks that I'm the best thing ever, which, of course, I am. Not really. But I was talking to her about the whole job thing and she said, "Have you put your name on the prayer roll?" I said, "I didn't know you could put your own name on that." She then said, "Gah!" and then she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the number for the Provo Temple and told me to call them and leave my name to be on the prayer roll.

So that's what I did. Got my name on the roll. And ya know what? I think it may have worked! I was talking to Darilyn and Joanne, the other guard director folk, yesterday and that was awesome. Joanne works at a senior living home and said that they were gonna be looking to hire someone really soon. I went by and applied today and that was totally awesome. I presented myself well and feel really good about it. So then, when I got home, I got a call from one of the many vet clinics I have applied at. And I have an interview there on Thursday morning!! Hooray! I hope that something works out. I also applied at Blockbuster Video today. They are hiring. And I went by and talked to the manager. We'll see about that, too.

Oh, and the picture is of my friend, Miles. He likes to follow me around. He sure boosts my self esteem!

My Long Weekend

So I still don't have a job, and that is starting to really stress me out. I really need one! But that is ok, I'm trying to stay positive and productive and I'm still applying to tons of places. Woot!

So this past weekend was pretty awesome for me. On Thursday, Ross came down to Orem after getting an MRI in Salt Lake. He spent the night. It was a lot of fun to see him and cuddle with him in bed. Woot! He left Friday morning so he could get to work up in Logan.

On Saturday afternoon-ish, I headed up to Kaysville to chill with my family. I mostly just hung around until the evening when my awesome brother Matt had his Eagle Court of Honor thing. I'm so proud of that kid! Way to be, Matt, for officially becoming an Eagle Scout!!! The picture is a of a really cool eagle statue thing my parents got for Matt. Lucky kid. I didn't get anything that cool when I got my Young Womanhood Recognition. Sheesh. Oh, well. We all ate lots of s'mores and such. Well, I only had two s'mores. After going off sugar in April, I have a hard time eating too much sugar at once and I get a headache. So ya, that's good for my health!

Sunday was great. I went to chur

ch with my family and Ross, w

ho was supposed to be coming down in the evening, surprised us all by showing up at the end of Sacrament meeting. I guess he got there during the opening hymn, but didn't know where we were sitting. But that is ok. I sure love that man! It was fun to have him down there with my family. He sure is a fantastic husband!!!

On Monday, which was still part of my weekend, I went to the dentist. I thought I was going to have at least 5 cavities. But by a complete miracle, I didn't have any! Woo hoo! That was wonderful. But the dentist asked me how often I floss my teeth to which I replied: "Um... Like... Once a month?" I got in trouble. He said that my gums are getting swollen and if I didn't start flossing once a day that I would have to have deep and painful teeth cleaning done to save my teeth. Darn. But I've flossed every day thus far. Woot! The dentist also discovered that my jaw opens crooked. I had always thought it looked a little funny, but now I know why. So when the jaw opens, the hinges are supposed to open up and then release to open wide. The left side of my jaw does this correctly, but my right side doesn't release, so my jaw swings to the side be

cause of the unevenness of the opening. Weird. But kind of interesting. And that is also why that side of my mouth always hurts when I sing too much, like at church, or when I am at the dentist and am holing my mouth open for a long time. If you look at any picture of me with my mouth open wide, you can tell my jaw is crooked.

On Monday Ross also had some more tests done on his heart. I got there shortly after he had begun his echo-cardiogram. We were there for a while and got to watch all of Megamind. What a fantastic movie!!! We both love it. After Ross's echo, we went into another room and he had an EKG done. I don't know what that stands for, but the picture is of him getting it. He's got all those wires hooked up to him and it measures his heart's rhythm and such. The nurse didn't think I was very funny when I whistled at Ross when he took off his shirt. I thought I was pretty funny. Whatever. After that Dr. Su came in and checked some stuff on Ross and then chatted with us for a while. Oh, and there was also a resident there. She has disected a kadaver, I asked, naturally. Well, the verdict was good! Ross does not need open heart surgery this year. His aorta has actually not swollen at all in the past year and a half! What a relief. It's the same size it was in November 2009. So that is good. When it gets too big, he's gonna need surgery. I hope that is a while away.

Also on Monday, Ross and I went to see The King's Speech at the Kaysville Theatre with Shelby and her practically fiancee, Dan. The movie was edited, so not rated R. Woot! It was PG-13, which was good. The movie was fantastic! I got excited because I recognized tons of the actors from other movies such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the original Pride and Prejudice. ya, an amazing cast. It definitely deserved all the awards it got!

On Tuesday morning we all got up early to get to the Bountiful Temple. My brother Matt, went through the temple for the first time! Ross and I were both very happy to be there to support him. I'm so proud of my brother! That was also my first time doing a session at the Bountiful Temple. It was beautiful! And pretty much just like the Mount Timpanogas Temple, which I have been to. Woot! It was wonderful to be in the temple with my family. I love those guys.

After the temple I drove Ross back up to Logan so he could get to work and then drove all the way down to Orem for color guard practice. Practice was really good, except that I was super tired and kind of out of energy. Sad day, but that's alright.

And it was nice to be back in Orem as well. My kitty friend, Miles, really missed me. He was following me all over the place when I got home. What a silly cat. But I learned that he is terrified of hair dryers. Poor fella.

Gur....

I am having a hard time. On the one hand, I am absolutely loving working with the Lone Peak Color Guard. It is so much fun and I freaking love it! On the other hand... I miss my Ross! I knew that this would be hard, but goodness I miss that man. Every night, when Ross gets home from work, he calls me and we talk for about an hour. It is spectacular and probably my favorite part of the day. I do miss cuddling with my husband. He's just so handsome and cuddly! And I have discovered that I talk about him all the time. Probably because he is my favorite person ever. But that is hard because then I miss him.

Another thing that has me upset is this whole job situation. I had a job interview at the Banfield Vet Clinic, which is inside of PetsMart. The working interview was not so good. And I still haven't heard back from them, so I figure I didn't get the job. Lame sauce. I did get a job working for Vector Marketing, to sell Cutco products. Ya.... I decided not to do that. Partially because my husband said not to because it would suck and I would be bad at it. But mostly because I didn't think I would enjoy it at all. So I've applied at tons of places at the University Mall. They are all hiring because now all the students are gone. Woot. I had an interview at Buckle yesterday. That did not go well at all. I thought that I was presenting myself well and answering the questions good. But she kept repeating the exact same question wanting a different answer. And she asked dumb questions such as: "What makes you think you're an outgoing person?" or "Why should I hire you? You don't have any sales experience." or "Why do you think you are good with people?" I could answer all three with: "Because I'm awesome." But I didn't. But I did my best. I should hear back from them on Wednesday for whether to come in for a second interview or if they are not gonna talk to me again. Sheesh.

I am totally exhausted today! I was color guarding for six hours. Three of those hours were at an actual guard practice. The other half was at the Mountain Ridge Middle School where JoAnn and I taught flag stuff to students in gym class. This is our attempt to get more people on the color guard. I had so much fun at guard practice, but can I just say that middle school kids show no respect to anyone at all? Crazy hooligan children.... And also, one of the girls on the guard didn't show up to practice today. Her mom wrote her a note saying that she wouldn't make it to practice because she was working on a research paper. Most pathetic excuse for missing marching band ever. Those of you who have been in band should agree.

Anyway, that is me venting and all that. I guess I need to do it every now and again. Woot. Oh, and there's a really cute Pikachu shirt at Hot Topic that I totally want to buy. But I also don't want to spend 20 bucks on a t-shirt. Sheesh.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Basically I am freaking excited for the second part to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie to come out. I watched a fantastical trailer for it last night and I was pretty much freaking out through the whole thing. Here is the link to watch it:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi137338137/

BAH!!! I'm so excited!!!

And in honor of this movie I have added another poll to the side of my blog. That would be to see which book from the Harry Potter series is the most popular. Please feel free to vote in the poll, or not if you are lame sauce. :)

Easter Eggs and Happy Babies

Last Sunday Ross and I dyed easter eggs. We had three eggs each to dye and it was awesome. Here are some pictures from our first time dying eggs as a married couple!

Ross dying an egg.

My first time being able to write the last name Bateman on my egg.

Ross's cool egg.

My cool egg.

Ross eating another awesome egg. Actually, I think he just wanted to see if he could fit it in his mouth.

Ross and me together!

So something that I learned about my husband is that he does not

like to eat the yolks of hard boiled eggs. So we have finally found something that I will e

at but Ross will not. I don't know if there is anything else that I eat but Ross won't. Aside from mustard and ketchup sandwiches, that is. :)

Oh, and here is a picture of my dear guinea pig, Chuck. Just because I love him.

So on Wednesday, the 20th, Ross and I headed down to Orem where I am now residing. We stopped in Kaysville to visit my family and to give Daniel his birthday present, which was awesome, by the way. I also took my dog Sparky on a walk. Ross and I also had a wonderful time joining my mom's preschool for a while. We got to paint some egg shaped paper and also to sing some dinosaur songs with the kids. Those kids are crazy. Yes indeed they are.

I asked Sparky to pose on the walk and this is what I got.

Here is Sparky on his stool that he loves. I do love that cutie puppy!

After Kaysville Ross and I traveled to Tooele to visit his brother, Jason, and his family. Shalee just had a new baby. His name is Archer Dunn Bateman. And he is stinkin' cute. They were great to feed Ross and I dineras well. I really do love that family. Eli did have a hard time though, he wasn't very happy at dinner time, but Elsie sure was a chatter box. But all she really said was: "Da da da da da da da!" But that is ok, she is still cute.

Here is a picture of Elsie, she wouldn't smile, but that is ok.

Here is Eli on Ross's shoulders, I know it's blurry, but I don't really care.

Here is baby Archer! I think maybe I will nickname him Legolas, because Legolas is awesome and also an archer, although mostly he is a handsome elf.

Here is me holding baby Archer.

Here is Ross holding baby Archer.

Baby Archer isn't sure what he thinks of Ross.

After Tooele, Ross and I went on our way to Orem. It was a nice drive that we went on and it was really fun just to talk for a while. Oh, and hold hands, too. :) We made it to my Aunt Stacie's and Uncle Bill's house around 8:00 and then moved my stuff inside. They sure are fantastic for letting me stay at their place for a while. Their house is gorgeous. They also have a crazy cat named Miles. He is ridiculous and likes to randomly attack my legs. At least he is de-clawed. :) Well, Ross left to head back to Logan around 9 and made it back safely. I really do miss that guy, but I'm also very excited to get started working with the Lone Peak color guard next week! The orientation for try-outs is on Monday, and then clinics and try outs are throughout next week. I'm super excited and I hope I can also find another job. I'm a little nervous, but also excited, for my job interview at a vet clinic on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

Here is a picture of Miles.