1/31/09
Mark and I have to speak in church next Sunday. (Plus they called us to teach in Primary--Madelyn's CTR 5 class. Fantastic.) Anyhoo, we're supposed to talk about marriage, love, and having healthy relationships. Sooo... we are wanting little nuggets of wisdom from you all about the subject so that we won't have to spend long hours researching it ourselves. You can give us examples of what does and doesn't work. For instance:
Flowers on anniversary=good
Moving across several state lines on anniversary=bad
Socks on floor=bad
Doing the dishes=good!
cranky=bad
cookies=good
...You get the idea. So let's hear all your advice! C'mon and give us something juicy. We want these talks to be good.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sugar Plum Fairy, eat your heart out!
1/29/09Madelyn has excellent build and form to be a ballerina (look at those pointed toes! Gorgeous!), but when I tried to get her to turn out her legs from the hip while she was doing an arabesque, she kept falling over. Sooo, formal lessons might have to wait a while, but for now she is enjoying dancing freestyle.
PS. She is supposed to be the fairy "Silvermist" from the Tinkerbell movie.
PPS. Why do we ALWAYS forget that Thursdays are trash days around here? We forgot to take our bin to the curb yet again, and since the truck comes at 5:45am, it's not like we have time to do it in the morning. We just wake up to the sound of the neighbors getting their trash picked up, and lie in bed going, "What's all that racket?? OH......"
Sunday, January 25, 2009
550 things I must be missing out on...
1/25/09
I feel so out of the loop! I just got done reading through the list of the 2009 Grammy award nominees. There are 110 categories with five nominees each. I think I have actually listened to like, four of the songs nominated. (I guess not all of the awards go to songs, but I didn't even know half of the artists either.) So even though I think I have AWESOME taste in music (don't we all), my favorites were snubbed when it came to the awards. So I've decided to give out my own accolades for my favorite music of the past year. (OK, so these songs weren't necessarily released in 2008--but that never seems to matter in the Grammys anyway.) Come to think of it, this first song won "Song of the Year" at the 2006 Grammys.
*Don't forget to watch these in full screen mode so you don't have to squint at tiny singing/dancing people, like you are this tiny print... Tell me how out of breath you get just watching Beyoncé! Heh!! (pant, pant, pant, I am so out of shape.) Maybe I'll just settle for the less aerobic style of dancing from Tom DeLonge. Oh, and have I mentioned how crazy I am about U2? LOVE THEM! I want a t-shirt that says I ♥ U2, I ♥ Bono, or maybe just "Bono is kind of a big deal." You can purchase one here. My birthday is in two months. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Best Pop/Rock Song
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own by U2
The writing at the beginning at the video explains where Bono grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and how his father, a postal worker, loved opera and sang on stage at night. (The theater he used to perform at is shown in the video) His father died of cancer in 2001 and Bono wrote this song for him. It still makes me choke up. Sniff!
Best Country Song
Love Story by Taylor Swift.
I know she's a teeny bopper, but we love her-- Mark and Madelyn included. She writes all her own stuff and is gorgeous besides. A swoon-worthy video.
Best R&B Song
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyoncé
If this song doesn't make you want to go get a one-shouldered leotard and shake your booty, then there is seriously something wrong with you.
Best Alternative Song
The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves
This is from their first album. President Obama always had this song play during the climax of his speeches during his political rallies on the campaign trail. Which makes it an even more awesome song. Even without that, this is my #1 favorite video of theirs.
...I could go on....here's links to some of our other favorite videos:
Everything's Magic by Angels and Airwaves. Catchy song + high school nostalgia.
Secret Crowds by Angels and Airwaves. More grungy, but it freaking rocks.
What I've Done by Linkin Park. It plays at the end of Transformers, if you remember.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Billie Jo Armstrong in all his guy-liner glory of 2004. Don't worry, I've yet to see him without it. Ever.
And lest you think we're in an alternative rut:
4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake, featuring Timbaland. This song has a funky dance groove but is also slightly obnoxious. Madelyn happens to love it. And actually, it is nominated for a Grammy this year. (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.)
Nothin' Better to Do by LeAnn Rimes. A very sassy song.
Stupid Boy by Keith Urban. Mmmmmm. It's even better because you get to watch Keith playing it live.
Stronger Woman by Jewel. I like her yellow dress. And the song's good too.
What were your favorite songs of 2008?
I feel so out of the loop! I just got done reading through the list of the 2009 Grammy award nominees. There are 110 categories with five nominees each. I think I have actually listened to like, four of the songs nominated. (I guess not all of the awards go to songs, but I didn't even know half of the artists either.) So even though I think I have AWESOME taste in music (don't we all), my favorites were snubbed when it came to the awards. So I've decided to give out my own accolades for my favorite music of the past year. (OK, so these songs weren't necessarily released in 2008--but that never seems to matter in the Grammys anyway.) Come to think of it, this first song won "Song of the Year" at the 2006 Grammys.
*Don't forget to watch these in full screen mode so you don't have to squint at tiny singing/dancing people, like you are this tiny print... Tell me how out of breath you get just watching Beyoncé! Heh!! (pant, pant, pant, I am so out of shape.) Maybe I'll just settle for the less aerobic style of dancing from Tom DeLonge. Oh, and have I mentioned how crazy I am about U2? LOVE THEM! I want a t-shirt that says I ♥ U2, I ♥ Bono, or maybe just "Bono is kind of a big deal." You can purchase one here. My birthday is in two months. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Best Pop/Rock Song
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own by U2
The writing at the beginning at the video explains where Bono grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and how his father, a postal worker, loved opera and sang on stage at night. (The theater he used to perform at is shown in the video) His father died of cancer in 2001 and Bono wrote this song for him. It still makes me choke up. Sniff!
Best Country Song
Love Story by Taylor Swift.
I know she's a teeny bopper, but we love her-- Mark and Madelyn included. She writes all her own stuff and is gorgeous besides. A swoon-worthy video.
Best R&B Song
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyoncé
If this song doesn't make you want to go get a one-shouldered leotard and shake your booty, then there is seriously something wrong with you.
Best Alternative Song
The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves
This is from their first album. President Obama always had this song play during the climax of his speeches during his political rallies on the campaign trail. Which makes it an even more awesome song. Even without that, this is my #1 favorite video of theirs.
...I could go on....here's links to some of our other favorite videos:
Everything's Magic by Angels and Airwaves. Catchy song + high school nostalgia.
Secret Crowds by Angels and Airwaves. More grungy, but it freaking rocks.
What I've Done by Linkin Park. It plays at the end of Transformers, if you remember.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Billie Jo Armstrong in all his guy-liner glory of 2004. Don't worry, I've yet to see him without it. Ever.
And lest you think we're in an alternative rut:
4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake, featuring Timbaland. This song has a funky dance groove but is also slightly obnoxious. Madelyn happens to love it. And actually, it is nominated for a Grammy this year. (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.)
Nothin' Better to Do by LeAnn Rimes. A very sassy song.
Stupid Boy by Keith Urban. Mmmmmm. It's even better because you get to watch Keith playing it live.
Stronger Woman by Jewel. I like her yellow dress. And the song's good too.
What were your favorite songs of 2008?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
My big girl!
1/21/09
So today we drove to Cedar City (50 miles away) for Madelyn's 4-year checkup. We continue to go to her pediatrician there whom she's had since she was born because he is awesome and Mark is doing his last rotation with him. Anyway, here's the stats:
Weight: 30 lbs. 12 oz. (10th percentile)
Height: 39 1/4 inches (40th percentile)
OK, so she's still not that big. She will probably always be a lightweight (she started out in the 3rd percentile for everything), but there's nothing wrong with that, eh?
I just had to post because she was SO BRAVE and didn't cry throughout the whole visit (usually she gets hysterical as soon as we leave the waiting room). She even got her finger pricked and a Hep A shot in her leg, and she still didn't cry! My sister Maria was there and she got woozy for her...sorry you had to see that, sis.
I'm so proud of you, Madelyn!!!!! Happy 49th month b-day! (Uh, I guess people don't normally count ages in months past the second year... Oh, who cares. I can still celebrate.)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Voilà!
1/18/09
Siiiiiiiggggghhhh.....
After living in squalor and disarray for two months, I am very happy to say that yesterday --which was the one month mark since our move--I finished unpacking, organizing and cleaning our new place. I think I could have gotten it done sooner had it not been for the holidays, illness and blatant laziness on my part. It was a little tricky figuring out how to downsize from a four bedroom, two bath house with a spare room and backyard to a two bedroom, one bath basement apartment. (You get a storage unit, that's how.)
Anyway, I don't know how long it will be until we have to move again--it could be three months, could be a year, but for now I am trying not to think about it. I have a lot of catching up to do with my jewelry making, reading, and watching movies *guilt free*.
So here's a tour of everything looking about as good as it's going to get:
Kitchen/dining area
"Before" picture, so you will be duly impressed by this:
OK--so my dad really loves mirrors. Since he built this place, he felt free to cover the whole wall with them, creating an illusion of space. (More space, I should say. This room is so big that most of our entire house in ABQ could fit inside it.) Also comes in handy for small children who like to parade in front of their reflection all day. My sisters and I will theoretically use this as a dance studio once we don't live down here anymore. Also for some office chair broom/Swiffer hockey tournaments.
View from the other side. There's my dad's ping-pong table and Mark's snowboard lurking in the corner. I will try to refrain from making any sarcastic remarks about those two items being there...
"Office." Mark achieved level 40 on the Call of Duty 5 zombie mod this weekend. He always makes loads of progress on his games when he really should be working on school projects, i.e. his thesis.
"Living room."
Madelyn's play area/my craft table. The downside to having the mirrors right there is that it makes it look twice as cluttered. That door leads upstairs to Kevin and Lori's.
Bathroom
Our bedroom (we aren't bothering to hang the curtains this time around).
Our closet. I whined so much about lack of storage that my dad built us four big closets, plus one for our washer and dryer. (Thanks for everything, dad.) My Michael Phelps calendar is there on the wall to greet me every morning with displays of his athletic awesomeness. Madelyn calls him a "big shark."
Madelyn's room, which will be more spacious once we can get the changing table out of there. She is making progress with the potty training, but she still has a long way to go. I'm very proud of her though. And so far she hasn't fallen out of her new bed.
Oh, yes. My brother Kevin thoughtfully placed eight multi-media/speaker portals throughout the house, but thus far all I can see are wires spewing out of the wall and ceiling everywhere I look. HINT HINT!!!
Madelyn alternately says that she likes her "new home" and then that she doesn't want to live here--she wants to go back to her white house with the backyard. Having her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins so close have made it a pretty easy transition for her otherwise.
Siiiiiiiggggghhhh.....
After living in squalor and disarray for two months, I am very happy to say that yesterday --which was the one month mark since our move--I finished unpacking, organizing and cleaning our new place. I think I could have gotten it done sooner had it not been for the holidays, illness and blatant laziness on my part. It was a little tricky figuring out how to downsize from a four bedroom, two bath house with a spare room and backyard to a two bedroom, one bath basement apartment. (You get a storage unit, that's how.)
Anyway, I don't know how long it will be until we have to move again--it could be three months, could be a year, but for now I am trying not to think about it. I have a lot of catching up to do with my jewelry making, reading, and watching movies *guilt free*.
So here's a tour of everything looking about as good as it's going to get:
Kitchen/dining area
"Before" picture, so you will be duly impressed by this:
OK--so my dad really loves mirrors. Since he built this place, he felt free to cover the whole wall with them, creating an illusion of space. (More space, I should say. This room is so big that most of our entire house in ABQ could fit inside it.) Also comes in handy for small children who like to parade in front of their reflection all day. My sisters and I will theoretically use this as a dance studio once we don't live down here anymore. Also for some office chair broom/Swiffer hockey tournaments.
View from the other side. There's my dad's ping-pong table and Mark's snowboard lurking in the corner. I will try to refrain from making any sarcastic remarks about those two items being there...
"Office." Mark achieved level 40 on the Call of Duty 5 zombie mod this weekend. He always makes loads of progress on his games when he really should be working on school projects, i.e. his thesis.
"Living room."
Madelyn's play area/my craft table. The downside to having the mirrors right there is that it makes it look twice as cluttered. That door leads upstairs to Kevin and Lori's.
Bathroom
Our bedroom (we aren't bothering to hang the curtains this time around).
Our closet. I whined so much about lack of storage that my dad built us four big closets, plus one for our washer and dryer. (Thanks for everything, dad.) My Michael Phelps calendar is there on the wall to greet me every morning with displays of his athletic awesomeness. Madelyn calls him a "big shark."
Madelyn's room, which will be more spacious once we can get the changing table out of there. She is making progress with the potty training, but she still has a long way to go. I'm very proud of her though. And so far she hasn't fallen out of her new bed.
Madelyn alternately says that she likes her "new home" and then that she doesn't want to live here--she wants to go back to her white house with the backyard. Having her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins so close have made it a pretty easy transition for her otherwise.So now I can focus on our next big event--Mark's graduation three months from today (!) instead of moving, which by now is a very dirty word to me. You can come by and visit anytime. (With notice. The Sarlacc pit is still functioning and is right outside should I need it.)
Friday, January 16, 2009
A not so surprising discovery:
1/16/09
We are all much better at Wii Bowling than the actual game.
Uh, yeah. At least I have an awesome octopus shirt.
And Mark has reached the zenith of techno-geekdom by purchasing an iPhone today. For purposes of having his Epocrates (medical diagnosis software) more accessible, of course. Saves room in his pockets by not having to haul around his oh so cumbersome Palm Pilot anymore. And it has successfully provided hours of mindless distraction while he should be working on his thesis...
We are all much better at Wii Bowling than the actual game.
Uh, yeah. At least I have an awesome octopus shirt.
And Mark has reached the zenith of techno-geekdom by purchasing an iPhone today. For purposes of having his Epocrates (medical diagnosis software) more accessible, of course. Saves room in his pockets by not having to haul around his oh so cumbersome Palm Pilot anymore. And it has successfully provided hours of mindless distraction while he should be working on his thesis...
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