Blogging about blogging

It has finally arrived....the last day of my month long commitment to blog every. single. day. in. November. It was an interesting challenge, and I am glad I followed through with it. I would have been mighty disappointed in myself if I had missed a day, especially toward the end of the month when it became especially difficult, because I had so many days under my belt.

At first, I found the task to be fun. It helped me be creative, and I would think of several topics a day, and develop them in my head, so by the time I sat down to blog, the ideas would just flow. By the end, however, I was out of ideas. I then started favoring quantity over quality, and would find myself searching through my old photos just trying to come up with an idea or two.

And here it is November 30, 2009, and the only thing I have left to blog about is blogging. Hopefully, after a few days off, I will get my groove back, and be excited to blog again. December always has a lot of things going on, so I expect my return will be swift and painless. Thanks to those of you who read my blog. every. single. day. in. the. month. of. November!

More Random Thoughts

1. Rediscovered with Ali and Dalan last night the hilarious blog, Awkward Family Photos. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time. McKay slept through it all. Ok, our boisterous laughter woke him up twice, but he promptly fell back to sleep without even so much asking what was going on, or asking us to be quiet. He also initially fellasleep with his eyes open.

2. Picked up Piper's and Griffin's Santa pictures from the Humane Society today. They are adorable. I will scan them in, and post them eventually.

3. Dalan and I decorated the house for Christmas today. He tried to get out of it for two reasons. First, he really does not care for the holiday season. Two, he dreamed that Chuck Norris was chasing him all night and did not wake up feeling rested. However, I am so glad we did! Our house looks so pretty and feels very festive.

4. Dalan and I caught up on some 30 for 30's today. One featured Burt Reynolds. That was a pleasant surprise. I really like the episode on the USFL, but did not like the one about Wayne Gretsky. Would have thought it would be the opposite.

5. Went to my Nana's for Thanksgiving leftovers, and then watched The Amazing Race. It was confirmed that if I like a team, they will be the next team eliminated from the race. I should keep my mouth quiet about who I like from now on. Patti and I did a mock "Amazing Race" while bringing Christmas decorations from the basement for my Nana. It was fun, but my endurance sucks.

6. I have a paper to write for my math class, but I am choosing to blog first, take care of my Farmville next, and do my paper last. A girl has to have priorities.

Seven Random Thoughts

1. Played Beatles rock Band last night. Loved it. Almost convinced the huz that we should buy it today, but I could not justify the cost.

2. Saw The Blindside. Loved it. You should go see it.

3. Watched the BYU/Utah game. Did not love it. It was exciting, but so disappointing.

4. Had people over to watch the game. Loved it. It was good to see all our people.

5. Isaac came over. Loved it. He is the happiest baby ever. He is adorable. He made my ovaries glow like E.T.'s finger and innards when he is connecting with Elliot.

6. Played Guitar Hero with the family after the game. Loved it. I got warmed up after my long break from the game. Finally beat Ali. Made me want Rock Band even more.

7. Two more days of blogging every day. Love that fact. It is hard. (That's what she said.)

Black Friday

This morning, Dalan, Ali, my mom, and I participated in the Black Friday madness. We got up super early and headed to Target right before 5 am. We waited in an enormous line for about ten minutes, then we were in the store, and in the middle of Christmas shopping at its finest? Maybe at its worse? I am not sure. We got some good deals, and it was fun. The $3 grilled sandwich maker was already gone that Ali and I desperately wanted, however, she found one at the register as we were checking out. Lucky! We also got some cute black and red reusable bags.

Then we dropped my mom off, because she had to work, and headed over to Kohl's. The lines were ridiculous, so we left. We then went over to Lowe's to get Dalan an air compressor, and it was smooth sailing. Lowe's was the best experience of the morning. They had no door busters, just some really good deals. It was nice to get what we wanted without too much of a hassle.

Next, we went to Old Navy. Ali and I found plenty of things we wanted there, and the line was ridiculous. Then they offered us a chance to jump the line if we applied for an Old Navy credit card. We went for it. We will pay off the card and cancel it when we get it in a few weeks, but it was worth the line jumping 100%, plus we got a super cute reusable bag with birds on it for applying.

So, the jury is still out whether I will ever participate in this event again. Here's my thinking, and being a planner, this is seriously how I make most of my decisions in life.

Pros:

-We got some good deals.
-It was fun.
-It was thrilling to be on the hunt for the deals.
-Lines are part of the territory at Christmas.

Cons:

-It was early.
-The lines were out of control.
-I like the good deals, but might be willing to pay more and not deal with the early morning craziness.
-I was up early, but then napped, and felt like I wasted a good part of my day.

Thankful Thursday 4

Today marks the last day of my Thankful Thursday posts, or as Nghia called the my "mushy posts," as November is quickly coming to an end. So, here is the final list of all the things I am thankful for....

1. My family, my friends, and my freedom
(the three F's mentioned in my previous posts).
2. My dog
(and other people's dogs, like my sister's dog Griffin....I gave him his shout out.)
3. My home
(even when it leaks.)
4. My job
(I have to remind myself of this one from time to time, but I really do love it.)
5. Entertainment
(books, movies, internet, T.V., blogs, etc...listed in no particular order....I did put books first to look more intelligent.)
6. Delicious food
(on Thanksgiving Day, and non-Thanksgiving days)
7. Laughter and being silly
(two of my favorite things)
8. My phone
(I love talking and texting, and I am thankful for my phone even though it has no back and the battery falls out all the time. I wish I could be thankful for a fancy iphone, like my husband, but no such luck. )
9. My health
(after my bouts with kidney and gall stones, I am VERY thankful for each day that I feel well.)
10. All the other things that are fabulous!
(There are about a billion more things that I am thankful for, but this category will cover all those things, while keeping the post at a reasonable length.
Therefore, I am thankful for my ability to know when to call it quits...)

Dear Premium Channels...

Dear Premium Channels,

Welcome home! We have missed you, more than I am really willing to admit. Dalan is openly excited. I am more coy. It was easy to justify canceling you when your rates went up and up. However, it was even easier to justify letting you back into our home, when you made us a fabulous 6 month offer that was too good to pass up.

We have caught up on all the Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes we have missed so far this season. Larry David still makes me cringe, but in a good way. We have started the Californication episodes. David Duchovny is still super sexy as Hank Moody. Next, we are onto Dexter and Entourage. I am sure Dexter will be still be super creepy, and the boys on Entrourage will still be having money problems/career problems, only to have a blockbuster movie in the works. And we will LOVE it all.

We will be enjoying the winter weather inside, glued to the television. Don't plan on us making too many plans anytime soon with us. We are watching T.V.

Loves!

Jess and Dal

A few of my favs

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of Piper. They were all taken in the fall/winter of 2006.

At our old place, she would lay between the drapes and the sliding glass window and sun herself for hours. It was cute. I bet she misses having a spot here to do it.

Here she is wearing a cute pink striped tee, and has her listening ears up. She used to put her ears up on command, but we stopped practicing with her, and now she doesn't. We suck.

Piper stealing a fry. She loves McDonald's fries. Goes nuts for McDonald's fries! She will "speak" (beg) for them, and even gets so excited. She ends up putting her back legs down flat and scooting around like a dog with no use of its back legs. I will have to get in on video. It is hilarious.

Frumpster

I was complaining to my mom and sister about how blogging everyday is really hard. I know I have a choice to stop, but if I am in this thing a penny than I am in a pound. I am going to finish out the month, dammit! Ali suggested to me that I should blog about "how my hair has been looking super frumpy lately." I think she was only half kidding. My hair has gotten pretty long, and I get compliments on it when I wear it loose. Also, I prefer my hair long. The problem is I am lazy, and because it is long, I wear it pulled back in a ponytail or bun, ninety percent of the time, because I would rather not blow dry and then use the flat iron. That takes time and effort. A bun or ponytail takes almost no effort, but admittedly looks pretty frumpy.

So, I have some choices:

A. Cut it short, and be forced to dry and straighten it daily. Although the process would take less time, because I would have less hair. However, it will eliminate the frumpy, but is less convenient than the other options. Also, Dalan prefers my hair short. He may be the only man on the planet who likes shorter hair.

Examples of short hair:



B. Leave it long, but commit to not being so frumpy. Easier said, than done. I have a hard time giving up sleep, just so I have time to dry my hair.

Examples of long, loose hair:





C. Leave it long, and face the fact that I am frumpy.

Examples of how my hair looks must of the time:

Domestication

Dalan is sick. Boo! So sick, that he elected to stay home and watch the Utah game on Saturday instead of going to the game. Poor guy is SICK. However, that left an unexpected six free hours in my day. I had a very busy day planned.

In the morning, I went to the toy/school supply drive Hilary's church had organized and hosted for the students at my school. Oh my gosh, talk about generous. I left feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for all the things that were brought for the kids and their families. Way to go, Hilary! I don't think I can say thank you enough! In the afternoon, I had planned on going to the game, and in the evening, I went out to celebrate Erin's 31st birthday, After all, 31 is the new 21!

So, I found myself with some time on my hands. I certainly could have done some laundry or cleaned out the spare bedroom. Or sat on the couch blogging, spying, and organizing my Farmville. Instead I decided to make some banana/walnut muffins with the overly ripe bananas I had on my counter. I would have made some bread, but I don't own a pan for baking bread. I actually don't own a muffin tin either, but they sell cupcake/muffin liners with foil attached so you can just make them on a cookie sheet. Works quite nicely. After, I had those in the oven I decided to make Dalan a spice cake. He loves two kinds of cakes- rainbow chip and spice. Rainbow chip is his favorite, and I had the mix, but no frosting. So, he got spice instead. I actually had fun doing all the baking, and it made my house smell like fall. Turned out to be quite a yummy afternoon.

Confused!

Did you know....

I still call Smith's Market Place....Fred Meyer?

I still call Big Lots....Pic N Save? Or if I think real hard I call it Mac Frugal's....never Big Lots.

I still think NBC is channel two, and CBS is channel 5, even though they switched like a billion years ago?

I am fairly intelligent person, who usually learns new things quickly, but there is something about those three things that totally confuses me. Weird.

There are creatures all around us

We live kind of close to a taxidermy studio. It is rumored that the man who owns said studio is the father of the girl who played Kelsi Nielson in High School Musical. I don't know if it is true or not, but that is what a girl who does my nails on occasion told me, and they went to regular high school, not musical high school, together, or something like that.

Anyway, from time to time they have these giant wax sculptures out in front of their shop. They look like the wax figures you used to be able to get at Hogle Zoo, except a million times bigger. I have no idea if there are real dead animals encased in the wax, or if it is just a recreation of an animal someone shot. I actually have no idea if the material is even wax, but it looks like wax, so that is what I am calling it. We have seen bear and elk in wax before, but most recently a hippo and a giraffe. I am not really into stuffed, dead animals, but it was quite shocking to see such exotic animals in our neighborhood. Again, I have no idea if there was a real hippo/giraffe shipped from Africa to be stuffed, or just recreations. Speaking of the zoo, I hope one day there is a wax liger in my neighborhood. That would be something.


Dalan walked Piper over to the studio today to get a picture of the wax figures for me. Our neighborhood creep (we have another name for him, but it is not appropriate for the blog, email me if you want to know it) was standing outside of the building smoking, so Dalan and Piper took a lap hoping he would be gone by the time they got back. He wasn't, so Dalan quickly snapped the picture anyway, and then took one of Piper to give the illusion that he was just a man taking pictures of his dog, not of the random exotic wax figures in his neighborhood, and therefore possibly making himself the new neighborhood creep. The picture of the wax figures....excellent. The picture of Piper....not so much.

Thankful Thursday 3

Albanian - mik

Afrikaans - vriend

Chinese - péngyou

Dutch - vriend, vriendje

Danish - ven

Estonian - sõber

French - ami

German - freund

Georgian - megobari

Hungarian - barát

Indian - dost

italian - amico

Irish - cara

Japanese -- tomodachi

korean -- jingu

Latin -- amicus

Manx -- carrey

Old English -- freond, wine

Persian -- dust

Russian -- prijátel

Sanskrit -- mitra

Spanish -- amigo

Swahili -- rafiki

Turkish -- dost,arkadas

No matter how you say it, I am thankful for my friends!

I am crushing...

I love Glee. Can't help myself. I love the singing. I love the dancing. I love the stereotypes of the characters. I love the witty dialogue. But, I especially love Mr. Schuester. I have a serious 12 year old girl crush on him. When he sings and dances, I swoon. I also love his Justin Timberlake curls. His real name is Matthew Morrison, but I am less interested in the real man, but more have a crush on his fictional character. However, the real guy was on Broadway in Hairspray as Link. And I do love Hairspray, and I do love Link. My Zac Efron crush started when he played Link in the movie. What can I say, I like a man that can sing and dance. Oh, and one that has a beard.

Do you believe?

Dalan has yet to grown his winter beard. Boo! I think his beard is hot. Super hot! Maybe if we all show we believe in Dalan and his beard by clapping our hands he will grow one. Just like when Tinkerbell requires all the children to applaud to bring her back to life in Peter Pan and show they believe in fairies. This is what I need from you all to get Dalan off the razor and back on the beard! Let's hear that clapping!

Snow!

It snowed over the weekend.

Piper was super psyched. She hates the rain, but loves fresh snow. She could stay out in for hours, rooting around it like a pig, and then tossing it up in the air. She is very cute in the snow.

I was mildly pissed, bugged would be a better word. I mean it had to happen at one point and time, and at least, we did not have any outdoor activities planned, like last weekend, and like next weekend (Utah football games.) However, I do not like the cold, and the snow. I understand that water is important to a desert I get that, and I appreciate it greatly. However, I prefer the sun to the snow. Just can't help myself.

Dalan was indifferent. Pretty standard, really. He hates the heat, but it is not like he loves the snow either. He would just like it to be fall all year long. After all, he has a temperature range of about 5 degrees that he is comfortable in....63 degrees to 68 degrees....give or take. The day that it snowed, he complained about being to hot when the heat kicked on and we were cleaning the house, only to complain and ask for a blanket a few hours later when he was sitting on the couch. This cycle continued throughout the day. I swear he has no internal cooling system. We went bowling the other night with some friends. It was a cool night, and the bowling was active, but not overly so....I mean its bowling, and everyone else if comfortable in their long selves and sweaters, but not Dalan. He was flushed and sweating. It makes me giggle, because I am totally in love with that crazy guy!

Tales from Teaching: swearing

The other day, I thought I overheard one of my ESL students say, "dammit." I wasn't quite sure if I heard correctly, and there were other students around, and none of them freaked out, because someone had said a bad word, as per usual. So, I let it go. Later that day, I had the kids in small groups, and the same student said the word "dammit" repeatedly when he made a mistake on the assignment. I pulled him aside, and asked him if he had said "dammit." He proudly shook his head yes, and told me, "I like that word." I explained to him that it was a bad word in English, and he could not say it in school. He looked crushed. I told him he could say, "Darn it" or "Dang it" instead. He is a sweet little boy, and wanted to make sure he had it right and asked, "So, I can't say dammit, but I can say darn it?" I told him yes, all while thinking how silly the whole thing sounded, but it is something he had to learn and can't go around school yelling "dammit."

The next day in group, he makes another mistake, and said, "damn!" I had to remind him we couldn't say that word in school, and he was again confused, and asked, "What word can I say?" I told him, "darn." So he sat there and repeated "darn" over and over to himself. It is so ridiculous, they are basically the same word, and have the same meaning, but that is how society rolls, and I have to teach him the ropes.

Tales from Teaching: rhyming

Some of my English as a Second Language (ESL) students have really struggled with the concept of rhyming this year. Teaching someone to rhyme is not an easy thing, and something I have never had to teach in the past. We have been looking at word families, talking about sounds, learning poems and nursery rhymes, and singing songs.

I taught the kids a song I had learned from my sister, that goes, "I am a nut (click your tongue three times)....in a rut (click your tongue three more times.)" There might even be more to the song, but I don't know it. The kids were having fun singing it and clicking their tongues, and then we started rhyming. They came up with "I am nut...in a hut" And "I am a nut...in a mutt." I then reminded them that it helped to go through the alphabet to come up with more rhymes without really thinking that the first letter we always start with is "B". One little boy promptly comes up with "I am a nut...in a butt" Let me tell you to nine and ten year old boys that was the funniest thing they could have ever sang. I think they laughed for five minute straight. You should have heard them howling and repeating the line over and over. It was actually pretty cute to see how amused they were at themselves, and at least they rhymed, right?

Some other students overhead all the hoopla, and being ten year old boys tried to sing it too, I encouraged them to be appropriate, so then they started singing "I am a nut...in a squirrel's gut." Who knows what they added to that line when I wasn't listening.

What is right vs. what is convenient?

I am someone who is a planner and like to pride myself on making sound decisions. I like to weigh my options, research and read about my options, think about the consequences, make a decision, and execute said plan. I am rarely impulsive, and have pretty much planned out all my major life events. What can I say? I like it this way. I like to set goals and achieve them.

However, I do sometimes have a hard time make the "right" choice when there is a more convenient option available, even when I have all the information in front of me. I don't consider myself a lazy person, but sometimes I take the easy way out. Let me give some examples.

I will eat fast food, because it is convenient when I know that food prepared at home is generally healthier and more balanced. But, I don't enjoy the time it takes to make a meal, or the clean up that follows.

I will eat something out of the freezer or out of a box, rather than preparing a fresh meal is almost always better for you. Again, if I am going to cook, I want it to be easy.

I will use a paper towel or a Clorox Wipe to clean up a mess, rather than getting a rag or a sponge, even though I know it is more environmental sound to not use products that are one time use.

I will watch hours of a Law and Order marathon because it is easy and mindless, but it takes every fiber of my being to motivate myself to exercise, because it is not enjoyable, and then I am all sweaty and have to shower.

So, how do you make a "good" choice when a more convenient and appealing choice is in front of you?

Thankful Thursday 2

I am thankful for this guy.....


And these people.....


And these people too....

Can't forget these two....

Or this lady....

Basically, I am thankful my whole fam-damily!
Love them!

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

I hope Sponge Bob found a new residence, because Piper destroyed that pineapple! She ignored it for over a year, became interested in it like a week ago, and then made sure it was destroyed!

A gift with strings attached

Ali bought Piper a Halloween costume at Target on clearance for a dollar. Way to go, Ali! That is a fabulous deal. And it was so thoughtful of you to buy Piper a gift on your limited "I am a college student" budget.

Ali gave Piper her new gift on Sunday evening while we were over for dinner and so I could watch The Amazing Race with my mom and my Nana. Ali and McKay decided that they wanted to take the dogs for a walk during the show. Way to go, Ali and McKay! That is a really thoughtful gesture to take my dog on a walk too, so I can enjoy my program. And it is much healthier than sitting around and watching T.V. after eating some delicious homemade pizza.

However, Ali and McKay insisted that Piper wear her new costume on the walk, including the hat. Piper hates things on her head, but they cinched it tight enough that she could not shake it off her head. They claimed it was to keep her warm during a walk on a brisk November night, I think they just wanted to torture the poor dog.

Of course, I dressed Piper back into her outfit (hat and all) later to show Dalan how cute she looked as a little pumpkin. And to get a picture for this post.

Matchy matchy

I convinced Dalan to let me paint his toe nails with the black nail polish I bought for Halloween. Now, we have matching emo/gothic toes. We are that cool these days, meaning we would be cool if we were 14 years old, and it was 2004. Or if one of us was named Pete Wentz.

A three-legged dog

Remember that horrible picture of me when I looked like I was 12 years old?????? The picture above was taken that same day. Pretty sure Piper looks like a crazy, but amazingly balanced three-legged dog. It appears that she has only one back leg, and an injured front leg. It was taken just over two years ago when afternoon when Dalan, Piper, and I decided to have a little picnic up Milcreek Canyon. It was a lovely summer day, and the temperature was perfect in the canyon. We ate some fried chicken, and explored our surroundings. However, there must have been something in the air, because the pictures from that day....not so good.

A "method" to my madness

I love the Method* brand non-toxic cleaners. I use them for most of my cleaning needs, and I have been replacing any cleaning product that runs out with the Method equivalent. I especially love their "naked" line of products....no toxins, no dyes, no perfumes. Perfect. However, some of the products don't come "naked" but that it ok too, because sometimes I like the wonderful and natural aromas that their products possess. My house never smells "clean" anymore, in the sense that it does not smell like bleach or other chemicals, but it does smell like grapefruit, almonds, and mint. Much nicer if you ask me.

I have been wanting Method's Omop since we got the new floors. The Omop is similar to a Swiffer, but is more environmentally friendly. However, I have not been able to find a store that carries it. Target carries the replacement fluids, but not the actual mop. The Method website has the Omop, but charged $13.00 in shipping. And I am cheap. So, I have waited and waited. Finally, Amazon has started carrying the starter kit, and had free shipping. It was the most exciting part of my day ordering that darn mop. I will have to review it once it arrives, and I start to use it. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it is not a big disappointment, although I doubt it, because I seriously love all the other Method products.

*I am endorsing Method brand products with no financial compensation from the company. This is just me sharing my love of a good product. HOWEVER, if Method would like to pay me to advertise their product or send me some kick backs, I have absolutely no reservations about doing so. Just throwing that out there.

I knew it!!!!!!

Dalan and I have found a new favorite thing to watch on the television. It is ESPN's 30 for 30 series, which features 30 different moments/stories/events/personalities/etc in sport's history over the last 30 years in order to celebrate the network's 30th anniversary. See, everything that is cool is turning thirty this year!

They are really interesting, and they are done by different film makers and directors each week as a documentary, and air on Tuesday nights with limited commercials. So far, we have watched the one on the Baltimore Colts marching band that continued to play and march for the 12 years after the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis, and the one on Len Bias, the college basketball player who died in 1986 from a cocaine overdose after being drafted to the Celtics. Come on, you all remember Len Bias, you may not remember his name, but anyone in my age bracket will remember the cautionary tale of the superstar athlete who only tried drugs once and DIED of a heart attack, so who knows what drugs could do to ordinary boys and girls like yourselves. I think I heard his story every year of my life in drug prevention lessons. Well, his story was very interesting, and the jury is still out about how often he used cocaine, depends on who you believe in the documentary. We still have one on Mohammad Ali in our DVR, and one coming up this Tuesday on Jimmy the Greek.

Dalan's interest was piqued as far as the other topics featured in the series, and then found a piece of information on ESPN's website that confirmed what I have known my whole life. ESPN's 30 for 30 is devoting an entire episode to June 17, 1994. MY BIRTHDAY! They had thirty years of sport's moments, highlights, stories, and personalities, and they chose to devote one of their 30 precious hours to MY BIRTHDAY. I have always known and taken any opportunity to remind people that June 17th is magical, but here is further proof of the greatest day to ever exist. I know that in 1994 on MY BIRTHDAY O.J. Simpson went on his infamous drive, but I cannot wait to find out all the other stuff. This particular segment won't air until 2010, so I will send out a reminder, because this is a show you will not want to miss!!!!!!

Edited to add: Dalan wanted me to make it clear that we receive no compensation for promoting ESPN or its programming. We just really like this show. However, if ESPN would like to sponsor the snoop bloggy blog, we are open to any and all offers.

Thankful Thursday

It is November, and as someone who appreciates themes, I am already going into Thanksgiving mode. Therefore, I have been thinking a lot about all the things I have to be thankful for in my life. And since I have challenged myself to blog every single day this month, I decided to devote one day a week to the things that make me give thanks in my life. Viola, another theme....Thankful Thursday. I am also someone who appreciates alliteration....so Thankful Thursday meets my need to use poetic language in my life as well. Perfect.

I am thankful for..... my freedom. Reading my student's comment about freedom in Iraq and thinking about all the hardships that many families in our communities have gone through in other places in the world to get freedom has really made me appreciate all my freedoms that much more.

I am thankful to live in a country where I can have a blog to post my thoughts everyday in the month of November without having to fear for my safety. I am thankful to have the freedom to choose who I love and who I hate, to choose who I vote for and who I protest against, and to choose where I want to live and where I want to void visiting. I am thankful that I have the freedom as a woman to express my opinion through my career, my actions, and my words and not fear for my life. I am very thankful for to live in a time and a place that allows me these freedoms. It is easy to take freedom for granted when you have always had it, but hopefully, I can remember to be thankful more often than just one or two days a year.

Out of the mouth of babes

I recently gave my class an assignment to read a biography on the person of their choice, and then complete a book report. The students picked everyone from Miley Cyrus to Rosa Parks and everyone in between. I have an Iraqi refugee in my class who read and wrote about Martin Luther King Jr. One part of his report struck me.

Question: If you could meet this person what question would you ask him/her?

Answer: How can I help to get freedom for Iraq.

It amazes me the things the students in my class have experienced, and the things that they have have to worry about in their lives.

Pictures of the Halloween past

I never made it over to my parents' house to get the really old pictures from Halloween past, but here are a couple of pictures from the last decade. You will all have to wait until next year to see little Jessi in her awesome costumes, and they were awesome. Patti doesn't mess around when it comes to being festive for holidays.

1998

2000
2005

2007

2008

NaBloPoMo

Apparently, November is NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month. It is basically a challenge to post a new blog everyday for a month. I am kind of ambivalent about whether or not I want to commit to even trying this, but it has a funny name and I love a challenge. Also, it is getting colder and colder, and darker and darker earlier, so I should have some time on my hands, because I am sure as hell not going outside on the regular.

Have you seen the trailers for The Box with Cameron Diaz? It is some creepy movie about a family being offered a million dollars if they push a button in a box that will kill someone they don't know somewhere in the world. There is more to the movie from what I can tell on the previews, including some nasty consequences. Anyway, Dalan claims* he might do it, but maybe not for a measly million, he thinks he would need like 20 million to do it. I would not do it for any amount of money. I could not deal with the guilt. So, would you do it? And if not kill some anonymous person for a million bucks, what would you do for million?


*I don't think Dalan would do it for any amount of money either. He likes to talk like he is all tough and lacks empathy, but he is the biggest softy ever. Often times, he has to remind me to be kind and think of others, so it is doubtful he would ever do something with such dire consequences for any amount of money.

Halloween with a twist

Halloween is one of my top five favorite holidays. I love any excuse to get all dressed up! About a month ago I came up with the perfect Halloween costumes for Dalan and me. Dalan does not share my love of Halloween, or any other holidays for that matter, but will usually dress up as anything I request as long as I do all the prep work. However, as things would have it, we would end up being booked with non-Halloween activities over the Halloween weekend. We have season tickets to Pioneer Theater, and to the Utah football games, and this month our turn at the theater was on October 30, and there was a football game on October 31. I was excited for these two events, but a little disappointed that non-Halloween activities were going to dominate our holiday weekend.

I decided to save my perfect Halloween costumes for next year when we would have more time to wear them, and go with more simple costumes that we could put together with the clothes we wore to the play. I was a black cat, and Dalan was a 1920's gangster of sorts. However, no one including the D.I. was selling suspenders, and no one sells realistic looking play guns. So, Dalan went to Jen and Gil's party as a nicely dressed gentleman wearing a fedora and carrying a alien laser type weapon. Oh well, it was better than nothing. Jen and Gil throw an awesome Halloween party every year complete with a theme. This year the theme was Alice in Wonderland. It was pretty neat to see their costumes, and their decorated house and yard. The play, Is He Dead, by Mark Twain was excellent by the way. It was silly, outlandish, and so funny. I laughed out loud throughout the night.

On actual Halloween night, we went to the football. This meant we missed chili at my mom's house, and getting to see some little ones in their costumes. Boo! However, the game was excellent, and the Utes won! I never got too cold, and the game was a nail biter until the very end. The guys who sit behind us were very intoxicated, and at one point I was convinced one of them was going to throw up all over me. Luckily, that never happened, although he did fall down several times. I would have been so upset if I had gotten puked on! Also, we left a bowl of candy out for trick or treaters. It remained untouched throughout the night, which was disappointing, because it was candy I wanted to get rid of. I was hoping some teenagers would come along and take the whole bowl, but no such luck.

So, while Halloween weekend was not traditional or full of costumes or parties. It was a blast, and I still have my costumes ideas for next year!