Doesn't he know I'm trying to study?

Russell and I realized something a couple nights ago. We hadn't gone to the grocery store in 14 days. And we still had food to eat. Sweet, huh? As I was making out my list I was thinking about meatless meals. I would like to try to get down to chicken once a week and red meat once a week. It seems like every meatless meal that we like is either a pasta dish or soup which I don't think is any more healthy. I feel like I'm in a little rut. I was looking at this website and I'm going to try to change my approach. Beans. Beans are going to change it all. I even opted for the dried ones instead of canned. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm trying one recipe this week. Keep an eye on my recipe blog for the recipe, I'll post it if it's any good. I'm also trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe after I get all my reading done for next week. I'm excited to see the difference the different types of flour make, you know, because of my flat cookie problem. Wish me luck!

So. I'm getting some rain boots for my birthday and I am pretty psyched.

One problem. I can't decide. Here are a few that I liked. Tell me what you would do.

As long as we're talking about shoes...

I'm seriously considering busting out my J.Crew credit card. Yikes.

Ah, to be blonde again. You can't tell from this picture but I am excited about it.

And if you look closely at my wedding ring finger, you can see where I was knifed by the decidedly improperly loaded steak knife.

I woke myself up last night talking in my sleep. Never a good thing. I think it was something about ants.

You know that part on High Fidelity when Rob (John Cusack) yells at Barry (Jack Black) about his music selection for the record store? He says he just wants something he can ignore. I was thinking about that because I have 9 chapters of a textbook to read before class next week and it is not possible for me to listen to music with words while I read. I always end up singing along. Always. I wish I could find something I could ignore. It's going to be a long, quiet 9 chapters.

Random but I've got a question for you. When you load the silverwear in the dishwasher, does it go fork prongs up or fork prongs down? I've always said prongs up. Russell, prongs down. I guess it grosses me out a little because our dishwasher came with our house and the basket is all stabbed and jaggedy because of someone else's silverwear. And then. Yesterday morning, I was stabbed by one of the steak knives Russell got for Christmas. I think I might have to convert to prongs (or sharp points) down...

You want it, you got it. I managed to find another dress to wear my boots with AND I got a picture. What?! It snowed again. I swear. You know why (and this is how you'll know I'm not lying)? I got a car wash on Saturday. I got the shiny tire stuff and everything. 

The same old stuff is going on around here. School starts next week and I've been having all these crazy dreams about it. In the first dream I got to class and realized that I didn't have my book, in fact I didn't have any books at all. Ooh, that one was bad. The second dream was weirder. I got to class and I recognized my teacher. It was Dr. Dina Titus, she was my political science professor at UNLV and the Nevada State Senate Minority Leader. I went up and told her that I just saw her on the news the night before, standing behind Hillary Clinton (I really did). Anyway, then I go sit down and I notice that the student sitting next to me has a different book than I do. I keep looking and see that everyone has a different book. Anyone noticing a theme here? 

Russell and I have just been introduced to the time-suck that is catching up on Lost. We're almost done with the first season. Holy crap, it's good. Way better than any of you guys told me. I could have been watching all along but then again, there is something to be said for not having to wait an entire week to find out what happens next. We're going over to the Winget's tonight for Sunday dinner so I'm hoping I'll be able to talk Russell into staying up late so we can put away season 1 (5 episodes is totally doable). Wish me luck. 

Sorry for all the slacker posts lately. Not a lot has been going on around here. Just getting ready for school to start and trying to get that all sorted out. I have the day off tomorrow and I'm trying to decide what to do. I made an appointment to get my hair done next week and I'm excited. I'm going blonde again.

We started watching Lost this week. Holy 24 episodes in the first season! This is going to take forever. Anybody wanna bet whether we'll be caught up before the 4th season starts at the end of the month?

This commercial made me laugh right out loud. I love it when they show the guy on the kitchen floor.

This video reminded me of Christmas breakfast at the Dukes. There was a lot of bacon. Good thing I wasn't alone with that bacon.

Tonight, out of nowhere Russell said, "there's a big fat crazy picture of New York!" I laughed.

Do you think it's wrong to walk around a little bookshop for 45 minutes and write down all the titles of the books you would like to read so that you can check them out from the library later? I feel guilty. It's the coolest little bookstore, and Dylan, you better hope we get your name again next year because we found the most awesome Star Wars pop-up book ever.

We went to Squeezers for lunch (Russ was right, it is better than Fatburger) and we saw Sweeney Todd (I'd call it a rental). All in all, I'd say a good day off.

Also, Mucinex is a miracle drug. Call me if you want some more graphic details.

When I was a little girl, my Mom taught me how to wrap up a baby. She told me that they like it when you wrap them up really tight. When I'm at church and I see all these little babies with their legs dangling all over the place, out in the cold,  I get this urge to go over and wrap them up tight. I resist the urge in case you were wondering.

I thought of something today. I am thankful to have a full basement instead of a crawl space. I have heard some scary satellite installation/wiring stories lately. They involve animals.

I am also thankful to have cowboy boots. I wore them to church today. Oh, yes I did. (What?! It snowed, okay?!) 

Happy New Year! It's 2008 and I think 2008 is going to be a most excellent year. No reason in particular, it's just a hunch. After Christmastime I start thinking about resolutions but I never actually commit to a resolution come the new year.
Zach, Steph, Russ and I went to the buffet at Bally's with Gramps and when I saw this Jubilee poster, I resolved to do whatever I need to do to get my stomach flat like that girl's. While I was sweeping up the kitchen today I thought maybe it would be wiser to resolve just to sweep the kitchen everyday.

I just thought of something. In a few short weeks this blog is (hopefully) going to be a lot more interesting. I start my clinicals on January 22nd and I am so excited. I can't wait to get my scrubs even though they will probably be the most obnoxious blue and orange Boise State colors. That is how excited I am. I don't even care that I am going to have to wear electric orange.

I am subbing for the Sunbeam class this Sunday and the Primary prez said I can pick my lesson. I'm doing "I'm Thankful for My Home" and I am so setting up the tent in the classroom. How psyched will these little kids be?

A girl at church is starting a book club. The first book is Princess Academy. I picked it up at the library today. Anyone heard? Is it any good? Holla (whoa, was I hanging out with Bride all week last week or what?)

I park behind my house next to our little garage so I don't usually have to drive by the front but lately if it's dark and my Christmas lights are on, I will take a little detour so I can admire them.

It's totally almost Christmas.

Russ and I went to the movies last night and when we got home, Otis was acting all weasel-y like he did something naughty. Before we got in the door I wondered what he could have gotten into, I took out the garbage before we left. That dog ate 6 of my delicious corn muffins. 6! I'm still mad at him.

Did you know that cornbread is a very hotly debated topic of conversation in some circles? I learned that today because I have been looking for a good cornbread recipe and in the last few months I have tried a couple different recipes. I didn't like them. Not sweet enough. That is what the debate is about - sweet or not sweet. When I was younger my Mom would make corn muffins and I would wake up in the morning and have one for breakfast. Ooh, heated up in the microwave so the butter melts. Delish. Anyway, I think today I finally found the recipe. I made a couple changes (oil? heck no we're using butter!) and it turned out yummy. Here it is:

1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. corn meal
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. melted butter
Combine dry ingredients, then add wet and mix until just combined. Scoop into greased or lined muffin tin and bake in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes.

Also, if you haven't tried that cranberry Sierra Mist, do yourself a favor and go to the store pronto. It is so good!

My final is 250 points out of a total possible 750. That's a pretty big chunk. The up side - it's open note. Right now I am working on a table of contents for those notes. It is 120 questions and we have 2 hours. What do you think? Ace-able, right? Totally.

My lab is already over and so I had the whole day off on Tuesday. I made a fruit tart, chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter squares. It totally feels like Christmas now. The snow helps a little, too.

I know this is random but have you seen the commercial for this yet? Dyson made a hand dryer - like for a public bathroom. A long time ago I learned somewhere that those old hand dryers put tons of bacteria back onto your hands. I never use them. They gross me out. If I happened to own a business that had a public bathroom I would totally invest.
I want a Dyson. Bad.

"He's got a man-cold."

Just watch it...

Sorry it's been a while. It is the end of the semester - cut me some slack will you?! (You know it's bad when you almost spell cut with a k)

I have not done any Christmas shopping. That is very bad. It's going to be a couple crazy weeks. I can't wait to get to Vegas.

I'm in class right now and I am having trouble concentrating. I better go...

P.S. I made a "practice" batch of cinnamon rolls this morning. We better take a vote - should I use whole wheat or white flour?

Also, if you want to know all there is to know about the fam, read this post and string of comments.

Now that it is starting to get cold here in Boise (it was colder here than it was in New York for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and that seems wrong to me) I have decided to periodically post "Reasons why it is awesome to live where it is cold."

Reason why it is awesome to live where it is cold #1: You don't have to hog up any fridge space with soda, you can just leave it outside.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We ate Thanksgiving lunch in our pajamas. Ah, heaven.

I don't know if you know Chanel, I don't really know her, but I love her. She makes me feel better about blogging about nothing. Thank you, Chanel.


Thanksgiving is pretty crazy when you work at a bakery. It reminds me of a line in Small Time Crooks, "People are up there demanding cookies all the time." We worked last night to try to get all the Thanksgiving roll orders filled and then we baked our regular bread this morning. It's a whole lotta bread. Anyway, I started (and stopped) my Thanksgiving prep on Sunday after I cut up this loaf of bread for stuffing (sorry, Mom - I opted for the bread stuffing). I haven't done anything else since. Today is my day. I made cranberry sauce, some Outback spicy ranch dip and cut up all the veggies for my stuffing and turkey. I have pie dough chilling in the fridge and I'll be working on a pumpkin pie for Russ as soon as I'm done posting this. We are staying in Boise for Thanksgiving so it's just going to be Russ and I but I'm sort of glad because it's really my first Thanksgiving dinner. While I was still in Vegas and before we got married I cooked a turkey, you know, so I could enjoy the leftovers. I cooked the turkey with that plastic bag of all the guts still inside. Mom told me not to eat it. What a waste. This year should be better.


Have you ever seen these in your grocery store? If you have, you have to buy them! They are so good. I love it because they are so easy to peel and you don't get a lot of that gross white stuff leftover and they are seedless. All around good. Well, I think they are a little expensive but I swear they are worth it.

I don't know if it's like this for everyone, but today, after I went to the grocery store and to T.J. Maxx Home Goods (aka the most awesome store ever), I got home and looked at the bags in my trunk and it totally felt like Christmas! I got so excited about it I had to take a picture.

I bought this cool wreath and was so excited to hang it on my front door. They had a kelly green one that I really liked better but I think the red is more festive.

I planned my Thanksgiving menu and got the shopping trip out of the way. I don't have any classes to go to the whole week of Thanksgiving. I wasn't quite sure what I would do with myself but now I know. I'm going to bake. Any suggestions? I'm not going to send you any but I will most definitely enjoy it on your behalf. I'm just good that way.

Not a whole lot going on around here. Just like usual. We had the Wingets over for dinner on Thursday night. They live in Eagle and they still hadn't seen our house. It was fun and I bought two new games to play with them and we didn't even play! Russell finally had a day off on Saturday - to me it seems like it's been a while - so we played, just the two of us. In A Pickle and Hit the Deck. I am so bringing these home with me come Christmas time. Hit the Deck is pretty much just like Uno except there is a "hit the deck" card and the last person with their hand on the deck has to draw 4 cards. There is actually a warning in the directions to take off your jewelry. That could be some serious fun with a big group, don't you think?

Anyway, we ate some more venison and I posted the recipe (and a few others) on my recipe blog here.

Winter is totally almost here and I can tell because the squirrels are starting to get really fat. I'm actually kind of anxious for winter to get here even though I know about a month into it I'll be ready for it to be over. That's just the way it goes I guess.

I am an old lady.

Yesterday, I honked at a kid for running the stop sign right by my house.

Old.

I swear nothing interesting is going on here! We are so boring it is ridiculous. Every Monday I go to work and everyone asks, "hey, what did you do this weekend?" I got nothin'. One week, maybe two, no big deal but I've been there for five Mondays now and it's the same thing every time. Sad. Totally sad.

Anyway, Russell got to take a couple days off and he went hunting with his Dad. They didn't get anything. He had one day left to fill his tag and at the last minute he decided to go with a guy from work. They came home with a deer. I didn't actually see the deer. Whole. This is what my freezer looks like though. I was really worried because I've never had deer before and I cannot waste anything (cheapest person alive) so I just kept thinking about having to cook and eat all this meat that I don't like. We had some on Saturday night - I made a roast, lots of garlic - it was pretty good. Different but not bad.



Not much else going on. I got a 92 on my last Micro test which I was pretty psyched about. I bought a celebratory new set of silverware and a drawer organizer. That was fun. Russell had to go to Idaho Falls for work on Sunday and he'll be gone for a few days. It's colder there so I'm feeling a little bit bad for him right now. It is getting down to freezing temperatures at night now so it was time to pick all the tomatoes. This is what we have now. Hopefully most of them will ripen on the counter but I'm not sure. We'll be planting much earlier next year.

I started listening to Christmas music this week. I can't wait to go home and watch White Christmas. By the way Bride, I know you jacked that DVD from me...

You know it's time to turn the heat up a few notches when your dog starts shivering while he's laying on the couch in the middle of the day. Don't feel bad for him.

Russell has been cracking me up about Halloween. He was so excited for it this year. We went Halloween decoration shopping and we got a few things. We didn't go all out and make the yard a cemetery and now I'm glad. Guess how many trick or treaters we got. 3. 3! I was bummed and now I have a buttload of candy in my house. This is bad.

I'm updating the recipe blog right... now.

For you Dad.

Russell raked the leaves.
I jumped in the leaves.

It is only 11:30 in the morning. Let me tell you about today so far. I went early this morning to buy dog food and also a rake. I left my wallet, phone, checkbook and everything in the cart that I so dutifully returned to the "cart corral" BUT I didn't realize it until I got all the way home and wanted to leave for class. So, back to the store. Luckily, everything was still in my cart in the parking lot. Next, it's going to be almost 70 today so I wanted to ride my bike. Last week I bought new tubes for my tires because I rode through the desert and there were thorns all stuck in them (man, did I get hassled for that). Russell put the tubes in for me last week and this morning I walked down to the gas station to air them up - this morning. I must have still had thorns in there somewhere because the green slime started shooting out. Hey, that's what the slime is for, right? Fill up those little holes? I took a gamble and I won. I made it all the way to school for the last 10 minutes of my lab. Of course, the tire is completely flat now. I wonder if I can take the bus home...

Is there any more delightful treat combination than chocolate and peanut butter? I think not. I went to the grocery store late this week so I'm not done trying each recipe but I haven't posted any desserts in a long time so this one is for all the Lunn sisters - Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Trust me, it's restaurant quality.

This is bad. It's going to be a very long winter. We've had two, count 'em, two days of winter-like weather and I'm already ready for it to be done. I've been unprepared - that's the problem. If I had dressed a little bit more warmly the last couple days I probably (probably) wouldn't be complaining. It rained all day long today. Cold rain.

I had to take a picture of my yard today. The leaves are starting to fall off our tree in the front. I have to go out and buy a rake tomorrow. Can you see my pumpkins on the porch? Some lady grew those on her little farm in Nampa. That's the same lady I got all the delish apples from.

Halloween is just around the corner and we still haven't planned the front yard decorations. I want to set it all up like a cemetery and then get Russell to hide in the dark and scare the kids. I think it would be so much fun! I could sit on the porch and drink hot chocolate and hand out candy. It's getting close though, and the closer it gets the less likely it seems that we'll do it.

How mean are we? Halloween is coming up...

A quote from my Relief Society lesson today that really stood out to me:

"We want our women to be well educated, for children may not recover from the ignorance of their mothers"

It is our responsibility to raise our children and we have to know and realize that our children pick up not only on the things that we purposefully aim to teach them but every other belief and value that we have. I just thought it was a really good quote and I feel encouraged. Encouraged, not just to get through school and finish my formal education, but also to broaden my horizons and go experience different things, cultures, everything - to make sure that I have the most broad perspective so that I can be a good mom and teacher to my future kids. You better go read the quote again - that's a much better point to end on.

Oh, and I updated my recipe blog, too.

I also got my hair trimmed last night. Don't you love that?

And I felt like you needed a thumbs up.

I love my dog and everything but I HATE picking up dog poop. I thought the chore would get better once we had a house with a yard. Nope. It's worse. We wait until there is so much poop back there that a run in is a matter of certainty. We could make it a little game and Russell and I will trade off. See how long you can wait to pick up the poop. If Otis steps in some and tracks it all over the house, you lose AND you have to clean it up AND pick up the backyard AND give me a foot rub (notice the confidence with which I can say "give me a foot rub" - that's on purpose - I don't lose). It's an extra gamble around this time too because he's running all over chasing the squirrels. When he's not chasing squirrels, he usually pays attention to where he's stepping, I mean, would you want to step in that in your bare feet? I didn't think so.

You know what else, I've picked up the poop the last 4 times and that's not fair. And yes, I keep track of that.

There is absolutely nothing going on around here. Yesterday was the most beautiful day ever and today - raining. It's alright with me though because it's 3:00 and I'm done with work and school for the day and I'm takin' a nap.

Russell has to stay overnight in Twin Falls because they have more jobs than they can finish in one day. Lucky for him we didn't get any Netflix because he would totally be missing out if we did.

Also, I watched Small Time Crooks again yesterday. It's even funnier now that I work at a bakery. Today when I was mixing a dough, the mixer made the worst noise ever and I said, "It's the cookie press, needs oil" and then laughed my head off. If you haven't seen it, go. Now.

Russell took us to a pumpkin patch on Friday after work. We went to 2 different places. Little ranches really. I bought some butternut squash at the first one - I'm trying a new butternut squash recipe this week. The second place we stopped had apples! A bucket was $3. Russell knew I wouldn't be able to resist. We bought a bucket of Ida Rose. They are so delicious. We went from this:

to this:

I peeled a few too many apples and I couldn't bear to waste them so I made applesauce, too. I've never made applesauce before and I did look up a recipe but I kind of winged it and it turned out dang good. I had it for breakfast this morning. I wish you were here, Bride.

I also added last week's menu to my recipe blog.

I'm working on updating my recipe blog right now...

Also. I saw a bumper sticker today that said "Come to the dark side. We have cookies." It made me laugh.

Today. What a lovely day. Actually, it was overcast and rainy but I didn't let that spoil the fun. I went to work. At Great Harvest. I learned how to mix doughs and run the oven. I'm still a little worried about wrecking or burning something. I do it at home all the time, why should I think it will be any different just because I'm getting paid. Damn this ADD. Then I went home and studied, went to school and took my test, went to the Rec center at school and then back home. This is when the good part starts. Every show that I missed this week because I was studying so diligently, was posted online in its entirety by the network on which each happens to air. How lucky am I?! NBC never posts full episodes of The Office. What did we ever do before the internet was around? I just don't know...

On Thursday Russell and Paola and I went to the BSU game. Here's Paola & I in front of the smurf turf. That's what they like to call it here.

Also, in case you think Paola being here has cured me of the ridiculous (unhealthy) amount of guilt that I feel for leaving Otis at home for an extended period of time - check this picture out.

Tell me you wouldn't feel the same.

My bad. That last post was a downer. Let me give you four, no, six things that are going to make today (and the next few days) totally awesome.

1. As of 5:00pm tonight, I will no longer be an employee of the State of Idaho.

2. On my last day there is an Employee Appreciation BBQ. I'm having a hot dog and a Pepsi (which I never get to have because Russell prefers Coke and he always gets his way).

3. We got student tickets to the BSU football game on Thursday night which means we won't be going in November which means that we won't be freezing our butts off the way we did last year. All good things.

4. I have three very ripe bananas on my counter at home waiting to be magically transformed into a delicious batch of banana bread.

5. I made a devil's food cake with vanilla buttercream frosting last night. I woke up in the middle of the night last night and ate a piece.

6. After my test on Friday, I'm adding some recipes to my recipe blog and putting the link back up.

I'm feeling... stressed. Lots of reasons. I'm hoping if I list it all out, it won't seem quite so overwhelming. I have a test on Friday in Microbiology. It covers 11 chapters and in class yesterday, my teacher kept saying, "you should know this for the test" and I didn't know it. That never feels good. I've been fighting with Sprint about our cell phones for months now. I refuse to call and be put on hold one more time. Instead, I've e-mailed back and forth about 40 times with some kid who refuses (after I've asked 5 times now) to refer me to his supervisor. I think we're going to be stuck with Sprint for another 2 years and that makes me angry. Russell's last job went terribly, terribly wrong (I won't bore you with the details, by now you know what kind of story teller I am) and I'm pretty sure he's going to get stiffed for his last three weeks of work. Ouch. That's all I'm going to say. My last day working for the state is tomorrow. I am really excited but I'm also a little nervous about starting at Great Harvest. I worked there before in Vegas but I'm going to be a baker now and I'm worried about messing up. Butter is expensive, you know? So, I guess that's really only four things - it seemed like a lot more. I'm still stressed.

I've been doing a really good job, I mean a really good job staying strong. I've been growing out my hair and I have seriously been committed to getting it all back to my normal (natural) color. Unfortunately, this past week I have been wavering ever so slightly. Today, I went for the first "trick yourself into thinking it's something different" move. Switch the part. One problem with that. This dang cowlick! It makes me mad. Anyone have any suggestions for more "trick yourself" moves because I'm considering bleach or a very drastic (short) haircut right about now.

When Russell and I first moved into our house, we noticed one of our neighbors in particular. He was working on what looked like an addition on his house or a garage or something like that. This neighbor happens to wear a tank top with a kilt and work boots every day. EVERY DAY. A kilt. I've been interested in meeting this neighbor for awhile now. I want to know the story, you know? Last week I pulled up to the front of the house and there was a dead bird in the street and I was thinking to myself about how crappy it was going to be to clean that up and I was sure that it was my responsibility since it was right in front of my house. Guess what, as I walked up to the front door, the kilt neighbor came and picked up the dead bird. Yes! Not only do I get out of having to pick up the dead bird, I now have an excuse to bring a little treat over to his house so I can introduce myself. That's not all, okay. I came to work and I was telling everyone about him and one lady, Carolyn, knows the guy! She plays the bagpipes and is on the game committee for the Highland Games here in Boise. He does "heavy" athletics which I think means that he throws heavy rocks and stuff. I'm hoping to do a little baking this weekend - I'll be sure to let you know if I get any new information.

What do you think when you look at this picture?

It makes me laugh.

A hilarious string of comments on my sister Melissa's blog got me thinking. All you have to do to get someone blogging is talk crap about them. The mere threat that someone could be talking about you would be enough to get you looking and if they actually were talking about you, you would have to at least start a profile so that you could respond. Just thinking out loud here...

Russell started a new game with Otis yesterday. Hide & go seek. He would make Otis go and sit on his bed in the other room, then he would hide his Kong (the only toy Otis has had that he hasn't been able to destroy completely). Then he yells, "Come & find it, Otis." Otis runs in and he's sniffing like CRAZY to try to find his toy. He found it every time. I think dogs are naughty when they don't have any work to do so we're looking for a job for Otis. Rescue dog at Bogus Basin, probably not. My Mom used to always joke that she wished Seamus knew "go get me a Diet Coke." I think we'll work on teaching him the "put this in the garbage" command and then go from there.

I think Paola has been dying to go to the mall since she got here. Every time we drove past Cole Road she would say, "the mall is on Cole Road." Typically, Russell and I avoid the one mall in Boise at all costs but I went today just for Paola. Well, it started out just for Paola. The last time I went to the mall I walked by Ann Taylor which is not a store I usually go in to but I saw this dress in the front window. This is the only picture on the website and you can't see it at all. It is pleated in the front, it doesn't come with that belt and it is a little bit longer on me. You may be asking how I'm so sure about the length. Today I went in and found the dress (no longer displayed in the front window) and tried it on and then bought it. It was marked down $48 and (even though it was still more than I would typically consider spending on a dress) I couldn't pass it up. When I went to Wicks n' Sticks and my Macintosh candles were buy one get one 50% off, I took it as a sign. I can't wait for church tomorrow.

Paola always tells me that she can't wait for me to have a baby. Last night she said that she'd bet that my Mom can't wait either, you know, because I'm my Mom's oldest. We talked about it for a long time and I told her that isn't the way our family works. It never has been. Paola's Dad has other kids that Paola doesn't know. I can't imagine not knowing my older brother and sisters or them not knowing me. Remember in elementary school at the beginning of the year when you would have to write a paragraph about yourself, like an introduction? I always wrote that I was the fifth out of eight kids in my family. I think I usually listed names, too (makes the paragraph look good and long). It was very defining while I was little and growing up. Other families don't see things the same way and while that is sad to me, it makes me feel so grateful that my parents made a point to make sure that we knew (and know) that we have a big family. So thanks Mom and Dad...

I gave my 2 weeks notice to the State of Idaho yesterday. This is the post-it note that was attached to my mail this morning. They are really cracking me up. Acting all sad - two of the ladies sang me a song, something about being blue because I'm through. It was funny. I'm going to work at Great Harvest. The owner is opening another location and needs a lot of help. I'm excited about it. I'll be able to work a little less and read my stupid Microbiology textbook more.

This stuff is awesome! My hair is so smooth & shiny. Good thing Paola is here to introduce me to new hair products... Try it! (if you're wondering if I'm getting paid for this, I'm not)

This weekend was so nice. The weather is starting to cool off. Fast. I left my windows open all day on Saturday and Paola kept asking me if I was cold. After about the fifth time I went and looked at the temperature - 67. I pulled all the weeds out of our garden and Otis busied himself chasing the squirrels. This is his usual move. It makes me laugh. I don't know if you can see this, it's a little blurry but there is Otis' little squirrel friend. They run away from him but as soon as they are out of Otis' reach, they turn around and squeak.


I've been wanting to take a picture of our backyard tree and Russell reminded me that I better get to it before all the leaves fall. Look how huge this thing is! Paola says she never has any idea what time it is because her windows are always shaded.

Can someone buy these for me, please? Thank you. (thanks a lot, Bridge)

I can't believe it's September. They shut off our irrigation already. Do you know what that means? It means fall is almost here. Either that or we live in the high desert and it didn't rain enough but whatever - fall is coming! This weekend I'll be making my way over to the Hallmark store so I can buy myself as many Macintosh Apple scented candles as I can carry. I love the fall. That reminds me, I have to take a picture of the giant tree in our backyard before all the leaves fall off - it's huge. It's going to be a huge chore! Good thing we've got Paola around...

It's been awhile since I posted a new Russell/Otis picture. I thought it was funny that Otis had his arm (leg, whatever) wrapped around Russell. As if you didn't already know, Russell covered up his face on purpose.

I feel like a had a really busy weekend. A friend that I worked with at the Cardiologists' office in Vegas came to visit and Paola and I showed her around Boise a little tiny bit. Mostly we went to the Saturday market and we floated down the Boise River. That second thing was pretty fun. This picture is Paola trying to catch up to me. There were a few little dips and it was a little freaky being able to hear the water get fast up ahead. It was fun.

I've been meaning to take a picture of the side of this building for a long time. Paola took care of that for me this weekend. Random sights of Boise, I guess. Not quite as hilarious as Smokin' you know what in Vegas but whatever. I think it's an art studio - not totally sure.