Happy 4th of July Weekend

Our 4th of July weekend was busy... but lots of fun. Harrison's Mom came into town for the weekend and it was so much fun spending time with her. We spent the 3rd at Nick and Joy's house (Harrison's brother). We BBQ'd some hamburgers and lit off some fireworks for the kids before bedtime. It was lots of fun.

Eli helped Nick light the firework and then ran away so he would be safe from the sparks! What a good listener he is!

Before we BBQ'd we spent some time at the pool. It was lots of fun to watch the kids swim and have a good time. Harrison had fun too... see!
Eli was getting so brave! He dunked his head under the water a few times. What a big boy he is becoming! Maybe this is a prequel to an Olympic swimming career.
Gabby is so cute! It was her first time in the pool! Her swimming suit that Nana bought her is so adorable! She seemed to really enjoy the water. She loved kicking her legs.

I had to work 4th of July night. Sad... I know. I didn't see a single firework that night. Oh well. Saturday (the 5th) there was a small car show at The Freedom Festival here in Provo. The car show was just a few blocks from the house. This picture is in front of a 1968 Chevy Camaro. It is one of the sexiest cars on the face of the planet... I think.
After the car show we went to the mall and look at what we saw! A new Challenger! We have never seen one other than in magazines and on billboards. It was an awesome car. So, we took some pictures of it!

The weekend was so much fun! I am so thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy here in America.

Birthday Hat Crafting Extravaganza!

So cute... I know! My boss' birthday is Monday and so I made her this fancy schmancy birthday hat for her. I have wanted to make one ever since I saw the hat on the Peacoats and Party Hats website (click here to see). So, with a little help from my friend and co- worker Jane Parker, we put together this hat for her!

I used some German glass glitter to embellish this cutout from a vintage birthday card. I love this pretty little lady!

All of the people in my department at work gave me something that describes them to add to the hat. This SPARKLE pin is so freaking cute. I just about died when my co-worker gave it to me for the hat.

It was a lot of fun to use some of the vintage buttons and notions I have for this hat.
I think the vintage broach is my favorite part. So cute! Thanks for the addition Jane!
The picture on the hat is actually a picture of my boss when she was about 25 years old. Her and her husband had one of those old time photos taken about 20 years ago when they were first married. He was happy to send me a copy of it to use on the hat!

The hat was so fun to make. The hats on the website run about $24 for the kit. I know now why they are kind of pricey. If I were to sell this, it would have to go for a lot more than that. It took me many hours to put together and the embellishments can get kind of pricey as well... but well worth the adventure!

Another Thankful Thursday

Well, another week has come and gone. I was thinking a lot today about what I would write about concerning the things I am thankful for. I think I have been pretty unthankful this week. I have been pretty cranky to tell you the truth. So of course, I can think of a thousand things I am unthankful for... but that is not the point of this entry... so after thinking about it long and hard here is what I am thankful for:

EMT's

Those guys that drive the ambulances sure are handy! We had an elderly employee fall down today and we were in need of their assistance. They were so sweet to help her onto the gurney and get her the help that she needed.

Patience

I have had to use it quite a bit the last week. I have a new calling in church (Relief Society Chorister). The calling has proven to be a little more stressful than I ever imagined. Thank goodness for the Lord answering prayers!

Date Night

They definitely keep me from going insane! I am thankful that my husband and I are able to "date" each other still! We have a lot of fun.

Thankful Thursday

Another week has come and gone since the last Thankful Thursday. I am thankful for so many things!




Kim C.

Yes, I am so thankful for Kim. She is such a good friend of mine... my best good friend of Grand Junction. She came and gave me a suprise visit last Friday night at the Gelato Cafe'. It was so good to see her. She returned from her mission in New York a few months ago and it was the first time I saw her since she left in the first place. She is such a good friend!



Savings Accounts


Oh yes! I am so thankful for our emergency fund. We had a scare earlier this week... Harrison had parts from his bike stolen. He uses his bike everyday. It was a creepy feeling to have something stolen! We took it to the bike shop to see how much it was going to cost to fix... a pretty penny to say the least. But thank goodness we have an emergency fund for just such an occasion. We are able to pay for the repairs and replacement parts.



Paper Crafts

I have been busy putting together a birthday hat (click here to see a similar one) for my bosses birthday. It has been so much fun to put together. Crafting is kind of an outlet for me. When I craft, I am able to put my energy into just that... whether it be good or bad energy. I am able to concentrate on just that and not have to worry about other petty things going on.



Little Debbie Coffee Cakes and Cherry Pepsi


Cherry Pepsi just about takes care of any problem. I get stressed... just drink a Pepsi... I get a headache... just drink a Pepsi... you get the picture!

I used to eat these Little Debbie snack cakes all the time when I lived in Las Vegas. They are moist little cakes with cinnamon and sugar all over them. I was not able to find them ANYWHERE in Colorado when I moved and I have not been able to find them here in Utah either! Everytime I would go to a grocery store or a gas station... I would search for them. They are so hard to find now! While in Florida... I found them! The gas station by one of our hotels had them! Oh Glorious Day! I cleaned them out of the two they had left. Well... we were at Wal-Mart here in Utah the other day... and.... drum roll please.... TA DA!!! There they were! A whole package of them! So of course I snatched them up! I sure hope they carry them for a long time!



Remote Connection

I have been battling a sort of flu the last couple of days. I am so thankful for the remote access on my computer at home. I am able to access all of my files on my work computer and my work network from the comfort of my PJ's at home. It is such a blessing to be able to do that!



Yes, there are many things to be thankful for!

June Holidays

So, there are so many obscure holidays! Really! There are! So many in fact that I thought I would blog about them! I know June is half over, but I thought I would share with you the holidays we have left this month. So... pull out your party hats and your bottles of... whatever you may drink when you celebrate...

June 17- Eat your Vegetables Day
June 18- National Panic Day
June 21- National Hoolerin' Contest Day
June 23- Take Your Dog to Work Day
June 29- Waffle Iron Day

So everybody... let's find something to celebrate everyday! I will post each month some fun and yet obscure holidays to celebrate!

Thankful Thursday

I got this idea from Marie. Thankful Thursday. The day where I blog about things I am thankful for. I am a day late this week... since it is Friday... but whatever! Here it goes!

Pillows!
I love my pillows. I sleep with like 4 of them every night. They are so comfy and help me to have a good night's rest. I never realize how much I miss them until I have to sleep without them for a while.

Warm Weather!
I love to wear sandals and not wear layers! I love the smell of warm weather. Yes, warm weather has a smell. It smells like swimming pools, fresh cut grass, and pretty flowers... and tanning oil!

Co-Workers!
I have amazing co-workers. We went on a field trip today to a flower shop, Costco, and the paper store... HA! They are amazing co-workers. We get along so great. We tell jokes, about our lives, and about our pasts. They are some of the neatest ladies I have ever met!

Air-Conditioning!
Along with warm weather comes... warm weather. I am thankful for the AC in the house and the car. It makes the summer bareable. Oh yes. I like to sleep (with my 4 pillows) in the coolness of the air conditioned night. AMAZING!

That concludes the first chapter of Thankful Thursday. Thank you for the idea Marie! I am thankful for you, too! Tune in next week for more thankfulness!

More Sun... More Schools

Fort Lauderdale was the last stop for us here in Florida. This last leg of the trip was the "business" part of the trip. Harrison had a few appointments with a few professors at a couple of grad schools here in the area.

We realized at the end of our trip that we didn't have any REAL pictures of Harrison and I together. We had a very nice lady from Illinios take a picture here at the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida International University was one of the schools that we visited. The campus was very large but very pretty. People seemed to be genuinly nice. The professors that we met with were very helpful. Harrison was able to get more information about the graduate programs the school had for his field of study. The research studies that the programs are doing are really fascinating to me. It was neat to find out what kinds of studies go on.

Florida Atlantic University was the other school we visited. The campus here was amazing. It was so big. It was like a mini city within a city. The professor we met with was so nice. He was very helpful when it came to talking about the area in general, not just the school itself. This school is located in Boca Raton which we quickly found out is like the Beverly Hills of Florida. The cost of living is very expensive here. The school is very nice though.

Our hotel was very nice. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Peir 66. It was pretty posh. The hotel is part of a marina there. There were a ton of very expensive yachts docked right outside our room. We requested a room with a view of the marina. I can't believe how much money was just floating there right in front of our eyes. The sunset was pretty though (as you can see from the picture).

The entire hotel grounds were beautiful. They took really good care of the landscaping. This tree was so pretty, I just had to get a picture of it (so I made Harrison snap one). I can't believe how many types of plants, shrubs, and flowers there are in Florida! It is so amazing!

At this hotel instead of lots of cats around (like Miami) there were tons of little geckos. It was funny to see them. They come out onto the cement and then when you walk by there are like five that scurry away. They were everywhere! It was fun!

We had such a good time in Florida. We were ready to come home to things that were familiar to us, but it was hard to leave the humid and balmy weather as well as the ocean. The way of living in Florida is definitely different than the way life is lived here in the west... that is for sure. There were lots of good things about this area as well of some things we could do without. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to take this trip. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways. Thanks to the government for our stimulas package too! Without that... we would have had no place to sleep! Ha Ha Ha!

Bienvenido a Miami

Wow. Miami is a great place. It was a lot different than I expected. I expected it to be like clips from Miami Ink or something. I expected it to look a lot like California... but no... it is not. It reminded Harrison and I of a few of the places we were at in Brazil. It was really cool. Most of the people in the area are Cuban. Most everybody everywhere speaks Spanish. The beaches were amazing. We visited North and South beach. South beach was definitely our favorite. We only saw one topless lady the whole time we were there. I was hoping we would make it out without seeing one... but no luck.

We went to church Sunday at a Young Single Adult branch that was right down the street from our little condo. The building (as you can see) is really cool looking. We couldn't believe that the chapel was right down the street from where we were staying. The only branches that meet there are a Spanish branch and a YSA branch. Since I know like three words in Spanish, we decided to go to the YSA branch. The ward was very welcoming and Sacrament Meeting was great.

Look at those tans... finally! Harrison is a lot less red than me! I pretty much turned myself into a lobster the first day we were in Florida. My face is getting a nice tan though!

We noticed that we were right next to the inlet to the bay. The cruise and cargo ships come in and out of right where we were (as you can see from this picture).

The sand here in Miami is very similar to the sand in Rio. It is like brown sugar. It is so soft! The beaches are really neat here. You can walk out a really long way before it gets very deep. So there is actually room to swim in the ocean (similar to Brazil). The water was warmer in Miami than Cocoa Beach... but it makes sense since Miami is closer to the equator.

This picture is kind of blurry, but this is where we stayed in Miami. It was an apartment building made into a hotel. We had a room with a small kitchen. There wasn't a stove, but there was a hot plate. I have never used one before. We went to the little store down the street and bought some groceries and ate at the hotel.

This is a picture of one of the MANY cats around our hotel. It looks like most of them come from the same "pod". There were at least 10 or 12 cats around. They look like they are taken care of and there was always food set next to a light pole for them. no wonder they were sticking around. It was funny to see them all. They just flop down wherever and sleep. They mostly flop under cars in the shade though.

We ate at a very expensive restaurant our first night in Miami. It was called Texas de Brazil. Our bill was $150 at the end. It was pretty good food, but I think the food at Tucanos in Provo is better (not to mention cheaper). The beach was beautiful though. I can see why lots of people do photo shoots out here!

Before we went to church on Sunday, we found a Holocaust Memorial and stopped to see it. It was reallt neat. This was the sculpture that was in the middle of the memorial. There was marble walls that told about that part of WWII and what the Holocaust was. There were pictures and other facts. At the end of the walls, you walk through this little corridor to this sculpture. It was very emotional for me. I enjoyed it very much. Harrison got some great pictures of the site.

This is the view of the statue outside the memorial (from the street). It was a great time had by all. It was so humid while we were there though. By the time we were done walking through the memorial, my clothes were sticking to me and I had started to sweat through my clothes. Oh man. It was kind of miserable for a little while.

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Cocoa Beach was our first beach stop here in Florida. It was a lot of fun. The sun was shining bright and the water was so warm. We both thought the water was so warm... as warm as the water in Brazil. Actually, we think there are a few similarities between Florida and Brazil. We spent the afternoon at the beach. We saw a huge fish ( we are not sure what it was... maybe a sword fish or marlin) jump like two or three feet in the air a little ways away from us in the water. It was nuts. Too bad we didn't have the camera for that one.

We really are happy to be here! Even if it doesn't look like it in this picture. This is our pre-tan picture. Harrison lathered himself up with sunscreen so he wouldn't burn his fair skin and I soaked myself in tanning oil. Harrison stayed nice and protected... I ended up looking like a lobster. Oh well.

This picture kind of looks fake, but its not! It is very real. The sky is THAT clear and THAT blue. It was such a beautiful day!

Do you like my sunglasses? I got them for a dollar at Target! They were in the dollar bin! It was awesome! Our day was so fun. We also spent some time at a huge and famous surf shop. It was the Ron Jon surf shop. It was really big. Harrison and I got a couple of suvinier t-shirts. After te beach we drove to one of the schools Harrison is thinking about. The school landscaping is really cool. It looks as if it was built in the middle of a jungle or something. There is thick foliage all over the place. It was really pretty. We have noticed something kind of strange here in Florida. There are Cracker Barrel resturaunts all over the place. It is weird. I wonder if it is because it is a "country" place to eat and since they are on the east coast it is kind of a novelty to have some of the west around. I dunno. It is kind of weird to us.

Oh... one more thing...

Why is it that the men that wear Speedos are the ones that should NOT!?!? What is that about? It is so weird. This guy obviously thought he was hot stuff or something. Why is it always like that?

Arriving in Orlando FINALLY... with Pizza Grandma

Why does it seem that Grandmas give up trying to be normal? This was the question Harrison asked me when we saw Pizza Grandma. This lady was in our flight from Minneapolis to Detroit (on our way to Florida). When we were waiting at the gate we noticed that it looked like she had just magically pulled some cold pizza out of her purse and began to eat it with her cup of coffee at like nine o'clock in the morning. Who has pizza in their purse? And who eats it with their coffee for breakfast? So, we lovingly gave her the name Pizza Grandma. I hope that Harrison and I don't get old and keep cold leftovers on our person at random times.

Finally! We made it to Orlando. This is me making the phone calls to our parents letting them know we had arrived in Sunny Florida. We were definitely tired of being on airplanes. We left Salt Lake City at 6 am and we finally got to Orlando at almost 7 pm (so 5pm Utah time). It was a long day. We took this shuttle to get our rental car. We were so hungry! We ate at the closest Burger King we could find (well the closest BK that the Garmin GPS could find. Those things are awesome). It took us another 45 minutes to get to our Hotel in Melbourne (pronounced Mel-burn by the locals). We pretty much unpacked and went to bed. AAHH... glorious sleep!