We Rock Well!

FOR SALE!!!

2011-09-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone still checks in on this... but just in case, here are some items for sale!!

Close To My Heart Acrylic Stamp sets. Original pricing ranges from 11.95 - 22.95, I'm selling all of these for $5.00. Everything Must Go!!!

C1233 Hang Ten

D1098 Get-A-Way

D1097 Road Signs

D1055 Best Friends

D1155 Under The Stars

D1026 Beauty Seen

B1192 Snap, Crackle, Pop

D1244 Snow Friends

D1040 Winter

D1032 Fall

D1027 Joy

B1019 Celebrations Solid

C1249 Welcome To The Neighborhood

D1047 Tropicana Alphabet

D 1048 Spunky Alphabet

B1074 Boing! Alphabet

E1003 & C1302 - Boutique Alphabet & Numbers. This set for $10.00.

I also have almost all of the solo letters, here are a few examples:

I have the following: A B C D E F G I J K L M N O R T U V W X

I have a Die-Cut Machine and 9 cuts - Not shown is a film strip die-cut. Prices ranged from 8.99 - 11.99, Machine was approx $40. Machine and all shapes $25.00 OBO.

I also have brads, rub-ons, ribbon, chipboard letters, etc for sale... If we meet to go over products I can show you all that stuff too.

JJ and I are also wanting to sell our couches. We might be moving to a smaller place when JJ starts the Masters program, and if so, we know for sure that these couches won't fit in a smaller place. We bought them when we got married for $1200. I haven't a clue how much a couch depreciates over time, do you? We checked KSL for other prices and based on the condition of our couches, we'd like to put them up for $600 OBO.

Brown Microfiber made to look like leather. They are pretty soft!

Please leave a comment, catch me on Facebook, text or call to let me know if you're interested in any of the above!! Thanks for visiting! :)

Idaho!

2011-06-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

Did you really expect me to post this on time?? So I totally planned to have this post done right after we got home from Idaho, but unfortunately that just didn't happen. Health issues set me back a couple of weeks, but I'm here now, so let's get this done!

JJ and I drove up to Meridian, Idaho on Friday June 3rd to visit his sister's family and to take part in his niece's baptism. JJ was honored to be a witness for the baptism and to stand in the circle when confirming her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

We joined the family afterwards at their neighborhood pool to hang out, swim, play on the playground and just enjoy the amazing weather!

Carol Anne taking a turn on the slide - what a kid! :)

J playing soccer in the backyard - I can't believe how much he's grown. I hate that this family is so far away!

My studly husband getting ready for a vigorous game of Tetherball!

JJ's sister Gina & her hubby Joe - thanks for inviting us! We'll come back to visit soon!!

Mr. & Mrs.

The other big part of our vacation - inspired by my brother's challenge to find & visit one of Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" We looked online and found "Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine" and knew that's where we would be headed. I Loved the decor and couldn't stop looking around throughout the entire meal. JJ was embarrassed to be with me as I wandered around and took picture after picture.

The building is an old garage - complete with doors that slide up for a nice breeze.

The kitchen is made to look like an old trailer - the orders are sent to the cooks on a zip-line!

The counters are old truck tailgates.

I got the 'single wide cheeseburger' and it was ohhh so tasty!

J got the 'Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich' complete with made from scratch coleslaw & sweet potato fries.

This lovely dish is called the "Thunder Plate" It was created by Guy Fieri when he filmed the show about Donnie Mac's. The ingredients are: Tortilla Strips, Red Onions, Olives, Red Peppers, Cheetos, Cheddar Cheese, 1/3 Lb Ground Beef, a Hot Dawg, Sweet Potato Fries, Regular Fries, Onion Rings, drizzled with the Macaroni Cheese Sauce and topped with a Bacon Weave - served nacho style for $17.99.

We couldn't bring ourselves to order it because it said it could feed six people! I got lucky though and the couple next to us ordered it and allowed me to take a picture. Crazy!!

We ended our meal with some awesome shakes made with frozen custard instead of ice cream. Oh they were heaven!!!

Awesome old car that you can eat your meal in.

Thanks for the fantastic experience Donnie Mac's!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War - it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

I want to thank my family and friends that have served in our military - past, present, or future. My Grandpa Anderson, Uncle Kent, Mandy & Mike McTiernan, Nick Vigus, Jon Whall, Johnny Kafer, Jay Alba, Jared, Tausha and Caden Lowry, Matt Stratton and Derrek Child.

I also want to give a shout out to all those that love this great nation as much as I do. American people that haven't served in the military but love this country with all their hearts.

I'm Proud to be an American!

Nerd!!

2011-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

My big sister and I were talking the other day about how funny it is that we, my sisters, have taken on the quirks, attributes and/or hobbies of our spouses. She goes camping and hunting and my other big sister goes to Moab every year for rock crawling. While my husband doesn't share quite the same interests, I too have taken on his "hobby"... of being a total nerd.

As some of you know, JJ and I LOVE the website www.thinkgeek.com, they have everything a nerd would ever dream of... well... almost.

Here we have the "Pop Quiz Math Clock." You first have to solve the equation before you're actually able to tell what time it is. Not nerdy enough?

We also have the "Periodic Table Shower Curtain." JJ loves that he can learn while showering. Are you in agreement with me yet?

Incase I haven't proved our nerdiness enough, take a gander at this last picture... As I said before, you can find ALMOST anything on thinkgeek... except for a Rubik's Cube Kleenex cover.

Our favorite tv show, The Big Bang Theory, has one of these on set - a fan made one and sent it in. You can't purchase one of these anywhere, believe me, I searched. So after many ideas, plans, plotting & scheming, I finally decided to make my own. I visited the Wood Connection with a sketch, measurements, and a hope that they would be willing to build my idea. They built me a box, then cut out 44 little squares. I messed up JJ's Rubik's Cube (which he noticed and almost ruined my surprise...), got the pattern I wanted and started painting. This is my final product!! I know I don't usually say I'm good at things, but I have to say, I'm freaking awesome when it comes to this project!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-04-18T10:27:00.001-07:00

Better late than never... that's what they say, right? So we'll go with that!

Happy Birthday to ME!! The celebration started with the day off of work, doing what I love the very mostest - spending time with my hubby :)

And here he is receiving a mouthful of whip cream... which of course got all over his shirt. Yep, that's my JJ! :) We went shopping, ate out, relaxed and just enjoyed being with one another without a schedule to stick to. Best day!

That night we celebrated at my mommy's house with all my siblings and my grandparents. We ate pizza (one of my favorite foods), ate yummy desserts (my curviness proves that's one of my absolute favorites), and opened presents (I love this day!!).

My Aunt J crashed the party, but since she brought me balloons and sparkling cider, I didn't get too upset. :)

Happy Birthday to Candace 28 and Grandpa 82! I was born on his birthday, now that's a great present, don't ya think??

Amy, being the awesome big sister that she is, made me caramel brownies... is your mouth watering yet, cuz it should be!!

Ok, so this is one of the coolest presents ever... back story: it's Very important that your cell phone remain silent whilst at work - stupid & annoying ringtones are a no-no. So, for quite a while my phone was sitting on a stack of Kleenex because even on the vibrate setting my phone could be pretty loud. My husband, the ever sweet nerd that he is, bought me a cell phone beanbag from thinkgeek.com! I Love It!!!

Tunes!! I love, love, love music!! You kinda have to, with 'Rock' in your last name :)

Smile!

I can always count on this little guy to take a freaking awesome picture with me!

The birthday festivities continued through the weekend, as is customary, to a family party. For this shindig, I made a PW chocolate sheet cake... you just can't go wrong with her recipes!

Birthday Girl!

Best way to finish out the weekend... a love from my brother's baby girl, she just melts my heart!!

If you could....

2011-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

I know I failed at the Blog Challenge... but there were some questions/topics that I just couldn't pass up, so here's one of the topics: If you could, who would you switch lives with for 1 day and why: I could obviously pick someone famous, someone who has a lot of power, fame and money… but as I thought about it, I didn’t like the feeling that, well, that’ll never be me, so why dream that big? Why get a taste of something that isn’t realistically within reach? So I went and hopped on a different train of thought and this is the stop I chose… If I could switch lives with one person for a day, I would choose my sister-in-law Courtney. Here’s why: 1. Goofy reason: I’ve never been a size 2 – how amazing would it be to be able to fit into absolutely anything I wanted? To eat an entire foot-long Subway sandwich and not have it cost me an hour on the treadmill the next day? (Yes, I have seen her accomplish this feat).

2. Obvious reason: She’s amazing! She’s one of the prettiest women I know, she’s funny, smart, sweet, easy going, outgoing, caring, crafty & creative, and has grownup taste buds.

3. Maybe not so well-known reason: She’s great at sticking to her budget and doing whatever she can to accomplish her goals. For example: eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, canned soup or fruit rollups for lunch. I can’t do this… I have to go out to lunch at least once a week, if not more. When Courtney and my brother wanted to get into a house of their own, she never strayed, she held onto every penny she had so that she could achieve what she really wanted. I wish I had that money savvy quality.

4. Biggest reason: Courtney is the most amazing mommy and I look up to her for the choices she’s made and continues to make concerning this part of her life. And really, she has THE cutest baby girl – who wouldn’t want to spend a whole day with that adorable munchkin? Now, we all know I’ve never been one of those girls who can’t wait to have kids or one who instantly bonds with kids… but I do love her little one. I love that Courtney has been able to be a stay-at-home mother, something I’ve always thought was imperative if I actually did have kids, so I praise her for being able to do this. I’m proud of both her and Joe for setting this as a priority in their parenting goals. Again, she helped bring that into reality when she saved her dollars and stayed out of debt so her income wasn't completely necessary.

So that’s it… If I could switch, it would be with my cutest sister-in-law Courtney, I’m pretty sure she’d be bored out of her mind while in my shoes… but at least we wear the same size!

Missed me?

2011-03-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hi readers... all 4 of you... ;) I know it's been a long time since I posted anything. It's just so hard for me to find the time to post. I spend 10 hours sitting at a computer all day at work so the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time staring at a screen... So instead of reading my book today at lunch I thought I'd jump on here and post a little life update. I'm busy busy busy at work these days. I was given full responsibility of a big project and it keeps me running till 5:30 most days. Our evaluations are coming up next month so we'll see if my Supervisor thinks I've done a good job or not. I've finally gotten back into scrapbooking... I am sooooo far behind that whenever I sat down to try and get a page done, I'd look at my box of pictures, throw up my hands and say 'forget it!' But I was flipping through an old book and thought, ok, I'll just do one event and see how that goes. I spent the whole weekend on it since JJ was at work and I finished 5 layouts. Go me! JJ accepted a new position at a new branch; this is a big change for him since he's not 3 minutes away from home anymore and he doesn't know a single person there. It's still pretty new, but we're hoping he'll love it. JJ is still at the U and getting really great grades, my hubby is so smart! :) He'll hopefully receive his Bachelor's Degree next year... then it's onto the Masters program. Eeek! Kind of daunting, but worth it in the long run. Then just maybe we'll get into a house of our own and (maybe) start a little family. :) That's it for us these days... Until next time!

Red Velvet Cake - Success!!

2011-02-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

We must first begin by reminding you of the cutest blogger turned cookbook writer turned romance novelist :) This is Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman. She started out as just a blogger, writing about her life story - living in the city but ending up on a ranch with the hottest cowboy around... adding recipes as she went, of course. She became so popular that she published a cookbook. After numerous requests were made for her to write her whole love story, she published yet another book, this one about her romance with Marlboro Man.

My sister, her mother-in-law, a good friend and I attended her book signing last month and had an absolute blast.

P-Dub & Me

In line for P-Dub to sign our books...

Being reminded of her awesomeness, I pulled out her cookbook and was determined to try out one of her recipes... I don't know what made me think I could tackle such a project as Red Velvet Cake, but I did!

...and the mess begins....

mix...add...mix...add....

One whole ounce of red food coloring.....

Messy kitchen... cleaning up was a-whole-nother project - I'm so grateful to have a sweet supportive husband who was there to help me every step of the way!

Ta-Da!!! I even made the cream cheese frosting from scratch!! I was a bit worried about the actual taste of my cake, but I served it anyway. It was a huge hit!! My 5-year-old nephew took one bite and exclaimed, "This is GREAT!!" After finishing his piece he came right up to me and asked if I'd make that cake for his birthday - so stinkin' cute!

Superbowl!

2011-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for some football???

We partied at my dad's, of course, and even though my team lost (I still love you Ward!) we had a great time! Lots of food, laughing, football, more food - what could be better?

Me & my baby!

The kidlets with their Terrible Towels!

Me & my big sis sporting our love for the Steelers!

Me & baby sis - she cheered for the other guys :)

You should try new things Candace...

2011-01-12T21:17:00.000-08:00

People tell me all the time that I need to try new things, eat more "grown-up foods," or expand my culinary horizons (thanks Amy)... so, this year I told myself that I would add in a some new recipes to our weekly menu. So far... not so impressed. What's so neat about struggling and stressing your way through making dinner, freaking out when you're not sure if the sauce has 'thickened' enough, not liking how it tastes after all that work, then getting depressed about all the money wasted on ingredients, then wanting to cry when you look at your kitchen and the Huge Freaking Mess that I get clean up?! How do people enjoy this?!

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law: "Tortellini with Proscuitto and Peas"
I'm not entirely sure why I picked it... I'm not a huge noodle fan and I'm picky with cheese... so why would I pick cheese filled noodles?! I must be crazy... though this is a step up from last week's failure with "Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce." Maybe I should just stay away from pasta?

Close up of the disaster...

The counter opposite my oven was just as messy with measuring cups, utensils, the recipe, etc. I'm sooo not looking forward to washing all those freaking dishes.

Any words of encouragement? I dare you to try! :)

FOR SALE!!!

2011-01-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

For Sale!! JJ and I got this picnic basket for our wedding 3 years ago and we've never used it. It's really cool & I love that my aunts got it for us... we just haven't ever gone on a picnic. So it's for sale!

The inside contains plates, mugs, napkins and plastic ware (forks, spoons, & knives) - enough for four people.

There is an insulated compartment on the inside as well - keep your food toasty or cold!

If you're interested, just let me know and we'll talk price!!!

Also for sale is this KitchenAid attachment...

It slices and shreds! I got it for my birthday 3 years ago, again, never used... never removed from the box. I appreciate the present & thought, just don't need it. Let me know if interested and we'll talk price!

First come, first serve!! :)

Jazz Game

2010-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

My sister called me on Monday and said, "Hey, I don't know if you have plans tonight, but that doesn't matter because you and JJ are coming to the Jazz Game tonight!!" So even though the tickets were ridiculously priced, we were 5 rows from the very freaking top, the hot dog I had was probably 4 days old, the Jazz lost and JJ sprained his ankle... it was a pretty good night :)

Our view of the game... look a little bit like ants, don't they??

Daddy & Barb

Amy & Jayson

Me & My Prince Charming

JJ stepped in just the wrong way and twisted his ankle... he's sprained it before, but last time it swelled to the size of a baseball. We're counting ourselves lucky that it only looks like an egg this time :) My poor baby!

Thanksgiving & The U

2010-11-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I know I'm late... and sidetracking from my Blog Challenge... but I don't care! :) Here's a post celebrating out Thanksgiving and the freaking awesome win during the U of U vs. BYU football game!

It's backwards because that's the way the pictures uploaded and there were just too many of them to want to spend the time fixing it... I'm sorry I'm lazy, but you do what you gotta do to get a post out there!

Here we go!

Me & my big brother sportin' our team colors.

Uncle Kelly wins coolest shirt :)

The Utes Win!!!!!!

(I made fun of Art all evening as he was the only Y fan... silly silly man...)

Thanksgiving!! We spent the turkey holiday with JJ's family this year, his cousin Joanna was sweet enough to host the event - You're amazing Joanna!! I'm know the amount of work, sweat, and pain it must have taken to put on such a shindig!

JJ & his Grandma - aren't they the cutest??

Me & my little sis-in-law Caitlin.

Here's JJ filling his plate... wait! That's the whole turkey!! :)

Merry Christmas to Grandma! (Early) Grandma called me some weeks ago and asked if I would print some pictures for her of our family reunion and of Grandpa's funeral. Well of course I said I would... but then JJ had this fantastic idea to get Grandma a digital photo frame; so she could have as many of my pictures that she wanted and some from her other grandkids too! So the Allison family and the Rockwells pitched in and we got her the frame - she was so surprised and just couldn't get over how sweet we were to get her such a great gift. All the kids/grandkids brought pictures to load onto it so it was all ready to go for her. She couldn't stop staring at it, I'm pretty sure she sat there until it had rotated through all the pictures.
We love you Grandma!!!

To put a sweet end to the evening: JJ was sitting in a chair with baby girl Corinne and was pretending to sleep and making quite the ruckus with his snoring... she just stared and stared! It was so stinkin' cute!

Day 7

2010-11-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

Obviously it's been awhile since I posted Day 6, so this technically isn't day 7, but oh well, here is my answer anyway!

A picture of something/someone who has the biggest impact on you:

My original thought for this post was my parents; I mean who raises you to be who you are? Who’s traits, qualities and characteristics do you pick up, learn and take on as your own? They impacted who I am, my beliefs, morals, hobbies, lifestyle, etc. But then I thought, they raised me, I became a responsible adult, their job's are pretty much done (ok, so their job is never done, who am I kidding?)… So who else has had an impact on me? The answer is my incredible husband.

When JJ came into my life, I was forever changed. I dated a lot of guys, everyone knows that, some good, some not so good, but after all the dates, boyfriends, break-ups, I finally found the perfect guy for me. When JJ and I started our romance he stood out from all the rest almost immediately… Unlike all the other guys I had dated, JJ chased me … this just boggled my mind. It was usually the other way around - sad, but true. This made me stop and think that just maybe I was something worth having. That’s a big step for a girl with little to no self esteem! He courted me, pursued me, when I was a total girl and asked if we were ‘together’ or not, he told me he’d been calling me his girlfriend for two days already so I better get with it :) he was the first to say ‘I love you,’ and threw me for a total loop when he got down on one knee and popped the question.

When my JJ writes speechs or talks, he always starts by defining a word in his subject. So here I will list the synonyms for "impact": collide, shock, and bang. I think everyone of those can describe JJ’s entrance into my life. We collided into each others lives, he shocked me with his unconditional love, and then came the Big Bang (pun to our favorite TV show intended!), he took me to the temple, where we were married and became eternal companions. His presence in my life impacts me every day; he inspires me, supports me and accepts/loves me for who I am. He makes me want to be a better wife, a better person, a better daughter of God. He compliments me when I think I look my worst, he eats anything I make (or ruin for that matter), he holds me when I’m scared or when I’m upset… all these things making me feel like I’m ok with who I am. Makes me feel like, if he loves me… then maybe I can love me. No one has ever made me feel that way… I LOVE YOU JJ! Thank you for being in my life, being my husband, and having such a positive impact in my life!

Day 6

2010-11-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Your favorite Super Hero and why...

BATMAN!!!!!

My very favorite Super Hero has always been Batman. When I was little, he was the only one that stuck out to me. Sure, Superman can fly, Flash can run fast, Spiderman can fling crap at people and climb walls, and the Hulk can turn green and smash stuff. But, Batman? He has his own cave for crying out loud! And....

He drives the coolest car,

has the most regale of all butlers,

he keeps all his wicked-awesome toys in a stylish utility belt,

and the biggest reason of all the game, is he isn’t restricted by a ‘super power.' He's just a normal, well-rounded individual with the ability to kick some serious butt. He's all around freaking awesome! He fights crime and crushes evil villains with human strength, wit, and mind. Plain and simple – Batman ROCKS!!

On a more serious note… my personal Super Hero is my mommy.

She is the most pure, sweet, and honest person I know. She’s thoughtful, caring, selfless, smart, funny, compassionate, sincere, kindhearted, considerate… insert any positive adjective you like, that’s my mom. She loves unconditional, genuinely cares about others and would do anything for any family member. She wants nothing but happiness for her kids and worries about us constantly. She's taught me so much, but I'm still constantly learning from her. I'd be one lucky girl if I grow up to half the woman she is... By the time my mom was my age she had gotten married, had 4 children and was going through one of the hardest times in a person's life - divorce. She did what she had to do, got a full time job and raised her kids to the best of her ability. And I, for one, think she did a pretty dang good job!

In case she reads this, I have to say just a couple of things that don't get said enough...
Mommy, I'm so impressed by your strength, your endurance, your faith, and your testimony. You have qualities I so wish I had; your unconditional love for our family, your ability to be politically correct in all situations, your ability forgive people... I wish I could move on and up from the hard situations life deals out like you. You are a wonderful, inspiring, amazing woman and mother. I'm so grateful that I got you as a Mommy. I love being your kid!
I love you sooooo much Mommy and I hope you know that.

Some fun times with Mommy...

Doing some shopping at the mall & stopped for some Pretzel Time!

Me & Mommy at the Zoo!

How freaking cool is my Mommy?? Shooting targets and fake animals at Cabela's!

Eatin' the tastiest burger & spicy fries in all the land at Rumrz!

Thank you for all the fun times Mommy!

Day 5

2010-11-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Day 5: A picture of somewhere you have been...

I guess, in a way, I'm pretty spoiled... I've been to California quite a few times in my life, and I know there are a lot of people that have never been. For example, I went on a cruise when I was 17 with a friend that had never seen the ocean, I just couldn't wrap my head around that! I've been to my family's condo in Carlsbad probably half a dozen times, if not more. I've been on the cruise as I just mentioned. Been to Disneyland at least 3 times. But all of those trips were to the lower part of Cali. This post is about a trip that was out of the ordinary and therefore extraordinary in my memories.

For our honeymoon, JJ and I flew to San Francisco, California. I have to add in here that this was my first trip in an airplane! (Ok, yes, I had been on a 4-seater before, but this was 'the real thing!' - I had a ticket, checked luggage and had to go through security! :) ya with me?) Anyway, I'm not made for flying objects. I like my feet on solid ground. I was oh so very excited when we finally reached our destination!

On the beach in San Fran!

One of our days was spent traveling across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. Such absolute beauty everywhere you looked. We walked around little shops, ate ice cream, and just enjoyed being with each other.

San Francisco offered so many fun things to do! We played at...

Ghirardelli Square... and spent over $40 on chocolate...

Pier 39! We spent a good hour just hanging out with the Sea Lions; listening to them talk at each other. Seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen!

We went to the Jelly Belly Factory and watched how they make one of JJ's favorite treats!

We drove down the infamous Lombard Street that's been in countless movies... and Full House!

We loved watching the Trolley cars go up and down the streets. I think it's so awesome that they still have some olden time ones in use.

I loved seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. Have you ever seen something on t.v. or in the movies and a part of you thinks, that's not really there?? I think that all the time about things, silly probably, but totally how my mind works. I've seen tons of movies and t.v. shows that have this bridge in them and I finally got to see it for myself! :)

We also spent a large part of one day in Monterrey Bay, visiting the Aquarium. I love seeing all the cool animals from our little planet. I love going to the zoo every year, but JJ hates going, so I loved that he took me to the Aquarium!

Of all the trips and vacations I've taken in my lifetime, I think this is one of the very bestest. I got to spend 4 days with my cutest husband in one of the coolest cities in the United States.

So there you have it! I've been to San Francisco, California!

Day 4

2010-11-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Day 4: A habit you wish you didn't have...

I had a hard time with this topic, I didn't quite know how to start, so I read over my little sister Kacie’s blog for a hint. I have to talk about that first… When I read over this question I started thinking exactly what she did, “I don’t have just one, I have a lot.” She is really great at keeping herself in a positive state and can move on from that downward spiral of self-destruction… I’m not so great at that part. So how about I’ll list a few habits I hate and you can pick which one You wish I didn’t have!

I wish I didn’t feel the need to fit in, to be invited to things. I wish I didn’t have the habit of throwing myself into friendships and let my guard down, because I always end up getting hurt. I wish I didn’t pick at my nails while taking phone calls at work… I’d have pretty great/long nails if I’d just stop! I wish I had a higher self-esteem, I know I get on people's nerves when I spew mean comments about myself. I wish other people's habits didn't bug me... like people who chew food or gum with their mouths open. People who don't wash their hands after they go to the restroom. People who drum their fingers, tap their feet, whistle or hum out of tune within hearing range...

How about we try switching to a positive for a moment? Be Kacie-esc for a bit :) I wish I had the habit of saving money, of making good choices when trying to decide when to spend my money and what to spend it on. I wish I had the habit of cleaning out the vacuum when I used it instead of hoping JJ will just do it for me. I wish I had a habit of going to bed on time; I hate hate hate being so tired at work, so why don’t I just go to bed?

Maybe I can keep my bad habits if I had more good habits to outweigh the bad ones! That's how it works, right??

Day 3

2010-11-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

A picture of you and your friends:

Perfect timing for this topic! I went to see “Eat, Pray, Love” with my bestest friends, so here are the pictures from that night! The movie was awesome; it had just the right mixture of hilarity and tender moments. I love movies like that. We went to see it at Sandy Movies 9 since that was the only place showing it still and what a steal! Monday night movies are only $0.75!! (For groups of 3 or more) After we loaded up on popcorn and Diet Coke – ok, so only Amy and I had a DC, but still! – we headed into the theater. Of the ‘Dollar Theaters’ that are in the valley, Sandy Movies 9 is by far the best & cleanest! Anyway, I loved seeing the movie with my mommy and my sisters, girl time rocks! We giggled and smiled the whole time. Even though they won’t be reading my blog, I must say Thank You to all the husbands for giving up their wives and/or taking care of the kids so we could see this movie together.

EAT!

PRAY!

LOVE!!

Thank you mommy & sisters for having this idea and letting me come with you :) Love you all!

Day 2

2010-11-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

The meaning behind your blog name:

My blog name is all about my new last name - I’ve only been married for 3 years so, yes, it’s still pretty new! Phrases like ‘that rocks’ or ‘that sucks rocks’ or ‘you rock’ have always been in my vocabulary. When I got married into the Rockwell clan, I just started adding ‘well’ to those phrases, it flowed naturally! So when I was trying to come up with a fancy-schmancy blog name, it was the first thing that came to mind! Plus it totally describes JJ and me, don’t you think??

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

2010-11-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

30 Day Blog Challenge... Ok, so I'm gunna jump on the bandwagon and attempt the Challenge. Day 1: A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

*Warning: This post ended up a whole lot longer than I intended it to be... I won't be offended if you don't make it to the very end :) Here we go!

ME!

1. I Love Movies. I love going to the movies, I love the thrill of buying a newly released movie and I love quoting lines from my favorite movies! I remember going to rent movies with my dad – picking out a movie and renting the VHS player at the same time. I remember watching my old favorites, like “The Pirate Movie” on Beta. I remember watching “Back Draft” on Laser Disc. I don't have any Blue Ray movies yet... I'm resisting that one so far. There’s probably one section of my brain entirely devoted to store & recall movie lines, even if I’ve only seen the movie once. You get me talking about “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” or Jim Carrey movies and I’ll just throw out lines, one right after another. One of my very favorite things to do is watch a movie, be taken to a different place or time, and get lost. I have quite a large selection to choose from and I love it! I love movies!!

2. I hate seafood. It’s not food people! Those are ocean Bugs! Crab = Spider. Lobster = Earwig. Nastiness I tell you! Jim Gaffigan was right on the money when he said no one really likes seafood… ‘You know, it’s really good if you squeeze half a lemon on it.’ Well, I’ve got news for ya, if you have to cover the flavor of it; you don’t really like it either! How do you know when sea“food” is bad? It always smells like garbage! Before you accuse me of not trying it, trust me, I have. Years ago my dad promised me that the Fish House restaurant we were going to would have chicken, he was wrong. Everything on the menu was fish – hello dad! FISH house! He forced me to try a bite of everyone’s meal to prove I didn’t like any of it. Crab, Shark, Lobster, Halibut, Shrimp, Salmon, those rubber band things…. Uh… Calamari! All Yucky! Blecka! So, no thanks, I don’t want that – that stuff gets in your mouth.

3. Even though my hair doesn’t always do what I want it to and even though I have to wash it every day so I don’t look like a rag-a-muffin, I love my hair. Scratch that, I love my long hair. I love the colors I have in it and hopefully I’ll find some dollars soon to have it done again because it’s grown out so much. I love that some of my nieces will play with my hair and tell me how pretty it is. I hope that as I get older I’ll continue to keep my hair long. Everywhere you look you’ll see moms and grandmas with short hair. It’s always just above their shoulders or cut close to their heads… I don’t want this to be me! I want to be a grandma with long hair! I cut my hair to my shoulders once and I’ll never do it again – long hair rules! (I’m not saying short hair is bad… it just looks Really bad on me!)

4. I have BPPV. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a disorder caused by problems in the inner ear. Its symptoms are repeated episodes of positional vertigo, that is, of a spinning sensation caused by changes in the position of the head. It can be triggered by any action which stimulates the posterior semi-circular canal which may be: tilting the head, rolling over in bed, looking up or under, sudden head motion, post head injury, changes in barometric pressure, lack of sleep and stress. Basically living day to day! Isn’t that so fun!? I’ve had it for almost 10 years now and don’t ever know when it’s going to hit me. I get motion sickness really easy so I tried to avoid the possibility of that whenever I can because that will always lead to vertigo. Anyone want to go to Six Flags with JJ because I can’t??

5. I’ve always wanted fake nails – not the ones that are 4 inches long or are a different color every 2 weeks – just the ones that are French tip and just a little longer than your actual nail. I always talk myself out of getting them though. Don’t have the money to spend on them, afraid of stabbing myself in the eye while dealing with my contacts, or wuss out from the possible pain included in getting them/taking them off, etc… I usually just spend a dollar or two on white nail polish and paint the end of my short stubby nails and pretend they’re pretty!

6. I’m pretty sure I have a slight OCD issue. I make lists for everything – I have Excel spreadsheets for my vacations, moving homes, movies, Lia Sophia, work, holidays, menus, etc. If I don’t have it written down on a list it doesn’t get completed or purchased depending on the subject. I have to have things in order, everything in its place, etc. I have no idea when this set in because I remember having a very messy room as a teenager! I love buying storage boxes, baskets, or organizing paraphernalia. My mother-in-law has banned me from certain rooms in her home because she just knows if she leaves me alone long enough I’ll start to organize & purge. That’s not weird… is it?

7. Working off the same thought as #6, I am a party planner at heart. I like planning and scheming (if the occasion calls for it), making lists to make sure nothing is forgotten, setting up, and of course, seeing my efforts enjoyed. I like feeling needed and feeling like I’m taking care of something for someone. I like being of service and getting that feeling of happiness that comes when I know I’ve helped someone in need. I’ve enjoyed that rare feeling of knowing that if I hadn’t been there, things would have gone to pot in no time! Helping others probably shouldn’t have such an effect on me, but alas, it does! However, there are also times when I think I suffer because of my compulsive nature to help out, my inability to say no to people. I end up helping with things that I don’t want to, or too many things at once, and run myself ragged trying to please everyone. But I’m thinking, I need to think through the situation before I take on the project… So beware… I’m learning to say no!

8. I love all kinds of music. I can listen to a rap song (much to JJ’s disappointment) and immediately follow it up with country and I see no problem with it! My Dad influenced my tastes from a very young age, I remember calling a radio station when I was about 12 years old and asking the DJ to play “Little Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. The DJ couldn’t get over the fact that I was so young but requesting such an old song. However, I can’t stand the screaming ‘music’ that JJ loves – umm, screaming isn’t music sweetie! I also have a hard time listening to classical, opera or instrumental… I need something I can sing along to I guess.

9. I belive that Holidays, birthdays and special occasions HAVE to be celebrated! It isn’t an option! I love to decorate my home and my cubicle for all the holidays and seasons. I love to acknowledge any awesome accomplishment of my loved ones – like making signs, getting balloons and having a fun dinner to celebrate JJ’s acceptance into the University of Utah. Birthdays are of the utmost importance as well, I always take mine off of work – I want to be having fun! JJ turned 25 this year on the 25th so of course that had to be celebrated with extravagance! He got 25 presents & I left little notes, 25 of them, around the house telling him why I loved him. We ate dinner at Red Lobster because obviously, we don’t eat at those kinds of places very often. Ice cream and Sub Zero and fireworks at my sister’s house. He didn’t think the day should have been that big a deal, but I made it a big deal! You Will celebrate and you Will enjoy it! J

10. I have a big family tree… or some type of shrubbery. Are you ready? Get a paper and a pen if you’d like to draw a diagram… Mommy & Daddy got married & had 4 kids: Amy, Emily, Joe and me. They got divorced, Mommy remarried someone not worth mentioning, divorced and remarried Arthur – he had 4 kids from a previous marriage, giving me 4 stepsiblings: Shane, Kim, Michael and Nikki. (Shout out to Nikki, we went to high school together! Weird??) Anyway, Daddy remarried, Terri already had 2 girls from a previous marriage and Dad & Terri had a baby girl, Kacie, my half sister. Now, D & T were married for lots of years, so Amber, Mandy & Kacie were very much my sisters, I love you girls! They were divorced and now my Dad is dating Barb, she has 6 kids: Jared, Tausha, Amber, Caden, Shianna and Hunter. All my siblings and stepsiblings are married and most have kids… whew! See, the tree kinda turns into a shrub now doesn’t it? But no matter, I love my ginormous family and wouldn’t change a thing. When I was a bit younger, kids in school thought it was weird that I spent my weekends at my dad’s and I had stepsiblings and such. I’ve never known anything different and I wouldn’t change anything because that would mean giving up people that I love. People I would never have known otherwise. So no thanks, I’ll keep my huge, meshed family! I love you all!

11. Hate is a strong word… but sometimes it really is the best way to describe how you feel about something or someone. For most of the things I’m going to list I guess I could just say that I strongly dislike them, but hate is shorter to type! I hate feet. Feet are ugly and most of the time smelly. I hate having people’s feet on me or shoved under me for warmth. Kacie knows this first hand since she tries to get away with it when we’re on the couch together. I hate mini-vans. I hate bowling. I hate people with bad manners, bad driving skills and people who have a lack of respect for others. I hate people who can’t do their job but somehow get away with it. I hate cocky people who think they know everything. I hate talking on the phone; texting is one of the best inventions since contacts or sliced bread. I also hate going to the dentist.

12. I loathe smelly things. Oh, that was an excellent word choice… detest, abhor, despise are also fantastic words, feel free to choose whichever one you like the most. I hate smelly things with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns. How’s that for a description?? I hate smelly lotion, smelly soap, smelly flowers, smelly people, smelly candles, smelly cars and smelly houses. I hate people that for some reason beyond my comprehension find it necessary to literally marinate themselves in their perfume or cologne. Seriously, a little dab will do ya! Since the dawn of time I have had a negative reaction to smelly items. I get severe headaches, nauseous, and sometimes dizzy when I am exposed to smelly crap. I’m not quiet about this hatred, that’s just not my style, so you’d think that “friends” would remember this. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been given smelly lotion, soaps or candles for my birthday or Christmas. All through high school my “best friends” would give me that crap every year. I thought I’d seen the end of it as the years went by, but sadly I got a bottle of nastiness for my birthday this year from a long time friend. What the crap!? Quick Story Time (You can skip this if you'd like...) Years ago I was traveling to California with my Daddy and sisters, Mandy and Kacie. I was staring out the window when I heard a bottle being opened and something squirting out of it. My eyes immediately closed, my shoulders sank and I heaved a great sigh knowing that Mandy had just put on some of the worst lotion known to mankind – Bath & Body Works Country Apple. Kacie whipped around and said, “What did you just do?!” Mandy was at a loss but Kacie snapped into action. She threw open the cooler lid and grabbed a sprite while simultaneously rummaging through her bag. She whipped out some pop tarts, ripped open the bag, she cracked open the sprite, and handed them both to me. I sipped on the sprite for the nausea, held the pop tarts to my nose to hide the nasty smell while she rolled down the window to flush out the stench. Saved! Thank you for paying attention to me Kacie; you don’t know how much I appreciate it!

13. I wash my hands more than some people think is necessary, I’m not OCD though, it’s a habit I picked up from my Dad. He loves giant mugs of water with a LOT of ice and while growing up that was one of my favorite things to make for him. We’d be out working on his truck, building or planting something, and he’d ask for a big water. I swear every time I brought one back he’d ask, “Did you wash your hands first?” So naturally it just became part of the routine, I’d wash my hands before and after many tasks just to avoid being questioned! I wash my hands before I put my contacts in, after I use the potty, after I put lotion on cuz I hate that greasy feeling. After I use hair spray cuz I get all sticky. I wash my hands before I brush my teeth. I wash my hands before, during and after I make dinner or bake a treat. I could go on, but you get the picture!

14. Let’s do an opposite of #11… Things that I just love! I love ICE water like my Dad, I love eating out at nice places because a) it’s a rare occurrence b) I don’t have to make it and c) someone else cleans up! I love painted toenails, watching football and the smell of cookies baking. I love going on vacation. I’m a fan of Toyota; I’ve never owned anything but a Toyota. I love nerdy stuff, like my husband, the Big Bang Theory TV show and all items sold on Thinkgeek.com. I love other people’s children when they’re happy and love giving them back to their parents when they get mad. I love getting flowers, obviously the non-stinky kind. I love the sound the rain makes as it falls on the carport of our apartment. I love being right. I love Diet Coke. I love vanilla ice cream covered in Hershey’s chocolate syrup with an Oreo on the side. I love Paris. Hopefully this will have restored some of your faith that I’m not an entirely negative person!

15. Did you think we’d ever get to Number 15?! Sorry, I find myself feeling the need to explain, thus each number being it’s own paragraph… or novel, if you will. Moving on… I am an American. I was born in the greatest place in the world, the United States of America. I love this country we live in and the freedoms we get to enjoy. I have the utmost respect for the great men that led this country to freedom, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and made the decisions needed to make a strong, united nation. I’m amazed at the men and women that serve our country every day, for years on end, risking their lives to protect every American, our freedom and our way of life. The events that took place in Pearl Harbor and New York City break my heart, so many innocent lives lost, so many families broken and loved ones left alone. I’m proud of this country, for gathering together as one nation, to fight back against those attacks. The motto after September 11th motivated people to never forget and I know I never will. It saddens me that some have forgotten or chose to push it out of their minds. I recommend watching the movie “World Trade Center” if you need a refresher on what it means to be an American.
I’m proud to be an American. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Hopefully each post won't be this long... I got a bit carried away, but I'm a girl so that's normal, right? :)

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Every year my mommy gathers all of her kids & step-kids and all of their kids at her house for pumpkin carving, chili and donuts to celebrate Halloween. This year JJ had to work, again, so I went alone with a plan in mind for our punkin'... you're gunna love it!

Me & my niece Jackie

My sisters helping out their little ones...

I am NOT a fan of pumpkin guts.... I honestly have to make a conscience effort not to gag while cleaning out a pumpkin! This is usually JJ's job, but since he wasn't around I tried my best. Emily thought my whining sounds were hilarious so she decided to help the process by sharing some of her pumpkin's guts. Rude!! Keep that crap to yourself! :)

All done! Look, I made Pumpkin Pi!!! JJ was so proud of me, he couldn't stop laughing and calling me his 'nerdy wife.' Obviously this shows I love him too!

I went to the grocery store on Saturday night because I don't have little ones to take trick-or-treating and boy am I glad I did! I was stopped in my tracks when I saw this guy walking through the store - he's an employee, works in the meat section - as I was dressed up as Batman (see the belt buckle??) I HAD to have a picture!! He even talked like the Joker! In his raspy voice he said things like: "Hanging out with the enemy... all right" and "hmmph, my legs look better than yours!" :) Big smiles for Candace!!

After JJ got home from work I asked him to take me on a date, he smiled and yelled OK! as he ran down the hall to change. Cute boy! We went to the District and ate hot sandwiches from their deli and watched "RED" with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, and Brain Cox... with a list like that, it's no wonder the movie was FREAKING AWESOME!!! JJ and I absolutely Loved it! So, if you're in need of a good flick, we highly recommend "Red,"
Enjoy!! :)

Our Weekend

2010-10-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately our weekend began with the funeral for JJ's Grandpa, Donal Jaques Anderson. He passed away on Oct 10th at home under the watchful eye of his sweetheart of 65 years. The service was really a wonderful time because I got to hear some of the best stories about him. For example, Grandpa was at an event in Arizona and for some reason was near the Goodyear Blimp. The Mayor and his party were walking across the tarmac towards the blimp, obviously headed for a ride in the thing. Grandpa wanted a ride too... so he caught up with the group and climbed aboard. The employees couldn't figure out why there was one extra person, but Grandpa elected to sit in the co-pilot's seat to help solve the issue :) what a gentleman! About half way into the trip, the pilot turned to him and asked, "So, Mr. Anderson, what is your position in the Mayor's party?" Grandpa turned to him with a smile, "Oh, I'm not with the Mayor's party... I just wanted a ride!" The pilot was so impressed, he didn't rat him out. Yep, that's Grandpa alright!

Here's the flowers JJ and his siblings got, the smiley face vase is perfect!!!

During World War II, Grandpa served in the Army's 714th Railroad Battalion. We were given the great opportunity of having Utah's Honor Guard present at the graveside service. The reverence felt while Taps was played was incredible, the folding and presentation of the flag to Grandma was heart-wrenching, but put the whole day together and it really was quite perfect. The perfect way to honor such an amazing individual.

Grandma and her children: David, Kathy, Carol Anne & Tim.

Me and my sweetheart!

JJ's cute cousins Joanna and Cami. I love these girls!!!

The Rockwell Clan... and Miles, he just Had to be in the picture!! :)

Gardner Village with the Witches!

A week or so ago, I went to Gardner Village with my friends Holly & Chad. We walked around and saw all the fun witches.

Happy Kids!

Saturday I met up with JJ's mom, 2 of his sisters and their kids to eat breakfast with the Witches. I was so super excited, it sounded like it was going to be so much fun! And though I had a really good time hanging out with the family, the breakfast was pretty much a let down...

This is the Witch Queen Tallulah Spellbound, she was the ONLY witch to visit our table. Supposedly all the Witches are to walk around signing autographs and taking pictures. Well, if you got your tickets the day they went on sale, this is most likely the case. However, we were on the table in the very corner, so we were forgotten & ignored. The kids got bored and ended up playing outside 85% of the time. The other percent was spent eating and waiting for the Witches to come....

This Witch ended up by our table just because she was taking a break from being on stage. She did take our tickets at the door and had a fun accent, so she gets a few points for that.

This one wasn't really a witch to me... she looks more like a Gypsy. She didn't ever come to our side of the room, I had to walk around 7 tables to get close enough for a picture. (Can you tell that I was irritated at this point??)

This was the cutest dressed Witch, however, we had to wait in line to meet her and she rushed us all right along like we smelled somethin' awful.

All in all, it was a pretty big letdown. At this point I really don't think I would go again. It was a lot of money (probably not for some people, but for me these days it was) for a not so great experience. So beware all those that want to go, get your tickets the day they come out, don't have too high of expectations for the food, dress up & I wish you luck! :)

This next event took place on Tuesday, I took the afternoon off to attend the wedding of my cute cousin Kelsey & her sweetheart Johnny. They were married in the Bountiful Temple which is absolutely gorgeous!!

The happy couple!

Her bridesmaids...

The boys... love this picture!!!

The bride's family - my cousins! Love you all!

The Groom's family... these people are soooo tall!! Kelsey towers over me, so you have to know Johnny & his dad are giants! :)

This is my amazing sister Amy with the beautiful bride. Kelsey doesn't like cake (I'm with her on this one, my wedding cake was cheesecake instead!) so she asked my sister if she could make a "cake" out of brownies. After a few tries & figuring out the best plan, she did it!! And oooh goodness, they were beyond tasty! She made a 3 layer brownie for the 'wedding cake' then she made 2-bite brownies for the guests to eat first. She made too many so we got to taste testing right away. She made some with cream cheese frosting and others with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Are you drooling yet? You should be! Honestly, she did a fantastic job and I'm really proud of her!

It was a wonderful day, full of smiles, laughter & love. Thanks Mr & Mrs Rider for including me in your special day!

Quilts Galore!

2010-10-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Once again my sisters and I found ourselves traveling across our great state to rescue my Grandma from the physical demands of making more levi quilts. My cousin is getting married next week, this is the event that brings a precious, pockets of love quilt into exsistence. Also, my Grandma has started a tradition of making each of her great-grandkids their very own quilt. My sister Amy's little boy doesn't have one yet, so this trip was all about getting as much done as we could so that both my cousin and my nephew could have their quilts.

Amy and I drove down on Friday morning with Emily and Kacie hot on our heels. As soon as our bags were on the floor, Amy and I got straight to work...

Sewing the sides first...

Getting the fabric for the back of the quilt all ready...

Ok, so I skipped a few steps here, but I did such a ginormous blog about my quilt that I didn't think anyone needed another play by play :)

Amy is VERY excited that we're almost done!

Tie it up! Emily is the fastest quilt tie-er this side of the Mississippi - so I stood back and busied myself with some small task so she could finish it up without me getting in the way! :)

We finished my cousin's quilt on Saturday (!!!!!!!!) so we were able to start on my nephew's right away! We chopped up some jeans and got down to it...

Here we have Emily modeling what's left of Amy's old pants.... Bringin' Sexy Back!

Here is our barbie, Kacie, showing us how it's done!

They wouldn't let me eat till we were finished... I got a bit hungry... ha! Just teasin'... in the olden days when "Bite Me!" was the cool phrase, my sisters and I got into the habit of shrugging our shoulders, saying, 'ok!' and chompin' down on whomever dished out the tempting phrase. I thought this moment was as good a time as any to bring biting back :) Ah, good times!

Getting all the layers sewed together....

Tie it up again! We finished C's quilt on Sunday afternoon, even Grandma got in there and tied a row, but her hands gave up after that. My grandparents couldn't get over the fact that we finished 2 quilts in one weekend - we were quiltin' fools I tell ya! We even got a little pool time in there as well, gotta love St George in October!

Me & Kacie

Grandma's Girls :) We love you so very much Grandma! I know I speak for all of us when I say we were all so excited to be there and loved that we were able to help you accomplish these amazing quilts. We miss you already!

Happy Anniversary... and more!

2010-09-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

So once again I'm behind on posting the events... but really, after spending 10 hours in front of a computer, I dread doing more of it at home. Another note before moving on is that I'm really, really NOT a Mac person. I HATE the way it loads pictures onto blogger. I HATE that moving pictures around so the post flows as it should is a ridiculously annoying process so this post is completely bass-ackwards. So, apologies for being late and all messed up! Here we go!

Dinner at my Daddy's house on Sunday. I love taking pictures with my Daddy cuz he's always got somethin' funny up his sleeve. He can always make me smile and giggle! I hate the way I look in this picture, but my Dad's too cute not to post!

Me & My little sister - she's a total rockstar! I LOVE that she can bring out my crazy side and make me do totally random things - and have a blast doing it. I miss being fun and carefree so Thanks Bug for making me young again!

Happy Birthday to my niece! The first kid in the double digits!

Cute girls! Amy, Kacie, & Courtney!

Saturday JJ and I attended his niece's baptism and then to a family reunion...

Me & Grandpa - I LOVE THIS MAN!! It took all of 2 seconds for me to fall deeply in love with this handsome devil when we first met, and nothing has changed! He just brightens my day, I can feel my face light up when I see him & he loves me! What could be better! He always compliments me and tells JJ what a beautiful wife he has. I love you Grandpa!

Happy 65th Anniversary! I hope JJ and I can follow in your footsteps!

All the Great Grandkids

The Favorite Grandkids :)

Mia's baptism

JJ and his favorite sisters - Annie, Caitlin & Gina

The Friday before all of that, JJ and I spent the entire day in Park City to celebrate our 3 year anniversary... it was the bestest day I've had in a really long time. Just me and my hubby, all his attention on ME! :)

JJ & a moose

Me & the Coolest vending machine on the planet!!!

I LOVE YOU JJ!!!!!

Happy Birthday Momma R!

2010-09-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Carol Anne! We gathered together to celebrate JJ's mom, it was full of smiles, laughing, pictures and great food!

Me & Mom-in-law

This is what happens when big boys play with little boy toys... they get stuck!

I couldn't get enough of Genevieve - and for the first time ever - she couldn't get enough of me!! We'd play & play and if I had to leave to help out somewhere else for dinner, she'd come find me, grab my hand and pull me back to the toys. Best feeling ever!

Peek-A-Boo!

Smile!

Two kids havin' fun!

Annie is better at playing with the kidlets though, I must admit. She had no problem being dressed up all night!

Even Moses got into drag! Oh,... I mean, got dragged into dressing up! :) I had an absolute blast with him that night - we were "Out-Laws" to the max!

Happy, Happy Birthday!! I hope you had as much fun as I did! You have a pretty awesome family if I do say so myself!

Big Backwards Post!

2010-09-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

I need to play catch-up... so get ready!

We had dinner and s'mores at my mommy's house yesterday, it was great to see my siblings and their kids, feels like it's been awhile! Sadly we missed my biggest sister, she is off on a mountain somewhere having fun, I hope!

S'more preparation...

S'more enjoyment!

My s'more was having issues staying together... I got pretty messy!

Me and my cute hubby!

Baby girl was having a grand time emptying my mom's bottom drawer in the kitchen... she'd pull out one bottle top put it in her mouth, then take it out and put in another one - it had everyone laughing for a long time!

A few weekends ago JJ and I traveled to St George to fit in a vacation before he started school. JJ announced that we'd never live here when the temp gauge said 105!! It was a hot weekend!

Had to cool off with the yogurt from Golden Spoon!!

For JJ's birthday his mom gave him a game called "Polarity" from the ThinkGeek.com website. All the discs are magnetic and the point of the game is to balance a piece in the magnetic field of another piece so that the repelling force keeps it in the air (can you tell JJ helped me write that sentence??). After winning 4 games to JJ's 1 he refused to take anymore pictures of me... The ending score was 6 to 2 :) Who's the nerd now?!

The week before we went to St George, we gathered together at my sister's house to celebrate my Grandma's 75th Birthday!!!

Me & Jayson

Amber, Nate & Kacie

Peyton playing house!

Me & Kacie Bug

I've talked before about the awesome levi quilts my Grandma makes for all of us... My Aunt Tracy was sweet enough to make one for her too. This year we decided to add a little to it... we all have our hand prints on it and she added some Kokopelli fabric to the back (Grandma loves that kinda stuff!).

She also got a new hat...

Lookin' Good Grandma!

Daddy and his girls!

All the events were a lot of fun and I'm sorry I didn't post them sooner! Hopefully I'll be more vigilant in the future :)

All Things JJ!

2010-08-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

Happy 25th Birthday Jidge!!! Yes, this post is long overdue... but let's not dwell on how much of a slacker I am... let's look at how cool I am! I mean... let's celebrate my honey!!

I spoiled JJ with 25 presents for his 25th birthday, along with little notes scattered (and some hidden) with 25 reasons why I love him! It was actually really difficult to only choose 25, my list was a lot longer than that!

Because I am my Mother's daughter, I couldn't let him see what was awaiting him... so I rigged up this contraption to hide his presents! :) Thanks mommy!!

My silly little husband was just too excited and covered his eyes while I got everything else ready...

Presents!!!!

Is this True or what?!?!

Thanks to Mom & Art and Amy & Jayson & kids for joining us for his birthday dinner at Red Lobster! I abhor ocean bugs and therefore JJ doesn't get the chance to eat seafood all that often. So, because of this special occasion, I decided to let him consume the nastiness. Now you really know I love him!

After dinner we drove up to Sub Zero - the most awesome ice cream place in all the land!!! There are 5 steps to deliciousness: #1 Pick your size #2 Pick your base (i.e. cream, yogurt, soy, etc) #3 Pick your flavor(s) #4 Pick your mix-ins and finally #5 Watch it Freeze - with LIQUID NITROGEN!!!! This is where JJ's grin was officially plastered to his face, just about the cutest thing ever!!

I know that my ice cream doesn't look very appetizing, but trust me, it was pure heaven. I got Chocolate Mint Oreo, I'm drooling just thinking about it.... JJ got Lime Cherry with citric acid for tartness and strawberries as a mix-in. I wasn't a fan but he was in 3.14159th heaven!

The Whittle family blessed JJ with another one of his favorite past times - lighting things on fire. :)

The next day we had dessert at his mom's house - she decorated too!!

JJ had to showcase all his gifts - he couldn't get over how many things I got him or that I went to all the work I did to put together a special day for him. I love you JJ!!!!!
All of the gifts were things JJ loves...
1. $1 2. $2 3. $3 4. $4 5. $5 6. Silvertoe Socks 7. Silvertoe Socks 8. Polo 9. Polo
10. Postage Stamps 11. Binder Clips 12. Lined Paper 13. Slinky 14. Silly Putty 15. Bubble Gum
16. An eraser that says "For BIG Mistakes" 17. Wall Putty 18. Deodorant 19. Nerd T-shirt
20. Beach Ball & Water Football 21. Batteries 22. Dan Brown's Lost Symbol 23. Nutella
24. Fireflight CD and #25 Season 2 of Big Bang Theory.

Now a 2nd little post about JJ -
August 4th was JJ's last day at Salt Lake Community College!!! He has graduate with his Associate of Science Degree!!! Woot!! He didn't think it was a big deal, but of course I did, so I had to decorate & celebrate!

CongratUlations JJ for being accepted to the University of Utah!!!

He was VERY surprised and couldn't stop laughing at me for going so overboard. I love you to pieces Jidge, and I'm oh so very proud of you, all your hard work and all that you've accomplished! I love you!

The Rodeo Weekend

2010-07-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Every year my family loads up trailers, cars, & campers and travels down South in celebration of the Ute Stampede Rodeo. We stay in a campground in Provo for the weekend and drive to Nephi for the rodeo on Saturday - I Love This Weekend!!!! It's been in a family tradition for years and years; next year I've been selected as one of the reservation/planning people and I'm actually really honored and excited to be able to keep that tradition going. Wish me luck!

We started off the weekend with a little Monopoly - My Dad won this round ... and the next... that isn't really weird though, he ALWAYS wins!!

We're blessed with a most fabulous pool - ok, so we're not really camping... this is my kind of camping! :)

Playin' games - my favorite part of having a ginormous family - we took over pretty much the whole pool!

Smile Fishes!

Look at this bathing beauty!!

I love sitting next to my kid sister at the rodeo! She and I love to elbow each other when a "people watching" opportunity is in sight, dancing to the music, and of course, crying when the National Anthem is played. I love, love, love the rodeo and LOVE that they focus so much attention on the good ol' U S of A!

This year, Kent Lane parachuted into the arena carrying our flag while Lee Greenwood is filling our ears and hearts ... such an amazing experience!!!

Our Military marched into the arena before hand, ready to pick up and hold our flag. Then we're fortunate enough to hear our National Anthem, brings me to tears every time!

Bucking Broncos, Barrel Racing, Bareback Riding, Calf Roping... The only sport WE invented - gotta love it baby!

My husband pretending to have Jedi powers... isn't he just cute?!

I've never actually seen someone play this carnival game, so I was pretty excited when my brother in law said he'd give it a try. I couldn't believe the force he had to put behind his swing, but I decided and he even won!!!

Our weekend getaway abode.

Have to add a shout out to my big sisters - I love you!!!

It was a really great weekend, filled with lots of sunshine (got sunburned again....), great food, family, and lots of fun. I'm excited for next year, however, I'm really looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed tonight! :)

Things I love...

2010-06-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

One of my sister's very first blog posts was about things she loved... I'm a pretty pessimistic person (shocker I know) but I thought just maybe if I focused on the happy things in life, I'm might be a happier person... Here it goes!

I LOVE:

to see my husband smile... and when he does things like this that make me laugh uncontrollably! I never knew how important it was to find someone in life who made you laugh and smile until JJ came into my life - now I don't know how I ever lived without it!! He makes me smile constantly and I laugh everyday. I love it and I love him!!

I love being loved. I don't know what I did to get so lucky, but I have the sweetest hubby. He spoils me, he cares about me, he wants to take care of me, he wants to make me laugh and smile, and most of all, he loves me. No.... he loves ME!!! He loves me for me, with all my quirks, bad habits, mood swings (Yes, I do have those, I'm just good at hiding it! :) ha!), high maintenance qualities, etc. All that stuff and he still loves me. Sheesh - I gotta tell ya, I'm one lucky girl!

I love family and friends! Playing badminton in my cousin's backyard with some friends - how cool is it that one of my very best friends, is also family?? I love that!

I love this baby girl! She just lights me up whenever she comes around! It just boggles my mind sometimes that such a little thing can bring such joy. Anytime I get to see her, hold her, hug her, play with her, even just see a picture of her and I've got an instant and constant grin. I love that my siblings have had such cute kids because then 1) I don't have to have them - muahahaha (that evil laugh is for my mom-in-law and 2) I get to play with them and give them back when they get sad and 3) they make me so happy! :)

Last but not least.... I already mentioned having best friends as family (my big sister in this case), this hideous picture is about my weight. Last year my sister and I ate lunch at Eat-A-Burger (oh how I miss thee!), took this picture and went about our day... When I got home I loaded it onto the computer and almost puked when I saw it on a bigger screen!!! Ok, so I didn't really puke but there was some definite gagging going on. I vowed then and there that I would lose weight. I hated getting dressed in clothes that just didn't fit right, I hated my body, I hated knowing I could do better, I hated not having energy... I hated me. It's been a long fight, one that definitely isn't over and will most likely be something I struggle with the rest of my life. But I LOVE that I can say that I've lost 35 POUNDS!!!! Can I have a Woot Woot!?!

Here's a picture from one year since the picture of me and my sister! I've still got some to lose, but come on... I look awesome!!! :) I love that there is an obvious difference, I love that I looked at this picture and didn't immediately find something bad to say about it, I love being skinny!! (skinnier) Never thought I'd use that word in a positive sentence, but there you have it! Hooray for things we love!

And for all 3 of you that read my blog - I love my fans! :)

Happy Birthday AuntiE!!

2010-06-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy SURPRISE Birthday to my Aunt Elaine!!! She had absolutely no idea and it rocked to see how blown away she was to see everyone that came, all the work that went into the planning and scheming, and her favorite foods there to munch on. I of course took a ton of pictures... here are a few from the evening!

SURPRISE!!!! Happy Birthday!!! We love you oh so very much!!

Cute little family! (Minus my cousin Sean who had to work :( poor kid)

See what I mean about favorite foods?! This lady has some fantastic taste buds!!

Oh, so fun presents to open!

Pictures of Elaine and her favorite friends and family:

This was the coolest present in all the land... We were asked by the party planning committee to give Elaine a scrapbook page/layout with pictures of her & memories or a note to her, she cried with each and every page! It was wonderful to see her read and acknowledge how special and unique she is. Love you!!!!!

Tears of Joy!!

She's my aunt, my role model, my friend, and most importantly, she's my second mommy. I love her soooooooo very much!! I was extremely grateful and blessed to have spent that evening with her... and so very blessed to have been invited into her home for a great part of my life, to be raised by such an amazing woman and daughter of God. A girl couldn't ask for more!

I love you so very much AuntiE, and I truly hope we were able to show you how much you mean to us!

Girls Only Bday Party!

2010-05-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

I got to tag along on Saturday to be the official picture taker for my niece's birthday party - soooo much fun and seriously so cute girls! We picked up each of the girls after school, then headed to Sherman Kendall's (school that teaches the art of cutting/styling hair, etc).

Birthday girl!!

They each got an "up-do"

And they each chose to put some glitter in their new do's!

Nails painted....

And make-up!!

One dressed up birthday girl!

How stinkin' cute is this?!

Then we headed to a new Frozen Yogurt place, "Frogurt" which turned out to be really cool and I'll definitely be back! You grab a bowl, fill it up with frozen yogurt - 16 flavors available, add toppings - 50 to choose from, then you get your bowl weighed to figure out your price! Pretty cool if you ask me!

Every topping I could ever think of.... and some I wouldn't....

My awesome big sister can throw a mean party if you ask me! Thanks for letting me tag along!!

Another Wedding!

2010-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

May 19th, 2010 JJ and I attended the wedding of one of JJ's really great friends, Conley. It was held at Noah's in Lindon, they have multiple locations and I'm always really impressed with how the weddings turn out. They got married at 5:00 p.m., and though it was a bit windy, it was a really sweet ceremony.

Because we all know I'm a picture taking-aholic, here we go!

Bishop D Campbell & The Nervous Groom Conley

Beautiful Bride Brandie & her daddy walking down the isle.

With this ring....

I pronounce you husband & wife - you may kiss the bride!!!

Mr & Mrs!!

Gotta have one of these pictures, right??

Moses & Genevieve - our entertainment for the night! :)

Cute cupcake wedding cake! However, some people are still sheltered from this new tradition and started partaking of the cupcakes before the reception even started... I couldn't believe it!! Someone suggested they get someone to stand by the table and tell people to beat it, I responded, "No, what they need is a Candace... this wouldn't have happened if they'd hired a Candace to do their wedding." Most cocky thing I've heard come out of my mouth!! :) I told JJ to find a staff member and get them to put a sign out - I hope some where still there by the end of the night!

JJ & Conley - some of the cutest nerds to ever walk the earth!! We love you!

Mr & Mrs!!

2010-05-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

JJ and I have been stuck like glue to our awesome friends - Tyson & Melissa. We've been helping them with wedding plans for months and months and finally they got married!!! Sit back and enjoy the gorgeousness that is this wedding!

Introducing Mr & Mrs Tyson Glad!

Happy!! I just had to grab a shot of me & Mellers before she got sucked into the hours of photos that they'd be subjected to.

Married for Time and All Eternity in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Just fiddling with the black & white feature on my camera - they still look good without color...

The Beautiful Bride!

The reception, decorated by yours truly (it only took 11 hours).

The Bridesmaids. (If you'll look closely I'm the only one with pink ribbon, therefore making me the most important, Maid of Honor - that's right ladies, I'm gloating - I Rock Well.)

The Bride & Her Maid of Honor :)

Me & My handsome hubby!!!

JJ and Andrew - the best men... ok... best boys? ;) Just teasin!

Tyson's Aunt is a professional fruit carver, this was her display. Can we say "Holy Crap?!"

Tyson's little brother, Tanner, is in the Madrigals at Copper Hills High School. He brought them in to sing a special song to Melissa, the girls sang one to Tyson, then as a gift from Tanner, they all sang a song together to the Bride & Groom. It was pretty neat! Tanner is awesome in my book!!

Tyson's pulling his sexy face, trying to get the cake in the mood for some cutting!

Go Get 'Em Tiger! (Song playing at this point is "Let's Get It On" - most excellent choice!!

Tyson & Melissa's ride - decorated by: JJ, Andrew, Elaine, Lars & Kelsey. Great Job Delinquents!

Enjoy your Honey's Moon!!!

I'm so happy for these two kids and hope they have a great marriage. The wedding set up was a ton of work, more than I thought there would be, but I'm grateful I could step in and help out. Yet again, I must thank my mommy, Aunts, & sisters for raising me to be such an awesome person and great friend. I hung out all day thursday with Tyson's mom & aunt setting up the church for the reception... Hanging lights from a church ceiling - irritating... stringing icicle lights from 5 tables - painful... 11 hours with 2 Brazilian women - my saving grace! I was blessed with 2 ladies that were super sweet and extremely grateful for my help - and that definitely helped get me through the day!

Friday was the wedding, it was beautiful weather and a gorgeous temple. The ceremony was perfect, they were all smiles and couldn't let go of one another. The reception, again, was a ton of work - taking pictures, welcoming guests, setting out food (and restocking throughout the night), being a DJ, setting up the car decor, taking care of the bride & groom, helping family members with various tasks, getting the bride & groom out the door, packing up presents, cleaning up plates, taking down lights & lanterns, removing table cloths & lights from tables, cleaning up food, taking down chairs and tables.... oy... I'm getting tired all over again!

In the end, it turned out to be a perfect day for Tyson & Melissa, I'm so grateful for their friendship and that I had the ability to help out so much. I love them both!! (But I'm glad it's over too! :) tee-HEE!)

Happy Retirement Dude!

2010-05-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

April 29th, 2010 was such a crappy day! Ok, ok... it definitely had it's smiles and fun times, but it was a really hard day for me. My bestest buddy at work retired after 25 years. Here are a few pictures from the shindig....

Candace aka Dude/Brat, Jack aka Jackson/Jacko, and Roberta aka Berta/Bobbie

We were pretty much the 3 musketeers... or... maybe more like the 3 stooges!

Co-workers: Rachel, Berta & Anel

Mary, Cathy & Melissa

Berta & Anel again (they just love the camera), Joyce & Sharon

Mrs. Retiree, the punk that retired :) Jolie & me - in other words, Jack & his girls!

I planned, plotted, schemed, stressed, decorated, shopped, coordinated, and baked my heart out to make this party something he would remember for always. He deserved all the spoiling and attention, he was my best bud at work, and I really don't know how I'll get through the 10 hour days without him!

Jack had one request for his party... he wanted Salma Hayek to jump out of a cake for him, well she was a bit busy that day, so she sent her stunt double! :)

Happy Retirement Jack, I'll miss you Dude!

(A HUGE Thank You goes out to my sistay Amy... thank you for all you help, therapeutic advice and talks, and as always, thank you for helping me learn to bake this awesome cake!!)

Happy Birthday Uncle Kelly!!

2010-04-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I helped my Aunt Elaine put together a surprise party for her hubby & my uncle, Kelly. I was so excited and happy to help - Kelly means a lot to me, he's the "father figure" I looked up to on my mom's side of the fam & he's the only man I trust to ride a motorcycle with!! Being raised by a single mom for a number of years allowed me to spend a great deal of time with this family. I'm grateful for that time, for those experiences and for the relationships it's given me with each person. Thank you Elaine and Kelly for being my 2nd set of parents, I think you did a pretty good job raising me if I do say so myself!! So here's to you Uncle!

The party was soooo much fun! We surprised him good and spoiled him rotten!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kelly - I love you!!!

Showin' off his new coolness - lookin' good!!

Happy birthday Grandpa!

Happy Family!! (Sean was otherwise engaged, but we still love him)

Elaine and Kelly were beyond surprised to get some brand-spankin' new luggage from their kids - and filled with fun things for their upcoming vacation! They were pretty happy, if you couldn't tell!

Kelly needed just a little help blowing out 50 candles, thanks buddy!

Happy 50th!!

Bachelorette Party!

2010-04-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

Friday night I threw a bachelorette party for my BFF Mellers - we had an absolute blast!! I cleaned decorated, spent hours in the kitchen making Peanut Butter Bars, Andes Mint Cookies & Chocolate Covered Popcorn! She couldn't get enough of the popcorn... silly girl had an upset tummy by the end of the night! But all in all it was a FABulous time - time spent with friends she hadn't seen in months, playing games, talking, eating & painting toenails :)

Melissa & her popcorn!

The party! Showing off their sexy legs from L to R: Me, Rachel, The Bachelorette, Tammy, Elisha, Janessa & Caitlin!

Before the party I quizzed the fiance, then asked the same questions to Melissa - for every question she got wrong she had to eat a bubble gum. It was hilarious and we learned just how silly these kids are but the poor muffin had a pretty sore jaw by the end of the night! (Not to mention some nasty looking gum to spit out...)

And of course there were presents!! (I promised not to post the pictures of what was inside the bag - what happens at Candace's stays at Candace's!) Love you Mellers! Happy Wedding!

It was such a fun night and I'm soooo glad I was able to put the party together for her - she sure deserves it! A shot out to my little sister Kacie for all her support to me throughout the process. She was there to get endless pix messages of possible invitation layouts, helping with menu, shopping for essentials, game ideas & keeping me giggling and dancing the whole night. THANK YOU BUG!!! I Love You!

Let's play catch up!

2010-04-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a slacker this last little while... I've spent my free time preparing for parties, retirements and well, just getting over illness after illness so now I'll catch up on fun times not blogged about...

Event 1 - learning how to make a cake in a Pampered Chef Batter Bowl. This is truly an art to be perfected and one that I could NOT have accomplished without my awesome big sister. I turned this attempt into a grassy hill covered in Easter eggs which also celebrated my niece's birthday. Turned out sooo cute I think!

Event 2 - Celebrating my mom & 2nd oldest sister's birthdays!

My brother and cutest baby girl.

Me & my girl Shianna - such a cutie!

Me scoring another picture with my mom, I wasn't able to catch the thought bubble that read, "Good heavens Candace, who are your parents?!" :)

Me and my hot big sister - she's sporting a new hair-do and I think it's FABulous!!

My adorable nieces! LOVE YOU!

Not such a great shot of me, but this little cabbage patch kid makes me think that someday in the future I could try having kids of my own.

Event 3 - Easter at Mom-In-Law's

This is a serious task my friends, one must have complete silence and total focus when coloring eggs - this is a job for a professional!

Mom-In-Law with the grandkids - such a fun tradition!! Keep it up!

Event 4 - HAPPY EASTER!!!

The Easter Bunny came to our house!! I'm so glad the change of address didn't mix things up this year :)

And that's the gist - I have a few more pictures here and there, but these are the highlights. I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll keep this more up to date!

Better late than never?

2010-03-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

So... more happy birthday to me - family party time! We gather together on a monthly basis to celebrate the birthdays that occur during that month - there were 6 (present) so that means 6 tasty desserts!

Happy Birthday March Babies!

I made Andes Mint Cookies & added some Strawberry Shortcake to my plate because, how can you resist that??

I was born on my Grandpa's birthday, every year he says to me "It's you and me, kid!" I love it!!! Makes me feel oh so special and closer to him. I love you Gpa!

This is me and my Beautiful Damsel Grandma who has graced my blog before, I love having pictures with her - so here's one to add to the collection! I love you too, Gma! xoxo!

Lunch w/Friends!

2010-03-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

My girls at work took me out for lunch yesterday for my b-day, we went to the Royal Eatery - soooo tasty. Just a great burger, fries & diet coke. Pure happiness! On the way there we saw this awesome wall and I just knew we'd have to stop on our way back for a little photo shoot :)

I LOVE THIS!! I'm amazed at what can be done with a little spray paint!

Me and My girl Rexy being silly - I have a stupid look going on cuz she's making me laugh so hard, good times I tell ya!

Me and my girl Berta! Love this girl!!!!

Montana wanted to crawl up this doorway because there was a Black Widow spray painted in there... With some help she got up there eventually!

Montana and Roberta - so cute girls!! Thanks for a great lunch - you are all fabulous!!

More Happy Birthday!

2010-03-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

My birthday continued into the weekend - I didn't get to see any friends on my b-day so we celebrated on Saturday! I had SOOOOOOO much fun!!! I even had one of those moments where I cried because I was laughing so hard! I love that!! Here's our night:

Tyson and Melissa surprised me with brownies that were covered in frosting, sprinkles and Happy Birthday candles! My friends love me!!

Me and Jidge at Wingers - tasty food! Jidge tried their Atomic Buffalo sauce... whoa buddy, they were spicy little buggers!

Sean-a-maniac and Drewbee making me giggle as usual!!

To kill time between dinner and OBT, we hung out at the Planetarium - ok, ok... we goofed off at the Planetarium! Sean and Andrew look confused about why we're on Mars, apparently JJ is abusive on other planets, and yours truly? I guess I'm a bit of a klepto - who wouldn't want an actual Mars rock in their living room?? I know I do!

Mellers and I were loving that weightless feeling on the Moon! :)

After we were done visiting other planets, we made our way to the Off Broadway Theater!! My favorite place downtown!! Improv comedy is the greatest I tell ya. Jidge and I haven't been there in forever so we were super excited to return. Melissa had never been there, so I was excited to take her - but she got a bonus! They called her on stage!! They did a skit called "Human Action Figures"

I have a video of this hilarity but I can't get it to work on here... maybe later. I'm sooo sad it didn't work - It was awesome! Thank you for a great night!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-03-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

My birthday continued... but it didn't get that much better. I got to go shopping with my sister, but I couldn't find any of the items I had been hoping for, didn't find anything I had to have, etc and that just sucks. I hate not having that feeling of excitement, that rush of finding something that is just perfect. The positive side: I got to be with my sister and we got to go in shops without fear of children's hands gravitating towards the "look, but don't touch" items.

After shopping I hung out on the couch while JJ finished up homework. Neat.

Then we went out to dinner with my family: Dad & Barb, Amy & Jayson, Joe & Court, Mom & Art and all the little kids...

I didn't get to sit quite where I wanted and ended up being in that spot where you don't get to be a part of any big conversation... Happy Birthday to me.

Here are some of the highlights:

Me and my sweetheart - he kept me together on this day... every time I broke down into tears he was right there to make it all okay again. I love my honey!

Mom and the ever evasive Arthur.

My smiley sisters.

Rock On!!

My Daddy and his lady Barb.

Court and the cutest baby in all the land!

Me and my Daddy - I LOVE YOU DADDY!

A smooch from my baby sister!

The Iggy's staff singing a birthday wish to me!

After Iggy's we went back to my sister's house for dessert - she made AAAAaaammazing caramel brownies....aahhh.... sorry, started to drool... so very tasty!!

Flowers from the mom-in-law, so pretty! I haven't really ever had anything but white roses so I didn't think I'd like these very much; but they are sooo fun! I love the bright colors and they just light up my kitchen! Thank you Momma R - they make me smile!!

Begin the Birthday Bash!

2010-03-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

So, I'm REALLY irritated this morning - I woke up at 3: freaking 30 AM! Why you ask? I have no clue! The biggest thing on my birthday wish list was to sleep in but no, that would be wrong apparently. I woke up & couldn't fall back asleep, so I went to the couch in hopes that being away from a snoring husband would help... wrong again. I laid there listening to the clock tick, tick, tick. When JJ got up for school I went back to bed and got maybe a 20 minute nap. Uggg.

But let's start with Sunday, we had dinner at my sister's house with Dad & family. It was going well until I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, tripped on my nephew's step-stool and fell. But don't worry, my right ribs cushioned my fall against the corner of the counter top so I didn't hit the ground. Holy Crap that hurt! I've had a red mark and slight bruising since then, it's really tender and therefore can't lay on my right side (which I favor) for very long. But the food was GREAT, goofing off with my baby sister was a blast (thank you bug, you have given me soooo many smiles this week!!!), and my Aunt gave me an awesome rice bag which will hopefully help sooth the pain in my ribs! Woot!

You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family! :) But I would pick this sister - she's freaking heee-larious! DATSWHAIMTAWKINBOUT!!

Moving on... Things haven't much improved since the fall, as you can probably tell. I had plans with some friends this weekend, half have bailed - Rock. On. I didn't get to sleep in. My tummy is acting funny. I'm so very tired. I feel picked on!!

Well.... Happy Birthday to me.... let's hope it gets better!

Stamp Sets For Sale!

2010-03-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

FOR SALE: These Close To My Heart stamp sets are obviously cute... I just have never used them and don't think they should just sit around collecting dust - so they are For Sale!!
First Come, First Serve!! Please see names and prices listed below!
Leave a comment or call/text me if you'd like any of them! Thanks!

D1002: The Simple Things - Reg $22.95 Sale $12.00

D1084: Love Tags - Reg $22.95 Sale $12.00

D1026: Beauty Seen - Reg $22.95 Sale $12.00

These are random stamps, collected over the years... Sale Price $3.00

Alphabet stamps (the stamp set in the middle has been sold) and a "You're Invited" party invite stamp set - purchased from misc companies. Sale Price $3.00 each

It finally happened...

2010-02-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

In a desperate attempt to get herself to Hawaii my dear big sister suckered me into becoming an Usborne Book consultant. Can you believe it? I know, totally thought if I ever gave into being a consultant for any company it would have been Lia Sophia. However, these books really are awesome and even though I have no children (yet) I own around 20 titles. I don't quite know if I'll try to make something of this, get me some money on the side, or just let it expire. I guess that rests on you, my readers! All 3 of you! HA! If you're interested in hosting a show - which would earn you 50% off some books and getting others for FREE! - please let me know! I would love to get you and your kids some really great books! Check out my website if you're interested! www.ubah.com/G3324 Thanks! Wish me luck!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

JJ and I have spread Valentine's Day out over a week or so because he's had so much homework and then work, so we weren't going to have a whole day to be together - so we spread the love! We ate out some nights, went to see "Valentine's Day" at the District (Fabulous movie!!!), ate lots of chocolate, cuddled on the couch, etc - but most of all just enjoyed our love for one another!

Friday night I was waiting for my Valentine to get home from work and the doorbell rang... what the?? No one comes to visit so I was immediately skeptical. This is what I opened the door to!

A tiny Koala bear holding a Love You! balloon :) someone loves me!

Valentine's morning I got up and decorated the kitchen table, then made pink waffles with dark chocolate chips for my sweetie - he gushed over how good they were the whole time! GO me!

Present time! Jidge got some new shoes & some Tootsie rolls (he loves the vanilla ones) and I got another stuffed animal "bear"ing presents - chocolate, a girls best friend. I also got a new tank and sweater (seen in the next picture...) I love you JJ!

Smiling kids in pink! We look so cute together, don't cha think???

Me and Caitlin - super cute sister! We just had to have a picture since we looked like we could be going to a school dance with our matching outfits :)

We ate dinner at JJ's mom's house - she made heart-shaped meatloaf! Sooo very impressed by this! My sister can't stand meatloaf - hello, it's a LOAF of MEAT! Ug! hahaha, but I'm a fan and very much enjoyed this tasty Valentine's dinner!

The girls! I look a bit evil but JJ was making me laugh pretty hard so you get a crazy face!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Superbowl XLIV!!!

2010-02-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Are You Ready For Some Football?!?! We sure were! We joined some of my siblings at my dad's to watch the game, laugh at commercials and eat some seriously yummy food.

Superbowl XLIV: Saints vs. Colts - Go Saints!!!!

We didn't have any Saints attire so we went with a little Steelers and Buccaneers clothing instead, showing some love for the sport at least!

This was my sad attempt at making a cake into a football.... It didn't go well to say the very least and I was pretty distraught over the whole catastrophe, but JJ insisted that we eat it. It was just further evidence that I am not a chef/baker.

Stop The Presses!!! My pigs in a blanket turned out awesome - they were a hit! They disappeared so fast! I also made Muddy Buddies - soooooo delicious! I apparently just need to limit my ingredients, make sure there's not much required from the human making it, and as little cooking as possible and I do ok!

Cute Fans!

The Saints WIN!!!!! WooHoo!!!! I snapped this shot, classic gatorade dump! I love me some Breez!!! :) Hope you all enjoyed your Superbowl Sunday!

My Beautiful Damsel!

2010-02-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is my sweet Grandma, she always calls me her "beautiful damsel" :) How cute is that, right? Sometimes I can call her that before she says it to me and it always makes her giggle. I live to make her smile and laugh, it's one of my very favorite things!!

So for one of my ideas on getting her to smile super big was to take her to see New Moon!!!

The piece of paper that looks like a film strip has a picutre of Edward on the bottom (you can barely see it) but boy oh boy how she giggled when she saw him!

I took her to see Twilight so I wanted to continue with the tradition, my mom and I took her to the District to see the movie & eat some lunch.

Girls Love Vampires!!! :) As we sat down with our lunch (from the deli - oh how I love their turkey sandwiches and fries!!) I asked my Grandma how she liked it... her response? "Well, the werewolves really scared me!" Ooops... I kinda forgot about those, so very sorry Grandma! I'll have to see the next movie and really think about things like that. But we had a fantastic time and really need to do fun things like that more often!

Excuse Me... I ordered the LARGE!

2010-01-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Holy Huge House Batman! My uncle moved into a new "home" this past weekend... and when I say house, I really mean Mansion!! :) This place has 17 rooms and 32 bathrooms! Ok, so I might be exaggerating a little, there are really only 7 bathrooms. I was glad to help him move as he was awesome enough to help JJ and I out in our endeavor, and I was amazed at their new abode. The driveway was a bit steep and I ended up twisting my already bad knee so I trunked out a bit early, but I was able to walk through the entire mansion with my Grandma and that was just priceless! Here are just a few shots...

This is the DOWNSTAIRS kitchen if you can believe that. It's nicer than most people's own kitchen! It was just gorgeous and I was extremely jealous to say the least.

If I thought I was jealous of the kitchen it was nothing compared to what I felt when we discovered this room at the end of a long, wide hallway - The Theater. 3 levels, Giant screen, leather couches... what more could a movie lover like myself ask for?? Hey uncle, can I rent out your theater for a night?! :)

Congrats on the new home uncle - it's beautiful and I can't wait for the next family party!!

Spur-Of-The-Moment!

2010-01-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

On Thursday my sister Amy and I decided to be good little granddaughters and drive to Sunny St George to take care of our sweet Grandma. She went through surgery on Tuesday and it took a lot more out of her than expected. So we packed our bags and raced to her side.

We helped put all her Christmas decorations away and restore order to her home. Did some grocery shopping, light cleaning and just stayed by her side to do any other task she just couldn't do on her own. We visited, watched movies and made her smile as often as possible. My grandpa was able to go on an ATV ride he had thought he would have to cancel as well, I think it's freaking awesome that my 75 year old Grandpa is out on the trails - throwin' up dust! We left on Sunday afternoon after many smiles and endless thank-you's. I'm soooo glad we were able to go down and take care of both of them, grateful we had the time and ability to do so. Thanks for asking for our help Grandma and Grandpa, we truly enjoyed our time with you, thank you for the nice relaxing weekend!! And boy oh boy did we enjoy the weather!! A sunshiny 57 degrees!! Woo Hoo! :)

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Family, Friends & Followers! We partied this year again at the Orr home - and it was a blast as usual! Playing games, eating delicious food, laughing uncontrollably, seeing cousins from distant lands, playing more games, lighting fireworks, kissin' at midnight... and finally falling into bed at 4:15 AM = GOOD TIMES!!!

This is what you consider a good time at a party?! Monopoly??? Will one in the end - don't Lawyers always get what they want? Why even play!?

Baby Girl is ready to party!!

Rachel is freaking awesome!! Love this girl to pieces. She brings life, laughter and smiles to any party - any girl that does the worm in her wedding dress is a staple to a great party :)

Me and my mommy!!

Whilst setting off fireworks my Aunt Julie released a mini air balloon - here we go with 2010!

This may be completely gross - but he had me laughing sooooo freaking hard! I love you Sean!

Drewbee wins the most annoying award - he mastered the act of making the most high pitched squeal from these things! I'm sure dogs around the neighborhood were going crazy!

He may be putting in the wrong place, but at least Bri isn't being as loud as the others!!

Me and Wendy Girl :) She flew off soon after the party to return to the East Coast, her fancy new job in D.C. awaits! Congrats and Good Luck!

Me & Cassie - the most adorable girl on the planet!! I love you!

PARTY PING PONG:

A must have to every New Year's Bash - my family rocks!

Mommy & Brother keepin' the party going - pour that bubbly!

A Toast to us! Happy New Year!

Uh-Oh... It's all gone....

XOXO!! I look forward to spending another year with you my love!

Christmas Eve, Christmas, & Boxing Day!

2009-12-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! I trust everyone had a fabulous time and got everything they wanted from Santa! Here are the events over the weekend - so many parties!!

We started out the holiday celebration at my sister's house for Christmas Eve.... We ate lots of yummy food, sat around talking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company.

That was followed by a friendly game of Wii - my dad is sword fighting JJ in this picture. It was the first time my dad had played and I think he did a really great job!

Eventually JJ and I were the only ones left, we stayed long enough to see the kids put out their Christmas cookies and notes for Santa - so stinking cute!!

This says: "Reindeer Food --> How's Rudolph? How are the other reindeer? Merry Christmas!" It truly is one of the funnest things to experience Christmas with/through a child's eyes. All the excitement, believing and sweet things - thank you Emily for letting us spend that time with you and your family!

Christmas Morning!!! Santa came to our house!!!!

Stockings are my very favorite part so I'm glad Santa was able to find our new home and fill them with goodies and fun things!

I gave JJ a "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" t-shirt from thinkgeek.com - he Loved it!!

When I was a little girl Hungry Hungry Hippos was my very favorite game, I got so excited when I found out the stores were selling it again. I got even more excited when I unwrapped my very own game!

These are Bucky Balls - also from thinkgeek.com. JJ's been asking for these for months and months so I finally broke down and got them. I have a video of him opening this present but I'm pretty sure he'd get mad if I posted it, so a picture will have to do! He has played with these little magnetic balls everyday.... pretty much nonstop... I think I rocked Christmas this year!

Yes those are tears. JJ surprised me with a sparkly addition to my wedding ring. I figured I'd get this after he graduated, but boy oh boy was I Wrong!!! Tears immediately came to my eyes when I figured out what the small box was. I love you honey!!! XOXOX

After breakfast we went up to visit JJ's mom.

We didn't get to spend much time with her so we went to see Sherlock Holmes with her the day after Christmas. It is THE BEST movie!!! I absolutely loved it and could have turned around and saw it again! Highly recommended!

After Carol Anne's we moved the party up to my Grandma & Grandpa's house...

Merry Christmas!!! Thank you for hosting such a huge party - with the exception of one missionary the ENTIRE family was there... I can't believe we fit!

Amy & Family.

Emily & Family.

Joe & Family.

Me and my sweetie!

Boxing Day!

Christmas at my mom's. Because there is so much going on the day before and the day of my mom celebrates the day after. JJ, Joe and Jayson suckered Amy into playing Monopoly - that game takes forever!!

Presents! I gave this niece of mine 3 books for Christmas, she opened them & immediately started reading. I think I looked back over at her maybe 20 minutes later and she was on page 47... she's just amazing!

Merry Christmas to me! I have a bunch of movie decor and I finally got the last piece!

Spoiled!!! A Belgian Waffle maker and a griddle - breakfast is going to rock well at our house!

The weeks leading up to Christmas were spent making another quilt - this one for my mom and Art. My siblings and I schemed, planned, were in cahoots, lied, etc to keep the secret from them. It was so fun! :) They were so excited and my mom just couldn't believe it. She knew how much work went into mine, so she was truly impressed and thankful. We love you Mommy!!

Party Overload!! (3 blogs in 1)

2009-12-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for lots of pictures?? Because here we go!!!

Merry Christmas from the Rockwells! We started off the weekend with Christmas with the Rockwell family, well... most of the Rockwell family - JJ has one sister who lives out of state, we miss them so very much and hope to see them soon.

JJ's little sister Caitlin and her family.

Genevieve just LOVES jewelry. She wandered all over the house with these pearls, just smiling so big. She's a princess for sure!

We gave her some books for Christmas - the green one is called "Panda in the Park," once the paper fell off and she could see the panda she scrunched her face up into a smile and kissed the book, so stinkin' cute!

My dessert! My family has had this cake recipe around for years and I finally decided to try to make it... it was very stressful... I can't thank my sister Amy enough for letting me bug her at 11:00 at night asking for directions, tips and a calming voice. I couldn't have done it without you - and look how pretty it turned out!!

Getting a little tipsy for the holidays? Don't worry - it's just Martinelli's. He gave her a little sip and put the bottle down - she threw a huge fit until he gave her more... She gets her way - a princess for sure!

Onto the next party...

My brother blessed his baby girl on Sunday - this is the cute family!

Cousin Wendy!!!! This amazing girl lives on the East coast these days, being brilliant, living life and getting more gorgeous every time I see her. She came home for the holidays so I had to snag a picture. Love you Wendy Girl!

Gorgeous. That's just what she is!!!

Me and my baby sister! We used to spend sooooooo much time together, but now we both have grown up jobs, houses to take care of and husbands to adore so we don't get goof off as much. But I'll take any time I can get! Love you bug!

And one more picture of my sweet niece - I just can't get enough of her!! I sat next to her on the floor and just took picture after picture because she kept smiling at me - that's heaven right there!

Onto Party #3!

Christmas with my Dad's family followed the blessing, here's me and my sisters getting everything ready in the kitchen.

Every year everyone is to bring a $5 gift to exchange. For the kids I printed off different holiday pictures, the kids move in a circle while we sang Jingle Bells, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, etc. We stopped singing, pulled out a picture from a hat and whichever kid was on that picture got to pick a present from the pile - turned out to be way fun!

Alex was so excited he got playdoh! Merry Christmas!!

Shianna, Kelsey and I are having F-U-N!!! (And so is Kacie there in the background :) silly girl!)

The big kids played "Bad Santa" this year- all the gifts go in the middle of the room, the youngest to oldest we pick a present from the center or steal from one of the gifts already opened. I picked the harmons bag because it was so cute and was very happy with the inside! I was a lucky duck that no one stole from me!

My Grandpa ended up with a barbie doll!

After my post about my quilt made by my Grandma, she called me telling me how wonderful it was to see such a tribute to her and to the quilt. So being the sneaky grandkid that I am, I put together a scrapbook of that weekend. I also added pictures of all the quilts she's made with a note from each person to her about their quilt. I started reading the note for her that was just inside the box and lost it... tears galore. We were both pretty choked up and hugged for a long time - a very special moment between Grandma and Granddaughter for sure.

Merry Christmas Grandma Lee Lee - I Love You!!!!

I had complained to my dad about struggling with my tiny crockpot, it hardly holds a 3lb roast and if I'm gunna be a good housewife I have to do better than that! So I was soooo very excited to open this from my daddy - bring on the good meals baby!

What a weekend! Time for a nap I think!

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Look How Pretty!!

Getting ready to decorate the tree! We got our tree from my brother, screamin' deal I tell ya, and I'm just absolutely in love with it. Pre-lit is the way to go! Add some decor and you're good to go!

This picture proves that JJ is a funny picture taker... yes I have the string of bells in my hand but could you wait until their out of the plastic so you can actually SEE them?? Silly Boy!

This is so much fun! Merry Christmas!

JJ kept making me laugh while adjusting the star so we ended up with a picture that looks totally fake and forced, but really, I am smiling and laughing.... at JJ :)

So pretty tree! I love plugging it in when I get home from work, very Christmas-y!

And onto wrapping presents! I could NOT figure out how to wrap JJ's sister's present so I just wrapped a box and put everything inside - pure genius I think!

Presents and presents galore!

These are my bestest wrapping job - presents for the nieces with flower hair clips from Del Sol as the bow. These are so cool - their white, but when you go out into the sunshine they change colors! Hope the girls like them!

The Last Box!

2009-12-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

JJ and I officially moved into our apartment on November 21st... and finally, after hours of work, sweat, tears, swear words (not the really bad ones but when you drop a box on your foot, something is bound to be shouted), laughter & memories, I unpacked the very last box on Friday!! It was the best feeling!!! Here are a few pictures BEFORE I loaded the apartment with cra.... uh... furniture, appliances, etc.

Family Room/Living Room area. Thank you to my sister for keeping our TV at your house during our stay at the 'rents house - we're glad it didn't have to suffer the storage unit.

The kitchen. I'm pretty happy with the set up, I have a pretty big counter this time around. Plenty of room for all the baking and cooking I WILL be doing!! (Positive attitude required for goals, right?)

Of course I took a picture of the master closet - what girl wouldn't?!?! :)

THE last box. This is it! No more! No more walking into a room, sigh and think... oh yeah... I forgot about that one... I'm D.O.N.E. Woot Woot!

As stated above there were quite a few giggles while opening boxes and finding little "treasures," items I packed up years ago and have been dragging with me with every move. High school pictures, diploma, letters upon letters from missionaries, a little lockbox I kept cool things in: pennies with shapes cut out of them, old car keys, seashells from California, etc. Among all that were some clothes from my childhood that made me laugh right out loud. I LOVED these shirts!! I took pictures because I had to share! Enjoy!

"Cattelac"

This has little polar bears skiing and snow flakes - all the white stuff is puffy, how old school is that?!

And now, decorate for Christmas! Stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-12-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day everyone! As usual I had to opportunity to enjoy 2 Thanksgivings, so it's a big post... sorry for that but it's just the way I am!

This is my uncle's apron - He's a manly guy - can you tell??? Thank you to the Orr family for hosting & squishing 43 people into your home. We are truly thankful for all your hard work!!!

Me & My sisters - and baby of course, she's never far away!

Me & Baby! I snatched her up as soon as I got through the door! I just can't get enough of her!

Beautifully decorated tables, don't you think? My mom and her siblings each took a table to decorate, I thought it was a fabulous idea and it turned out great! I sat at the table in the front of the picture with the white napkins... we had the best table because of our centerpiece:

Isn't is beautiful?! Our table was also the most popular among the kids. We were interrupted every few minutes by little hands reaching for the candy - usually the little cousins are off playing and I don't get to see them, so it was a treat for me to get to see each of them.

My handsome husband and a beautiful damsel - priceless picture!

After dinner we gathered downstairs to watch 2 videos. The first was my cousin Brian's football video, it was freaking awesome. He was on the Skyline Varsity football team... No, he WAS the Skyline football team! :) I never got to see him play in person, but he's been in the newspaper, sports highlights on tv and getting to see his video was great. He had an accident a couple of months ago and it ended his days of football, but he did get the 'Ok' to play basketball. I'll have to make it to one of those games so I can see the awesomeness that is Brian!

The next video was of my brother-in-law Dave, cousins Jon and Sean and the Wasatch Cruiser Club. It was highlights from their 3 day ride on the Rubicon - mud, water, ledges, rocks - it was mind blowing. It was great to finally see what Dave can do in his Cruiser and finally appreciate the art that is climbing over rocks in a Toyota - thank you for opening my eyes!

After the videos were watched & the pie consumed, we gathered upstairs to play some games. We played a name game (too difficult to explain), celebrity & psychiatrist. This is Jon, Sean and Jake trying to be sneaky about their next move...

Andrew being upset that he knew the right answer but changed his mind at the last second... silly boy - go with your gut!!

The Saturday after my siblings and I gathered at my daddy's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with him. The Turkey is a Go!

Doesn't that just make your mouth water???

Happy girls!!! I had to share this picture - made me smile!

Dessert time!

My sister Amy has inspired me to try new things and attempt to bring out the cook in me. So I found this picture on the internet and decided to give it a shot.... The circle things are ELFudge cookies flipped over, they are the ones that have chocolate on bottom and have the stripes on top (hopefully that made sense....)

Melt a bag of chocolate chips, roll some big marshmallows around in it until it's completely covered, then place it on the cookie!

Then you add some frosting.....

And Wah-La! Pilgrim Hat Cookies!!

The kids (yes that includes my husband) didn't want to wait for the chocolate to set so they each had one and got seriously messy! Sorry mom's!

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend - lots to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my family, my friends, my job, my home and to be blessed with the gospel & a temple marriage to my sweet hubby. And of course to all my readers - all 5 of you! ;) Love you all!

Kids are cute... especially when they aren't yours!

2009-11-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

When JJ and I moved into my mom's basement and into her ward, I was nervous about what calling I might be given... I prayed that it wouldn't be the nursery, it's a calling I've never, ever wanted.
Background info first: Growing up I had always said I didn't want kids, wouldn't have any and if by some miracle I did have some, I definitely wouldn't have as many as my mom & dad did. I just didn't do well around them, they always cried when I tried holding them, etc. A few years before I met JJ I changed... slightly... I figured I could have one, Maybe two. Then I met and married my honey and after a year of marriage had a couple baby hungry moments.... but still knew I'd only want a small number, and most of the time those moments would be squashed by a screaming child or the realization of what immense responsibility comes with having a kid. Nope, not ready.
Back to the present: We were called to the nursery. JJ was instantly in agreement, big smile on his face - this was his calling - he loves kids. The bishop then turned to me, lost his smile a little and said, "Candace? You have this sheer look of terror on your face, are you ok?" Uhh, not so much. We accepted the calling, of course, and spent a year taking care of other people's kids for 2 hours every sunday. To say that it was easy, my favorite calling, that I eventually overcame all my fears would be a complete and total lie. :) There were good days and bad, awful moments that made me want to rip my hair out and moments of pure joy and happiness, bad kids and good kids, lessons learned and patience gained... lost.. and gained again. I hope the parents don't mind me posting these pictures, but I taught the kids to share so I have to be an example, right??

So here we go! At the beginning of the hour when each kid came into the room we'd pull out their own "bee" and put it on the board - this is our Nursery class:

Only 10 kids... wait... only?? That's too many in my book! ;)
Typical Nursery day: Play with toys, singing time & parade with instruments, snack time, lesson, coloring or water color, reading time, then we mix it up with music time, dress up, bubbles, balloons, monkeys being jumbled around in a sheet, or scouting for bugs outside when the weather was nice. If you don't get tired just reading all of that, then you're a better person than I!

This is Lydia, my princess! She immediately stuck to me and would run to give me a hug every time she saw me. For some reason my name came out "Candle" instead and it stuck, so much so that on the teaching schedule that's what I was called.

This is Colter, my prince. He is THE best kid. I don't think I ever had to yell or discipline this adorable kid. If I was ever having a hard time with one of the other kids, I'd stick to Colter and he'd calm me down. He's my bestest boy!

This is mini JJ. Ok, his name is Tyler but I swear these two are related. Tyler definitely had his ups and downs but he's a sweetheart and could always make us laugh.

Meet Cory and Tapanga, oh uh, I mean Shaden and MaKenna. These kids hold hands, play house with the baby dolls, and after watching JJ and I waltz during music time, started to copy us. If you asked Makenna who she were going to marry it was always Shaden and visa versa - keep a close eye on these two!

This is Bridger, our peach - seriously, enlarge the picture and you'll agree his hair is peach-esk! Light colored fuzz that sticks out at every point, stinkin' cute kid and always ready with a big grin - this kid would smile at anything!

This is darling Olivia, I could never get over how absolutely gorgeous this little one is. This particular sunday she wouldn't have anything to do with my camera and turned away at the last second every time, so sadly this is one of the only ones I could sneak of her. So it's not the best but had to spotlight her.

This is Amie inspecting baby Mazzie. Amie just recently joined nursery so she doesn't talk at all yet, chews on just about everything, and couldn't get enough of the baby. Mazzie isn't old enough for nursery but her mom was called to help replace our moving out so Mazzie got to come too.

Dress Up Time!

Bubble Time! That's Leah in the background blowing bubbles - we have to take turns cuz we get so light headed trying to keep up with the kids popping them like crazy.

Balloons for everyone!

And that's all folks! I very much enjoyed my first Sunday out of Nursery, but I have to admit I love all those kids and am glad I got to know each of their personalities! Thanks for the memories!

The Time Has Finally Arrived!!

2009-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

We made it!! JJ and I moved into my mom's basement last year to accomplish some goals: pay off our credit cards - thus getting out of debt, save for a down payment, and finally purchase a home. Once the cards were done, finished, gone, defunct, etc. we were preparing for the challenge of house hunting when an idea was presented by my oldest sister: Why don't you not buy a house and put JJ through school instead? So that it only takes 4 years instead of 10-15??

Hadn't thought of that... so after some serious thought (and time at the temple) JJ and I agreed that it really was the best thing for us to do. A few weeks after that was when JJ lost his job (if you've read my previous posts you'll be in the know with that info), we were so very relieved that we hadn't purchased a home - we would have been in serious risk of not being able to make the payments. Phew! Thankfully, JJ found a part time job and has started his full-time student lifestyle. Having adjusted to the new income and schedule we thought it was time to get an apartment. We checked out a few places but were really impressed with Cascade Springs in West Jordan. After getting out of the car at one complex and feeling the need to not let go of JJ for any amount of time, get back in the car and drive away, I wasn't too sure we would like any of the apartments we had on our list. But I was saved! We got to Cascade Springs and I immediately felt like I was where I needed to be, it felt like home.

We checked out the apartments they had available and put a deposit down asap. So, with great excitement I tell you all - We're Moving!!!! Wahoooooo!!!!! We're moving this Saturday - please pray for good weather for us! Let me know if you'd like to help! :)

Here's our layout - 2 bed, 1 bath. We're getting a screamin' deal & can't wait to get settled!

Home Sweet Home!

The Zoo!!

2009-11-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last Friday my sister told me she wanted to do something fun with her kids, I suggested the zoo but on one condition - she had to let me tag along!! And being an awesome sister she said of course! So my mom and I tagged along and got to see all the cute animals!

Baby Elephant!!! This is the newest addition to the Elephant Encounter - Zuri! We sat there watching her play for probably a good 30-40 minutes. It was so much fun to watch her attempt to pick things up with her trunk, figure out how to position her feet just right, move the red balls around - just so stinkin' cute!

Baby Zuri!

This is the new baby Giraffe - I couldn't remember/find the name of this baby, but it's still cute!

As the mommy giraffe headed toward this fence I raced over to get an up close and personal shot - look how close this guy got!

There were 3 Amur Tigers born at Hogle zoo as well - this is only one... pictures don't work out so well when there's a fence in the way...

This Orangutan was so fun to watch - climbing in and out of his hammock, playing with the "toys" available, etc. In this picture he's eating an orange - ironic?

We have our cheeks puffed out to try for that monkey look... didn't work all that well apparently!

HUGS!! Aunt Candace gave the kidlets a baggie filled with coins so they could buy something fun at the gift shop - I got hugs in return! It was totally worth it :)

Had to make a stop at the Carousel!

And ride the train! What the "white roller coaster" is to Lagoon, this train is to Hogle - I wasn't sure it was going to make it around the entire track!

All in all it was a fantastic day. I love going to the zoo at least once a year and really didn't think I'd get to go this year. So I send a thank you to Amy for choosing this activity for your kids. I loved seeing all the baby animals and spending time with family - can't get much better!

THE Event...

2009-11-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

To say “we came, we saw, we went” wouldn’t do last night any justice. It was BIG night, so therefore this will be a BIG blog, and you have been warned!

To also say that I was a fan of this individual also wouldn’t be fair. My big sistay Amy asked me to go along with her… So I went thinking no big deal, right? Boy Howdy was I wrong!! But she can never doubt how much I love her, love spending time with her, love seeing her smile & laugh… Amy – you were worth it!! That being said, after the hours I spent cold, hungry, tired, uncomfortable, etc can be attributed to my becoming a fan.

So with Diet Coke close at hand to keep me awake this morning, let’s get this Blog started!!

Hot Chocolate $1.49

Blueberry Pop Tart $0.89

Cookbook $27.50

Spending the evening with your best friend/sister to meet The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond – Priceless.

Ree Drummond, thepioneerwoman.com, has published a cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl. Salt Lake was on her list of cities to visit on her book signing tour; she was here last night, one night only, at the King’s English Bookstore. Amy and I decided to meet there to save time as she was scheduled to speak at 6:30. I raced there after work to find a line going from the Gallery (where she was scheduled to speak) down to the corner of the block, turned and headed up the street… oh dear. I made a few rounds until I found an empty neighborhood street to park in. I walked to the bookstore and stood in line to purchase a book, as did many other fans. The lady in front of me bought 7 books!! Sheesh! I bought one for Amy and I, then headed back to the distant, very far away, end of the line. One of the workers came by, stopping every few people to give info & tickets.

The tickets are a very important part mind you…. To get your book signed you must have a ticket. Every ticket had a letter on it, A-Z. Every letter had 20 tickets (20 A’s, 20 B’s – you get the idea, yes?) So I asked for 2 tickets – we were L. I tucked the tickets into my newly purchased books and continued to wait whilst trying to take a good picture of the line in front of me… it didn’t work too well though...

Eventually the line started to move at a turtle’s pace. One by one we crammed into the Gallery, when I entered it was standing room only so we lined the walls but being extremely careful not to touch anything.

This painting was worth $14,500!!! That’s more than my car! Anyway, moving on…

Amy finally arrived, but to our dismay they refused to let her in as the Gallery was at max capacity. I gave up my position to get to her, when the vultures (the workers) had their backs turned for a split second she ducked in and we lost ourselves in the crowd… here’s the Gallery:

We weren’t able to get a straight view of her, I had to get on my tiptoes and put my arm in the air and snap away hoping I was aiming in the right place…

Here she is!! She talked very briefly but was sooo excited to see how many people came, told some great stories, answered questions, and successfully made us all laugh and smile and forget the annoyance with lines, standing in the cold, miniscule room and the vultures. When done, she was escorted from the room to the bookstore just down the street... snapping pictures while she walked by felt like a total paparazzi moment!

Now we come back to the tickets… ah, the golden tickets as they were. A’s were first, obviously, B’s and C’s lined up out the door to await their turn. We found a few other L’s to hang with, take jabs at the vultures, share love for the blog & Ree, give line-cutters a hard time and brave the coldness. This is also the point where we really thought about where we were in the scheme of things. L is the twelfth letter in the alphabet so even if we were in the very from of our little group there would still be 220 people in front of us… oy!

After an hour they were only at B…. A woman with and A had gone in with 28 books… I figured, one ticket = one person = one book to have signed, apparently I was wrong! So we waited, waited, ate the snacks in my purse, waited some more… slowly but surely they moved inside: D… E… F… G… the crowd applauding each time a new letter was announced. As the night progressed and the minutes clicked by our group of L’s dwindled to just Amy and I – we’re not quitters! Troopers we were! They came out and told people that were R’s that they might want to seriously rethink staying. There were even people that didn’t have tickets that were told that when the ticket holders were all done, they would be allowed inside on a first-come, first-serve basis. I was very grateful to be an L at that point!! However, I was starving, thirsty and freezing so we decided to walk to the car, hit the gas station for hot chocolate and “dinner,” and race back. We found a much better parking spot upon our return and got back in line just as L’s were at the door – perfect timing!!!

This is the front of the book store.... The next one is the line behind us...

Once inside the bookstore, however, you get a better feel for that line… you weaved around stacks of books in the center, up 3 stairs, down the hall into the kids room, around the pillar at the end, back into the hall you were just in, up 2 more stairs… and right to the table Ree Drummond was perched to smile, sign, laugh, repeat.

We were told she wouldn’t pose for pictures so I snapped what I could, but think it’s so cute that she’s signing Amy’s book in the picture.

(I was carrying too much stuff and was too excited that I didn’t realize until after all was said and done that I didn’t get a single picture of me… duh.)

She was oh so very sweet, when I told her I was excited to start using her book – she was going to teach me how to cook, she laughed and said, “Hey, if I can make gravy – you can make gravy!” I hope she’s right!

We maneuvered our way out of the bookstore, through the group of people still waiting and back to our cars. I got home, scrubbed my face, brushed my teeth and fell into bed around 11-11:15... I think…

All in all, it was a crazy, fun, tiring, amazing, first time experience. I don’t know that I’ll ever go to one of those again, but it was fun, something I’d never done before and I certainly enjoyed spending time with my sister. And I got to meet a fabulous woman and get a very cool cookbook. It was worth it!

Baby Girl!... and BOO!

2009-11-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Two Blogs in one: To start off this entry we'll begin with the birth of my neice - she came into my brother's little family at the end of October, I'm slow on getting the pictures posted!

Me and baby girl! I did NOT want to put her down!! She's gunna be spoiled!

This is her leaving outfit - time to go to your new home little one!!!

Happy Halloween!!! Every Halloween my mom buys everyone a pumpkin for carving, baby girl is just to little this year, but she still gets a punkin'! :) Sooooo Stinkin' CUTE!!!!

Happy Halloween!!! This is at my mom's pumpkin carving party - JJ was "preppie" this year and I was... I don't know - evil Candace? Dark Chocolate Candee? Whatever I was it was fun!

Rock On RockWells!

Getting the face on my pumpkin... Very serious work going on people...

And who gets to grace my first pumpkin in who knows how many years??

Jack Skellington!!

2 boys, 2 knives, 1 pumpkin... asking for trouble?

After the pumpkins are carved and lunch is eaten everyone gets a donut!! Tasty Treats!

Isn't my punkin' the coolest??? I love it!!!!

THE Quilt!!! It's done!

2009-10-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

First of all: I'm sorry for a few things... 1) That it's taken me so long to get this posted. 2) That the post is forever long, but to do this project, quilt, weekend, etc. some justice it deserves to be lengthy. And finally 3) for never fully comprehending just how much work, effort, sweat, blood and tears it takes to put one of these together. You're amazing Grandma, I'm sorry I don't tell you that enough. A HUGE Thank You to my 3 sisters for helping out so much to get this done, I literally couldn't have done it without you!! I love you all!!!

Next, the story of this quilt... Every time one of my Grandma's grandchildren has gotten married she's made a levi quilt out of the kid's and spouse's old jeans. She calls them "Pockets of Love" because in the center of each quilt there's a pocket from each person, openings facing each other and pouring out their love... I've always wanted one, and it's finally happening!! :)

So Let's Get This Party Started!!!

I packed up my car, grabbed Amy & Emily and drove down to Sunny St George! I forced my sisters to listen to some very old, very bad music but it had us laughing for hours and that's what matters!! So we showed up late Thursday night, this was the state of my quilt. Grandma had cut most of the pieces (we added more as we went) and arranged them in the pattern she's used for everyone's quilt.

On the back of each quilt is fabric that is specific to & represents the grandchild. Naturally she picked patriotic fabric for me!! She bought what was left so I'm getting ready to sew the pieces together in this pic...

Me & My Sisters!!!! THANK YOU!!!

Kacie came down on Saturday morning - that's a long trip all by yourself, I know from personal experience, so it meant so very much to me that she made it!

To start the quilt you pin one row together, mark it on the back so you have a guide for sewing, then sew the whole thing together, then you have to press the back so the little flaps stay down...

then you start on the next row!

This is the backside of the jeans all sewn together: center is done, sides and top/bottom all together and the border in place.

Next step: the jean side is laid on the floor, then the batting, then the back fabric....

We "basted" it together (put a loose stich around the whole thing), cut off the excess fabric and batting and then you sew the whole thing together!

This is Emily... she's very tired of sewing at this point - what a trooper!!

After sewing the whole thing... well, all of it but a little hole at the bottom so we could turn it inside out. My sisters helped me for the most part with this, but once they got me going they made me finish the pulling, pushing, flipping by myself - I'm so excited - we're nearly done!

Then you have to put the quilt up on 'quilting blocks' and tack it down. For those that have never done this, be careful with tacks - it really hurts when you get one stabbed into the palm of your hand... now, moving on... we tacked down the edges, marked with little white dots where we wanted the ties to go and then started tying!!

It's quite amazing to me how difficult and painful this step was... We were cutting the fingers off rubber gloves to give some grip to our finger tips, thimbles and pliers to pull the needle through the fabric, batting and jeans - believe me, it gets really thick!

Breaktime!!

My grandma gives these sand bottles to those that purchase a home. Kacie bought one this year and as the grandparents contemplated which to give her they decided to include me. She said they were so proud of JJ and I for deciding to put off a home and get JJ through school instead. So because no one could say when we'd actually get a home they decided to grant us one early. This bottles are absolutely amazing - hard to tell but mine has a ring of animals, Kacie's has trees... they are just awesome, a piece of art that I'll cherish for always!

The girls took a break and went out to lunch - a mexican place called Paula's that I won't be recommending any time soon... but we had fun despite the not so great food!

Me and Kacie bein' sexy, cool gangsta's!

Back To Work...

Sunday morning we got up and got right to it... Pretty much just have to finish the center and then....

It's DONE!!!!! Grandma just couldn't believe it. We finished the quilt in just 4 days. She has done all other quilts on her own and it's taken weeks and months at a time - I'm astonished that she's done all the work we did by herself - she's WonderWoman I tell ya!

The Front...

The Back...

The center, I got to have a zipper added - so cool! And the patch Grandma adds to all her quilts.

My sisters all brought their quilts so we could see the differences, the unique qualities of each quilt and the work that each one took.

I Love You Grandma!!!!!

The Weight Stops Here!!!

2009-10-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Annie, Lisa, Sarah and Me!

Today the girls and I gathered at Sarah's to make some motivational posters for our weight loss journey. I just love these girls!!! Annie always cracks me up, Lisa is a sweetheart and Sarah... what do I say about Sarah?? I just LOVE this girl! I think she's absolutely adorable, freaking hilarious, sweet, smart, caring... I look up to her so very much! As I began my weight loss journey I didn't really know how successful I would really be. But then I joined Sarah's support group blog (theweightstopshere.blogspot.com) and have received so much help, strength, support, friendship, motivation, inspiration... I know I've enjoyed the success I have only because of her. Anyway, I had a great time and am looking forward to getting my poster all ready to go. 21 pounds and counting!!!

What A Weekend!!

2009-09-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

What A Weekend!! We started it off with a baby shower, followed by a birthday and then finished with a Rockwell family party!

Here's cute pregnant Courtney and Joe, the proud daddy!

Court got such cute stuff! Thanks for all the presents!

Gift from my mom, sisters and I - it's amazing how much stuff you need for such a little person!

A Big Thank You to everyone that came!! We had such a good time! We absolutely love Court and are proud of her for putting up with us :) We are sooooo very excited for the day when the little one is finally here!

The Birthday Party!!

For Audrey's birthday we gathered at the Hollywood Connection for a little Miniature Golfing....

Some bumper cars...

And to enjoy some of their rides...

Well..... maybe not everyone enjoyed the rides.... Blecka!

And last but not least, a Rockwell party to celebrate Grandma's birthday!! I've been married to JJ for 2 years now and we've never had a Rockwell family party - so this was long overdue and we had a great time seeing people again (or for the first time as was the case for me!).

Happy Birthday!!

Cutest little grandma!!! She was telling me a story about the kids she teaches art to and how their parents complain about the cost ($15 a month - 6 hour classes... give me a break - that's nothing people!!) and she had me in tears when she said, "I just can't believe how stupid they are!" My grandma calls people stupid! I love it!!! :)

LOVE this Aunt of mine - she makes me smile every time I see her! And her hubby is just about the coolest guy ever! Love you Rockwells!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-09-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

We made it another year! We've got 2 superb years under our belts now and we're still so very much in love! JJ and I went to Park City for the weekend and had a great time. We may not have gone rock climbing, biking or other crazy outdoor things but we still had a blast. My favorite part (ok... just one of my favorite parts) was being with just my hubby. No parents, no phone calls, no homework - just me and my eternal companion... Pure Happiness!

Mr. and Mrs. JJ Rockwell!

This is at our favorite breakfast place, "Good Karma." They have awesome french toast (yes I know that's 'ruined bread' Amy - but it's still tasty!!!)

Me and my teddy bear, every time I'm on Main Street in PC I have to get a picture with this guy, I just think he's so cute!!

We found this little cafe/bistro to grab a quick bite and thought the cow decor was hilarious! Even the air conditioning pipes were painted black and white and the vents pink - it was "udderly" fantastic! :)

Pirate Jidgernut out to get some booty :) tee hee hee!

We also spent some time at our hotel's pool, I was being a fish out of water that day - not wanting to swim - so I just played with the camera instead!

Swimmin' JJ - he had the entire pool to himself! He attempted to do some hand-stands and spell out YMCA with his legs/feet but he wouldn't allow me to post them so this is all you get! Party Pooper!

Sunday we spent a large part of the day in our hotel room - we played lots of card games ("Golf" pictured above). He refused to quit playing until he had finally won something... Candace 7 JJ 2 - I really do RockWell!!!! :)

The weekend was perfect - time alone, shopping, great food, sunshine, leaves changing colors, swimming, movies, what could be better!! A message for my love, it's been two wonderful years... we've had our ups and downs, hard times and good, tears of sorrow and of joy - we stood by each other through it all and I wouldn't change a thing. I've loved being married to you and I'd marry you again in a heartbeat! I love you honey!!!