Fun Guessing Game...

So my best friend Dani's brother Steve's girlfriend Mel (got all that???) had this fun game posted so I'm totally copying it because it was a lot of fun for me :-) The idea is to get people to guess what the song titles and artists are. If you have a guess, put the number and who you think it is in a comment. I've added the correctly guessed ones to a playlist if you're REALLY bored and want to listen :-) And maybe to make it interesting, I'll send a prize to whoever gets the most! So here are the "rules":

Step 1: put your iTunes on random.
Step 2: post the first line (or so) from the first 50 songs that play
Step 3: strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly (I'll italicize them)
Step 4: don't be a 'playa-hater', don't cheat

Good Luck!!!

1. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
2. Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history
3. Come, come ye saints no toil nor labor fear
4. Babe, I'm leaving, I must be on my way/ the time is drawing near
5. She grew up in an Indiana town/ had a good lookin momma who never was around
6. O Holy night the stars are brightly shining (It was Charlotte Church, but I'll give it to you!
7. There was a time when men were kind/ When their voices were soft/ And their words inviting
8. And now I'm all alone again, no where to turn, no one to go to
9. My friend the communist/ Holds meetings in his RV
10. I can show you the world/ shining shimmering splendid
11. There were nights when the wind was so cold/ That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window
12. I'm coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine
13. Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars (yes it was Frank!)
14. We've come a long, long way together/ through the hard times and the good
15. Looks like we made it/ look how far we've come my baby
16. Bad day, looking for a way/ Oh, looking for the great escape
17. Quando sono solo sogno all’orizzonte e mancan le parole
18. Every time our eyes meet/ this feeling inside me is almost more than I can take
19. Could you whisper in my ear the things you want to feel
20. You say yes, I say no/ you say stop, I say go go go
21. Cuz it's all in my head/ I think about it over and over again -Not Usher :-)
22. How does she know you lover her/ how does she know she's yours
23. Life ain't always beautiful, sometimes it's just plain hard
24. I'm so scared that the way that I feel is written all over my face
25. She's got a shack floatin' down the Pontchartrain
26. Skipping beats, blushing cheeks I am struggling/ Daydreaming, bed scenes in the corner café
27. Baby I've been waiting for you/ don't run away now, got nothin' to lose
28. You're in my arms and all the world is calm/ the music playing on for only two
29. Creek goes rippling by/ I've been barefootin' all day with my baby
30. It's a new day but it all feels old/ it's a good life, that's what I'm told
31. When I'm done with thinking, then I'm done with you/ When I'm done with crying, then I'm done with you
32. I am walking past the sprinklers and the newly painted porches and the lemonade-stand girls on a suburban afternoon
33. Sara spelled without an "h" was getting bored
34. The storm is calling but I don't mind/ People are dying, I close my blinds
35. When I get where I'm going/ On the far side of the sky
36. She's got you wrapped up in her satin and lace/ Tied around her little finger
37. Well I saw fireworks from the freeway
38. When the road gets dark/ And you can no longer see
39. In the club on the late night, feelin' right/ Lookin' tryin' to spot somethin' real nice
40. The thing about love is I never saw it coming
41. Silence and quiet again in my life/ Far form these moments I wish I was
42. 90 miles outside Chicago/ Can't stop drivin' I don't know why
43. Mother can you hold me together/ It's so dark and I'm losing my way
44. If I told you things I did before, told you how it used to be
45. I was nurtured, I was sheltered/ I was curious and young
46. The trouble with schools is they always try to teach the wrong lessons
47. Night/And the spirit of life calling/(Mamela)/And a voice/ With the fear of a child asking Mamela (This one is actually from the Broadway Musical, but whatever)
48. I heard you crying loud/ All the way across town
49. I haven't seen His face but I have seen His miracles/ I haven't heard His voice but His spirit speaks to my heart
50. I wasn't jealous before we met/ Now every man that I see is a potential threat


Well, that was fun for me at least!!! I'll give you a week before I reveal the missed ones :-)

(The bolded ones still need to be guessed, the italicized ones are done! Way to go so far!!!)

Picture Tag...

Hahaha..almost sensing my frustration with cameras and pictures right now, I was tagged. But here we go...
Post the fourth picture in your fourth sub-folder and explain it:

This was Logan's first time out in the snow last November. We didn't have a coat for him yet (we knew my mom was getting one for Christmas) so he was wearing two hoodies, snow pants, and sneakers. Fun times! I hope he still likes the snow this year :-)

And the four people I'll tag: Dani Williams, Kate Headlee, Rachel Winsor, and Sara Oblad.

Becoming a FLY Lady...

So my friend/aerobics buddy, Rachel, was telling me about this website... the FlyLady. The actual page can be found here but I can sum it up real quick. Basically, it is a 9-month program for de-cluttering your home and your life. I really liked the first part that talks about "CHAOS" (Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome) because that's totally me. I hate having people over without advanced notice because my house isn't necessarily dirty, but it's definitely not tidy on any given day. So today's assignment? Shine your sink.

And I did. I feel accomplished.

In other news, we went to a pumpkin patch. I'll post more about that when we get pictures. Ugh. Which reminds me. First, the cable that connects the camera to the computer stopped working. That presents the first challenge...getting the pictures uploaded to the computer. But I could deal with that.

The thing I can't deal with is the screen on the camera. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. And lately it's been more of the not working sort. When I turn on the camera, instead of seeing the blue "Canon" screen, it just goes white and fuzzy. And then it's anybody's guess as to when it is going to turn on. Sometimes it will after you've taken a few pictures, and sometimes it just needs to warm up (or something to that effect) and will decide to start working if you've just had it on long enough. And then, on occasion, it just won't work at all. So most of my pictures from the pumpkin patch are a complete mystery to me because I: 1. Couldn't see them when I was taking them, 2. Can't play them back because the screen is in a not working phase, and 3. I can't upload them to the computer. So I'm a bit frustrated. Maybe I'll have another cd made again...

But until then, I have a shiny sink.

Why I Souldn't Be Allowed to Have an Expensive Cell Phone. Ever...

Seriously, I can't believe I'm admitting to this, but I suck at life. I think Zac's text message to me last week sums it all up nicely: "You're a serious liability to your phone." So let me take you on a journey through the last year or so of my many, many cell phones and you'll understand completely...

We got new phones (LG LX5300's from Verizon) in July of 2007. They were the "buy one get three free" phones, so it's not a huge deal. Just keep that in mind.

I had no problems until about January 2008 when, in the same week, I dropped my phone in a snow bank AND in a glass of Lemonade. You can actually read about all the specifics with that incident here. But I ended up getting it to work for a while until my camera screwed up. So I took it to Verizon and they gave me a new one.

So after using phone #2 from mid-February 2008 till this last August of 2008, no problems. Only two phones in one year? That's not so bad. But it gets worse. Many of you will recall the incident with the laundry, but if not, here is a brief summary. I was getting ready to do some laundry and while stripping the sheets off our bed, I forgot that I had tossed my phone on them. I proceeded to wash the sheets AND my cell phone and didn't realize it until I heard a *klunk* while tossing the sheets in the dryer. Oops. So I called the insurance place and, after a $50 deductible for my stupidity, I received phone #3.

Well, phone #3 was total crap. It was a refurbished phone that had no antenna and therefore no reception. So I called and complained and they sent me phone #4 for free.

Phone #4 was also refurbished and also pretty sucky. The earpiece was wobbly and ONE DAY AFTER the limited warranty expired (8 days after receiving it), the earpiece completely broke off from the bottom mouthpiece. I called the insurance company and, since the warranty was up, I was expected to pay another $50 deductible. Well I wasn't about to do that, so after being on the phone for over an hour, I talked my way into a NEW- not refurbished but NEW- phone for which I paid nothing. Go me.

So phone #5 has been with me now for just over a month. And guess what. Last week, I dropped it in the tub while giving Logan a bath. I pulled it out immediately after it hit the water and dried it with my hairdryer and then stuck it in a bag of rice overnight and...IT WORKED!!! I used it for about a week with just about no problems.

And then I did it again. Tonight I was wearing the same jeans I wore last Wednesday night with the same stupid pockets and while I was washing Logan's hair, the phone slipped out of them and into the tub. Only I don't know how long it was under water this time. So I pulled it out of the water and dried it again and the battery didn't get wet (which is good because that means they should be able to fix it at the store instead of having to send away for another one) but the inside of the flip screen in a little screwy. So it's in the bag of rice again, but I don't know if it will work this time. I can still make calls, but I think I'm going to see if I can get another one just in case it starts getting really messed up.

So that will put me at phone #6 on this plan. Thank goodness for insurance and for the cheapest phones ever, right? I don't know what I would do if we had sprung for the more expensive phones...

Homecoming Parade 2008...

Was really cold. And sad because Mat and Dani and James were not present. Because for some reason they moved to freaking San Antonio. *Sigh* Anyways, we had a lot of fun Last Year at the Homecoming parade so we wanted to hit it up again this year.

Similarities from last year to this year:
1. I wore the same sweatshirt.
2. We went to Brick Oven afterwards.
3. We got a lot of candy.

Differences from last year to this year:
1. Sans Mat, Dani, and James.
2. Sans Stormtroopers (again, see the post from Last Year)
3. Logan isn't a tiny baby anymore!
4. Aunt Liz came with us and took some super cute pictures:



So yeah...that's what happened. I also had Liz take a picture of the Tubas in honor of Uncle Steeeeeve again, but I don't have that picture yet. I'll add it when I get it, though :-)

Twilight Paper...

So for my Creative Writing class, one of our assignments was to actually read Twilight and then write a paper on it, telling why (or why not) it "works." Naturally, I chose the affirmative. I started off tying in religious undertones, but that got too preachy. But maybe as a follow-up... Anyways, here's what I wrote. Then tell me what you think...as a whole and as a piece of Young Adult literature, did it "work"?

It is hard to pin down what exactly makes a particular novel good or bad, accepted and loved, or rejected and reviled. However, when certain aspects are addressed, when bases are broken down, it becomes a little bit clearer as to why a work of fiction does well or not. Twilight, in all of its vampiristic glory, “works,” especially for the age group it is marketed toward. It is a piece of young adult fiction and serves all of the purposes of just that. It is a coming-of-age novel, it is a romance, it contains the super-natural elements the market is eating up right now, and it is creatively written.
In any good coming-of-age story, the main character undergoes adventures and inner turmoil in his or her growth and development while dealing with family, friends, or community issues. Bella Swan is a typical character in this respect. Only this creative novel adds in another twist in which the main character of Bella, as well as the reader, is able to get swept away in the world of vampires. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is that we never get a sense for how unique and beautiful Bella is, until we start to see her through Edward’s eyes. This being a first-person narrative, it takes a while for the reader to understand how Bella- so awkward that she can trip while walking on a flat surface- could have fascinated such a magnificent being such as Edward. This is yet another reason why the story “works”; it surreptitiously helps the reader (especially when placed in Bella’s shoes) to realize the world and other people around them see them in a different, and sometimes better, light than they see themselves. Meyer’s deft hand is able to bring the realization of how special Bella actually is, very slowly and deliberately.
The second reason Twilight seems to work and speak to such a vast audience is due to the romantic element. However, this is where some of the novel’s greatest critics take issue. Edward Cullen, the vampire, is perfect - and we are reminded of exactly how perfect nearly too often. While reading the book, it is easy to become frustrated with the never-ending descriptions of his perfect body, perfect hair, indescribable model-like looks, but the reader has to realize this is not written in the third person. It is a first-person narrative, so the reader is getting the story as Bella tells it, and how Bella sees it. His burning black eyes, or warm topaz/butterscotch eyes, are magnets to her, as are every single movement he makes. It is not difficult to step back into high school and remember a first love (or crush) and recall similar feelings. Their eyes never ceased to captivate you; their smile melted you; when they kissed you, you felt faint. And you felt these things every single time you saw that person. Perhaps that is also why the “flat” character of Edward works for the general readership of the Twilight saga- everyone wants their own perfect love and it becomes all too easy to find those qualities in Edward.
The third reason that seems to make this particular novel work in the world of young adult literature is the super-natural element that is so popular in today’s market. Not only was Meyer able to incorporate the fantastical, but she was able to create a different view of a genre that has been done countless times before. The representation of the vampires, their unique talents, and the exceptional way in which they blend into society is marvelous, and provides a firm backbone to the story. While this is a story that is decidedly told in our world, and while this is more of a coming-of-age story than a vampire story, there are still vampires in it, and they needed to be believable. If not, the entire story, no matter how well told, falls apart, and the reader is left wondering why the vampires are even in the story. Meyer’s vampires, and their lore, are distinctly drawn and magnificently add one more aspect to the book that makes it work as a whole.
Twilight is a wonderful example of a piece of young adult fiction that “works.” Not only is it a coming-of-age story, a romance, and a fantasy, but it is creatively written. All of these things came together in one nice, neat package that, love it or hate it, created a fan-base that has kept it on the best seller list for the last 97 weeks(1).
(1) http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx

I Can't Believe I Wrote That...

So I read this blog. It makes fun of Mormon life (married right out of high school, already having babies, talking about her amazing husband, crazy long abnormal names, the Young Women's program, and Type-o's up the wazoo) and tends to make me laugh. So the author has random giveaways and all you have to do to enter is write a comment on her blog. I've found in the past that the more creative the comment, the better. So I wrote this:
TAMN...oh my heck I am sha-rieking out!!! If Confrince isn't enuff...now your having another giveaway this weekend, to!!! AHHH!!!! Please, please pick me for something...I would love any of them, but a photography session for my baby boy would be AMAZING!!! Then when he marries one of your adorable feti they can compare baby pics and she how gorgeous THEY'RE babies are going to be!!!!
Ugh. I hated making the misspellings. But if that's what it takes to win, so be it. Wish me luck!

Family Foto Friday...

I'm an AUNT!!!! So this week's Family Foto is of MY NIECE!!!!!



Ella Michelle was born via C-Section at 2:08 pm on October 2, 2008. I believe she was 7 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches long...someone correct me if I'm wrong! We're really glad she's here safe and sound and made the family just a little bit bigger!

I'm super excited (though not as much as her parents, I'm sure) because growing up, I loved my aunts and uncles SOOO much and I couldn't wait to be an aunt someday. As I got older I started worrying that I would marry an only child and I would never have nieces and nephews...but thanks to the eight thousand in-laws I have, no worries there! So thanks Matt and Erin for fulfilling one of my greatest desires! And way to have one B-E-A-UTIFUL baby!

Aunt Liz is Amazing...

So Liz took these pictures in the car on the way to Vegas. They're freaking GORGEOUS!!! Of course having a cute baby doesn't hurt...

Back From Vegas...

Yep! We're home! We got the chance to go to Las Vegas this last weekend for Zac's cousin's wedding. It was really nice to get away...even for a few days. We stayed with Zac's cousin, Rachelle, so a shout-out to her for her hospitality! It was great to stay with family...especially with cousins who adored Logan! The only problem we had staying there was with Rachelle's two dogs. Logan is terrified of small dogs and Daisy and Rudy are both Shih Tzus...so that didn't go over too well. That was until he figured out how to set off their invisible fence collars. He started chasing them around the house shocking them and laughing. Then who was terrified of who?

(We still don't have a working cable to our camera, so I can't upload any of MY pictures...so I stole these from cousin Kate. But I took one of them with her camera, so I totally have the rights to that one :-))

Anyways, Will and Tabitha's ceremony was nice...and the decor for the reception was BEAUTIFUL! And the food was delicious. A good time was had by all. Especially by Logan who never knew that big people food could be dipped in a chocolate fountain and made to be 8,000 more times delicious.

After the reception, we put Logan to bed and headed down to the Strip. We went to the M&M factory, the CocaCola store, and watched about an hour of the Bellagio water show...OF COURSE!!!! We walked through the MGM Grand and I lost a dollar to a slot machine. But it was still fun!

So yeah...a good weekend. But I'm off to bed...early aerobics tomorrow!!! And again, I promise pictures as soon as we have a way to get them on the computer!

Rachel Is Funny...

So I take a step-aerobics class with my neighbor, Rachel, on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 6-7 and Saturday mornings from 9-10. It's kicking my butt, but in a good way.

Anyways, this morning on our way back from class, we saw the two new sister missionaries in our quad. They are adorable. Thus our funny exchange:

Rachel: Those sisters are so cute.
Me: They are super cute. What are they doing in Provo? They should be in Europe or something.
Rachel: What are they doing on a mission?: They should be MARRIED or something.

Family Foto Friday...

Wow. It's been a week since I posted. And I just realized that last Friday I put up a picture of Liz and Savannah so that totally counts as a Family Foto Friday post. Even though I didn't label it as one.

So anyways, since the cable for our camera is still broken and I still have to use my phone to take and send all pictures, I had this one on my phone from when Jaylene visited a few weeks ago. All she wanted was to snuggle up with Logan on the couch and have him fall asleep in her arms. On her last night here, he decided to grant her that. So here's the sweetest picture of the two of them just snuggled up on the couch. Hooray for family!!!

I Love These Girls...

Yep. This post is for two of the cutest sister-in-laws ever. They're precious. Savannah called me and wanted to hang out (mainly because her date had to postpone, but whatever...) so she came over and we walked down to the library. Then we ran into Liz who was just about finished with work so we waited for her and the three of us (an Logan) got ice cream and walked home. We chatted and gossiped and laughed. A lot. I love Love LOVE having sisters in my life finally! *MWAH*

"I Tag"...

Another one of those silly tags. But I still think they're fun...

* I usually: play backgammon every night before bed.
* I search: random blogs to keep me entertained.
* I wonder: if I am a good mom.
* I regret: not going to see Gary the weekend before he died.
* I love: my family.
* I care: about the presidential election this year.
* I always: want to eat out. No dishes.
* I worry: about loosing loved ones.
* I am not: a tidy housekeeper.
* I remember: things in threes. It's weird.
* I believe: in karma.
* I dance: like an idiot. So I try not to.
* I sing: all the time. Especially while listening to my ipod and doing dishes. It's embarrassing.
* I don't always: take off my makeup before bed.
* I argue: when I'm right and the other person is wrong. So a lot.
* I write: every day for my creative writing class.
* I win: Guillotine. Always. And Settlers of Cattan most of the time.
* I lose: a lot of hair on a daily basis.
* I wish: I could play the piano.
* I listen: to all sorts of music. Currently, Imogen Heap radio on Pandora.
* I don't understand: advanced math. Or why people learn it.
* I can usually be found: in the JFSB basement. Or in the kitchen.
* I am scared of: spiders.
* I need: Zac in the house when I fall asleep.
* I am happy: because I have the best husband and the cutest baby EVER.
* I tag: Rachel W, Dani W, and Marie B!

Ok,One More Post Before Homework...

So I have this blog that I'm fascinated with. It's a 20-something Asian girl that lives in New York City and has some sort of career that gets her in with fashion designers and rappers and random other up-scale people and places. She smiles kind of weird and ALL of her posts are things I really don't care about, but I still find it interesting and she's on my google reader, none the less. But this post caught my attention. I love the caption at the bottom, "FYI- Michelle Obama's pick for her appearance on The View? A $148 number from mass chain White and Black." Holy Cow!!!