One of my worst fears... came true!

So, Harrison and I bought a small deep freezer when I moved into Nick and Joy's house so I would be able to keep all of our meat and frozen food that we bought. Well, I went out for the first time today to get some chicken nuggets out for dinner... and.... OH NO... What is that smell???

The deep freeze wasn't on. Everything in the freezer was rotted and smelled like death. I would guess that there was close to $200 worth of meat and veggies in that freezer... not to mention Harrison's grandmother's wonderful peach jam! DANG!!!

Well, I started to investigate and it turns out that the GFI outlet that the freezer was plugged into had tripped sometime in the last few weeks, but we didn't know it.

I am totally bummed. I got the freezer back on that I will let the food freeze again before emptying it. The smell is just more than I can handle. I now know what a rotting body smells like for sure. So, next week I will have to shut it down again and scrub it down and disinfect the thing.

Well, that is my life update for now... note to self... check the freezer every couple of days!

Another Round of Thankful Thursday Please

And what a Thankful Thursday it is. This last week has been SO LONG. It has felt like 3 weeks rolled into one... not good. So, I have been reflecting on the things that I have been thankful for this past week.

Differences of opinion
I know... hard to believe that I would be thankful for a difference of opinion. I am. I had a conversation with some of my co-workers this morning on the value of books and different authors. We all have very different opinions. This is why I love working with these people. It is so wonderful to learn and embrace their differences. I love to learn about what makes people "tick". I think its good to work and be friends with people so similar to you yet so different... does this even make sense??

Camera Phones
Something I don't think about often, but I am thankful for these handy devices. Last weekend (click here for the post) I traveled to Las Vegas to see Harrison for a long weekend. We visited the Hoover Dam... it has been 5 years since I have been over there. Anyway, we both decided that I wouldn't bring the good camera on this particular trip and so when we got to the Dam and so many awesomely cool things, we were sad that the camera was not at our side. So we took pictures with our phones. Amazing technology, really.

Sunshine
The weather here in Utah has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL the last week. Breath-taking really. Not too hot, not too cold. It is perfect weather to get out and see the blooming peonies, roses, and daisies on a morning or evening stroll. There is not much I like about Utah, but this weather has been amazing.

Pink Toes
I gave myself a pedicure last week and chose to paint my little piggies HOT PINK. I have quite enjoyed them. Something small and insignificant some might say, but a set of hot pink toes can do a heart good. Yes indeed.

Horizon Ward
This ward is the ward I grew up in. While in Las Vegas, I attended this ward. It was AMAZING. There were so many good friends that were there. I was so happy to see them. The ward has changed quite a bit, but I was so excited to see some of my former youth leaders and good family friends.

Well, this concludes this weeks edition. I am thankful for so much, but when I sit down to write these blog posts, it seems that everything escapes my pea-brain.

The Good Word

Well, the time is close at hand my friends. I went to the Orthodontist today and he said that my orthodontic appliances (braces) could be off in about 6-8 weeks! YIPPEE! This is wonderful news.

I just had to post that. Anyway.. I'll post something good soon.

BYE

Another Dam Trip

Jaala was in town this weekend so we fulfilled a 5 year promise to return to the Hoover Dam when we could walk across it. You see, when we were dating we visited Vegas and went to the dam but it was night time, and thanks to the Taliban no one is allowed to walk on the damn (er dam) after dark. So we went when the sun was out so the 60 year old security guards could see that we had no bombs to flood the culturally vital Boulder City. Sarcasm aside however the dam is pretty dam impressive. The other cool thing is that they are building a bypass bridge right next to the dam so the aforementioned AARP members have fewer potential bombers to worry about and also so travel between Vegas and anywhere southeast of Vegas is quite a bit faster. Jaala didn't bring the nice camera from Utah so please bear with the cellphone photos.





Ok, although we said we weren't terrorists, I guess I could be confused for the Unabomber in this one.



and here is Jaala pondering taking a ride down the face of the dam and how dam awesome it would be.....seriously think about it.....you would be going so fast by the time you got to the bottom....awesome.

Thankful Thursday

So many things to be thankful for... here we go:

Honest Mechanics
I had to take the ol 4Runner in for a much needed tune up and I was AMAZED by the honesty and integrity of the mechanic shop I took it to. I took the truck to Clegg Automotive here in Utah County. The owner took care of me personally and my truck was done in a timely manner and the pricing was descent. THANK YOU ED AT CLEGG AUTOMOTIVE!!!

Kick Back Time
Most of the people in my department are gone for 10 days on a business trip. There are only 3 of us left in the office for the next week and a half. It has been very slow around work since most of my direct co-workers are gone and so I have been able to put my feet up and laugh it up with the others who are left (but don't worry... I have been getting my work done too).

Airplanes
The technology of an airplane still baffles me to this day! Somebody can explain to me how an airplane flies 500 times and I still don't understand it. Anyway... since Harrison has been in Vegas, we have been scheduling trips back and forth to see each other. He either drives to Salt Lake to see me or I fly to Vegas to see him. The flights are cheaper than for me to drive. I love to fly! I would probably fly the 35 miles to work every morning if I could.

Pearson's Mint Patties
I love these things. I once ate 2 bags in like 6 hours... not good for the gastro-track. But anyway... I love them. I get addicted to them. Just the smell of them puts me into a trance. The mixture of dark chocolate and peppermint... YUMMO!

Well, that concludes this edition. PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!

If you look, you're not cool!

So Nick and Joy showed me this video and I will NEVER look at an action movie (or any movie with pyrotechnics) the same!

Great minds think alike??

So I decided to switch it up a bit and change the layout of my blog (obviously... if you are an avid reader of my blog... you can see that it is different)... well, after changing my stuff around and things, I got to thinking...

I SWEAR I HAVE SEEN THIS LAYOUT BEFORE.....

Wadda ya know... My sister in law, Robyn has almost the EXACT same layout. CRAP! That is the second time I have done that. Chosen the same layout as hers.

You know what they say... Great minds think alike... Do you think she is annoyed with my copy-cat ways yet??

It's a phone with "appeal"

So now that I live in Salt Lake with Nick and Joy, I have the WONDERFUL opportunity to play favorite Auntie to my nephew, Eli (4 1/2 years old), and two nieces, Gabby (1 1/2 years old) and Paige (1 month old). They are a lot of fun and they are so good for me.

Last night I was able to tend the older two while Nick and Joy went on a date. We had a lot of fun. One of the highlights was our DANCE PARTY. I put on some of the Raffi music I had from when I was a preschool teacher. One of the songs was "Banana Phone". So, we got the REAL banana phones out and danced along to the song. It was a hoot!

**sorry the pictures are not the best quality. I will get some better ones at the next dance party.

I love these kids so much.

Harrison's Thankful Thursday

So I have a thankful Thursday of my own. Mainly so I can post this hilarious video but I am thankful nonetheless:

Bean Family-my surrogate family here in Vegas, I have my own little room and they respect my privacy

Cormac McCarthy-Brought along two of his books, I have read them both before but they are still great reads.

Brain Age 2-Nintendo DS game that gets me through the large amount of ME time that I have.

Josh and Heather-despite the fact that I was unable to make their first dinner invitation they invited me over for another. It is hard for Jaala and I to find this kind of sticking power in friends that we make, usually after one failed attempt at social interaction the thread is lost never to be found again. Plus their kids "flap" which is an Allen family tradition, (see the post about Jordan's wedding). And finally their chihuahua/jack russell mix loves to make unabashed doggy love to his blanket: (Que movie)

Thankful Thursday

Yeah, I kind of slacked on the Thankful Thursdays for like.... 2 months or something like that... so here it goes:

Nick and Joy's hospitality

Thunder and Lightning

Baby Paige

Gladiator Sandals

Big blooming Peonies

Alright... I know its a quick one... but its all I got for now.

Love ya all! Good night!

The Joys of Jo-Town

So last weekend I was so flattered and overjoyed when Jane and Rodger P (remember I don't put last names) invited me to their family summer home in Joseph, Utah (near Richfield, UT if any of you are familiar with that area). It was an amazing 24 hours! The house is amazing as well as the company I had.

This is the view from the front porch. So pretty!

The house is on the Utah Historical Registry. It is so amazing. The Victorian style home is one of my absolute favorites.

This is the bedroom I stayed in. Bedroom number 4.

All of the bedrooms were numbered. I thought it was very cute.

Even the bathroom was labeled. You can't be too careful when it comes to walking into a room.... knowing what you are walking into is a MUST.... ha.

I loved a lot of the details of the house. Little things here and there that did my heart good.

The evening I got to Joseph we went for a 30 mile ATV ride. It was super cold and at one point I felt like my fingers were frost bitten... I forgot a hoodie and gloves and I paid for it dearly!!!!

Me and Ellie after the ride! SEXY!

Jane was a little timid when it came to driving the ATV, so I hopped on front and drove around the mountains.

PEACE!!!!

I have finally found friends to play games with!!! The P's were all about playing the card games! I was so happy! It was very friendly competition.....

I had the pleasure of watching Gary and Amanda's dog, Emma, for a week and so I took her with me to Jo-Town. She loved it. I had so much fun being her "mommy" for a week.

Rocco and Emma had fun... not really with each other... but they had fun in their own separate ways.

It was such a fun and relaxing weekend. I am already planning with Jane to go back this summer when it is a little warmer so we can float the canal and be lazy.. or as we like to call it "pillows with eyes".

I am so thankful for the P-Family's friendship. It means so much to me.

Fun to Come!

I spent a great weekend with some friends. I took some photos and can't wait to share with you.... just a hint:

ATV's
Vintage Glass
Phase 10
Puppy Fest

OK, that's all for now... more to come very soon!