The Taylors

Drinking Fountain

2010-06-16T15:20:00.003-06:00

Isaac showed Joshua the drinking fountain in great-grandma and grandpa's backyard. He was soaking wet and shivering when he came inside, but he was grinning ear to ear.

Clean or Dirty

2010-06-16T15:15:00.001-06:00

Toddler Story Time

2010-06-16T14:56:00.005-06:00

One thing I loved about Elk Grove is the Toddler Storytime at the library every Wednesday morning. It was 30 minutes of songs, puppets, books, and lots of movement. It was coordinated by an elementary school music teacher. He was awesome, and Joshua absolutely loved the whole thing!

Joshua's Photography

2010-06-16T14:49:00.004-06:00

These are some pictures Joshua took unbeknownst to me.

Easter

2010-06-16T14:28:00.006-06:00

Yogurt

2010-02-09T22:44:00.004-07:00

The Park

2010-02-09T22:13:00.005-07:00

This is the park we go to most often. Joshua loves it!

Christmas Morning

2010-01-04T11:08:00.001-07:00

The face says it all.

"It's filled with love,"

2009-12-08T16:12:00.006-07:00

Isaac said yesterday.

I took Joshua to the doctor yesterday for his well-child checkup. His stats are as follows:

Height-30 1/2" = 38 percentile
Weight- 21.1 lbs = 10 or 11 percentile

Head Circumference- 19" = 82 percentile

I love this big head.

Just one of those days

2009-11-16T12:42:00.003-07:00

Eating the wet wipes he pulled out. You can't see the trail behind him leading from his room.

His bedroom

Living room book shelf

The bottom of my pantry

My pile of once folded laundry

And we were even gone for half the day!

Lunch

2009-11-16T12:41:00.002-07:00

Halloween Party

2009-11-16T12:38:00.001-07:00

Joshua and me at the Halloween party

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-16T12:05:00.005-07:00

Late post I know... but a few days before Halloween, I took Joshua to a pumpkin patch here in Elk Grove. He loved the horse and calves, hated the pigs, and climbed on some hay. I also bought him his own mini pumpkin. The tears and runny nose in these pictures are the result of me trying to help Joshua carry the pumpkin upstairs to our apartment since it was just barely too heavy for him to carry himself. He did not like me even thinking about touching the pumpkin so I ended up having to sandwich the pumpkin between Joshua and I as I walked up the stairs so that he didn't think I was touching it. He was all smiles when we got inside though.

Harry Chapin sings CATS IN THE CRADLE Live

2009-11-03T23:33:00.001-07:00

This is such a good song. Classic.

Lucky Charms

2009-10-23T15:20:00.002-06:00

Will Walk for Cheetos

2009-10-16T14:36:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately I can't flip this video right side up so you have to tip your head to watch it. It's still pretty cute though.

Sharing

2009-09-24T21:05:00.003-06:00

I always thought it was gross when my sisters would drink after their toddlers or finish things that had already been semi-slobbered on. It doesn't even phase me now that I have my own slobbery, snot-nosed kid though. The other day I was sitting on the floor eating an apple and he decided that we should share. How could I turn this face down?

Love those buns

2009-09-24T20:58:00.005-06:00

This is how Joshua prefers to roam around now.

3 Years

2009-09-24T20:47:00.004-06:00

Isaac turned the big 2-7 recently. Here's a picture of him with his cake. (Those are not my man hands by the way.) I wanted to post this picture from our anniversary a couple of months ago. We seldom take any pictures together. We've been married for 3 whole years now! Whew time flies.

Camping at Manresa

2009-09-24T20:35:00.004-06:00

I never posted these pictures of our camping trip back from August. Joshua and I went camping with Isaac's family at the beach for a whole week. It was so much fun! I got totally fried, and Joshua got a little rosy too. We played at the beach every day and went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk one night too. Isaac wasn't able to vacay with us because he was on a business trip the same week so that's why he's not in any of our pictures.

I was so proud of myself because I set up the whole tent on my own. So I had to take a picture to show Isaac.
Week-long babysitters :) Shea and Trevor

Joshua loved eating the sand

Carosel at the boardwalk. Joshua was unsure the whole time. And this picture doesn't do my suburn and aloe justice.

THe best rollercoaster there

Uncle Brooks and Joshua and one of the several carnival prizes Trevor won

Canoe Trip

2009-08-15T10:04:00.004-06:00

Every year just before the 4th of July Isaac's aunt and uncle take everyone on a canoe trip that they've been doing for 20 years. Everyone packs a picnic dinner and blankets, and we borrow the stake's canoes. We canoe across the lake to the same spot every year, unpack our blankets, and eat our dinner. Then we sit around and talk until it gets dark. We go at night because Isaac's uncle is an astrologer extraordinare, and he uses his laser pointer to point out all of the constellations. I never know what he's talking about but I still think it's fun. Isaac's mom always brings glow sticks so we can take our famous glow stick picture and that way we can see where everyone is when we canoe back since it's pitch black. I've been twice now, and it's a lot of fun. My pictures are really lame though because it was so dark that the flash hurt everyone's eyes so no one wanted to look and because I couldn't see what I was taking pictures of. I just knew there were people there because of the glow sticks. But these are for posterity! Oh, and it was more fun because Joshua got to stay with a babysitter.

Getting Bigger

2009-08-13T10:09:00.008-06:00

I'm skipping a couple of events that I'll have to come back to since those pictures are on Isaac's computer. But here are some pictures I took of Joshua yesterday. I got some bins down out of the closet to put away some clothes he's grown out of, and I ended up leaving the bins out all day because they are all he wanted to play on. He's really good at standing up now, and I've attached one video of how fast he's crawling. Hopefully he'll walk soon! These pictures and videos make him look surprisingly happy when in reality most of the day he was whining and had a fever. The pictures of him standing up against me are what Isaac calls his 'ugly faces'--I think they're funny. You can see his four bottom teeth though!

Love this

2009-07-30T16:09:00.003-06:00

kitchen.

It's modern with a vintage flavah-flave.

(Pictures from flickr.com)

Little Boy Blue

2009-06-17T11:58:00.005-06:00

Someone gave Joshua this really cute cable knit sweater outfit, but he's just now able to fit into it and it's just now getting hot outside. So I put it on him to snap a few photos before he can't wear it anymore. He was pretty cute. The first picture is just him being cute.

Learning to Pull Up

2009-06-17T11:41:00.004-06:00

I have a few unpacked boxes of scrapbook paper, photos, etc. that I don't have anywhere to store except for under my craft table. Joshua has recently discovered these boxes and all of a sudden the booger's gotten really good at pulling himself up on them. Here's the action sequence:

Going back, back

2009-05-31T00:37:00.002-06:00

to Cali, Cali!

So here we are--two weeks into our new move. It's been hectic and crazy and at the same time anti-climatic and uneventful. The drive out here took forever! It was 12 hours in two cars. We had too much stuff and the U-haul we rented was too small so we ended up having to pack the Focus all the way to the top which meant fortunately for me (unfortunately for Joshua and Isaac) I got to drive by myself. So yes it was a long way to drive alone, but at the same time, I really enjoyed the peace and quiet. Luckily Brooks and AmyAnn let us crash at their place so we didn't have to drive and move all our stuff in all in one day. When we got here Joshua was a mess with having slept a lot in the car and then with the time change though. He pretty much didn't sleep that first night. So he was a grumpy pants the whole next day (and pretty much every day since we've been here.) Last week, we were in no rush to unpack because Isaac didn't have to start work for a week so we took our time moving in. And now we're just hanging out--Joshua and me that is. I'm so used to having my mom and Isaac around all the time; I never realized how quiet the day can be when it's just Joshua and me. I talk to him a lot more than I have in the past and so I think that's good but sometimes I just feel like a crazy person. Like when I ask his opinion at the grocery store or when I give him a 5 minute heads-up at the park. But at least I use the mom-talking-to-baby voice. Because if I didn't, it would just look like I'm talking to myself like those people who use bluetooths (teeth??).

Streaming live from Elk Grove, Ca.

PS Baby Update: Joshua is a proficient army crawler who enjoys flicking door stoppers, sucking on cell phones, and grabbing everyone's hair, even his own. He's had a bad cold this last week though so that's been sad, but he's doing better now. I'll post pictures soon. After I take some.

Everything's Amazing; Nobody's Happy

2009-05-05T14:12:00.003-06:00

I think Conan O'Brien is typically obnoxious. Luckily in this clip, he's not really talking and the other guy is awesome. Thanks, Andre!

Squirrel

2009-05-04T07:28:00.000-06:00

I don't care if this is a fake picture. This is HILarious!

Let it Snow

2009-04-15T22:04:00.003-06:00

It's been snowing like crazy today, but Joshua was ready to go out and play!

Big Shoes to Fill

2009-04-15T21:59:00.004-06:00

Joshua's football face

Sweet Dreams

2009-04-15T21:53:00.003-06:00

Isaac and I love to peek in on Joshua every night before we go to bed. He's so cute! This is how he always sleeps.

Easter

2009-04-15T21:40:00.002-06:00

Sunday, 8 am

Sunday, 12 pm

A Doctor and a Poet

2009-04-03T12:29:00.004-06:00

A long long time ago I posted a couple of poems by one of my favorite poets--Imagist William Carlos Williams. I really like this one as well called "The Red Wheelbarrow."

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

Easter's on its Way

2009-04-03T12:21:00.001-06:00

Peas

2009-04-01T16:05:00.003-06:00

We took these pictures a couple of days ago. It's been 3 weeks since we started solids, and Joshua's favorite so far are peas. They are the only one he opens his mouth for after the first bite.

Joshua's First Solids

2009-04-01T15:55:00.003-06:00

This is Joshua eating his first bowl of rice cereal. These show it going better than it really did. He hated it! He was excited for the first bite, and then I had to force the spoon past his tight lips. This was the progression of pictures.

Isaac's Football Banquet

2009-04-01T15:11:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, Isaac had his BYU football banquet. They have one every year to celebrate the previous season and to honor all the seniors. We had a nice steak and salmon dinner and then there was an awards ceremony. At the end each senior was presented his framed jersey along with his helmet in a glass case. This year there was also a unique addition. A Polynesian tiki-store owner made each senior a staff, personalized with his name and number on it. It shows all awards the team won during each senior's career.

Travis and Alison

Saia and Line

Wayne and Mary

Congratulations, Isaac!

Isaac and me

Isaac and Wayne

Tana and Isaac

Dramtic Weight Loss Attempt

2009-03-26T12:05:00.007-06:00

Isaac doesn't understand my interest in the Discovery Health show "Mystery Diagnosis." I'm not sure I understand either. The whole time I watch it I feel like I need to be taking notes in case these things happen to me or someone in my family.

Doctor: "Symptoms?"

Me: "Fever, naseau, flu-like feeling"

Doctor: "Sounds like the flu"

Me: "Are you sure it's not adult-onset Still's Disease? Because on yesterday's episode of Mystery Diagnosis......"

Anyway, two weeks ago, I developed dibilitating abdominal pain that felt like impending doom that lasted for 2 days. But each day after I felt better and better. So naturally instead of going to the insta-care I decided to diagnose myself on WebMD. After I listed all of my symptoms and used their model to locate my pain, WebMD suggested that I had one of three things: appendicitis, cancer, or a peptic ulcer--all of which are very serious, all of which further scared me away from going to a doctor. I was mentally preparing myself to live with the pain for the rest of my life because I really didn't want to go to the doctor because then he would tell me I had to have surgery or take medicines or both! Finally Isaac locked me out of the house with my purse and car keys, and it was cold so I went to the insta-care seeking shelter. While I was there I thought I might as well see the doctor. Two days later I ended up getting a CT scan. When I showed up for the appointment, I had to gag down a QUART of barium which is exactly like Mylanta, and I laid on this table that slid through this giant ring. Well two hours later a nurse called me and said I needed to get to the American Fork hospital immediately--they had a surgeon on-call and I needed to have my appendix out.

When I got to the surgeon's office, he said he didn't think I had appendicitis. He said that you know when someone has appendicitis because they are in excruciating pain, but I looked fine. He had four different radiologists look at my scan, and based on the scan alone, they all said it was appendicitis. But after the doctor told the radiologists that I was walking around and showed no apparent discomfort, no one thought I had appendicitis. My first thought when the doctor told me this was "Oh no! I'm going to wind up on Mystery Diagnosis!" Based on the scans alone, it looked like I needed to have surgery so I went under the knife. And it went well I guess. The surgery got rid of the first pain and replaced it with another kind. The worst pain wasn't even the incisions--it was the air bubbles under my ribs and collar bone. They say they fill your abdomen so full of air to do the laproscopic surgery that it looks like your pregnant and when they push it all out it sounds like a deflating balloon. Gross... and awesome. I know Isaac loves me because he didn't want me to have to use my stomach muscles in order to get up out of bed so for 3 days he lifted me out of bed and stood me up every time. That's true love.

And I decided to include a picture. This isn't mine. I vaguely remember asking the nurse if I could take mine home because Isaac told me to ask (which is true) but when I found a urine cup in my belongings bag, all I found were my earrings. So I guess the nurse said no. It would have been cooler if I had found my appendix. Good news though--they say an inflamed appendix weighs about half a pound.

I knew I felt trimmer.

My Valentine's Day Brunch

2009-02-23T22:31:00.006-07:00

As I was putzing around in my mom's storage closet a few weeks ago, I found a cache of holiday decor in the back corner still wrapped up from my parents' move a couple of years ago. As I sorted through it all, it was as if St. Valentine himself was asking me to throw a shindig in his behalf. So I sent out a handful of invitations to some of our close marrieds, ironed a few tablecloths, and washed a ton of dishes and this what it looked like when I finished. We had a lot of fun, and who knows, maybe it will be our first unique family tradition.

Menu: spinach/bacon quiche, salad with homemade almond balsamic vinagrette, vanilla yogurt parfaits with blueberries and marionberries, raspberry muffins, and orange juice/Kool-Aid/ginger ale punch and hot chocolate

Tyler and Kim
Ok we look so dorky, but I thought Joshua needed to look festive, and Isaac thought if he didn't put on a red shirt, I would be angry with him, so we just look perfectly cheery here.
Alyssa and Russ
Michael and Karina
The spread

Wayne, his baby Keena, and Isaac
The table

Stephanie Taylor

2009-02-23T13:31:00.005-07:00

I'm always amazed at how common my name is--a generic first AND last name. When I get my hair cut, I'm one of 2 Stephanie Taylor's in the computer. When I bought theater tickets a couple of weeks ago, I was one of 4 Stephanie Taylor's that have bought tickets to that particular play house before. So when I saw this gadget on a friend's blog, I just had to know. And funny thing was... for once I had wished that there were more. I thought the number was little low.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1,902
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Weird story: Isaac and I went back to the jewelery store where we bought our wedding rings to get a free cleaning. In the interim between our initial purchase and our cleaning, another Isaac and Stephanie Taylor purchased their wedding rings there too. Annoying for us, the salesman kept trying to merge our accounts, convinced that there couldn't possibly be two couples with the exact same name buying rings from the same store. It had to be a double entry, he said. I can't remember the salesmans name but I'm betting it wasn't anything like Matt Smith or John Brown or else he would have been more believing. P.S. Our evil twins currently reside in Spanish Fork.

Super Joshua

2009-02-08T15:53:00.003-07:00

Sunrise

2009-02-08T15:30:00.003-07:00

We've been TRYING to wake up earlier nowadays because...DUH... we feel better when we go to bed and wake up earlier AND get 8 hours of sleep. We're just figuring this out. Anyhoo, these are some pictures Isaac snapped from the back of our house.

Super Bowl Party

2009-02-08T15:17:00.005-07:00

We had Tai, Andre, and Asia over to watch the Super Bowl. It was fun, and we ate lots of snacks--cheese dip, little smokies, cupcakes and all. Notice the Tums on the side table. Now thanks to Isaac, I love watching football now that I understand it all :) Too bad Utah doesn't have a pro team we can root for.

Love This Face

2009-01-21T21:36:00.006-07:00

Couldn't you just kiss those cheeks off?!

This is Joshua talking to me.

Maybe a future quarterback? He always holds his hands like this.

Our New Camera and New Joshua

2009-01-21T21:18:00.003-07:00

We finally got a new camera! Our other one was going on 7 years old. Good riddance. We've also just recently trained Joshua to sleep through the night. Here's a happier baby with a better camera.

Practice

2008-11-26T17:44:00.006-07:00

These are some pictures of Isaac at football practice this season.

The Swing

2008-11-24T07:51:00.002-07:00

Falling Asleep

2008-10-30T22:19:00.005-06:00

Josh is really spoiled. He has three people that are always wanting to hold him and love on him. Two of those people are home with him all day. So last week when my mom went out of town, Josh and I were both in for a rude awakening. I could not lay him down while he was awake without having him scream. One afternoon when he finally started falling asleep on his own, it was so monumental I decided to document it.

Tired

Getting sleepy... Just close your eyes already, Joshua!! (Note the flash is turned off now as to not disturb a good thing.)
Asleep... finally...!

Bath Time

2008-10-30T22:05:00.005-06:00

Joshua loves having his hair washed. Isaac says I'm too soft with him, but I think Isaac practically dunks his head under the water. I guess Josh didn't seem to mind though.

This is called " I don't have anything better to do"

2008-10-26T21:58:00.003-06:00

5 THINGS ABOUT ME (TAG)

What I was doing 10 years ago:

1. I was in 7th grade at Riverwood Middle School.

2. I was 1st chair flute in the band. Don't be jealous.

3. I was trying not to be a band nerd by attempting to run track.

4. I sucked at track.

5. It was the second year of being an only child at my house.

Things on my to-do list:

1. Joshua's birth announcements

2. Start a new excercise routine

3. Organize our closet

4. Find new health insurance

5. Get more sleep

Snacks that I enjoy:

1. Rice crispy treats

2. Handi-snacks

3. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

4. Riesens chocolate candies

5. Gummy bears/worms/Peachios

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. Pay off our car and student loans

2. Buy a new wardrobe that fits

3. Get highlights

4. Buy a house in California

5. Go on a real honeymoon

5 places I've lived:

1.Littleton, CO

2. Kingwood, TX

3.Provo, UT

4. Alpine, UT

5. TBA

Jobs I've had:

1. Lifeguard at the community pool

2. Akal Security- reviewed medical exams of court security officers that were trying to recertifying

3. cleaned after hours at a dentist office

4. Agemni- customer support

5. mom...?

5 People I Tag:

1. Kayti

2. Jen

3. Jackie

4 & 5 ( I need more friends)

Blessing Day

2008-10-14T19:27:00.012-06:00

Isaac's parents were in town this weekend for the BYU vs. New Mexico game so we decided to bless Joshua at church yesterday.

The Favorite

2008-10-14T19:11:00.005-06:00

Joshua was born on Sept. 23rd at 11:45 am. I was in labor for 14 hours(!) and after an hour and 45 minutes of pushing, he finally decided to show up. These are my two favorite pictures we got of him while at the hospital. I'll post more later. He is the most calm little baby. He never cries, but when he does get upset which is only when I change his diaper or when he's hungry, it sounds more like angry yelling than crying. It's so funny.

Woo hoo!

2008-06-11T15:46:00.003-06:00

I finally got a new cell phone. It's about time...

Pebbles in My Pocket

2008-06-11T15:34:00.002-06:00

There's a cute scrapbooking store on State Street in Orem called Pebbles in My Pocket. A while ago they came out with this cute scrapbooking idea that I should have thought of myself. I always thought you either had to have a photo album or a scrapbook, but they have a kit where you can do both. And if you don't want to make a whole 12 x 12 page, you can make a little 4 x 6 card and put in one of the picture slots. Genius. I'm hoping I can buy cheaper photo slot holders at Roberts Crafts since this will motivate me to keep a scrapbook. I should probably put together a wedding album before we have a baby.

Finally

2008-06-02T12:48:00.003-06:00

After much debate, we finally decided on a baby name. I was rooting for Eli or Oliver, but my arguments were to no avail. I finally realized I wasn't ever going to convince Isaac of the awesome-ness of those names. His one and only name preference has always been Joshua, and since I'm not incredibley opposed to it as Isaac is with my name choices, we're just going to go with Joshua. If it had just been because he liked the name, I don't know if I would have been so obliging. But since he likes it, despite it's popularity, due to the Biblical figure, it's noble cause enough to use the name.

Joshua- Hebrew: The Lord is my salvation; In the Old Testament, Joshua led his army in the conquest of Jericho and eventually all of Canaan.

I think we'll use a family name for the middle name. Here are our choices. Which do you like best?

Joshua Isaac or Joshua Curtis or Joshua Lee

My cell phone

2008-05-07T13:34:00.002-06:00

is dying. It's 5 years old. It kind of looks like this one.

P.S.

2008-04-25T11:15:00.004-06:00

I will officially graduate from college today at 5 pm MST. Congratulations are in order.

Oh, and I'm pregnant. 17 weeks.

{picture from kecute.wordpress.com}

Made My Day

2008-04-25T11:04:00.004-06:00

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best web mail-award-winning letter. Enjoy!

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep.

Always. . .

Best,

Wendi Aarons Austin , TX

Hey Jude

2008-03-17T17:05:00.001-06:00

My favorite is the last 30 seconds.

Star Wars according to a 3 year old.

2008-03-17T16:54:00.001-06:00

I hope my kids are this dang cute.

Calligraphy

2008-01-21T19:55:00.001-07:00

I'm taking a calligraphy class on Tuesday nights now. I had my first class last week, and it's so fun! My teacher is a little dry, but it will be a fun talent to have once the class is through. This is how I want to be able to write after I learn the proper technique :)

It's Business Time

2008-01-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

My schedule for the next 4 months. {Start playing the "Smallville" theme song here} {And no, I don't like/watch Smallville}

6 classes, 18 credits
and
work 20 hours/week.

:(

Favorite.

2008-01-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Nature"

Is it Spring Yet?

2007-12-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Provo. Ew.

FriDec 21
Few Snow Showers
26°/17°
30%

SatDec 22
Partly Cloudy
26°/21°
10%

Las Vegas. Good.

FriDec 21
Sunny
50°/32°
10%

SatDec 22
Sunny
50°/35°
10%

Just Studying for Finals

2007-12-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

That is if sewing my sister's Christmas present counts as study time.

Disney World on the Back Burner

2007-12-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Don't be jealous or anything, but next Wednesday night while all of you are sipping eggnog by the Christmas tree, I'll be watching this: Awesomeness. I've dreamed of seeing this since 9th grade when we watched clips in my technical theater class. The best part of the experience? It's free. Thank you, Las Vegas Bowl.

HGTV

2007-12-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love HGTV, especially House Hunters and My House is Worth What? The best part is that I can watch this full hour of goodness and feel justified because the shows are on back to back from 8-9pm and so I plan my gym attendance accordingly. I can walk on the treadmill if that means I can watch TV for an hour :)

Weird.

2007-12-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Rick,

I semi enjoyed your presentation today on the joys and woes of book publishing. I have to admit though that I would have enjoyed it more except that you kind of remind me of a pedophile. Is this what drew you towards writing children's books?

Warily, Stephanie

Tell tale sign

Bookbinding

2007-12-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for Visual Arts-Studio 330R: Bookbinding for the winter semester. Awesome.

Save money when you fly

2007-11-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

By using Yapta.

I can't wait until I get a chance to use this! I only wish I had found it before the holidays. The scoop? You put your flight plans into Yapta.com and they watch the flights for you, alerting you when the prices drop.

So then you buy your tickets, and the next day, the price drops again. Don't be distraught! Yapta gets you a voucher or refund from the airline. Can it get better than this? I submit that it cannot!

In Awe of Isaac

2007-11-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

The singles ward we go to had a tailgate party before the Thursday-night TCU game a couple of weeks ago. They had a competition for best poster for "Brother Taylor." I'm so sad we had to miss it! Isaac of course wasn't able to attend because of game prep, and I was in class right up until the game started. I wish they had taken pictures! One group of girls knew that at least I would want to see their poster so they saved it for us! Another boy had painted Isaac's number on his chest and back, and even 3 days later, the dye from the paint still hadn't washed off. He showed us the remnants at Ward Prayer that night.

CSU Game

2007-11-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

These pictures are posted way after the fact, but I still wanted to put them up anyway. This was the CSU game back on Nov. 3rd. Isaac played kickoff and punt return, and at the very end, he got in as running back too! Of course the only pictures I snapped were from a distance, and you can't even make him out on here. You'll just have to trust me that he's in there :) The first pic is him on the sidelines and the next two are him on the field. I was too involved in the game when he was in at the end, I didn't even think of taking pictures then. Ugh! Ho hum. Here's a couple of me and the folks as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

These are the essentials to my having a happy Thanksgiving.

1) The savory cheese ball hors d’oeuvre, anticipatory of the feast.

2) Moist turkey

3) Ample cranberry relish atop my turkey, but only if it's my mom's... and if it isn't then I may not eat it.

4) Creamy mashed potatoes accompanied by little or no gravy

5) Sweet potatoes--no marshmellows, yes brown-sugary heaven topping

6) Green bean casserole. This may be my single favorite part.

7) Stuffing. Stuffing with sauteed apples, celery, and onion mixed in.

8) A fat piece of pumpkin pie with real whipping cream.

These are the reasons why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday :)

Shut up!

2007-11-21T13:50:00.001-07:00

So whenever you read interviews with famous people, or in my case--BYU football players, you always see that they ask the question, "So what's your pet peeve?" Most people give pretty lame, ambigious answers like, "arrogant people" or "flaky girls." Well I've finally pinpointed my biggest pet peeve, so if I'm ever interviewed this is what you'll read/hear me say--"People who talk or text during a movie. Talking is LOUD and texting is BRIGHT. Both types of people should die by my gouging their eyes out." :)

BYU vs. Wyoming

2007-11-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Isaac is headed to Laramie, WY, today for the BYU vs. Wyoming game tomorrow. He's looking forward to a very exciting night on the town with the other players.

Go Green

2007-11-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here's my plug for being environmentally friendly. A use for some old t-shirts: make reusable grocery bags. Now I'm pretty self-confident and don't mind too much what people think, but I don't know if I would ever be brave enough to bring these with me to the grocery store and demand the sackers use them. It'd be way cool though. But I wouldn't use the cliche I Love NY shirt. I found the idea at MarthaStewart.com.

They Taste Good to Her

2007-11-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's been about a year (give or take) since I've posted so I thought I'd post a poem or two from my favorite poet, William Carlos Williams.

"This is Just to Say"

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

"To a Poor Old Woman"

Munching a plum on
the street a paper bag
of them in her hand

They taste good to her
They taste good
to her. They taste
good to her

You can see it by
the way she gives herself
to the one half
sucked out in her hand

Comforted
a solace of ripe plums
seeming to fill the air
They taste good to her

NaNoWriMo

2007-11-02T16:40:00.000-06:00

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2007. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T17:25:00.001-06:00

We Need These Bad

2007-10-31T16:03:00.000-06:00

I was perusing at Apartment Therapy and stumbled upon this wonderful creation. I should have thought of this first since I'm constantly tripping over my phone/phone cord all the time. Genius.

The Tag

2007-10-31T14:21:00.000-06:00

Tagged again... but that's ok because I love talking about myself, right?

4 places I've lived...
1. Littleton, CO
2. Kingwood, TX
3. Provo, UT
4.

4 jobs I've had...
1. lifeguard
2. cleaning lady for Dr. Thorn
3. Akal Security
4. Agemni Inc.

4 favorite desserts...
1. vanilla ice cream
2. brownies with hot fudge
3. pumpkin pie with real whipped cream
4. peach cobbler

4 favorite TV shows...
1. The Office
2. House MD
3. House Hunters
4. My House is Worth What?

4 interesting facts...
1. My favorite color is purple, and I'm working on a purple quilt right now.
2. My husband and I dated for 6 weeks before we were engaged.
3. My new favorite thing is hot apple cider. This is the best.
4. My favorite storie is Anthropologie.

My favorite color! Not a coincidence

2007-10-30T15:48:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I like to take all the silly quizzes like this. I like to pretend it's because I have 4 hours of internet to my disposal everyday. Who am I joking though? I'd probably still take all of these if I didn't work at a software company.

you are violet
#EE82EE

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be.

Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan.

Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Lavender Lime 03

2007-10-26T14:31:00.000-06:00

Give me a lever long enough, a place to stand, and I shall move the world. -Archimedes

http://www.d-pan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=45

Oh, The Places You'll Go

2007-10-26T14:20:00.001-06:00

I finally applied for graduation yesterday!! Exciting and scary at the same time. I can't decide when I want to walk though. I have to take 1 to 3 credits during the spring term, so I don't know whether I want to go through the big hoorah of walking and then have to back to school for a month and a half. August just seems so far away, and the ceremonies are so small compared to April. We'll see... The important thing is that I'M GRADUATING SOON!

Q is for Quilt

2007-10-23T15:50:00.001-06:00

I bought these cute fabrics today on Ebay, and on Saturday my dad brought me my sewing machine when they came down for the football game. It's quilting time.

October

2007-10-21T22:15:00.000-06:00

I had to mow the lawn on Saturday since Isaac was at football. In order to do this, I had to rake some serious leaves all from one tree in the corner of the backyard that has lost all of it's leaves in the space of two weeks!! Of course Isaac surprised me by coming home earlier. If I had only waited...

Bored at Work

2007-10-19T14:00:00.000-06:00

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core.
You often find yourself on the outside looking in.
Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works.

You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Your Ideal Hairstyle:

Short and Bouncy

What Women's Hairstyle Is Right For You?

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Oridnary, comforting, and more than a little predictable
You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Witches Night Out

2007-10-17T15:46:00.000-06:00

This Friday night my mom, sister, grandma, aunts, and I are all going to Witches Night Out up in West Jordan. It's at Gardner Village which I've never been to, but supposedly it's a pretty fun place. It's a mini town of crafty shops, and, of course, now they are decked out for Halloween--my second favorite holiday. Awesome times two--this weekend is their annual Witches Night Out for ladies 18 and up. Everyone is supposed to come dressed up--pointy hat and all--to shop around with all of the outrageous witches they'll have there. There's going to be music, scary stories, and fortune too! Every night this month they've had a dinner show there called Witch-a-Palooza so we're going to that too while we're in the neighborhood :) It's basically going to be awesome. I want to eat pumpkin fudge, carmel apples, and cinnamon glazed pecans until I barf. Here's an awesome picture of one of the witches that will be walking around.

How to Tell You're Not the Favorite

2007-10-17T15:35:00.000-06:00

Happy Recognition

2007-10-16T13:27:00.000-06:00

I finally know what I want to do! This might sound a little crazy, but I think I want to start my own little business making cards and premade scrapbooking pages for people. I'm not sure how I will successfully sell them, but I've a got a couple months to think about it until I exit the job I have now. I think Isaac's entrepreneurial excitement is rubbing off on me. I'll keep you posted. I'll scan some of my creations when I get home. Lavender Limes is about to become more than just a blog...

It's Halloweeeeen Time

2007-10-09T16:25:00.000-06:00

I love Halloween. Halloween and Thanksgiving are my two favorite holidays. They are just so darn fun. I have way more decorations for Halloween than I do for Christmas. I saw this picture on another blog ("I Love You . . . I Think") and I want to try recreating it in our yard. We'll see how it goes though. This sounds like a craft I'll have to do this weekend while Isaac is away so he can't rebuttal it.

Isaac and Homework

2007-10-08T21:22:00.001-06:00

At 8:30 Isaac told me that he had a lot of homework to catch up on. At 9:15 I found him like this.

Our house, in the middle of our street

2007-10-08T21:11:00.001-06:00

I finally got new batteries for my camera after 6 months because I decided that I should be documenting our new life together. Anyway I realized that most people haven't seen pictures of our new house. Now I know it's not ours to keep, but in excitement of my "new" camera, I thought I'd still show off a picture or two. I had to mow the lawn this evening since it rained all weekend, but I'm glad I was forced outside or else I wouldn't have taken all of these pictures. (I'm having to rediscover my camera so I realize they're a little blurry, but you get the point.)

Also for nostalgic purposes for a select few, here's an oldie but goodie I took when we were in our last apartment:

Conference Weekend

2007-10-06T19:11:00.003-06:00

Ya know what one of my favorite things about Conference weekend is? I wear pajamas for 2 days straight.

All the Pretty Horses

2007-10-06T18:56:00.000-06:00

I'm reading a fabulous book right now, and I'd like to recommend it to anyone who has the time. It's called All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. It's about a Texas boy named John Grady, who after his parents divorce and his grandfather dies, takes his horse and runs away to Mexico with his friend Rawlins. Everything McCarthy writes about in this novel is so beautiful and your attachment to the characters and setting is so intimate. It's one of the few books I would spend money on in order to add it to my library.

Isaac Is Home!

2007-10-05T16:35:00.000-06:00

I'm excited for this weekend!! Why? Because Isaac will be home all weekend with me! Yesss!! Tonight we're going to go shopping and then watch Gallipoli. If I'm lucky, Isaac will take me out to dinner too :) Since we never get to spend long periods of time together, I'm not sure if we're going to watch conference with either of our families, but we'll see what happens. Happy Friday everyone!

Pinkberry

2007-10-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

I stubbled across this site over the summer while I was working 8 hours a day on the computer. I wish we had one close by! It seems awesome. They sell only two flavors of Pinkberry--plain and green tea--and their toppings range from Cap'n Crunch and Fruity Pebbles to kiwi and blacberries. There are a ton of locations; the only problem is that they are all in the LA and NYC areas.

Life After College

2007-10-04T16:03:00.000-06:00

I was informed a few weeks ago that if I want to graduate in April 2008, I need to fill out an application soon. Anxiety flooded my body. Can I really be so close to finishing? I feel like I there can't be an end to my schooling yet. It's only been 17 years; isn't there more? It's all I've ever known. I don't know which sickens me more though, the thought of graduating or the thought of getting a masters... I'm at the point now where people are asking me what my plans are, and honestly, I have no idea. Before I got married , my dream was to go to graduate school in California or New York. After I wanted to go to a publishing convention for 4 months in NYC, DC, or Denver to work with the top publishers and editors, spending a mere few thousand dollars just to be there; and then I would live in San Francisco, rent a flat, and work for a publishing company. As a married woman... cricket noise... We'll see what happens.

Shabby Apple

2007-10-03T17:03:00.000-06:00

I love this website! I don't know if they have an actual store, but I love all of their dresses. Why? Their slogan tells all: A return to what dresses were always meant to be—a one piece outfit. No need to add anything…no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing.

Awesome.

Favorite Commercial

2007-10-03T16:54:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love this commercial. I want my little boys to be as dorky as this. It's so cute!