Nelsons

Our 2011 Holiday Highlights

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few highlights from this year's festivities... (Sorry if this post is painfully boring; I guess it's more for my benefit than anyone else's)

Eric's early "Just to say 'I love you' gift" (A village luminary from Red Envelope) ↓

Idaho Stampede game ↓

Eric, Jason, Braden and Cooper got to go onto the court for a layup competition right before half-time

Ugly Sweater Party ↓

Winter Garden aGlow ↓

Friends, Kris & Brigham

Night Out for the adults @ Olive Garden. Then, back to our pad for the gift exchange. ↓

Eric drew Robbie's name. We all attempted to keep a straight face when Rob opened Eric's fabulous white elephant gift from the Ugly Sweater party a few nights prior. I don't think she bought it, but she did get a good laugh.

BSU Bowl Game party @ Jason's. We took a break at half time to check out Christmas lights. One street had ~7 houses all set to music. Here is a list of the best Christmas light displays in the valley.
Christmas Eve ... Eve ... Mexican Fiesta (Viva la Chicken, enchiladas, chile rellenos, super nachos, jalapeno poppers, taquitos, fruit empanadas, etc. - yum!) ↓

Ella taking a whack @ Talia's piñata

Massive Christmas Eve Breakfast, then kickball, vball & bball at the gym
Christmas Day spent largely in the car driving to Vegas (~10hrs). With the help of a coupon and online discount, we got to stay at an incredible 5-star hotel on the strip. Then we couldn't resist a Vegas buffet. Well, Eric couldn't resist (he can't say no to all-you-can-eat lobster & crab legs). ↓

Aria Hotel & Casino

Christmas dinner!

New York, NY on Vegas Blvd (shot taken from the sunroof of our car)

In the Aria foyer

Bellagio Hotel fountain show set to Christmas music

Dec. 26-31: On to Scottsdale, AZ
Sid's blessing (Pallison's sweet, beautiful baby) ↓

Family Photos (Nelsons & Reynolds) ↓

Mesa Temple and Game Night (Allison's family was kind enough to invite us to join them) ↓

Desert hike (in perfect weather!) ↓

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park ↓

Savannah & Autumn on the carousel

Cute Trey & Autumn waiting for our train ride

Town Dump (just Mary, Savannah and I) ↓

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix ↓

Savannah, glowing in the desert sun (wearing my shades)

Eric & sweet baby Syd (this is outfit #2 after a big blowout...Syd's, not Eric's)

And Saturday we were "on the road again". After spending about 30 hours in the car (total), taking a few wrong turns, getting a speeding ticket, and having a rock ...and a bird... collide with our windshield, I think we'll be flying next time. But it was still a fun trip and definitely worth it! Thanks for the memories.

Thank you!

2012-01-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

Eric and I just want to say thanks to all of our friends and family for being so sweet & sympathetic after we lost Blue.

The YW leaders stopped by and surprised us with a really generous cheer-up package.

Thanks Ty & Tiff for these gorgeous flowers! They hung in there for a long time, and they smelled soo good! Definitely brightened my day(s).

This ornament was given to us by our sweet neighbors who fell in love with Blue right along with us. Such a sweet gift.

How Does it Feel to be Married to a Champion?

2011-11-18T07:49:00.001-08:00

That's what Eric asked me last night - "How does it feel to be married to a champion?" - after their impressive Championship victory over "The Playmakers". The only team they lost to during the season, and they're really good, but our boys managed to battle their way to the top when it mattered.

Eric's flag football team, "The Weekend Warriors" are an awesome group of guys. Not only are they all really athletic, but they're also the nicest guys you'll ever meet. My brother Jason actually put this team together. He handpicked everyone from a group of guys that get together every Saturday morning, starting bright and early at 7am (hence the team name "Weekend Warriors"). Needless to say, Eric doesn't go to many of those early morning games, but he still managed to make the cut. Good thing he's family. In fact, half of the team was family.
Pictured below: Eric, the brother-in-law; Ty & Jason, brothers; and Dave, Jason's bro-in-law. Oh, and of course, Cooper, Jason's son, and the team's biggest fan.

Tiffany, I hope you don't mind that I stole this picture from you. (this pic was taken earlier in the season)
PS. Do you like the handiwork on Dave's pants?

Feeling Blue

2011-11-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

At only 14 weeks old, Blue is no longer with us.

Yesterday Blue wasn't himself. We got up around 7am, and I decided it would be fun if we switched up our morning walk and drive somewhere new. So we drove to a nearby park that we had all to ourselves. The healthy Blue would have loved it - running around unleashed, watching the ducks and romping in the snow but instead he just laid down in the grass and wouldn't really budge. This lasted for several minutes before I decided to take him home. Throughout the day he just got worse. He wouldn't eat, he was lethargic and he was having trouble breathing. At times he would just stand in the same spot and not move an inch for several minutes. Something was definitely wrong, but we kept thinking/hoping that it would eventually pass.

When I got up this morning his condition hadn't improved, and it was breaking my heart to see him look so uncomfortable and sad. I finally decided to take him to the emergency vet. Before I even walked in the door, I knew something was terribly wrong and I was nervous to find out what. The first thing the nurse did was check his gums, and that's when everything started to spiral out of control. She was suddenly very urgent and said, "Oh my gosh, his gums are white. We need to get him on oxygen right now" Then they immediately took him back for x-rays and an ultrasound, and that's when they discovered that Blue had a severely enlarged heart. Because of the size of his heart and because of Blue's age, we had very few options. She said that surgery might be a possibility, but it would only lessen the severity of the situation, not cure it, and it could cost upwards of $6000. Plus, even with the surgery, his life would be drastically shortened. She said the "kind" thing to do would be to let him go.

So we let him go. I didn't think I would get so attached so quickly but I did, and as silly as it may sound for some, today was a really hard day.

Blue was always an awesome dog, but I'll admit that during the first couple of weeks, I had a few "What was I thinking?!" moments. But over the past few weeks I became less and less overwhelmed and more and more in love with this sweet puppy.

I used to get frustrated if he'd interrupt me when I was trying to get work done, but toward the end he gave me something to look forward to during my day and I was always excited to take little breaks to play with him or get a quick snuggle. It was hard to wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning and go on those cold morning walks, but it was also really nice to breathe in the fresh air while the rest of the world was asleep and to make Blue so happy. It was annoying when he tried to have a go at our food when it was in close range, but it was also really cute when he looked at us with those puppy dog eyes and reached his face up to rest his chin on Eric's dinner tray seeming to say, "Please just a little bite". And Eric always gave it to him.

Everywhere we went people instantly fell in love with Blue. There's a sweet 7 y/o girl next door who adored Blue. Almost every evening she would come over and play with him or ask if she could take him back to her house for a few minutes. She even gave Blue one of her favorite stuffed animals. Today, when Eric went to return the stuffed animal, both Meadow and her mom quickly asked, "How is Blue? Is he doing better??" Meadow's mom quickly figured out that he wasn't doing better and asked Meadow to go to another room while she talked to Eric. She cried when she heard the news and, after Eric left, she eventually told Meadow who later came to our house with a brave face but tears running down her cheeks, and she said, "When I get a Samoyed, I'm going to name him Blue and I'm going to let you play with him whenever you want." When Eric asked if she was doing all right, she said, "If you consider crying for an hour all right, then yes. Blue was my very best BFF." She said very mature things like, "He's in a better place." and "At least you got to be with him for a little while." and "He died because his heart was too big and too full of love".

Blue was certainly full of love. He was so sweet...and, unfortunately, so young, but Meadow is exactly right. I feel very fortunate that we got to have Blue if even for just a short while.

Fall Photos

2011-11-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday our friends Kristin & Brigham asked if we could take some pictures for their Christmas card this year. In return, they would take some of us. Kristin borrowed a sweet Canon DSLR camera from a co-worker so even though we had no idea what we were doing, we still managed to get some fun shots.

Hey Blue...

2011-11-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

"Hey Blue..." sung to the tune of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles - that's what Eric and I have been singing around the house the past few days. There is something about that dog that just inspires feel-good music. And thus, I decided to set some of his finest moments to music.

Sorry, I realize that a 5:38 video strictly devoted to a dog is a little obnoxious, but, with all the cuteness going on, I had a hard time editing it down.

The first 44 seconds are just photos, but the rest is short videos. Highlights: Blue hugs/loves on Eric, Blue is forced to go down the slide by his mean uncle Tyler :), Blue attacks a fly and later attacks my Swiffer Sweeper, etc.

Life with pup

2011-10-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Turns out puppies are a lot of work. It's definitely been an adjustment, but we're finally getting into a routine, and it's...almost...fun. At the very least, entertaining.

Here's my Puppy diary:

We're waking up at 7am now instead of 6! An advantage to those early morning walks: it's dark so makeup and bras are optional.
We go on 2-3 short walks a day. Now that fall has arrived, it's funny to watch Blue chase after the colorful swirling leaves. And he's so darling with his fur blowing in the wind.
When I took him to the vet for his first exam, they disappeared with him to the back for several minutes. When they finally reemerged, they apologized and said, "Sorry, we were all passing him around back there...he's just so cute we all had to take our turn with snuggles."
Luckily, he's too young to really understand the whole barking concept. When people approach him and when dogs and squirrels face off with him, he just sits and stares. I'm sure that will change.
It's unseasonably warm this year so although he loves to be outside, he doesn't like the sun. He's learned to dig his way down to the cooler soil. I hate it when he does that, but you can't be mad when he looks at you with those big dark eyes and his cute little nose, paws and tongue covered in specks of black.
The other night someone decided to throw an egg at our door while Blue was sleeping on the doorstep. He didn't even bark. After Eric heard the crack, he went outside and whoever it was had already taken off and Blue was still just laying there. Eric quickly cleaned off the door and brought Blue in for the night. The next morning I found poor Blue with dried egg on his furry little head.
He gets the cutest little puppy hiccups.
He can now sit and shake on command...and almost fetch.
He likes to chomp at the flies who dare fly around his head.
He's adjusting to his crate and sleeping through the night.
He loves to sleep right on top of our floor vent to keep cool.
When we lay down on the ground he loves to lick your face, nibble your ears, and put his paws around your neck in a sweet little "bear" hug.
He's growing at a rapid pace which is sad but good because right now he can squeeze through our fence and already has a couple of times. It doesn't help that our neighbor likes to give him loves.
Blue prefers taking me for walks. I know I'm supposed to be the one in control, but it's just so cute when he carries the leash in his mouth and tugs me around.
Sometimes I'll drop the leash and leave him by his favorite tree (in the common area) while I walk to the dumpster to throw away his doo doo bag, and he'll just sit there patiently waiting for me and watching me with the leash in his mouth.
Eric loves to pick him up like a baby bundle and scratch his little freckled belly

Meet "Blue", Our New Puppers

2011-09-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally have our new little bundle of fur. He's actually sleeping at my feet right now. Let's hope I don't roll over him with my swivel chair.

On Saturday we drove 5.5 hours north to pick him up from the breeder (in Orofino, ID). Luckily, he was a little trooper for the winding drive home. He didn't cry, didn't get sick, and didn't have any accidents.

My family completely spoiled me and the pup. My mom came over to take me out to lunch at Rembrandt's, allegedly for just the 2 of us, and my sister and sisters-in-law just "coincidentally" happened to be there. Those goof balls surprised me with a "Puppy Shower".

Beautiful view behind out hotel (a Best Western believe it or not)

Big Eddy's Marina

Dworshak Reservoir

Never too old for the swings.

Deer everywhere! These 3 were just hanging out in a parking lot in the middle of town...not the least bit bothered by us.

Dworshak

I can tell he misses his brothers and sisters.

Blue!

Already getting into mischief

Braden (my nephew, left) says he really likes him. "I felt a connection."
Cooper (nephew, right) didn't understand why we named him Blue rather than White.

Our little polar bear

Already planking at such a young age

He loves those belly rubs. (look at his paws...so cute)

Come over anytime to see him - especially if you need a good snuggle.

Cool DIY

2011-09-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is, but I have a fondness for glazed white porcelain. In fact, some may find this odd, but one of my favorite decorative pieces in our house is a porcelain pitcher like the one pictured below. (Ok, so it was a little spendy for a pitcher, but I paid for most of it with a gift card. AND, it's not just a pitcher to me)

From Pottery Barn

So it probably comes as no surprise that I was pretty stoked about this easy/affordable little DIY project I came across on Pinterest. This lady had the brilliant idea to re-create that elegant glazed white look with white high gloss spray paint. (Click here for her blog post)

Since it's fall, I decided to try an owl I found at Kohl's (with my $10 off coupon, it was next to nothing). I wasn't particularly fond of the bronze/brown speckled look so I thought he was a perfect candidate for my little experiment.

Pretty cool!

Boys' Weekend

2011-09-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Eric had a couple of good friends visit from out of town this weekend. Hulse from Utah & Darby from San Fran. They went camping @ Redfish Lake, which is a really gorgeous spot about 3 hours away. Eric, of course, didn't take the camera, but this is Redfish below...

While Eric and the boys were out doing manly things, I spent the day with my friend Kristin. We went out to lunch downtown, hit the dog park with her German Shorthair Pointer, did a little shopping & then went to a movie at the cheap theater (only $4 for a movie, drink and popcorn!)

The boys did let me join them for some entertaining frisbee golf, however.

John Hulse, Eric Nelson & Erik Darby, before a competitive game of frisbee golf

These boys, of course can't compete without a wager of some sort. Unfortunately, Hulse was on the losing end of this bet so he had to swallow a live fish whole. Unfortunately, it wasn't your typical slides-right-down-your-throat goldfish variety. He was an aggressive, "spiney" little guy. See video below.

Lagoon!

2011-09-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

My brother Jason & his fam were kind enough to invite me to join them for a quick weekend trip to Utah. Friday, I got to hang out with my good friend, Heather & her fam, and Saturday we spent the entire day @ Lagoon. At first, I doubted whether I would be able to "hang" for that long...literally, from open to close, but it was actually a lot of fun. This also happened to be the day of Boise State's big season opener v. SEC power house, Georgia. Jason and I were both pretty excited about it so we took drastic measures to not allow anyone to leak the score to us (there were several BSU fans at the park sporting their gear). After a full day at the park, Jason, Braden & I all watched the game (thank goodness for DVR). We didn't get to bed until about 4am, but what a game! Totally worth it.

Check out Braden & Cooper's shirts :)

Sis-in-law Sheri & niece Tals

I think these were my favorite rides below:

Samurai

Colossus

Jet Star II

Rocket (Blast Off & Re-entry)

The white roller coaster

The Spider

Wicked

August

2011-09-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

August was a fun, busy month. Nelson reunion, new baby niece is born (Ella May), new calling (YW Pres.), visitors, 8-yr anniversary, my 2nd oldest niece, Cami, goes to college, the Seattle Honns visit & football season begins!

I'm one of Braden's biggest fans! This was his first game in pads...and on the smurf turf!

My cute nephews are growing up. Alex, Michael & Ethan. We don't get to see the twins as much as we'd like b/c they're in Seattle, but I love these kids! So sweet, so talented & such gentlemen.

Michael is an awesome musician! Plays piano, guitar & drums (mostly by ear)

Family day @ Black Canyon Dam.

Look at that air. And, no, it wasn't a soft landing at all, but Cooper still loved it.

Sand V-ball

My nieces Faith & Talia

My oldest brother Scott with his son, Michael - Ice blocking

They're 15 y/o & 6'3"! (I have wedges on in the picture)

Photos (thanks Del)

2011-09-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Karen and Del Benson (friends from Saipan) stopped in to visit us in the middle of their travels. Del is a fantastic photographer, and he offered to take some pictures of us here in our home. He's a talented man...

The man himself, Mr. Del Benson - up close & personal.

Here it is - Eric's Evolution of Dance

2011-08-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

What you've all been waiting for! Eric's highly anticipated Nelson reunion talent show performance.
He prepared long and hard for this...

Nelson Reunion

2011-08-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Nelson clan. (We missed you Pallison!) And, yes, we fit all of these hoodlums in our 3 BR, 1450 sq ft townhome.

Adorable little Paigey Pie.

Playing and dancing in the pouring down rain.

All of us at the cabin in Donnelly. More pix of the cabin here.

Not the intended hike (Boulder Lake) but pretty nonetheless.

Trey and Ava found Cope's makeup.

Nelson & Amy @ the lake

Nelson, Marielle, Amy & Brynne

Caleb

Naomi, Cope & Savannah - On our way to Starlight Mountain Theater (Singing in the Rain)

Uncle Eric with Ava the character

Perdy cousins and great friends, Cope and Savannah

The McDonalds (Savannah is mid-sneeze)

Patalie Fam (drove all the way from CA with newborn baby Claire)

Makechnie Fam (drove all the way from New Hampshire!)

Honn Reunion | Part 2

2011-08-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Most of the Honn family lives in Idaho so some people may think it strange that we have "family reunions", but it's a fun excuse to get together and do something a little different. It's actually a new thing for our family that really just started last year. This year my sister Amanda was in charge, and we decided to go on a little road trip to the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway (near Twin Falls, about 2 hrs away from Boise).

We started the day with a (FREE) Stake Pioneer breakfast...

Sheri, our sister-wife...I mean, sister-in-law :)

Doing our best to make the newest in-law feel very uncomfortable. Sorry Tiff! (She's due any day now)

Fish Hatchery - Eric was trying to grab a massive steelhead and about got slapped in the face.

Big kids playing on the merry-go-round. (Picnic lunch at the park)

Twin Falls County Historic Museum

Shoshone Falls

Perfect lay-in-the-grass kind of day.

Jason and Tyler running to the port-a-potty to give it a good shake while Eric was inside.

Honn Reunion | Part 1

2011-08-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

"Corbin the Reptile Guy"

Corbin threatening to put a tarantula on Mom's head

Old Idaho Penitentiary

Some of the weapons that the prisoners used

It was a strange feeling walking through these halls

They look tough, don't they?

BBQ @ Sandy Point

Ethan with a water snake

Play Ball

2011-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Friday night Eric got to experience "Bounce" for the first time...

He's a natural.

Wow, doesn't even look like he's trying. :)

Yeeha!

Saturday night, we went to a softball game. Which, I'll admit softball can be a little boring, but this one had a twist. It was the Boise State football team playing, offense vs. defense. We learned that being a great football player doesn't necessarily translate to being a great softball player. But that made it all the more entertaining. It was fun to see all of the guys be themselves and let loose. Everytime one of their teammates got a home run, they would all meet him at home plate and do something funny...like a little celebration dance or something. One time, all of the players were circled around home plate when the home run hitter came into home and jumped onto the plate with both feet, and all of the guys, in unison, threw themselves out on their backs - like an explosion. Just a lot of little things like that that kept the game fun. Plus, it was a nice night to just be outside doing something other than sit on the couch and watch a movie.

Offense (left) vs. defense. Defense killed em.

hehe. Cooper surprised us with this face after he had been quietly enjoying a massive jaw breaker.

Then he surprised me with this face when I was browsing through the pictures on my camera. Cooper's self-portrait. Hilarious.

Throughout the game they did little challenges to earn more runs. Here, they're having a chocolate milk drinking contest (first to 24!) They also did a pizza eating contest.

Afterward, the whole team stuck around to sign autographs. Eric and I weren't really anxious to wait in line for 2+ hours so we took off. The kids thought it was totally worth the wait though. They brought us back a poster with everyone's signatures, and Braden even got a signed, game-worn cleat from Billy Winn. (He was so excited...The first thing he did was take a whiff...he didn't even care that it smelled like "rotten nachos")

Reverent Sparklers

2011-07-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

The Sunday before the 4th, we decided to meet up for a Red, White, and Blue themed dessert party...

We all kind of brought a variation of the same dessert, but look at them! Does it really matter??

After that, Tiffany proposed "reverent sparklers" (as it was the Sabbath). I loved my sister-in-law Sheri's response: "Where do you get reverent sparklers? Do you use them with your arms folded or do they whistle a primary song or something?"

I've always wanted to try this with slowing down the camera's shutter speed. I think we had way more fun than the kids did with those sparklers.

Then, when we ran out of sparklers, we used flashlights and cell phones.

Eric did the house. Jason did the tree, and I did the grass. :)

So cool!

Ty had some serious slow shutter/flashlight skills. Despite the backward 4. :)

4th of July

2011-07-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

Phase 1 | Capture the Flag with Water Balloons!

This was a blast. Unfortunately, it always takes a lot longer to fill the balloons than it does to go through them, but it was worth it.

Phase 2 | Pool Party

Phase 3 | BBQ & Fireworks

Poor Asher didn't like the loud noises

The boys had the best view from the roof

Ours were legal. The neighbors on the other hand...

Eric and I had planned to go meet some of his co-workers on the roof of the Banner Bank building or on Simplot Hill to watch the big show, but by the end of the day, we were fried - literally and figuratively. But it was a good day. Eric was a good sport and didn't complain once of Honn family overload.

Utah for the weekend

2011-06-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

Eric and I decided to take our 2nd roadtrip in a row this past weekend so we could meet our newest niece, Claire Olivia Nelson. It was a quick trip but well worth it.

Claire's parents, Patrick & Natalie recently moved to California so it was nice of Nat to have the baby in Utah just so we could more easily visit. :)

Eric's sister Andrea and her family are also in Utah so we got to stay with them the first night...

Shortly after we arrived, our bro-in-law, Curt, made us a yummy dinner (Andrea was at a Sister's Retreat) and then we got to watch Savannah strut her stuff on the stage with her baton twirling team.

Saturday morning we watched Marielle's last soccer game

Then on Saturday afternoon we met little Claire. Isn't she precious? She is a tiny little peanut (born 5 lbs 2 oz).

Look how small she is next to Eric's big foot.

Can you believe she just had a baby?

Later that evening we had a fun little BBQ with the Harwards & McDonalds, and I finally got to see my adorable niece Autumn! She's such a happy baby.

Autumn with her Uncle Eric

And of course, sweet Ava. Here she is with her cute cousin Jackson.

This was the first time we'd seen Ava in a year. She had just gotten up from a nap so she was a little shy at first but warmed up really quickly.

This girl has the best laugh!

She loves her Uncle Eric...

Even when he squishes her.

I bought her love with gummy bears

Snuggling with Eric while watching Aladdin on Sunday morning.

Kisses!

Au Naturel Hot Springs

2011-06-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Eric and I had an interesting little roadtrip yesterday. We decided to drive 2 hours north to check out the cabin we have reserved for the Nelson reunion in August. Midway, we decided to stop at some natural hot springs. Turns out, those hot springs were a little more "natural" than we bargained for. After hiking our way up to the hot springs (maybe 15-20 mins), Eric and I were both a little winded when suddenly we spotted them - yes, the hot springs, but also 2 old, round, bare bums. Luckily, we were still a good distance away. There was a group of 8 or so people, most of which, graciously had swimsuits on, but for some reason, it's always the older, chubbier men who have no reservations about these things. They quickly gave us a friendly greeting, and we tried to play it cool and respond with a nice hello and wave while keeping our eyes on the trail. Unfortunately, these hot springs were on the "to do" list for a late night family reunion adventure. Good thing we checked them out beforehand because, as it turns out, they're not so family-friendly. I would rather our year for planning the reunion not be memorable in that way.

By the way, don't worry, I didn't snap any creepy pictures of the senior skinny dippers. I did take a few of the beautiful scenery nearby, however...

Mile Marker 4

Eric likes to dress for his surroundings

Hiking our way up to the hot springs

Here we are at the top of the 3rd level hot pool.

A fox we spotted in Tamarack.

Some nudity, some wildlife, and some beautiful scenery. 2 outta 3 aint bad.

Lately...

2011-05-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is what has been goin' on lately...

My sister, Amanda (single mom of 3), graduated from Boise State University.

Sadly, this canal is the final resting place for Eric's eye glasses. E. was a good uncle and offered to babysit Amanda's kids during a girl's night/grad party for Amanda. Apparently, Eric and the boys were racing leaves or something in the canal when Daniel got overly excited and accidentally knocked Eric's glasses off...first onto the grate, but, unfortunately, they fell through to the rapids before Eric had a chance to rescue them. He even threw on his swim trunks and jumped in the canal in an effort to find them, which of course, was fruitless but very exciting for the boys. Unfortunately, the water was so deep, he couldn't even touch...and it was freezing. So we may not see those glasses again until the fall when everything dries up. While I was at the party, I got a text from Eric saying, "Not good. Daniel just knocked my glasses into the canal", and I had to laugh. What on earth are the odds of that happening?? He lost his previous pair of glasses when some homeless guy in Omaha tried to mug him, and somehow he swiped them off of Eric's face during the shuffle. I wasn't present for either incident, but I'm starting to wonder if he just makes these stories up to get new glasses.

P.S. I don't have my fancy birthday camera anymore. We decided to sell it so we can have the cash for more important things. Little did I know, those "more important things" would be new glasses for Eric. :)

Exterior Design

2011-05-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

In the past few wks, it has become very clear to me that I'm a lot more comfortable with interior design than "exterior".

I had a $50 coupon for Franz Witte nursery, and I was so clueless as to what I wanted. You would think that my love for graphic and interior design would come in handy for landscaping as well, but not so much. Unfortunately, you have to take all of these different factors into account - climate zones, sun exposure, seasonal changes, etc. It was a little overwhelming for me. I just wanted to say hostas and hydrangeas and be done with it, but, unfortunately, I'm working with evening sun so it's not that easy. The one thing I knew going in was that I didn't want roses. And what did I end up getting?? Roses. The darn lady talked me into it. Don't get me wrong, roses are lovely, but the plants themselves are thorny and unnattractive to me. Plus, they're too common. I wanted to do something different and charming. In the end, the lady convinced me to try carpet rose b/c she said they're almost impossible to kill and they can withstand the harsh sun. Plus, I brought a photo of our yard, and she thought they would fit perfectly between our boxwoods. I do like the year-long purply, red leaves in contrast to the green. Eventually, I would love to make our front yard into a sweet little secret garden, but for now, we'll start with predictable roses.

Our yard before.

And after. I'm excited to see what the roses look like in full bloom this summer.

My succulents and a new little patio set. I thought I was being clever by buying this table off of Craigslist for only $30. The problem is that it's a wooden/indoor table. I tried spraying it w/polyurathane to protect it, but it's only been about a month, and it's already looking more shabby than chic.

Camel's Back Park

2011-05-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the spring. Everything is green, and the weather is absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. We've spent the last few weeks outside as much as possible! Family picnics, volleyball, baseball, basketball, tennis, walks, frisbee golf, etc. Love it.

A few weeks back we got to take advantage of the nice weather for mutual and hike up Camel's Back...

Boise "skyline" in the background. Eric's bldg is the shorter white one coming out of Steph's head. :)

This shot makes me laugh. Melinda looks like she's in anguish. Her sister is standing on her hair.

The YW human pyramid is a must.

I love Kendi's energy.

She asked me to help her with her grad announcement, and I immediately knew I wanted to keep it simple and showcase this beautiful picture of her. Love those eyes.

Spoiled

2011-05-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

I definitely was spoiled this year for my 30th. Eric was sweet and left me 30(!) very thoughtful notes leading up to my birthday.

Day 27

Then, he surprised me with a Nikon DSLR camera which I've been lusting after for a while now. I knew we couldn't afford the D90 ($1000+), but he looked long and hard to find me this reasonable used D70 on EBay (for only a little more than we spent on our point-and-shoot)

Nikon D70

Here are a few photos that I've taken so far. (Keep in mind, I'm pretty clueless about DSLRs at this point so, hopefully, I'll get better)

Nephew Cooper & sis-in-law Sheri @ Braden's football game

Love that sky.

Jason posing at Tucano's Brazilian Grill. He and Eric kidnapped me for a birthday lunch and suprised me with the camera. (This is the very first shot taken.)

And thanks to all of the friends and family who sent cards and notes! Thanks to all of you, turning 30 was much less painful than anticipated.

Easter Surprise

2011-04-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Family traditions are a funny thing, but we don't always realize how funny they are until someone new comes along and challenges them. The Honn tradition for Easter dinner is "Eggs Ala Goldenrod" (which some refer to as "poop on a shingle" or a new one I heard yesterday from our lovely pseudo relative Becky, "wet fart"). Regardless of it's mean names, the Honns have grown rather fond of this strange little dish. Unfortunately, we can't say the same for some of the in-laws (Ahem, Eric).

Eggs Ala Goldenrod

Instead of my typical bunny cake, I decide to make these little Easter/Spring Cupcakes.

Now comes the "surprise" part. After dinner, Sheri (sis-in-law) decided she wanted to try on my niece's fancy prom dress (see photo of Cami wearing the dress below)...

...so the 3 of us went upstairs so she could model it for us. And for some reason, they kept insisting that I try it on as well. Thank goodness I said no! When we all came out of the room, with Sheri all dressed up & nowhere to go, the rest of the family was waiting for us downstairs...with a huge mound of birthday gifts in the middle of the room (numbered 1-30). Evidently, the whole prom dress thing was a decoy so they could set up the surprise. Plus they wanted to see if they could really embarrass me by making ME try on the dress and then open all of my presents as a birthday prom princess. Even without the dress, I was still a little embarrassed, but I definitely felt the love.

Here's all of the loot (mixed in with some of Eric's Easter treats). There were 30 gifts in honor of my 30th year...and some of them actually came in 30s (30 sticks of gum, 30 pens, 30 easter eggs, 30 squares of toilet paper, etc.)

I loved this. On the back, it reads: By the way, this took me THIRTY minutes to make. From my clever 11 y/o niece Faith.

And, finally, my lovely succulents from my mama.

Spring is a Beautiful Thing

2011-04-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

These pink blossom trees are everywhere, and they're gorgeous right now.

On Saturdays, if I have time, I love to go watch my neices and nephews play their sports (basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, etc.) This last Saturday was particularly entertaining. Have you ever seen 5 y/os play soccer?? It is the cutest thing in the world.

This is what my sis-in-law Sheri has to say about Cooper's first soccer game: "Cooper was super excited the night before and morning of, & couldn't wait to get into his uniform. The quarter he sat out, he sat on my lap and he was a little ball of energy bouncing around. He kept cheering on his team and about went to pieces everytime either team was close to making a goal. He'd put his hands up to his mouth and started shaking and squealing (either yes, yes, yes or no, no, no!) IN the game he was AMAZING! We had no idea he knew how to play so well! He scored 9 of the 10 goals that his team scored and the only time the other team scored was when he was sitting out that quarter. He was SO into it. It was so cute. His intensity and how seriously he took everything was so cute. On the field he was totally focused and aggresive. He was awesome! We were just giggling the whole time."

The video below if my nephew Cooper shooting a goal and then running into the goal post. Earlier in the game, he actually slid right into the inside back pocket of the goal net after his kick. I love it.

You let me down Arizona

2011-04-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, before you read too much into the title of this post, we did have fun in Arizona, but I have to say that the weather was disappointing. 50s - low 60s. Really, Arizona? I expected more from you. With my capris and sandals, I really wasn't prepared for that cruel trick. Luckily, Eric convinced me to bring my jacket at the last minute.

Hanging out outside of Evogi, waiting for Steven to finish up a meeting before our delicious lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.

Steven & Mary's new party pad! Check out the pool! There's also a little BBQ/Bar area that you can see in the background and, you can't see it in this photo, but a funky little Tiki Hut. And tons of space for Mary to work with. She has big landscaping plans, and even bigger plans for enticing the grandkids to come visit.

Arizona Dessert Botanical Garden. I'm still not a big fan of the dessert landscape, but it was definitely interesting to see all of the different, unique plant species that survive in the dessert. I thought this one (above) was pretty cool. Mary and I decided that dessert plants look like Dr. Suess characters or maybe something from Little Shop of Horrors. I kept waiting for one of them to come alive and strangle me, poke me to death, or swallow me up whole.

Glass Sculptures at the entrance of the Dessert Botanical Gardens

Steven, Eric and I - with a very cool backdrop

We tried to go for a nice little hike on Saturday, but we got dumped on, and had to slosh back to the car in the heavy rain, but it was a fun adventure.

Despite the weather, we still managed to stay busy and enjoy ourselves. We went to a couple of good movies (Investment Bureau & True Grit) and ate at some fun restaurants. Eric and Steven felt compelled to introduce me to the famous Waffle House which I'm glad they did b/c it gave me a glimpse into some funny Nelson memories. Although, I will say that one time was probably enough for me. :)

Thanks again Steven & Mary for having us! And Arizona, I'll be back soon to give you a chance at redemption.

Staying out of the shade

2011-04-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

I almost posted a sad little blog post last week about our fertility frustrations, and the fact that I'm turning THIRTY this month. I tried to throw in some humor to lighten it up a bit, but in the end, it was more depressing than funny so I decided it was better to not post that one.

But, I must admit, I'm really going to miss my twenties. That decade gave me some of my best years, but people turn thirty gracefully everyday so I know I shouldn't complain.

I'm doing my best not to slow down too much (unfortunately, my metabolism refuses to join me in that effort). Lately I've been playing a lot of volleyball, twice a week for fun and once a week in a league. Last week, on a lovely sunny Friday, Eric and I, along with some friends, gave tennis a try.

I may not be looking forward to my birthday, but I am looking forward to the spring. This weekend we're headed to Arizona to visit Eric's parents. I can't wait to soak up that dessert sun...even if it just adds to my ever-growing collection of wrinkles. :)

YW Overnight Retreat

2011-02-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

When we told our girls that we would be going to Utah this summer instead of Girls Camp, I think they were actually more disappointed than excited so we decided to throw together a mini "camping" trip to make up for it...

Aren't they cute? We didn't get much sleep, but we had a blast.

Yeah, we know how to rough it. Let's face it, staying in a cozy cabin is a lot more appealing than staying in an ice cave.

Lots of sledding and only minor injuries.

They actually gave each other these lovely 'staches while they were awake. Others weren't quite so lucky.

The very clever Paula Campbell came up with this game - "Jeepers Creepers, Guess Whose Peepers". The prize of course, Peeps. (Can you guess which eye belongs to me??)

Terrace Lakes Hot Springs

Crazy Girls. They broke the previous record of 3:30 in the snow with a new record of 10 minutes!

Color Me Beautiful

2011-02-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

The theme for New Beginnings this year was "Color Me Beautiful" so I decided to do a colorful Photoshop project for our lovely young women...(Photo cred to Diane Smith)

Yum

2011-02-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

2 new recipes that are definite keepers:

Pioneer Woman's restaurant style salsa. Click here for recipe.

Love my new "Ninja" food processor!

Typically, I like more of a fresh, chunky, pico de gallo type of salsa, but this is pretty tasty - esp. for cilantro lovers like myself.

This was a yummy mediterranean chicken panini.
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 C pimientos
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t oregano
1 t minced garlic
black pepper
mozarella
grilled boneless chicken breasts
wheat buns or sour dough
zucchini and fresh tomatoes optional (but delicious!)

Bounce

2011-02-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Why should little kids have all of the fun?? We went to "Bounce" for my little 5 y/o nephew's birthday party, and I think the adults had more fun than the kids. Jousting, obstacle courses, slides, bungee chords and velcro, etc.. On the big inflatable slide, we big kids would have competitions to see who could get up the stairs and down the slide the quickest using as many dirty tricks as possible (ie. tripping, hair & clothes pulling, shaking the entire inflatable, etc.) Needless to say, we got in trouble. Just a warning. He said he would hate to have to throw the adults out...we were supposed to be the example. Whoops.

My sweaty nephew Braden sporting a cool do.

Superbowl Commercials

2011-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

This year, the Super Bowl did not disappoint. Good game, good company, good food & good commercials.

Good game: Pretty close one, esp. in the 2nd half. And it was fun because all of us were cheering for Green Bay ... except Eric :) P.S. Not to brag, but Cassie won the prize for closest final score prediction (27-23, actual: 31-25) Eric was the loser, and as such, was supposed to dance to an embarrassing pop song for us on Kinect. Somehow he got out of it last night, but I'll ensure that it happens at a later date. Stay tuned.

Good company: It's always fun watching the super bowl with crazy fans. Cameron, thanks for the entertainment.

Good food: And lots of it. Pizza & breadsticks, hot wings, salad, brownies, chips and salsa, french bread with spinach & artichoke dip, etc. Excessive and unhealthy - just the way Super Bowl party food should be. :) P.S. This was my first time making homemade salsa with my new Food Processor, the "Ninja". I love it!

And finally, Good Commerials: These were some of my favs; which did you like?

Eminem Chrysler Super Bowl Commercial - Imported From Detroit

VW - Darth Vader

Bridgestone - Reply All

Bridgestone - Beaver's Got Your Back

Doritos - "Keep yo hands off my mama. Keep yo hands off my Doritos." (This was actually from last year, but a good'n)

Birthday lunch with the girls...

2011-02-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

The birthday girls!

Mom, me, Robbie (sis-in-law), Tiffany (sis-in-law), Amanda (sister) & Sheri (sis-in-law)
Nothing fancy, just a nice relaxed chit chat lunch. Can't go wrong with Olive Garden! :) Love their salad and breadsticks.

Minute to Win It

2011-02-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

Ok, so you saw a preview of some of the "Minute to Win It" games from our McCall trip, but that was more of a trial run for the big event. A couple of weeks ago we did a big Minute to Win It challenge with all of the YM/YW, and they did awesome!

McCall Weekend

2011-01-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Kristin organized a fun little getaway this past weekend. Her husband plays ice hockey so when she found out he was having a tournament in McCall, she invited us and one other couple to join them and go in together on a little cabin. We only stayed 2 nights, but it was a blast. Lots of snow with blue skies, yummy food, hot tubs, hot cocoa, late nights, fun games, good company, good laughs & beautiful scenery...

Brigham's Ice Hockey Game Friday night

Cameron & Hollie Kuehne

Eric entertaining us with an impressive showing in our Minute to Win It challenge. This game is called "Junk in the Trunk", and the goal is to "shake" 8 ping pong balls out of that box strapped to your back/bum in 60 seconds.

Hollie showing us how it's done with "Stack Attack". (She had to stack and take down 36 cups in 1 min)

On Saturday all of us kind of did our own thing during the day b/c Brigham had a couple of hockey games, Eric and I were scoping out cabins for our family reunion this summer and Hollie & Cameron went snowboarding.

Lovely day in McCall...

I picture Santa's elves living in a place like this :)

So much snow, the roof of this van was caving in

Oh yum. Can't go to McCall without getting one of these from the Pancake House. And only $3! That thing fed 4 of us.

E-Mealz

2011-01-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

Pssst...I want to let you in on a cool little secret.

First, a little background. One day I told Eric I wanted to start eating healthier...not a new year's resolution, not a diet, just healthier. Eric quickly agreed and suggested a program he heard Dave Ramsey recommend over the radio, E-mealz. I later learned that he had been wanting to propose this idea to me for a while, not for health reasons, but for budget reasons. He was just hesitant to mention it because he knew it meant I would be doing all of the work.

Admittedly, it's not the health makeover I was looking for, but it is a clever little meal program, and they have several different meal plan options for various family sizes and needs. See image below.

Eric and I are doing the low-fat Wal-Mart meal plan for 2, and so far we've been really happy with it. It does cost $5/mo, but if it does as it claims, it should still save us a decent chunk of money. It's tough to judge this early, but it seems promising. If anything, we'll just do it for a few months and rotate through the menus that we collect.

The meals are fast and easy to make. I enjoy cooking, but don't do it much. There was always an excuse - working late, missing ingredients, picky eater husband, etc. The great thing about this program is having your whole week laid out for you. In fact, the grocery list even lists the items with prices and organized by grocery sections! Genius. See samples below.

Nice, right? Eric, of course, loves it because suddenly I'm cooking dinner for him every night. We've tried to be brave too and at least try every meal whether it sounds good or not, and we really haven't disliked a meal yet. In fact, neither of us thought we liked salmon, but one of our favorite recipes was a zucchini salmon bake (revised a little bit with the help of martha stewart).

It's a fun little challenge for Eric and I to split up the grocery list and try and track down items we've never had or even heard of before - couscous, liquid smoke, bok choy, various obscure seasonings, etc.

Not sure how long we will keep it up, but so far, so good.

Merry Christmas Manda Jean!

2010-12-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

My sister Amanda & her son Daniel

This past Thanksgiving, while the family was gathered, we tried to come up with some fresh ideas for Christmas 2010. We typically just do the standard gift exchange, but this year we wanted to focus our attention on someone who would really appreciate a special Christmas. Several of us immediately thought of my sister Amanda (who happened to be out-of-town for T-day). Amanda is a single mother of 3 young children. Life for her isn't as simple as it is for most us. Despite it all, she's done an amazing job of balancing her family life, work & attending school full-time. And, she's one of the most positive, generous people I know. So, it seemed natural to want to spoil her for a change this Christmas.

And so the planning began for our crazy surprise party. We waffled a bit between low-key and full-out, but we decided in the end not to hold anything back because, of anyone, Amanda could handle it. (She's not the type to embarrass easily.)

We disguised the party as a "game night", and planned everything around this hilarious little board game called Quelf. We played the first round normally, and then we pulled out our custom-made game cards focused all on Amanda...

Sheri's card read, "Whip out your pom poms and create your own cheer for 'Mrs. Pickle Feather'" (aka. Amanda)

Up to this point, Amanda was still clueless, but not for much longer...

Aside from Sheri's peppy cheer and Jason and Eric's superb performance, the rest of the game was mostly dedicated to us showering Amanda with gifts. For example, one card read, "Treat Mrs. Pickle Feather like she is Cleopatra and adorn her with extravagant gifts" (jewelry). Another card read, "Share a story that will keep MPF captivated for 4 hours." (DVDs x2) Another: "Brighten someone's day (highlights gift cert.) by making their life a little easier (free house cleaning GC) and a little less hairy (waxing GC)." The 3 grand finale gifts were...

1. A massive, custom-made woven blanket of her favorite celebrity crush, Mr. Wentworth Miller (The card read, "Wrap someone with love." so we gave her a big Wentworth bear hug)

2. A Gift Card for Broadway in Boise. She gets to choose between Wicked, Grease, Fiddler, etc. (The Quelf card read, "Give a memorable performance"...so after all of the women, and Eric?, did an impressive Can Can kick line, we gave her the broadway gift card)
3. And, finally, we gathered several 3x5" notecards from family and friends expressing why they love and admire Amanda (there were well over 100 cards from nearly 40 ppl). The idea was to have the whole night be fun and lightheared and then let the more serious gift be one that she could read on her own time without an audience. Here are a couple of examples of the sweet notes that people gave...

I think we were all really touched by Amanda's reaction to the final gift. She immediately began to cry. And the night ended with a big mooshy group hug.

'Tis the season

2010-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

First home.

First time decorating for Christmas!

Married 7 years.
First Christmas Tree.
Purchased against my scrooge husband's will.

The trick is to wait until he's out of town.

I bought the tree, as well as a few decorations while Eric was visiting his family in Omaha after Thanksgiving. Then I suprised him with the finished product.

I love Christmas. And I love sitting in a dimly lit room with just the glow of the tree and the fire, my Josh Groban Pandora Christmas station and Stephen's Mint Truffle Hot Cocoa...with whipped cream.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010 was a delicious success!

And what would a Honn gathering be without a food fight?

My Grandma Carlton

2010-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Carlton passed away when I was just 8 years old, and I feel like I'm just now getting to know her. All I remember from my childhood is going to visit her in the nursing home where she would give us hand-drawn birthday cards and Big League Chew.

I've always known that she was a talented woman, but the more I learn about her, the more in awe I am of what she accomplished in her life, especially as a woman in the early 1900s.

She was a successful actress, singer, and artist.

Helen Aileen Wilson, 1910-1990.

My Grandma & Grandpa ("Buddy") actually met on stage. He's on the floor, right, with the trumpet.

Helen painted this portrait of Vivien Leigh/Scarlett O'Hara for Gone with the Wind. She's pictured here in front of the portrait for Redbook Magazine as she was nominated as Mother of the Year (at the time, she was very pregnant with her only child - my mom). She actually didn't like this painting very well.

A gorgeous painting of my mom at about 10 y/o.

Albert Einstein. Painted with the famous B/W photo as a reference.

This painting makes you wonder what my grandma really thought of men.

Bing Crosby

I love this one. (Painted on black glass)

Marilyn Monroe

Coupon Craze

2010-11-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that we love eating out, but we've been trying to cut back to save money. When we do eat out, we usually try and take advantage of all of the coupons and discounts that we can.

Here are the some great money-saving sites that offer anywhere from 50-80% off deals: Restaurant.com, CitySmart.com, Groupon.com & LivingSocial.com

A friend of ours from Saipan actually recommended this classy establishment to us. Apparently it was featured on the Food Network. Fun spot with a consistent white trashy theme throughout (plastic floral table cloths, elvis clock, lic. plates, christmas lights, etc.). There's even an old classic car in the restaurant that you can eat inside of.

They almost kicked us out of this restaurant (Mai Thai). In fact, we may be banned from ever returning. All 3 couples had $45 coupons. Typically, they only allow 1 per table. HOWEVER, when I called in advance to make the reservations, I asked for permission, and although he was hesitant, the manager said, "We really shouldn't allow this, but I'll be the manager that night so I'll let it slide this time." Well, that manager conveniently forgot all about our little conversation when it came to us paying our bill. I don't think it helped that his boss was there overseeing the whole transaction. I really don't appreciate liars. In fact, not only did he lie, but he accused ME of lying! Not cool man. Normally, I'm the last person to make a fuss in a restaurant, but he almost brought out the diva in me. :)

Shiny & New!

2010-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

It may be cold and hard, but it still makes me feel all warm inside. :)

As my Christmas Bonus this year, my boss, who also happens to be my brother, is contributing to a new work computer for me. I've been working on a small laptop for all of these years so this is exciting stuff. I don't have the computer yet, but I did get my new monitor (24" LED on sale @ newegg), and it's a thing of beauty. The monitor is currently an extension to my laptop, and I love having so much work space!

Husker/Bronco Conflict

2010-11-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

This doesn't happen very often, but this past weekend my Broncos and Eric's Huskers played at the exact same time. So this is how we resolved the issue: Buffalo Wild Wings. His screen is on the right, and mine was, well, everywhere else. :)

P.S. It took about 2 hours to even get a table. Luckily, we found some chairs to camp out and watch the games while we waited. So, does this make us really devoted or really lame? I'm just glad it wasn't Hooters.

YWIE 2010: Hats Off To You!

2010-11-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy little bee this month planning for our Young Women in Excellence program that took place this last Wed. I really don't mind putting in the work for these types of things, but it's always frightening for me to be the one in charge. Unfortunately, I planned for like 50 ppl, and only about 20 showed, but what can ya do?

I decided to cheat a bit and recycle our theme from Saipan: Hats Off To You.

Straw Hats from Hobby Lobby. $1.50 ea. With colored flowers & ribbon to represent the 8 YW Values.

The girls performed 2 musical numbers. Nearer My God to Thee (with 2 of the girls on violin - so beautiful!) & As Sisters in Zion (EFY medley)

For the program, we mixed it up a bit; rather than the typical value skits, we added a twist. We challenged the girls with Whose Line Is It Anyway type improv games to go along with the values.

And, finally, these last few shots are of our adorable YW at the temple a few weeks back.

Adults Playing Dress-up

2010-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we were lame and didn't dress up this year. In fact, we didn't do much of anything. Instead, we stayed home, made a roast, watched a silly...I mean "scary" movie on TV (Vacancy, with Luke Wilson & Kate Beckinsale), and ate Halloween candy that was intended for the trick-or-treaters who never showed.

However, we haven't always been this boring. And, it just so happens that I have photo proof. Please enjoy the Nelsons of Halloweens past...

Eric's brother, Peter's, classic disco costume of '05. One of my favorites. You can't see it in the picture, but he wore a very snug maroon 3-piece polyester suit.

Eric's mum. I think Halloween might be one of Mary's favorite holidays, and she always makes an impressive showing.

Ok, so these costumes weren't overly creative, but Eric's made us stare and laugh nonetheless.

The Viking Helga (also known as sis-in-law Allison) & white trash Stevie P (Eric's dad)

Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!

Don't worry, our dressing up years aren't over yet. We may have had a lapse in judgement this year, but there's always next year!

Creative Friends

2010-10-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Check out these cool fall wreath ideas...

Kristin's acorn wreath.
I helped Kris collect hundreds of acorns for this wreath on BSU's campus. Most of the acorns on the ground were "topless" so, eventually, we learned to just pluck them right off the tree branches. I think the people walking by thought we were a little strange. One hippie-type lady accused us of stealing from the squirrels. Hehe. Sorry squirrels.

P.S. Kristin said this took her 3+ hours, 2 acorn collection trips, and several hot glue gun burns.

Instructions here.

Natalie's lima bean wreath.
Both of these wreaths are easy and affordable. Well, time consuming, but definitely, cheap! It's just a styrofoam wreath (~$5), a hot glue gun & ribbon. Acorns were obviously free, and lima beans are about $1/bag! Spray paint optional. (Is it just me or does the lima bean wreath look a bit like snake skin?)

Instructions here.

Random Post

2010-09-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything interesting to say...I just have a few minutes to kill so I thought I'd throw up some misc. pictures from the past few weeks...

To make you say, "Aww"...

My adorable niece Talia

Hilarious nephew Coops

Heart-breaker Braden

To make you salivate...

To show you what we've been up to...

Driving range with Kristin & Brigham.

Just when I thought I had my decorating obsession under control, the seasons changed on me, and with fall, came a fresh new wave of excitement for sprucing up the house.

My very first door wreath! I know it's crazy, but it just makes me happy. And, I'm also determined to get our very first Christmas tree this year!

And finally, to show my love for the Broncos...

Eric and I are waking up @ 5am tomorrow morning so we can watch ESPN College Game Day live right here in Boise. I decided to use the same Obama concept I used for our anniversary. This is the poster I'm having printed right now. Look for it/us on ESPN tomorrow morning (8am)! :)

San Francisco

2010-09-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Eric and I drove to San Francisco to meet up with some of his best friends, Erik Darby (and his wife Sara), and Jon Hulse (and his wife Beth). Eric met Darby and Jon during his freshman year of college. During that first year in the dorms, those three were notorious pranksters and nearly got themselves kicked out of school for their riotous behavior. Although the three of them have matured greatly over the years, some boys never completely grow up.

Eric and Jon thought it would be funny to play a prank on Darby, who now lives in San Francisco. They contacted his wife, Sara, and coordinated a time that we could all come stay with the Darby's for the weekend. After settling on Labor Day weekend, the prank planning began in earnest.

First, Eric and Jon had Sara concot a story in order to catch Darby off guard. Sara told Darby that over Labor Day weeekend the two of them would be driving to Reno to meet up with some of her friends.

On Friday afternoon, we all arrived in San Francisco while Darby was still at work. After meeting up with Sara and going to lunch, we went to the BART (metro) station where Darby's car was parked. They then had Sara text Darby and tell him to come home. After some prodding, Darby texted Sara to let her know that he had left work and was on the metro en route to the parking lot.

As soon as Darby was on the metro, Jon and Eric had Jon's brother send a series of disturbing text messages (anonymously) to Darby. Here is the transcript of the texts (yes, there's a transcript):

"Hello Mr. Darby, this is going to be a BART ride you won’t soon forget…."
"YOU’RE BEING ROBBED!"
"Don’t panic and don’t do anything stupid…."
"Don’t put too much faith in those Nike shoes and be aware that your blue shirt makes you easy to follow in a crowd…."
"Here’s how it’s going to work…."
"Parked next to your 4-Runner is a beige mini-van, you’re going to set your wallet on the hood of that vehicle and drive away…."
"If you can follow this one simple instruction then we should have no problems and you’ll never have to meet us…."
"However, if you make a single outbound call from your phone BEFORE you arrive at your car, you’ll find your tires slashed and we’ll all look forward to meeting you at some future date at your home in Walnut Creek…."
"We’ll have eyes on you all the way to your car, please make no detours…. bathroom breaks will need to wait…."
"Do as your asked and this is just a crazy story to tell your friends,…. try anything funny and…. Well,… let’s not try anything funny…."
"If all goes well you’ll never hear from us again…."
"Be smart!"

While sending the texts, Eric and Jon opened Darby's 4-Runner and inserted a CD with the Jaws music into the CD player. Once Darby's metro arrived, Jon put on a Scream mask and crawled into the back of Darby's SUV while Eric put on a Scream mask and hid behind a nearby tree. The idea was that Darby would be completely freaked out when he arrived at his vehicle. He would then turn on his car and the Jaws music would immediately begin to play. Eric would then run out from behind the tree with his mask on and run towards the front of Darby's car. Eric would bang on the hood and then run to the back of the 4-Runner. As Eric ran to the back of the 4-Runner, Jon was planning to pop up from inside Darby's vehicle and give him a scare of a lifetime.

The plan started to take shape when Darby got off the metro and approached his car. However, he was a little suspicous due to all the disturbing text messages. When he arrived at his vehicle, instead of getting in and starting the car, Darby instead checked around and noticed something in the back. He opened the back hatch and saw a man curled up in a ball with a mask on. He quickly and aggressively grabbed Jon's head while Eric darted out from his hiding space. By the time Eric arrived, Darby had ripped off Jon's mask and was staring at him with amazement and bewilderment. When Eric took his mask off, Darby's mouth hung open. It was as if he couldn't decide whether he was confused, elated, or shocked.

After a couple of moments of explanation, Eric, Jon, and Darby were all laughing hysterically.

And we didn't stop laughing the entire trip.

Creepy Eric hiding not-so-impressively with his Scream mask on. It's a wonder nobody tried to jump him.

Night 1: A's v. the LAA with lots of fun snacks, and of course nachos (they won 8-0)

Golden Gate Bridge

Slightly windy, but it made for a fun candid shot.

Bloody knuckles...

Muir Woods - We spent a lot of time here just sitting on a cute bridge, enjoying good conversation and gorgeous surroundings.

Power kicks! Because that's what you do in a Parking Garage.

Golden Gate Fields (Horse Races)

Oakland temple

Sock wrestling

It got a little ugly...

It may have been an 11-hr drive, but it was completely worth it! Thanks for taking such great care of us Darbys.

P.S. Travel notes: we stayed the first night in Reno (Eldorado Hotel & Casino), and we drove straight through on the way home...with one small but necessary detour to IKEA.

"...I would be a man with many pennies"

2010-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I feel a little strange posting this poem since it's about me, but It's just further proof of how hilarious (and occasionally sweet) Eric is.

If I had a penny for every time you made me smile,
Or blew me away with your artistic style;

Made me lunch when you weren’t in the mood,
Yet did it with love and without any ‘tude;

Washed my dishes (except for the pots),
Or went to the gym to keep your body real hot;

Put up with my humor and laughed at my jokes,
Moved to Omaha to live with my folks;

If I had a penny for every time you made me laugh out loud,
Or put up with my cynicism when I am a rain cloud;

Listened to my work stories about claims adjusters,
Or tolerated daily briefs about the Cornhuskers;

Served me in ways I do not deserve,
Or been a treat for my optical nerves;

Made me feel grateful that you are my wife,
And been the best friend I’ve had in my life;

Given me confidence when I don’t have any,
Then, my love, I would be a man with many pennies.

7 Years of Wedded Bliss

2010-08-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

There’s really not a lot Eric can’t do.
(Ok, so he can’t fix a toilet or a carburetor, but Obama probably can’t either.)

Yes he can…

Make me laugh at any moment - whether I’m in the mood to or not
Make a friend with just about anyone in the room
Make all of the girls fall for him, whether he realizes it or not (and regardless of their age!)
Listen intently and offer great advice and feedback
Make a mean baked tilapia
Win any debate (even when he’s wrong)
Speak impressively in public with ease; in such a way that everyone seems to listen
Communicate…effectively. I wonder what that’s like.
Compete in just about any athletic event
Remember all sorts of “fascinating” trivia
Tell you everything there is to know about the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Quote every single word of The Testaments and A Few Good Men
Sing Les Miserables and Red Hot Chile Peppers like nobody’s business
Kill everyone in Karaoke (with his singing AND dancing)
Shimmy in a way that makes the girls swoon
Build muscle out of nothing overnight
Be an example of superb dental health (flosses every night)
Impress the elderly with his beautiful olive skin
Do some thoroughly entertaining impersonations (ie. Relatives, Hulk Hogan, Rocky, Sean Connery, to name a few.)
Tease his brothers and closest friends relentlessly (take it as a sign of his love and affection)
Sympathize with others
Be lovable and sweet and charming
Love me unconditionally despite all of my many many faults

I feel unevenly matched with Eric in a lot of ways, but I’m just happy and humbled to have so many things to love and appreciate about my husband.

Love you babe. Thanks for the past 7 years.

Gardening tips please!

2010-08-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've always loved interior design, but now that we have a yard, miniature as it may be, I'm starting to get excited about landscape design. The only problem is that I'm clueless so I need your help!

There's lovely landscaping in front of our house, but unfortunately, we can't see it because a fence is in the way. Eric despises this fence. Personally, I prefer the fence to the road/cars. One solution is to move the fence closer to the road so we can improve our view while still obscuring the road. This is a great idea, but won't happen. I think the landscaping is more for curb appeal and to lure in prospective buyers from the street. So, it looks like we'll have to spice things up the best we can within our own little front yard.

The view from the road

The view from the side

Our front/left view. Blah.

Our canvas.

So what do you think? How can we add some lovely to our wee space?

We have a few ideas, but I'd love some feedback from those with experience. We would like to cover the black fence with English or Boston Ivy or Creeping Fig. From my understanding, English Ivy & C. Fig stay green all year round, while Boston Ivy turns a beautiful bright red in the fall but loses its leaves in the winter. Any suggestions?

As for the area directly in front of our house, help! We'll probably just need to go to a nursery and figure out what we like. As of right now, I just know I like hostas and a basic color scheme like a combination of dark green, bright green & burgundy/purple. What do you think?

Is it crazy that I suggested to Eric that we go to a nursery for our 7-yr anniversary on Fri.?

The best thing IS sliced bread

2010-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have a minor obsession with carbs. Not only do I love my bread, but I love my selection - every loaf serves a special purpose you see. 1. Classic Wheat My ultimate favorite! This one reminds me of the bread my mom made from scratch growing up. Often, we would come home from school and find a few loaves fresh out of the oven. Heaven with butter and honey. So, what are my favorite purposes for this bread? *It makes THE BEST grilled cheese. Yummy toast. And a good hearty ham and cheese.
	Ok, so like everyone else, I try to avoid white breads, but I got a little addicted to Grandma Sycamore's when we were living @ Cort and Robbie's. So soft and fluffy. *Best for PB & Js
	Mmm, sour dough. I love the stuff. *It's amazing for toast w/jam (Smucker's boysenberry or blackberry are my favs). Also good for garlic toast, and of course, with soups for those chilly fall and winter days
	The cheap wheat loaf. Whatever's on sale. Because nothing's too good for my baby. :) *This is what I use to make Eric's lunches (either a ham & cheese or tuna fish). I realize that a lot of you are thinking he should make his own lunch, but he doesn't so this is how I deter him from eating out.
	And, finally, although it doesn't relate very well to this post, it is delicious and it is something I eat often as well. Spring mix spinach salad with dried cranberries, feta cheese, glazed walnuts & raspberry vinaigrette. If you haven't already, try it! I promise you won't regret it.
HUNGRY YET? P.S. I also love Albertson's french bread - baked fresh daily @ 4pm.

Somebody's eating his spinach

2010-08-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I was looking through an old Facebook album from our Saipan days, and I was pretty shocked by, sorry babe, but how scrawny Eric was a year ago. I guess while we were on the island, Eric had more important things to do than work-out. He lost nearly 20 lbs when we was Branch President.

The 2 before shots on the left were taken in Aug '09 (right before we left Saipan). The pictures on the right were taken today. He's gained about 25 lbs of mostly muscle since he's been back on the mainland. Not too shabby, right?

Girls Camp 2010 - Sagehen, ID

2010-08-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

I was looking forward to Girls Camp this year so I could get to know the girls a little better. I was relieved to learn that they're all pretty darn cool. I like to see the ideas that different leaders come up with. Christy Bennett was our Camp Leader, and I loved her. She has the perfect personality for the job ... fun and laid back (and a little sarcastic). You can tell the girls adore her. Our theme was Superheroes - we put the "her" in Superhero. We did a lot of the typical camp stuff - morning devotionals, swimming, hiking, craft, skits, night games, etc. But, one night, rather than s'mores, Christy came up with this clever idea to make chocolate eclairs over the campfire. Genius. You just get a large stick (a little wider than your finger), wrap the end with foil. Then you just pop open a tube of ready-made biscuits and wrap/stretch one over the tin foil. Then, cook that over the fire, and when it's done all the way through, slowly slide it off the foil and fill it with instant vanilla pie filling. Finally top it off with chocolate icing, or even easier, chocolate syrup. Rich, but tasty. And what would camping be without wildlife sightings? Our YW pres. made me a little nervous with stories from her recent sleepless camp-out with bears right outside her tent every night. Not to mention the recent deaths in Yellowstone. Luckily, we didn't have any bear encounters. We did see 2 or 3 bald eagles, a few deer, a fox, and strangely enough, on our late-night drive home, we saw several owls right on the road. I think one of the things the girls liked most about our camp spot was all of the rope swings around the lake, and I can't blame them. In fact, I got so jealous of all of the fun they were having, I had to try it out myself - fully clothed. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of that, but I have tons of them - flying much more gracefully than I did...

Crafty

2010-07-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Guess who's in charge of the Girl's Camp craft this year?

I hope they like it. I had a lot of fun making the samples. In fact, I didn't want to stop. Especially with all of the darling fabrics I found.

I'm hoping it's something they'll not only enjoy making but that they'll actually wear. Fingers crossed.

**Revision: Did I mention that it's really easy?? Here's a tutorial.

For the earrings, I glued smaller buttons in back so the surface was flush, then I glued on the earring backs (found at jewelry/craft stores like Hobby Lobby).**

necklaces, earrings, barrette - made with cover buttons

Mi Familia 2010

2010-07-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

Honn Reunion | McCall

2010-07-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Nelson Reunion | Utah

2010-07-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

So much to love about summer

2010-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can get a free box of Krispy Kreme (original glazed) donuts during Father's Day weekend if you just bring in an ugly tie??

Eric recently did a tie purge so he didn't have enough "ugly" to offer
so, instead, I bought this beauty from D.I. for $1.

What do you think they do with all of the ties after the contest?

Eric, always in-touch with his primal side, enjoying a massive turkey leg at Eagle Fun Days. By the way, this picture cracks me up.

Kristin & Brigham followed us on their pretty little bike all the way into Emmett for the White Trash Festival...I mean the Cherry Festival. Hey, I'm from there, I can say that; it's all very "Joe Dirt".

My favorite ride, The Zipper. I usually make Eric ride it with me, but it was $10! So we passed this year. So sad.

The newlyweds...and us.

And, finally, Eric showing no mercy on this poor little girl at the Dunk Tank. I was pretty proud of myself for the timing of this picture. :)

This & That

2010-06-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

TODAY

My good HS friend, Heather, visiting from Utah with her adorable daughters Annie & Lauren.

It was funny, as we were sitting outside, I watched as a random couple entered my garage. Naturally curious, I jumped up and followed them right into our back door and into our kitchen! As I snuck in the kitchen right after them, I heard the woman say, "I think someone lives here". Turns out they were trying to check out the townhome right next to ours which is for sale. Now I wish I would have pretended to be a realtor just to see what they thought of the place. :)

LAST WEEK

Eric and I were asked to help chaperone a party for an estimated 200 kids (in the end, it was closer to 90ish)! We weren't sure what to expect, but fortunately, all of the kids were great & very well-behaved. The party was heald at Eric's former boss's home, which is ridiculous. Pool & hot tub (unfinished), horses, lake, rafts, fire pit, sand volleyball court, tramp, ping pong, basketball, etc. They even had a live band there!

EARLIER THIS MONTH

My nephew, Braden (the little lady's man) was baptized.

I hiked Table Rock - again. This time with the youth for mutual.

I was just called into YW again which is so fun. These are a few of the cute Beehives that I'll be working with.
P.S. Eric was called as 1st counselor in the EQ.

New photobook

2010-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

Just got a new holiday photobook printed with Shutterfly (50% off).
There are a couple of things I'll do differently next time, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it.
100 pages but still thin and sleek!

**For you digiscrappers out there, I've also included some of the digital pages so you can compare and see what you think of Shutterfly's print quality...**

(The first pic is a father's day card I made for Steven.
We're thinking about splattering a bit of spaghetti sauce on it to make it more realistic :)
Click photos to enlarge.

This page seemed a little washed out. The yellow just isn't as rich and warm as the original.
It also lost some detail and contrast.

This layout in print was a little disappointing. Way different from the digital image.
The blues are completely different and the faces are desaturated.

The green background is too cool, and not in a good way.

The reds could have been a little darker/richer.

Overall, despite a few color and resolution issues, I was pretty happy with the album. If I were rich, I would print the same album with 5 different companies, but unfortunately, that aint happenin' any time soon so, for now, I think I'll stick with Shutterfly. At least until someone convinces me otherwise.

Very cool...

2010-06-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just think this is so very cool. This video features a guy named Brian Gaynor who has some pretty incredible dance skills, despite the fact that he has scoliosis.

Saipan: The good and the bad

2010-05-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

During the past few months, Eric and I have discovered a few things we really miss about dear ol' Saipan. But, there are also a few things we've survived without. See table below. :)

MISS	DON'T MISS
The people/branch Obviously, our favorite part of Saipan was the sweet, accepting, loving, humble, non-judgemental people of the island. Especially those from the Saipan branch. They were quite possibly the easiest group of people to join and the hardest to walk away from. And I REALLY love the youth! I can't even express how much I love and respect those kids.	The customer service This was weird to me because everyone on the island was so nice - except when it came to their customer service. If I tried to approach someone at the store to ask them a question, they would literally start speed walking in the opposite direction. Maybe it was me. Being at church for 10 hours on Sunday. Planning Girls Camps and Youth Conferences.
The beach White sand and crystal clear, WARM! ocean water Snorkeling/discovering all sorts of beautiful sea life Beach combing There was even a beach within walking distance of our house.	Discovering sand in every crevice (of car, home & body) Eric throwing/squishing sea cucumbers at me. Yes, "squishing". When you squeeze a sea cucumber it squirts out a liquid (hopefully, water), and a pretty good distance too.
The weather Always 85 degrees. Guinness lists Saipan as having the most equable temperatures in the world.	The humidity. The sticky clothes. The worthless hair staightening and instant frizz.
The sky/sunsets/sunrises The sunsets in Saipan are unlike anything else. Vibrant colors, huge fluffy, dense clouds, and the reflection on the water.	The short days It was a tragedy to live on such a gorgeous island but have the sun go down before Eric even got home from work (around 6:30)
The jungle Lots of luscious green EVERYWHERE. Our incredible view...	The jungle overtaking our car We literally had plants growing out of our trunk at one point.
Having few shopping options. Makes decision-making easy. When I say "shopping", I mostly mean grocery shopping because we were (and still are) too broke to shop for clothes. During our 2 years on Saipan, Eric and I did both go on one big shopping spree at ROSS (!) when we visited Guam. I wasn't tempted by home decor either b/c 1. I knew our stay their was temporary, 2. The humidity tends to destroy things, and 3. If it didn't fit in the 2 pcs of luggage that I arrived on Saipan with, then there was no point.	Having few shopping options Sometimes it’s nice to have selection. It’s especially nice to not have to go to 6 stores looking for cottage cheese and still not find it, and in fact, no one's even heard of the stuff! Everything’s more expensive. Although, a good friend once put it this way – *“Getting frozen ice cream, transported by a ship and across the ocean – that’s not expensive, that’s magic!”*
Having few restaurant options Again, easier to choose. And, we did have a handful of places that we loved - Teppanyaki's, Bobby Cadillac's pizza, Happy Hour smoothies, vegetable lumpia and hot wings on the beach at the Pacific Island's Club (while watching the sunset).	Having few restaurant options Because groceries were so expensive, we often had an empty fridge so we ate out a lot (which saved us a ton of money I'm sure!). Subway almost every day. As for American chains, they also had a McDonalds, Pizza Hut and a KFC. While we were there, they even got a Taco Bell which was a huge deal. The first few days they had a line out the door.
Diversity Surrounded by people from the Philippines, Japan, China, Russia, Chuk, Yap, Palau, Marshal Islands, Gilbert Islands, etc. Fun to be a minority for a change	Being mistaken for a Russian ("dancer")
Fun cultural experiences Food Traditions Dancing Thur. night street markets	Not-so-fun “cultural” experiences. Cock fighting Betel nut (the locals are constantly chewing/spitting betel nut)
Easy access to travel We were in close proximity to so many cool new places.	Constant temptation to travel BUT, just because we were close to these places didn't necessarily mean cheaper airfare. Flying from a small island is never cheap.
Living in the jungle and feeling very secluded	Living with lizards, massive wolf spiders, ants and, worst of all, shrews. Waking up to mysteriously half-eaten bagels, etc. Having lizards fall in my lap while I worked.
Our boonie dog "Skinny" Skinny was the sweetest thing. She only came around some of the time, but she was always happy to see us.	The boonie dogs It was pretty heart-breaking to see the dozens of malnourished dogs all over the streets in Saipan.
	Having a PO Box instead of an address Having to pay for that PO Box that was only available 9-5pm. Having to travel 15-20min to check that often empty mailbox
Fun island adventures	Not-so-fun island incompetence that led to a summer of island-wide dark and sweaty power outages.

Suckapunch!

2010-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

My husband warned me that my blog posts were getting a little dull so I took that as a challenge. I'm confident that Eric will love this post.

We may not have as many photo opportunites here in Idaho as we did on Saipan, but that hasn't stopped us from making our own.

OUTTAKES

It's amazing how thoroughly entertained we were by this little activity. If you haven't guessed, Eric and Jason were just shaking their heads violently from left to right to achieve this somewhat convincing effect. The tricky part is snapping the photo at the right moment.

Eric wins the prize for best floppy cheeks.

I don't think he'll be winning any prizes for sex appeal with these photos, however.

More guests!

2010-05-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

We've got a bit of a revolving door going on right now; so who's next? Kristin and Brigham are staying with us right now while they search for an apartment. Which means, yes, they are moving to Boise! I'm looking forward to having a friend close by. (They're moving from New York so it will be a bit of an adjustment).

I've known Kristin for about 8 yrs. We met at BYU-Idaho, spent a summer playing together in California, and were roommates one summer as well. I even tried to set her up with my bro-in-law Patrick at one point. But, alas, Pattie found Nat, and Kristin found Brigham. They're getting married in California next week. I'm sad that I can't go to the wedding, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of them when they move here.

My Birfday Cake!

2010-05-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure Wentworth Miller didn't show up at YOUR birthday party.

THE REACTION

Ya done good Eric! And now all that's left of the cake is Wentworth's face. We'll see who dares to eat it. :)

Viewer Discretion is Adviced: Exposed Muscles

2010-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday Eric and I were introduced to a whole new world. A world of fake tans, protein bars, egg whites, and bulging muscles. We were there to support our good friends and pseudo relatives. Beck and Chris are the perfect examples of why you should never judge a book by its cover. Becky is a sweet, polite and very intelligent little English girl, and Chris is a professionally trained chef. They've both been training and dieting like crazy for the past few months. (They also have 2 young children) It was definitely a strange atmosphere - seeing unnaturally dark-skinned people with their bright white eyes and teeth, their 0% body fat, and their big veins and muscle mounds, walking around casually with only a few sequins to cover up their unmentionables. I learned, however, that for at least some of the contestants, it's not all about vanity and ego, for some - like our friends - it was about fitness, reaching personal goals, and gaining confidence.
Becky is 3rd from the right.	Far right.
Chris is 2nd from the left.	The pose-off. A strange world indeed.

Brotherly love...

2010-04-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Continuation of previous blog post...

Eric wanted me to add this little video.

Our first house guests!

2010-04-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks Patrick, Natalie & Ava for making the long drive to visit us! They arrived late Wed., and left us this morning (Sun.). We enjoyed every minute of it. My cheeks still hurt from our late-night laughing sessions.
Click to enlarge.	"Ava, smile."
Day 1: We hit Zoo Boise which I admit is nothing to brag about. It certainly doesn't compare to the Henry Doorly in Omaha, but we had fun nonetheless. Small zoos have their own charm about them. We got to see all of the good stuff up close and in a short amount of time. I think Ava's favorite part was feeding the goats. You may not be able to tell by the pictures, but she was fearless.

After the zoo, we did a little tour of Eric's office and then ate out at Cafe Ole downtown...
Day 2: Morning work-out. Picnic. Frisbee golf. Smoothies. Paintball.


They were out for blood. Literally. If Eric would let me, I would post photo proof of all of his battle wounds. His body is covered in paintball welts.
Day 3: Another morning workout. Rock climbing/bouldering gym.

None of the boys are very experienced at climbing so by the end it turned into a competition to see who could push/pull/kick/pinch/slap their opponent enough to make them fall. (see video above)

And finally, we ended the week with a Thai feast. Our awesome builder treated us to a catered dinner for EIGHT at our new home. I was proud of my meat and potato brothers for being brave and experimenting with some new dishes (sushi, sashimi, etc.). We spent the rest of the evening sharing embarrasing stories and laughing until we were all in tears. Ie. Jason's MC Hammer pants days, first kiss stories, honeymoon stories, pre-wedding night talks, brutal break-up stories (and near break-up stories), interspersed with a little adolescent bathroom humor. Thanks again for coming Pat, Nat & Ava. We miss you already. More photos here.

Random thoughts about online buying/selling

2010-04-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

Over the past few months, in looking for a house and looking for items to fill said house, we've done a decent amount of online browsing, and in so doing, have learned a few things...

REAL ESTATE KEY WORDS
Adorable, Sweet, Darling, Cute: TRANSLATION = Pocket-sized
Lots of character, Charming: TRANSLATION = Old as dirt
Starter home: TRANSLATION = Disappointing but livable
Great Investment Opportunity: TRANSLATION = Don’t go near it unless you have a lot of cash, a lot of time & an inner Bob Vila.
Unique: TRANSLATION = Don't bother. There’s a good chance it’s purple with neon green trim.
Contemporary: TRANSLATION = Tacky. 80's.
Historic, Vintage, Retro: TRANSLATION = Plumbing, roofing, mold issues, etc.
Totally remodeled: TRANSLATION = Risky. Might look nice aesthetically, BUT…
Solid: TRANSLATION = Eyesore.
Spacious: TRANSLATION = Old or cheap (at least in our price range).
Must See: TRANSLATION = Don’t tell me what to do. :)

CRAIGSLIST:

Beware of the fancy ads with lots of stars, swirlies, and “WOW”s in the subject. They’re usually spammers.
It’s a red flag when, instead of the product, they’re posting pictures of a Visa and Mastercard.
With CL, it’s best to deal locally. Don’t trust the ads that mention shipping.
If it seems too good to be true, it is.

TIPS FOR SELLERS:

Stage your items. Your lawn doesn’t count. Buyers don’t want a couch or mattress that you’ve thrown in your front yard.
Spell-check! Maybe it’s just me, but there have been times when I’ve actually been turned off of an ad b/c of grossly misspelled words. Ie. “Sweat Art Deal”, “Qeen Bed”, “Duvay Cover”, “Kwilt”, “Intertainment Unit”, “Ellegant”, I've even seen a "4 bededroom"...
Always include a photo with your ad. Why would I want to buy your couch or even look at it after just reading a basic description with no photo? Many times the photo is disappointing next to the description, but sometimes it’s a pleasant surprise. Either way, at least it’s a true(r) representation of what you’re selling. No matter how good your description is, the buyer is going to want to see it before buying so there’s no point in fabricating or hiding the truth.
Bonus points for a decent quality photo. Borrow a camera if you have to. And don’t post a picture of your queen-sized mattress with your 5 y/o spaghetti-faced son jumping on the bed while your large, dirty dog is sniffing at it.

Shopping online can be a funny thing, but ultimately, I'm a bargain shopper who doesn't really like to shop, especially in crowded, over-priced stores with pushy salesman (or realtors) so I think shopping/browsing online is a fabulous option. Sometimes you just have to know what to look for and how to navigate.

Spoiled

2010-04-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

I admit it. We're spoiled. Last week my sister, Amanda, suprised us with a trunk full of groceries as a house warming gift. The only thing better than food is free food! And her timing was perfect. Normally, Eric and I reserve Friday night as our date night, but Amanda's gift allowed us to eat in - with style. I was pretty proud of this dinner. Too bad Eric chose this night of all nights to come home from work a couple hours late. :(
	Then, on Saturday we got spoiled some more when Tyler and Tiffany came over and helped us with some of our home projects. Top left: The guest room headboard! Bottom left: Ty helped me file a larger hole in my desk for this handy organizational desk grommet (no more chords!) Right: And, finally, they helped us hang this large heavy mirror in our master bedroom.

Healthy, (Not-so-Wealthy), and Wise

2010-04-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

(Eric F. Nelson, contributed to this post. :)
We must be getting old because we suddenly find ourselves clipping coupons, counting calories, budgeting, breaking out the calculator at the grocery store, and eating our daily dose of dietary fiber. But, judging by the fact that we’ve practically started an Ebay/Craigslist business, perhaps we’re also getting a bit younger.

eBay/Craigslist
During this past month, Eric and I cleaned out the cobwebs of our lives. Literally. During our two-years in Saipan, all of our belongings were in a cramped, musty storage unit in Emmett. When we finally loaded it all up and unpacked it in our new home, we decided we missed the simple life in Saipan. So we decided to see if anybody else would find our trash to be their newfound treasure. During the last month, we have sold the following items online:

6-year-old furniture set for $800
6-year-old microwave (wedding gift, never used) for $40

Plus, Eric has been on a Ebay binge. He now has 14 active items up for bid. He’s already sold almost $300 worth of old law school books, flash cards, and study aids.

Coupon Clipping/Budgeting
Of course, we’re not the only ones selling our things online. Eric and I have found a couple of great deals on Craigslist. We recently bought a brand new queen-sized bed (still in the plastic) for our guest room at a fraction of the retail price.

I'm learning that coupons are a wonderful thing. Plus, we’re eating out less, and when we do, we look for the discounts. Recently, we’ve used certificates from Restaurant.com and Boise Deals/CitySmart.com (50-80% discounts).

Eric and I are also trying to keep closer tabs on our spending with budgeting software. Eric’s been tracking and categorizing every transaction we have through budgeting software. It’s nice to categorize our purchases and see where we need to cut back.

We're also paying closer attention to unit pricing at the grocery store. That way we can compare apples to apples (pardon the pun) in determining which particular product is the best value.

I’m also trying to “re-purpose.” I wanted a headboard for our guestroom, but I didn't want to fork out the cash. So I got an idea. We had two extra cabinet doors from our entertainment unit so I'm going to test my skills and see if I can make them into a headboard.

Health
Eric and I bought gym memberships at the end of October and have been exercising at least twice a week. It's nice to be in a routine. Plus, it helps us eat healthier. We’re still not the healthiest eaters, but we’ve been trying to replace the fast food/junk food with more fruits and veggies! Each morning we eat our fiberrific cereal, and we’re even choosing fruit smoothies over ice cream.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

I need to go to bed, but it's been a good day - filled with family and messages of our savior. Here are a few random pictures from the day.

Easy bunny cake. Just make two round cakes, cut like so, and decorate as you wish!
Hunting for eggs...And looking mischievous.	My brother's REAL bunny, "Snowbell". Very cute.