Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Happy Holidays (PC just for you Rob!)

Pretty sure Word Challenge on Facebook has consumed me! I am addicted, and I have people at work addicted. I was doing really well, then Becca and Wendy had to put me back in my place. I am 5th right now, but it is ok, because I was at 11!

Today is Christmas Eve, and yup, I am at work. I am ok with that fact, we are all working and goofing off at the same time. There is a totally different vibe at work today, very laid back and fun. The only complaint I have is that the people in the California office forget that there is a one hour time zone difference, so even though they told us to come in at 7:30 and leave at 2:30, they don't want us to leave until 3:30. Fair? No, but they are backtracking now and saying that they told us to come in late at 8:30 instead. So we will see when I actually get out of here! Whatever!

Thinking I would treat myself to a Christmas Eve treat, I went to Starbucks for a full fat, eggnog latte. YUM! But yeah, they were out of eggnog. What? On Christmas Eve? What a mean joke! I got the pumpkin spice instead, but think I am going to stop by the Starbucks by moms to try again. I am pretty sure that when I discovered the eggnog latte about 4 years ago, I gained 15 pounds that winter! New Years resolutions don't start for another week, right?

My sister has lost 15 lbs and looks awesome. Unfortunately she lies to me and says that there is no magic pill, she chalks it up to diet and working out. What a liar, there is a magic pill, she is just holding out on me! Whatever, maybe I will try it her way. Is coke on this diet? What about all of the candy and goodies that the holidays bring? hmmm .....

We had our awesome Cuccina dinner in lieu of exchanging gifts. So good, and we always have such a great time. What a fun way to spend time with great friends for the holidays. 3 bottles of wine makes our friends even better! Thanks all, we had so much fun as usual!

Monday night took us to the locals night at the Metropolitan with Robert and Amy. The place was empty, but we had a good time all by ourselves! The food was good, pretentious, but good. Amy didn't like her pasta, so they forced a Beef Wellington on her. She made sure she ate enough of it to not be rude! Not sure if we will go back, but if you are interested in trying it out, the Monday's local night is the way to do it. You can get 3 courses for $30 or 5 courses for $45 and no corkage fee. I would suggest taking 2 bottles of wine, because you will be there for several hours. We always have a great time with the Mathesons, they are our kindred spirits.

Last night we went to The Vienna Bistro with the Mangums. Another great time. I ordered a wonderful German beer, and ate some herbed dumplings. Pretty tasty, and got me excited to go to Amsterdam and eat. We exchanged gifts with them, and they got me a Bare Minerals gift set. I love makeup, I am not quite sure when I became a girl, but I love all things girly. Weird, because I am not very prissy, but I wanted to do my makeup as soon as we got home. I didn't, I just went to bed instead. I plan on looking pretty for Christmas though! Thanks guys, you are truly great friends. I promise, Catherine, to stop saying that you are single-handedly revitalizing the economy.

Today, Jason is spending the holiday eve with my family at Fat Cats. Jason hates bowling, but I love it. Too bad he can't come to work for me. We are heading to moms after that to eat and hang out. I am sure we will break out the games, or at least the Wii. Jasons aunt sent us a Swiss Colony pack, so we are taking that over. I love it for the cheese, but Jason doesn't much like his tubed sausage, so we need help consuming it!

Merry Christmas tomorrow everyone. I hope it is fun and safe!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas time fun

What is it about this season that makes eating with abandon acceptable? Maybe it isn't, but that is what I tell myself so I don't feel guilty.

Okay, so I used to be a scrooge. I didn't want anything to do with a tree or decorations and definitely not Christmas music. Somehow, over time, I have re-embraced the fun of the season, and I am actually looking forward to Christmas this year. The holiday has lost much of it's luster as it all amounts to the one day off this week for me, but I try to invoke the memories of school being out for winter break and roller skating on Christmas Eve with the greatest grandparents ever. Oh, good times. Hopefully, my one day off this week will live up to the hype!

To get into the spirit of the season, we have embraced tradition. The Mangums had everyone over for their yummy Navajo Tacos(it came late this year), my mom and sisters made candy that only works if the weather is right (Jason will never believe it to be true), we attended our 2nd annual dinner at Cuccina Toscana, and we started, what will hopefully become a new tradition, the Santa Pub Crawl.

Happy Holidays

Monday, December 15, 2008

Chaos and fur ...

So somehow, I became the crazy dog lady. I know, I know, I did it to myself, when we got Jersey, but who knew my house would turn into a revolving door of dogs?

When we got Jersey I was scared to death of the responsibility that I had paid $50 for(initially, hundreds no thousands have been paid on behalf of this dog). I figured that if it didn't work out, I could find a nice home for her, or at least give her to a shelter. WRONG! That fuzzy little thing worked her way into my heart and into my clothes (her dog hair is EVERYWHERE) and we have been stuck with her ever since! She has seriously changed my life in a way that I am sure children do for those willing to bear them. I stopped eating yummy meat because of this dog, not that I ever ate dog, but ... well, it is a long story of animal suffering.

Anyway, onto the kennel that I apparently run. It started innocently enough when we still lived in our condo in South Salt Lake. Our downstairs neighbors, Steve and Stacy, had the nicest black lab that Jersey looked up to, and would have dated if they had the money, so cute. They offered to watch Jersey while we were out of town, and vice versa. Perfect arrangement because their dog, Kenu, was an angel. We totally got the better end of the deal on that one. Since then, we have had many four legged friends come through our door, most of which Jersey has managed to get along with or at least tolerate. She is usually able to establish her dominance within the first couple of minutes and we have no problems(she is my dog after all). This week we are watching, for the 3rd time, Copper, the 8 month old bloodhound. I would think that by now they had established their relationship, but apparently it will always be a tumultuous one. This dog is relentless and will not give up on trying to get Jersey to play with him. Jersey, being the old bitch that she is, wants nothing to do with him. It turns into doggie chaos.

The problem is probably me, I love dogs and I know that they are well taken care of when they are at my house. I don't want to have to kennel Jersey when we go out of town, so I am always willing to watch every ones dogs so that the favor is returned.

Sadly, I am actually glad to be at work today, because the alternative is yelling "shut up" 50 times an hour at two dogs refusing to listen to me. Sigh!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Who knew?


So I have mentioned this before, but it came to light again yesterday, so I thought I would make mention of it again. How is it that I hate people yet I still find myself needing to socialize with more than just my dog?
I was at home sick yesterday, and slept most of the day away. I spoke with no one all day, and I realized that one day is all it really takes to start the downward spiral for me never wanting to leave the house. It was kind of a frightening realization for me. Every morning as I am climbing out of bed to at least brush my teeth before arriving at work, I wish for a second that I was unemployed and could stay in bed all day. Once I am at work, I am fine. My job is good, I work with a great bunch of girls that keep me laughing and talking all day. But the envy that I have for Jersey (yes, the dog) is overwhelming when I am still in a sleepy stupor. The fact that after she walks me to the door and kisses me goodbye, she gets to sleep her day away, makes me green with jealousy. So yesterday, I stayed in bed with her, and loved it.
I did have a hair appointment later in the day, and sick or not, my hair needed Lacey therapy. I considered canceling because it meant I would have to talk to someone and discontinue the inner monologue that runs at a constant when I am alone. I perked up once I was there, and escaped the pull of the deep dark depression that is like a warm blanket on a cold, quiet day. I read my In Style magazine, and let my hair and myself process.

Monday, December 1, 2008

waste of wine

So I am a klutz ... lets just get that out there! I trip over my own feet, and for those of you that used to work with me at Maggie, you will remember I was always good for a laugh. Luckily I am able to laugh at my own expense when something happens, because why get embarrassed?
So on Saturday, we were enjoying a nice dinner at our downtown chain PF Changs. I had brought a bottle of wine to share, as we usually do (ok, Rob and Amy usually do), and we all had a few glasses.
The waitress poured our glasses, then put the bottle on the table between Jason and myself. My first thought was that I would, at some point in the evening, bump the bottle and knock it off the table. As soon as that thought left my mind, I was drenched in my glass. Turns out, as the waitress was collecting our menus, she bumped my wine glass with my menu and it dumped the entire glass of (luckily white) wine into my lap. My shirt caught most of it, and there was no hiding it! I just started laughing, but the waitress felt so bad! She bought me a glass from the menu, and I excused myself to the bathroom hoping for a hand dryer. Nope, no hand dryer. Luckily, the manager walked into the bathroom as I was toweling myself off and offered me a server shirt (score!). I changed and went back to the table.
Now in retrospect, I am sure I could have gotten a lot more comped from that meal, but who really cares? I didn't have anywhere to go (sorry Amy, reading magazines at your house doesn't count as a place to go!), and even if I did, it was done and any amount of compensation wouldn't have dried my shirt! I was mostly just glad that I wasn't the one that spilled the wine!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

How I spent my summer vacation


I am back to the real world, reluctantly!
I spend my time off either drunk, hungover (not really, i didn't get sick once) or painting. Strange combo, I know!

Amy, Heather and I took a girls trip to Viva Las Vegas this past weekend, and boy was it a fun way to realize how old you really are! Thursday night when we got in, we tried our hand at a $3 dollar Black Jack table. I gave the casino $15 and they kept the drinks coming. I was playing with $100 limit for myself, and only lost $15, pretty good! We then ventured to a club that was fun the last time we were there, but was EMPTY when we got there. Luckily they didn't charge us a cover, because we were 3 of maybe 15 people in the whole place. The music was good, and we were feeling great, so we stayed and danced.

The next night we went to THE Mix at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay, AWESOME club. We had such a good time and were the only girls there w/o skirts up to our who-ha's, so we were a little overdressed! Amy told the cab driver that there was a Denny's by our hotel, but no, there wasn't. He was nice enough to introduce us to the $1.49 breakfast at WILD WILD WEST that was by our hotel, and is now our new fav spot to eat. Not quite sure if we would eat there sober, but that is beside the point!

Saturday night was the reason for the trip, the Alanis Morisette concert at Hard Rock. Before going to find our seats, we purchased some juice at the sundries shop. Amy has a knack for eaves dropping, and one of her top 5 talents (long story) is talking to people, so she chatted up the guys at the table next to us and scored us a spot on the list to the afterparty.
The concert was great despite the fact that there were a lot of olds there, and one girl told me to sit down, oh, and I almost went into the mens room on accident.
The afterparty was at "Wasted Space" and Everlast played. Very fun, no cover cause we were on the list (I could get used to being hooked up!) and cute go-go dancers. The best part about the club is that the bathroom is a unisex so the guys had to wait in line with the gals, AWESOME! They were all pissed about it, but oh well!

So enough about Vegas, you have all been there, you understand. Somehow, I had the bright idea in my head that for the rest of my time off, I would paint the kitchen and back stair area. I still don't know why I did it when I have a DVR full of shows and a couched that missed by butt, but I did. When Jason finally got home from work on Tuesday, he actually said "you painted in here?". I could have killed him! So on Wednesday, I left the hard to reach spot for him to paint so he was sure that some painting went on. Does he really think I got a "fresh paint" Scentsy sent from mom just to fool him? Wait, that isn't a bad idea!

And BLAH, BLAH, BLAH I will stop blabbing now!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Thank you Keith Olbermann



I think he managed so say this more eloquently than anyone else has, give it a listen.

Friday, November 7, 2008

WHY???



Why was I not at Dodgers Stadium last night to see the Madonna concert? She had Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake on stage with her. That concert is worth it's weight in gold! With my luck, I would have purchased tickets to the Vegas show instead and then after hearing the news of the LA show, demanded my money back. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see Madonna, but if it can be coupled with JT, it would be sooooo much better. I love me some JT!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

I am still alive!

Ok, so I know I haven't posted in a while, and that point was well taken when even Amy commented on it. This is a girl that has a blog, that she has updated about 5 times total, and then tells me she has a new blog, but won't give me the address yet. I think that means she hasn't posted anything to it, and she doesn't want me to say anything! Oh well, she is forgiven as she has a house to unpack and a DVR full of awesome TV!
I have posted our Halloween Pics on my #1 sight, they are super cute, and you can tell how much we all had to drink that night as the pics progress. Enjoy!
And yes, I am elated that Obama is our president elect as I don't think I could stand to hear John McCain lisp through 4 years. I will say that I am a little sad that the campaign process has ended, as the SNL skits of stupid Sara Palin provided much needed comic releif. I also found it quite interesting as I was blog stalking who believes what, and how they came to that conclusion. I read a blog that stated that Obama was a "baby killer". REALLY? Just because someone is for allowing a woman to make choices that directly impact her body does not make you a baby killer. Okay, I will stop as I could go on and on. Oh wait, one more thing ... congratulations to the LDS church as your mass amounts of money and your stupid telephone campaign worked, gays can't marry. It is really too bad that so many of you feel that just because your husband or wife would have had the opportunity to marry a person of the same sex that they wanted to. I think the divorce rate being at 50% is a much larger threat to the "sanctity" of my marriage than people that love each other being allowed the same rights as the rest of us. How do you not see this as discrimination? Or perhaps you do, and don't care. Open your eyes.
I haven't posted recently because work has been SUPER busy. I have worked here for 6 months and haven't had this much work to do. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it hasn't left me with nearly enough time to persue my new internet passion! They did just install a fresh popcorn maker, so I am off to eat some!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Oh Ray ...


If there is one man Jason wanted to see perform live, it would be Ray Lamontagne. You can't really blame him, because anyone that has actually heard a Ray CD should really want to see/hear him live. He is amazing.
Jay has been on his website everyday for about a year looking for a place that he was performing that we could fly to. Last year he was on a European tour, and I honestly thought we would be planning our Europe trip around a concert, but we only had to go as far as Salt Air. The show was awesome, Leona Naess opened the show, and then came Ray. We were serenaded with a mix of his old, great stuff and his new, less familiar CD, and I would have been happy to hear him play every one of his songs.
Thanks Ray, it was awesome!

Monday, October 27, 2008

The End of America

Check this out, it is enraging! Go Bush!

www.endofamericamovie.com

Thanks a lot Moe!

Thanks to Melissa, I have been tagged to list 8 various things, so here goes:

8 Favoriate TV Shows:
-Gossip Girl
-Lipstick Jungle
-One Tree Hill
-House
-Biggest Loser
-Americas Next Top Model
-Prison Break
-Bones

8 Things I did yesterday:
-Got a facial
-Gave a massage
-Saw "The End of America"
-Ate at Einsteins
-Celebrated Caseys birthday at moms
-Watched everyone carve pumpkins and then Morgan voted on the best (J won!)
-Got a Big Gulp
-Attempted to tour downtown condos

8 Things I look forward to
-Finding out the sex of Shelley's baby (tomorrow!)
-Shelley having her baby
-Trip to Vegas to see Alanis
-The Ray LaMontagne concert tomorrow
-Getting skinny
-Halloween
-St. Pattys day in Ireland
-Amsterdam

8 Favoriate Restaraunts
-Spag Fag
-The Paris Bistro
-Cuccina Toscana
-Au Naturale
-Any pizza place
-Pei Wei
-Davids
-Training Table

8 Things on my wish list
-Money!
-Early Retirement
-Size 6 jeans
-That March was closer
-Happiness
-Health for my loved ones
-That Jersey wouldn't die
-That my bathroom would clean itself!

8 People to tag
-Shanna
-Casey

That is it, they are the only people that I think might do it!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Is everything OK?

So why is it that about once a month my mom thinks that there must be something wrong with either myself or Jason, or our marriage? You may think I am exaggerating, but no. I often get a strange call at night because my mom couldn't sleep the night before and she lay awake all night thinking that either Jason or I am packing our bags to leave. Shanna and I are the free spirits of the family that don't attend church on a regular basis, or at all for that matter (Though I think Shanna is a card carrying member to "The Church of the Big Ring")so obviously, our relationships can't be based on anything real, and therefore are subject to fall apart at any moment. I could be wrong, but I honestly don't believe Shelley or Shane have received such calls, but I will bet that Shanna gets the calls of concern too!

Sure enough, while braving the I-80 construction traffic on my way home from work, I get the call. "Is everything ok? Is Jason ok?" There was some worry because Jason chose to not attend the family Sunday dinner with me. Let me clue you in, he was tired and wanted to play video games, and I for one, am quite impressed that he has been in attendance every Sunday for 10 years now. My own brother can't even make that kind of commitment and it is his family, so lay off! This time, it wasn't just mom, it was Jim too. This one had me wondering, because Jim is the confidant that gets to hear all of the stories about what a horrible wife I am, and J had spent Saturday with him. Perhaps something is wrong and Jason is slowly packing his bags without my knowledge. I will have to check his closet for the mounds of shoes to decrease!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Everybody's working for the weekend ...

So I am not sure when it happened, but apparently I am not 21 anymore. Instead, I am old and am unable to recover from a fun weekend.
Friday night I headed out to Wendover with Hilary, her twin sisters and another friend. Once there we met up with more friends and I gambled/drank away $80 or so. So using that as a measure, I don't need to tell you that we had a really good time, but the night slipped away from us pretty quickly. At about 3:30 I was done drinking and thew up only to emerge from the bathroom with a hungry belly; eggs and toast are the only cure. We finally got to bed around 4:30 and I was in for the night. Hilary, on the other hand, went out to get some water around 7 and decided that more gambling was in order. I don't know how she does it!
On Saturday, I finally stepped into my house around 2:30pm to lay down for about an hour. Good thing I got up an showered when I did, because Amy and Rob came over at 4 for some pre-dinner drinks. We walked up to Fiddlers Elbow for dinner (seafood enchiladas are good!) and back to the house to finish off the Vodka. Luckily, I volunteered to be the DD because I don't know that my body could have taken in any more alcohol. The evening found us at the Avalon for the Timbaland/Chris Cornell concert. Timbaland apparently has a rap CD out, but he only sang one song from it, the rest of the time he did other artists songs that he is featured on. Lets just point out that the contribution he made to the One Republic song Apologize is the "EH" through out the song. Sorry, but you can't quite get away with playing the track just to add in your part Tim. He was pretty good regardless. Chris Cornell didn't do anything old, until his encore, but his new CD should be pretty good. He has a great voice, and isn't bad to look at, but you couldn't really hear his voice because the Avalon SUCKS! Once we left there, it was off to Freaky Dee's for some more eggs and toast.
Sunday, though I slept until 11:30 we still left the house. I would have rather stayed in bed and/or on the couch the whole day, but I didn't get my way! We met Rob and Amy and saw W. at the Century. The movie was OK, a little boring, and uncomfortable in the fact that Oliver Stone portrayed George W. as a human being who has daddy issues. I prefer to think of the current president as the idiot that he has shown the nation that he is, and not think that he has a life outside of his job. The movie left off at the end of his first term, and if you weren't already surprised that he was reelected for a second term, seeing it on the big screen will shock you! After that it was off to moms for dinner.
So again I ask, when did I get so old? This had the makings of a good weekend, instead I have to resort to napping on my breaks!

Friday, October 17, 2008

hmmm...

So I know that I am a complete nut when it comes to animals and especially my dog, but I swear that if she could talk, she would have told me off last night.
I thought she would be so happy with her life last night as Jason and I took her to Chipotle for dinner and even shared some with her. After that she got a nice long walk through the neighborhood, she should have been pretty content. Nope. She sat and stared at me for like 5 min until I finally made eye contact and asked her what she was staring at. She barked at me.
The problem is, the night before I was having some peanut butter and when I was done I put some on a Milkbone for her, and she was thrilled. I think that made her week (oh how I envy her life). So last night when I gave her a pork hide to chew on, which she normally loves, she was pissed. She knew taht I knew that it wasn't what she wanted, so she laid at the threshold of the kitchen and whined while staring at her treat jar. When I wouldn't give in, she went to bed early, by herself.

Oh hell, I am so one of those people that can only talk about their kids. Sorry!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

McCain free WhiteHouse = funny stuff

So I came across this website today, and it is pretty clever! It is set up like a PSA for teens that aren't old enough to vote and gives them advice on how to have a conversation with their parents about who they are voting for. http://www.mccainfreewhitehouse.org
Watch the video too, I was lured in by Penn Badgley and Blake Lively! Worth watching just for them!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!


I HATE cleaning my closet. I realize that it needs to be done on occasion as it begins to look like a bomb has hit, but I hate it! I am actually quite surprised that I wear matching shoes everyday, because I can never find the mate to the shoe I want to wear. However, because the gods of banking were on my side, I had the day off (Thanks Christopher for finding our land) and I decided to make good use of my time and clean my closet! Yikes!

I started with my sweater shelves and was excited to find sweaters that I had forgotten I had, love it! They were all balled up and wrinkly so I folded them nicely and even shaved the piling off of some of them (I know, right!?!) It looks great, and I realized that I have enough cream colored sweaters, winter white, to clothe a small nation. Time to interject some color, Stace. Then the big stuff, the closet. What a task, I had to put my summer weight pants and skirts in the back of the closet and pull out the wool and tweed pants and skirts. The shoes were the final and worst project. This task involves many trips up and down the narrow stairs to change out my shoe wardrobe from spring/summer to fall/winter. I hate to say that I have too many pairs of shoes, but I might have too many pairs of shoes!

To sum up, my closet looks AWESOME! So great that I want to leave the closet doors open so I can admire how great it looks while hoping for nice comments from Jason. We must not see eye to eye on this, because he closes the doors and reminds me that his closet always looks that nice!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Peanut M&M's = The Perfect Food

Today is the birthday of one of the kindest men in the world, my father. Now there are many things to love dad; he is kind, generous, funny, passionate and will open his heart and home to others, but I want to tell some funny stories about why I love dad oh so much!

1.) Dad has a theory that he whole hearted supports that Peanut M&M's are the perfect food. I am not lying, ask anyone, this true as far as he believes it to be. When you are hungry and need a quick snack, grab this "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" candy and you will be satiated. Hmmm, it is weird that I just figured out that this may be the reason dad has the beaties?!

2.) As much as dad loves spending time with his family (and you can't blame him, we are AWESOME!), if he doesn't want to do something, bet your ass he won't do it! There have been instances that he has been invited places and he will outright tell you "no". No pleasantries or excuse making, just "no". It works! Also, if he is ready to go and mom is still in conversation, he will actually open the door and say goodbye leaving mom perplexed because she didn't know they were leaving! Classic!

3.) I will tell this story because it is probably one of moms favorites ... one day he set off their house alarm while they were inside the house. When the security company came over the speaker to ask for the password they confused him by first asking for his name. He hesitated and then ran into where my mom was and said "Whats my name?". Mom may never let him live this down!

4.) Jason realized dads true hilarity one night over a game of cards. The four of us get together occasionally to play Canasta which opens up a lot of time to talk. For some reason an old friend of mine came up, Minh. He said her name like five times, then asked me how it was spelled because somehow to him, that made a difference on how he was going to pronounce it. He spent the next hour putting us all in tears by pronouncing her name Min and Minh picking up the subtleties that only he could here. I don't think I have seen Jason laugh so hard in a long time!

5.) As a scout leader, Dad got the 8 year olds their bowling merit badges by using the Wii! Who knew that would count?

6.) Another awesome thing, dad has a Wii! And a playstation and a Nintendo DS (he got the blue one) and he and my mom play these ALL of the time!

7.) Though I don't' have kids, he is an awesome grandfather. Every summer he sets up a pool in his backyard for the kids. And every Sunday he suits up and jumps in with them. He is the only adult that will brave the pool, and truthfully I think it hurts him a little that the rest of us won't dive in. Usually a good water fight starts and the whole family ends up wet anyway.

8.) Trains. If you know my dad and have been in his basement or backyard, you know what I am talking about.

9.) He really can fix anything! I am pretty sure Jason is sick of hearing me say "my dad can do that" when he is trying to do a home improvement by himself, but dad really can. And he has had to come over a few times to rewire our dishwasher and fix our plumbing on our kitchen sink.

10.) Not only can he fix anything, he is willing to help out no matter what the case. He laid pergo for Shanna, wired Shelley's basement, helps with laying sod, lends you his car when he believes you would otherwise have to walk.

Dad, you are awesome! Have a great birthday!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pictures

Ok, so the pics are up from Bryce Canyon/Cedar Breaks trip. Also, the pictures from SYTYCD are up, and I promise they work this time! web.mac.com/mathesons or click on #1 in my blog list. Enjoy!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Why Monday mornings suck!


I had such a great weekend, I totally remember why I hate Mondays ... the fun is over!


The weekend started out on Thursday night when Amy and Rob came over with their giant bottle of Vodka and a drink recipe to watch the VP debate. It was so much fun. The signature drink of the night was "The Big Mistake" that they picked up in Mexico and so we used it to represent the Republican choice. We recorded the debate so that we could pause it many times to discuss the fact that Palin avoided actually answering nearly all of her questions and even referred to Biden as OBiden at one point. Priceless. I personally think she would have been better off letting Tina Fey debate on her behalf.



Friday morning we woke up and booked our trip to Amsterdam which we are now going by way of Ireland. Jason found an awesome deal to Ireland for 6 days and the flight to Amsterdam is much cheaper out of Dublin. So hell, why not visit Ireland for St. Patricks day!?! (Actually, I think we will be in Amsterdam by then, too bad)



After a yummy breakfast at The Original Pancake House, we left Amy in SLC and headed to her cousins condo in Brian Head. We got there about 5pm and decided to make the most of the daylight in Cedar Breaks. What started out as sight seeing turned into a one mile hike which turned into a four mile hike and us racing to get back to the visitors center before it was pitch black. Luckily we did get in a good hike, because when we woke up on Saturday morning, it was snowing and there was already about 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. Not wanting to drive back up the snowy canyon after a day at Bryce we packed up the car and headed into Bryce Canyon. It was so cold and rainy. Luckily it is at a lower elevation than Brian Head so there was no snow, but there was plenty of rain and fog to keep us cold and wet. When we stopped at Rubys diner to eat, I filled up my bladder though Jason was sure I was crazy. I figured that we didn't plan on hiking the night before, and I would have loved to have more than the water bottle that Rob brought and whatever was in his flask. It was pretty rainy at that time, so hiking seemed very out of the question!



Driving up Bryce we could barely see anything, and at some of the stops all you could see was fog. The weather did improve so we bundled up (I had on 3 jackets) and went on the Sunrise to Sunset hike. Very fun and very worth being cold and damp. It was beautiful, unfortunately before we started the hike I managed to drop my camera into a giant puddle, so I had to rely on Jason to get in the pictures. I am going to try my memory card tonight, hopefully all of my fun pics aren't gone for good.



We came home late Saturday night and got to sleep in our own bed, oh how wonderful!



Sunday was another fun day because Wendy is in town from Florida, so we had a girls lunch and hung out at Spag Fag and talked forever, then we realized that we should give up our table, we stood in the parking lot for another forever. We took some crazy pics of us and when it got too cold to stand there any longer, we said our good byes.



So yeah, with such fun filled weekends, Mondays pretty much suck!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Boycott the Circus - PLEASE

I was reading someones blog yesterday about the circus. They were obviously taken aback by the sights and sounds and the peanuts and snow cones, so much so that common sense hadn't kicked in. They actually said that the dancing elephants were "so cute" and that they didn't know how they got the elephants to do that. Well it isn't cute when you open your eyes and realize that these animals are tortured into submission by using shock treatment, beating, dominance, bull hooks, etc. Please boycott animal circus and instead go to a human circus like Cirque de Solel, now that is entertainment.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Presidential Debate turned drinking game


After our yummy dinner on Friday night, we went back to the Matheson condo and watched the Presidential debate. Quite exciting indeed. For some strange reason, whenever Jason is at Rob and Amy's house, he drinks ... a lot! I am not sure why this is, because they are great company so it isn't like he drinks to tolerate them! Whatever!


Jason and Rob decided that the debate was a drinking game, and out came the beer and Vodka. I could be wrong, but I remember the key words being "crisis" and "Bin Laden" were Vodka shots and "middle class" and "Afghanistan" were beer chugs. Since someone had to drive his drunk ass home, I sat it out, but had a great time listening for the key words and watching them choke down more and more! Come 2:30 in the morning, Rob and Jason were sufficiently drunk and so I drove him home.


It all made me so excited for the Vice Presidential debates that I took Friday off so I could join in the fun! If anyone has ideas for good key words I am open for suggestions.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

The pics are up

The So You Think You Can Dance Tour pics are now online, but because I don't have the desire to learn how to add the hyperlink in right now, you will just have to click on #1 in the blogs I frequent page and go from there. 
Also check out the pics of the Dog wash, and see our little girl's day at the salon.  

Thursday, September 25, 2008

"It's a slippery slope Stace"

So I confessed to Jason yesterday that I have no desire to get dressed in the morning. I would prefer it if I worked in a job that I could throw on some jeans, t-shirt and flip flops and roll in. Strangest thing is that I love clothes, shoes, jackets, belts, skirts, dresses you name it, but recently it is down to what doesn't need to be ironed wins. Why is this happening to me? I haven't even been on a good shopping trip in a while because buying more clothes that need ironing doesn't sound fun. HELP! I believe in retail therapy more than I believe in the pills I take to keep me sane, so is there no hope?
Jasons simple advice was that it is a slippery slope. Thanks!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

So you think you can DANCE!!


Ok, so perhaps I am a dork, but then so are the thousands of other people that were at the E-Center last night at the So You Think You Can Dance tour. It was AWESOME, and I totally want to go next year! Lets face it, there aren't many opportunities for my love of TV actually allow me to leave the couch, but this was just like on TV only I was totally there! Shelley and I had a blast!


I am totally in love with Gev and Mark (though I think Mark is gay), and Shelley loves Will. The guy seriously looks like he could be the anatomy musculature guy on the poster. Hot!


I took some pics and video and will post them on my other blog later. So if you give a shit, check them out!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Hello all, thanks for stalking me!

So I am pretty sure that more people than I know read my blog on a fairly regular basis. This knowledge is due to a variety of reasons: 1) my "profile views" are at a much higher number than the number of people I actually know, 2) I read peoples blogs that are connected to others pages and 3) I was actually informed by someone, that some people from a former life read my blog and talk about me! Hi JP, I hope you enjoy living vicariously through me as my life is way more interesting than yours!
I was reading some random strangers blog the other day, and they were doing their final public blog letting their readers know that to continue reading their blog, they would have to sign in as they were going private. I was fairly tempted to send a comment saying that I wanted to be invited to be a reader, but I held back! Though the confusion I would have caused these people is a funny thought!
Have no fear people, I will not be going private. I think that I am way too funny and all around entertaining to deny the masses of my greatness. Plus, when old friends and acquaintances find my blog I want them to envy my child-free, travel and party filled life. It is awesome!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Going Commando


So what is with today? If you read my last post you may realize that my rantings came back quick, and, I assure you, full force. Today sucks!


Last month my SLC coworker and I went to our lovely Santa Clara offices for "training". It was horrible. We were there for a week straight, and learned very little. It was more like we were in the way while there. But, so far, the few things I have learned I have been able to use ... until today. Today they are throwing things at us that we have no idea how to do, and then managing to confuse the hell out of us when we call them on the phone for support. AAAAHHHH! I do find solace in the fact that Olivia (my SLC coworker) is just as frustrated as me.


So to help take my mind off of things, I went for my usual lunch run. It was a difficult running day for me, and Catherine has a longer stride so I feel that I run twice as hard as her to keep up. I noticed when I was changing that I did not pack my bag with a change of underwear. Awesome, I know. So not wanting to run with no panties on, I wore my lovely lace thong. Obviously running at high noon, I sweat like a whore in church (so I sweat - that is for you Chau) and I could not bring myself to continue wearing them, so ... I am going commando! Quite freeing really, and I am sure the dry cleaner will enjoy it too! I feel that I am in good company with Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan!

BORING

So I feel completely boring lately, so I am not posting any Blogs. I know I have some faithful followers (thanks Shan!), so I will try to be back to my usual self soon where I hope to post more pessimistic rantings and my deranged views of the world!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Up the Antics


So Saturday turned out to be quite exciting. After watching Jason do all of the yard work, we made plans with Rob and Amy to go to Spencers Steakhouse for Dine-o-round. We met them at their new pad (not much larger than a pad either!) and walked to dine on some cow (fish for me of course). This isn't the exciting part of the story though. This is ... On the walk home, we stumbled upon the Dew Tour after party on Pierpont Ave. and went on in. I luckily had my id on me this time (I often do not) as it was the only form of payment needed to gain entrance. Once inside they took our picture on the "red carpet" and told us to help ourselves to the free beer hour from 10-11. Could this night get any better? With our beers in hand, we checked out some of the tables that were set up. While gawking at the silk screeners, we were offered free black t-shirts to have the image of our choice silk screened on the tee, however we desired. OK! There was also a photo booth set up with props inside, so much fun. The 4 of us squished inside put on some fun disguises and snapped away! Right before 11 we went back to the free beer spot and each double fisted it, filling our bar top with all we could drink (I think it turned out to be more than we could drink) and we danced the night away.


I signed up to be on the mailing list because I was told that they do "free booze" parties all of the time. I will let ya'll know next time. Party time, excellent!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The County Fair - The after story

So we did end up going to the fair last night, but no fried PB&J was to be had.  The line was crazy when we first got there, so I figured it might die down by the end of the night, but instead it just got longer.  I did manage to find another booth that promised a fried Snickers, but he was out.  My fair food experience was not good!  Anyway, Jason had a Steak on a Roll sandwich, but strangely the quality of the steak wasn't that good, so he didn't enjoy it too much!  Weird!
We ran into the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Scott Peters, which is so weird because I have only recently been in more contact with her, and there she was!  Becca, you look so good, and in the 2 short minutes our husbands had to talk, they really seemed to get along.  Perhaps we should capitalize on this!  Strange too is the fact that Chau, Becca, Melissa, Liz and I (not really Liz, because she says she doesn't know anyone, leaving me wondering if she and Jason really went to Granger) have recently been checking out peoples blogs without their knowledge and sparked quite the gossip/shit talking sessions.  Right after running into Becca and Scott we went to the cow building, and in front of us was the couple and child that we had an entire conversation about.  How weird is that.  I haven't seen these people in 12 years, and the minute I talk shit on them, they are walking in front of me.  Huh.  It is like Opera says "what you think about you bring about" I guess!
I also forgot to mention in my last post, that one of my favorite attractions at the fair is usually seeing the Lopez boys run the Nuttles sewing machine booth.  They look so nice and chubby talking to the old women about how to quilt on their new swinger!  I think Jim enjoys this attraction too, because he and I are the only ones to comment on it every time!
I did not pay to see the giant cow this year, but we did pay to see the freak show booth.  We debated if it would be worth the $3 each, so Jim asked a guy that had just come out if he thought it was worth it.  We knew we picked the right guy when he told Jim that he was hoping that "The Human Tripod" was a man with a 3rd leg (i think you catch my drift), and was disappointed to find that it was a one legged woman.  We went in anyway, me being a little afraid of what I might see (being a border line animal rights activist), and Jim hoping that the mermaid was a live woman with her chest bared!  
Right as I always am, Jason and I got to take Morgan on the giant slide.  I went up with Morgan the first time, and she loved it so much that she wanted to try it on her own.  Izzy thought it looked like fun too, so Jason went up to make sure Morgan made it down alive, and I took Iz with me.  She hated it, and when she got back to Shelley's arms she said "lets go home where it is safe".  I think my spot as the favorite aunt is slipping!  
Another plus of the fair, Jim looked completely normal with half of his face covered in bandages and no one gave him any strange stares or second glances.  Jim, I think you found your new career as a carney.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Fair Food


Tonight we are going to the Fair. I know, it is the same every year, but Mr. Brimhall loves fair food like no one else, so we go ... every year! If it wasn't for the fact that we go with Shelley, Jim and the girls, I think we would just go get the food and leave, but of course the girls love to see the animals and ride the rides. I am a little afraid this year that Jason and I might have to be the ride buddies, because Jim has a giant laceration on his head, and Shelley is in no condition to ride rides that were thrown up in an hour by people with 2 teeth (tooths might be the proper pronunciation in carnies talk), but we will suck it up! There is always the hope that walking around the entire fair grounds would wear the kids out enough that the rides wouldn't appeal to them, but it is all countered by the cotton candy and snow cone sugar high.


So back to the food! Last year I sampled the "fried coke" but it didn't live up to the hype I had in my head of my favorite beverage and the fact that everything is better fried. I am thinking I might go with the fried snickers bar this year, but Catherine did let me know that they will have a fried PB&J. When she told me about this, she was utterly disgusted by the idea, and probably assumed that I would be as well. But no, my dear, you do not get this fat by shying away from food! Cause you never know until you try! I haven't talked to Jason about what food he is going to get, but after so many years, I think I already know! He loves snow cones, funnel cake, elephant ears, caramel apples (only if they are made with Granny Smith apples) and corns of the cob.


Also, I don't know if any of you have ever paid to see the mutant animals (it is usually like 50 cents), but I highly recommend seeing the giant cow. It is pretty impressive. The others, the pig and alligator, are so not worth your money. Enjoy your county fair!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

There really is a "wrong tube"?


"Did it go down the wrong tube?" is a common statement for my mom to make when you are choking on your food. Strange that she doesn't ask if we are ok! Anyway, I was sure this was just an expression that she said and could never actually happen, kind of like when she told us that blowing bubbles in the house would start a fire (that she has no recollection of saying to us now!), but it happened. And this wasn't just something I read off the internet, this happened to by Grandma, so I know it is true.

Yesterday, my grandma went into surgery to have a strange matter removed from her lung because it was making her very sick. The doctors just thought it was a combination of pneumonia and old age, but since she is healthier than her 30 year old granddaughter (that would be me), my mom pushed for a better answer. Turns out, a few months back she was eating some nuts and choked on one. Somehow, it went down the wrong tube and ended up in her esophagus and eventually to the bottom of her lung. So as I mentioned, yesterday she had the matter removed, and much to the shock of the whole surgical center staff, out came a large chunk of a Brazil Nut. According to my mom the whole staff had to come take a look.

Not only was grandma the hit of the party (because she brought nuts!), but she left with a confidence boost as well. Everyone was amazed a what great health this 79 year old woman is in and that she still has her own teeth. She let everyone in on her secret, Crest White strips.

Anyway, glad you are doing better Gram.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Who are the losers in this story?


Last night in a quest to keep his girlfriend (aka his MacBook) on his lap for as long as he could, Jason decided to view the Granger High Alumni of '97 blog. Mind you, this is not the year that we graduated in, so Jason pretty much knew no one; and no, he does not know anyone we graduated with either. He claims to have gotten on the blog because Beccas story of Crystal Fucking Heward was so inspiring, but he read every post that ever was.


I don't know why the class of '96 doesn't have one of these, because it was so damn amusing that I stayed up until 12 laughing as he read and we made it funny with our fabulous commentary (12 is late for me, I need my 12 hours of beauty rest). Mostly everyone just posts stupid pictures of their kids and writes things like "I have a beautiful family and married the love of my life. We are currently residing in the south end of the valley..." Of course you live on the south side of the valley, that is where all of the bleach blonde, fake tan people go to die, I could tell by your picture that you live in Riverton, drive a duley and complain about gas prices. I want to create a class of '96 one just so that I can say "I have been staring at the same man for 10 years, but I made a commitment, and we have to stay together for the dog."


There was also information before their 10 year reunion about the activities and such. As Jason was reading this to me he mumbeled it quickly and said that the day activities were held at West Valley Park and there would be a "Carry your husband on your back" contest (don't we women do this enough in a marriage), and a "We blow your wife" contest. I was immediately disappointed that we didn't attend our 10 year anniversary with such a contest being held. Unfortunately I simply misunderstood his mumbing of "Wheelbarrow your wife". Too bad!


Anyway, if you are looking for some good online entertainment, I encourage you to check it out.


I am compelled to also mention, that the people that were "those people" in high school, haven't changed a bit!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Nonstop Felicity


So I have been watching the TV series Felicity without so much as a potty break. I am almost done with the series, and I am starting to get pissed! What is going on? She is the victim of a spell that Megan put on her and she had to go back to her Senior year of college and try again. She is just fucking everything up for everyone. Does she not realize that every choice she makes different is not only affecting her, but everyone elses lives as well? Ugh!


Why, Amy, why did you give me this show to watch? Jason didn't want to watch it with me (weird, I know), so instead he read all of the information he could find online about it. While I was watching last night, I said "Jason, what is going on?" and he just laughed at me. I think I am almost done, just a couple of episodes left, but I kind of wished I had stopped watching once she graduated, because then I could choose my own ending and be happy!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Desktop Paradise


I have begun running on my lunch breaks. That is right, exercising. I bring a change of clothes and run for 30-40 minutes then change back to my work attire. Now keeping in mind that there aren't any showers available, I have a full supply of baby wipes to wipe off with (as Jim calls it "the whores shower"). I know I am not as clean as when the day started, but realistically I sit in my cubicle alone all day. No one, for any reason needs to be in my 5x6 inch space, so why should they care how I smell. For some reason, however, I have been getting strange looks from those less ambitious people at work. Quit with the looks. In a few months when I am looking thinner and they are still lumpy, who is getting the dirty looks then?


To make myself more comfortable and to help me cool down, I have brought in a little fan. It's brand is Hawaiian Breeze, and boy does it take me away! All I need now is somone feeding me grapes.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

I heart TV!


So I know there are many people out there that say they don't watch TV, but I don't beleive most of them. I do know of only one person that does not watch TV and I believe her, and that is my big sis Shanna. The reason I believe her is that everytime I talk to her or read her blog, she has spent another day or evening on her bike. Makes my butt hurt just thinking about it!


Anyhoo, I will admit to watching copious amounts of TV, and loving every moment of it! September is the best, I can put away the books that I have been reading all summer and put all of that energy into my TiVo! Monday began with 2 hours of Prison Break, the series premier of 90210 (I haven't watched it yet, waiting for Amy to return), and Gossip Girl (xoxo). 2 more hours of One Tree Hill on Tuesday, the Sheer Genius finale, Americas Next Top Model starts tonight. And these are jsut the shows that Jason won't watch with me. We still have our Tursday night spread, and don't forget House and Bones. Thank God for the DVR so I can watch shows at my leisure! mmmm, I should have stayed home from work to maximize my viewing time!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Nuns on the Run


For Labor Day weekend, we went to Grand Targee National Park with Josh and Hilary. Josh ran the 100 mile race, and Hilary ran the marathon the next day. I think they are both crazy, as even driving down to the base of the mountain was difficult, but they did awesome! The trail was crazy, and during each 25 mile loop, there was a 5,000 ft. difference in elevation. They allotted the 100 mile runners 36 hours to finish the race and Josh was able to take first place by coming in at just under 20 hours. The second place runner came in 2 hours after him. At 12:30 am Jason and I were waiting to provide him with his requested Advil and Redbull, freezing our butts off. When he came through the aid station ready to embark on his last 5 miles of the race, he was hurting pretty badly. So Jason decided to be a good moral support and run the last 5 with him in his Jeans and casual shoes. Luckily he had one of Josh's extra head lamps, because it was dark out there in the forrest. Being the awesome wife that I was, instead of waiting for them to finish, I went to bed and waited for them to knock on the door! Josh won a belt buckle and a picture (that he thinks we are keeping, so I am going to hang it above the guest bed so he can enjoy it when he is in town!) and a year supply of an energy drink.
Even stranger than someones desire to run 100 miles, is the fact that a Nun decided to run the 100 miles. Yes, that is correct, Sister Mary Beth ran the 100 miles in her full garb (habit I think it is called). It was quite a sight to see, and she was instantly the most talked about competior in the race. I don't think she went very fast because she stopped many times to help the people that were throwing up, and hurt on the side of the road. We saw her as we were coming down the canyon, and though Hilary had given us fair warning, it was quite a shock to see her with her race number on!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Random stuff you don't care about





Ok, so yesterday when I was busy finding old "friends" blogs, I came across this, and thought I liked it. I don't like it so much now that I have to answer the questions for myself, but we will see how it goes!
10 Years Ago: I was working at First Security Capital Markets, attending massage school and weighed about 30 pounds less.
5 Years Ago: I was working at Maggie Sottero, but looking for another job!
5 Months Ago: Still working at Maggie, and actually looking for another job! Ugh, I also turned 30 then, and had more friends than I do now (people change).
5 Things I am doing tomorrow: Jackson Hole Arts Festival, Eating, supporting Josh on his 100 mile run, and hopefully get in some Felicity watching time.
5 Places I have lived: WVC, WVC, South Salt Lake, WVC and Sugarhouse. (I have only ever lived in 4 houses!)
5 Bad Habits: picking (if you don't know, don't ask), trash TV, procrastinating, cursing and most recently cyber stalking
5 Things People may not know: Kim Taylor pierced my belly button in high school with an ice cube and needle. I want a tatoo, but think they are too common now. I wear a magnent bracelet to help with my shoulder pain (not helping right now!) I change my underwear two times a day!








Thursday, August 28, 2008

Was my memo lost in the mail?


So my facebook fear is starting to come to fruition! I got a friend request from Kim Taylor and I figured it would be rude to not accept, so now I have access to her personal life as well. There was a link to her blog, and once on her blog I was able to stalk many, many people that I once knew. A common theme on each blog was begining to surface... EVERYONE has kids.


Now I remember from my religious days the "multiply and replenish the earth" memo that was sent out, but I guess I didnt' think as many people actually followed that to the letter. Seriously, everyone has at least 2 kids if not more. I do realize that the 10 years Jason and I have been married is enough time to have produced some offspring, and I also know that if Jersey was a child we would have a 7 year old girl (instead of a 49 year old!), but wow! I guess I have been kept in my bubble of the simple life for so long, where Melissa and Aaron are the only couple in my group of friends that have kids besides Shelley and Jim of course (but even they only have 2) that I never realized how different my life could be.


Lucky for me, my husband has a very set theory that there are way more people in the world than we have the resources to support, so he refuses to have kids. As for me, kids scare me to death. So our life and love goes to the dogs!

When your helping your happy


So I had my official orientation at the Humane Society of Utah to become a volunteer. I am pretty excited, though it is mixed with nerves. Basically I can go whenever I want (as long as I work 8 hours a month), and do a variety of jobs/chores. I know it will be a hard thing to do, seeing so many cute babies without homes, but I believe it will also be very rewarding. I hear that people that volunteer their time to help others are happier, I will let you know!

There was a boy there (he was probably about 10) with his mom, and he seemed really excited as he was filling out the application. Then, as we were taking the tour of the place, his excitement seemed to diminish. In the area where the large dogs are kenneled (pretty sure that is where my time will be spent) it smells like shit! Literally! He was so disgusted that he walked through with his shirt over his nose and mouth. I guess I won't be seeing him too much!

They gave each volunteer a packet that explains the jobs that need to be done to keep the place running on a daily basis. Also in the packet were tips for recognizing when a cat is about to attack you, how to read their mood based on the position of their tails, and such. there was another one for dogs, but because dogs are so much more expressive (with their ears, teeth, growl, bark and tail) it was pretty self explanatory. They gave us quite a lot of informaiton, and I think I am actually more prepared to do that job after an hour than I am to do my real job... but that is another story for another day.

Monday, August 25, 2008

12 Years is not long enough



So I decided to create this blog because I can edit it at work. Unfortunately I am unable to update my Mac blog from the comfort of my desk, and since work is where I have the most uninterrupted internet time, perhaps I will post more.

Last night I was at the Sheryl Crow concert with Melissa and she was talking to me about Facebook and all of the people she talks to on there. I don't know why I found this interesting, because I have had very little desire to talk to most of the people from my past, but I was curious. I of course had some downtime at work and my curiosity got the best of me; I created a FaceBook account. Like my myspace account, I don't have any intention of actually maintaining the page, but I wanted to look around. I am deeply afraid of this website. I was looking at the people that I know on there, and had a slight panic attack. I had this irrational fear that these people could all see that I was poking around looking at their pictures and their friends. Now I am stuck with a personal dilema. I don't know what to do. I have a long since forgotten desire to contact an old friend from WLJH, and there she was, staring back at me with a husband and a kid. I froze, then logged out of the site as quickly as possible.