FREAKY PHOTOS

I'm pretty sure Brandon wasn't trying to flip me off but we HAD to get a good angle. Reattachment is still unsure.

Here's another random item. With a toddler in the house I sure come upon some strange things. I let her play with a lemon tonight and this is where I just found it. I don't think I'll be squeezing this over my salmon. She cracks me up!

You may not be aware, but I'm religiously addicted to MAC products... Knowing this, it may surprise you to hear of my chagrin at discovering the fact that IMOVIE has been completely renovated and changed.  It doesn't even look the same.  Ug, I hate learning new apps.  The new Word for PC is about enough to kill me.  

The story:  I was editing a wedding video (for the second time thanks to my overexposure of the original film) and had just finished when low and behold the mac laptop I was using DIED!  This is the second mac laptop I have destroyed after less than a year of service.  Yes, perhaps my love affair with Mac is a bit tainted, but fear not, I will simply stick to desktops from now on.  I hate laptops anyway.  So we ordered this new fabulous desktop mac (when I say "we" i mean my mom- I don't have the funds) and I open imovie to discover it is COMPLETELY different.  Now, not only do I have to edit the wedding video for a THIRD time... I have to learn an entire new program to do it!  Yuck.  Looks alot like final cut pro, def not as user friendly.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Wo is me.  Heading to Lake Powell again tonight.  Third time in 7 days.  Gotta love the Lake!  Alana- you up for coming out with me yet?  Wanna go tonight?  Round 9 pm.  Shish-ka-bobs will be involved.

How long 'till a good night's sleep?

So, I'm trying to cut Anika off the nursing AT LEAST in the middle of the night. It just hit me like a brick the other night that I am DONE getting up at all hours. Isn't it about time? When Anika was a newborn I was talking to another Mother and she said, "Don't worry, just hang in there 'till around 8 weeks and she will be sleeping through the night." HA! As a new Mother, I didn't know how different individual children can be (Or more like what a sucker I would be). And here I am... 60 weeks later. Anika isn't putting up much of a fuss. She half-cried and fussed for 4 minutes and now has been speaking in her jibberish language to herself. She throws some actual words in occasionally... "MaMa, Up!" I'm killing the time and encouraging myself to forge ahead by reading horror stories like THIS ONE. ... (insert uproarious laugh at section entitled "The Fun Part") That's enough to make me shudder.... To each his own. Surely, I will have to nurse for some time to come because of her rice bottles, but I swear I won't let it turn into some scene from The King and I. Sometimes I think my very soul will cave-in if I have to see my own "nursies" one more time... so that's when I comfort myself with THIS.

HE'S DONE IT AGAIN

Brandon called me up from work yesterday to say "Hi hun, I just cut the end of my finger off. I'm going to the Emergency Room." I almost passed out and said "OH NO, who's driving you? Can I meet you there?" Brandon replied, "Oh, I'm just driving myself." BOYS!!!??? WHY??!! It turned out not as badly as I thought. He cut the entire pad of his middle finger off... all the way to the bone. He said it looked strange in there with all the orange bubble fat pads. The ER doc says even with stitches its a 50/50 that it will not reattach! Uggghhh. Brandon is way too familiar with stitches and, working at a glass shop, I'm thinking, should we buy disability insurance? I have nightmares of the owner from Jones Paint and Glass who has several entire fingers missing. At glass factories they make the employees wear chain-mail sleeves on their arms because people lose arms like they lose their keys in those places. Oh, I am so paranoid. Please somebody up there protect my sweet Brandon.

not falling off the face of the earth

First things first: HAPPY B-DAY CIARA!!!!! I hope Sgae let you have your cake (and eat it too!) I can't believe those cabins! Those girls have no idea what camping is until they visit cedar mountain. Just watching Herb run makes me want to sit in front of the TV all day and eat brownies with frosting.

So I've been at Lake Powell FOREV and I finally took a day off to blog and pay bills. I know, bit whoop-de-doo. Also, we don't have internet and I REFUSE to go one step inside my classroom until I have to on August first so it's been difficult to keep updatied online this summer. I did have my Mom's laptop for a while and was stilling lynksys but the comp CRASHED last week! I was editing a wedding video and had just finished it (for the second time). The hard drive is gone so it looks like I'll be doing it for a third time. Shoot me now. The wedding video has been the bane of my existance.

Anyway, don't hate on blogging! In other news, Quinn waterskiied for the first time this week. Big suprise and unbeknowst to us- when he came up out of the water he was only wearing a speedo! WHY?!?!?! Why does he have such a fascination with speedos?????

We are officially renting our apartment out of AUGUST 1st. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE- if you know anyone send them our way. We would much rather have friends and family in it than some volitle person we don't know. I will be putting pics and details on our blog as soon as I can getting the picture assis. upload to work.

High School

Okay, so now that I have learned that the high school reunion has been changed to Sept 6th we are not coming in August. We are coming in September. We will be in St. George on Tuesday, the 2nd or 3rd. We will stay until Sunday the 7th. I am excited to see all of you that week and torture myself by attending the reunion:) My excuse is the reunion but we all know that it is really to see my friends!!!

CLOSE CALL

PHEW! Anika is back on 2 naps. It must have been a phase. I hope it lasts. I love 2 naps!

Williams - TICK

I also forgot to mention that while at camp I got a tick. The first day of camp I went on a hike and that evening I found a tick burrowing into my skin under my right boob. It heard so bad. It felt like I bruised my rib cage. The nurses got it out but it was sore (felt bruised) for 5 days. Don't want one of those again.

Williams - The Run

Herb ran a half marathon last weekend. We watched at mile 4 and 10 to cheer him on and then we didn't make it to the finish line in time but we had fun cheering him on along the way. My friend Melissa ran with him so Herb picked her up that morning and then her husband picked us up so we could go watch together. We were playing wife swap for the day!!

Williams - Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Yes, it is my birthday today and Sage keeps begging me to make a pirate and dinosaur cake. I want Strawberry Shortcake but she is fighting me on it. I told her that it is my birthday and I get to decide what kind of cake we eat. She wasn't too happy about that!

I am glad to be home from Girls Camp. Thirty 15 year girls is enough to make you crazy! The weather was beautiful though and we stayed in cabins with showers and flushable toilets. How lame right? Not the kind of camping that I grew up doing.

The pictures are of one of the cabins and the river nearby.

Just Kidding! I love blogging!

I am so totally bi-polar. One day I hate it, the next I love it. Well, you've met me. Anyway, I am so excited for my trip to Santa Barbara for my family reunion. We rented this gorgeous house for all of my family to stay in. Can I please just move into this house permanently? It is my dream house! Check out the floor to ceiling windows with those awesome grommet drapes. I am in L O V E with this house! Sooo my style!!! I want....

Let's meet the relatives shall we.... Cousin Autumn. Her sisters are Aria and Allegra.

Aunt Ann and Uncle Steve (Dad's brother).

There's also Aunt Karen and Uncle Bill with cousins Zack and Leah. Then Aunt Kristen with cousins Tory and Kyra. Not like you all care... but I'm just a lonely ol' housewife stuck in this place during nap with no one to talk to but Dr. Phil and Haagen Dazs.... and this blog of course.

I can't wait to see what Anika thinks of the sand and waves! Yay! Start packing!

I think I'm sick of blogging.

The Zone

The only way to accomplish certain things like clipping Anika's fingernails or putting sunblock on her is to let her watch a DVD called Classical Baby. She totally zones out... just long enough to "get r done".

JENNY

Jenny stopped by my house last week! It was a total surprise, and so good to see her. Anyway, here's the news that I'm sure you've all caught wind of by now... Jenny is moving back to St. George in July. I am so glad and hope she works at Pasta Factory just for old time's sake. She didn't stay very long because Anika was having a panic attack in her crib for nap. I couldn't figure what was wrong with her. Well Jenny, when you left I went down to check on her and her whole problem was that she sharted and needed a diaper change. What a whole lot of fuss for "nothing". Anyway, Jenny, I can't wait 'till you move here. It will be so much fun when Ciara visits.

1 or 2 naps?

Ciara, maybe you could help me out. Does Herbie take 1 or 2 naps? Anika has been taking a morning and an afternoon for so long now but I think is transitioning to 1 afternoon nap. I think this is about the age that some start to cross over but I am reluctant to give up morning nap! (not like it's my choice). All of the sudden she will have a long morning nap and just play when I put her in her crib for afternoon nap. Today she played in her crib for morning nap and went down at 1pm for afternoon. Hopefully, it will be a really long one. Anyway, since Herbie's the same age, I am dying to know what his schedule is like. I'm trying to go with the flow, but this is really throwing me. I checked out a book on healthy sleep habits from the library. I read it when she was 9 months but I need a refresher on THIS age. I think it's the transition phase that's tough.

I Love

I love Celtic music. It's offiial. I could totally grow up Irish. You just can't be in a bad mood when the fiddle is going. Speaking of bad moods... Quinn has returned from attending the U.S. open. I know I'm not the best substitue for Tiger Woods, but sheesh- he is grumpy. It's always hard coming back to work after a long weekend. Oh gosh- I just dry heaved thinking that going back to work after summer vacation has got to be about ten tims worse. Garage cleaning time... You're all invited.

P.S. what a ripoff- itunes only lets you play the stuff you've bought on 5 computers total. I've owned at least 5 in the last year. Now what am I supposed to do? Buy Leona Lewis again?!?!?! I object. Time for chocolate milk and Glenn Beck.

SICK IN JUNE?

This is psycho... my happy little family and I are all sick. Anika had a fever last weekend and then it turned into runny nose and cough all week. She is pretty much better now but now Brandon and I are sick. Obviously, you can get sick anytime but it just seems so strange. We tried to go to the park to blow bubbles to get Anika out of the house but that only lasted 5 minutes, as I forgot we live on the face of the sun. It is sooo hot outside. Plus, we forgot to bring tissues so Brandon was blowing his nose on the leaves of the trees. Ciara, does that ring a bell? Remember camping on Kolob and I had way bad allergies and the tree above us was near-bare from me using the leaves as my snot rags? Allergies aside, that was a way fun trip. I only hope we don't spread our germs around and ruin everyone else's June. Here's a picture of my little diaper-clad orphan. She decided she didn't want to wear clothes tonight.

One reason not to buy a house

I realized yesterday one reason that I don't ever want to buy a house. I hate yard work, allergies kick up, you have to remove all of the cut down twigs and branches, and you still have to tend the kids (only while using power tools that can remove extremities).
--Paul.

Paul, we haven't heard from you around here for some time. You OK? I was going through old posts and attaching labels to them and came across this draft of yours. It made me laugh. You didn't publish it so I thought I would. Hope that's alright with you. I love overstepping my bounds. Don't leave any drafts around people; I might publish them.

Holy Cow- I used hairspray today for the first time in... I don't remember. I went to my mom's and she wasn't ready yet, so I just thought I'd try a little of my dad's hairspray (he has more hair products then Pauol Mitchell). Anyway, hairspray is wonderful! Since we've been married, it is a luxery I have refrianed from buying. Actually, we just can't afford it. We come down to the penny each month so I had totally forgotten what wonders this amazing little can can do. My hair looks amazing! I even liked what I looked like in the mirror at Christensens! CHRISTENSENS!!! That's seriously a once in a blue moon experience.


Other luxuries we avoid:
-grown up toothpaste (quinn got an entire box of this red kid stuff from his sister who is a hygenist and we've been using it for five years). I hate it, but do you have any idea how much toothpaste costs?




-Flour and sugar and other basic baking ingredients. (I don't cook anymore- I'm not sure what we eat, but I do know food is expensive)


-bread. I figured out that if I just bought english muffins, they could double for bread, hamburger buns, and breakfast all in one. It's a win win win situation.





-AC before June 1st. Seriously, our candles mettled before we lit them. Do you know how hot SGU gets before June 1st?!?!


-beef. Unfortunately Quinn got an Elk this season. It's elk stroganoff, elk sloppy joes, elk enchiladas, elk steak, elk roast, elk EVERYTHING. Needless to say, I've had my elf fill for a lifetime.



-Soap. Don't worry, I still all those little soaps from hotel rooms whenever we travel. I also managed to talk my cousin in law out of her soap win in Bingo at the Christmas Party so we're set for another few weeks.

-chapstick. Never underestimate the many and varied uses of vaseline!

Luxuries I CANNOT live without:
-brand name cream cheese!
-Designer shampoo and conditioner (no matter the cost)
-books Books BOOKS
-Gas
-Cable (someday I'll give it up- but for now, BRAVO baby!)
-internet shopping, blogging, and banking

CREEPED OUT

Oprah is on and I'm feeling a little creeped out. I love nap time. Who knew a day would come again when I could e-mail, watch Oprah, and eat Gardettos? Anyway, it's about the book The Secret. Haven't read it but I get the basic idea because I hear about it everywhere. It's about the law of attraction and how we magnetize things into our life. I had just finished filling out my profile on this blog and noted the book One by Richard Bach as a favorite book. It got me thinking about his other books I've read and I remembered his book The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, which is pretty much the same idea... about magnetizing things to ourselves. Richard Bach always gets a little physical/mystical... which I love. Anyway, I am in total shock. Twice within the last month the term Quantum Physics has been mentioned on Oprah. The first time was when Dr. Oz was talking about past-life regression via hypnotism. He briefly mentioned Superluminal Quantum Connectedness and my mouth fell open. My aren't we evolving!!!! The world is becoming so much more open to these things that have been known for years. We are getting past Newton!!! It is so exciting to me because science really is Mormon Doctrine. I see truth in all things and think our religion is so descriptive and scientific... mormonism is so intricate and detailed, and we have so much doctrine. Consciousness brings matter into being. Matter can be disobedient! I wrote my final philosophy paper at Dixie College on just this subject. Do you gals remember that class... I think we all took it together. My paper was titled "Quantum Physics meets Eastern Mysticism". Schrodinger's cat, conscious matter, the double-slit experiment, the un-caused first cause. I coined God the "self-actualizing actualizer", and am proud to say, I got an "A". Wow, sorry to blab... but I get so excited about these things. I think the universe wants me to read The Secret. But seriously, I am so excited for the world that we are spiritually evolving. Daytime talk shows used to be all cheating husbands and gastric bypass surgery.

Do you think you could have told someone 500 years ago that one day there would be a tool you could use to instantaneously speak to someone on the other side of the world? He would have thought it was impossible... that it would be magical to do so. I don't believe in magic, or miracles even in some sense of the word. I just believe that we don't understand everything yet. But we're getting there! I believe prayer and faith are literal powers, that God is a literal embodied man and is physically somewhere right now. I believe in psychic or non-speech and non-present communication. I've had my own visions and experiences that prove this to me, beyond doubt. This isn't just magical hocus pocus, but just "higher math". These spiritual things are happening in a physical sense, just as God himself must obey the natural laws. Obedience really is our freedom and power.

I could go on for days because I just get so pumped. Sorry to be so enthused... I'm probably not making any sense. I just love to see truth EVERYWHERE I look.

OK, I just realized something else that climaxed my mind on this very thematic day. I talked to my nephew Jake a couple hours ago and he just finished his last final for this year at UCI... Quantum Physics. Why is this the theme today? Did I bring this upon myself? Literally?

P.S. Let me take a moment to brag about Jake. He is a registered card-carrying member of MENSA. He and his brother Ian are the wittiest people I know. He's a red-head, has his own radio show, took and passed the LSATs with flying colors just for kicks, and is lucky enough to be madly in love right now with a gorgeous girl that is his soul mate. I'm such a proud Auntie. My other nephew is just as awesome and genius, and I think he will be an inventor. Holy moly, I'm one step away from carrying pictures of them in my wallet and showing them off. Thank you for bearing with me.

I'm pretty sure I drank too much Diet Coke... Cara got me a BIG one at Del Taco and I feel like I'm on speed.

Things I Can't Live Without

My Mama
Diet Coke
My black flip flops
White Hanes T's
Sweatpants
Lavender lotion
The Bachelor
Plastic water bottles ( I know, the environment)
Paper towels (I know, the environment)
Disposable diapers...." "
Chapstick
Sleep (though I've been known to survive without)
Prayer
Anika's nap time (though I spent the first 9 months driving her in a car for nap... or jiggling
her in her car seat... what a joke)
Anika's "I'm still breathing" sensor pad.
IN N OUT Burger (how did we live without it???)
My jogger stroller
and air, I suppose.
The End.

RANDOM

Nicole, I just realized that I still have not seen the video from this trip. I think you have video of the tree??? I'd never laughed so hard... I think I even fell down to the ground and landed on glass. I can't even remember what was so funny... something Quinn was saying about the shoe store? Please refresh my memory, or better yet, I need to see the video.
You gotta love this picture I also found. I found one of Brandon picking his nose on this trip, but it was un-postable-type-o sick.

WEEDS WRAPPED ABOUT MY HEAD

Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

I wanted to share my favorite scripture passage. I come back to it again and again, year after year. I love the poetry and the symbolism of the Atonement in the story of Jonah. For a long time I had felt I was "cast out of His sight". I have come to know again, as I had known always, that our prayers do come unto Him. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord. Why are we earthlings so lame and have to learn the same lesson again and again? He cares. What a realization!

Shannon Hale

I'm way depressed. It's 2 am and I just read this book, The Princess Academy (don't mock- young adult lit is the next big thing) and it was good, The kind of good that makes you hate it because you didn't write it (I'm still fostering such a love-hate relationship with Twilight) so I sarted looking up the bio about the author. Dude- she's just some cute little mormon chick, return missionary who lives in SLC. "Just" - are you kidding, she has a newberry award winner under her belt. Why can't that be me?????

I've got to start geting dressed in the morning... and I don't mean pj's to sweats. Tomorrow I swear to write at least one more chapter in my horrible book "grey"

Welcome Paul.
Hello- Alana- trivial persuit 90's addition???? I'm into that.
Jenny, welcome to 28 (I think it's much better than 25 {which was when I had a nervous breakdown thinking of all the things I hadn't accomplished yet as I sat freaking out in my Manhattan apartment}
Ci- You rock the world

Also- I'm completey addicted to Iron Chef. It all started with the HGTV craze in 2003, then Trading Spaces converted me to TLC, about 05 I'd moved onto that Crab fisherman thing on Discovery (which quickly replaced my love for shark week), and then Project Runway converted me to Bravo... where I've stayed happily with Top Chef for two seasons now... but my love for slightly-less-than prime time and food as a combination was bound to get the better of me some day. And it's happened. Instead of spending late nights and popcorn raids waiting for The Hills, I now frequently text "Secret Ingredient" guesses to friends just before that creepy Asian guy announces "Corn" or "Rice" or some odd fish I've never heard of. I'm in love with Bobby Flay. Anyone who can make Sqiud Ink and Langastine look good enough for me to salavate and try to jump through the tv screen to try deserves my viewing vote! Seriously, I think I'll be sticking the the Food Netwrok for some time to come.

Remember Blake Niederhouser anyone? Just read an add that he graduated from Med School this week. He has 2 kids and a wife named something generic like Jayme. I won't go into further detail about why this intrigues me. Maybe off the blog.

Finally: Does anyone know anyone who would want to rent our apartment??????? We are desirous to find someone we know before heading to an agency. We will negotiate price... and if we really know them, then we'll totally forget a deposite. 2 bed 2 bath, pool, cable included. No attached walls. Granite. Occasional rooster call in the morning (we live next to the only farm in the middle of st. george), Go figure- nyc jackhammers to desert cows and roosters.

Why am I still up? Q's on a call. The whole bed to myself for a few hours! What was I thinking! goodnite!!!


(1st item on our dream list when we get rich: california king sized bed)

I'm back and still alive

Hello ladies. What a dang long time it has been. Somehow I got the connection to be able to be a part of your JNAC chronicles blog. Sweet not one of the four letters but still able to be a part of the chronicle.

So I may have been lost for a long time but do not think that I have not been keeping up on what's been going on. Even though I might not have been able to write I am able to read still. It has been nice to stop by once every so often and read up on how some long lost friends are doing. Ok and I am the one that has long lost you not really the other way around.

I have to be the first to admit that life is a very weird and unexpected process. Sometimes the things that you are most hoping for don't happen and those things that you dread and are always sort of a recessed thought are the ones that come lurking to the surface and show their ugly face. That probably sounds really weird and it is let me tell you all, but I guess you could say that I'm back and let the good times roll.

You gals are so awesome and it is amazing to me how some friendships never end even when you treat them with no love or care. Sorry for being a jerk for such a long time and not making any effort to stay in touch in anyway, shape or form.

Williams Family

Family Hiking Day. Sage walked 2.5 miles.

Sage at the Carnival. She loves all the scary rides.

Happy Birthday Jenny!!!!

I am here. I just don't know what to write sometimes and so I just like to read everyone else's thoughts, but that doesn't make it fun for you does it. I have never been much of a talker anyways so does it surprise you that I am a silent blogger. I like to listen and read.

Today is Jenny's birthday. Happy Birthday! I can't wait until you come and visit. Anyone else want to come with her?

TOP Three MORMON MOM TRENDS

what is it with utah moms and these trends? We are the trendiest folks I know:

Trend #1: Blogging (it's all about kids right?)
Trend #2: Starting a photography Business
Trend #3: Starting a wedding cake business


Side note: Please consider that I include myself in these categories and am not directing a mocking attitude towards anyone.... Quite possibly these trends are just the most ingenious inventions of our time since capris and we want them to work for us. Either that or we are the biggest bunch of bandwaggon jumpers since Rosie the Rivetter.

Quinn just ran the battery to my mom's car dead because he was listeneing to the Yankee game on XM. Could anyone be any more obsessed??????!!!!!!! Keep in mind the fact that he just returned from NY with 20 of the EXACT same shirt in every player's number.

No Crypto Utah Commercial

I can't remember how long it's been since there was a commercial this funny! I don't know why I love it so much. I think I'm going to sign me and Anika up for "Mommy and Me" swimming class but I'm worried about the crypto outbreaks. I'm just being paranoid as usual, I suppose. I think I'll go for it... but only if THIS GUY isn't at the pool.

Funny DUI

Makes me laugh.