hahahahahahaha

Jason just sent me a link to this photo. I laughed merrily.

Happy Valentimes

I spent the holiday away for the long weekend--went to Colorado to visit my sister again and her family. It was so fun! My bro had not seen them since he got home from his mission, so we took a little road trip! It was good times. I have a lot of healthy respect for my brother, and it was so good to see K&J and play palisades with them and play the monster game with the kids. :) They are so fun!

When I got home late last night after braving the snow and ice of Wyoming roads, I had a lovely spray of flowers waiting for me on the coffee table, as well as a video queued up which Jason had made for me. He is adorable. He has put the video on his blog which you can view here if you are interested. I basically just sat there and cried. How did I end up with the best husband ever? I think it was pure luck, blessings, and a whole lot of you people talking me out of running from the best thing that has happened to me. Thanks, peeps, for helping me have the courage to take a chance on the Jason: he consistently exceeds my expectations. I am amazed and feel very, very blessed. I don't know how long he and I have to spend together in this little mortal existence, but I feel very lucky for every day.

p.s. If you can't get the video to work, keep trying. Apparently it works sometimes if you just keep at it.

p.p.s. The song is called "I Love You Anyway" by Jason's friend Jarrett Burns, a singer/songwriter whose album Jason is working on mixing and producing. Jarrett wrote this song and sang it with Debra Fotheringham. I love all of his work so I'll definitely let y'all know when the album is done. xoxo

week 3 of unemployment

Well hello there folks. Here I am at 12:21am, blogging away whilst Jason finishes his paper. He has to finish it tonight because there is no time tomorrow, and tomorrow it is due. I am watching Waking Ned Divine. It's kindof a quirky movie. Ah, the Irish.

So it is the 3rd official week of my unemployment and it has been going well. I am enjoying seeing the sunshine in the mornings, reading for fun again, and organizing my household, as well a bit of online tv. I can't resist Biggest Loser and Extreme Home Makeover, what can I say? Today I watched about a house they gave to a teacher who has cancer. I cried. Americans are good. Sometimes a little too generous in my opinion, which paves the way for entitlement, but that's another topic for another day.

How's about some fotos? I don't have 'em of my little casa yet because I haven't put the books on the bookshelf and rehung the photos, and I'm embarrassed to put up fotos of empty bookshelves. Ha. Now that I've admitted that, I may as well post them. Soon, my pretties. Instead, here's one of my most recent hair cut and color. I love bangs. They keep me warm. And so does that sweet $10 fleece I'm wearing. I love Old Navy outlets. And wearing fleece so that I can turn the furnace down. Jason thinks I'm a stickler but I just tell him to put on a sweater. Haha, I'm such a penny pincher... sometimes.


Here's another foto... since I find myself jobless these days, I like to cook for the Jason. And for me! Here we are inventing a stir fry. It had way too much cayenne but just the right amount of blackberry jelly (thanks Mom) and pineapple and yummy vegetables. Ahhh, good food. I may or may not have gained 5 pounds since I have become unemployed. Of course that may or may not be pure muscle, since Jason and I have also been doing P90X. We are basically pure muscle now.


Please notice Harry Potter on the counter. Yes, I am reading again! My goal for 2010 was to read 10 books. I know, it's an embarrassingly small number. I am much more of a doer than a reader, which is why I used to subscribe to audiobooks back in the day--I can get my cleaning/workout/organizing/errands done while also educating myself. But this year it's pure reading, my friends, and the Old Testament is on the list, so I thought 10 was plenty ambitious.

Tomorrow to celebrate unemployment I am going to go find out some more about substitute teaching, since I have considered this teaching gig for years, and having lunch with an old college friend, and making dinner for an elderly lady in my new ward. It is sweet to have more time. Soon I will get another real job and perhaps have something respectable to answer when folks ask me how the job search is going, but for now, I'm cooking and cleaning and organizing and visiting and trying to help out where I can, and I feel like life is good.

xoxo
Laura

p.s. Sorry for the length. It is past midnight, which means I wax loquacious.

worst blogger ever, but... improving?

So I got this anonymous comment on my blog that reads,

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

What the what? I think my desire to blog for a while was curtailed due to the anonymous critics. My blog is getting more creative and original now? I guess I am being more open now, and also Jason is in my life, which engenders creativity and originality, but still! What a weird comment.

In other news, I have been reprimanded by my sister for not posting photos of our very stellar January vacation to see her. She is right! I have not posted! I here repent.

Behold the cutest kids EVER and the good times we had in Colorado! Thanks K&J for letting us visit for the weekend!

I think I will blackmail the children with these photos someday.... and maybe Jason too. Doesn't he make the most adorable tropical reindeer princess? Hahaha, oh, how I love that man.

I don't cook.

But maybe someday I will, and maybe you people who do cook will find this link useful--20 top recipes from my favorite magazine. Enjoy!

As for me, I'm condemned to my oatmeal diet due to my consumption of far too much tasty food this Christmas.... :)

Photos of our new digs

Well hi! Welcome to our new condo! Would you like a tour? Please follow me....

Merry Christmas, Darlings. Come visit soon. The heat is turned on now. :)

xoxo
Laura

p.s. Yes, Spare Oom is still a raging disaster. It will be tackled soon.
p.p.s. Yes, the sound system was still the first thing to be fully functional. Jason is Jason.

just another friday night at home

The holiday season is also the season where Jason works weekends, so I find myself with extra time to meditate. This is probably good. Random assortment of thoughts:

• It was 8:30pm, and then, two minutes later, I looked at the clock again, and it was 9:30pm. What? Laundry still at my feet, not folded, workout clothes still on my bed, not worn. Sigh. The internet sucks my life away.
  
• Tomorrow my flag football team has its first (and, if won, second) tournament playoff game(s)! Oh how excited I am! This past few weeks of playing has revealed to me not only my inherent competitiveness (thank you, Grandma R), but also the importance of finding something to do outside that is fun when the days become shorter. Also I have increased sympathy for the football players I used to yell at through the screen for dropping the ball. Sometimes you just screw up. You learn from it and life goes on.
• Why is it that I can only seem to grow out my fingernails during football season?
• My coworkers and I are doing the 100 pushup challenge. It is kindof hard. I am a wimp.
• Sometimes, I don't like my job. Sometimes I really do like it. I guess this is normal.
  
• A girl at a ward we went to last week told us how she reads the Book of Mormon daily and with it keeps a journal thing which she calls her "Book of Change." She reads and studies and then after/during, she writes at least one thing that day that she will change. After reading, she asks herself the question, "Because of what I have learned today, what can I change to better follow the Christ?" or something to that effect. I loved this idea. I shall begin.
• I kidnapped Jason last weekend and we went up to Midway and Park City. It was so fun. We ate food, we cycled around, we shopped a bit, we talked a bunch, we kicked up leaves, we looked at tons of stars, we soaked in the hot tub, we slept in. Ahhh. It was perfect. I think this may be a yearly tradition just to give the poor Jasonius a break from his crazy schedule. He works hard at both work and school and both are requiring lots of his time lately... poor dude. Doesn't stop him from putting away the dishes and folding the laundry though (two of my most hated chores, hence the pile still at my feet), even when I gave him strict instructions to not do housework because he's not got the time. Too bad for me he's disobedient. :)
  
• We move on Thanksgiving weekend to the condo! Hopefully. Appraisal expected Mondee or Tuesdee. Hopefully. Sigh, why is patience so hard? ha.
• Someday, I want to be good at growing plants. I think I can learn.
• I also want to be good at acquiring free appliances, like washers. The condo's washing machine conveniently broke 2 weeks before move in date. Ah well.
• If you could meet one person from history, who would it be? I might choose Abigail Adams. I think she was a champion.
• Which is better, buying a couch on craigslist or getting it on the cheaps at the RC willey outlet?
  
• On our way home from the romantical kidnapping weekend, Jason and I had a big fight. Haha, what a way to end the romantic weekend eh? Driving down the canyon and we're not speaking to each other. Fabulous. It was about unmet expectations (which were uncommunicated, because they weren't realized...bound to happen. of course they were mine.) which led to frustration. Folks, don't discuss important questions over instant messaging and email. This is no good. Lesson learned, life goes on.
• Apparently I have an issue with feeling like I'm not in control of things. Hahaha, yeah. I do.
• As I get older, I find that I think more often before I speak. However, this is not always the case. My immediate reaction to something my coworker said the other day was, "That's dumb." Wow, I am awesome at positive reinforcement!
  
• I'm real glad for the Atonement.
• ...And the time of year to remember it! Yay for Christmas! And pandora.com because I can listen to Bing and Ella and Perry Como all day and not pay a dime. I still love technology.
• Sometimes people I care a lot about are going through really hard times, and I don't know about it. Today was one of those days where I found out about really hard times going on in the life of a friend. Life is hard sometimes. I think it's meant to be that way, but oh how much we need each other. I need you people.
  
• Sometimes I have some hard times, and I don't really tell anybody about it. I'm glad for folks that point me to lasting sources of strength. Thanks, dudes.

End random assortment of thoughts. The Jason returneth. He has a surprise. I hope it's a puppy.

postscript: It's not a puppy. It's a cd with MP3s of General Conference. Just as good.

sisters weekend

A photo tribute. This was in September and so fun. Thanks for coming, Kristen! Thanks for journeying up from Provo, Melissa! I loved it. We watched dancing, we ate some foods, we chatted away, we enjoyed flicks, we bonded. Can't wait for the 2011 repeat.

We walked to Temple Square.

We listened to the MoTabs. Kristen is cute!

In reverse birth order.

We celebrated Melissa's birfday! Her tongue is dangerously close to those raspberries...
Jason's violent tendencies rear their ugly heads. Again.

We are kindof adorable.

Melissa and Ammon get all esnuggly.
(sorry A, couldn't find the accent marks on the macbook. poo.)

And just for funsies, this is my new shower hat. I think it's attractive.

More photos to come now that I've located them finally on J's computer!

xoxo
Laura

p.s. I loved President Uchtdorf's words this eventide. Jason and I have a new tradition of commenting on what was amazing about our day. Amazing today was having my own personal prayers and loneliness answered and filled by the Spirit as an Apostle of the Lord spoke. What was amazing for you this weekend?

don't you want to be my friend this Christmas?

Jason can usually get me a ticket or two or three to the Christmas concert put on by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. This year's guests are going to be amazing.

Who's coming to visit?

rights and responsibility

I discovered this quote today on a friend's blog. I thought it timely while also timeless.

"But this nation was not found solely on the principle of citizen's rights. Equally important, though too often not discussed is citizen's responsibility. For our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibilities. Each can be neglected only at the peril of the other."

Pres John F. Kennedy
Nashville, TN
May 18, 1963