Random Post

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

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"

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

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!

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

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

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

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...