Just the Two of Us

Random photos

2011-03-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

This post is random because the other pictures I tried sending from my iphone didn't send so this is all I've got. One day I will buy a real camera and not depend on my phone as the only way of capturing my children's childhood.

I had to capture the matching yellowness.

They love to play together, but sometimes they fight over toys.

I love my Ash-man.

One cold and cloudy day, Zac and I bundled them up and went for a walk. They loved their warm snow hats. I think it was in the 50's, but hey, that's cold for us desert dwellers.

A couple weeks ago our good friends, the Cleavinger's, came to town. We had so much fun just hanging out and reminiscing about old times and how desperately we miss them.

Here is Sophie all dolled up for church a few weeks ago. I think she likes wearing pink.

Not a great shot of anyone, but here we are at Zac's Pop's 90th birthday party. Sad we didn't even get any with him. He is a great person with a lot of wisdom. I hope Asher takes after him.

Finally, an update!

2010-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. We got to spend time with both Zac's family in Utah and mine in California. It was a lot of fun, especially since we got to celebrate it with our two little ones. Sophie and Asher are almost 7 months old. I can not believe it. They are growing way too fast. They are sleeping through the night, eating solids, pooping solids, teething, drooling, crying, cooing, and giggling. I am loving this stage. I wish I could just freeze time for a while. I finally found some time to update some photos. Both the twins and Zac are sleeping and I am enjoying the sound of silence. Here are just a few pictures of the kiddos.

A quick photo shoot right after church today.
Getting a decent family photo is not that easy with these two.
Zac finally got the home safety device he's been dying to have- a shotgun-yikes!

My dad trying to be cool like my hubby in his new golf hat. I know it looks like a hunting hat huh?
Here are all the grandkids together for a live nativity on Christmas Eve. Can you find Sophie and Asher?

Sophie sporting her Christmassy attire.
Asher on his first plane ride heading to Utah. They were both so good. They slept the entire time. We got lucky.

Sophie entertaining herself under the table while I take a quick shower.

Sophie-bug and mom.

So other than the twins, Zac and I are doing well. He's done interviewing for residency programs and now we are just waiting until February 14th to find out where we are moving in June. We are already getting sad about having to leave all our great friends behind in Arizona. We hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year!

just pic, no words

2010-09-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

The Kiddos

2010-07-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Babies are getting hungry so this will be quick.

Asher just chillin.

Sophie's first bath. She looks like she just came out of the womb.

I should not advertise that I prop their bottles, but sometimes you just have to. They are such great sports. I know every baby book out there totally outlaws this. Please no one turn me in.

We try to get as much of this as we can. Some days are better than others, that's for sure.

They will be six weeks this Sunday. Where has the time gone? They are growing way too fast. They are so fun. Some mornings I wake up and still can't believe their mine-all mine, and Zac's too I guess. We are in love with our babies and loving parenthood so far!!

The Twinners

2010-06-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my mother-in-law tandem feeding them. She is better at it than I am. She'll have to teach me her ways. We are sure going to miss her when she leaves on Monday. I've been able to get some sleep with her here which has been so nice. I am starting to feel a little more normal everyday. I've never appreciated sleep so much. They are growing fast. They gained 7oz. in the last 6 days. They now weigh 5lbs. 8oz. They look so much bigger to me already. They are such good babies. They rarely cry unless they are hungry or need a diaper change. I can't get enough of them. Every morning I wake up and can't believe they are all mine. It still feels to good to be true. I love being a mom!!

I love it when they are sleeping at the same time. Asher always leans in towards her. He likes to cuddle.

Zac is a very proud father. He takes such good care of them. He's far exceeded my expectations. I have a new found love for him. Sophie and Asher are so lucky to have him as a father.

They are still so small, it's hard to hold them at the same time. I am afraid they'll slip through my arms.

They are here!!

2010-06-17T21:23:00.001-07:00

Sophie Shae and Asher Steven born on June 6th. They both weighed 5lbs. 3oz. and 18 inches long. They are the most precious babies in the world. Our lives will never be the same. We are completely head over heels for them, a bit sleep deprived, but happy as can be.

A little father-son bonding time.
Asher in his football sleeper.
Sophie with a big yawn.
Sophie just thinking about her life.

They love each other so much. They are best buds.

My mom came to town and helped us out for a whole week. Thank you mom!! She saved us from our first week of parenthood. She is the best!

Here they are playing footsie.

Asher is becoming very independent. He's figured out how to feed himself. More pictures to come.

Shower Festivities!!

2010-04-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

So my dear friends threw an amazing shower for me last Saturday. It was so much fun. It was kind of like my wedding reception where all the attention was on me. The decorations were out of control and I have Cadi, my party planner friend, and her "committee" to thank for that. It was so sweet to walk in and be surprised by all the hard work and planning that went into this shower. I want to thank everyone who came and for your generosity. The coordinating outfits I received are amazing. I am so excited to dress my babies everyday. I am already thinking about how they will look in all these adorable clothes. I am getting anxious for them to get here so I can finally meet them. However, they are probably a lot easier to take care of in my belly than they will be once they're born. The reality that we are having twins is finally starting to set in as my stomach rapidly expands and I feel two babies kicking and twirling around. It's sort of freaking me out to think they'll be here before I know it. I feel so unprepared and inadequate to be a mother. Are these normal feelings for first time moms? Anyways, here are some pictures my sister diligently took through out the shower. I am sorry I am literally in everyone of them. Brace yourself for a lot of me.

Here are 4 of my sisters and my mom. My sisters originally weren't going to be able to make it for the shower since they all live in California. I was so sad about it and then on Friday night they surprised me by showing up to dinner. I was freaking out because I was not expecting them at all. It meant so much to me that they would drive 5 plus hours just because I wanted them to be there so bad. I will never forget it girls. I love you all so much.

Here are the two hosts of the party. Cindi, on my right was in charge of the food. She made awesome BBQ pulled pork and decadent Martha Stewart Chocolate cupcakes with green and pink frosting. Cadi was the decorator and master mind of the pink, green and black theme. As always she outdid herself. Thank you both for making me feel so loved.

Here are from left to right Amanda, Kristi, and Criscell. I call them my school friends, even though none of us are actually in school, all of our husbands are. I rarely get to see them anymore and it meant so much to me that they came.

Here is a shot of the crowd.

Here we are playing a super fun candy game. I won three candy bars, two of which I'd never had before, but are now new favorites, Zero bars and FastBreaks. So delightful!

Here is just one of the cute things the decorating committee put together. They also made a really cute diaper cake.

My sister Carli and I taking a picture with the new giraffe noise maker she gave me.

Here I am at 28.5 weeks. I know I look full term. The other day some random lady in the store asked me if I was past due. Who does that? I just have to keep telling myself there are two healthy babies in there. I am so glad they are growing well and are still measuring ahead of schedule. We're hoping to get to about 36-38 weeks which will make me due sometime between the middle and the end of June. I'm hoping before the 4th of July because I have like an entire red, white and blue wardrobe for each baby.

Well there's a glimpse of the shower for those who couldn't make it. We missed you Liz, but so excited for you. I guess having a baby of your own is an ok excuse to not be there. Thanks again to everyone for your excitement and support for us!!

26 weeks!!

2010-04-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

So here I am at 26 weeks. I feel more and more pregnant everyday. As far as my swelling is concerned I have an appointment on Thursday and am praying they don't put me on bed rest. I have been wearing compression stockings and elevating them, but as soon as I stand up they swell again. Frustrating. Thanks for all the sympathy and phone calls. Oh, and thanks to my sister Sarah who thought I posted someone else's foot off the internet as an April Fool's joke. Oh how I wish it were a joke.

Stung by a bee... JK

2010-04-03T20:34:00.001-07:00

No not really, I wasn't stung by a bee. This is really my foot loving pregnancy. I am having some pretty awesome swelling that I was not expecting at only 25 weeks. My legs have been slowing me down a bit. I feel fluid sloshing around when I walk and it's very uncomfortable. My toes are always numb and it hurts to bend my ankles. It feels like something is tearing. Anyone else had these problems while pregnant? My veins in my legs are just as pretty as my foot. They are big and bulging and so ugly. Despite all my complaining I would still never trade this experience for anything. I wake up everyday feeling so blessed to be having two little babies in just a few short months. We can't believe how fast the time is going.

This is my foot before a pedicure, with one toe nail painted because I can't reach them to paint them myself. My mom was nice enough to treat me to a pedicure for Easter, along with a massage-I love her!

We ordered and received cribs this past week. Here Zac is dutifully putting one together. I am debating whether or not to put the other one up now or wait until they can't share one anymore. Our nurser is going to be quite crammed. It's going to be all cribs and dressers with no floor space left.

This is what I've been addicted to for the past couple of weeks. I make this killer chocolate banana shake every night that I love so much. I would post the recipe except I never measure anything and I make it a little different each time. It does have Hershey's chocolate syrup, whip cream and bananas in it- I do know that much. It is so delicious and refreshing. I have also been really into smoothies and orange floats. I think it's because the weather is starting to heat up a bit here in AZ. All I know is I am glad my sweet tooth is back because living without really just isn't as fun. There is nothing to look forward to at night when you don't like sweets, sorry non-sweet-lovers, but it's true.

This Weekend

2010-03-14T20:25:00.001-07:00

Zac and I had a fun weekend. We went to see the movie "Remember Me." We both surprisingly liked it. It got mixed reviews so we went into to it with low expectations. Those are usually the movies we enjoy the most. We realized on Friday night that our date nights with out kids or finding a babysitter are coming to an end soon. We decided we better take advantage of the next few months and squeeze in as many movies as we can. We also went to the temple and Cafe Rio and Bahama Bucks afterwards. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bahama Bucks it's a really good shaved ice joint. While we were there Max Hall, (former BYU quarterback) walked in. Zac was pretty stoked. He was too chicken to say anything to him though.

Here is just a random picture of Sunday dinner. Nachos- I know, I should cook more often. Actually, this picture is for our friend Aaron. I had to do it because he always makes fun of Zac for taking a bite of something in all his pictures. I think he just feels more comfortable eating than smiling for the camera.

Here's Zac showing off his Yahtzee game card. He doesn't beat me very often so when he does he likes to show it off.

Here I am with my belly. I am no question showing a lot now. I am 23 weeks this thursday. It seems like the last two weeks my stomach just exploded with babies. They are both measuring about ten days ahead of schedule. Hopefully they keep it up in case I deliver early, they can still be big and healthy. I weighed 10.2 lbs. when I was born, and so far it looks like my babies will probably take after me.

Hands down (no pun intended) , the best part of pregnancy is resting things on my belly. I can just relax my arms and hold a huge big gulp with no hands. I can also hold jars of peanut butter and bowls of popcorn. I am really enjoying being pregnant now that I am not so sick. I am having issues with maternity clothes though- I HATE THEM!! The pants with the big band make me feel like I'm wearing a Spanx or a girdle, neither of which I wear when I am not pregnant so why would I want to start now? My regular pants obviously don't fit me and the rubber band trick so does not work for me. I am pretty much limited to sweat pants or elastic waste grandma pants. Any suggestions expert maternity clothes wearers? I need help. I always wanted to be a super cute pregnant girl with an adorable wardrobe like everyone else I see, but I just can't make it happen I'm afraid. Maybe next time I'll get it together a little better.

Anyways, the weekend was a fun one and I am already excited for next weekend. Have a fabulous week!

A Friendly VIsit

2010-03-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Sarah came to visit with her husband and new little baby daughter, Julia. She is so cute. I just want to eat her up. There is no better feeling than having a baby asleep in your arms. I can't wait!! Zac and Paul, Sarah's hubby, finally got to meet. They've been best friends for a while, just never had the chance to meet each other until this weekend. Well Sarah and I believed they would be best friends and I think we were right. Paul amused Zac by not only watching Bear Gryles with him, but acting amused as well. He is a criminal defense attorney and entertained us one night with interesting/sad stories from his experiences. We had a great time, there was only one problem though, they didn't stay long enough.

Does he look like a natural? We don't have much time to get Zac ready for newbornhood. He will catch on fast I'm sure. We just need to do some diaper training and crying tolerance and I think we're set.

What I have to look forward to in just a few short months. Is this not the most precious moment ever? Sarah was born to be a mother. She is already a pro and her daughter is only two months. She has that magical touch no one else has. She's got a bounce that puts that baby to sleep in a wink of an eye. I have a lot to live up to.

This was taken at our church just as they were getting ready to leave. I really didn't want to have to hand Julia over, but they weren't going for my idea of leaving her behind with us.

It was just as hard to say goodbye to Julia as it was to Sarah who've I've known for nearly a decade. That's just how fast mine and Julia's connection happened.

Thanks for coming and staying with us Mickelsens. We can't wait for our trip to Vegas in April We'll meet at the Rio buffet at 5:30. Don't let us down now. That is a joke unfortunately. We just had to have some kind of plans made to ease the sadness of their departure. A get away to Vegas was what we came up with.

Miscellaneous

2010-02-21T15:24:00.000-08:00

Do you believe I'd put a picture of such poor quality on my blog? Believe it. I always forget my camera and so I end up resorting to my iphone. A few weeks ago we went to the Melting Pot for dinner. My dad gave us a gift certificate for it so we got to enjoy a nice night out with some yummy fondue. We loved the whole experience. We would both recommend it to anyone who has never gone to go. We had our own private booth that had curtains we could close for even more privacy. So romantic, I know.

That same weekend we went to this bakery that is privately owned called New York West Bakery to get this apple danish. Zac had been dreaming it about ever since he had some at work and so we went to get our own. It was pretty good. I'm more of a chocolate lover personally though.

The other night we went to SouperSalad for dinner, yeah you read it right, SouperSalad. We had coupons for it and on the advertisement we got in the mail said they were featuring a new Seafood Menu. Well when we got there we learned that entailed their Clam Chowder soup, crab salad and tuna skroodle. My bad. Luckily our friends were good sports and were able to fill up on something. Below Zac has created his very own nacho bar with macaroni and cheese, taco meat and tortilla chips, How creative huh?

Our friend Aaron is enjoying the delicacies of goldfish crackers mixed with some potato salad. Mmmm, delicious. I hope I'm not making anyone too hungry. Anyways we had a good time and a few good laughs. I'll never forget it and I'll probably never go back either. Not recommended by the Freestones. Sweet Tomatoes trumps this place easy.

Told you this was a miscellaneous post. I just don't have anything monumental to record these days.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:10:00.001-08:00

Here we are at a ward party. no just kidding, but it looks like it could be huh? Here we are at our annual friend Valentine Party, hosted by Cadi this year. She loves to decorate as though it were a ward party and so Zac and I thought we'd take advantage and use it as a backdrop for our V-day pic together. He even picked out this red shirt from the closet on his own without me even asking him to wear something Valentinezy. I love matching with him, although he doesn't so much.

Here are all the girls smiling pretty for photographer Zac.
Here we are blowing kisses to our lover-bees.
Here we are making funny faces.
This is as intimate as I could get of the guys. They are always so awkward when it comes to taking group photos together. A very funny and dynamic group this year made for a fun night full of laughter, embarrassment, and memories. Thanks all for coming.

The past week

2010-01-31T17:20:00.001-08:00

It's been a fun weekend. On Friday night we had a girl's night. We went to The Cheesecake Factory and saw the movie, When In Rome. Here is a picture of one of the funnier clips from it. I thought it was pretty cute, but I didn't walk out loving it. It had some super random scenes. A fun chick flick, maybe wait to rent it though.

On Saturday night we had some friends from school over for a bbq. It was a lot of fun, especially since I haven't seen them all in forever. Here the guys are eating with a lantern outside while the girls chatted in the warm house. I am so sad because I forgot to get a picture of the girls.
I took this picture while driving. Not safe- I know. It took my breath away when I saw it, but my iphone and photo skills definitely don't do it justice.

Another one in my car in the parking lot of the movie theatre.

Last one, I promise. A rainbow. It rained for like two seconds, barely and then this appeared. It was a full one and it was so clear. Again, not in this picture though. Lately I've been appreciating AZ more. I think because it is so pretty and not freezing.

Another week down. Don't worry- I won't post a picture of my growing belly every week. My sisters just told me the picture I posted last week was lame. They thought I was sticking my stomach out on purpose and then covering it with my hands. Please forgive me-I haven't done this before. I'm still learning. This week I seemed to have really "grown" to put it nicely. Glad the babies are getting big and strong though.

Boys or Girls?

2010-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

We found out we are having...

one Boy and

one Girl!!

I got anxious and had an early ultrasound done to determine the sex of the babies. We found out we are having one of each- one boy, one girl. This is what I was secretly hoping for, but I didn't want to say it out loud in case it was something else. I didn't want to seem ungrateful. I would have been happy with any combo, but I am ecstatic about this duo. Now I need to figure out how to make a unisex nursery really cute. So far I'm liking Pottery Barn Kids selection. Anyone out there who has any advice or ideas is more than welcome to share their wisdom with me. I am so inexperienced in this category, well both categories actually- babies and decorating.

Zac's 30 years old!

2010-01-24T15:36:00.001-08:00

Isn't he cute? My honey is 30.

In some ways I can't believe it, and in other ways I can.

Some of the reasons he seems younger than 30:

1. He still is as easily amused as a five-year old.

2. If you're ever feeling unfunny, come hang around my husband for a little while. He'll be sure to laugh at whatever comes out of your mouth- funny or not.

3. He is always happy and looking for new adventures.

4. He enjoys the same foods as kids, almost more than my cooking. ie. TopRamen, cold cereal, frozen pizza, a quesadilla. Like I said, he's easy to please.

5. Gets really giddy about opening presents and eating birthday cakes.

Some of the reasons he seems a bit older than 30:

1. He is wiser than his years.

2. He is conservative and doesn't take risks that may jeopardize his future.

3. He communicates with others like the patience of a general authority would.

4. He wears loafers with tassels.

5. He is taking fish oil for his heart.

I love this man. I love that he doesn't ever change to be someone he's not, no matter what age he is. He is perfectly content with his strengths and weaknesses. He's a breath of fresh air to me. Happy Birthday babe!!

For his birthday we went here(below), Tandoori Times, with some friends. It's a great Indian cuisine to those who enjoy that type of food. We definitely do.

While we were waiting for our dinner, we had a little different appetizer than usual- a belly dancer. She requested a dance with the birthday boy... actually his buddy did while we weren't watching. He has a talent I never knew about. Shake those hips baby.

Here we are enjoying our food. I was the only one who respected the Indian culture and ate with my hands. Totally recommend it. It tastes so much better that way. I'm converting now to eating all my meals with my hands.

We came back to our place after dinner for some cake and ice cream. The guys were thoroughly enjoying watching Bear Gryles (sp). For those of you not familiar with Zac's hero, Bear is a wilderness adventure man. He travels the world relying on nothing but his skills to keep him alive. I can never sit through a whole episode with Zac, so this was quite the birthday present for his friends to watch like 2 hours of it with him. He was in heaven. Thanks guys.

Here I am with my belly. I am so grateful to finally have something else to blame the chronic bloating I live with day in and day out. I am 15 1/2 weeks. I am already showing. I keep telling myself that's ok though, right, because I'm having twins.

Uno, Dos!!

2010-01-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

Some exciting news from the Freestones-we are pregnant with dos, that's right-twins!! There are two little tikes growing inside of me right now. Last night was the first night I felt little flutters in my stomach and I'm pretty sure it's wasn't gas. I am in my fourth month, fourteen weeks and five days to be exact. I am the nerd who knows exactly how far along I am to the day. Every Thursday I'm another week. I am due July 15th, but will probably deliver anywhere from 2-4 weeks early. The first 12 weeks I was incredibly sick, not morning sick, but claustrophobic, never goes away sick. I felt like I had two human parasites in me, eating me alive. We only had to make one trip to the Emergency Room (knock on wood) for dehydration. No biggie though, they just gave me some IV fluids and IV Zofran and we were on our way. The fluids felt like drugs pumping into my veins-it felt soooo good. After that one visit I started wanting to go there everyday for that rejuvenating feeling. I was pretty sick through the holidays, hence the absence of any updated posts. At about 12-13 weeks I began feeling human again and started getting out of bed, taking showers, brushing my teeth and was even able to eat normal meals. I feel really blessed because I know a lot of people are sick up through week 20 or beyond (knock on wood again). I'm a little superstitious. Enough talking, here are some pics.

TWIN B

I think this one's a boy.

TWIN A

Not sure what this one might be.
ME-the day I found out the test was positive!

While I was sick, Zac was a trooper. He really had to fend for himself and for me. I couldn't walk in the kitchen and he couldn't cook anything that smelled. He brought me everything I ate to the bedroom. One night he was craving cookies. He is allergic to raw eggs so he can't touch raw cookie dough. If you look closely you'll see he put ziplocs over his hands to make them. How genius. Needless to say I couldn't leave the bedroom the rest of the night because of the smell. I don't recall chocolate chip cookies smelling so foul.

This is the father of our future children. You may wonder what he is doing. Well he likes to twirl his wedding band on his finger-ALL THE TIME. It pretty much falls off every time he does it, but he can't break the habit. It's fallen off in the movie theater, at church during sacrament, in the car and this time in the couch. You'd think he could just reach down and pull it out of the crack. But not this time. It is totally sandwiched in there somewhere and we cannot get it out. We are going to an Indian Reservation on saturday to buy him a cheap replacement.

Here is a really bad picture of us at Christmas time. Taken with my Iphone and my not-long- enough arm to get a decent angle.

Here we are at a tacky Christmas sweater party. I made my sweater. I never knew I had such a knack for tackiness. It was so fun to buy puffy paint. Such a blast from the past. Zac sort of looks like a little elf.

This is a really long post for me. The reason: we just finally got internet today after not having it for over six months. We never got it hooked up when we moved because we were trying to save money. Living without the internet is like living without water. You eventually weaken and die without it. I was missing out on all my blogger friend's lives, but I'm back and so excited. We will just go without groceries for a while, a small sacrifice to be reconnected to the outside world. I am wrapping this up finally, but want to finish by saying how grateful and excited both Zac and I are to have the blessing of finally becoming parents!!

Thanksgiving in Califronia

2009-12-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I am the worst picture-taker ever. I always forget to take pictures and when I do they are on my iphone. Not the best quality, but here's what I captured during our four days in California.

We drove to California Wednesday afternoon. We met my family for dinner and then went home and were put to work preparing for the next day's feast. Watching Zac, Carli and Justin tear the bread into small pieces for the stuffing brought back such tramatic childhood memories of my mom making me tear apart like 500 loaves of bread. Maybe not that many but at least a dozen huge loaves. Who needs that much stuffing? It's probably my least favorite part of Thanksgiving. So much sage-yuck.

Since Carli worked so hard the night before, she felt like she deserved the turkey leg that all of the grown men usually fight over. Actually when she wasn't looking Rob grabbed it from her plate and shortly after that she was forced to move to the kid table becuase there was not enough room for her to eat with the adults. Rough day for her. Rob has never really been one of her favorites, so he chose the turkey leg over their relationship. Poor Carli. Luckily she's still pretty resilient.

Zac tried to force out a smile for a photo before he dove into his plate of food.

Here we are together. My mom took family photos for her Christmas cards that day so that's why we are in green and red instead of Thanksgiving colors.

We had a great time spent with family going to Roger's Gardens. It's a fun place to go at Christmastime. The Santa there was awesome, so nice, I almost believed he was the real thing. We went to Crab Cooker, the San Diego Zoo, a fast trip to the crazy Mission Viejo mall on black friday, and got our nails done. It went by too fast and was a ton of fun. We are off to Utah for Christmas to spend the holiday with the Freestone's. We can't wait!!

Feliz Navidad!

2009-11-05T10:52:00.001-08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago Zac had to work and so I went here: the mall. They have this little holiday lane in the back corner of Macy's every year. It's on the second floor and I visit it whenever I'm needing a little Christmas cheer. Don't forget, A Christmas Carol comes out tomorrow. I think it's going to be good, but don't blame me if it's not, I haven't seen it yet obviously.

I did not intentionally skip over Halloween pictures just to get to Christmas faster, honest. I just don't have any taken from my phone and so blogging those ones just takes more work. I'm lazy sometimes, it's true, but I will get to it. In the meantime, time is fleeting away from us as Christmas is fast approaching. I feel so unprepared this year for some reason. Zac and I went and bought our first normal sized Christmas tree. 6.5 feet to be exact. We, no, I was very thrilled about it. I was a nice wife though and made sure we went to In-N-Out afterwards for dinner so he could get just as excited about something too. As soon as we got home we got to work decorating the beautiful new tree that is ours. It fits perfectly in our our new little house. A lot of firsts this Christmas. First time celebrating the holidays in a house. First time we've had an actual tree to put presents under. First time we've been married 4 years on Christmas. Ok, that one's lame, but there really aren't as many firsts as I thought so I had to stretch it a little. This holiday season we will be travelling to California for Thanksgiving and Utah for Christmas. I can't wait!

Update

2009-10-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Usually with a title like "Update" you're expecting something exciting. I'm afraid I may have mislead some readers. I just didn't have any other creative juices flowing at the moment and so that one seemed safe. Zac just finished his internal medicine rotation. I love the third year of medical school. One test once a month, home by five or six every night, sometimes as early as one or two in the afternoon. We get to hang out in the afternoons now. I am substitute teaching now and so I am home by 4:00 everyday. I am really enjoying it actually, mostly because the schedule is the same as Zac's. I am also working with a little three-year old boy who is speech delayed. I only see him twice a week though. He is so cute and sweet. Other than that we haven't been up to a ton. I am getting kind of excited for the holidays, mostly Christmas. Actually I take that back, I am getting reall excited for Christmas. I weakened and listened to a Christmas CD I bought for $4 at Big Lots the other day. I was having a really hard day and need some comfort. Some people reach for Twinkies or ice cream when times get tough, but my magic comfort tactic is Christmas music. It instantly warms my soul and makes all my worries go away. It's a real blessing for me. Enough about that, the weather is trying to cool off here in Arizona, but I think the state is confused. We'll have a few nice days of high 80's low 90's and then it gets scared and isn't ready to say goodbye to summer and so it shoots back up into the 100's. It's October, time to move on desert. It's going to look weird when I have Christmas lights and a snowman in the front yard when it's still 100 degrees outside. I'm starting to make soups and drink hot chocolate, but it's not helping. Anyway that's what we've been up to-not a lot.
P.S. Does anyone have any good couple costume ideas? We are going to a Halloween Costume party this weekend and have no idea what to be. I'd love any suggestions. Thanks ahead of time.

Family in Town and finally some pictures

2009-09-27T17:45:00.001-07:00

Well my sweet parents, sister and brother decided to come spend the weekend with Zac and I. It was so nice of them and I was so excited to have our first overnight guests. My dad and Justin took the reclining chairs as you can see and left my mom and I squished in the middle-wait, what's wrong with this picture??

Here are Justin, me and Carli. I love these two kiddos. I would adopt them if my parents would let me.

We spemt most of Saturday shopping for cars. We've done this several times the past couple of years, but never had any luck finding one we could afford. One good thing about the economy being horrible is that cars are really cheap right now. We traded our old "clunker" in and bought a new Saturn Vue. I love it and am so excited to feel safe and secure in a car that doesn't have so many crazy problems. My Rodeo was a great car, but it was getting tired and it was time to say goodbye. It was actually a little sadder(is that a word?) than Zac and I were anticipating as we parted with the car we first talked about marrying each other in. It treated us well for so long and then within a matter of minutes we abondoned it and drove off with a new and better car. Poor thing.

And here is the car we chose. As you can see I am pretty elated about it.

Unfortunately, Carli had a misunderstanding and thought we were shopping to find her a car. She was jumping in every car pretending to drive and saying, "Oh yeah, I like this one. I think this one will be fine." She demamded I took a picture of her in every car. I spared you all with only one.

Once reality set in and she realized this was not her lucky day, we found her like this inside of the car dealership. Drama Queen!!

Justin couldn't find his bread when we got home from church because he left it in the car and forgot about it. When Zac found it this is all Justin could do to express his relief. He gets a little cranky and uptight when he doesn't get his bread fix.

One day a very sleep-deprived Zac came home from working a long shift at the hospital and decided it was time to buzz his head. He kept asking for my approval. I never said no and I never said yes, so what did he do? He took matters into his own hands, literally. I found him in the backyard doing it himself. Here is the final product. It took some getting use to for both of us. We are liking it better now that it has grown out a little. Sorry about the way blurry picture.

BYU football season started again as I'm sure you are all aware. Here is Zac trying to contain his excitement by acting way cool for the camera. Too bad inside he was like a little boy jumping for joy when they won their first game of the season. He's been a little depressed since the loss against Florida State, but after about a week he started talking again and he's just now able to get himself out of bed-jk. He really does live for BYU football though, no joke about that.

We got awesome BYU shirts to wear to the awesome BYU party our awesome friends hosted. I think I should use a Thesaurus. Anyway, it was a lot of fun-good food, great company, and BYU crushed Oklahoma first game of the season. What more could a fan ask for?

Here are the girls posing for some nervous husbands. They were giving us a hard time about missing a second of the game while taking our pictures. FYI-There is a thing called a pause button.

Waterskiing Trip

2009-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the trip to Lake Mead was helping Carli ski. She was so excited to try that she demanded she go first. It was hilarious. She made two attempts and in her mind she was so close to getting up she practically did. From our perspective she did a nose dive as soon as she yelled "hit it". Her skis flew off instantly, but she held on submerged under water for a few seconds until she realized she was simply dragging and swallowing a lot of water. It was a lot of fun to be in the water with her though. I kept telling her just to take deep breaths and relax because she was shaking she was so nervous. Every person who went after her she would just scream out to them to breath deep and relax and they'll get right up. She is a riot and I love her so much.

Here I am enjoying an epic day on the lake.

We got so lucky and the water was glass both days. I love Lake Mead!!

Here I am attempting to jump both wakes. It didn't happen.

For some reason while I am skiing water pelts me really hard on my leg, just on this one side. Here are the bruises to show for it.

The trip was so much fun. I didn't decide to go until last minute, but I am so glad I did. I hadn't been waterskiing for four years so it was definitely time for me to remember how much I love it.

As of late...and then some

2009-08-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

So this is what we've been up to lately...hanging out with friends and going to the temple. Not a whole lot here. Zac is done with his boards and so he has a lot more time to hang with me. He is doing his OB rotation now in labor and delivery and loving it. His schedule is kind of demanding, but still better than classwork the first two years. He gets home and he is done. I love it. We get to eat dinner together and watch our favorite shows everynight. It's awesome. I feel like I have my husband back. We get to go over to friends houses and don't have to leave early so he can study. He doesn't have to meet me there because he has to come late. We just go places together. I think things are looking up...

As for this picture...I don't know where we are looking. For some reason it's really challenging for us to take a picture where we are looking in the same direction. I don't think it's our fault though. It's our husband's fault. They struggle big time. They are too impatient to take them one at a time and so we get overwhelmed with flashes and "say cheeses" and we buckle. I am sure this is the problem because this is isn't the first incidence we've had such as this. I can count a handful of awkward, unprofessional pictures and it's always the one's of just the girls. Ironic? I don't think so. We just know the guys are not taking it seriously enough. You may be wondering why we don't just take another one if we have digital cameras, right? Oh, we do, they are all the same. Nothing changes, confusion, frustration and anxiety occurs with each flash just to capture a memory like this. I give up!!

The temple was beautiful and relaxing as usual. This was the view we had as we were walking to our car. I always love going, especially since we go to Cafe Rio afterwards. I, no, we LOVE that place. Somehow, our forgetful selves, forget how amazing it is. The first bite is like an explosion of pure bliss in between two salivating, spoiled cheeks. We both pause, look up at each other, share our joy, and fall in love all over again. Everything in the world could be upside down, but for that moment life is good. Thank you Cafe Rio!

Unemployed

2009-08-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

I think it's time I start looking for a job. Anyone have any ideas? Usually I get lucky and just stumble upon one, but no luck this time. I've come to a dead-end with ideas and am humble enough to admit that I need help. Please let me know, especially my Arizonan friends, if you know of any job openings. My long-distance friends-maybe you can help me think of something I might enjoy. I hate the job-hunt. I just want babies!!

More Photos

2009-07-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

What's a road trip with out slurpees really? We got one every night we were in Vegas. They are everywhere. This 7-11 happens to be brand new and very nice. They really hit the spot after a long night of walking the strip.

I loved this place!! If I were an M&M I would so want to be the green one. Yes, she is the only female M&M, but still, she has so much style and sas. After an hour in there I felt like I knew her well. I started wondering if this M&M had a name other than the "green one". That's when I knew I needed to give my "not-so-fast, but thorough," shopping buddy a gentle nudge to get going. Not you Teri, or you Liz, our other friend. Actually this thorough friend planned our whole trip. She should go into the travel agent business. She made it so carefree and fun for all of us. Thank you Cadi!!

Here we are in the car. Zac gave me these glasses for my birthday. When I opened them I thought, "what in the heck are these going to go with?" Well, I was wrong for doubting him because they go with everything and I love them.

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas!

2009-07-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

I WISH! I bet with a title like this you were expecting something crazy, but no, just four married, mormon girls enjoying a weekend getaway.

This blog is so out of order and it's driving me crazy, but I spent so long figuring out how to download the pictures off my phone now I'm too tired to fix it. So here is my horribly scattered post-forgive me.

Here we are at the Hoover Dam. When Cadi pulled over to take pictures, I thought she was joking, but she wasn't. I guess I've just travelled this road one too many times.

I guess this is what happens when you leave your husband for too long. He gets a little crazy on you. Poor guy!! Now it's time for some real TLC for the babe.

Zac's been so busy with his rotations and studying for Boards I figured he wouldn't notice my absence for a couple of days. While in Vegas we went to M&M World, a dinner and show about the medieval times and ate at the #1 rated buffet in Vegas in 2007, at the Planet Hollywood. We were pretty excited about it because the information desk guy gave us coupons because he felt bad for us. Play the poor card, and put on a cute dress, it always works. It was pretty awesome and worth every penny. Since Zac and I are near poverty, my good friend Cadi is letting me babysit her kids to payoff the trip she practically paid for. We stayed up intil at least 2:00 am every morning and woke up between 10:00 and 11:00. Threw me off a little when I got home because I was on a 11-7 sleep schedule. I'm back on track though. It was fun to go to the pool or shop in the afternoon and then walk the strip at night. I felt like I was in college again. It was a much needed bonding time with the girls.

WOW!!

2009-07-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

WoW-wOw-WoW!! So I have some really amazing friends. Thank you.
I am hoping to get some pictures up soon, but it might be a little tricky. We just moved into a house and we do not have internet yet. When we will get it, I do not know. We are renting from some friends who moved to Utah. Our house is just a mile away from our old apartment so we're still in the same great ward as before. So far we are loving it. I love having people over now for parties and not having to climb up stairs with groceries. Zac loves having a garage and an attic. He does the yardwork on Saturday and we barbeque. We are starting to feel more like a "real" family. Now all we need is a kid I guess. Zac keeps talking about how he needs some kids around to play with. I suppose I'm not fun enough for him. He tells me it's because kids laugh at him way more than I do-he's right about that. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of the new place soon.
I am going to Vegas tomorrow with some girlfriends for the weekend. I am sure I will have some fun stuff to report come Monday. For now, not too much else is going on.

Clarification

2009-03-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am NOT pregnant. I've had several people ask me recently if I am pregnant. The answer is "NO." I am not sure if it's because my stomach is bloated, or because I wear big dresses that look maternity or people are just hopeful that I am. I'm afraid there is a rumor going around and so I just thought a simple blog would be easier to clarify the truth. Do I wish I was, yes of course, but I'm not.

What to blog about...

2009-02-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

I stole this idea from my friend Sharon. It's a little journal entry idea, but on your blog for all to read. Here it goes.

Outside my window.... it's dark out I'm sure since it's almost midnight, but I can't see because my blinds are shut.

I am thinking about.... what I am going to do tomorrow and going to bed soon.

I am thankful.... for my electric heating pad. It's not even cold here, but I like to put it on my back at the end of the day.

From the kitchen.... I have yummy chicken alfredo pasta with artichoke hearts and raosted garlic cloves in the fridge and Jo-Jo's in the cupboard. Thank you Missy for getting me addicted to those years ago.

I am wearing.... an oversized red Snowbird long sleeve shirt and flannel pajama pants with little skiers on them (they are Zac's, I stole them).

I am going.... to probably Walmart tomorrow for some random things like an ink cartridge and body wash-maybe I'll see you there Sharon.

I am hoping.... I sleep well tonight. Lately I've been getting up like five times during the night to pee. What's my deal, I don't know.

I am hearing.... a BYU devotional talk on KBYU, notice the word hearing, not listening to. I am kind of tuning it out, but it's more uplifting than the news.

Around the house.... there is a blanket draped over one end of the couch and Zac's jeans and sweatshirt on the other end. There is an empty Easter candy bowl on the coffee table that was once filled with Peanut Butter M&M's-one of my fav's.

One of my favorite things.... my ice cream cone I eat every night before bed.

A few plans for this week.... get through another week of work and then fly to California to babysit Carli and Justin-yeah!!

Not too exciting here, but I figured, hey, it's an update right?

Sweet dreams!

Valentine's Day Recap

2009-02-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

These are the amazing cupcakes Zac was so kind to buy me for Valnetine's Day. He knows how much I love this kind of icing- wait no, i really don't like this kind of icing. He said it was all they had in the Valentine's tent outside of Frys grocery store. How t sweet eh?

Luckily he had these beautiful white roses to go along with them.
Here are some peanut butter heart cookies I made for our Valentine's Day party we went to.
Pardon the photography, clearly I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to taking pictures. I also made these little brownie bites, thought they ended up looking a lot like the store bought ones from Costco.
Here are all the wives that were at the party. The men were grilling chicken and relaxing on the couch. Sorry no pictures of them. We played a couple of really fun games and ate yummy food. The guys really lucked out this year because we had the party on Valentine's day night.
Here is Zac in his new camping chair. This is what he came home with the other day. He used his birthday money for it and was beyond excited about it. He watches t.v. in it, studies in it and even sleeps in it apparently. Who knew such a simple chair could bring a young man so much joy.
Zac and I celebrated Vday on our own on Friday night. We went out to dinner and then saw "He's Just NOT That Into You." We both liked it. It was different than what we expected, but it was pretty cute. Overall we had a great weekend.

Tatiana...Are you kidding me??

2009-02-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

AAAHHHH! is anyone else as bugged as I am about the fact that Tati-what's her name is still in American Idol? How could that cute homeless girl go home last night but not Tatiana? I don't get it. America had better vote her off asap. I know I will be. So far I have liked the modifications they have made this year with less audition weeks, and less crazies. I think they've filtered out a lot of the fluff. I also really like Kara, the new judge. Paula needs to go though, she is pretty much useless. I like seeing her hair done differently every night though. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts or opinions about this season's Idol.

Rock Climbing 101

2009-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

For Zac's birthday we celebrated by going to BJ's-one of our latest favorite restaurants- and then off for some rock climbing. Not a great idea to eat a huge meal and then put a tight harness on. We had a lot of fun. If we had the money we would have a membership, but....we don't.

Here I am not making too much progress yet.
Please ignore the extremely sweaty pits of mine. I guess I shouldn't wear a colored shirt to rock climb next time. After about an hour and half we were both beat. Our forearms wanted to be done. We hit up 7-11 for some slurpees and caught a movie on the couch. I love his birthday because he always uses his money on something fun and it always includes me. I feel like it's my birthday too almost.

If you're wondering why I am just posting about his birthday that was almost 3 weeks ago it's because I finally took my laptop over to my friends and am now using her wireless connection. What an inconvenience, I know. That's another thing Zac and I will one day purchase right after we can afford a rock gym membership, the internet.

It's been forever

2009-01-31T15:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in forever for a good reason- we don't have the internet anymore. our nice neighbors have been letting us use their connection, but they just cancelled it which means we are living primitively for a while until we can muster up some mula to buy our own. It was so kind of them to let us use their's for so long. We never realized how spoiled we were until it was taken away. I am using my friend's computer right now, but I don't have any of my photos to post. What was life like before the internet you might ask. I can tell you, it stinks. Anyways thank you Sharon and Rob for letting us mooch off you for so long.

As of late Zac and I have been keeping busy with school and work. Not a whole ton going on here. The weather is epic. Sometimes we forget it is January. I have been to the pool at least five times this month. LOVE IT!! There are two things I need to make me happy, Zac and the sun. I am a happy woman.

Happy lover's month tomorrow.

You Complete Me

2009-01-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Zachary Turley!!

A thank you to my husband for being so:

*thoughtful
*selfless
*entertaining
*gracious
*forgiving
*dedicated
*resilient
*funny
*laughable (is that a word?)

Favorite things about you:

*you laugh at Geico commercials really hard
*you love to spend time with me
*you want me to be happy and will do anything to cheer me up on a bad day
*you'll drop anything for me when I need help
*you'll drop anything for anyone when they need help
*you never question me
*you never judge me
*you never judge anyone
*you never assume anything
*you never expect anything from me
*you never ask me to change
*you never say never
*you always listen to me
*you always support the parties I like to throw
*you always put the toilet seat down
*you always wash out your hair from the sink after you shave
*you always save me leftovers, even if you really want them
*you always call me when you are on your way home
*you always call if you are running even five minutes late
*you always tell me how much you love me
*you always tell me all about your day
*you always make me happy to be married to you!! (well, almost always)

I love you so much! Thanks for being born 29 years ago.

Don't be scared....

2009-01-11T22:14:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering who this is, it's my husband. He was sick of the sun in his face and so he solved the problem. So typical of Zac, always practical, never vain. I love him so much for this reason. I miss him so much when he is studying. I can't wait to have him back. Our Christmas vacation was so fun because we got to spend so much time together. He does a great job at making me feel number one in his life despite how busy he is. He's the best. He has a birthday this month and so I thought I would embarrass him a little. I kept asking him to smile and this was all he could muster.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve my family does a talent show. It is usually pretty entertaining considering the fact not one of us has any talent, at least not on a stage. Zac and I performed a synchronized swimming routine to Andrea Bocelli. I'll tell you what- not easy with out a pool. We made do with a blue sheet the water.

As if that weren't enough humiliation we carried on our annual American Idol night the week after Christmas. We always do this to kick off the season. This was the fourth season of this tradition. We performed to the song entitled "Jessie's Girl." Not the best, but it was acceptable. My family is a tough crowd to please. There is a competition factor involved so sometimes it gets a little ugly. The prize is cash .... do you blame us??

Three reasons for me posting this picture for all to see:

1. Zac starts singing "Who Let the Dogs Out" every time I make this face.

2. Anyone ever seen the Seinfeld with the pirate blouse-enough said.

3. This is what having to get up when it is still dark outside to get to church by 8:00 makes you want to do- be ugly!

Can you say Ralphie from the Christmas story? Pretty close look alike, but he is actually just my very cute and incredibly bright nephew, Nathan.

Just what the doctor ordered- a little bit of physical activity for the Carli girl. Thanks to Zac for showing her how to play some of the games with out actually having to move. Gotta love her.

Zac and I on Christmas Eve, the last of my red and green apparel.

Carli enjoyed matching every day I was there. She would go change after she saw what I was wearing every morning. It was pretty flattering actually. Some classic quotes from Carli this vacation:

1. "I tooted"

2. We were playing Catch Phrase, it's Carli's turn and the word is "nothing." She says, "you know what I do around the house."

3. I ask her one morning, "How many Kraft singles did you eat?" She says "what?" with a puzzled look. I hten proceed to count six wrappers hiding under the table.

4. "Whatever." "Pllleeease!"

5. I say, "Carli rinse your ice cream bowl out." She replies, "Are you kidding me?"
We had a fun time in California, but were happy to get back to Arizona. Thanks family for making Christmas 2008 so memorable. Love ya lots.

Correct me if I'm wrong but.....

2008-12-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

I think I need some praise. I am the furthest from crafty as it gets, but lately I've been expanding my horizons in the creativity category. Don't be jealous, but it's true, I actually made this dazzling tree with my own two hands. If you'd like I could write up the directions as to how to make such a creation, no problem. Totally kidding- it looked way cooler in my head.

This is an idea I stole from my friend Teri. It is so fun to turn the fan on and watch the rings fly. So entertaining, but beware, it makes you a little dizzy.
Here is the picture to go with the Tortilla soup recipe I posted a while ago. Did I mention how good it is??
These are the scarecrow cookies I made today. Why scarecrows in the middle of December you might ask. I am teaching on loving yourself and others in Young Womens tomorrow. The girls are suppose to set up their own scarecrows to keep negative thoughts from destroying their self esteem. Not my idea, I got it online of course.

So that's what I have been up to lately. It's been nice and distracting, keeping me away from shopping during this tempting time of year. Twelve days of Christmas starts today. Hooray!!

Christmas Fiesta 2008

2008-12-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

We had a Christmas party with a bunch of friends tonight. We had an ornament "white elephant" gift exchange. It had to be an ornament you would NEVER put on your tree. Zac was pretty stoked about this anchor he chose.

Honest, there was no alcohol. I am not sure why Zac looks so drunk.
Here's a shot with all the girls.

And another shot with the whole group.

What party is complete with out Christmas BINGO?
I finally got to show off my awesome snowman sweater I won at a gift exchange last Christmas.

I couldn't decide which shoes. When is it more appropriate to wear one of each than to a Christmas party?

I made a chocolate zucchini cake that was suppose to look like a giant ornament, but so didn't. It tasted good though.

This is a spice cake with a butterscotch syrup that we drizzled over it. Pretty tasty as well.
Thanks to Teri and Ben for being such great hosts and for everyone else for bringing so much food and fun! Till next year I guess. Merry Christmas to all!!

Thanksgiving recap...finally

2008-12-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

Wait is Thanksgiving already past? Where has this holiday season gone? I know we still have Christmas to look forward to, but now is about the time I start getting sad because it'll be over before we know it. I know I am a little late with the Thanksgiving post, but better late than never, right? Here is the whole Freestone gang in front of the hotel we stayed at in Texas. We had so much fun visiting Zac's sister's family. We happened to fall in love with Texas during the few days we were there. It's since been added to our "potential places to live" list.

This is one of the major factors contributing to our love for Texas, Rudy's. It's a delicious Texas barbecue food joint. It's attached to a gas station and you eat off wax paper, but don't let that scare you. It is TASTY!!
Here I am devouring my corn-on-the-cob. You could drink the Rudy's sauce I am holding up, it's that good. Thanks for the recommendation Wendy, definitely a winner.
On Thanksgiving day we had a heavenly feast and then went to see Bolt in 3D. We all really liked it. I would recommend it to both kids as well as adults.
Here are my amazing in-laws, Margo and Steven. I don't wonder what Zac is going to look like in about 35 years, his father. I am so lucky to have such fun and supportive in-laws!
Before we took off for Texas we went to Utah for a little skiing and snow time for Zac. He missed the mountains so much in Arizona. The weather was actually nice at Alta, about 40 degrees and sunny. I was even warm. I was wearing a coat that was warm enough to climb Everest in, but that's beside the point.
While in Utah we had a busy schedule with only a few days and many restaurants and movies to see. We saw the Bond movie, and Twilight, although definitely not a highlight. We ate at Brick Oven, Bombay House, Bajio, Maverick (for their soft serve cones), 7 Elleven for the slurpies and chocolate sinkers (Zac's favorite donut ever made) and Will's Pit Stop for the best Kettle popcorn on the market. We ate well to say the least. We were thoroughly entertained and got to spend quality time with family. It was a vacation much needed and so appreciated. Thank you Freestones.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Since it's dropped well into the 70's here in Arizona I decided it was time to make some of my favorite soups. Here is a yummy tortilla soup recipe Zac can take credit for:

3 cooked and cut chicken breasts
1 small can tomato sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn with juice
1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
1 chopped onion
1 small can green chiles-mild
1 cup chopped cilantro

Sometimes it seems too thick so I add a little chicken broth or even just water will do. I do like it a little thicker though.

So easy, just pour it all in a large pot, heat and EAT!!

I always serve it with Fritos or tortilla strips, sour cream and shredded cheese. Really you can add in whatever you want, olives, green onions, a squirt of lime.

ENJOY!!

Zac is making this for me tonight and I am so excited.

3 YeArS!!

2008-11-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

1,095 DaYs or 26,280 hOUrS or 1,576,800 MiNuTeS That's a lot of time, right??

It's true, it's our third-year anniversary. If we've made it this long, we can make it forever. Zac and I had a lot of "surprises" about each other we found out after we were married. A lot of them really funny, a lot just really sweet, and some we had to learn to love. Some things I've learned about Zac in the past three years:

*He is very sensitive, a good sensitive though. He sometimes cries in movies, or when he sees me in pain.

*He is allergic to just about everything

*He knows how to get out the toughest stains

*He is thorough with everything he does

*He doesn't like schedules and does not own a calendar of any sort

*He is an extremely deep sleeper

*He can honeslty eat two dozen chocolate chip cookies in one night

*He could live off of Peanut M&M's

*He dresses me half the time, mostly on Sundays. He has a knack for style, making things work I would never think of.

*He is a great gift-giver

*He's perfect for me and I DID NOT KNOW that before we got married. I just got lucky.

I love you babe. I can't wait to see what the rest of our lives together brings us.

Happy Anniversary!!

He's a free man!!

2008-11-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

Finals are finally over and my husband has two weeks off filled with no worries and all fun. We are flying to Utah on the 21st and then off to Texas to see his sister for Thanksgiving. We are so excited. He hasn't slept more than about ten hours total this entire week. It's time for him to catch up on his z's, watch some football and just relax. He worked so hard this whole quarter and I am so proud of him. Here we are at our friend's house. We haven't hung out with them in forever and it was so fun to reunite. We had a bbq, played games and ate really delicious pazookies.

Here are the guys trying to look tired. Somehow it was really hard for them to make a tired face, despite the fact they actually all were exhausted.
Here is Zac on his second pazookie. He doesn't look so great.

What if...

2008-11-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

What if I really cut and colored my hair like this? Yay or nay? I desperately need help with my hair these days. I don't know if I will go to quite these extreme measures, but I have a few ideas brewing in my head. This is not a wig, just a computer program I used to see what this cut would look like on me. I called my sister and told her to check her email for this picture I sent her of my hair. I told her it was real and she totally believed me. I will not mention any names since she is still bitter I fooled her. It was pretty funny though. Please forgive me sister. Love ya!!I am open to any ideas, advice, opinions, suggestions, whatever. This is a cry for help.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Surprise- Zac and I were hippies this halloween. Someone actually asked me if this was my real hair. Should I be offended my hair looks like a cheap hippie wig?

This is Lillie, my friends adorable daughter. We were twins at our ward halloween party. Her costume is a little cooler than mine though. I am not flipping the camera off, I am flashing a peace sign and the light just hit it perfectly to hide my index finger. You know how every hundred pictures or so you come across one that makes you look skinnier than you are? Well this is one of those. Perfect angle, flattering pose and weird lighting and whala- ten pounds lighter.
This is where I went this afternoon, Target for all their half-priced halloween candy- can't beat it. I got these four bags for only six dollars. It's some of my favorites too, not the left over junk no one wants, like the smarties, dots and whatever that sorry excuse for chocolate wrapped up in a pumpkin wrapper is.
This is the sad bowl Zac and I mooched from our ward trunk-or-treat. Yeah I know what you're thinking, aren't you suppose to have kids for such activities? Our friends felt bad for us and let us trick or treat from their bowls. So nice!
After the ward party, Zac and I watched the movie Halloween H2O-freaky, Michael Myers finally dies in this one. About time huh? Zac painted my toe nails for me since with my fake nails it makes it a little difficult. He did a great job for his first time.
Here is the finished product. Please excuse the hairy feet. I know their ugly. Focus on the pretty color.

7 WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME!

2008-10-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is in response to your tag Teri, except I decided to do this one instead. I hope that's ok.

1. I eat Cheetos with my yogurt. Try it, it's so good.

2. Zac and I go to Old Country Buffet every Valentine's Day. Believe it or not, but there's never a wait and the service is so great. (This one's for you Liz.)

3. I can't watch movies that were either made or set in time any earlier than 1980. BORING!!

4. I try to dress according to whatever holiday is coming up. ie. the picture below. Yes, I am a tacky festive dresser. Just wait for my Christmas wardrobe. I usually embarrass Zac at least a few times through out the season with my reindeer necklace and jingle bell earings.

5. I make paper chains for just about every upcoming event in my life. I love any reason to celebrate and throw parties.
6. These three jars of bloody fluid were drained from my stomach this past summer. Sick, huh?
7. I fall asleep on my right side with one leg out of the covers every single night.

I tag:

Sarah Draper

Wendy Thomas

Christy Dayton

Try to come up with things I don't already know about you sisters. Love ya!!

The countdown begins!!

2008-10-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

Is this not the coolest Christmas decor you've ever seen?

In case you're wondering, it's only 99.99. What a deal huh. I know this is going to shock you, but it's not in mine and Zac's budget this month. I've been thinking about it since I first saw it displayed at Target about a month ago. Every time I go there now I make it a point to walk by it. This time I got smart and took a picture so I wouldn't miss it when I was home. Isn't it exciting to think that the big day is just around the corner. Don't worry I won't forget about Thanksgiving. I want you to notice how awesome this countdown is, it includes the days, of course, the hours, minutes, and even the seconds.

Murder Mystery Party

2008-10-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

Who ever thought a murder mystery party could be so much fun? I didn't, but with the right crowd, eccentric costumes and delicious food it is a total blast. Here I am with two of my close friends livin' in the AZ. I am a waitress at Bubba's. Cindy(left) was a disheveled I don't known what. Teri was a tatto artist.

That is ginger ale we are drinking, no worries.
I thought I would get Zac back from a horrifying picture he took of me a few weeks ago shown on a recent post.
All the girls, and Ben, (Teri's wife) with the sweet mullet. We had a rainbow child, two fortune tellers and an auto mechanic.
Here are the two fortune tellers with all their glitz, Cady and Sheri. Cadi is the best hostess ever. She put this whole shindig together and far exceeded any of our expectations.
Here we have our Wal-Mart employee/hunter, Aaron, with is wife, Liz, the ultimate artist. Zac was a hippie/aspiring rock-star.
Unfortunately we could only have six couples attend since that was how many the game called for, but each character was so vital. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. I saw a lot of personalities surface I had never seen before. It was awesome. A night I won't forget. Thanks Cady for all your hard work!

Pumpkin Sheetcake

2008-10-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

Caution: Extremely addicting

I've had a few people ask me for this recipe so here it is. It was given to me by my sister-in-law, Tasha, who happens to be one of the best bakers I know.

*Preheat oven to 350 and grease a jelly roll pan (10x15)

Mix together:

1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

Then add:

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

I like to add milk chocolate chips to the mixture. It's good either way though.

Blend all together and pour into pan.

Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool and then frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese softened

1/2 cup butter softened

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powder sugar

Beat with a mixer and spread over cooled cake.

I like it cold better so I keep it in the fridge once it is completely cooled.

It's the best, there's nothing else to say!

The past month

2008-10-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

So here is what I've been up to lately:

At a brunch with some friends I work with in Young Women's. That is my neighbor's baby I am holding. She is so cute!

Another creation of mine-Creamy Pea Soup. I loved it, Zac...not so much. I topped it with some cheese, roasted red bell pepper and some crackers. We dipped grilled cheese sandwiches in them-yum. Have I mentioned how good it is to be able to eat again?

So this past month has been great. I truly believe more than ever when one door closes another door opens. Zac and I have been in the process of applying for adoption. It has kept me really busy. I feel like Zac and I have really bonded from working on some of the questionnaires together, answering difficult questions and discussing interesting topics concerning parenthood. Each day we are getting closer to being finished and eligible to hopefully be placed with a child.

I got a new job this past week. I work for a doctor in a family practice clinic. I never thought I could work in an office, but this one is different. Everyone I work with is so nice and fun to be around. I stay pretty busy through out the day and so the time flies by. I feel so blessed to have found such a great place to work. It was kind of ironic how I stumbled upon this job. I'll give you a quick summary. I took my friend to Urgent Care last saturday night and was really impressed with the doctor (I am now working for) and all of his staff. It made me want to work there so I asked if he was hiring. He said, "Yes, as a matter of fact we are looking for someone to work the front office." The next day I was working. It feels good to be productive again. However I will miss my days spent strolling through Costco tasting samples and lunch dates with such great friends. All good things must some to an end.

My gift to myself for finding a job I am excited about: Acrylics!

I finally got my nails done, like really done. I have always wanted to have fake nails and when I got this job I knew the time had come. I have never been able to with volleyball and then working as a waitress forever. I am not going to lie, they are a little annoying for the following reasons:

*they hurt

*I can't take my contacts out, minor setback

*I can't lick out my pudding cups anymore

*I can't bite my nails

*I can't open the little flap on my cell phone so I can charge my phone

*I can't type

Other than that, they're great. The price I pay for vanity-eek. My goal is to see how long I can keep them before I pull them off. I really want to get little snowmen on them come November 1st. We'll see.

So the fact I would put this on my blog means I am not vain-right? Zac kept making me make psycho faces until he saw what he wanted to capture on camera. He could not get over how freaky I looked in this photo. I mean he was rolling on the bed laughing after he took it. It is a bit scary. How dumb am I to keep making faces to appease him, his laugh is just so funny though. I guess we were really bored one saturday morning. He had just given me a scalp massage. Put that and my greasy hair together and wala.

He's all I got....and I love him!!

2008-09-27T00:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Extremely cheesy, but very true.

I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. When I sit down and think about it, I got really lucky. He is everything I've ever dreamed of in a husband and more. I know this is probably making most of you gag, or roll your eyes, but I just had to write it because sometimes I just get overwhelmed with appreciation for him. He is patient, fun and such a hard worker. He is a magnet to kids, they share a special interest I guess, PLAYING. He supports all that I do (or don't do) for that matter. He makes me feel so loved. With out him I would be lost. I love you babe!!

The things I missed and so appreciate!

2008-09-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the things I took for granted and now realize more than ever how much I appreciate and love them.

I never thought I would want to cook again when I was sick, but now I remember how much I love cooking and eating delicious meals.

Missy, a forever friend since fifth grade, and I went to Golden Spoon while I was in California. She is due any day now with her second baby girl.

Friends in Arizona-every sunday we get together for game night. This was actually a tuesday night, but same group.

Getting ready for and actually going to church is something I've never been more grateful to be able to do. I was so excited to go back on sunday I actually made Zac match with me. He was a good sport.

And last, but not least, just being able to smile again, to laugh and enjoy everyday I am not in the hospital. I never thought I would get through the past couple of weeks, but with the help of family and friends I am still here and surviving each day. As time goes by I realize that there is a plan for Zac and I and that one day we will become parents.

Finally, a vacation and really bad news.

2008-09-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Zac and I drove down to California after being released from the hospital for hopefully the last time. I was pregnant through all this trauma that's been going on the past couple of months and ended up miscarrying last Wednesday. I got an infection that caused me to go into early labor that night and then I had to have a D&C the next day. After all Zac and I had been through this summer this was definitely shocking for us both. It was an unfortunate ending to a long 14 weeks. We decided we needed some time away from Arizona and decided to visit my family for a while. Zac had to drive back yesterday to get ready to go back to school on Tuesday. I am going to stay here until this Sunday and then fly back. I am hoping that being around family will take my mind off of all that's gone on. It's still really hard for me to think about, but I know that one day Zac and I will be able to become parents. Hopefully in the future I will be able to see all the lessons we learned through this experience. For now I know that we just have to be patient and things will work out.

We have had so many friends call, bring dinner, and visit and we feel so blessed to have you all. Zac and I have certainly grown closer as a couple through all of this, but we could have never got through it with out all of your prayers. Thank you for being there for us friends and family. We love you all!!

2 Week Countdown!!

2008-08-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I sort of have a pit in my stomach when I think about the fact that my sweet husband has to start school in two weeks. Just remembering what he went through last year, with all the exams, long lectures. all-nighters and STRESS!! YUCK! At least he only has one more year of classwork and then he can start his rotations. He has been so sweet to stay home with me everyday, catering to all my needs. I can't believe how patient he has been. He will do anything for me. He is a great nurturer. He sets a good example for me since I am not the most sensitive person in the world. He is willing to rub my back, sing to me, massage my feet with lotion and let me watch anything I want on TV. I own the remote control these days and it's awesome. Anyways, the bottom line is I am going to go through major withdraws when he is gone all day long again. I am going to miss him so much. I guess all I can do now is soak up the last two weeks of being spoiled by my lover.

One Week

2008-08-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a full week and we're still home. We count our blessings everyday we don't have to go back to the hospital. We had a little scare last Sunday, but fortunately ended up not having to go into the ER. Other than being home, not much is going on. That is pretty much all I do these days, stay home. I sleep in until about 11:00 am, sometimes shower, take lots of naps, try to eat and then go to bed at about 8:00 pm. I've never been one to require that much sleep so this is a little strange for me. I figure the more time I am asleep the less time I feel miserable. I can't believe how long it takes to recover from surgery. I guess just being in the hospital for a month kind of disconnected me from reality.

I sort of feel like all I talk about is all my problems so I am going to make a list of things that I am grateful for and that make me happy right now. Cheesy, I know but here it goes:

1. My own bed with my own pillow, sheets and blanket.

2. Air conditioning

3. My PATIENT husband

4. The gospel of course

5. I never thought I'd say this... Oprah

6. Ice water

7. Heating pads

8. Pain medicine

9. The internet

10. Good friends

11. Ummm. that's all for now

We're Home!!!

2008-08-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

Here is the board that we would write my goals on, my nurse's name, the date and the doctor on call. Pretty exciting stuff!
I had too many sweet friends concerned for me as this picture shows my struggle with carrying on two conversations at one time. Not an easy task.
This is the face I would make when the pain would start getting worse.
My sweet mom came twice to visit and just be there for moral support. My mother-in-law also came for a while. They will never know how much that meant to me.
Here is a picture with my two friends Criscell and Alyssa and their cute little girls.
I thought I'd prepare anyone who may come for a visit so they know what to expect. I look really bad, actually a lot worse than I feel thankfully.

According to Zac our summer vacation has finally begun. It is 10:30 in the morning and we are already on our second LMN movie for the day. We are just hanging out on our living room. Zac is eating peanut M&M's and feels totally justified staying in his pajama's all day. He has been so sweet catering to all my needs, cleaning out my throw up bins, getting me food, monitoring my feeding tube and anything else I can think to ask him. We got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon, ordered a pizza and cherished our freedom of our own couch and TV. We just pray we don't end up back there for a long time. I slept so well last night, in my own bed. It's amazing how much you appreciate the little things when they are taken away from you for a little while.

Thank you to all our friends and family for being so supportive through this whole adventure. We would have never made it through with out all your phone calls and visits. We feel so blessed to have so many close loved ones nearby. We are here now in our cozy apartment and welcome any visitors.

And one more time...hopefully

2008-07-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

I did return home from the hospital at one point and ended up unexpectedly returning the next day for a surgery to solve this ongoing pain. Fortunately the surgery went well and the pain is gone. I am left with a gnarly eight inch incision going vertically up my stomach. Now I am just recovering from the surgery and having some severe nausea causing me to have to be on a feeding tube. At least the original pain is gone for now and hopefully won't ever return. They had to remove my right ovary because it was twisted three times and the size of a canteloupe. I am still in the hospital and was suppose to be discharged last Monday, but had some wierd, random pain in a different spot causing me to still be here. We are crossing our fingers we can go home tomorrow, so long as nothing else freaky comes up. My goal is to not return until I am ready to deliver because I have had it with the hospital for a while. I may have to go home with the feeding tube, so visitors, please don't laugh, it's not a pretty site. I look like a freak. Little kids stare at me in the halls. It's really sad. I try to avoid looking in the mirror too often because it really is a depressing site. Well that is the update. Hope everyone is having a great summer!!!

Back in the Hospital

2008-07-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's true. I was sent back to the hospital only this time it was in Arizona. I woke up to excruciating pain in my lower abdomen and back and had to be rushed in an ambulance to the Good Samaritan hospital in Phoenix on Thursday, July 3rd. Just when things were starting to feel a little more normal as far as my health goes, this happened. I've been here since then and I am hopefully (fingers crossed) going to be released tomorrow. I was so sad to have to miss the 4th of July, one of my favorite holidays, but what can you do? Fireworks will have to wait another year, but Zac said he will bbq for me as soon as we get out of here. He has been so sweet to stay by my side through all this. I know it hasn't been easy for him to sit with me each day and keep me company. He has slept over every night except for two, and one of those nights my mom was here with me. My parents came out last weekend and his dad was kind enough to come out for a few days as well.

We've had so much support from such great family and friends. They've been willing to visit and bring flowers, treats, and great reading materials. With out all of you we would have never made it another two weeks. Thank you so much for all the prayers and phone calls we've received as well. You'll never know how much it means to us. We've never felt so loved before. Turns out I will be just fine in the next little while and hope to not have to make another return visit to the dreaded hospital for a long time.

Now I think we should be able to enjoy what's left of our summer before Zac goes back to school.

Back in Arizona

2008-06-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

We finally made the trip back to Arizona last week. Our computer is broken, so I have to use the one in our apartment complex office. Sorry no pictures this time. Zac is just back to work at the hospital and I am still trying to get my energy back from the hospital stay. I'v been reading a lot of books, watching a lot of movies, and talking on the phone... a lot!! Other than that I do all I can to avoid the heat.

Upcoming events I am looking forward to:

1. Improv show with Zac Saturday night
2. BBQ with friends tonight
3. My birthday
4. Throwing a shower for my friend, Sharon
5. Going to Utah to visit Zac's family
6. Going to Idaho for a family reunion with my family
7. Of course, the 4th of July (one of my favorite holidays) I love everything about it, the bbq, swimming, the fireworks, wearing red, white and blue, all of it.

So that's the update from the Freestone's.

I'm Alive...Literally!

2008-06-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while because I've been held hostage in the hospital for the last 8 days. What started as a vacation for Zac and I down in California ended up being an extended stay at the Mission Viejo Hospital. Who knew that the hospital I was born in 26 years ago would be the same hospital I thought I was going to die in last week!

It all started Friday night, June 6th, when Zac and I spent a long six hours in the waiting room of the ER due to severe stomach and back pain. As the pain worsened it made it difficult to breath. By the time we got through triage and made it to a room, they immediately began to run a series of tests including blood tests, urine sample, cat scan, EKG, and ultrasound. The results of the the testing showed that I was experiencing Hyperstimulation, a very rare side effect of the fertility treatment I was undergoing. This caused fluid to build up in my abdominal cavity causing severe pain throughout my organs. Three separate times they had to make an incision in my lower abdomen and drain the fluid through a catheter totally over 10 liters of fluid. Pain medicine quickly became my best friend and I can see how one can become addicted!

I had a few scary episodes including passing out in the middle of the night while going to the bathroom causing me to fall and hit my head. Luckily Zac was sleeping in the room and heard a loud thud. I was rushed for an emergency MRI to rule out any internal bleeding of my brain. Thankfully everything was okay. I stopped breathing and started sweating profusely a few times when the pain got too bad, scaring Zac half to death.

I was going downhill pretty fast by Sunday, so Monday morning I was moved to the cardiac ICU so they could keep a closer eye on me and try to keep my blood count stabilized. I was attached to several different monitors making me feel more clausterphobic than I already felt. I think a counted seven- an oxygen canula in my nose, a blood pressure cuff, a pulse oximeter, an EKG monitor, a foley (bladder) catheter, automated compression stockings and an IV. It made for quite the sight! I was in the ICU through Friday with lots of ups and downs, and by Friday night I was sent to the first floor with hopes of being discharged the next day. After being chewed out by my roommate for eating a bag of chips at 9:30 and my vibrating leg compressors making too much noise, I was sent to a more welcoming roommate who watched Dora the Explorer in spanish all night while answering phone calls from her family as if it were 1:00 in the afternoon! It made for a long night.

Luckily they were able to discharge me on Saturday afternoon with lots of medications. Unfortunately, none of them included pain medication and Extra strength Tylenol isn't quite doing the trick. I went through withdrawals on Saturday and Sunday from not having the immediate relief that my intravenous pain meds provided. Thinking I was going to be making a swift return to the hospital that night, I received a blessing from the guys in my family and it's now Monday night and I am at my sisters relaxing. The doctors said it'll be a couple weeks until I am back to my normal health, but I am just so grateful to be out of the hopsital! I managed to gain 30 pounds in about 5 days from all of the fluid build-up. I am slowly getting rid of it thanks to frequent urinations.

It was so nice to be in California when this all happened so that my family was able to visit a lot. My mom came and sat with me everyday and my sister, Sarah, came almost everyday. By Wednesday I was feeling so dirty from not being able to shower, that my mom and Sarah came and shaved my legs and washed my hair for me. It felt so good to be somewhat clean again!

I am so much appreciating the change in scenery even if it is just at my parent's house. I had had it with the hospital food and being surrounded by such sick people made me depressed, but grateful for my health that I take for granted everyday. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful doctors and medicine that makes it possible for us to recover from the physical ailments that we experience. We are heading back to Arizona sometime this week. We are waiting for me to feel well enough to make the drive back.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2008-05-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

These are so delicious. They are good as bars too. I served them warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream, whip cream and hot fudge.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/4 cup flour
2 cups oats
1 -12oz. bag chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate, Guittards brand)

1. Beat together butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on high speed for about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugars, baking powder and soda. Beat until comobined.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.
4. Beat in flour slowly until combined. Stir in rolled oats and chocolate chips.
5. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in rounded balls (or in a 9x13 pan as cookie bars)
6. Bake @ 375 for about 10 minutes for cookies and about 20-30 minutes for bars. Keep checking bars until the top starts to turn golden brown. They will still look kind of doughy, but they set up pretty fast. Not good if you over-bake them. DRY!

Hope you like them as much as we do.

Sorry no picture, they were gone before I thought to take one.

He's Back!

2008-05-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

I forgot what is was like to have a husband for a while. Zac just finished his last final this past friday and is loving life. He's been doing all the things he's been wanting to do, but not had the time to actually enjoy now that summer is here.
He actually gets to eat breakfast with me, sleep in and read books. I am not sure what he is doing in this picture, but it captures his happiness I guess.

He brought me home these flowers to thank me for being so supportive of him all year. I cried.

This is him magnifying his calling. He was in charge of making the prizes for a ward Elder's Quorum activity. He came up with this idea all on his own.

The final product.

He's off to his first day of his internship. He got a position doing research in an Emergency Room at a hospital in Phoenix. He was pretty excited he got to wear scrubs to work. No more ties Walgreens!!!

Last night we watched the first Indiana Jones in preparation for the new one coming out this Thursday. We searched all around for the old ones and had no luck. Zac thought to call our firends to see if they had the collection. I was secretly hoping they didn't so we didn't have to watch them all, but sure enough they did. So that's what we did last night. Zac was too into the movie to look at the camera. He loves sitting on the couch with a cookie in hand and a slurpee by his side with not a worry in the world. I love seeing him so carefree.

I am so grateful for all the hard work he put in this past year. It makes me happy to know how willling he is to sacrifice in order to pursue his dreams and support our future family. It also makes me happy to know we have three months to party!!

Dog Attack

2008-05-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, but I was attacked by a dog tonight. I decided to go on a nice leisurely walk around my neighborhood after work since I don't do hikes anymore due to my rattlesnake encounter. I thought there could be no harm or danger involved so long as I stay on the well-travelled sidewalk. WRONG!!!

I was about two minutes from home when I approach a young couple walking their two dogs. They happen to be my neighbors across the stairwell in fact. Let me preface this story by first tellig you they are the kind of people who treat their dogs like they are their own children. They walk them like fifty times a day, for all I know they cook them steaks for dinner and bath them daily. They really are a little nutty about their dogs. Sorry, just a small side note.

Anyways, as I am passing this couple walking their "children", one dog decides to get furocious and jumps up at me. It gets a piece of my arm and bites down in one quick swoop. "Did this really just happen to me?" I ask. "Do dogs on leashes really just jump up and bite an innocent walker's arm totally unprovoked?" Apparantly they do. I was a little in shock, especially when I looked down at my arm and saw the battle wounds. There was blood. This stupid dog broke the skin. My first words to the dog's owner were, "I can't get rabies right now, I am trying to get pregnant. Does your dog have rabies?" It just came out and I didn't really have time to think how lame that sounded. She reassured me the dogs were vaccinated and had nothing to worry about.

I quickly called Zac, sobbing at this point, and told him what happened. Lets just say I may have over-reacted a little according to some people, but I was a little startled and shocked all at the same time. We ended up calling animal control to have them investigate the scene. Was this dog really vaccinated for rabies or were they just telling us so we didn't worry? We shall find out within ten days. The animal control is going to perform a ten day quarantine to evaluate the dogs behavior and test him for rabies. Chances are I am rabie-free, but who knows, how many people run into rattlesnakes hiking? I seem to be having bad luck with animals these days.

Deep down inside I think this dog attack had something to do with the way I may have treated some of my childhood dogs growing up. Call it what you want, but I didn't really love petting my dogs, touching them, sometimes feeding them, walking them or bathing them. Ironic thing is the dog that bit me tonight was a cocker spaniel and that was the first kind of dog I ended up giving away because I neglected it so bad. I put a curse on myself I'm afraid.

Ok, so this photo probably shows off my hairy arms more than the actual bite marks, but I thought you might appreciate a visual. I know, I know, it doesn't really look like anything, but it is, and it really hurt. So my much anticipated relaxing night of reading a book on the couch turned into one filled with filling out a dog attack report and worrying I might have rabies. Ay-ay-ay-ay!

Coutndown

2008-05-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

We made a paper chain to countdown the days Zac has left of his first year of medical school. We started it a week ago with 18 days left and we are now down to only 10 days. These next 10 days are going to be really stressful as he prepares for and takes his finals. I appreciate him so much and all his hard work. I can't wait until he is done and we can hang out at night together. He won't feel stressed out about studying and we can just enjoy each other's company. I AM SO EXCITED to have my husband back, at least for 3 months. We are heading to Califronia right after he is done for a week. We haven't been on a road trip in a long time. It should be a lot of fun to enjoy some nice weather and visit family.

The Bethanator

2008-04-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Beth came out to visit this past week. It was so fun to see her.

Here is the cake I made for Beth's visit to Arizona. I hope this is a more pleasant picture to look at than the rattlesnake. I have always called her "The Bethonator" for no real reason at all other than it just stuck one day.

Of course we had to make a trip to the mall. We made two trips actually. Beth is a great mall buddy because she never pressures me to hurry and make any rash decisions. She is good at entertaining herself while I take my dandy time.

Yahtzee is one of our favorite games we use to play when we were roommates back in the day at BYU. No one can play Yahtzee for as long as we can with out getting bored. The tissue in Beth's nose is because she had a cold and her nose was dripping nonstop.

I look a little annoyed because I am annoyed. I had lost eight games out of nine. I always win when Zac and I play, so I wasn't use to so many upsets. The saddest part about it is that I was seriously getting frustrated.

The few days she was here were so fun. I love having friends come to visit. Thanks Beth for coming to hang out with me.

Consider it a friendly gesture...

2008-04-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Day hike gone bad!!

About a week ago I had an afternoon off and debated what I wanted to do with my day. I've been wanting to hike this little mountain near our home for a while, but never do because I am too afraid to do it alone. You see I have this intense fear of snakes. I think my mom passed it on to me, but even seeing them at the zoo makes me cringe. The thought of running into one horrifies me. After much contemplation including phone calls to other friends who hike alone and my husband's reassurance that I will be fine, I decide to go. I am going to conquer my fear at last. As I am driving to the site of where my destiny awaits me I am feeling a bit uneasy. Thoughts are rapidly flooding my head with worst-case scenarios. As I arrive I notice there are not mnay hikers out, granted it is Thursday about noon. I say a little prayer that I will be safe and not have any snake encounters and head up the mountain. I decide to listen to my IPOD, quietly so I can still hear any rattlesnakes within a ten-foot radius. About fifteen minutes into my hike, low and behold, there is a sprawled out rattler across my path. I came about six inches from stepping on it. Just as I stepped close to it I heard the rattle and the tale kind of did a little swivel thing. From what I saw, the snake was about twoa nd half feet and two inched apart, but that was only part of the body. I din't see the head, darn!
I remember Zac telling me, "If you do see a snake, which you won't, just back up slowly and go the other way." Luckily I remember this wise counsel and I start to creep back a few steps before I book it down the hill as fast as I can. I wet my pants and rolled both ankles a couple of times, but I made it down alive. I was praying out loud that I would not run into another predator and that the one I just interrupted would forgive me.
When I called Zac to tell him the news, he didn't believe me. I've cried wolf so many times in our marriage that he thought I was just kidding with him. After much convincing and nearly yelling to get him to believe me, what does he do? He laughs, and laughs, and laughs. He thought it was hilarious and said, "Well consider it a friendly gesture of the snake to warn you that he was there."
What did I learn that day? Don't listen to your husband when it comes to overcoming fears. I should listen to my gut feelings and they were telling me the whole time not to go.

Oh yeah, since this experience I swear I've seen a hundred snakes in the road while driving, walking and I even thought I heard one under my bed.

Unfortunately the news on TV is a little too late because in the past couple of days I have seen three reports of people getting bit by rattlesnakes here in Arizona. They say it is snake season. That would have been nice to know a week ago.

The 16 Hour Visit

2008-04-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

I got to see Sarah twice in a two-week period. This doesn't happen very often, I feel so priviliged. She just recently got engaged on April Fool's, so of course we had to have an engagament party upon her arrival to Phoenix. We went to kind of a random place for dinner that I heard was suppose to be really good. Turns out it was a full on sports bar with 30 plus big screen tv's decoraitng the walls. Big mistake to take three men here for dinner (Dustin, Isac, and Zac). We still had fun despite the "not so intimate" environment. We just had to use our playground voices in order to be heard.

After dinner we ventured over to what has become a tradition each time Sarah comes to visit, a trip to Wal-Mart. I had to think of a good reason on the fly in order to convince the guys it was a necessary stop. As you can tell in the picture below they were starting to have their doubts.

Luckily in the knick(sp) of time I thought of something brilliant. Why it didn't come to me earlier, I don't know. We were going to each pick something out for Sarah in order to celebrate her new future with Paul, her fiance. We only had fifteen minutes and what we came up with was rather creative.

Sarah was able to keep herself entertained by winnnig this awesome bunny in one of those lame little vending machine games at the entrance of most Wal-Marts. Don't feel bad if you don't recall noticing them on your way into the store, mostly just children under the age of five are distracted by temptations. Needless to say, I was there by her side the entire time coaching her with my best strategy to win. She says she owes it all to me, but I don't know if that is completely true.

So here are the products of what each of us gave her as a result of our mission to Wal-Mart:
Zac: a light dimmer
Isac: a measuring tape key chain
Dustin: A candle representing an eternal flame
Becky: a handkerchief b/c everyone says you should go into a marriage with your eyes wide open and once you are married, half shut. I figured this could represent a blindfold. I also got her a packet of sunflower seeds that represents their new life that is about to blossom into something even more beautiful than deemed possible and lastly, a small candle indicating their flame they make together. Dustin and I were on the same page on that one.

Anyways, sorry this turned out to be such a long blog, but I am just so excited for Sarah. She is one of my closest friends and for a long time I worried she would never find anyone worthy of her love. I am convinced Paul is the one for her just by the excitement she exudes whenever she talks about him.

CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!!!

My trip to Califronia

2008-04-01T10:12:00.001-07:00

This weekend I got to go down to San Clemente to hang out with two of my dearest girlfriends, Missy and Sarah. It was a blast. Some of the highlights:

We had to make a trip to the Rainbow sandal factory so Sarah could pick up a pair of cute flip flops.

We spent a lot of time just reminiscing our college days and getting caught up on our lives.

We ate at a really good Italian restuarant called Selma's. We had to wait a while for a table so by the time we sat down we were starving. It was totally worth the wait though.

I have an addiction to Golden Spoon and of course there is nothing like it here in Arizona so I slipped out each night to satisfy my craving. Why there is no good frozen yogurt joint in the middle of the dessert is beyond me.

It was a really fun couple of days. Missy was kind enough to let us stay at her adorable new place. She is a great host providing us with yummy Trader Joe's snacks, great tortilla soup, blueberry pancakes and anything else we could find. Her baby, Avery is so cute and makes the sweetest face when you look at her. I didn't capture it unfortunately, but she definitely takes after her mother. I am so grateful I was able to reunite with such great friends for weekend.

After I met up with my parents our first stop was straight to the driving range. My dad is a bit obsessed with golf and tries to get the rest of the family involved with his passion. Kudos to him for trying right? He has provided all the necessary equipment for my mom, Carli and Justin to golf on the PGA tour. They have the custom fit gloves for Carli's short, stubby hands, shorter clubs and a fancy orange bag. Justin hits one in forty balls and my mom gets, well, a little frustrated when my dad tries to coach her. It is actually quite an exciting and borderline comical event. In fact, after two large baskets of balls, my dad slipped me a $20 and told me to hurry up and go buy another big basket before my mom reallized what was going on. He could golf all day long if we let him.

After spening a couple of days at Missy's I ventured over to my family's house for the rest of the trip. This is what I got to wake up to, Carli singing on the piano. Does Carli sing or play the piano? The answer is a simple NO!! She is totally tone deaf and she thinks the harder she presses on the keys the better she sounds. Poor Carli, at least she is really happy with her talents.

I, on the other hand, am extremely musically talented. Wait no, I am as bad as Carli. My dad wasa trying to show me how to play guitar one morning. It was pretty comical. Even he couldn't believe how bad I could be. He did not believe me when I told him I don't know how to read music. I have a new goal, learn how to play a few songs on the guitar.

On Sunday, Carli, my mom and I, all came downstairs in pink, not even planned. Of course I had to take a picture.

Some people think my dad and I look alike. What do you think?

Yes these are all my sisters and yes they are all pregnant. Sarah and Christy are due any day and Holly and Bethany are due in September. They are all having boys. It must be the season for boys huh?

Some of my nieces at the end of our dance party. They are a bunch of crazy girls.

The four days I was there went by way too fast, but I had a blast. It is always so nice to come home to a needy, lonely and deprived husband though. He always worships me for a few days after my arrival. I love it.

Girl's Weekend

2008-03-27T23:40:00.001-07:00

I am in California hanging out with two of my favorite girlfriends, Missy and Sarah. I am staying in San Clemente at Missy's house. We have a very fun weekend ahead and I am so excited aboout it. Girlfriends are the best. I will definitely be posting a report of all the highlights.

I Love Sprouts!!

2008-03-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the great deals at Sprouts, Zac and I were able to enjoy this delicious meal. It included salmon with a sweet glaze, asparagus with Holandaise sauce and homemade garlic mashed potatoes. This just shows you how seldom I cook, that I would actually photograph this dinner and then proceed to blog about it. Pathetic, I know, but I'll admit, I've really been struggling these days with things to blog about. I tried to get a picture before Zac dug in, but I was obviously too late. For those of you may not be fortunate enough to live near a Sprouts it is basically like a Henry's or any of those other Farmer's Markets. It makes me love eating fruits and vegetables because they are so affordable and tasty. Thank you Sprouts for increasing my longevity!!

Meltdown

2008-03-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

I had a meltdown tonight. One of those really weird "hormonal" outbursts where nothing you say makes any sense but you don't care and say it anyways because it feels so good. My poor husband always hears me out, says he is sorry and asks if there is anything he can do for me to make me feel better. I say "no" and then he surprises me with something like this shown in the above picture. After all is said and done meltdowns actually aren't that bad. I always feel better afterwards because I end up getting to watch a movie while eating my favorite candy, all next to my hubby on the couch.

Girls out there, my advice: Have more meltdowns, embrace them and love them!!!

This is just one of the many reasons why I love my husband so much, aside from the fact I find him quite sexy.

Spring Break

2008-03-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

Zac has been on his Spring break this week and it has been so fun. I feel like I am on vacation too. It is so nice to have him around to hang out with. The frist couple of days he spent sleeping in until 11:00 and doing absolutely nothing. He deserved a few relaxing days after all the hard work he put in during finals, but after that I put him to work. He cleaned the entire apartment. (I redeemed a coupon he gave me for Christmas for a free house cleaning.) I also redeemed a free dinner cooked by him. He grilled chicken using my favorite marinade. It was so nice of him.

After the work was complete we had some fun. We went golfing with our buddy Isac. The weather was phenominal, the golfing, not so much. None of us were anything to brag about that day.

A little too close, I know. It seems like these are the only pictures we have of each other. I just need a longer arm.

Yeah, I am a golfer. Don't look too close though, you'll see how bad my form really is.

We drove out to Chandler to visit Zac's sister's family. His brother and wife were there too(far right). We just had dinner and played Pictionary (one of my top favorites). We also went to the Ikea out there and made it out only spending $16. We bought a big plastic cup, a new rug, a lamp, delicious chocolate candy, and book ends. I know, I know...what an amazing deal. I love Ikea!!

It's been a really fun week filled with entertainment. It is going to be so hard to watch Zac go back to his demanding schedule. Next break...SUMMER!

Crazy Times

2008-02-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

Caution to all husbands: this is what happens when you neglect your wife on Valentine's Day. She goes crazy and throws a party with children.
Since I was in California over Valentine's babysitting Carli and Justin I decided I would have a Valentine's party with all the nieces. It includued a crazy hair, crazy dress fashion show, spaghetti with "pink" sauce, a Valentine craft and heart-shaped brownies. Unfortunately Zac was busy in Arizona studying for finals so he had to miss all the fun.

This is my niece who reminds me of myself when I was younger, a little spazzy.

Here I am with my two favorite people, my sister, Carli and my brother, Justin. They are so fun to be around.

These are almost all of the Dayton girls striking sweet poses.

Here is the entire wild bunch.

This is Hadley, probably my most odd niece. She came down the stairs walking with a shrugged shoulder and a limp and said, "I'm Cheetalicious."

We had a fashion show and this is what they all sported for the big event. Carli announced each girl and did a great job.

After the fashion show we had a dance party where all the girls showed off their moves to the "High School Musical" soundtrack. I haven't danced like that since stake dances.

We each picked a name a made Valentines for that person. Justin got the most into this activity because he loves to draw.

One morning we played "pretend restaurant" where I am the chef and they order whatever they want. I usually make a simple menu of all their favorite things depending on what we have in stock. Here is this morning's menu.

Yes, that is a grocery bag on my head.

I think Justin ate five eggs that morning. Carli said she makes better egg sandwiches than I do. Whatever.

This is where Justin spent most of his time all week. He is obsessed with his computer. He just makes designs on it all day long while listening to Kenny Rogers on his stereo.

This is Justin's other passion. His Magna-doodle. I think he owns three now. We went to Target so he could pick this one out with his birthday money. Pretty sure he already has this exact same one. Again, whatever.

One morning we went to play tennis and Carli came out of her room in this and said it was her tennis outfit. Last time I'll say it, whatever. I soon realized that a lot of their logic didn't make any sense, but then I realized it doesn't really matter so long as they are happy, I am happy.

We went to Ruby's one night with one of my old time high school friends, Jaymi. She and Carli are real great buds.

That was probably way more information and pictures than anyone really cared for, but I had to make up for all the picture-lacking posts I've been producing these days.

Overall, I had such a fun time playing with all my nieces, nephews, and especially Carli and Justin.

Pseudo Mom

2008-02-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

I am in Califronia taking care of Carli and Justin right now. For those who may not know, they are my younger sister and brother. All I have to say is I don't know how all you mothers out there do it. Taking care of kids is soooo exhausting. It seems like the work never ends. As soon as I finish cleaning up breakfast they are already asking what is for lunch. It feels like one continuous mess to clean up. I love it though. It feels good to be needed, to have someone completely dependent upon you. It is so much more fulfilling than taking people's cheesecake orders. So much attention goes to them and so little to me and I love it. I can't wait to be a mom. I have a new appreciation for all my friends who are mothers.

I was telling Zac all of this and he said, "well you can take care of me like that if it makes you feel better. I would love to have someone clean up after me and make all my meals." I quickly reminded him I practically already do that anyways. We had a good laugh. In some ways I guess I already am a mother for one, my dear, sweet husband.

I will definitely post pictures along with some of the highlights from the past week when I return to Arizona.

Best Purchase Ever!!!

2008-02-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

This is by far the best purchase I have made all year. A measly $1.97 brings me such joy. It is the perfect pop top water bottle ever. I have been searching for this baby for weeks. I have spent almost $20 on junky, worthless wanna-be water bottles until one day I was roaming through Wal-Mart and stumbled across this beauty. I was all alone, but so badly wanted to shout hooray at the top of my lungs. I was that excited. Great things come when you are least expecting them, that's for sure. They come in blue, green and pink. I chose blue becasue it makes the water look so delectable. For anyone who wants to buy one, don't worry, I am totally fine with it. Go get yourself one, it's a real blessing in my life and it could be in your life too.

Too much about me

2008-02-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

I was tagged again a while ago, but didn't know it, so here is my belated response...sorry Criscelle.

Two Names You Go By: Hun and Beckster
Things You Are Wearing Right Now: do you really want to know? j/k pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt that's like ten years old I think
Two things you Want (or have) in a Relationship: Someone to laugh with and trust
Two of Your Favorite Things to do: tucking under covers with the fan on and laying in the sun on the beach
Two things you did last night: ate half a pan of brownies and watched Seinfeld
Two people you Last Talked To: My mom and Zac
Two Things You're doing tomorrow: going to work, blah, and Wal-Mart (Zac needs a new alarm clock, one that will actually wake him up)
Two Longest Car Rides: Driving from Utah to Arizona in a moving van and driving from California to Idaho with ten people in a van, yikes!
Two Favorite Holidays: Christmas & The 4th of July
Two Favorite Drinks: soda and hot chocolate
Two Things About Me you may not have known: I shave my legs and wash my hair once a week, and I am 1/4 inch taller than my husband.
Two jobs I have had in my life: making Zac a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday for lunch and working in a craft store for one day until I quit.
Two Movies I would watch over and over: Legally Blond and Happy Gilmore
Two of my favorite foods: Cafe Rio or anything close to it and pasta with white sauce and shrimp (so good)
Two places I'd rather be right now: Paris (just sounds so romantic and dreamy) and on the island from LOST (it seems so pretty)

So this is it for me and tagging for a while. I am sorry if you are getting an information overload about me.

Tag Response

2008-02-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

-10 years ago today..

I was 15 years old. I was in high school, with one friend at that point, Missy. I was really unfortunate looking. Probably one of the ugliest years of my life. I parted my hair straight down the middle and I didn't quite have the whole blow drying my hair straight thing down yet. I attempted to wear make-up, but it was horrible looking on me. I wore dark eye liner and nasty dark red liptsick on my already gigantic lips. I am serious when I say I was scary looking. I had fallen in love with the sport of volleyball by then and probably averaged at least twenty hours a week practicing. Highlights of my weekends were the tv show with Suzanne Summers, Step By Step on TGIF, and volleyball tournaments. Can you say loser??

-5 things on my "To Do" list today:

* Clean out my closet (been pending for almost a year now.)
* Deep clean our apartment, toilets, showers, kitchen floor
* Get pregnant
* Fix my blog so it is cute like everyone elses
* Order Tevo

- I enjoy:

* These days, cooking dinner
* Sleeping in with nowhere to be in the morning
* Going to the movies, especially chick flicks with Zac, and sneaking in popcorn and soda in my "movie bag".
I feel so rebellious.
* My massage chair
* ICE CREAM!!!
*When Zac comes home earlier than expected

- What would I do if I were made a billionaire:

*Quit my job
*Zac would probably drop out of med school
*We would build our dream home with white pillars, a wrap around porch, brick and black shutters.
*Donate to cancer research or some other charity
* Save money for children's education, but don't tell them about it, still make them work

- 3 of my bad habits:

* biting my fingernails, gross I know
* I never shut the door when I go to the bathroom
* chomping on gum

- 5 place I've lived:

* Coto de Caza, CA
* Washington D.C.
* Provo, UT
* Peoria, AZ
*That's all I'm afraid

- 5 jobs

* Warnick Sports Camp director
* Secretary for my dad
* BYU summer camp volleyball coach
* Waitress at Brick Oven
* Still a waitress, now at The Cheesecake Factory

- 5 things people don't know about me:

* I do cry, a lot actually, however I still have never cried in a movie.
* I was dropped on my head about five feet by my sister when I was about two months old. Explains a lot, I know.
* I student taught at a Performing Arts High School in D.C. and I am tone deaf- kind of a funny combo huh?
* I can't go to sleep until I have had my ice cream cone, which contains a minimin of six different flavors, always a peanut buttery one, a chocoalte base one, a minty one, a really chunky one (ie. Dryers Loaded Butterfinger), a pecan n' praline, and cookies and cream, and sometimes I'll have Fired ice cream by Breyers, if it's on sale. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!
* I have Scoliosis, IBS, Anemia and...that's all I guess. Oh yeah, and serious premature memory loss.

I now tag: Sarah Draper, Sarah Stancliff and Lillie Biesinger

Problem...

2008-01-27T00:09:00.000-08:00

I have serious issues. I already miss Christmas. I miss being around family, eating delicious food, and not having to work. I'll admit, I miss the presents a little too. Lets just say I would no longer be offended if I were to see a Christmas wreath on a front door or lights forgotten to be taken down on a neighbors house. I usually make it until at least March. I don't know what my deal is this year.

Update on my New Year's resolutions. BAD!! BAD!! BAD!! I am failing miserably this week. First off, it is almost 1:30 in the morning and I am still awake, obviously. Second of all I harrassed Zac for being like a girl because he actually cares about how he dresses, although he claims he just doesn't want to look like a scrub. Thirdly, I have forgotten the rest of my resolutions at the moment, so I am most likely not accomplishing them. Tomorrow is a new day, I am re-dedicating myself to my goals, after I remember what they are.

TO THE BIRTHDAY BOY...

2008-01-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today is Zac's birthday, so I figured a short blog about him would be appropriate. Here are just five of my favorite things about him.

1. He does the things I don't like to do, like scrubbing the tub, cleaning the toilet, washing the cars, etc.

2. He accepts my quarkiness.

3. He laughs at everything anyone says.

4. He knows when to lie to me, for example, he knows to say yes if I ask him if my outfit looks ok.

5. He is so low maintenance. He could pick anywhere to go for his birthday dinner and he chose IN-N-OUT.

These are just of the less obvious reasons I love hiim so much. Happy birthday ZAC!!

Pardon my Absence...

2008-01-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

So I have been really bad about blogging since the new year. The problem is simple really. I usually begin my blogging at midnight and stay up until 2:00 am reading everyone else's blogs. I realized my health was suffering and so I had to give something up. Blogging seemed to be the most logical answer seeing as how I am in no position to quit my job or leave my husband.

Somehow the day goes by so fast and before I know it is bedtime and there is no time to jump on the computer "just to check my blog." The dilemna is it never ends up to be just a quick second. It is a minimum of an hour just to go through each blogger friend. I am sure all of you fellow bloggers can relate.

Bottom line: I feel so much better now that I am sleeping more regular hours. I have more energy, I am less moody, and I feel more productive. I am still working on a schedule that includes blogging in moderation. We'll see if it's possible. It is almost 1:00 am, and yes, I am aware that is breaking my resolution by a full hour. What can I say, I am not perfect. Sometimes it just feels kind of good to rebel.

Quick Update...finally!

2008-01-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so over. I consider Christmas to be like a food addiction, you know how you get fixated on a certain food and eat it everyday until you get so sick of you can't even look at it anymore. Yep, that's Christmas for me. While walking today I noticed some people have failed to take down their Christmas lights and decorations; I was borderline offended. Seriously it is time to move on.

So with the New Year comes resolutions. Some of mine include:

1.) new bedtime=midnight
2.) more positive, optimistic
3.) no nagging Zac
4.) something nice for someone each day

I know these are probably things most of you have already mastered at this point in your lives, but I am a little slow with some things. Thank goodness for new years and fresh starts.

Our break was spent in Utah until the 29th and on to California until the 2nd. Some fun things we did were:

1.) went skiing in Park City
2.) saw "I Am Legend"- creeeeepy!!
3.) skate-skiing
4.) lots of games, Scattergories, Sequence, Clue...
5.) Comedy Sports
6.) Rose Parade
7.) Warnick "American Idol" party
8.) & lots of good quality time with family and friends

We are back in Arizona and I am already excited for the next vacation. I am not sure when or what it will be, but I am excited.

I have twelve minutes to be asleep and I still have to wash my face, brush my teeth, say my prayers and whatever else I do that takes me forever to finally get in bed. Gotta go!

I wanted to poke my eyeballs out...

2007-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, upon my arrival to work, my manager informed me I was going to be serving a party of 26. "Sweet", I thought, money, money, money....wrong. I just happened to look out the window at the same time two large buses pulled up with a sign on the side that said, "Sun City Retirement Center." I wanted to poke my eyeballs out. If only I knew what was to come I probably really would have and put myself out of such misery. It only took them fifteen minutes to actually get out of the bus and into the restaurant. Collecting twenty-six walkers, canes and wheelchairs takes a little time I guess.

Before I could even introduce myself I started hearing old women screaming "coffee with cream, hot tea and it's freezing in here." As I was taking their drink order I noticed they all had name tags on. "What a friendly retirement home", I thought. Come to find out they all have Alzheimers and have to wear name tags so they can remember who they are.

One man ordered eggs bendict and I told him, "oh I am so sorry sir, that is only offered on Sunday mornings." His reply, "oh, well what day is it anyways?" After fifteen minutes I was done taking their order and ready to refill 26 coffees. It gets better. We have an item called the Renee's Special, as some of you may know it includes soup, salad and a half sandwich. As the food came out to the table one of the servers called out "Renee's Special" hoping to find out who it belonged to. Instead, a lady turned and said, "Renee, that's my name, and I am special, thank you." One of the couples disappeared only to find out they were visiting with another one of the tables across the restaurant.

As it came time for the check the lady in charge asked me if they could have seperate checks. At that point I started considering the worst possible scenario if I were to just quit and walk out. Unfortunately, the image of Zac and I homeless didn't sit too well in my head. I proceeded to seperate the checks (FYI: if you are getting seperate checks when you go to eat out, it is polite to tell your waitress before hand.) I only had to get change for about fifteen of them, so that was good. One of the ladies thought she gave me a twenty dollar bill, but instead she gave me ten. I caught it before the bus drove away, luckily. The whole cane and walker ordeal worked to my advantage for that part of their visit. I was able to get the lady to pay her other ten dollars out on the bus. It was a lot of fun, let me tell you.

So you are probably wondering why I am still doing this serving thing. I ask myself this question all the time. The reason is because shortly after this party left a party of 13 pulled up in a limo and made everything all better.

This is just a glimpse of what I go through everyday at work. Yeah, I guess you could say it's an emotional rollercoaster. You have to be resilient, brave and bold....oh yeah and really, really poor.

Christmas Party #2

2007-12-20T23:24:00.000-08:00

We had a Christmas party with all of our medical school friends. We ate pizza, had a white elephant gift exchange and played Christmas Pictionary (to anyone who really knows me, this is like a dream come true, Christmas and Pictionary, all in one game. WOW!!) It was so fun, and of course my team won.

Through great strategy and determination Zac and I managed to secure posession of this awesome Christmas sweater in the gift exchange. Thanks to Dustin for contributing such a desirable gift I ended up with the sweater I haven't been able to find anywhere this holiday season. I can't wait to wear it in Utah. The best thing about it is it fits Zac too, so we can both enjoy it.

He was as excited as I was about the sweater. It actually looks quite good on him.

This is Isac and Dusitn, two of Zac's closest friends from school. Dustin is the one on the right in the white jeans. He is on my favorite list now for providing such excitement in the gift exchange. He must have missed the memo, a "white elephant" gift exchange. Oh well, his loss I guess....and my win.

Christmas Party!!

2007-12-15T23:47:00.001-08:00

Of course I had to make a cake this Christmas to make the holiday official. Only ten days till the big day. A friend of mine helped me host a party since she knows how much I love Christmas. She offered her house since we just live in an apartment. She decorated it all festive and fun for a party. It was so nice of her to let everyone come in and destroy her house. There were about ten kids there running wild. It was a lot of fun. We ate tons of yummy food, had a white elephant gift exchange and just hung out. Everyone was required to wear red and green. Zac and I are not in the picture because he had to leave early to study and I was taking the picture. I can't wait for the day when he can just enjoy himself at a party and not feel guilty that he's not studying.

We had more treats than we did real food. Isn't' that what parties are for though?

Broken Collar Bone

2007-12-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

My poor niece, Christy's youngest, broke her collar bone last week. She is learning not to move it , but sometimes she forgets and shrieks in pain. I feel so bad for her. She broke it by falling down the stairs at my mom's house. She is too cute to have to go through such pain. I just thought this picture was pretty funny and so I thought I would put it on my blog.

White Coat Ceremony

2007-12-07T23:52:00.000-08:00

Medical students commit to be honest, good doctors + professors helping them put on a white coat = white coat ceremony

It's really that simple, that's all there is too it. Zac's parents came from Utah to support him. We somehow didn't get any pictures with them though. The picture below is of Zac and his grandparents. Is this not the happiest, cutest elderly couple you've ever seen?

Here are two of Zac's really good study buddies, Ryan (left) and Isac (right).

Poor Zac got the wrong size coat so it was way too small in the shoulders for him. He said he had to hunch over in order for it to fit. I don't know if you can tell in the pictures. It was pretty funny, but sad too. Isn't there a song about this with Chris Farley?

I guess this makes the whole medical school thing official. It was a fun weekend with his parents and a break from his busy study schedule. We went to the Christmas Spectacular with his sister and her family. The Rockettes are amazing. I highly recommend this show to anyone who has even an ounce of love for the Christmas season.

Just Mrs. Claus and I

2007-12-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in California

2007-11-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few highlights from our Thanksgiving break. We went to California for ten days. It was so much fun. I love vacations.

Carli and I reunite. I am her favorite sister so she is always real excited to see me.

So cute!! It was a long day and Carli had had it. She tends to fall asleep on Zac's shoulder a lot. I finally captured the sweet moment in this photo.

One of my favorite places to eat whenever I go home is The Crab Cooker. The best seafood restaurant ever!!

I don't take too many pictures with my mom and she is such a great lady. She made our trip so enjoyable by feeding us yummy food, taking us shopping and saying some pretty funny and random things. It's never boring when she's around.

This is the whole Warnick clan. We like to eat, a lot, especially on Thanksgiving. I think we had at least twenty different dishes going on, and I am not over-exagerating.

Since Zac and I made it two years together we decided it would be appropriate to take some more updated engagement pictures just for fun. This is just one of many.

Zac and I took Carli bowling one afternoon. This was a day she had been waiting for since September when I promised her we would take her. Everytime after she would bowl she would check her phone and say, "oh man, nobody called me." It started to break my heart so I decided to do something about it. I would call her from my phone as she was finishing her last turn. As she was walking back to her seat she would hear her phone ring and get all excited that someone was calling her. When she answered I tried to disguise my voice, but she caught on. The funny thing is she didn't even care it was me. She was just glad someone was calling her. It became annoying though because after every turn she made me call her. She thought it was hilarious. We had a good laugh.

Along with bowling it has become tradition to finish the night with In-N-Out. This is one of Carli's many favorite fast food joints, along with McDonald's, Wendy's, Jack-In-the-Box, and Burger King. If they serve cheeseburgers and fries, it's her favorite. You'll notice in the picture she is very focused on her food, not even able to look up at the camera for just one second.

Here she is fighting Zac for the fries.

Have I mentioned she likes a lot of ketchup? One order of fries, ten packets of ketchup. You tell me.

For our two-year Anniversary my parents sent us to Disneyland. It was so fun to feel like a kid again. Except we didn't really feel all that young because we got sick on almost every rollercoaster we went on. Zac felt nauseaus and I felt dizzy. What's happened to us? Not only that but Zac is pure tourist here. Camera around the neck, sweatshirt up high around the waist, tennis shoes with jeans and just a few minutes before the picture was taken he had a huge Disney sucker in his hands. All he needs is a fanny pack.

The first Saturday we were there we went shopping for dresses. Wendy and I were "fighting" over this dress. Instead of one of us giving in, we both decided to buy it. Not only that, but we walked into church together wearing it. A little embaressing. It brought back major memories of when our mom would make us match every Sunday.

So that was the jist of our vacation. It was hard to return to the reality of school for Zac and work for me. It's always nice to sleep in your own bed again though. Now it's Chirstmas prep for the next few weeks. I love this time of year!!!

Upon Request

2007-11-26T20:29:00.001-08:00

A few friends have asked to see my Christmas apparel, so here it is.

Is this not the best necklace you've ever seen? It is pure 80's. My mom was kind enough to let me borrow it for the day. The perfect way to start off the Christmas season.

Below are the new additions to my Christmas wardrobe. My mom was too kind to me while we were in town visting for Thanksgiving.

Thankful for....

2007-11-23T00:13:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that it is now officially time to start celebrating for Christmas. I have already purchased some red plaid (traditional Christmas plaid) shoes, a red sweater and some red earings. I am ready to go, I don't know where, but I am ready. I guess I'll have to plan a Christmas party so I can wear my new apparel. I am going to write a top ten list of things I love about Christmas.

1. Gift giving (and receiving)
2. Carolling to neighbors
3. Family togtherness time
4. No work
5. Baking and eating yummy treats
6. Watching the movie "Elf" with no grief from Zac
7. Santa Claus in the mall
8. the smell of pine
9. Tinsel, yes, the cheap stuff from Wal-mart that glitters and falls off all over the carpet.
10. Amy Grant's "Breath of Heaven" I get the chills every time I listen to it. That, and Josh Groban's "O Holy Night"- breath-taking

I could go on, but that will have to do for now. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. HO HO HO HO HO HO!!!

Happy Two-Year Anniversary!

2007-11-20T00:09:00.000-08:00

We have been married for two years today. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. We went to Disneyland to celebrate. We rode Space Mountain, ate $9.00 cheeseburgers, bought one of those fun, big succors and did some quality people-watching. We decided Disneyland is mostly for kids and it's time we get some of our own to take with us next time. Zac gave me some really cute Christmas slippers and a cool sweater-jacket thing. I gave him a hockey jersey from Wal-Mart with a Phoenix Coyote on it, apparently one of the worst teams in the league. Oops! His fault for asking for such an erronious gift. I will post pictures of this day when we get back to Arizona. I left the little adaptor thingy at home that lets me download the pictures from the camera to the computer.
A quick comment about my husband. He is a superstar to be able to put up with me for two years (and many more to come). He makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.

Way too much fun!!

2007-11-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

Sarah Stancliff, my old roommate of three and a half years came to visit from D.C. She is one of those friends you always keep in touch with and no matter how long it's been it feels like just yesterday since you last talked. She has the ability to light up a room, make you laugh, inspire you to be better and make you feel loved. She is one of a kind. I have been begging her to come to Arizona for a while now, and it finally happened. She flew across the country because she is such a sweet friend and would do anything for anybody and not think a thing of it. The day finally came that she arrived and...

Our first stop- Bajio of course. We have voted and it's the best fresh mex ever!

After we were highly satisfied from a delicious lunch, we went to the driving range where Sarah had her first experience swinging a golf club, ever. Her form is unbelievable, I know. She was wacking the ball. She is obviously a natural.

Of course Sarah got her custom made cake. She use to make the best "better than sex cake" when we were roomies so I thought I would give it a try for old times sake. She has to tell me her secret because mine just didn't compare.

This is us just having some fun on our way to see "Dan in Real Life." By far the funniest movie I've seen in a long time.

We made a trip to Wal-Mart because these are where some of our most cherished times were spent on Friday nights in Provo. We would turn in our film, (back in the day when people still did that) and then shop around for an hour until it was done. This time we gave ourselves a time limit. We had fifteen minutes to find our friend, Isac, a birthday present for under a dollar.

We are all looking at a little dissolving dinosaur in the sink. This is the best Dustin could come up with for a gift. This just goes to show you can have fun doing nothing with the right company.

On Monday we hiked Camelback mountain. It was a lot of fun. I am really out of shape. The hike wasn't that long, it was just kind of steep. It felt so good to get some fresh air and some awesome weather.

We couldn't end the visit with out watching the Family Man. I think I have watched this movie at least 100 times with Sarah when we were in college. Her passion for it is still alive and well so we had to watch it. It's not my favorite movie, but with her it's so fun because she loves it so much. I don't think we ever went to bed before 2:30. I felt young and spontaneous again and it was so fun. I will be paying for the lack of sleep this next week, but it was so worth it.

Some other things we did that we forgot to document:

Sarah taught me how to be a ballerina
Skittles bowling
Ate at the Grand Lux Cafe and Texas Roadhouse (my new favorite restaurant)
Watched "Office" re-runs
Went on a "walk and talk"
Ate ice cream, brownies, cake, caramel apples, and candy and Trader Joe treats provided by Sarah
Went to the mall
Listened to Christmas music

Sarah, thank you for making our weekend feel like a vacation for us too. Zac and I were so entertained having such a lively house-guest for a few days. I need you to do me a small favor and move out here. We could have this much fun everyday. Think about it, ok?

Don't Ask

2007-11-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what we are doing in this picture. We were both just in really wierd moods. My husband is not gay, just a lot of fun.

Tag-it-up!!

2007-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my dear friend Carly I get to write lots of things about myself and not even feel bad about it. I guess I've been asked to share seven things about me.

1. I don't have much of a memory for anything, my childhood, my husband's kind and not so kind acts of love, and what I did yesterday. In a way not having sharp memory is a blessing. My parents could have really messed up when I was a kid and I would never know. Zac has escaped many situations where he may have messed up, but instead convinced me he remembers what "really happened".
I blame this lack of memory on my sister Christy. She dropped me on my head when I was 6 weeks old, about five feet, onto the asphault. My parents let her hold me in the car on the way to church. She was only 7 or 8 years old. When she went to open the door I fell through her arms and bam, "like a watermelon splattering from a tower", says my mom. The miracle, I didn't have one cut on my head and no brain damage, so they say. Yeah, I guess you could say it was a miracle. Does that make me a miracle baby?

2. I have some seriously strange quirks. I will just list them.
*I use Cheetos to eat my yogurt.
*I shake my whole body when I shake/toss up salads.
*I never shut the door while using the bathroom. I don't like to feel disconnected.
*I sip my soda through a straw made of licorice.
*I've never cried in a movie.
*I get up at least 3 times during the night to pee.
*I squirt whip cream straight into my mouth right before I got ot bed. I like the creamy coding in my throat. Not gross, good.
*I wash my hair twice a week.

3. I am completely obsessed with Christmas. I start going through withdrawals in June so I rent all the classic Christmas movies. This act usually gets me through until November 1st, the first day Zac allows me to start celebrating the holiday with him. Since then, I have decorated the apartment, listened to all my Christmas cd's (I have about 20) and started thinking about what to ask for. Sometimes when I am bored I walk through the Christmas aisles at Wal-Mart. It's the closest to the North Pole I can think of. If you see me walking down the street with a big grin and my IPOD, I am most likely listening to Christmas music thinking of fun traditions. Not to worry.

4. My first date with my husband should have caused me to never return his phone calls, but I didn't. Fortunately, I am not turned off by guys who have to ask to use a strangers bathroom for 20 minutes while out for a jog, with a girl they just met, me. I won't go into detail.

5. I don't hold grudges. I think it is my gift in life. You know how most people have gifts like a beautiful voice, amazing creativity, or a huge heart. No, mine just allows me not to hate anyone.

6. This is a lot of information about me, you are welcome to quit now. You could make some comment on one of the previous items and I would never even know you didn't finish my lengthy autobiography. Oh yeah, number six, I talk a lot. I have a lot of random thoughts in my head going one-hundred miles an hour all day long until my head hits the pillow, and then I am out for the night. If I were stranded on a desert all alone, I could probably keep myslef entertained.

7. I love my family- A LOT!!! My parents have always been there for me. My siblings are my life-lines (cheesy, my statement, not my sisters). Last, but not least, my husband is one of a kind, perfect for me.

The people I tag are:

Sarah Draper
Wendy Thomas
Holly Lang
Sarah Stancliff
Missy Heid
Lillie Biesinger
Jenny Whiting

Write seven things about yourself and then choose seven others to tag. Have FUN!!

Daytons visit AZ

2007-11-02T20:20:00.001-07:00

Where should I be at this very moment? At work. What did I do instead? Hung out with my sister and her family. She has five cute girls and is expecting her sixth, a baby boy, in April. They were so nice to drive all the way out here to see our humble abode and visit a while. They are the first from my family to come and visit us.

This is the "Welcome treat" I made for my nieces. It was so fun to use my little creative side I so often supress.

Note to family members and friends: this cupcake festivus could be yours too if you come to Arizona to visit. I am just going to keep the cake in a box and change the name tags accordingly. Totally joking, I will make you fresh cupcakes and who knows maybe even a different layout. This is going to be a Freestone Family tradition, personalized cake for any and all visitors.
Guidelines: Must have traveled from outside of Arizona, or across the valley. Sorry neighbors.

We went to the Cardinal Stadium, Cabella's and out to dinner. It was short, but I will take quality over quantity anytime. Thank you Daytons for making my afternoon so exciting.

Desperate Housewives

2007-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

So my friend and I decided to be "Desperate Housewives" for our husbands' school Halloween party. Lets face it, we really are desperate for so many things. I'll list a few: attention, social interaction, entertainment, money, and good old quality time with our hubbys. We couldn't think of a more appropriate costume. Plus the fact it gave me the opportunity to feel like a "real" women, if you know what I mean. Let's just say I was a little "fuller" tonight. Zac quite enjoyed my "additional shape" I created with the help of a little stuffing. I actually used his buddy's socks to supplement what little I already have. I don't know why, but after Zac heard that minor detail he was suddenly creeped out.

Wierd looks? Yeah, we got them. Was it worth it? YES! To be completely honest, I really enjoyed the looks. They were looks of envy and confusion. There were some random girls sitting at a table who had faces that read one of two things, "Are those real? What is she trying to pull?" or "Does she have any idea how fake those look? Hello, half a sock is hanging out of your sleeve?" Either way, they were looking and it was awesome. My whole life I have always been a bit unvulumptuous, so this night was like a dream come true.

ONE DAY...

So this is why Zac is at the library tonight, so one day this can become a reality. He can come home to a new me in seven years.

Disclaimer: I am really not that obsessed with big boobs, but it would be fun.

Warning: Note to other fellow flatties- don't try this at home, it makes you realize what you ARE definately missing.

Can I have your number?

2007-10-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

This is the first boy to ask me for my number since I've been married. He was five years old and had a mohawk. He came into Cheesecake Factory with his family. He asked me if I was the 'real Cheesecake Factory Princess". "Of course I am," I said. He got all embarrased and put his sweatshirt over his head. Through out the meal he was not eating, but busy coloring on a piece of paper. Turns out he was drawing a picture of me. It had a picture of a princess and it said, "to Becky, The Real Cheesecake Factory Princess." His parents asked me if I would take a picture with him. On their way out he gave me his artwork he drew and asked me, "can I have your number?" His dad was so embarresed, he didn't know what to say. I told him I didn't think my husband would like me to give my number out to other men. He didn't get it and asked the same question again, "can I have your number?" At this point his dad just said, "I am sorry, I promise I didn't teach him that" and tried to push him towards the exit. I found it a bit amusing, borderline awkward. It made work a little more entertaining today to say the least.

Halloween Fun

2007-10-24T20:38:00.001-07:00

We went to our ward Halloween party tonight. Zac was a pirate and I was a doctor. So orignal, I know. We kind of didn't really think about what to be until this afternoon. Zac actually went to Savers by himself and put his costume together. I was quite impressed.
Zac signed up to be on traffic control for parking at the church. I don't know, does anyone think that sounds a little wierd to have a person assigned to directing traffic at a ward function? When he told me, I started cracking up. I thought it was a joke. He didn't think it was strange at all. So he was worried he was late when we showed up at 6:40. As we drove into the church I noticed everyone seemed to be parking just fine with out him. Zac was oblivious, just focusing on getting to where he needed to be. He quickly parked the car and hurrued in. Sure enough he reported to the man in charge and he had no idea what Zac was talking about. He said they had the parking under control and they didn't need him. I think someone played a prank on him. Who would do that to my poor, willing husband? Whoever it was, kudos, it was pretty funny. So we had a great time watching all the kids in their costumes, eating hot dogs and getting cotton candy. I am starting to really enjoy this holiday.
Bottom line= Zac really will do anything you ask him to, no questions asked. I have to be careful not to take advantage of such a sweet characteristic.

Oops!!

2007-10-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

What would you have done?

So a man ordered a shot of Sherry at work, at the same time another man at another table ordered a shot of Brandy, (these are alcohol shots, not vaccinations for kids). I am sure you can guess what happened...I mixed the two up and gave them the wrong shots. What should I have done? Gone and told them I was sorry, but I made a mistake. What did I do? Said nothing and prayed neither of them would notice. Did they notice? No, I think they were too drunk at that point. I was lucky. This may be the only positive thing about drinking, it gives a lame waitress' like me a break. Moral of the story, don't drink. Moral of the story for me, be careful when serving alcohol.

Jack-O-Lantern

2007-10-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, Halloween is in just over two weeks. Is anyone out there as excited as I am? For some reason I was totally craving carving a pumpkin, so I went to WalMart and bought myself one. I brought it home and asked Zac if he wanted to help me make a Jack-O-Lantern. I was rejected by my own husband. He was stressed about studying. Not only do I not have kids to do this fun holiday tradition with, but no husband as well.
I got revenge though. I decided to freak Zac out since he was not being supportive of my enthusiasm. What did I do? I started talking to "our" imaginary kids. I started telling little "Morgan" what a great job she was doing and "Garrrett" to be careful with the knife. He thought I was losing it. I thought it was entertaining. It turned out to be a good time. If you look closely at the pumpkin's eyes, it has little tears in the corners. I told Zac I put them there because this pumpkin felt unloved. He felt really bad and then I felt bad because I was just kidding around. To make up for it he helped me take this awesome picture of the final product. I know it may be different than most you've seen out there. I like to be really creative with my carving.
Hands down best part of the experience=salty, roasted pumpkin seeds. YUM!
Oh yeah and making Zac think I was a psycho. So Fun.

Speak before you think...

2007-10-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

I know it is suppose to be "think before you speak", but I guess I get the two confused because I have had some pretty bad instances of sticking my foot in my mouth big time at work. Upon popular demand, here are a few examples:

#1 Picture with me if you will, a large group of 14 baseball players walk into Cheesecake Factory at the very end of my shift. They all order water and wont stop asking for bread. They share meals and ask for seperate checks. Am I happy? NO. I just want to go home and not stay another hour for this lame party. I overhear them talking about their drive back to Provo and put two and two together and think to ask if they are LDS. I wasn't necessarily shocked to hear they were indeed Mormon. In fact I spit out of my frustrated mouth with out thinking obviously, "Yeah, I figured you guys were Mormon. Mormons always order water and want lots of bread." Oops. That came across as really rude and I didn't really have it in me at that point to try to make it better. It gets better, turns out they know one of my really close friends from college. I am sure she will hear about how nice I was.

#2 A table of six African Americans, five vulumptuous middle-aged women and one older looking man. They are super loud, order a ton of drinks from the bar and are celebrating a birthday for the man at the table. The time comes when I get to sing Happy Birthday while delivering the cheesecake with a candle in it. I asked the women (who appeared to be his daughter) what her dad's name was so we could sing to him. With the exception of the gentleman, all five ladies start laughing histarically. So loud the entire restaurant was looking at the table. Turns out it was her husband. My bad. No matter how hard you try to get out of that one, you just can't.

#3. A booth for six with a pregnant lady and her husband sitting alone waiting for the others to arrive. I take a drink order and make small talk. I asked her when she was due. Before she could answer her mother came up behind me with a newborn in a carseat. Shoot, she already had the baby. I am not kidding, she still looked nine months pregnant. No, she looked 12 months pregnant. I felt really bad. She handled it well. I don't think her husband was very amused.

#4 As I am approaching the table I recognize the man as someone I just recently served. I say, "Hey, I just served you two the other day." They both looked up and I realized it was the same guy with a different girl. Obviously she knows she wasn'y just there the other day and he knows I remember him with another girl. AWKARD!! They were on a first date and I only made their nervous-ness even worse.

#5 If that's not enough here is one more. A girl, mid twenties, sitting at a table. She orders drinks for herself and for her "honey" she speaks of. I bring the drinks to the table and say, "here is your iced tea and a Coke for your husband." Just guess who creeps around the corner to this very table as I am saying this? Another women. They are totally lesbians.

So lets see if I've covered all the major issues people are easily offended over- religion, age, weight, dating and homosexuality. Yep, I've taken care of them all. Good to know nobody's perfect I guess.

The Cheesecake Factory may be a tedious job, but I am always entertained by my stupidity.