Laugh Until Your Cheeks Hurt

My story part 2...

2012-02-14T08:07:00.001-06:00

See part one here.

One week after finding out we were pregnant and that I had passed my clinical exam, we loaded our stuff from my parents garage (we had moved in with them 2 weeks earlier) into our Penske and made the trip to our new home in Missouri. It had been less than 8 weeks since we first started talking about Chiropractic school.
I started the process of applying for my Arizona license, which I needed before I could apply for my Missouri dental hygiene license.

*Side note* Cooper and I had both looked into the licensing requirements for Missouri previously and had confirmed, so we thought, that I could get a license without taking any additional tests or classes in that state. Perfect- I was going to be okay. Terrified, but okay because I could still work my dream job.

So here I was in a new state where I knew 3 people, including my husband. Not even a month after moving to MO, I got the call that my sweet grandpa Del had passed away. I remember crying as we were leaving my parents driveway to move and telling Cooper that the worst feeling in the world was thinking that something terrible could happen to someone in our family and that we wouldn't be there. We made it less than one month before that fear was confirmed.

I got back home from Arizona and my grandpas funeral mid-October and finally received my Arizona license. Bittersweet- I could have had a job in Arizona by now. Instead, I started applying for my Missouri license. But a couple weeks into that I discover one major problem- I can get licensed in Missouri just fine. But, that does not include getting my anesthesia license. I cry, again, as I read an email from the licensing office stating that I would need to complete an entire semester of anesthesia courses again in order to fully obtain my license.

Game over.

You see, we are halfway through a semester already at this time so taking the classes is not an option for fall. That leaves spring- I am due with a baby in April and unfortunately, anesthesia classes are at least once a week for about 4 hours at a time. Oh, and they cost money...

And not to mention, I had just taken the classes not even a year earlier...

That was a major blow after what I saw as 5 months of disappointment after disappointment. I have a choice of either getting a technically incomplete license (which costs money) and praying that a dentist would hire me in my third trimester of pregnancy even though I cannot fully do my job (since legally I cannot administer anesthetic) OR I look into something different. We are well into November at this time and have a 3-week trip to AZ planned the middle of December, so a different job is out of the picture for now.

School it is- I would finish my degree.

I started the application process in November for the online dental hygiene completion program at Northern Arizona University. I may not be able to work my career but at least I can keep my knowledge up and progress towards some sort of goal. I was excited. I probably wouldn't have worked hygiene for awhile after having the baby anyway, but I certainly could handle online classes.

By the beginning of December I had sent in all the necessary applications to be admitted to complete my degree. I was going to take it slow so that we would be able to cover the cost of my education through grants and the money we would save from deferring my dental hygiene loans. 2-3 classes at a time sounded great to me. I would be in my third trimester of pregnancy by the time we got home and baby would be due just before finals but I knew I could do it.

Then we got the bill. Over $2500 for one single course. That was over the full amount of the grant that we thought would pretty much pay for all three of my classes...

Again, I cried...do we see a recurring theme here? Turns out, even though I am technically still a resident of the state of Arizona, if you are not PHYSICALLY present in the state when taking your online classes, you do not qualify for in-state tuition.

I had never thought it would even be an issue- I AM an Arizona resident, but it was an issue...

After talking to a few people, some of the fees got knocked off of my tuition making it about $900 cheaper.

So, after a lot of tears and a lot of prayer (from both Cooper and I because of course, Cooper did not anticipate and really was upset that I was facing so many setbacks. He loves me and hated that I was hurting.) we decided I would just take one class at a time because that was all we could afford. At least it was something.

I started my class in January and was happy- at least I had purpose. Well, last Monday my financial aid finally came through and not only was it one thousand dollars LESS than what it had originally showed, the financial aid office said I couldn't get the grant without being a full time student. How am I supposed to be full time when the only reason I took a class in the first place was because we could only afford one? And why in the last 2 months that I had been going through this process had no one mentioned this? So, my only option was to drop the course.

Game over, once again.

So that is why I was in school. That is why I am not working dental hygiene.

Saying that this last 7 months has been the hardest of my life would be a very accurate statement. I am so happy Cooper is following his heart and working so hard towards his doctorate degree, but I have been having a hard time knowing what MY purpose is here.

...Which is one big reason why I am so incredibly thankful for this baby. I may not be making the $35 an hour I just knew I would be making right now working the job I worked so very hard to be able to work. And I may not be up to my ears in homework achieving my lifelong goal of getting my bachelors, but I am going to be a mom. And somehow that makes all the heartache just a little bit easier to handle.

My unfortunate story about teeth

2012-02-13T07:58:00.001-06:00

Since I was a teenager I wanted to be a dental hygienist. I love everything about it- it allows me to educate others, which I love doing and it allows me to release some of my OCD tension, all the while getting to know some fabulous people.

Just one year ago I was starting my last semester of an accelerated dental hygiene program in Arizona. I was staring down the throat of 5 exams I would need to pass to get my license and then I would be free. And I knew exactly how it was going to go once I was indeed free-

-Graduate in May/pass all exams
-Get a job soon after (license would arrive sometime in July), hopefully in the office I worked in before I started school, which I loved.

-Work my little tail off to pay off my loans and to provide for our little family while Cooper finished his last 2 trimesters of prerequisites for Dental school.

-Start the Bachelors completion program in the Fall or Spring (finishing DH school left me with 2 associate degrees and ten classes short of a bachelors. My goal has always been to get a bachelors and eventually a masters. I truly, truly love to learn.)

-Get pregnant a few months after graduation and work through my pregnancy
Have you ever heard the saying that says something to the effect of "if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans?" Well, Heavenly Father laughed until his cheeks hurt when he heard mine. And I was taught a huge lesson. Here is how things actually panned out-

-I did indeed graduate, but found out a week after graduation that I had failed the most important exam. One which required actually working on a patient completing a quadrant of SRP (a deep cleaning) and being judged on whether you removed everything. You may remember the situation from this post. I failed by .25. Yes, a quarter of a point is what set me back from getting my license. Not only that, but the test was only available in Arizona a couple times a year and I was no longer in school so it was up to me to find a patient. Along with finding a patient, (which is a very difficult task in and of itself because the requirements are very specific) I had to pay another ONE THOUSAND dollars, and come up with the money to take my patient to California to complete another exam. And did I mention my school was closing so some of the people I relied on to help me through it, for the most part, were let go? It was devastating. A quarter of a point. It still haunts me.

-A couple weeks after finding out I failed, in June, Cooper started talking about Chiropractic school instead of dental and started communicating with an advisor in Missouri who let him know if he wanted he had all the requirements needed to start school in September. I was retaking my clinical exam August 21st.

-After completing my test in California, it takes a couple of months to receive a license which is required to start the bachelors completion program. If I even passed the second time I would not receive my license until at least October. So much for starting school again in the Fall...

- Visited Missouri mid July for an interview at the Chiropractic school and to make sure it was somewhere we wanted to live. A lease was signed and Cooper officially decided to be a Chiropractor instead of a dentist. My dreams of working alongside him as a hygienist and going to third world countries together for dentistry were officially put to rest. I felt like I was in a haze. Sometimes I feel like I still am...

-After a lot of drama with my board patient, (he told me THE NIGHT BEFORE we were leaving for California that he had to work so I drove to Cali with my mom first thing Saturday morning for orientation and Cooper had to pick my patient up later in the day so that he would be in Cali for my exam first thing Sunday morning) I took my clinical exam at the end of August, found out I was pregnant that same week (no wonder I felt like crap during my exam) and the day after that found out I got one hundred percent on my exam. Things are finally looking up.

I also got a call from my old boss that week saying they wanted to hire me for my dream job at my old office. I had been given 2 other great job opportunities since graduating, none of which I could even think about taking because of our impending move and the lack of a license.
*Side note* After realizing that this move to Missouri was for sure going to happen, I told Cooper that I was not ready to start a family. I did not think I could get through a pregnancy/raising a child and all that entails without my families' support around me. Turns out it was already too late... I had gotten pregnant the beginning of July.

This is getting long and cumbersome so I am going to split it up. Stay tuned for part 2. This prego needs a snack and a nap...

On the bright side...

2012-02-08T19:33:00.002-06:00

I have had a bummer couple of days ( I am working on a post to explain) but I promised my mom I wouldn't be sad today so this is me looking at the bright side. My life really is bright and I do not have much I can complain about at all. Here are some things that have made me smile these last few days-

1. Cooper and I got to escape for a few hours last Saturday to go see the Harlem Globetrotters- it was way fun. But my favorite part was the QT in the stadium. I stopped paying attention to the show once I got my chocolate doughnut and Icee. When in Rome, right? Or Kansas City.
2. I am 32 weeks pregnant on Sunday. No denying that belly now. Also no denying that it has made me 20x more clumsy and no one, including me, thought that was even remotely possible. Yaaaaayyy... 3. Cooper woke me up from my 4th nap on Monday with a package from my family. And I cried. A lot. What a surprise- I told the Facebook world the other day that I cry over EVERYTHING lately...including when my Sour Patch Kids bag somehow became empty last night.4. We celebrated 5 years since our very first date on Wednesday night with a little trip to Outback-
Hope everyone is having a happy, healthy week. Be kind!

Dressing the bump+bump pics

2012-02-02T15:20:00.003-06:00

Lets be completely honest- being pregnant has a way of making even the most fashionable girls want to live in fat pants and t-shirts. And eat Oreos and Teddy Grahams and Cheez-its all day. And sleep constantly. Oh wait, that was me even before pregnancy!

Moving on...

I never put too much effort into being fashionable to begin with- I prefer sweats and toe socks to much else, so I was in trouble. And I was fine with that, until I started getting a little bigger...

After so many days in sweats any girl may start to feel a little less cute and feminine. Compound that with weight gain, hormones, lethargy and you just feel plain nasty sometimes. Therefore, I resolved early on in my pregnancy that I would make an effort to get ready for the day in normal clothes whenever possible. You just never know when you will be discovered as the next Victorias Secret model!

I have never felt better emotionally- never have I felt so much purpose in my life (except for during that one pie eating contest...) than for growing this sweet baby and I want the way I look on the outside to reflect that as much as possible.
I would be lying if I told you I felt the prettiest I have ever felt in my life being pregnant. Not even close. I feel more like this- But, with a little effort I definitely feel the most BEAUTIFUL. And that, my fellow bloggers, is what is most important.

Peace, love and hoping this bump will REALLY start showing these next few days. These stomach muscles just need to give it up already!

Some things I am thinking about....

2012-01-26T13:30:00.002-06:00

~ Allow me to calmly and eloquently communicate to you my feelings of birthing this sweet babe in my bellay-
HOLYCRAPIAMSHAKINGINMYTOESOCKS. Probably they are going to need to knock me out completely in order to get this baby outta me. I am a wimp. And I have no shame admitting that. Just be glad I am not going into the pain this papercut is causing me right now...

~Hospital food where I am delivering is definitely up to par. Grilled cheese sandwich for 1.25? I'll take six. Some people like touring the hospital so they know what to expect when they give birth. I want to know what to expect for my free meals. And did you know they don't let you eat when you are in labor? My nurses are going to HATE me if my labor is longer than 2 hours...
~We FINALLY, after 5 months of searching, found a worthy Mexican food restaurant that serves more than just yucky white cheese. I guess we can stay here...

~I went to a Turbokick class last night- who says pregnant woman can't do everything they love even when seven and a half months pregnant?
~It still bothers me that the worker from Arbys told me that mayonnaise came on my Market sandwich when in reality it was yucky honey mustard. This was a month ago. Is it bad to hold grudges?

I love my food

~Once Upon A Time is my new favorite show on television. 2nd favorite? Alcatraz. Makes sense since they are so alike in storyline...

~My favorite color is yellow. Is yellow okay to dress my baby boy in? Even if you say no I am still going to but feel free to put your feelings out there, it's good for you.

~We had our first snowstorm a couple weeks ago-Cooper grew up in AZ so he has never lived in snow and he was giddy when he was outside. ...I was giddy when I was warm inside drinking hot cocoa

~I love chimichangas. Usually I don't let myself eat that fried goodness. Now I just don't let myself eat more than 2.

~I am back in school and SO HAPPY. I love learning

Peace, love and perfectly content with life right now.

I HATE surprises

2012-01-23T13:11:00.001-06:00

About a week before Christmas I was talking to some members of our family about my disdain for surprises. Don't get me wrong- I am always very appreciative if someone goes out of the way to do something special for me,especially if the surprise involves something cheesy, fattening and edible, but here is the thing-

I.AM.A.SPAZ.

Try to hide your surprised face. I know, I know... I seem so POISED all the time, don't I? (cue my husband rolling on the floor laughing)

I hate how I react when I am surprised. Hate it. I act weird and my face gets really weird (as in it turns red for HOURS because I am so embarrassed. You just can't come back from that after it happens a few times.)

Well, guess what? My sweet family decided to throw me a surprise shower while we were in Arizona. Friends and family members took time from their holiday vacations, some driving 3 hours, just to be with us to celebrate this sweet baby boy. We are so blessed.
I walked in and the first thing I said was "THERE ARE BOYS HERE" ha. Wasn't expecting that...

I told you-SPAZ!
...that boy in the middle belongs to me. Yummy. He was in on the whole thing. Yep, he lied to me for over a month, the big stinker.

Me acting like an idiot aside, I am so grateful for this surprise. I cannot thank those members of our family/friends enough who made this happen for us- it really means a lot and is more helpful than they know!

Clean eating

2012-01-19T14:50:00.001-06:00

I am not a big fan of resolutions but one goal I have for after I have this baby has been in the works for a few months and I wanted to give my thoughts on it. Especially considering that me thinking of anything besides "HOLY CRAP, THERE IS A BABY IN ME" and "what am I going to eat next?" is significant.
Eating CLEAN

When Busybee Lauren started her blog about clean eating based on the book "Raw Food Life Force Energy" I got the book and was so intrigued. I started out as a nutrition major in college (stop laughing) and am always interested in different diets and eating habits (not that mine is even remotely great. I am currently consuming a Big Hunk candy bar...don't worry I'll eat a banana later.) and this book sparked my interest on a raw food diet.

via
After reading the book Cooper and I found a couple of documentaries on clean eating on Netflix- my favorite being "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" This was right about the time we found out my thirteen year-old sister was put on a diet of no sugar, gluten, dairy, etc to cure the severe headaches and stomach aches she was experiencing on a regular basis. via
First I would say that I highly recommend watching this documentary and reading the book- they are both fantastic and really opened my eyes to clean eating. After cutting out soda and a lot of the processed foods my sister was consuming (she cheats now and again:-)) her stomach aches are pretty much gone. I truly believe in the power our own bodies have to heal themselves when fueled with the right foods.

I was really motivated to start the cleanse outlined in the Raw Food book and start juicing like I saw in the documentary. Then, I got pregnant... Eating raw and juicing when I was so tired all the time just really wasn't something I felt I could do.

Long story short, we have been slowly adopting a semi-raw lifestyle by incorporating more veggies/green smoothies etc... into our diet and I feel great when I do it. I don't know that I will ever be able to be one hundred percent committed to this lifestyle but the little changes that we can sustain long term are what I think are important.

Bottom line- More fully adopting this lifestyle to take off the baby weight is definitely something I will be doing this year. I definitely recommend you look into clean eating! Read this book, visit this blog and watch this movie if you want more information.

via the self esteem booster on my computer

...I am really looking unhealthy these days.

Another fantastic resource for clean eating I just found on Pinterest.

Peace, love and attainable goals!

PS. Anyone have any good juicing recipes?

The best three weeks

2012-01-15T17:25:00.001-06:00

We returned to misery err Missouri (where it is approx 9 degrees right now. Yucky) last Sunday from a fantastic visit with our family/friends in Arizona. I have about a bazillion pictures to share so since most of you (you know who you are) skip to them anyway, I will not bore you with too many words. Even though my words rock and I do not elaborate too much like my husband says I do. I just like details. And I am forgetful...

My husband also says I digress quite often.

Don't know where he got that one from.

We walked in to a welcome home party at my parents where we also celebrated the events that we had missed the last 4 months (Coopers birthday and finding out we are having a *boy*)

Where is Coopers food?;-)
We loved seeing the adults but our time with our nephews/nieces was the most special- we have 7 now

We danced more in 3 weeks than anyone that dances like we do should...

It was a running joke that my belly grew INCHES during exercise. After this particular dance session lasting 20 minutes it measured a whole 2 inches bigger. Is that unfair or WHAT? I exercise and get BIGGER? Ugh. I need a doughnut.

I think everyone would agree we have never laughed more than when watching these two play Just Dance. Before, I couldn't get Cooper on the dance floor. Now he even dances around the house. Life is complete. If you missed the video, watch it here.

We saw lots of sweet friends, some I may have already forgotten about since we didn't get many pictures:-(

We got my sweet grandma a puppy to keep her company since my grandpa passed away a few months ago- she is smitten. She is also newly smitten with shopping. Oh boy.
Oh, and she named the thing "Killer." ha
Girls day-

Date night at the Mesa temple, Santan Flats and game night with the Weinbergs

Rides in the convertible...80-degree AZ weather was good for our souls. And for ice cream

Christmas day was so special. The gifts this year were BEYOND thoughtful, especially from both sets of parents. Before this year we were never in a position where if we didn't receive something we needed we couldn't buy it ourselves- this year was different. We are so grateful for every ones generosity and the lessons we were taught with some of the gifts.

Skirts and hubby sweatshirts are heavens gift to a pregnant girl. This is me opening a very thoughtful baby gift from my sister/bro-in-law. Do ya think I was a little surprised? The only other time you see a face this surprised/excited is when I first walk into a buffet.And for dessert......I had some cookies too, of course.We got to go to all of our favorite places to eat while there- Santan Flats, Costa Vida, Eegees, Subzero, Rositas and Rigatonys. All of those added together=successful vacation and very few fights. HELLLLOOOOOOO hot stuff-
Again with the anti-cleavage picture. Can you even believe I got an Eegees that small? I am so healthy. I may have finished my moms larger size after downing this one. Just maybe. The baby made me do it.

The only thing I would change about the three weeks is getting sick the last week, thus missing out on a lot of fun and only being able to see my dad for 2 days out of the whole time. But besides that, we had a fantastic time. And my dad will be making it up to me by coming to St. Louis on business for at least 4 days. Please tell him that, mom. :-)

Peace, love and our last big vacation before baby! Can I get a what what?

HEEEEEELLLLPPPP!

2012-01-10T12:24:00.001-06:00

Hello all you makeup gurus out there- I need some help!! You see, my last two (yes TWO) favorite mascaras have been discontinued. Y'all know I absolutely love my mascara- if you tell me I am going to be stuck on a desert island and can only bring 5 things I just might include mascara on my list. It would be right after my scriptures and before a lifetime supply of Cheez-its and white popcorn.

My last tube is almost out so I need some recommendations! Help a girl out and let me know what your favorite mascara is? I tend to go for a more "dramatic look"- I like the dark lashes. My all time favorite mascara is this one, which was terminated a million years ago. Idiots.

While your at it, I could use some recommendations on blush and concealer as well:-) Spanks so much! ...Just in case you forgot what my eyelashes look like. Please reserve all jealousy- I obviously had copious amounts of makeup on am looking my absolute best.

Peace, love and makeup addictions!

2012-01-09T17:49:00.001-06:00

I thought that since I am in my third trimester of pregnancy as of last Sunday (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)that a proper pregnancy update would be appropriate. I know these are even more so snoozers than my regular posts, but my mommy appreciates them.

How far along? 27 weeks, one day:-)

Total weight gain/loss: About 8 pounds gained. Thank you baby.

And oatmeal creme pies...

Maternity clothes? Nope, but I am definitely getting to the point where I will need them soon. Hair ties and belly bands to keep my pants together are life savers. I am also close to the point when I say a happy goodbye to my feet when standing up. Never liked them anyways.

Stretch marks? Not yet but let's be real- they are coming. That is as inevitable as me eating 2 more oatmeal creme pies before the end of this episode of Ellen.

Sleep: I generally sleep GREAT. Only getting up about once a night to go potty, if that. During the day is a very different story. Please excuse me while I go for the 9th time today...

Best moment this week: We had a little visit to the ER last week (everything is fine but if you are worried/don't believe me then I hear the cure for what I have is Big Hunk candy bars and Teddy Grahams...) but while there they hooked me up to the baby monitor and baby was kicking it like crazy. He must be claustrophobic like his mommy- it was so funny to watch. The day before that someone FINALLY recognized/commented on me being pregnant. It only happened once and hasn't happened since, but it made me really really happy.

Movement: Oh yes, all the time. My favorite is when you can see my belly jump. Cooper swears he felt an actual foot kick him last night.

Food cravings: I get asked this all the time. Here is the thing, people. Have we met? The normal me craves something all.the.time and pregnancy has been no different.

Gender: BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY! And I think we finally have a name:-)

Labor Signs: NO THANK YOU

Belly Button in or out? In but getting very shallow. Have I ever told you guys my disdain for belly buttons? I hate them almost as much as saran wrap. They are gross.

Wedding rings on or off? On and really loose, actually...

What I miss: Nothing. I feel fantastic and am generally happier than I have ever been. Carrying this baby makes me feel so special!

What I am looking forward to: Decorating the baby room.

Weekly Wisdom: Me, wisdom? BAH. One thing I will say is that I feel so much less lethargic and generally better when I am staying active and eating well. My day goes so much better, but I think that applies to any time or phase in life.

Milestones: Already in my THIRD trimester. That is the last one, people. Craziness. I have to see the doc every 2 weeks from this point on. Cannot wait to meet this sweet baby boy. We are ready...except for a crib...and a bassinet...and a swing...and some clothes...and diapers...and bottles...and pacifiers... But other than that we are READY.

I have SO MUCH catching up to do with my posts- here we go!

Peace, love and happy pregnancies!

My cheeks hurt...

2012-01-01T15:15:00.004-06:00

Every once in awhile a series of events occurs that reminds you that this life is pretty darn amazing. The following 2 videos are part of this chain of events for me.

Enjoy. Or don't- whatever. I get enough satisfaction watching these myself that it really does not matter what you think.

~Turn your volume up so you can hear the music~

Bladder control is a big enough problem when you are pregnant, but then you add moments like this? Have mercy. I am sure you recognize my hubby as the twinkle-toes on the left from that fantastic booty of his since that is the view I show most on this blog. You're welcome.

Yes, that is my 82-year old grandma shaking it. Is she adorable or what?

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Hope everyone had a great holiday break. 2012 is the year of the baby for us- holy moly! I am 26 weeks today. And if I look a little sick that's because I am, but other than a cold I feel fantastic. I am one lucky girl.

Peace, love and the Christmas gift of dance that will keep giving...and giving (because I watch them about 3 times a day!)

Why I am VERY happy

2011-12-15T07:23:00.001-06:00

Something very strange has occurred in the past 4 or so months of my life. It was something that I had no explanation for and that left those who know me well very perplexed...

I didn't care to eat Cheez-its.

For those of you new to this blog and who haven't spent at least 5 minutes with me, I have been plagued with an unhealthy obsession with those heavenly baked crackers for as long as I can remember. Did you draw me for a secret Santa or were you wanting to buy me an "I love you" gift? That go-to gift would be 2 or 3 boxes of Cheez-its and you would think you just bought me a car.

...That is what you call "easy to please" right there, my friends. Unless you get me a box of the yucky Queso duos and then I am not so easy to please. I have my standards.

Alas, we have gotten back together in the past couple of days and the reunion has been so sweet! I know I really had some people worried...

I am fairly certain that the only times I exhibit that beautiful "pregnant glow" people talk about is when I am at a buffet or eating my Cheez-its. And I am totally fine with that.

Other obsession- Oatmeal Creme pies. We may have put them on our baby registry.

Okay okay, I snuck it on to the registry. Minor technicality.

Peace, love and goodies sent directly from heaven.

How 'bout them lips!

2011-12-12T07:56:00.001-06:00

I am always SO elated when I am able to see my sweet baby boy (who wouldn't like seeing the most handsome and smart fetus ever?)

Last week after the ultrasound, I studied the pictures more closely and got quite the little surprise. 2 things you should know:

#1-When looking at the first ultrasound pictures at 15 weeks with Cooper and my mother-in-law, one of the ways we oriented the photo made my baby look like it was a duck. So, to tease me for the next few days (until I yelled and smacked him)Cooper would say "quack quack" when I said anything about baby.

Yes, pregnancy makes you violent. No one messes with my baby.

#2-I think black babies are the CUTEST little things. I love all babies, of course, but I always wanted to adopt a little black baby and I have always teased Cooper that just MAYBE we have the chance of having one ourselves because of his big lips and our big booties. Stranger things happen everyday, people.

Now, imagine my surprise when I bust out our new ultrasound photo of sweet babies' profile and see this-

Yes, I understand baby has plenty more growing to do but HOLY COW those are big lips! Seeing that scared me for a second (I may have really peed myself that time but I can't remember-pregnancy makes you forget everything...:-)) and made me remember this result we got when we did the baby generator in this post-

I should have known that this might happen. After all, that website DID say that the results were 99.09% accurate and I believe it.... At least he has a nice nose:-)

Either way, I cannot wait to meet this baby and already have so much love for him.

Peace, love and botox!

A couple things that make me giggle...

2011-12-07T18:55:00.003-06:00

My Hercules of a husband came in the house GIDDY the other day because of this-

For those of you who are fortunate enough to know my husband you know that him and giddiness are not usually synonymous with each other.
Hercules- "BABE, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A LEAF THIS BIG IN YOUR LIFE?" (holds it up to his head)
Me- "Uhhhh, yes..." (as I am laughing hysterically)
Hercules- "Oh, (sad face) well, I am keeping it because I think it's the biggest leaf I have ever seen"

...it was held hostage in our den for days and I smiled every time I saw it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is our ceiling. We done gone and sprung us a leak...a very large leak, actually.

No big deal, right? Only problem is WE LIVE ON THE MIDDLE FLOOR! Seriously? Someone draw this girl a diagram to explain that one! No, there is not a bathroom or kitchen or any other form of water above us, just an entry to the upstairs apartment. I don't care who you are, that is funny.

Peace, love and leaves as big as your head! Thanks for all your sweet comments about the baby boy growing inside of me. I love how excited strangers can be for each other- makes my heart smile.

My heart is breaking.

2011-12-04T21:59:00.003-06:00

I just saw this on the beautiful Jesslyns' blog and was so touched by it that I had to pass it on. The pain in this kids eyes made my heart break. What hurts even more is knowing that countless people,not just kids, feel this same way and they suffer in silence. People can be so cruel.

We are all Gods children. I don't care what color, race or religion you are. Everyone deserves to be loved and I pray that I am the kind of mother that teaches my child that showing love and being tolerant of others is the only way to live.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Go hug a child and tell them how special they are!

BOY or GIRL?

2011-12-01T15:22:00.000-06:00

When we left our little house this morning I was certain I was going to be told the sweet baby growing in my belly was a girl... Sometimes being wrong is just fine:-)

Our handsome little monkey-butt will be joining our family somewhere around April 8th. Never been happier:-)

Peace, love and t-ball!

An annoying amount of pictures

2011-11-29T15:57:00.000-06:00

I am so bad at blogging lately. What can I say? Growing this cute little cantaloupe in my belly is super time consuming. Heck, combine that with approx 12 meals a day, (small meals, geeze!) Dr. Phil and Pettycoat Junction and that is a lot of time for NOT blogging.

Really though, I have just been L-A-Z-Y so this post will be lots of pictures with little talk- lots of catching up to do:-)

Brother and dad came through St. Louis a few weeks ago and took me to Chicago

Pregnancy is an excuse to supersize EVERYTHING
We went to the St. Louis zoo while they were here. You guys- it is AMAZING and FREE- I love the giraffes

The only picture my dad would take with me.

How would I look as a brunette? In black and white...

Playing peek-a-boo

Can you spot the walking stick?

This is about how I feel right now...

Cooper and I went to a wild bird sanctuary and elk park

We got a beautiful new niece- Brooklyn:-)Downtown St. Louis for the Thanksgiving paradeThanksgiving with great friends and family (who were in town for baby)Half the groupLast weekend we went to the cutest little town, St. Charles, for a Christmas festival What do you think? Do pregnant woman "glow?"

Downtown St. Louis for the Christmas kick-off

It had been a fantastic couple of weeks- we are so blessed. I am twenty-one and a half weeks along and we find out the gender of our baby on Thursday:-)

*HOLY CRAP, I HAVE A BABY IN MY BELLY!*

ANNNNDDD we get to go back to AZ for three weeks on December fifteenth. Life is gooooooddddd.

Hope you all are well too. If you aren't, I recommend pregnancy- it makes you pretty gosh darn happy. Unless you are too young. Or a man...

You're definitely FAT!

2011-11-09T16:20:00.004-06:00

Cooper and I were chatting yesterday in between first and second dinner about life and I commented on how it is FINALLY sinking in a little that I have a little person growing inside of me. This alone is enough to make me want to hide in a closet because I am so nervous to be in charge of another human being but then the next thought came- after we have one child we are going to want a second eventually.

I don't know why but that sent my head spinning- TWO KIDS? Now, I know that this is a long way off but really, my thinking has never really gone past one kid...

And then I saw THIS and am thinking maybe 2 or 3 or 4 doesn't sound so bad anymore. My lady parts quiver at the thought of it. 20 KIDS? Holy Hannah. and Joe. and Mark. and Carrie. and Brady. and Ashley. and fourteen more...
Raise your hand if being pregnant for the next 20 years sounds at all appealing to you? (I suppose it would be nice at the buffets...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had my second doctors appointment this afternoon. I was seeing the other doctor in the office for the first time who after he pulled my shirt up exclaimed "well, your DEFINITELY pregnant" after just looking at my belly.

Why, thank you, Mr. Sensitive. I was just itching to hear you go out of your way to call me fat...(inserts cookie here)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a little bump picture from a couple of weeks ago- I am measuring about seventeen-eighteen weeks along now and we will know the exact due date when my blood work comes back in a few days!

I'll take another picture of my (apprently) gigormous belly when I decide that Coopers sweatshirts aren't the newest runway fashion...

...don't hold your breath.

Peace, love and tying the tubes after 4 or 5 kiddos (wink wink)

*Note- I have nothing against the Duggar family for having 20 kids- they love them all and are not even in debt so it is none of my business. Just not for me:-)

Arizona

2011-11-06T19:36:00.003-06:00

As some of you may have read a few weeks ago, I made the trip back to Arizona to celebrate the life of my sweet grandpa. I cannot tell you how good this trip was for my soul-I was pretty homesick after a month in St. Louis and felt really fortunate to be able to spend time with my family. Even though the circumstances were not the best.

Here are some pictures from the 2 weeks I spent in Arizona:

Zoo with cousins from Rexburg, Idaho (hi Dri:-))-
I cannot say "wolf" for some reason. So, below is the "woof"Giraffes are my very favorite. Baby will have lots of things giraffe, I am sure...Pinnacle Peaks in Tucson-Time with extended family in St. David, AZ-

The flowers my talented aunt arranged for the funeral. Aren't they beautiful? The tags say "You are my sunshine" "grandpa" and "great grandpa." There were other arrangements with the words "father" and "husband" on them.
The Kitterman girls with my sweet grandma. She is HILARIOUS. I give her a hard time when I am with her because she eats JUNK all.the.time. Once I was getting mad at her for eating CINNABON cereal for breakfast all the time and she got all feisty and said "that's not all I have, I eat Fruit Loops too" Oye.

All the cousins except for 2 granddaughters who were very missed-

The two weeks I spent in Arizona and the circumstances that surrounded them really got me reflecting on how important family is. Really, nothing else matters but family. I am extremely grateful for my family and the relationships that we have. I found out when I flew out to AZ that my parents had been planning to surprise me by flying my little sisters out to Missouri that next Saturday to spend a week with me. That is a lot of money to spend to help ease the heart of your homesick daughter:-)My family is the best and I will taebo anyone who tries to tell me different.

Peace, love and remembering that FAMILY is what is important.

Drooling...

2011-11-02T16:03:00.002-05:00

I am sick with a nasty cold. Almost as sick as when I went to Canada when I was seventeen and got strep throat because they don't have ranch dressing or Cheez-its in Montreal. Yes, that alone can make this girl sick.

I visited the porcelain throne to revisit my last meal (Hawaiian haystacks=my fave) once and that is the first time I have my whole pregnancy. Therefore- I cannot complain, but probably will to you if your name is Cooper and you have a nice rear. That should mean most of you are safe:-)

You all have provided me with a lot of fun reading material while on my deathbed (and my mom says I'm dramatic...bah) I am loving reading about all your Halloween fun, especially the costumes- keep em' coming.

Anyways....

I am not usually one to go too crazy over fashion, ever. But, when I saw the new Shabby Apple collection earlier today I gasped (and then coughed and then reached for more pizza) Here are some of my faves-
You can trust that I am looking strikingly similar to this model right now...

All photos found here. Aren't they spectacular? Unfortunately, I don't think I have ever spent that kind of money on a piece of clothing IN MY LIFE. Maybe someday...:-)

Peace, love and looking at lots of awesome things before I DIE...

Definitely not dramatic.

One way streets are evil.

2011-10-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

The St. Louis Cardinals made it to the world series/won because we moved here.

Okay, okay...I know it wasn't because we moved here.

..only half of it was. (Doesn't that joke remind you of Chunk from the Goonies when he is talking about Michael Jackson using his bathroom..."Okay okay...so maybe he didn't use my bathroom. BUT HIS SISTER DID." Ha.)

A couple of my lovely gal pals and I decided to take a little trip opening day of the World Series to downtown St. Louis to explore...

First stop was one of the most famous BBQ places in St. Louis, Pappys. Don't even get me started on their sweet potato fries. That place does not disappoint. Something else that doesn't disappoint-banana laffy taffy.

My boyfriend "K" at Pappys

After lunch we ventured further downtown where people were already getting to the park and the fountains were red in honor of the Cards...

Beautiful Shauntae and Karlie (with K)

Some ice cream, shopping and lots of wrong turns rounded out our day- it was a blast!

Then, last night we watched with some other couples as the Cards claimed victory. After about 9 potato skins, 5 wings and countless PB cups I successfully went into a food coma and was able to watch the entire game...

Peace, love and pretending to love baseball (just kidding guys, I like it...when I only have to watch the last 4 innings:-)) Have a great, safe weekend and be kind to everyone.

Our not-so-original costumes

2011-10-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time I was really proud of myself for getting a cute costume idea for a lady "with child" and adding a little somethin' somethin' to it to make it uber (that means "really" or "immensely," mom) creative...

Here is the costume idea I found for me-

Saw that back in early August after finding out I was preggo and thought it was PERFECT, because did I mention I am pregnant? Cause I am:-) And then I thought to myself "self, how FUNNY would it be if I had a baby in my belly and Cooper had pizza or something in his?

I was so excited that I told everyone who would listen my idea. I am NOT creative and am never the one to come up with stuff like this...

...And I still am not. After making our costumes (sketched the designs on contact paper and just stuck them on=we are poor)I have seen not one, but TWO other people who had done the same thing- food in the boys belly.

So that is my story about how I was ALMOST creative. Even amidst the sheer disappointment we wore our costumes to 2 halloween parties and they were a hit.

A few other pictures from the 2 parties (yes, take that girls who wouldn't be my friend in elementary school- I went to TWO parties. No matter that one was for church so everyone was invited. Not important.)

Our little treat- 7 layer dip found on PinterestI ROCKED that doughnut. And then rewarded myself with another...

Peace, love and doughnut eating contests (which I won. No matter what anyone else says)

Don't forget the lyrics

2011-10-24T11:45:00.002-05:00

Found this on Pinterest and it made me giggle and remember the time that Cooper and I were on our way to a volleyball game and this Sean Kingston song came on:

Catchy song, no? Cooper thinks so too. So much in fact that he started singing it really loud-

"Somebody call NOW WHAT WHAT, shawty fire burning on the dance floor..."

If you go to about :45 seconds on the video you will see that Sean Kingston is OBVIOUSLY singing the lyrics wrong to his OWN SONG. Go figure;-)

Needless to say, Cooper has not lived that moment down. This was just one of the endearing things that made me love him more...and makes me feel a tad bit better about the ridiculous things I do every .47 seconds.

Anyone else have a story like this? Do share

Peace, love and singing at the top of your lungs whether you know the song or not!

Something to blog about

2011-10-17T20:43:00.001-05:00

Lets be honest- this blog has been going downhill for awhile. People enjoy reading about food and flatulence for only so long until you just need something new. Thank goodness for the little pop tart growing in my belly, I at least have a new set of experiences to make fun of myself for via the blog!

Oh, did I mention I was pregnant? Cause I am.

I'm going to be a mommy.

I have a baby in my belly.

For those that asked, here are some tidbits about my knockedupedness (your allowed to make up your own words when your growing your own human being):

~Took the test only a week before we moved so telling close family was fun. "Hey, I am pregnant...okay bye"

~I was nauseous for about 2 weeks while packing in August but after that felt better than ever.

~My sisters are most excited about the fact that I am getting fat. I am most excited about the fact that I have an excuse to be fat. I never enjoyed the Chinese buffet more than when I knew I was pregnant... move on over, people. Those would be my crab rangoons right there.

~ Pregnancy brain is REAL and is a SERIOUS disease. Or at least that is my new excuse for my normal behavior. Example? sure- I forgot my toothbrush everytime we stayed with my grandma while I was in AZ. What's my job? Oh yea, I tell people to brush their teeth. Don't worry, I forgot underwear too.

~My only other symptom of pregnancy is extreme hunger (I know those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile think this is normal..and you are correct) soreness in a certain pair of areas and gas. Yes, gas. I have become my husband minus people wanting to die when they smell it. I don't smell:-)

And you thought I was done talking about food and flatulence... bahhaha

...for all you that like looking at bellies. That would be mine at about 14 1/2 weeks courtesy the good ol' Blackberry. I sent it to my Cooper while I was in AZ to prove I was showing.We are sooooooooooooooooo excitedAnd sooooooooooo very scared that we are going to be trusted with something living that doesn't have fur (well, hopefully) Peace, love and crafting human beings!

Well, color me pregnant...

2011-10-11T18:28:00.001-05:00

No really, this time you can...

I guess pee sticks can be wrong sometimes too;-) Baby will be joining us in April and we couldn't be happier!

via

How lucky am I to have such a sweet, thoughtful husband (yes, his post below made me cry)AND a little bundle of joy in my belly? So blessed!

Peace, love and little blessings from heaven! Hopefully this explains my little absence from blog world- I hated posting when all I wanted to tell you was this and couldn't!

Sorry for Hacking Your Blog Shay :)

2011-10-05T21:17:00.004-05:00

Well Shay is probably going to kill me for hacking her blog, but as many of you know she is in Arizona and will be for awhile. The reason why I hacked is to leave her and you a quick message(and Ive been studying for 6 hours straight and needed something to do).

I know many people have been reading her blog for a while but I wanted to give you a perspective from the inside view with me. In case you didnt know Shay has the sweetest heart in the entire world. As she said her grandpa was an amazing person and a very sweet man, but what she doesnt realize is that she is just as sweet as he is if not more sweet. She cares for EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. For example, when driving down the road and we see a person begging for something she not only wants/makes me stop(or sometimes turn around) she will give them our loose change and whatever else we have including food that we had recently bought and and water that we may have in the car, and many times she gets teary eyed because she feels so bad for those people. As she says in her previous posts she is a complete child, and I love it. She is a child in every good way possible. She finds joy and entertainment in so many of the little things in life (like stepping on leaves). She is extremely smart, one of the smartest people I know. She will learn anything and just about everything, and just loves to be informed about things. She is beautiful, although she doesnt believe me when I say it but she truly is beautiful both inside and out. Shalyn is really the most amazing girl in the world, and if any of you disagree then you can come and visit me in Missouri and I can address your complaint then.

Now for you Shalyn, Ive been here about a week on my own and while making a quesadilla for myself for dinner I got this crazy idea I should post on your blog. I just wanted you and everyone to know that I love you and really thought that maybe this was the best way to get my point across. Being alone for the last week really hasnt been fun at all and I miss you. You have brought more happiness to my life than I ever thought I could feel. I cant wait for you to come home and neither can Toby-he looks for you to come in behind me everyday when I come home.
So I have now distracted myself from my 6 hours of studying so far today and must get back to the books. Hope you are having a good time. You are amazing and I love you.

Oh, this is Cooper her husband for those of you that haven't caught on yet.

I am back...

2011-10-03T09:57:00.001-05:00

A month ago today we were on our way to Missouri to move and I was distraught at the thought of not seeing my sweet family again until Christmas. But here I am...back in Arizona. We are sitting in my Grandmas living room while she tells us stories about my dear grandpa Del who was taken up to heaven last Thursday to be with our Heavenly father.

My family was blessed to have my grandparents live with us growing up. I can't really remember a time when I was younger that my grandparents didn't live with us, actually. Not many kids are lucky enough to be able to say that. I wish I realized how fortunate I was back then...

It is times like this that my lack of memories causes me so much pain- I wish I could eloquently express through my words the kind of person my grandpa was. He meant so much to anyone that knew him. Throughout his time with us I never once heard him complain. In fact, I don't really ever recall him saying anything negative. He never once spoke ill of my grandmother. I can remember whenever one of us walked into the room he would get a big grin on his face (with dentures in or not:-)) and he would say "hi darlin!" and give us a big kiss on the cheek. He would then ask us how we were doing and then when we asked him back he would usually say something to the effect of "faaannnttassttiiiccc!" even through we knew oftentimes that he was not.

My favorite song is You are My Sunshine and that is because whenever I heard my grandpa playing the guitar or harmonica I would go into his room with some of my siblings and ask him to play it for us so we could sing along. That guitar brought us all so much joy.

I will never forget his sweet smile. I will always think of him whenever Fox news channel is on TV or I hear that special song that is seared so deeply into my soul. I am so thankful for the time I had with my grandpa. I wish I could go back a few weeks and ask him to play me some more music just one more time.

I know I will see my dear grandpa Del again. I believe that families are eternal and I believe that grandpa is in heaven watching over his family right now smiling. He is probably playing You are my Sunshine for my kids waiting in heaven right now...

Goodbye for now to the man who will forever be his families sunshine. We love you...

7 random things...

2011-09-27T16:10:00.002-05:00

The lovely Ashley tagged me in this fun blog game and since I have been a blog bum I wanted to participate. I hate that I am letting life pass me by without recording it on the blog so here we go...

1. I always have to be doing something or I go crazy. Hence, why I bite my nails to the stubs when I am bored.

2. I am a total kid (I know, you can't even stand the thought of that being since I come off as so sophisticated on this blog)- Cooper likes to make fun of me for this. Example- when we go running/on walks here in St. Louis and I see a pile of leaves I HAVE to run through them so they crunch, even if they are way off my path. The noise is just so fun!

3. I am learning to play more than just the right hand on the piano and am really excited. I play a mean Kumbaya.

4. I could watch shows like Dateline and 48 hours mystery all day long. Good thing we don't have cable...

5. I almost had an emotional breakdown our second week living here because I thought the pizza, mexican food and ice cream all stunk. I have my priorities!(for the record, we had Papa Johns that night and I was okay. Verdict still out on ice cream and mexican food.)

6. I know that there is a God and that he hears and answers our prayers. I would not have been able to get through the last few weeks of my life in one piece and without gaining 67 pounds without direct answers to my prayers. I don't care what religion you are or what kind of person- he hears you. (If you don't believe in God, I still like you:-) Just please be respectful and let me share what I believe:-))

7. If I were going to be without my family anywhere in the U.S, I am so glad it is in St. Louis- here are some of the things we have done that I had my camera for:

Visit to Branson, MO with my parents

Dixie Stampede dinner show (4-course meal yesssssss)Visit to the lake. Oh, look...I have a gorgeous husbandBalloon festival in St. Louis with this cute couple-Lunch with some of the Chiropratic/grad school wives and my new lil boyfriend:-)Walks in the parkDate nights to little league gamesCraft time with cute girls- those are wreaths:-)

Peace, love and constant prayers that we can keep loving life in Missouri!

We all needed to see this again-*sigh*

Meet Me In St. Louie

2011-09-14T20:27:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it. We are now residents of the state of Missouri. Cooper started school last Wednesday and is up to his eyebrows in homework. As for me- I am up to my eyebrows in Starbursts and Cocoa Krispies. Pretty even if you ask me.

We still have some work to do on our new place but I thought I would share some pictures so my older sister can stop hassling me for them! (love you smash!)

View right when you walk in the front door...(notice the "chair/stool" railing on the right and not on the left- they should finish the living room soon!)

Living room (on the left after you walk in)

Dining room being used as an office/piano room (to the right as you walk in)

My black and white kitchen

2nd bedroom- still moving in as you can see, this is our catch-all

Master bedroom. No, I did not choose the purple paint and no nothing matches. Call HGTV on me if you want. No really, do it. We don't have cable here!

Bathroom- literally 6 times the size of the one in our house before

View from our bedroom- I am LOVING this green!

And that is about it. Obviously super impressive;-) Clearly I am no interior designer but we are students and we are broke so it will do for now.

Best part of our new place? Elephants live upstairs. Come spend 15 minutes in my living room and you will hear why I believe they weigh 5,000 pounds. Who in this world has the energy to stomp around their apartment literally every 5 minutes from 7am to 10:30pm is beyond me. (Not that I sit in my house all day to know that...)

They must be skinny elephants.

Peace, love and Cocoa Krispies!

In my experience...

2011-08-18T14:36:00.002-05:00

...Just because you are sick in the morning for 5 days straight apparently doesn't mean you are pregnant. Go figure.

...If you eat frozen yogurt for every meal in the day your body will hate you...as will your sense of smell. TMI? This obviously is about someone else, not me.

...ice cream+condensed milk+shaved ice= heaven in my mouth. And I got an A in math.

...Pregnancy tests are evidently capable of telling you within .3 seconds that you are not pregnant. Don't you even want to think about it for a second, mr. pee stick?

...Something Borrowed is by far one of the most hilarious movies on earth. And it came out the other day! Don't be jealous that my friend and I are going to learn the dance from it tonight.

...green smoothies are the BEST things for breakfast

...The little boy in Glee 3D needs to be famous (anyone seen it yet?)

...Dwight Schrute is the best character on TV.

Peace, love and stupid pee sticks! Happy Thursday!

Vic is here!

2011-08-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to introduce some of you to one of the most sincere, honest and beautiful bloggers I know! Not only that, but she was one of my first blogger friends and the creator of For The Love Of Blogs, my favorite blog networking site!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elllllo Pretty Friends! It's Vic from Oh, Prettyful filling in for our gorgeous friend Shay! I'm a little sarcastic but not quite as funny as she, so grab a cup, relax and stay for at least two minutes now would ya?!

I'm currently exploring the wild things in life minus the sisterhood whom all live in NY! We have been living in Southwest Florida for 4 years now due to the job my babe has and I often get home sick, miss the laughter between us silly gals and need to go out for frozen margaritas every Friday night at Chili's.

I tend to go out and act like a kid with my kids because after all, who the hell wants to grow up, eh?!! I laugh hysterically at the most disturbing behaviors such as but not limited to; farting, blaming someone else for my toots, going up behind someone to fling them or imitating my kids behaviors. I misbehave in Department Stores and goof around so much that I forget that I am a Mother! My girls are super fun, easy to take care of ; we entertain ourselves daily! I'm glad I decided to have them young. While I'm enjoying my middle aged life, girlfriends of mine are just starting their motherhood wiping a**. I'll take an amaretto sour with cherry juice and some good music over poopy diapers and formula stained smelly clothes. Been there done that! Now it's time for this mama to enjoy the bond between her daughters, do things with them that her mother never did and make beautiful memories. They're just at an age that I really enjoy. And while everyone says they miss their babies {i do} but I'm also looking forward to their high school/college days, boyfriends and growing journeys!

I'm so glad i got to ramble, thanks Shay! I love meeting new faces, so if you care to join us follow on twitter or le blog. XOXO, have a pretty day!

How many things can go wrong...

2011-08-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

(Written in July, posted in December...whoops)

Hi bloggers! I took a little time away to live a little bit of life (which is pretty crazy right now, I may add!) but I wanted to share a fun experience we had a couple weekends ago with my family! We went for a weekend at the lake...

Things that went wrong:

1. Flat tire on my parents' car on the way there

2. Cousins truck (he hosted the weekend) refused to come out of park so my dad had to crawl under it and shift manually anytime we needed to move

3. Cousins' truck locked itself right as we were ready to get to the lake

4. Prop on the boat was chipped after hitting land in the middle of the stupid lake

5. Brothers girlfriend fell off the tube and hurt her collarbone

...but when you are spending time with family, none of that stuff really matters, does it?

Peace, love and sunburns

I love blooooggggiinnggg.

2011-08-10T18:15:00.005-05:00

~The excitement everytime a new comment comes in

~Finding another person who has the same troubles/doubts/goals as you...

~The anticipation of whether or not you will see your blog name on an award list or as the winner of a giveaway

~Writing about something you have never let come out of your mouth

~Making a connection with another person halfway across the world/US

~A blogger remembering something you had mentioned in a comment or post weeks before

~When someone says they love you and/or your blog

~pressing "submit"

~Knowing that wherever I go I have blog world...and my church...and food

(The phone is for you)

~Being asked to guest post

~Realizing you are in fact NOT the only person in the world as in love with food
as you are...go figure! Now I need to convince my hubby of this!
~Being inspired...

~Trying something you never would have if another blogger wouldn't have done it/recommended it

~Being recognized out in public because of the blog (has only happened a couple
of times, lets be real here...)

~Learning how to be a better wife/sister/(future) mother/person from people I have never met

...A few of my favorite things! Thanks for reading,following, commenting, inspiring and writing!

*Photos from 2 weekends ago- we went to Thatcher, AZ to drop my little sister
off at college and to a family reunion. I love food.

Peace, love and being sappy! I just love you guys!;-)

2011-08-08T10:15:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday bloggers! I just got back from the lake last night so while I am recuperating (read:sleeping and buffeting (its a new adjective)) I bring you my sweet mommy friend, Suzanne! We went to high school together and I love reading about her and her cute little family! I just know deep down in my bones that you will too! And I have been terrific at predicting so far...

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Hello, my peeps over at Laugh Until Your Cheeks Hurt. My name is Suzanne and I reside over at Suzes Corner.

When Shalyn asked for some guest bloggers, I jumped at the chance because well, I've known Shalyn since high school. And by that, I mean we went to the same high school and had some mutual friends. Shalyn is always making people laugh and we share a love for food...though her body hides it better than mine. But that's ok. Two times in my life, my body has been stretched to it's full potential. (How'd that picture get in here???)

So yes, I have two children...three if you're counting the adult child I am married to.

My husband is currently in school, pursuing a bachelor's degree in Japanese. I am a stay at home momma of those two chicklets mentioned above and they just so happen to be 16 short months apart! Eek! Life is busy and wonderful and I wish it wouldnt go by so fast. My "baby" will turn 2 in just a couple of months.

On my blog, my two kids go by the names of Petey and Spidey...nicknames that their Papa gave them when they were babies. I would explain the nicknames but...well...that would just defeat the purpose of using nicknames on the blog. But dont worry, their real names are super cute. :)

Today, I am going to blog about the thing I blog about most...my kids!
Lately, my three year old girly girl has had a bad case of the saying-inappropriate-things-to-strangers. Last week at the store, an extremely large lady walked past and Petey said, "Wow, that is a HUGE girl, Mom." Luckily, Said Lady didn't hear her or I might've just died right there.

Petey's other favorite inappropriate thing to do is to tell people that I am carrying her baby sister in my belly. She likes to walk up to random people and say, "My mommy has my sister in her belly. We are going to name her Danica Jaymes." and then people usually congratulate me on my pregnancy. If I am paying attention, I can stop her in the middle and explain that I am NOT pregnant right now. Thanks, Little Miss, for making mommy's life more awkward.

This silly girl is always making me laugh. Her favorite thing to do is to stare at herself in the mirror and say, "I'm pretty. I'm gorgeous. I'm beautiful." Someday, we will have to teach her what the word vain means but for now, I'm glad she's building up her own self esteem.
And then there's my boy. I'm sure if he could speak sentences, he would have plenty of inappropriate things to say but instead, he just likes to hit and kick people and then running away laughing. Too much UFC? Actually, yes, that one episode that my husband let him watch WAS too much UFC. That show is like crack to my almost-two-year-old. I don't think he took his eyes off the screen for the entire 3 hours. But he had the problem before and he has it now. I never would've thought that I'd walk into the playroom and have to pry my baby boy off of his big sister.

But seriously, with a smile like that, how can you stay mad? You just plain cant.

Well, if you are ever wanting to see pictures of cute kids or read funny mommy stories, hop on over to Suzes Corner and say hi! And when I double my followers to 100, I am going to host a giveaway on my blog! So hurry over and make that happen!

And that's how Suze sees it.

~Suzanne~

Missouri

2011-08-04T18:40:00.004-05:00

2 weeks ago we went and visited Misery err, I mean Missouri. For those of you who are new to my blog (HEEEEELLLLOOOO!) we currently live in Arizona but are moving to Missouri for Chiropractic school. Oh, and we just figured this out about a month ago.At the airport

Our goal was to find somewhere to live, tour Coopers' new campus and do some sightseeing all in 2 days. After looking at about 12 places we found an apartment! Best part- it is only 2 minutes away from a place dedicated to Carnival Food! Fried Twinkie, anyone? You obviously know by now that I need to live by copious amounts of food to survive. Really, though...

On a tour of Coopers new home for 3 1/2 yearsIn front of the St. Louis temple

Did I mention how hot it was?

Our new hometown is (almost) officially Ballwin, Missouri. Catching name, no?I cannot believe we are moving in less than 4 weeks! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am totally poised, of course. As would be expected of me.

Peace, love and humidity! Be sure to check out my guest post on the fantastic Sloanbook- go meet my new friend Ashley and love her- she is pretty fantastic so go tell her HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! As for me, I am off to the lake! Yippee!

Sounds of summer

2011-08-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Alexis from Alexis Laughs shared some of her favorite summer tunes in a post recently so I thought I would share some of mine,even though summer is pretty much over (boo hiss!)

Behold, the songs that get my windows down in the car without fail!

Something else that gets my windows down in a jiffy- hubbys flatulence. TMI?

Okay.

Some good ole' country music:

Tim Mcgraw- BBQ stain

Keith Urban- I Told You So

Jason Aldean- Dirt Road Anthem

Kenny Chesney-Somewhere With You

George Straight- It Just Comes Natural

Oldies but goodies:

U2- Beautiful Day

Bryan Adams- Summer of 69'

Don Henley- Boys of summer

Summer Nights from GREASE

And the newer stuff:

Florence and the machine- Dog Days Are Over

Katy Perry-last Friday Night (best music video EVERRRRRRR)

Angels and Airwaves- The Adventure

Spill Canvas- All Over You

Cascada- Evacuate The Dancefloor

Nsync- Tearin Up My Heart (your welcome)

The Kooks- Naive

Death Cab for Cutie-Sound of settling

Nicki Manaj- Super Bass

Taio Cruz- Dynamite

Flo rida- Club Can't Handle Me

LMFAO- Party Rock Anthem

Neon Trees- Animal

Orianthi-According to You
Most of these songs are on my playlist down there (im pointing for you to make it easier). It pretty much rocks.

Peace, love and making sure to enjoy these last few weeks of summer with the windows down! Unless you are moving to Missouri where it is 95 degrees and feels like 115...then you are given permission to leave your windows up so you don't die. Oh, I mean- I love Missouri! Post about our trip there to come!

PS. make sure you read Courtneys fabulous guest post down there if you haven't already! Its a good one!

2011-07-31T22:14:00.002-05:00

I am very excited today, guys! Courtney is here! She and I have become great (blogger) friends and I LOVE both her and her blog. Her positivity is contagious and I just know you will love her too! In fact, I would be willing to bet my right kidney again. That is how serious I am about that statement.

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Hi there! I am here to tell you all about the best first impression I've ever made...not. I hope you get a good laugh about this for me, because I'm still not sure that I can laugh about it yet ;)

When Eric and I were first dating he told me all about his amazing family and of course, I couldn't wait to meet them! I remember the weekend he took me home like it was yesterday. To get caught up on why it is so memorable you really should read this post. I promise you'll love it :)

After we got home from the funniest (for me) and most embarrassing (for Eric) reception I met Eric's parents. They had just flown in from a business trip and we were all really tired, so we pretty much said "Hi, nice to meet you" then went to bed. The next morning we woke up and scrambled to get to church on time so we didn't really have time to chat. After church we ate a delicious lunch then lounged around and started to really get to know each other. Somehow we got on the subject of names when my mother in law told me that her middle name is Gay. I remember telling her that wasn't surprising at all because of the era she was born in. I then proceeded to make the biggest fool of myself....

me: "What I don't understand is why someone would name a baby boy "Guy". Seriously? Where is the creativity? Oh gee, I just birthed a boy and I think I'll name him Guy??! What is with that?" Oh believe me, I just went to town about how silly I thought that name was...
Eric: "Um Courtney? That's my dad's name."
me: "NO way! Shut up! You're teasing me!"
MIL: "No, really. His name is Guy."
My father in law was just staring at me with a half smirk/half bewildered/half this girl's an idiot-look.
me: "I don't believe you!"
So, my MIL goes and finds a Navy certificate (yes, my amazing FIL served in the Navy) to prove to me that his name truly is Guy.

Awkward....

I wanted to die. Why didn't Eric stop me when I was ranting about the name? Or better yet, why didn't Eric tell me his dad's name in the first place? Or best yet, why didn't I remember what his name is? Luckily, his parent's figured there was a reason I have blonde hair :) They forgave me, I married Eric a few months later, and I am now apart of an amazing, loving family! I am the luckiest, happiest girl around! And I've since learned to think before I speak ;) haha!

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Go visit Courtneys blog and find out why I love her (as if you cannot tell already;-)

Pay It Forward

2011-07-30T00:37:00.001-05:00

The movie Pay It Forward is on TV right now. Funny because some friends of ours were just talking about how someone randomly paid for their dinner the other night and how they definitely wanted to pay it forward.

It's so funny how one gesture that was probably small to that man made such an impact on my friends, and similar things have happened to me in my life as well.

If you have not seen Pay It Forward, please do yourself a favor and watch the movie. It will impact you so deeply, I guarantee it.

Have a very happy weekend, and do something kind for someone! It may just be something they tell their friends about days later...

DIY picture boards and a recipe

2011-07-27T18:27:00.002-05:00

During our girls weekend we decided to do a little crafty craft. I have been in a super crafty mood lately. Feels like pretty much the only thing I haven't created is a baby...ill work on that one.

That's gross.

This little beauty is what we made-And here is what mine looks like with some of our photo booth pictures on it-

Isn't that just the CUTEST little picture/reminder/recipe board you done ever lay your eyes on?!

No? Okay. Well, I love them. Here is how we did it:

1. Buy some kind of board for the base in the size you want. We bought a simple, black poster board (I have also seen some people cover their board in fabric, but we were too lazy and poor to do that) Canvas will probably be the base for my next one. You also need cute ribbon (we used 2 colors), colored brads (mine are black and silver) and glue.

2. I outlined my board in the ribbon (my sister did not) and then just started gluing the strips diagonally to the back of the board. Make sure you only glue the ribbon to the back so you can slip your pictures through the ribbon. Not that I made that mistake or anything...

Twice.

3. Put the brads where your ribbon crosses

4. Show your husband and subsequently get made fun of for choosing colors that do not match anything in your house whatsoever....

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I made the best tasting casserole EVER last night- Dorito casserole! Here is the recipe from Pinterest.It originally came from here

Mexican Dorito Casserole
Serves 4-6
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (canned tomatoes with jalepenos-mild)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
Bag of doritos

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.

I hate tomatoes so I omitted those and used less cheese and as few Doritos as possible to save calories, as well as using fat free and light ingredients where possible. This is not the healthiest of meals but Hercules err, husband went back for fourths!

Peace, love and Doritos!

Girls just wanna have pizza...

2011-07-26T15:23:00.000-05:00

I didn't appreciate how special having 4 sisters was growing up. Yes, I have FOUR sisters. Which means there are SIX girls in my family! I think that pretty much rocks. As do my math skillz.

Every year we try to have a girls weekend. This year we spent it in Phoenix, AZ at the Hiatt Regency. There was some kind of old people's conference there when we went.Most of the old people being men...and they were quite friendly to us...

Did anyone else grow up honestly thinking that every old man was a sweet grandpa? Yea. I don't think they are anymore...

Bet you can't guess who that little sign was made for?We played Guesstures at the hotel and I was obviously portraying the devil and doing a fantastic job. Just look at my eyes...I really go above and beyond.Pizza for dinner in Phx-Probably I have NEVER looked better in my life.Day TWO- went to see the movie Monte Carlo (adorable)My fantastic momma scored us all American Idol tickets for that night-
The show was AMAZING! If blogger and Youtube weren't such stinkers I would show you some video. There was definitely some booty shaking going on- and that was just from my mother! hahahaha I kid...

Peace, love and practicing to be on American Idol next year! I just know my rendition of Baby Beluga will get me to Hollywood!

~Cute title~

2011-07-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

I have much to blog about. Too bad I don't really feel like waiting for blogger to take its sweet time uploading my pictures. Blogger is becoming more and more like my parents these days- trying to teach me patience.

Too bad I just avoid it! Eat that, Blogger!

Guest posting rocks because I have some more time to pout and sit on my bum watching So You Think You Can Dance while someone else takes over (did I mention I met season 2 winner Benji a couple weeks ago?) Today, I am handing my blog over to Brooklyn! I think she is adorable and I am willing to bet my 2nd kidney that you will too (that's the one you don't need, right?)
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Why hello there Laugh Until Your Cheeks Hurt bloggy friends!
(that was kind of a long intro huh?)

Well anyway, I was so excited when Shalyn made a call for guest posters and jumped right on it!
(except I didn't jump on my laptop literally, because that could have broken it)

Did I forget to tell you my name? Shoot, well I'm Brooklyn! You can find ME over at

The Frog Princess!

So I decided to share with you some of my recent obsessions. With it being the summer before I start college (I'm a young blogger I know) I feel like I have so much time on my hands and I want to just soak in every moment. But I'm also super excited about my future!

*Pinterest

Is that place not just awesome?

It inspired ME to get crafty. Me of all people!!

I'll post the one I made of this, soon!

*Running

I'm a beginner runner. So I'm not good. But I'm totally falling in love with it!

I bought running shoes and shorts, the whole she-bang. And I'm starting to train for a certain race I'll be running in December. (I also will be posting about this, it's still a surprise!)

*Blogging.
Of course.

At the beginning of summer I was following about 5 blogs, now I follow about 30 haha.

*Reading.

I just recently finished

and now I'm reading

Any other good books your reading?

Well, It's been fun to be here. I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about me. If so, come check me out! If not, just keep your mouth shut and don't comment so everyone keeps on thinking I'm wonderful ;)

See ya lovelies!

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Isn't she a doll? Go tell her yourself! I happen to love everything she loves and when I am reincarnated my name will be Brooklyn. Or since I don't believe in reincarnation maybe I will just name my daughter that... so nice having options!

Peace, love and blogging breaks! That'll teach Blogger to be slow on me...

Disneyland

2011-07-20T22:48:00.002-05:00

A few weekends ago we escaped away for a weekend at Six Flags, the beach and Disneyland and I NEVER blogged about it!

GASP!

I know, crazy right? I realize no one would have noticed/cared if I didn't post about it but the sad reality is that I hardly remember this now, let alone in 2 years so I need to document it!

Disneyland is always amazing but having a 1 1/2 old with you who LOVES Mickey changes everything and it is oh-so-much sweeter!

The chocolate covered bananas and cream cheese pretzels were pretty darn sweet at well!

Kadens first time meeting Mickey was SO CUTE- he just stared at him for awhile and was so happy!

Six Flags-

I realize the little guy doesn't look thrilled in ANY of these pictures, but I assure you he was!

Peace, love and sweet memories!

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I am still accepting guest posts! Send them to me in HTML formal to thelaughblog(at)aol(dot)com- write about whatever you want and anyone is welcome! Thanks guys!

A craft and a call for guest posts

2011-07-17T20:12:00.001-05:00

Pinterest got me again. That darn thing. Boy howdy does my hubby hate that site- it costs him lots of money;-)

When I first started pinning I saw this-
VIA

...and LOVED it! We love to travel (if you hadn't heard) and I wanted something to put on our wall to mark where we have been. So, I created this-

It looks much better in person and I am in love with it! I wanted something a bit more fun than the one from Pinterest (sorry Pinterest) so I bought a map, a corkboard, multi-colored push pins, blue spray paint, some scrapbook stickers and created it!

I would recommend doing this too- it was super easy!

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Speaking of how hot my husband is- we are off to Missouri tomorrow to find a place to live! I have a lot going on so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in sending me a guest post? I would love some for this next week as well as for other things in the next few weeks! If you are interested, (you can post about anything) send me your post in HTML format to thelaughblog (at) aol (dot) com.

If I don't get any at all I would probably have to sit in a corner and cry like that one time in kindergarden when i peed my pants...but no pressure:-)

Peace, love and creating!

Number 4

2011-07-14T08:53:00.003-05:00

Y'all didn't know today was a holiday, didya? Yep- today Cooper and I celebrate 4 years of wedded awesomeness.

Some people already know this but before I met Cooper I had the lowest self esteem I have ever had in my life. I had been treated terribly by an ex and truly thought I would never find anyone to put up with me.

Then Cooper came.

I asked him over and over again when we were dating why he treated me so well and he would just smirk and tell me thats the way I DESERVED to be treated. And he continues to treat me that way.

I love him for the man he is and for who I am when I am with him. He is the most compassionate, understanding and kind man I have ever met.

And he has a nice bum.

I definitely recommend marriage. Its pretty awesome. Too bad I stole the hottest/most amazing guy. You will all have to settle for the leftovers- sorry;-)

Peace, love and celebrating the sanctity of marriage!

Oh, how Pinteresting!

2011-07-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

Do you have Pinterest yet? Just wondering. Because if you don't, you should probably know that it has changed my life. As in- instead of watching Oprah and history channel specials all day, I PIN! So it's kind of like I am designing, which is kind of like working! BOOYAH baby- Not lazy!

For reals though, it allows me to organize my lack of style into one little place. So instead of seeing something I love on the internets, exclaiming "oh my gosh, I NEEEEEEEEDDDD that..." and then going back to eating and forgetting about it, I PIN IT for later!

Which is precisely why The Vintage Apples' linkup dedicated to Pinterest is right up my alley.

Here are some of the things I am currently pining over-

Get it...pining/pinning?

FOOD (because believe it or not I DO actually eat something other than Cheez-its, Eegees and Subzero!)-

Glorious clothing- after you eat all that food you will need a new wardrobe-To create-

(Lampshade-you change out the ribbon whenever you want!)

Misc. bits of pure AWESOME-(A magnet so you never lose your tweezers)

Peace, love and happy pinning!

Don't forget to go link up if you do and to leave me a comment with your email if you need an invite!

Starstruck

2011-07-10T19:25:00.003-05:00

First of all, thanks SO MUCH for everyones sweet words about our big move! I really really appreciate the encouragement and am SO thankful for blogworld because I know that even though I may move and only have 2 friends, I can always log into my blog and feel like I have at least 10!

HA!

I'm funny.
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I think most of you know my favorite actress is Reese Witherspoon- I think she is extremely down to earth and as classy as it gets, not to mention GORGEOUS (those of you who have commented that I look like her, I love it...but dont see it at all- darn!)

Just as good as her acting- her style. I absolutely love that for every cute outfit you see her in on the street you see her in gym shorts and a tee. And you all know how big of a fan I am of gym clothes...(Cooper says I wear them everyday whether I work out or not...oops!)

Hope y'all enjoy the rest of your weekend! I can say y'all now that I am going to live in the Midwest, right?

Right?!

I have a secret...

2011-07-07T17:52:00.005-05:00

It is so funny how life works sometimes- two months ago I would have told you exactly how my life was going to go and it would have been as follows: Stay in Arizona and work to pay off hygiene loans while Cooper finishes his bachelors, get pregnant, move somewhere in 2 years with Cooper for Dental school to most likely Colorado etc...

Now here I am and EVERYTHING has changed. The biggest change?

We are not moving to Colorado or Washington or New York in 2 years for dental school like we thought we would...

We are moving to a suberb of St. Louis, Missouri...25 hour drive away from my family, Costa Vida and Eegees...

for Chiropractic school, not dental school...

and not in two years. We are leaving In just under 7 weeks...

And did I mention we didn't even think about chiropractic school once before about a month ago?

Whoa.

And by whoa I mean holycrapIamsoscaredIcouldpeemyself...

I guess I should learn that you can set goals for your family, but if God wants you somewhere else doing something else in a completely different way well by golly, that is what is going to happen! Even if you kick, scream and cry about it...

...not that I did that or anything;-)

What it really comes down to is this:

I would follow this man anywhere!

Peace, love and raising your hand if you live in Missouri or Illinois- I need friends...and lots of Cheez-its!

Ps. This is my 150th post! Yay for anniversaries;-)

Another post on the 4th...

2011-07-05T21:28:00.006-05:00

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday by far. No, not because of the food, thankyaverymuch!

Okay, so it is partly mostly because of the food! (If I don't admit that my mom would be forced to leave a comment calling me a liarface...no one likes being called out on their blog by their mommy!)

We spent the 4th with my family at their new house swimming, barbecuing, touring the neighborhood in the golf cart and just being.

Fireworks are my favorite thing ever along with roadtrips and parades and giraffes, so I was as happy as a pregnant lady at a buffet all day...

and I am obviously a poet as well so that is fun, but I digress... (love that word!Oops- digressed again!)

I was very patriotic with my outfit- right down to star earrings-
There is no pressure to give presents, cook a huge meal or charm your significant other...

(although, my husband in his swimsuit is QUITE charming...)

Its just a time to enjoy one another, and celebrate this great country that we live in.

I am so happy to live in a free country that was founded by God fearing men on principles like honesty, hard work and integrity.
Happy birthday America!
Peace, love and justice for all (especially for Caylee Anthony-that case makes my blood boil!)

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Here is my nerdiness coming out again- if you want to learn more about America, Netflix has a history channel special on instant play called "America-The story of us" and it is very interesting! Put on your bottle cap glasses, quit playing your Pokeman and watch it!

All I think about is food...

2011-07-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

One of my most favorite bloggers, Courtney mentioned yesterday that this post by yours truly got her and her hubby hooked on Reeses Minis. Later that same day I got a text from a friend saying that they were at Eegees pigging out because of me ranting about it on the blog.

Really whenever I talk to people about blogging this is what they remember- me and my food. I don't get it- I really never post about food.

Just here, here, here , here and here. Oh, and here, here and here.

Some people are such overexaggeraters! (my new adjective) ;-)

Well, for those of you who have fallen victim of my relentless promoting of eat-this-and-you-will-die-happy-food, I bring you a healthy recommendation-

Jillians 30-day shred

I love this workout on days that I don't want to run or get dressed for the gym, which is most days- my pajamas rock and no one can make fun of you if you workout at home (unless your husband is watching which I don't recommend, ha!)

It kicks your bum in just 20 minutes, which is a huge plus for those of us who have important stuff to do like watch Oprah. ANNNDDD is hard enough that you feel like you really accomplished something by the time you die from exhaustion err, I mean by the time you are done. Before you know it, you will look like this-

Man, I hate when the internet steals my picture!

So what if I got you addicted to junk food if I get you addicted to the shred too...

right?

Peace, love and exercising so we can eat MORE!

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Want to hear another healthy habit I have been forming? Visit my friend Shalyn's blog (I promise its a link to a different Shalyn who you will LOVE! We are twinsies but she is much cooler than I! I am like Marykate and she is Ashley...)

On being spontanayitous

2011-06-28T21:51:00.006-05:00

Cooper and I woke up with the sun at 5:30 on Saturday morning with the intention of getting out of town for a bit and exploring our state (more on why later)

Our first stop was about 2 hours away at a place called Montezumas castle. I know that most people are not as intrigued (read:nerdy) with history as I am so I will just give you a quick rundown- its a 20-room+ "apartment complex" ruins built in the late 13 or early1400's by the Sinagua people and was one of the first 4 national parks commissioned for preservation by President Roosevelt back in 1906! ISN'T THAT SOOOOOOOOOO COOL?

Not so much? Oh okay...

That was supposed to be our only stop but we were only there about 25 minutes. Yes we had a full backpack for a 1/3 mile paved trail- you never know when you are going to be hungry! We may have stayed longer but a few feet from where we were sitting was some GINORMOUS snake (okay, maybe only 12 inches long, but does it really matter? Little snakes are deadly too sometimes...) I wouldn't have been too worried but I had crackers and really like enjoying my snacks in peace;-)

So since it was early we decided to be spontaneous and drive the extra 45 minutes north to Flagstaff where we visited volcanoes, explored more ruins and enjoyed the cooler weather! We took TONS of pictures but Blogger/Photobucket is being DUMB so here are a few-

1. Ruins that they believed were used for recreation/ball courts
2. A natural blowhole at one of the ruins in Flagstaff- its formed by a slit in the earths crust and blows colder than our air conditioner
3. Part of sunset crater- formed by a volcanic eruption almost a thousand years ago
4. More ruins- I was so blown away by how small the doorways were-oompa loompa size, or even better- almost as short as my mom hahahahahahahahhahaha. JK. Kinda.

I would highly recommend everyone explore their state! Everything we did, including gas, was only about $50! Making memories, people! Making memories...

Peace, love and nerdiness!

Is that a word?
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And a big shoutout to one of the biggest sweethearts in blog world, Gentri for passing along an award to me last week! I really appreciate when you guys think of me:-) Check her blog out!

My sunshine and my new outfit

2011-06-21T23:12:00.002-05:00

Cooper and I decided to do a little project together. You see, spending a couple hours a week on Pinterest has opened my eyes to just how much I like and want to ~*create*~ and it just so happens that my husband loves to slave err...help me!

I found this when I first started pinteresting (most definitely a verb)-
...and fell in LOVE! Not only is yellow my favorite color and "You are my Sunshine" my favorite song but also...

okay, I got nothing else but that was enough for me to want to recreate this!

So we got an old piece of particle board that we had from an old entertainment center and cut it to size (ours was about 36" by 24")...

Cooper always has to be all up in my photos...stupid feet.

Jk, I love his feet, even the gross toe hair (get it? Cause I hate toe hair)

Then, we spray painted the board white- we only used one can which got us about 2 1/2 coats (we got matte, not glossy paint)
We went to Michaels and Walmart and neither of them had stencils or vinyl lettering large enough (grrrrrr) so we had to trace the letters onto the board and then use painters tape on them- oye it was a lot of work! Finally, we got to paint the yellow-And I LOVE the finished product!

And now behold- it hanging on our wall. The coloring is more like this one but a little less yellow- (That smudge is just from my camera)

Its not perfect, but this baby sells on Etsy for as much as $120 and we did ours for less than $15!
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Annnnnddd, I got a new dress from Old Navy! I got a Groupon for the store that gave me $20 for $10 and got this for summer (it is about 1056 degrees here, dontchaknow)I also got the headband at Old Navy for six buckaroos-
Peace, love and Pinterest! Lets be friends, shall we? I promise I will log on more than Facebook and Twitter;-)

Hey you guuuyyyyssss

2011-06-20T19:00:00.003-05:00

I think I have used that phrase as my title like, 5 times. I cant help it- every time I go to write a title this comes in my head, followed by Chunk doing the truffle shuffle. Its awesome.

Cooper and I headed out of town last weekend for a little getaway to celebrate...ummm...ummm...us getting our grocery shopping done. Yea, that's it...

Truth be told- we got a killer deal on a resort in Tucson for the night and wanted to hike and frolic a little before summer school starts in a couple of weeks. But first, we headed to the temple, one of our favorite places in the world.
Then drove about 2 hours to our resort (not before grabbing some Eegees, of course- what else is there to eat in Tucson?;-))We couldn't get over the size of the tub. We ain't got no tubs like that back where we done come from...We went stargazing that night as part of the resort costs and got to see the moon and Saturn.And I know you want to see that tub again...Our plan was to hike on Saturday since we haven't been in awhile, but alas....
...I guess they knew our master plan to start a campfire on the trail in the 100-degree weather. Dang.

so we went on a mini-hike to a waterfall on the resort grounds. Looked pretty funny having on full hiking gear for a .25 mile hike. We are serious about our hiking nature walksWe got breakfast in bed, watched True Grit (has anyone seen it? We watched the part where Jeff Bridges kicks the kid off the patio railing about 5 times-hilarious!) And then headed out to natural history museum/zoo since we couldn't hike-

and you thought YOUR husbands ears were big...

He heard you making fun of him just now.

It was over 100 degrees so the animals were mostly hiding...that thing below would be a mountain lion...tailMy husband has bigger ears AND is better looking than your husband! Bam!...the only reason this wolf came out was to get a closer look at the idiots who were roaming the dessert in 100 degree weather.

Ps. Does anyone else pronounce wolf as "woof?" Oh good, me either.

Seriously though, do you?The hummingbird exhibit was our fave-And on the way home we rewarded ourselves from our tough weekend with some more artery-clogging goodness...

Really, what more do you need in life? A nice resort stay with the hubby, Nook color for reading, ranch fries, a peanut butter chocolate cookie and a pina colada Eegee. Its okay, I did 5 situps that night;-)

Life is gooooooodddd

Peace, love and weekends away from the craziness that is life! Happy Monday!

Jillyn still is in need of some things to be raffled off at her silent auction! Do you craft or have any type of business/service that you think could be raffled? Go here. And thanks so much to those of you who left sweet messages/donated! I was so touched by those that I read and I am sure she was as well!

Please read! I said please...

2011-06-16T17:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Thursday, bloggers!

Today I want to introduce you to a fantastic woman whom I have never met, but who has inspired me tremendously by her words and hope.

Jillyn was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in May and has one of the best attitudes in a time of crisis that I have probably ever heard of. Please read more of her story here and just try not to be as amazed at her sweet spirit as I am. Here is one of my favorite parts of Jillyn's blog:

~I cried on the phone to Brandon after I heard the news. Other than that I haven't cried (probably cause it hurts my stomach/incision too much). I also know I'll kick cancer's bum bum! I won't let this bring me down. I have so much support! I get texts, phone calls, emails etc daily saying how much everyone loves me and how awesome I'm gonna do. Everyone is rooting for me! Maybe reality hasn't set in yet, but I won't let this stop me from working, growing and starting a family one day. I'm somewhat excited for the future...to say I killed cancer before age 30! ~

(Isn't she BEAUTIFUL? She has red hair too and says "bum bum"- love her!)

This is where you come in- I know the kind of readers that I have. You guys have shown me through your blogs, comments, emails etc... how much you care for others and Jillyn and her husband Brandon need our help. I was contacted by one of her sweet friends who is also my reader, Terin, about a dinner and silent auction that is being put on in July to help Jillyn with the growing health care costs.

If you have ANYTHING that you would be able to donate that can be auctioned off at this dinner, please please please contact Terin at 520-709-3320 or leave me a comment and I will pass on your information. I said please.

AND/OR If you are interested in attending the dinner and live in the Gilbert, AZ area (or are game for a fantastic road trip- you may stay with me:-)) visit this blog for details!

AND/OR, if you have the means to donate money to her cause that would be wonderful as well. Go here!

AND/OR, if you really do not have the means to donate- I know if I were Jillyn I would really appreciate some encouragement from people who care. Just take 2 minutes to jump over to her blog and say hi!

Please don't let this be one of the stories you hear about, are touched by yet do nothing. We have the opportunity to change lives here, people- lets show Jillyn how many complete strangers really do care about her!

You all are amazing! Thanks for reading:-)

The newest addiction to our family...

2011-06-14T22:18:00.002-05:00

Get it? Addiction instead of addition?

hahahahahahahahaha

I'm funny.

Have you all met Michael Scofield? I did. Cooper and I met him last week through Netflix (best $9 we spend) and have spent about 29 episodes with him in the last 7 days. And that is what you call having a life, my friends...

Our cousin Cassie was raving about it so we had to check it out and are so glad we did- its amazing. And by amazing I mean better than Lost amazing. Yep, I said it.

And even more amazing are our new Prison-break-watching-essentials

(Cooper just looks mad because he didn't get a kids Icee and bag of popcorn like I did...)

Peace, love and white cheddar popcorn! (did I mention that whole bag is only 1 serving? That is Shaysized, baby!)

~* Unwind giveaway winner was # 29- Haley K! So excited for you Haley- email me at thelaughblog@aol.com so I can get you all hooked up! And for the rest of you still interested in free patterns- visit Unwind Patterns for a little surprise- Cassie didn't want anyone walking away empty handed!

High on life Thursday

2011-06-09T15:04:00.001-05:00

Today I am linking up with Heather at Some Kind of Wonderful for her weekly "High On Life" series!

What gets me high on life besides a sleeve of Oreos or Subzero ice cream?

Running.
It's funny to think back to when I was younger and involved in sports. Whether it be soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics or cheerleading- running was a punishment. In case you haven't noticed, I am quite the talker and talking during practice=running. Lots of running.

I HATED running

I moved to AZ from WA state my Sophomore year of high school and was too heartbroken about the move to involve myself in sports of any other activity anymore. So I started running.

Running was the only way for me to cope with life and the unexpected place it had taken me.

And I LOVED running. It was no longer a punishment- it was an escape.

One of my life goals was to run a half marathon and Cooper and I finally did about 2 years ago.

And call me crazy but I am doing another one!

"Running is the ultimate faith healer, restoring belief not only in oneself but life's possibilities."

-Bart Yasso

If you have ever considered taking up running as a hobby I would strongly recommend it! Like yoga, not only is it extremely good for you physically but also mentally!

...and you can eat more Oreos and Subzero ice cream if you do it!

Look mommy, I made something!

2011-06-08T14:15:00.004-05:00

Hey ladies! (if you are a guy reading this, I would suggest you move right along. This post is probably about as interesting to you as car talk and picking up poop with my bare hands are to me) My friend and I had a little craft day (more like 45 minutes of crafting and then a trip to WAFFLE HOUSE) with some of the supplies I had leftover from when I made these babies. I want a real baby.

We wanted to do something a little different than last time so we went to Michaels and found some white ribbon we could hook onto our chain to make it a little more snazzy.Because heaven knows, I could use a little help in the "classy" department. We also bought some off-white pearls to match the ribbon and glued them onto the middle of the flowers. (That would be a camera cord dangling in my picture. You obviously have guessed by now that I am a professional photographer. I am so talented it is sickening)

For a tutorial on how to make the rosettes, visit the link I posted above (it's in my post) and everything else you need is at your local Michaels!

But the most important part? I got a waffle, 2 scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and a bisquit for $6 at Waffle House! Go ahead and add bargain shopper to my list of talents with photography,whydontcha.

Peace, love and baby steps to become more domestic! ("baby steps"- name the movie!)

Giveaway ends in just 2 days!

Sunday fashion and then some good stuff...

2011-06-06T21:20:00.001-05:00

First of all- where the hey is everybody? I feel like no one blogs anymore. When I ask people I know about this the common answer is "I have nothing to write about..."

That is hogwash...remember that time I blogged about farts? (sorry mom) or food? (okay, that was a few times...) Moral of the story is that there is ALWAYS something to write about! So get to it because I am getting bored...

Speaking of getting bored, I have been hitting the gym and running because my yoga package expired (moment of silence...) and so I have primarily been sporting the yoga capris and orange t-shirt look. Therefore, any day I dress up is worthy for a couple of pictures. Behold, my Sunday fashion-

Boots-Charlotte Russe, dress and belt- Styles for Less, necklace-Charming Charlies, Cardigan-Kohls

...and that would be my dogs' booty stealing my picture. The nerve!

==============================================

Have you guys seen this video?

Totally makes me want to learn to ride a bike;-)And is he not just the cutest thing ever? His voice reminds me of Data from the Goonies!

I love Data almost as much as Chunk. They are both favorites, just like cherry and grape snow cones are both favorites (Brian Regan, anyone?)

Peace, love and only a few days left to enter the giveaway from my last post! Hop to it!

Oh hey, do you want to WIN SOMETHING AWESOME?

2011-06-03T09:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday, bloggers!

As my title indicates, I have a sweet lil' giveaway lined up today that pertains to one of my favorite activities- crochet. I don't mean to brag, but I may or may not have crocheted my entire family single-chained bookmarks when I was 10. Yes-I am that awesome;-)

My sweet friend Cassie just started a new blog to promote her growing business. SO, if you love crocheting, want to learn, love crocheted cuteness or know someone who does, this giveaway is for YOU! And the BEST PART? She does tutorials if you don't yet know how to crochet! And the second best part? YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG TO ENTER- ANYONE can enter (although you are strongly encouraged to follow this here blog...because umm, I...well...umm...I have a cool playlist...:-/)

THE DETAILS: One lucky duck will be chosen via random.org (unless you send me candy and then it may not be so random if ya know what I'm sayin...TOTALLY KIDDING;-)) and will receive 6 patterns of YOUR CHOICE, worth $20!

Have you seen anything cuter in your life? (besides my horse face, of course)

OR, if you are not a crochet-er, you have your choice of a flapper beanie and diaper cover set

That's right, there is something for EVERYONE (unless you have no hands or feet (it can be done), no friends who crochet or like crocheted things, and no babies exist anywhere...)

TO WIN (separate comment for each entry,please)

1. Leave a comment letting me know that you are a proud new follower of Unwind Patterns
2. LIKE Unwind Patterns on Facebook
3. Tweet/Facebook or blog about this giveaway and leave the link! (separate entry for each)

This giveaway will end next Friday whenever we feel like picking the winner:-)Booyah. Who really does it right at 12PM or whenever they say it ends?

PS. I know some people have not been able to comment on my blog lately so if that is the case and you want to participate, please send me an email at thelaughblog (at) aol (dot) com with what you did and I will enter you!

Blah blah BLAH

2011-06-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

Hi all. I am finally sitting down with enough time to blog after a week. This is crap. I am out of school yet I am still super busy. Crap, I tell ya. But I suppose it is better than sitting at home all day doing nothing. Oprah isn't on anymore anyways. Here are some of the things we have been up to-

*Softball games (my husbands team were league champs, no big deal...he was also MVP, which stands for most voluptuous pbackside- the p is silent)

Strangely enough, the only pictures of Cooper playing softball I have are from this view...hmmI got a boyfriend during the game but then he dumped me when Cooper walked over. It still hurts to think about...

*Bike rides

(I guess technically we should call it bike pushing because every time we go Cooper gets a flat tire. I think he does it on purpose;-))

*Finished the books "Confession" and "Matched"- read Matched! It is soooo good!

*Saw the movie Thor. I HIGHLY recommend it- it has something for everyone, seriously. If you don't like comedy, action, or romance then just go for this dude-

*More cleaning/organizing and it feels SO good to have an almost clutter-free house!

*Take your wife to work day(s). You didn't know those existed? Oh yes, and they are mighty fun because my pay for helping is in the form of a cheese quesadilla and bean burrito- ca-ching!

2 graduations, 3 birthdays and a final choir concert

*Helping the parentals move

*Eegees trip

And because I have been eating too much Eegees and Oreos (the box sizes from Costco are directly from heaven), I am also linking up to my favorite networking site, For The Love Of Blogs for their "Get Fit" series.

Whenever I want to feel better about my body, I do heated yoga. This post would go on forever if I talked about ALL the benefits of doing heated yoga, so all I am going to say is TRY IT and name a few: you will tone, you will become more flexible, you will lose weight, your skin will be clearer and brighter, your satiety level will be lower, your back will feel better yadda yadda yadda... (My favorite pose, via)

Another weight control help- watch Extreme Makeover Weight loss edition- amazing!

*~And don't tell anyone I told you this, but I have inside information that tells me there just may be a sweet giveaway hitting this here blog on Friday. Stay tuned!~*

Wednesday Wishes

2011-05-25T12:07:00.001-05:00

Today I am linking up (didn't you know it was link week?!) to my sweet friend Brooke from Bright Wishes. Here are my wishes for this week-

*~ONE~* For breakfast-

*~Two*~ For second breakfast-*~Three*~ Snack right after breakfast. Don't believe I could eat all of this? Don't you know I am a professional eater who has won numerous eating contests? Don't doubt this.*~Four~* These would be eaten intermittently the whole day, naturally-~*Five*~ I could eat this whole thing too. I eat a lot-~*Six*~ Are you getting the hint?*~Seven~* I am an emotional eater...and it has been quite a week so far-And lastly-

Peace, love and understanding that everything happens for a reason. God is good.

(And don't forget to check back up on the Idiosyncrasy link up- I am still receiving entries and they are pretty darn good! Still 2 days to link- Thanks for the support!)

The real meaning of picture overload...

2011-05-23T15:47:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! So glad you made it past Saturday- I was concerned for awhile there but it ended up just being indigestion;-)

Today I am linking up with my sweet friend Ashley for her "Meet Me Monday" series. I have never shared a lot of our engagement/wedding pictures and considering you already know most of the embarrassing aspects about me from my previous post, wedding/engagement photos are a safe bet.

If I was a good blogger (not lazy) I would post the whole story with all the juicy details but alas, I am lazy and you really don't want to hear all that. Rather, I don't want to type all that. I mean, c'mon- its been 3 years, 10 months and 9 days (woot woot)!

~*Word to the wise for all you engaged/soon to be engaged ladies out there- You may not care about some things now, but please believe me that you will care later! I was so nonchalant about everything at this time because I just wanted to BE MARRIED to that hunk of burning love, but now looking back I have a few regrets...like not attempting to look better on my wedding day or about some of the details of the reception. You will care later! (let it be known: one thing I do not regret-the food. You know that was top priority...our food was amazing!)*~

Some of these photos are unedited so for all you Photogs out there, please no mean comments- I have had enough of those for the weekend (some people really need to eat more chocolate apparently...):-(
My engagements all match my blog. I planned it

I still have those flip flops. Target holla!

I like trees...

My favorite part of the day (besides the actual ceremony...I suppose;-)) was dancing with my dad at the reception to a sweet slow song and then him busting out some moves that I could never attempt to a rap song. Hilarious!

Congrats if you made it through all of those, geeze!

Have you read the posts linked up to my idiosyncracy post? They are hilarious- go read them and then come back and link up to tell us yours! You still have time!

Peace, love and more pictures than you ever cared for!

Idiosyncrasy link up

2011-05-19T13:39:00.005-05:00

Idiosyncrasy-from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία, idiosynkrasía, "a peculiar temperament", "habit of body" is defined as an individualizing quality or characteristic of a person or group, and is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity.

Cool word, eh? Everyone has em'- you know, idiosyncrasy's (goal is to make you say that word in your head so much that it's all you think about.) Here are some of mine, which more than likely are way more weird than yours. I'm at peace with it:

1. I cannot STAND toe hair.

2. I have a fear of going to the bathroom in public. Seriously nothing worse than being in a stall next to someone else and it being totally quiet. You know you hate that too...

3. I physically do not think I am capable of properly shaving my knees. This is a problem and obviously a talent that I am not graced with. That being said, if you see me and look straight at my knees I will kick yours.

4. When I ask a question I always seem to forget to listen when the person answers. So please don't be offended when I ask you the same question twice.
5. I bite my nails like crazy. Remember when Cooper bet me that I couldn't stop but if I did for a month I got a shopping spree? He wants to take those clothes back to the store...it's a problem.

6. I never seem to put the cap back on bottled drinks. I don't know if I just forget or what but after that diet DP spilled all over Coopers side of the bed the other day I am on high alert and considering a 12-step program.

7. I love school and I miss my brain being challenged everyday. That being said, I am reacquainting myself with the history channel soon and cannot wait.

8. I really like the stick after I eat the sucker. Call me gross, I don't care

9. Math is one of my strongest subjects but if you ask me to do it in my head I need at least 5 minutes

10. Up until about a year ago, I almost always swallowed my gum

....As if I wasn't already cool enough and then I go and post this...my mom would be so proud!

Now, what are your idosyncracys? I am hosting a link up today that will be up for the next week- so tell us, what makes you unique?- create your own post and link up below!

Powered by Linky Tools

*Pictures that have absolutely nothing to do with this post from the Diamondbacks game last night with our new friends, the Cordners! Natalee is due to have her baby next week- yay!

Organizing for dummies

2011-05-18T10:43:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun little tid bit of info about yours truly- I LOVE to organize. And, I love to make messes, so clearly I am perfect for myself! (...?)

I thought I would be bored being since I am out of school. Did I mention I have no school?
I didn't go to school today.

Well, I am certainly not bored and I am loving it. Yesterday the hubby and I undertook a mission to organize every room in our house, starting with the kitchen. We finished the kitchen and storage room. Go team go. Yes, this is exciting to us...shocking, I know.

Kitchen before:

Via

JK, I didn't get a before picture- makes you hungry though, no?

Cupboard in kitchen after-

GENIUS organizing idea- I needed a place to put small packets, like smoothie and taco seasoning mixes. Next thing I know, my hubby whips out this little number made out of a saltines box. Call us white trash and see what happens.

Can you believe we are going to be working on teeth and not being neurophysicists or something? Me either.

Storage room before-

Storage room after-

Here are some things I learned yesterday in relation to organizing and de-cluttering(especially in the kitchen) that I thought I would pass on since clearly you read this blog for advice;-)-

*Make a menu for the week and only buy the things you need for your menu- we had to throw away so much- we waste SO MUCH FOOD!

*Try to put everything as close to the front of the cupboard/refrigerator as possible so it is in plain view. If I don’t see something the minute I open the door, I don't eat it. Unless its ice cream- I search all day for ice cream.

*Be honest with yourself. Are you really going to use the popcorn making kit you got for your wedding 5 years ago? Give it away. Are you really going to eat 8 cans of green beans when the husband doesn't even like green beans? Give them away.

While tearing up one of my school papers in the storage room, I am pretty darn certain a hallelujah chorus could be heard in the distance....-
Well, that is all I got. To leave you on this fine Wednesday, I shall post a picture to remind you all just how utterly good looking this blog author is whom you follow. Those prone to jealousy need not look--
BAM! How did I JUST discover the horse face?

Peace, love and ghetto rigged storage containers.

Cures for boredom

2011-05-16T09:30:00.002-05:00

My last day of school was last Friday-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Not excited at all...nope, totally composed. We went out Friday night to celebrate but after my favorite Mexican food poisoning me I refuse to talk about it...too tragic.

I have more time on my hands now, so this is how I have been filling it since I refuse to eat as much as I have been the last few months,Vampire Diaries is over for this season and Call of Duty is getting old...
I saw two, yes TWO movies last week! Matinee pricing and with my purse full of cheap snacks, naturally ($5 for a water at the theater- really?)

First I dragged Cooper to Water for Elephants. I read the book- blushed a lot, loved it a lot! And The movie? Kind of slow but SO enchanting. And you know I love my girl Reese- she was fantastic in it!
I just finished reading Something Borrowed, so I went to see that as well. Can you go wrong with Jim from The Office in a comedic role? I think not. The funny guy from the show Reba is in it as well. I had not laughed that long in a really long time- the first half especially was hilarious. Definitely one to see! And I thought everyone cast for the movie (maybe except for Claire...) was perfect! Cough cough *Dex* cough cough. What did you think?!

Now, I am reading The Confession by John Grisham- it's about a man convicted of murder and on death row who didn't actually commit the murder. The man who did is on his deathbed and wants to make things right. I love it so far

And as if I needed any other computer addiction (no need to comment, husband!;-)) I started using Pinterest and Twitter last month. I especially love Pinterest- it is so addicting and I love the inspiration I am finding, like these-

Leave me your usernames so I can find you on both!

Any other books, movies or other forms of entertainment I should fill my days with?! Better yet, who wants to hire me when I get my license?

If you have a second today, head over to Life of Meg and participate in her blog hop- make sure to say hi as well, she is so lovely!

I gradumicated...

2011-05-11T09:31:00.002-05:00

*This was supposed to be posted Monday, but instead- the breakdown. Thanks so much for all your comments, Facebook messages and texts you guys. And thanks to that special friend who showed up at my door an hour after I posted with Cheez-its, Oreos and a hug- love you Cass. You all made me cry-not just because I was sad,but mostly because I felt really loved. Please believe that. My pity party is over, now I celebrate the real party (written last week)-*

Well, I did it! I single handedly doubled (did ya get that?) as a Dental Hygiene graduate and Cheez-it (supersized) model on graduation day!

- After more than 15 months of hard work, loads of diet Dr. Pepper and tears (and that was just Cooper), I have crossed something off my bucket list. BAM! Would it be uncool if I raised the roof? Shoot, too late...

...hope no one saw that.

Getting ready went something like this- Hair down, hair up, hair down, chocolate break, hair up, wavy, straighten, wavy again, do some crunches because that pooch DOES NOT belong there, makeup, chocolate break, ready three hours early...chocolate.

Frozen yogurt was obviously in order after that chocolate and to put me in a better mood after sitting for 3 HOURS. Girl can only watch judge shows for so long...The Dental Hygiene pinning ceremony (where we celebrate as hygienists, not with the entire college as you will see later)- clearly, that lady LOVES me. Seriously?!Gah! Obviously you cannot be loved by everyone- go figure!Every time we tried to take a picture my little nephew decided to lift his shirt. We are such a classy family!My little sister is graduating high school in a couple weeks so we had to get a twin picture- us Kitterman girls (isn't my maiden name cool?) are going places! No, this is not a mug shot- my dad really is happy!
Peace, love and truly believing that I will feel this happy again soon!

:-(

2011-05-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

I should be celebrating right now and had all my graduation pictures all set to post. But I am not celebrating and quite frankly am not feeling happy. I am miserable and definitely not myself.

I took my last exam of my Dental Hygiene education yesterday, or what was supposed to be my last. I had to clean a quadrant of a patient and record probing depths and recession in under two hours- easy, right?

Yes, easy- except for my patient was really hard. I was told by numerous intructors that I probably should not use him as my board patient because of the tenacity of his calculus. But after trying to find someone else and having two other patients not qualify, I simply had to use him.

I paid $960 to take this exam.

And I think I failed.

He was just too hard and I could not remove all of the calculus.

I have dreamed of being a Dental Hygienist for so long and I am soooo close, but now I feel so far away.

If I do indeed fail (I find out in a couple of weeks), then I have to find another patient, pay for them and myself to fly to another state (with money we don't have) and pay another thousand dollars to retake the exam.

This blog is supposed to celebrate laughing but I really don't feel like laughing right now and I am sorry. Any prayers for a miracle that I pass this exam would be very appreciated. Thanks guys. I'll be happy again soon, I promise.

Sunshine and lollipops

2011-05-01T23:35:00.002-05:00

Hey party people, I have missed you guys and am so happy to be getting back into this lovely land of blogging! Oh, you didn't even notice I was gone? *Facepalm* Well, I was. Thanks so much to all of you who messaged me these past few weeks to see how I was doing and where I was. You made me feel even happier than the day I found out that Peanut Butter Twix bars existed!

Guess what I did yesterday?

There was a little of this:

~Sat around...~

And some of this:~Pedicures with my favorite dental hygiene ladies~
And some of this:~The plan was to work out with my trusty tooth sweatband. Instead, I ate white cheddar popcorn (probably I burned just as many calories doing that. Yep...)...so I guess the picture should really be this again:
And some of this:~Pretend like you don't love this show. When Chuck Norris (cough and my husband cough) does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
!~

Oh wait, I guess that fits in with this too:

Well, now I just look (read:am) lazy.

Moral of the tedious story- do you know what I did not do today? (Are you so sick of me asking you questions that you have no way of answering?)

STUDY- I did not look at one note card, read one chapter of my books or complain once that I had way too much to do and not enough food to eat while doing it.

This is the first time in 15 months that I could sit without feeling guilty! I took my last academically challenging board Friday (clinical is on Sunday) and graduate as an RDH on Wednesday! Can I get a "EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!"

And now my plan? Get through the last two weeks of school without completely annoying my husband and read blogs until my eyes bulge! YAY!

Peace, love and the overwhelming happiness that comes with finally crossing something off that bucket list!

...From the passengers seat

2011-04-07T14:18:00.005-05:00

Coop and I jumped in the car right after school on Friday (did I mention I am going to be a registered Dental Hygienist in just over 5 weeks? Cause I am) with food fit for a 20-hour road trip (ours was only 2 but we still ate most of it=champions) and headed down to Tucson, AZ for a weekend away.

We laid low Friday night with a trip to Eegees (GASP!) and a visit to the hotel workout center to work off said Eegees. Its the price we pay and it was worth it for that slushy and those ranch fries...

~Ranch goes with anything. Did I tell you guys about the time I went to Montreal and they did NOT have Ranch dressing OR Cheez-its ANYWHERE? I got strep throat while I was there and I just know that was why...I know it.~

Saturday after lounging by the pool and Eegess, yet again, we headed out to visit Old Tucson- movie studios and an old western town where western-themed films like Tombstone and The Three Amigos were filmed!

That drink down there that has a heavenly glow about it? That would be my Pina Colada Eegees.Pictures from Old Tucson That day was not a great day for my self esteem- I greeted the lady at the ticket counter wearing my summer hat and she proceeded to tell me that she hated that hat because Charlie Sheen wore one similar.

Losing:-(

Just a little tip-sometimes you guys, it is A OKAY to keep feelings to yourself... I like my hat, thankyaverymuch!

AND THEEEENNNN, we were walking into one of the shows and the warmup entertainer decided to single me out in front of the ENTIRE crowd by making fun of my belt being up too high...

~There is a guy in front of my with his pants up to his belly button and shirt tucked in (no, it wasn't my husband), but you single ME out? Cool.~

Not a great day in fashion world, my friends- no good. Don't worry, I am still wearing the hat AND the belt!

I am going to have to blog about the rest later- this post is even boring me!

Peace, love and trying to ignore insults from people about my outfits...

P so the s- if YOU hate my hat, my belt, my eating habits or heavenly Pina Colada slushies, you may skip commenting on this one- I am fragile:-)And 7 more followers to 300? Holy moly, thanks so much you guys!

I had an accident...

2011-04-04T16:36:00.004-05:00

My friend and I were involved in a 3- car accident on the freeway this morning.

Everyone slammed on their breaks in front of us and we stopped in time...

2 other cars didn't.

I watched as the car behind us came speeding towards our stagnant car, trying desperately to slam on the breaks, but to no avail- we got hit.

And then we were hit again when the third car hit the car behind us.

Neither of us were hurt and our car barely sustained any damage, but its really got me thinking about how precious life is... It happened SO FAST!

I am totally re-evaluating that bucket list. Skydiving here I come.

The only casualty in the accident was my poor little banana. RIP little buddy. Do you think I could claim that on insurance?

We were in a lifted Jeep Wrangler but we were not supposed to be, we were supposed to be in a much smaller car that would have sustained much more damage but for some reason my friend got in the jeep that morning. And I really truly believe we were protected and that things happen for a reason. So blessed.

And don't worry, I already got a replacement banana...and some Cheez-its and some ice cream and some candy (it was a traumatic experience, OK?) I know you were worried...

Now that the serious, mushy stuff is out of the way, we have a WINNER of my favorite things giveaway! Congrats to Courtney of Eric and Courtney! Email me at thelaughblog@aol.com with your address!

Yes, I actually took pictures of what I wanted to show you. Make fun of me and see what happens...

Peace, love and mushy bananas!

Don't you just love the word mushy?

PS. Lindsay over at Scenic Glory was kind enough to spread the word about voting for Brooke from Bright Wishes here to win a contest for a photoshoot and videographer for her wedding- please join me in doing so! All you have to do is leave a comment on the site saying you vote for Chris and Brooke- she so deserves it so lets help her out,k?:-)

Awkward, not so much awesome, every darn day

2011-03-31T22:34:00.007-05:00

Get it? Its like I am saying I am awkward everyday, not just on Thursday like Ms. Sydney!

HA HA....ha...

Awkward= Me. In every sense of the word. Awkward in the dictionary yesterday may have simply said my name for the definition. I should have checked, huh?

Awkward- Successfully embarrassing myself not 20 minutes after walking into the gym by dropping 84 note cards and loud keys on the ground.

Did I mention there were 84 of them?

Awkward- When attempting to gracefully (durr, what's that word?) dismount the elliptical to retrieve said note cards, tripping and almost joining them on the ground. I didn't though, thankyaverymuch to the 2 weeks of ballet class I took!

And that is why the gym is evil and I should never have to go again.

Awkward- Calling my mom off Coopers phone only to realize 2 minutes into the one sided, really embarrassing conversation, that I was indeed talking to Coopers mom, not mine.

A facepalm won't even do that one justice.

Maybe a nice huge hole and some Oreos... ...and nachos.

Maybe.

Awkward- Being told recently that I have big eyes. Well shoo, I didn't think they were THAT big...

...maybe they are

Awkward- Planning my life around dogsitting in May for one of my instructors only to have her call me and tell me I had misunderstood and that I have to dogsit next week. Awesome

Awkward- Having yet again another conversation with a Spanish speaking patient whom I didn't know couldn't understand me.

Awesome- Everything is okay now because I had nachos for lunch. I just knew it would work. Carbs are friends.

Awesome- MINI ROAD TRIP tomorrow with a spanking new playlist

Awesome- The show "mobbed" LOVE IT!
Awesome- General Conference this weekend! I love inspirational messages and a weekend full should do the trick! Check it out!

Awesome- We have sotra kinda a giveaway winner...who shall be announced shortly being since I am too lazy to count the number of eligible entries right now and figure out how to get the random.org result box onto my post...

Lets add that confession to the awkward section

Peace, love and knowing that there is always a tomorrow!

Addababyitsaboy

2011-03-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

~5 points to Gryffindor (that's from Harry Potter for all you cool kids) if you remember that commercial-it'sthebestcommercialeverrrr~

I had a baby made of fur for each of the first two years of our marriage because I was baby hungry...umm maybe more like baby starving! And well...crying to your hubby about wanting a baby= us getting a puppy. That is a nice little hint for free from me to you, newlywed ladies;-)

And it was a boy!

And then a girl.

This year, I will be having a real baby not getting a puppy (please please please please...please!)

Would you like to meet our puppies? Course you do- you have no choice. Meet Toby and Tinkerbell. A Coton De Tulear and a teacup Yorkie.A sweet boy and the little thing that thinks she is queen of the world...

Can you believe I have never featured them in a post before? I'm such a bad mom.

WELCOME to all my new followers- so glad you are here;-) Giveaway ends in just ONE day- enter while you can:-) Don't forget- extra entry to those of you who have contributed in some way to the relief effort in Japan!

Peace, love and not having to change diapers!

Food is my BFF

2011-03-28T00:00:00.004-05:00

(BFF= best friend forever, mom) As you probably have caught onto already, Cooper and I prefer nice nights at home together over most anything else on a date night, except for amusement parks and buffets. Ergo, ( I sure do like that word!) last night was the perfect night for us; home cooked meal cooked by two expert chefs err... eaters and Call of Duty (hello activity that does not require thinking!) We made potato skins and Poppy seed chicken casserole- have you tried that stuff? YUMMY IN MY OVERFILLED TUMMY- and only 50 calories per serving, no carbs, no sugars, and tons of fiber too;-) I told you I was a little liar.

Ingredients for the casserole:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz®), crushed

1 teaspoon poppy seeds, or more if desired

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese Directions

1.Place the chicken breasts into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. Drain the water, then shred the chicken.

2.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the butter, crackers, and poppy seeds in a bowl; set aside.

3.Blend the sour cream and cream of chicken soup in a bowl; pour half of the soup mixture into a 9x9-inch baking dish. Add the shredded chicken, then pour the remaining half of the soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese, then top with the cracker mixture.

4.Bake in the preheated oven until cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Watch the clock and drool for the whole 25-30 minutes. Sometimes food takes way too long and it's not nice...

6. Take silly pictures showing how yummy the casserole is

Clearly. If I would have seen this picture without knowing what what going on, I would have thought to myself, "self- they really look like they are enjoying that there casserole!"

Maybe not.

5. Thank us for sharing this with you and tell me how my taste in food is impeccable. And then I will say back, "Oh, you are too kind! It's a gift, really"

6. Go to Chik-Fil-a and Yogurtini because 3 helpings of casserole AND potato skins is clearly NOT enough to fill anyone. Call us heffers and see what happens...

(Yes, I am wrapped in a blanket- we are in a jeep and its chilly!)

And there you have it-perfection in the form of poppy seeds and frozen yogurt!

~I had a reader come up to me today to say hi who I had not met (Hey Taryn!) and it made my day, thanks girl!~

Peace, love and working out so you can eat like we do! I hope your Monday is as magical as mine is going to be- studying for a 350 question test! YESSSSSSSSS!!!

Dont forget to head to the mingle and also join my giveaway!

Liar liar hope your pants catch fire...

2011-03-26T12:47:00.001-05:00

Soooooooo I hate to be a Debbie Downer but I am going to be because I am T' OED! (that means ticked off, mom)

Anyone heard of Ghost Armor? It's a fantastic concept, really. Basically, its a clear covering for your phone and it prevents it from getting scratched when you drop it 64,324 times a day.

Not that I do or anything...I am really poised and will only admit to 64,323 times a day;-)

So, its $20. Not bad BECAUSE it comes with a lifetime warranty. "Yep," the dirty scoundrel told us, "your Ghost Armor is your receipt so anytime it peels just bring it back in and you will get new armor for free"

But what they conveniently miss telling you is that even though the Ghost Armor is free, it is $10 to INSTALL new ghost armor. I am no math genius, but I am pretty sure $10 does not = FREE. Stupidheads.

Lesson learned- NEVER buy an Orange Julius and attempt to run right after.

Well, something like that...

Let's be kind AND honest to people today, okay? The WHOLE truth! And I didn't really mean I wanted his pants to catch on fire, please believe! Maybe a really bad wedgie or paper cut, but no fire!

Peace, love and complete honesty!

Ps. This Twitter you all speak of- what's the deal? Tell me what the hype is about it and why I should get it because I have started setting up an account 3 times and I am not sure I get it...

Everybody likes you when your 23....

2011-03-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

Here are some detes (that's details in cool language), as promised, from the festivities that surrounded my day of birth. I am one blessed girl.

The Saturday before my Bday my hubby took me to the Ostrich Festival (its sorta a tradition since we have been dating). We had tons of fun seeing Eddie Money live (have I mentioned my love for 80's music?), watching a comedy show and playing some games.

~* Please say you know who Eddie Money is? If not, you need to visit Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbhXmSBlS_U ~I could listen to that song all day. And I have been.

I don't want to brag....but I will. I may or may not have won the water shooting game against 6 other people and won this teddy bear. My prize was supposed to be smaller but the guy said I gave the best reaction all day so he gave me the biggest one. Holla! Those people who call me a spaz and make fun of me for playing Call of Duty can kick rocks!

The Sunday night before my birthday we celebrated with my family-

Wednesday was spent with my fellow tooth scrapers at school alllllllllllllllllllllllll day-

I came home that night to a sweet husband who bought me edible goodies (flowers die...) and took me to dinner. After dinner he gave me this sweet piece of plastic...or metal...reading goodness-

We were asleep by 8:30 that night. Turning 23 makes you tired and obviously uber cool! I was overwhelmed by all the Facebook messages, texts, phone calls, cards and sweet words that day- thanks so much to all of you who were part of it;-)

Then, last Sunday we celebrated with my in-laws! Good times were had for sure

And there's just one more thing that I am technically not allowed to share yet, so I will do so in code. One of my gifts kind of sounds like pie niving or rye viving and makes me want to pee my pants... Can you guess it? That's okay, better luck next time;-)

Ps. Has anyone been watching Pretty Little Liars? OH MYLANTA do those writers know how to keep me captivated! Just for the record, I knew it was him (and that statement makes me a little liar too, friends...I had no idea!)

Peace, love and trying to remember I need to read textbooks, not Nookbooks for the next 6 weeks!

Be kind to people today!

Untitled

2011-03-20T23:08:00.003-05:00

Hello beautiful ladies:-)

I am feeling a bit sappy today. Besides a great day of church, I was featured on one of my favorite blogs, Bright Wishes (HHHEEEEYYYY BROOKE!;-))for my color board and saw that in the comments two of my favorite ladies, Mel and Diana had commented saying that they loved me. I know I sound silly but it made my heart warm- thank you ladies!

Sunday is all about family up in here so I just wanted to post really quick reminding everyone to enter my little giveaway here. You guys have been cracking me up so far with the comments. I knew the Cheez-its would be a hit- who doesn't like them, I mean really?

I am going to add something- if you have done anything this past week or so to help in the efforts for what is going on in Japan, please leave me a comment here telling me you did for an extra entry into the giveaway.

And/or-If you have done anything for another organization that is not associated with Japan (let's not forget about people everywhere who are in need), please leave me a comment here for an extra entry into the giveaway.

We are all living on this earth together and I truly believe that we are here to help and love each other- we all want the same thing; love. So thank you to those who have helped someone in need this week- you are examples to us all. Continued prayers for Japan and anyone else in this world who may be struggling at this time. If you want to get the word out about an organization you are a part of, feel free to leave a comment and share.

Peace,love and loving ourselves so we can more fully love others.

Oh hey, want to win something?

2011-03-17T17:40:00.001-05:00

I turned the big 2 to the 3 yesterday. Ahhh, it feels good. Because in the immortal words of Blink 182 "...Nobody likes you when your 23..."

Oh wait...

I will save all the festivity details for another post because we are not done celebrating (spoiled much?) but I wanted to post a *~GIVEAWAY~* of some of my favorite things in celebration of my birthday AND reaching 250 followers AND passing my anesthesia boards- so exciting!

Me with my nummy (is that a word) carrot cake- yay for being healthy;-)

Neener neener neener, I wear the same shirt everyday and you don't....Seriously though, I love my shirt and I am not ashamed.

~Giveaway Items~

$15 Target giftcard (best store EVERRRRRR!)
$15 Itunes giftcard (you all know how I love my music!)
Mike N' Ikes
Chocolate
Box of Cheez-its (have I mentioned on this blog how much I love these things, not sure I have?;-))

Surprised that most of it is food? Me either- such is my life!

TO ENTER- you should really be a follower of this here blog.Fur reels.

One entry- let me know you are a follower and what your favorite book is (that is a hint for what I got for my birthday- CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT!)

Extra entry- Blog, Facebook or tweet (is that what you say, tweet? I still don't have twitter...) about this giveaway and let me know you did!

This giveaway ends March 30th at noon.

That's it, folks! It is really that easy.

Now, just one more thing before I sign out- please be nice to people today. I am sure most people don't mean to hurt others feelings, but words hurt so be extra careful about what you say! Not speaking from experience or anything, but maybe just maybe I had my feelings hurt yesterday (ON MY BIRTHDAY! GASP!) and it almost ruined my day...until I ate my Calzone at dinner and then everything was dandy!

That is all! Peace, love and dirty shirts!

Oh, hello Fedex man!

2011-03-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

Remember that one time I used this blog for my own selfish purposes again and asked you all for your opinion on which shirt I should buy with my store credit? I was either going to play it safe and go with pink-

Orrrrrrr....go a bit more crazy with a pretty lacy thing-

And, the one I chose came in the mail! Can you even stand the suspense of knowing which one I picked? I know, its killing you right?!

TA-DA!

...That was a little less anti-climatic than I would have hoped for but just know that I am super excited. The most I have EVER ever ever ever ever paid for a shirt was about $30 so owning something that is worth over $100 makes me feel pretty darn spiffy. It still counts even though I only paid $5 for it, right?

Shoot.

Above I wore it to dinner Friday night and here is how I wore it to church on Sunday (when I get a new shirt that I like, I tend to wear it pretty much everyday. Maybe I wash it, maybe not-Be jealous)-

You like that hip action? That would be me gradually looking less awkward in my pictures! Tell me different and I will punch you in the pancreas- I take Kenpo.

Thanks to everyone who helped me choose it! For those of you who picked the pink one- I know you are terribly disappointed so, because I am so thoughtful, I will allow you to buy it for me. I know, I am just too much sometimes!

Peace, love and trying to convince Cooper that just because the shirt came around my birthday, that does NOT mean that is his gift to me!

Coming next- a giveaway for you in celebration of my day of birth! Word.

Best day EVER!

2011-03-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Ello' there, fancy meeting you here! It is oh so nice to be back in blogworld again! Here is the explanation from my last post-

Being a Dental Hygienist is literally a dream job for me and fits my personality perfectly. I get to work with people. I LOVE people, I really do. Not only do I get to work with them but I get to educate which I love to do as well.

I have six exams that I have to take before graduating in 61 days (but who's counting, really?) and two of them were yesterday. In my opinion, they were going to be the two hardest- a written exam on anesthesia and then a clinical exam where two examiners breath down your neck while you stick someone with a needle for two injections which have to be in the exact correct spot done with perfect technique.

Annnnnddddd...I am a spaz.

I know I know, huge surprise right? Well I am. So, for me performing injections in front of people I don't know was terrifying.

And guess what y'all? I showed my true colors. I did every dumb thing possible during the clinical portion. Including but not limited to: shaking so badly that I couldn't recap the needle, loading my syringe the wrong way and not being able to put my gloves on because my hands were so clammy.

But I passed. Both the written and the clinical portion. I PASSED. And I was totally calm and collected when they put the letter in the bin saying that I had passed. It went a little something like this:

"AHHHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHH SQUEEL AHHHHHH OH MY GOSH I DID IT!! (insert jumping and running into the waiting room where my classmates and husband were) AHHHHH AHHHHH (jump on husband) AHHHHHH SQUEEL AHHHHHH!!! OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVERRRRRRRRRRR, I CAN'T BELIEVE I PASSSED, AHHH AHAHH"

(Imagine Agent Smart in that bubble that he thought people couldn't hear him in...except I knew people could hear me. And I didn't care.)

AHH!

See? Totally poised.

And then apparently I grew bunny ears

Thanks for all the sweet supporting comments you guys left me- it was most definitely an emotionally draining and nerve wrecking day to say the least.

2 exams down, 4 to go!

Peace, love and enjoying sticking your husband with a needle a little too much! I am back!

If your name was Shalyn...

2011-03-09T13:25:00.002-06:00

...you would be poo-ing your pants right now because of how nervous you are for this Saturday. I can't even tell you why I am nervous because typing about it makes me more nervous and if I tell you why I am nervous you won't think the worst thing in your head and feel as bad for me as you do now...;-)

Lets just say if Saturday does not go well I am locking myself in my room and eating nachos and Oreos until I am blue in the face.

Scratch that, I will probably do that anyway!

Do you pray? If you do,would you include me on Saturday? If you don't pray, would you send some good wishes my way? I would sure apperciate it!

Since I love my readers so much and have reached 250 followers (yay- love you guys!) I have a giveaway coming next week...if I don't go into a diabetic coma from eating nachos and Oreos, that is.

To get my mind off this Saturday, lets laugh, shall we? Better yet, lets laugh at someone besides me! I can't take criticism right now;-)

In honor of this lovely ladies birthday, I give you Crystal from Surviving in Momdom's most embarrassing story-

I wouldn't consider myself a sex vixen but I am a far cry from a plain Jane. My style is one all my own...sprinkle a dash of Victoria's Secret, a smidge of Forever 21 and large heap of Department store clearance apparrel and you've pretty much got it. We are a pretty frugal crew so Louis Vuitton handbags and designer shoes need not apply. However, for my last birthday- I turned 30....again- I splurged on a pair of over-the-knee, super high heel, zip up to there, black boots....for my husband, of course!

Got that image in your head?????? Ok. Now remember I am a flip-flop, jean short (or full blown jeans- it's cold here), and faded white T with a cute scarf kind of girl. But I still want to rock my man's world every now and then. I want him to be blown away occassionally and remind him that he married a sexy woman...you know, make him drool and chase ya down the hall (after you tuck in all 4 kids, let the dog out, bring the cat in, lock the windows and doors, pop a breath mint and quietly try to slip on something cute w/o hubby knowing about it....and before he falls asleep watching ESPN).

You also need to have a little background information regarding my gracefullness or lack there of. God has gifted and blessed me with many many things....but there wasn't any room left when it was time to add gracefulness. So sadly I have had to master this world on my own two klutzy feet. I fall, trip, stumble and crash constantly which has lead to whiplash (horrible college hurdling debacle, stitches, broken bones and numerous bumps and bruises-it truly keeps my Chiropracter in business!). It used to frustrate my hubby...but he now merely accepts it as one of my most adorable idiosyncrasies.

Ok now that you have been briefed and have somewhat of a klutzy girl-next-door image in your head, you are now ready to bask in the rest of my hilarious-albeit unfortunate- series of events.

I like to surprise my hubby every now and then with new "outfits" from our local lingerie store....you know keep an element of surprise (frankly, I'm sure he has no idea which ones are new and which ones are "been there, done that"). It keeps him on his toes...so to speak. After putting the 1st and 2nd born sons to bed (3rd and 4th born have already been in bed for awhile) I sneaked (is it "sneaked" or "snuk"?? I digress) to our room (hubby was doing our budget at this point- so he didn't really pay much attention to what I was doing). I put on the new cute hot pink bra and panty and the sexy up-to-there (think "Pretty Woman") boots and walked (more like strutted in my sexiness) thru the living room and down the stairs to surprise my hubby. (Basically since the boots were sooo expensive I thought that if I made it about him, he would care less what they cost.) In my super sexy way (remember, I am NOT graceful), I put my hand on the wall and waited for my hubby to melt. BUT I lost my balance and so as not to fall in my basically naked state, I gripped the window. Dilemma averted? Heck NO! I RIPPED THE TRIM OFF THE WALL!!! Hubby just looked at me laughed and said, "that's not very sexy honey" as he took the trim out of my hand......but he still took the bait and the purchase was never questioned!

Thanks for sharing your story, Crystal! I just love the way you write:-)You can visit Crystals great blog here (and make sure you tell her Happy birthday!)-

I still have more stories to share- want to share yours? Email me at thelaughblog (at)aol(dot)com!

And please know I am looking forward to catching up on all of your posts and meeting some of the ladies who commented on my last post- I just have LOTS to do before Saturday so be patient with me!

Blogging loves

2011-03-03T19:04:00.001-06:00

First I have to get something off my chest (no not those...I wish. Running is hard sometimes...) Why in the hey is the history channel not playing anything about history anymore? I am sorry, I can respect shows about pawning items and aliens but NOT ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL. Seriously, I have not seen a REAL history program on for awhile...and I pay attention.

It chaps my hide...Okay, sorry- on to the point, no more negativity!

I love blogging. I credit blogging and all the wonderful people I have met in this world for helping me in part to get through the toughest 4 semesters of school I could have ever fathomed with my sanity.

Well...most some of it!

I wanted to give a shoutout to some of the people I have met in this blog world who I am fortunate enough to consider a friend at this point.

If you don't consider me a friend back, lets just pretend. No need to take me back to my elementary school days or anything!

Brooke @Bright Wishes
Shay@ The Nelson Diaries
Megan@ Mackey Madness
Lindsay@ Scenic Glory
Lindsey@ Texagermanadian
Vic@ Freckles and Fudge
Ashley@ Ashley...plus three
Lula@ Lulapalooza
Heather@ Some kind of Wonderful
Rachel@ Randomness with Rachel
Angie@ Living Aloha
Katie@ Words By Katie
Erica@ North Meets South
Ashley@ Hudsons Happenings
Alexis@ A Beautiful Day to be Alive
Ashley@ The Heart of Life is Good
Diana@ Daniel and Diana Smith
Sam@ Love Never Fails
Jen@ The J family
Courtney@ Vintch
Tanya@ A Taste of T

These ladies are all amazing- visit their blogs and you will see too.

Whether it is emails,Facebook messages, Formspring comments, or sweet post comments, they always make my day somehow, along with many of you. I consider a lot more of you to be my friend- sorry if you were not listed, those are just the ones I could think of off hand.

I have seen some new followers lately and am having a hard time keeping up- I want to build more friendships but am having a hard time clicking on 2,345,039 links to visit your blogs.

So, if you would PLEASE leave a comment with your name, blog URL and anything else you want to tell me, I would love to visit you!

We all could use more friends, right?!

Thanks for reading, following and commenting- you guys are the best!

I also wanted to share a recipe we made Monday night- its easy and DELICIOUS Spaghetti casserole!

8 ounces spaghetti
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese (cut up)
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (crumbly)
30 ounces spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
season with salt and pepper (or anything else as you see fit)

Directions:
Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
1 The recipe calls for a 9x13 casserole, but I usually split it between two 8x8 pans (increasing the spaghetti, beef, sauce and mozarella slightly if needed) and freeze one of them for another time.
2 Cook the spaghetti and drain, but don't rinse.
3 Put it right back in the warm pot and add the cream cheese.
4 Blend the cream cheese until melted with the spaghetti and then blend in the sour cream.
5 Put spaghetti mixture into greased pan.
6 Layer some of the mozarella, then the beef, then a little more mozarella.
7 Spread the spaghetti sauce across and then put the rest of the mozarella on top.
8 Bake at 350 (or maybe 375?) for 30- 35 minutes
9 Let it stand for 5 or 10 minutes

Peace love, and ways to make spaghetti more fatty!

Heads Carolina, tails California

2011-02-28T20:47:00.003-06:00

Fact: I travelled a lot as a child. (boo- just saying "fact" depresses me because I have literally not seen an episode of The Office for weeks...*moment of silence at the solemnity of that statement*)

I have seen most states in the U.S from the passengers seat of my dads semi truck or from the back seat of a van/SUV ("back seat, feet on the hump!" NAME THE COMEDIAN?). We didn't have a ton of money growing up but my parents understood the value of memories and boy do I have them because of road trips!

Don't even get me started on the toilet my dad put in the back seat so we didn't have to stop.

Road trips are my favorite thing in the world. I will take any excuse to take one. I love everything about it- the snacks, the music, the conversation, the snacks, the sites, the way I feel when the windows are down, the snacks...everything. There is something so wonderful about seeing Gods beauty firsthand through the passengers seat window.

Last weeks excuse was a "study trip" to Casa Grande with my favorite dental hygiene girls. In reality, we just really needed to get away from the craziness that is our last semester of school and were craving Eegees. Did I mention school is crazy? I have no nails again from being nervous all the time. Its real attractive.

Before we embarked on the drive to Casa Grande, we just had to stop at our favorite local Mexican food place, Chicos to grab some nachos as an appetizer. I know what you are thinking- "seriously? You went on a road trip for food and you ate a whole plate of nachos before you even left?"

Yep. And I ate every bite of my Eegess too, thankyaverymuch!

Call me a heffer and see what happens. Seriously, I dare you.

I take Kenpo and Tae Bo, just so you know
MMMMMMMM Pina Colada! Who wants to take my next road trip with me? Anyone? Buhler?

P and an S-

I completely forgot to tag 5 bloggers in my last post about the 4 lies and a truth! Please forgive- I hadn't had chocolate all day, therefore this here brain don't function (pretend that doesn't happen to you!) Here are the 5 I choose-

Megan@ Mackey Madness
Shay@ The Nelson Diary

Sam@ Love Never Fails

Lula @ Lulapalooza
Heather @Some Kind of Wonderful

Mallori@ Life is Beautiful

Alexis@ A Beautiful Day to be Alive

I know there are more than 5. I never was good at counting. I tagged you too, just so you know. So let me know if you do it because my middle name happens to be Sherlock. Or maybe its Elizabeth. You'll never know.

Congrats on the worst smelling armpit award, ladies;-) Totally understand if you ladies aren't down to do a little tag post, but it's fun if you have nothing to say that day:-)

Peace, love, Pina Coladas, ranch fries, sub sandwiches....and nachos!

I am a liar

2011-02-27T21:36:00.003-06:00

I got the Memetastic award from my sweet friend Katie at Words By Katie! I guess I have no idea what Memetastic means...it could be an award for the worst smelling armpits for all I know, but this is fun so I am still going to accept it proudly!

So, with this the rules are different, which is good because I am sure your all sick of this tag stuff. I am going to post the random facts about myself you guys have already heard about 52,473 times, but only one of them is completely true and the rest are fiction. So, get your Sherlock skills all ready to guess which one it is!

Last time I played this game was in middle school and we gave 2 truths and a lie...and I gave my first two, one being a complete lie and then I told the kids that I got approached to model and the girl next to me goes, "well...OBVIOUSLY the modeling one is a lie" HA- obviously.

Jerk.

4 lies and a truth:

1. I got held back before I even started Kindergarten because when I went in for the test I just wanted out of there so bad that I answered all the questions wrong. Don't mess with my lunch time!

2. My friends and I were taken onstage at a Lonestar concert and then with them in their tour bus...and then kicked out because we didn't drink.

3. I have won 3 eating contests, all against at least 1 boy

4. When I was younger I wanted to be a cheerleading doctor

5. I have visited every state in the USA

~In other news, we made it through FIVE days of watching FOUR kids! Two 12 hour days and two 103+ degree temperatures later! They were really good, in all honesty and the experience just builds my confidence that we could handle a baby! (maybe...sorta?)

~You see that shirt down there? I won it. Yep, that's right. Cooper bet me that I couldn't drink 1 liter of water a day for three days (I am not a big water drinker) and guess what? I did.

I will do anything for a new shirt. Or icecream

~Oh, and happy Grammy night! Did you see me on stage? I won one- can you believe it?

Yep, that's what I wore too. Don't worry, my Grammy is a lot bigger in person- not sure why is looks so small there. Don't I look so glamorous?! My prediction for the night is the same as Ellen Degeneres- someone is going to win in every category!

I know- amazing prediction skills, huh?

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks so much for all the sweet comments and emails y'all (yes, y'all:-)) have sent me these last few days. You guys are the best and I am working on responding and catching up on your recent happenings!

Peace, love and mean middle schoolers who make us self conscious for years!

A quick request....

2011-02-23T18:50:00.002-06:00

Hello blogging friends, I am coming to you with a short post today due to the fact that we are babysitting four kids this week.

Just call me June Cleaver...

Unless you have no idea who that is, then just call me brave.

I won a gift card to Apart.com from the wonderful Tanya at A Taste of T and I am SO excited. So excited. Oh, and I am excited. It has been a few days err months since I last went shopping. Problem- I cannot figure out which of these tops I like more. What do you think, you fashionistas, you? Keep in mind I am blonde...and light skinned...and A LOT curvier than that model. A lot...

Oh, and while your at it make me look like her, k? thankyaverymuch

One more thing- please watch this video that my mother-in-law sent me. For every 100 people that watch it, the kids in Africa receive a new computer. Pretty neat? I think so. Lets get some more African bloggers out there, shall we?;-)

Thanks so much for watching and for your thoughts on these shirts- can't wait to catch up with what you all had going on this week. I promise a visit by this weekend! As for now, I am back to playing mom. Not too bad of a job, I must say- maybe I will try it soon for myself:-)