I Wish...

So Incredible

I didn't watch the entire season of The Biggest Loser but I am always so impressed and inspired but what these people do. Looking at their before and after pictures is really unbelievable. Michelle was named the winner of The Biggest Loser, which I am happy about, I was rooting for her. Congratulations to her!

Late Anniversary Update

Chris and I had our 1 year anniversary a couple weeks ago and it was magical. We planned a trip to Disneyland to celebrate and it was a great day to go. We went the Monday before Thanksgiving and had great weather and short lines. I can't remember the last time I went to Disneyland but we get to go again in a couple weeks with Chris's family.

I have heard some people say the first year of marriage is the hardest but Chris and I agree that our first year was wonderful. I am very grateful to have found the man that became my best friend and to be married to him. The first year went so fast and I am excited for everyday in our future.

Holidays

Thanksgiving weekend was a blast! I love spending time with family and it is especially fun now that there are little kids involved. We attempted to take some family pictures but I think next time we better try during the day when there is more light.

Today I love

These wall stickers would be just perfect for a kids room. How cute!

have a better look

These little fishies with bubbles would also be great in a kids room.

looky here

even better when it's big

Another Good One

I just watched this one today and I really liked it.

Movies

I just signed up for Netflix and the boss man is out of town, which means I have been a movie-watching machine. This week I have watched The Jane Austen Book Club, Remains of the Day, To Catch a Thief, and Bella. Most of these are from the "Watch Instantly" feature of Netflix, which means there is a limited selection. I loved Bella and To Catch a Thief and I highly recommend them.

Next on the list is Young @ Heart. I really wanted to see this in theaters but it never happened; I can't wait to see this one!

Don't Worry, I'm Not Tagging You

6 TV shows I like to watch:

1. Pushing Daisies
2. The Biggest Loser
3. House
4. Project Runway
5. The Office
6. Top Design

6 Restaurants I enjoy:

1. Western Bagel
2. Noodles & Co.
3. Red Robin
4. Papa John’s
5. Pomodoro
6. Pretty much any Italian restaurant

6 Things that Happened Today:

1. Chris kissed me goodbye at 6:50 am! We normally leave together at 8:45 am.
2. Got breakfast at Western Bagel
3. Watched part of 30 Rock online
4. Browsed many, many blogs
5. Got paid
6. Thought about how much I used to love dressing up for Halloween.

6 Things I am looking forward to:

1. 11.24.08 The 1-year anniversary of being married to my best friend. And we’re going to Disneyland!
2. 11.27.08 Thanksgiving. I actually don’t like Thanksgiving but I get to see all my family and it’s my mom’s birthday.
3. Christmas! I am already singing Christmas songs and I have been thinking of Christmas gifts for a few weeks. I get to see my family again and we get to see Chris’s family.
4. The day we don’t pay an outrageous amount of money to live in a one-bedroom apartment.
5. Graduating from BYU. Taking two classes a term at UCLA is slow going.
6. Getting my hair cut.

6 Things on my Wish List:

1. New couches
2. A gym membership. I know, I know, I am not the gym type but my muscles are starting to atrophy because I sit all day.
3. For Chris not to work so much.
4. A backyard. Only because Chris says we can get a dog when we have a backyard.
5. For Prop 8 to pass.
6. New slippers.

6 People to tag:

I am not tagging anyone but if you would like to do this I would love to read it.

If Only

Can you say "CUTE!" This dress is on Modcloth and costs more than I am willing to pay but it is so adorable. And I am loving this shoe by Marc Jacobs.

Baby Dreams

Last week I got in on a little Bunco action with some ladies from the ward and around the area. Maybe there is something in the water here but the women in my ward are baby making machines! Good for them, but I am not ready for that yet and I definitely feel like the odd one out. There was so much talk about babies while we played Bunco that I ended up having a nightmare that I had unexpectedly gotten pregnant! I awoke from my dream feeling panicked and confused, but rest assured, there is no bun in this oven.

I like babies and I am excited to have a family, someday. For now, I just like thinking about what I will name my kids. This site is full of interesting names so check it out.

nameberry

I Am Loving...

The John Adams mini-series and the TV show, Pushing Daisies.

I recently finished listening/reading Johns Adams by David McCullough and I heard such great reviews about this mini-series so I decided to invest some time into watching it. It is great! Although I wasn't totally convinced of the love between Abigail and John that was so emphasized in the book, I still thought it was great and would recommend it to others.

Pushing Daisies was scheduled to air last year but got postponed due to the writer's strike. I just started watching and I am loving it. There is an abundance of crime/mystery/suspense shows out there but this is an uplifting quirky version that is quite unique. If you haven't seen it you should try it once and maybe read a synopsis beforehand because there is a lot of plot that's been covered in previous episodes.

Too Funny

Favorite Line

Hooray! I winner I agree with. Pretty much every year when I watch the Project Runway finale I am always baffled when they announce the winner. This year I totally agree with the decision. I like Leanne's designs as well as her personality; she is such a goof! At one point in the show I laughed out loud because of what Leanne said. Since People magazine counted it as one of their favorite quotations of the week I thought I would share it too.

After winner Project Runway, Leanne says, "drinks are on this brother!" Haha, I think that is so funny! Way to go Leanne!

Dreaming of a Winter Coat

So it doesn't get very cold here; in fact, it was in the upper 80s yesterday. But I really like winter coats and a girl can dream. If it did get colder here and I was willing to fork out the money then I would consider buying any of these coats.

Every winter I dream of having a cream winter coat; they are so classy! I also love the big buttons coming up the side instead of the center.

I am always drawn to red coats and the double-breasted buttons.

I just love how cute and feminine this coat is.

Then again, I love the boyish quality in this coat. Good thing I don't actually have to choose.

Visitors

Last weekend my father-in-law came for a visit. Since Chris's family doesn't live nearby it is always a treat to see them. We also had my parents visit on Saturday. I brainstormed a couple ideas that would be parent-friendly and inexpensive so we decided to go to the Getty Villa. If you haven't gone and you are in the area I would highly recommend it. Admission is free but parking is $10/car. It is really beautiful and you can take little tours guided by a docent. Saturday was pretty overcast, which was nice for walking around but not great for taking pictures of the pretty landscape.

There was a kid's room where you can color on vases and trace on paper vases. They asked me to take a survey about the room and all the questions asked "were your kids...entertained, did they learn, etc." That survey and the height of the chairs made me think that room was not meant for people my age. But it was fun!

No More Speaking in Third Person

I don't hate Suede but I am pleased that I won't have to listen to him speak in third person anymore. That habit gets old real quick. Although Suede was kicked off this week, it certainly was funny watching him work the runway with pink and purple hair. This week's challenge on Project Runway took the designers out of their element when they were asked to design an outfit for a fellow contestant inspired by a music genre. Suede designed an outfit for Jerell inspired by Rock 'n Roll, Kenley designed an outfit for Leanne inspired by Hip-Hop, Leanne designed an outfit for Korto inspired by Country, Jerell designed an outfit for Kenley inspired by Pop, and Korto designed an outfit for Suede inspired by Punk.

With only 4 designers left I am just praying Kenley doesn't make it to Bryant Park. She was in the bottom two this week and I am a little bummed she didn't get auf'd. I just want her off because she is a brat. She tried to act like a misunderstood designer this week but I am not buying it. Kenley, just calm down when you get some criticism instead of firing back with some unnecessarily feisty comment.

Designed by Jerell (runner up)

Designed by Korto (winner!)

Sunbeam Follow Up

Just a follow up on my previous blog about teaching Sunbeams. If anyone has words of wisdom to share, please share them. This week went well considering only 3 out of 5 kids were there but if you have advice I would love to hear it. And thanks Megan for those books, I'll be going through them a lot this week.

I Cut It!

Alright, I cut my hair. I am pretty sure this is the shortest it has ever been but I really like it. I am excited for my bangs to grow out because I think it will make this cut even better. There it is.

They Caught Me

We have been in the ward since December of last year and I have been without a calling...until now. As usual, I feel pretty inadequate but I am excited for what I will learn. My new calling is to teach the

SUNBEAMS

There are 5 of them right now and I have a few months with them before a new batch come in fresh from the nursery. I have spent one week with them and I have learned a few things:

1. a 4 year old's attention span maxes out at about 7 minutes
2. some kids only have one volume: LOUD
3. I can count on at least 3 things to entertain them: food, singing, and coloring

This will be an adventure.

Something New

I am itching to do something new to my hair. It is long enough to put into a ponytail and I need a change. I have been searching for cute short cuts and I am pretty sure I want to do this. I don't color my hair so picture this in brown. If people think I would be making a mistake then voice your opinion now or forever hold your peace.

Next

I am trying to become more of a reader. I like reading but when I get home from work and I have a choice between watching TV and reading I usually watch TV. I just finished John Adams by David McCullough and I really enjoyed it. I gravitate toward historical biographies and this one is a gem of a book.


Thanks to my dad's recommendation I am starting Big Russ and Me written by Tim Russert. From what I understand, the book is about the lessons he learned throughout his life, particularly the lessons he learned from his father. I'm excited to get this started!

End of Summer Festivities

I have been dreading the end of summer for the past few weeks; the days are getting shorter and beach days will soon be over. But I am trying to be positive about this, after all it means our apartment won't be 80+ degrees everyday and I can start wearing sweaters (my favorite). We enjoyed Labor day weekend with my family and spent Monday with friends. Going to my parent's house means cramming in as many games as possible like board games, swimming, badminton, Wii, the golf simulator for Chris, etc. Monday we went on a hike, which I agreed to do under the conditions it was roughly 2.5 miles. It was too late to turn back when I found out it was almost 7 miles. I spent the following hours recuperating in my bed. Then we ended the weekend with a barbecue with friends.

Practicing with my new camera. I made Chris do this a few times before I got it right.

Cutest baby Andrew!

My man workin' the barbecue.