Pete & Whit

Another year in the life of hair

2012-01-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

*Post Edit*
My Aunt Kathy made a good observation. My short side was always on my right side. Some pictures were taken with my mac photo booth application which, for some odd reason, always mirror images the pictures. Other pictures are taken with a normal camera. That is why my hair looks like it flip flops which side is short and which side is long.

I did this post a while ago and thought it would be fun to recap another year of my hairstylings. It's been another crazy year of ups and downs.

In september of last year I decided to CHOP my hair off. Worse yet, I decided to only CHOP one side off. I had always wanted to try an a-symmetrical hair cut, and I went for it.

By December I was well on my way to going blonde. I hadn't been blonde since I was way little, so wanted to try it out.

I wanted to start growing out my short side. If you've ever had your hair cut above your ear, you know it is hard to grow it out. I avoided the mullet, and also the weird ear phase by doing these hair styles very often!

I would wear a stretchy headband and tuck my hair behind it. I would either wear my bangs forward or up and back. Sometimes bobby pins were needed but it was relatively painless to grow it out.

In March I was VERY Blonde. I decided to cut my longer side a little shorter so I wasn't SO a-symmetrical.

In June I had grown the right side out a lot!

By August I was sick of the blonde, mainly because it was WHITE blonde! So I went red. And started growing out my bangs.

I had to fill my hair with orange before I could go completely red

From there I just kept growing and decided to go brown. Something that isn't so high maintenance. You can see that my hair is almost EVEN!

These are just a little bonus treat for you. We call it "newscaster hair" in my house.

my latest hair cut brought my hair to the same length on the sides. I also brought my bangs back.

This is proof that my hair has grown. Peter feels like it never grows.
We'll see what happens next year

2011 1/2 recap - 1/2 cap?

2012-01-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

As you, my avid readers, have noticed, I stopped blogging half--- well I don't really think I blogged this year. So it is a perfect time to catch up on my missed moments by disguising it as a 2011 recap. Now who doesn't love a recap?

january

I was still looking avidly for a job and was almost going to apply at McDonalds. (not knocking McD's employees, but I had just graduated from Hair school and wanted to use my skills) I was asked to come back for a second interview but was passed over at Peerless. 2 weeks later I was called in for a 2nd second interview and got a job! YAY. I still currently work there and I love it!

Peter worked full time at Pinnacle and was getting himself geared up trying to decide what to major in before he went back to school.

march

Peter turned 26!

It has been 26 years of gingered bliss!

june

We celebrated our 2nd year anniversary!

We stayed at The Little America (per tradition) and ate at the Melting Pot (per tradition as well)

Our room was haunted. We would leave with the lights off and come back to lights on. Also we woke up in the middle of the night and all the lights were on! Really, I think we were having breaker problems, but haunted hotel room makes for a better story. We enjoyed some yummy food and pool time.

july

I moved to the American Fork location so I could enjoy sleeping in 10 minutes longer. :)

We chopped down about 1/2 of the tree out front. I didn't get a before and after picture, but the branches were touching the ground in places

We also went to a concert up at Deer Valley. It was the Utah Symphony plays Eagles music. It was way fun.

august

We headed up to West Yellowstone, WY for the Busath family reunion. (Busath is Peter's mother's family) We got to stay in a cozy cabin and enjoy family and the sights.

I also started school back up. Those of you who know me, know that I have a problem with deciding what my major is going to be. For this reason I went back to school to hopefully just get my AA. At that time I was 2 viola lessons and 2 math classes away from graduating from Snow. I took a math class and a viola class and really loved it. I learned so much from my viola teacher! I also decided to take the next semester full time so I could start on my BA in who knows what. I wanted to work somewhere that was flexible and had my eye on on working at the BYU barber shop.

Todd gave a talk in one of the wards in SLC that meet in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We had the opportunity to go see him. He did a wonderful job, and what an awesome place to go to church!

october

For Halloween we decided to dress up as Vampires! We got to go to our ward Halloween party and see the cute kids we teach.

Us with our Nephew/Twiner Sam

The girls that I work with

november

I turned 25! There's something about turning 25, and yet there's something about how every birthday after 21 feels the same. We celebrated with some family at Buca di Beppo.

We found out that Pinnacle was merging and laying off a lot of employees. We didn't really care because Peter was going to get a part time job at BYU anyway. Peter's boss came to him to let him know that if he wanted to stay they would let him work part time. We were so happy! This meant he could keep working for his great company and keep his hourly wage, instead of dropping down to minimum wage.

Happy Thanksgiving!

december

This was such a crazy month! We went to the Peter's cousin's wedding in San Jose, California. It was so much fun, and a much needed vacation! We had the wonderful opportunity to stay in a beach house on the Pebble Beach golf course. It was about a 2 hour drive from the wedding and our family but it was free and you can't complain about any aspect of the arrangement. We were able to spend time with family, go to the beach, see San Francisco, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, go to a sealing in the Oakland Temple, and RELAX!

One of the fabulous views from our front porch

one of the towers at the Golden Gate Bridge

We got home right in time for Christmas and then fell right into seeing family and relaxing here. I still had to work on the Mondays after Christmas and New years, but it wasn't too bad. A couple things we got for Christmas:
Peter got me a Wallet that I have wanted for FOREVER! And a workout program called Turbo Fire! It is a blast!
I got Peter concert tickets to Video Games Live. Its a traveling atraction that teams up with local symphony orchestras and choirs. It was so fun. He also got the LOTR trilogy extended edition on BluRay!

This month I decided that I'm probably done with higher education until Peter is done with his BS. I have decided to work full time to support Peter while he drops his hours and focuses on school. As soon as one becomes available, I will take a full time position at Peerless. If any of you guys are feeling like you are on a roller coaster while you listen to Peter and I go back and forth on what we are doing for jobs and for school, it is because you are. We are a little sick of changing plans and not knowing what we'll do in 4 months. Hopefully now it is a little more secure. Pete has finally decided to just major in Japanese (instead of double majoring in Japanese and business) and minor in Business management. He will probably be graduating in 2 years or less, and looks forward to getting into a MBA International Business program shortly after.

Here is to 2012!

p.s.

2011-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is what Peter looks like with parted hair.

adorable?

yeeaaah I thought so.

imagine some gray hairs and wrinkles and you are looking at the future Alger Sr. Couple Missionaries.

awww now that's adorable. Parted hair or not.

Music Almost Wednesday

2011-10-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently in the mode of Math Homework every night mixed with no Facebook. This ensures me getting my homework done. This also ensures me going crazy not taking breaks between problems to surf the web. (I know I should be ashamed to admit that). Side note: my homework is done online so it's very hard not to get distracted. Especially when "command t" is a muscle memory of mine.

ok to the point. I was browsing some music that I wish was in my personal iTunes library and thought I would share. In honor of past Music Mondays and just for fun.

current affairs

2011-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a smallish update on what is going on with the Algers. I'll get to all the fun summery stuff later.

I am still working at Peerless, although I have moved to the American Fork location. LOVE not driving to Orem every day. I know, boo hoo, it's soooo far away (20 minutes) but really that traffic is not missed. I am going to UVU right now. Just taking a Viola Lesson, World Religions institute class and Math. I'm hoping my schedule can free up so that I can go full time next semester. After this semester I'll be 1 math class and 1 viola lesson away from having my AA and a minor in music finished. 'bout time? yeah!

Peter is STILL at Pinnacle. He is gearing up to register for Classes at BYU at the end of October. He's also really hoping for a job on campus. That way he can focus on school while he is at work- and no more wasting 2+ hours a day on the bus. (we still have 1 car)

We're both really excited to be students again. We really want to be "real" students. Not people who work full time and squeeze a class or two in every semester. Hopefully we can make that happen soon.

And that is it for now. Yay for fall!

ttfn ♥ the Algers

Guilty as charged.

2011-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

ok, so nobody charged me with neglect, but I think about it ever day. EVERY DAY I come to my blog to see if anyone else posted on their blog. I never did the RSS feed or Google reader, so I come here. Every day I look at my last post and think. " I could post about a lot of things that happened this summer! This will be so great!" ..... "nah"

Well I'm here to tell you that I'm going to make an effort. blah blah blah sorry I didn't blog blah blah blah tune in soon to see some updates blah blah blah.

ok I feel better.

p.s. I deactivated my facebook for the time being. I will admit that it is only temporary. I just spend way too much time on there getting mad at what people are posting. I get on probably 2 or more times a day for a couple minutes to scan my news feed- and always leave wondering why people post what they do. I don't feel inspired and I don't feel like I'm up to date with my long lost friends because I now know what their potronus would look like if they had one. Hopefully I will fall out of the habit of getting on so much and activate my account when I can get on a couple times a week to catch up.

so see you here or in e mail land.

sincerely, me

Flashback MM

2011-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today's Music Monday is dedicated to all those songs stuck on my broken iPod. These are songs that I listened to WAY too much and haven't been able to hear them for over 3 years.

It's funny how your tatse in music will change and mature.

Have fun with this one.

(as always I didn't preview the music vids)

Father's Day 11.1

2011-06-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

We had the great pleasure of celebrating Father's day with the Knowles family on Saturday.

To check out all the festivities, check out our Family blog HERE.

Well wishes to all the Dads out there. And Happy Sabbath.

MM Chris Thile style

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I did a little stint in a bluegrass band- and some of you know that I have a special place in my heart for bluegrass music. I especially love this man! Enjoy a couple of his songs this Monday.

Loves.

Sweet Afton- Chris Thile

I'm Yours if You Want Me

Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground

And this is just ridiculous

Shameless advert

2011-06-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

I see that EVERYONE LOVED my music monday post. Don't worry... I will continue music monday since I got such a raving response (o comments)

Today I have something even more likeable! YAY! A plug for me. Yippee!

I now do shellac manicures and pedicures. It is all the rage right now. It goes on and off like a nail polish application, but will wear for 2-3 weeks just like a gel. Now you can have cute toes and fingernails without the chipping off after 3 days and without having to grind it off when you're done. Just 10 minutes of soaking and we're ready for the next color.
Some of you have already tried this service and I would love for you to leave a comment about how you like it. Awesome. Maybe I'll give a free mani or pedi for the best comment! Yes, I think I will.

Also check out my beauty tab at the top, I've updated some pricing and added some new services like feathers and waxing.

Thanks everyone!

Bringing back Music Monday!

2011-06-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my new favorite!

This has been one of my favorite songs on the radio and then I saw this cover and I'm obsessed! I love it more than the O.G.

Another year older- and a cake story

2011-04-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Peter recently had his 26th birthday. Yippee!

Sooo Happy!

One of the many pluses to having as much family as we do means you get triple the celebrations!

We Celebrated with the Alger's friday night.

We Went out to Macaroni Grill with the Knowles family

And then Celebrated all March Birthdays by having a yummy shrimp, chicken and veggie kabobs.

Peter and Todd. March B-day's

Pete got a gift cert to Red Lobter!

To wrap it all up we had dinner over at the Padilla's with my dad's CRAZY good burgers.

Addie & Audrey

nephew Roman

Peter and John

I made Peter's favorite cake, German Chocolate. Here is this years model:

I was sure that I posted about last years party and cake, but I can't find it. Oh Boy! did you miss out. Here is last years model:

lean much?

I'm really trying hard to be somewhat domestic. Last year's cake was a little bit of a joke:

First time I have ever made 3 layer cake

First time I have made a cake from scratch

First time I have made frosting from scratch

I found a from scratch recipe online and I was bound to conquor it. Peter acutally had to help me finish it. We were short on time and there were some pretty complicated things I was supposed to do. So It tasted delicious, didn't look so hot- but it was a fun experience I may never try again.

This year I just did a box cake mix and canned frosting. Also took it down 1 layer- and didn't try to frost the sides.

We'll see what happens next year!

Thanks to all the family for the fun birthday and delicious food- and for Peter for being born... Love you baby!

It was destiny.

2011-03-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

My friends, I hate to apologize for not blogging. I hate doing this for a lot of reasons:

1.  I know it won't mean anything because I will go through a dry spell again and feel obligated to apologize again.

2.  I know nobody feels personally offended that I am not updating them with random nuggets of joy from my life.

3.  There is no written rule on how to blog.  And in those non existent rules there is definitely not one that says blogging must be consistent.

overkill? ok

So to tide you over until I find something mind blowing to blog about, here is a story. A picture story, you know, the best kind!

So once upon a time....
I had my friend Madison over to my house. Now Maddy (my pet name for him) was on his way to a far away land called Thailand. He needed an appropriate haircut for going somewhere tropical, scuba diving and getting dengue fever. A buzz cut, if you will. Somewhere deep inside of me my future hairstylist was pushing to the surface. I knew my dad had some ancient clippers and I decided to take Maddy's hair fate into my own hands. After all, how hard is a buzz cut?

Part way through the cut the clippers pooped out on me. Tipping the scale of an already precarious situation towards disaster.

Oh, Maddy, I'm so happy that you were my friend after this situation. And I'm really glad that you still let me cut your hair.

(....Don't worry about my sickly complexion. I don't think orange was my color.)

I love you!

Tune in soon for something interesting, I'm sure.

new favs

2011-02-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 of the songs I'm digging right now.

Tighten Up- The Black Keys

I think the vid is hilarious, if you can look past some things.

The Big Bang- Rock Mafia

This vid is pretty cool too- if you can look past some things (miley)

as always, enjoy

Housekeeping

2011-01-31T21:30:00.000-08:00

Okay. Before anyone calls me out on the carpet for being a lazy and cheater blogger, I will confess to the error of my ways and give you a little nugget of blogging joy.
An update! WITH PICTURES! oh yay.

Yesterday I found out that I got the job that I had interviewed for. Actually I lucked out. The position, for which I interviewed, was filled. Days later the manager found out she needed to hire someone else and called me in for a second interview. I start this Wednesday at Peerless Beauty Supply. I'm really excited because it's part time and that means I can continue to do hair on the side if I choose. Plus I will have a steady income and not have to worry if I will have clients this week. (clients=money) So YAY!

After the debate centered around my hair I decided to get a trim of my current style. I think it's the shortest my hair has ever been but I really like it!


I'm tired of my mouth and its zit friends that won't go away.

And just for funsies I decided to see what I would look like with big teeth. Why? I don't know. You find ways to amuse yourself when you only have one room to share with your gamer husband.


Funny? I promise I'm wearing a shirt.

Ok enough Shenanigans.

Right now I have a button to my website on the side of my blog. As of this minute the site is out of commission. It's time to pay the yearly $10 to keep it up and running and I'm not sure if I want to. I never updated it, and had 3 visits a week if I was lucky. I'll think about it. So don't be freaked out if you click on it... actually just don't click on it. :)

I will fill you in about the "situation" as soon as I can. For now I'll give you a little hint. If you look closely at the picture you will see a black speck. It's very faint but it's definitely there.

Also remember that I am making house calls for hair. Check out my beauty corner page at the top for prices etc.

Much love

Primary Funnies

2011-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

I am helping my mom get her new business off the ground. She has made some fabulous new Planners for those who need some organizational help. They have everything you will need in one place! Check out her website to see some sample pages www.ldsplanners.com. You'll also be able to pick out your own cover and order right there on the website. So far she has Primary and Young Women's, and expects Relief Society to be here around May.

Also part of this project we have started a Blog to share funny stories from Primary. If you have taught primary I know you have a funny story to share! So DO! Email ldsplannersblog@gmail.com to share your stories and we'll post them on the blog. Make sure to spread the word as well. Don't we all love hearing other people's stories!?

The blog is www.ldsplannersblog.blogspot.com.
It's still in the works but go ahead and check it out!

The "situation"

2011-01-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

For all of you who call yourselves organizational masters, OCD wonders, or neat freaks have I got a treat for you. Very soon I will be inviting you into a world full of chaos and curiosity. My closet/laundry room/bathroom/linen closet/coat closet/junk room has GOT to be figured out.

Why am I worried about it after 6+ months of being ok with it? Because I am sick of this:

Not only is this a problem (what is THIS? you'll find out next time if you can't already guess) but this tiny space serving as so many things is driving me crazy.

My friends, you are about to enter into a very dark place for me. But I need help. So tune in soon to be amazed and bring your thinking caps!

See you soon.

Easy listening Monday

2011-01-23T22:51:00.000-08:00

Here, to ease you in to your Monday, are some of my favorite songs. I will issue my disclaimer once again: Don't watch the vids unless you really want to. I only listened for sound quality and did not preview them. So don't hold me accountable for any butchering that takes place. Or nudy pictures.

Breakable- Ingrid Michaelson
I'm definitely an Ingrid Michaelson fan.

Two Coins - Dispatch
- really though don't watch this vid. Just listen. It's sadly the best vid I could find for this song that I love.

Details in the fabric - Jason Mraz, James Morrison

I only have eyes for you- Jamie Cullum

Classic song but one of my favorite covers of it! Yum yum yum.

What are yoooouu doing?

2011-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

This is what we are doing.

Happy Sabbath everyone

Long post about me.

2011-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

This ~~incredible~~ myspace-y picture is of me. wondering. If you look close you can see that I am thinking:

What am I going to do with my hair?

I have fallen into that detested and cliche trap of trying to grow out your short hair cut. To grow or not to grow? Growing out the short crop of hair is no light hearted topic. And is always easier said than done. Many people out there have guides on how to do this gracefully. Even more have sad mullet photos to share with the world. I will not be sharing either of these at this time. If I decide to grow my hair out I might share some mullet horror stories- or "what worked for me" posts but for now this post is purely selfish.

Many of you were lucky enough to catch this post where I shared my hair school hair journey. If you weren't I'm sure you've clicked on it and experienced it by now. Since then I have chopped my hair off to an a-symmetrical bob with my shortest side at my chin, I then cut it even shorter on that side and went blonde. Since then I have had it cut once and lightened my fringe. I'm at the point where I need a hair cut or need to make preparations to grow it out. I'm torn.

I feel as if I haven't had enough time to enjoy the short cut. I, also, haven't had nearly enough strange looks and "your hair is lop-sided" comments. So do I continue with the same look and just get a trim- or do I go bold and even up the sides by going short all over. I don't know! I feel like my one sided mud flap is a security blanket. I mean- I'm barely getting away with having a chubby face and short haircut as it is.

We'll see I guess. what do you think?

time out for music

2011-01-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

I love this song!!!

I love the old time feel and the message. Home is whenever I'm with you. Aww precious.

A true picture story.

2011-01-14T23:44:00.001-08:00

Here is a true picture story. No words. I'll let you interpret and also excuse the ugly pictures of myself.

Thank you.

Ps that is not my giant hand. Had to clarify.... ok no more words

I'll spare you the pictures I took when I made him kiss me. Nobody needs to see that, including me. I've deleted them. Super unflattering. As was this.

For your reading enjoyment

2011-01-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

My old roommate and cross country friend, Bradie, tagged me in this survey of sorts.

Enjoy

And I can't get rid of the white block. :(

1. if you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

We don't have pets but we live with a pet, who's nickname is Satan's lap dog. I feel like he is a part of the family. Family keeps you up at night with their weird habits, and shares every meal with you- so YEAH totally a member of the family.

2. if you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

All my dreams are boring. To have a stable job... to be out of debt. Let's just say To live in Disneyland!

3. what is the one thing most hated by you?

When people have no regard for the people around them. No common sense or common decency.
4. what would you do with a billion dollars?

oh the usual. Pay off everything, buy a new car, travel everywhere. Actually a Billion is too much to comprehend- can I opt for the incremented monthly sum?

5. what helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

Realizing that I am wrong and getting over it. That's usually the only time I'm in a bad mood- when I'm being ridiculous.

6. which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Definitely loving someone.

7. what is your bedtime routine?

Sit on the internet combing it for something interesting to look at. Read scriptures with the man. Go to sleep? Did I miss something?

8. if you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

In High school. Our full story is on here somewhere.

9. if you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

Anyone, especially someone doing something I can't do- like sculpture- or glass blowing.

10. what kinds of books do you read?

Any kind. I'm not picky. Right now reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (just got a library card! oh yeah)

11. how would you see yourself in ten years time?

A little wiser, a little richer- and a little thinner. But just as happy and hopefully with more reasons to live better (children)

12. what’s your fear?

That Peter is going to die in his sleep. Ask him- I worry about it all the time. How morbid is that?

13. would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

Heck no! I don't have a desire to see space. Is that bad?
14. would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

Already married and poor. Having money wouldn't make me laugh everyday, keep me warm at night or be my best friend. Yeah, I'll stay here.

15. what’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

go to the bathroom.

16. if you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

I'm going to have to agree with Bradie on this one. This is just asking for trouble.

17. if you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

Nah! I don't have a crazy weird name. I only got teased for my last name and I was able to change it.

18. would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

If it's that "special someone" then yes, because I know he's forgiving and forgetting too.

19. if you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

oh dear. Something with rice. I love rice.

I don't anyone to feel obligated to do this quiz-survey. But it's fun if you can't think of anything else to blog about (that's so me)

So I tag everyone who feels so inclined.

Here's to getting a job, hopefully!

2011-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

Off to my first interview!

Wish me luck... or skill.

List: Favorite Sunday Moments

2011-01-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

Today was an eventful day! My cousin Jon had his farewell and I got to see a lot of cousins I don't usually get to. It was our second day teaching the sunbeams and CTR4 class. ( 3 and 4 year old class in my church) We LOVE it. We finished off the day by watching Fantastic Mr. Fox. Which I adore!!!

Here are my favorite moments from the day:

Roman projectile coughing water in sacrament meeting. {2 minutes later} Roman projectile coughing cheerios in sacrament meeting. Very hard to be reverent. When do kids learn to inconvenience themselves and swallow what is in their mouth before they cough?

I called Peter "So Precious" today within minutes of saying "Don't be a poo!" He pointed out the contradiction so I said "you're just my Precious Poo Peter" Say it out loud. You'll laugh. Please say you laughed! Because I went into a full grand maul old man wheezing laugh/cough attack for about 10 minutes. Of course I didn't get it at first, and Peter had to point it out to me. But I've said it about 100 times since then. He didn't like it the first time- and he didn't like it the 100th time. Too graphic?

not to pick on Peter but he is the only person I hang out with

We were walking into church when Peter handed me the primary bag and supposedly said, "I need to use the restroom." I heard " hmmmf hummmmfffffff" and in classic Me fashion I said "what!?!" before he even finished his sentence. "I need to go POTTY!" came out of his mouth super loud and I look over to see an elderly couple getting out of their car right next to us. Don't worry I kept my cool until we were out of ear/eye shot. (eye shot?)

Then, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

2011-01-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

This post is, in a way, a recap. It's more of a comparison of how different one life can be during different times. I feel like living in the moment is important, so you don't miss out on what is here and now. Living the life of a poor college student has me not living in the moment but yearning for times down the road like: when we are out of debt, or when Peter is done with school, or when we don't live with our Parents, or when we have babies ... then will happen, or I will feel . I find I'm missing out on a lot of happiness or opportunities. So here is to a new year and a new perspective on life. Dreaming for and about the future is great as long as you still live in the moment

24 years ago was "then." A curly halo of blonde hair rested on my head. I made up my own songs and sang care free regularly. I didn't have any wants or needs other than a fresh diaper and some food every once in while. Happy with my surroundings and completely satisfied with what I had. I loved to dance and sing and didn't care who saw me.

Then

It seemed like just yesterday that I was off to college experiencing life without my parents attached.
My biggest concern was not grades or money, but boys. All I wanted was a boyfriend and a tight knit group of friends to match. I wanted so desperately to figure out my major and not move every semester. (things I struggled with a lot) I was a lot more confident back then, although I still had self-image issues. Why didn't someone tell me I wasn't fat back then? What I would have given to see a picture of me in the future and feel a surge of "I'm skinny" confidence. I was always busy with a lot of credit hours and a lot of extra curricular responsibilities as well. I was lucky enough to not need a job. I didn't really have any goals. I wanted to graduate but didn't know in what major so it wasn't that pressing. I just wanted to have fun, be apart of my old color guard team ( I lived an hour and a half away) and someday teach.


Moose Lake, MN where I worked for the summer

Today seems like it goes too quickly. I am graduated from hair school, and have 3 years of college under my belt- with a license and no degree. I am looking forward to going back to school in the fall to at least get my associates (I'm 2 math credits and maybe a science credit away) maybe to get my bachelors. Still undecided in my major. I am the grateful wife of a very patient and selfless husband. I live 2 blocks away from my home where I grew up. I'm worried about money, finding a job, loosing weight, my church calling and pleasing a lot of people. I am not, however, worried about boys! My wants and desires include a second car for our family, our own place to call home and stability. I do know that all things work out and am confident in The Lord. Sometimes I yearn for simpler times and to go back to college where I was carefree, but, I am grateful for my relationship with Peter. I look to the future with excitement as we are working on new things that will really make our life easier.

Me and my nephew, Roman

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is a mystery. Tomorrow I hope to have Peter all done with school including his MBA. I hope to have climbed out of all of our debt. I hope to have decided what I would like to do with school and have succeeded. I want to live in a case study home (wouldn't that be nice) and have lots of mcm, sturdy furniture for the gremlins (children) to play on.

Case study #22 Picture provided by American's Favorite Architecture

I want to continue to be happy and healthy and make good choices. I would love to live in California or Japan. I want to travel without selling my soul. I want to read a lot and encourage my kids to read. I want them to have active imaginations and not be afraid to express themselves. My dream car is a BMW X6. Not because it is a BMW- I just like the body. Too bad I have expensive taste. I like that it is a cross between a compact and a cross over. Drool

Pic courtesy of Here

Wrap up would include:

Be happy in the moment with what you have. 

Dream for the future, and don't be afraid to dream big

Have fun getting from today to tomorrow

List: Missed things... and ramblings

2011-01-07T00:33:00.000-08:00

I have definitely missed the blogging boat on a few things. Have you noticed? I'll say, "Too late now." and you'll say, "Does it really matter when? You could still do it." And I'll say, " Yeah! But I really don't want to, and didn't in the first place so that's why I didn't do it." So let's skip seeing-my-crazy-come-out part and let's not question my laziness. Speaking about crazy. This post is being typed at 1:00 am from my dark bedroom floor. I can't sleep. I can't quite figure out why, but my sleeping patterns have been Wacko lately. I'll fall asleep around 2 wake up at seven to Pete's alarm and then fall back asleep until noon. It's driving me crazy. one day when I'm not a jobless bum I'll probably get back to normal.

enough rambling, onto the list:

I didn't blog about my Christmas experience

-definitely didn't take or post any pictures of the holidays 

-didn't post about my christams "haul"

I didn't post a recap of 2010.  boo

I didn't make a resolutions blog

-come to think of it I didn't make any new years resolutions so can't really blog about them

I did enjoy reading all of my friends and families posts about Christmas and New Years, though.  I'm not a total Grinch:) 

I find that with goals, especially with resolutions, that I hardly ever complete them and then I get discouraged, fall of the horse and never get back on because I failed. I continually think of things I need to improve on and continually strive to be a better person in every aspect. Slapping the title "resolution" on it only makes it destined to fail. Of course Pete and I have a couple things we are working on starting this year as a couple, but we are going to work on them all year so I wouldn't call it a resolution. Yes, I know, a new years resolution is supposed to be something you work on all year- but culturally speaking, it's something you do in January and then you forget about it.

Some new blogging things I have thought about working towards are:

blogging more often- like I used to- with more honesty and a little shamelessness

commenting on every blog I read- at least once in a while

get more creative with & take more photos. And post them 

You were hoping I would include whip my grammar into shape. Unfortunately, it isn't in the cards this year.

POST EDIT*

I did make a recap post on my Family's blog HERE. You can check it out, and also keep up to date with the family if you care to.

Current music infatuation

2011-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Little background. I just got a CD unstuck from my computer- that has been there for a year and a half. Pathetic. That, along with a new iTunes gift card, has allowed me to listen to some music I've been wanting to purchase and upload. Here is what I'm listenening to lately. Some old - some new. (couldn't find the official music video for any except the first. so maybe just listen and don't watch- I don't know what is on these vids)

Dog days are over. Florence + the Machine

Side note- I OBSESSED!!!!! with this song. The whole album is phenom. yes I did just abbreviate phenomenal!

This is not the End The Bravery

So Long and Breakable Ingrid Michaelson

Sigh no More Mumford & Sons

Side Note: I really love mumford and sons. They are the perfect balance of folk and bluegrass and pop and everything that I love in a band! Yummy. Little Lion Man is a great song as well. But it has bad words in it.

Enjoy

Enlisting list makers everywhere.

2011-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

I am such a list maker. Drives the Mr. crazy. It's always: wait! I need to write this down, or AH! I can't find a pen- can you find me a pen I gotta write some stuff down. If I don't 'write things down I forget them. No matter how much I think about something and repeat in my head "I'll totally remember this later" I wont. The worst symptom of being a list maker is that I have a constant stream of things I need to get done flying through my head. ALWAYS- that is- until I write it down. Then I can go on to ~~thinking~~ worrying about other things. So is it a symptom of being a list maker- or is being a list maker a solution to my crazy. Chicken and the egg, my friends.

Here is my current list to do. Maybe I'll get it done, but at least I can think about something else.

draft up letter to primary kid's parents

draft up flyers for upcoming haircut promotion

draft up simple buisness cards for haircut promotion

check craigs list and such for a job

read next week's lesson 

clean room-

-put away Christmas stuff already

-Organize crafts into a managable mess instead of crazy mess

-wash a load of whites

I know you are thinking that these are obviously simple things, especially the wash whites memo. (I'm on my last pair of underwear) And when I wake up on January 4th to a Christmas tree in my face, it should be easy to see that I should probably put it away... But write it down I still do. I must be a compulsive lister.

So far I have drooled over everyone's new blogs for the new year. ( I totally re-did mine because I felt left out)

Stalked the Mr.'s facebook (yeah I still do that and we're married... )

ate breakfast- which wasn't on the list but a very important part of the day.

(mind you, I slept till 12:00 today)

Worried about my new sleeping habits

Coughed up a lung and worried that I'm sick "but I don't feel sick!"

Yep a productive day it will be.

let's face it- I'll be lucky if I shower and ready myself before dinner.

Day 6: What’s in your bag?

2010-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

I think this would have been more interesting if I were still in school.

My Wallet
My giant wallet, or more commonly known as a Franklin Covey Planner
Nail buffing block
Glasses case and glasses
3 pens
Business card for (no names) a Lanza education development manager.
Cafe Rio receipt
Camera
Chapstick that I bought for Peter but accidentally kept for myself
Clipper guard
Nail File
Lots of loose change
Odds and ends of yarn
scissors
crochet hook
mini toothpaste
mini floss
of course: bobby pins

That was kind of lame... who really cares what I have in my purse unless it's something juicy or extremely unique?

I'm looking at the list of prompts that I still have and I'm not super excited about them. I'm not going to tell you the source because I don't want you to see which ones I was trying to avoid. Some include your dream wedding and a photo of the last thing you bought. Seeing as I've already had my wedding and don't EVER want to think about what could/should have happened I'll skip that one- and it's Christmas so the last thing I bought was something for somebody that should stay a secret! I guess I'm just loosing my prompt steam. I'm going to try to find some more- or maybe come up with my own- but I'm not feeling my current list.

Day 5: A picture of you as a kid + 7 facts about your childhood.

2010-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00


Hi! It's 1990 Whitney

Fact 1:
I was the oldest of 4 kids, which turned into the oldest of 9 kids

Fact 2:
I had lots of curly blonde hair when I was little.

Fact 3:
My front tooth was chipped, green and dead for a long time. I had a hair elastic with 2 plastic balls on either end with one ball in my mouth. A girl at daycare pulled the other one and let it go and it crashed into my other tooth. Yuck

Fact 4:
I had a short manly hair cut for a good portion of my childhood

Fact 5:
I took ballet for 1 year, and piano for about 5 years- niether of which I am actually good at now.

Fact 6:
I was always huge! I was consistently taller than all of my classmates up until Jr. High

Fact 7:
Between my 2 parents I moved about 10 times in my childhood.

Yay! Demon Chicken has finally arrived.

2010-12-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

After much anticipation the movie is done, well almost done. Last night we had the red carpet premiere. It was fun to see all my friends and family there to see the result of our hard work. For only having 4 months and no budget I feel like the movie turned out really well. It wasn't quite finished last night, just a few minor technical things, but they are working on finishing the movie soon. Here are pictures from the night

YAY!

Day 4: your celebrity crush list.

2010-12-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well this isn't super appropriate, but Peter doesn't read this blog anyway... right? Ok it's just a harmless crush. Forgivable.

I used to be super obsessed with certain celebrities but not so much as of late. I'll have to think about it for a sec.

Ok here (with pictures) is my celebrity crush list:
All images found on Google Image

Alan Rickman

Amy Winehouse

Andrew Bird

Chris Thile

Emma Watson

Hugh Jackman

Jemaine Clement

I realize these may be odd choices but I don't think I'll explain why I have a celeb-crush on them. Who are your celeb-crushes?

Day 3: 5 pet peeves.

2010-12-06T23:54:00.000-08:00

Let's end the day on a positive note! I'll tell you 5 of my pet peeves... as soon as I can think of them all. I can get pretty worked up about the dumbest things when I'm in the moment. Ask Peter to confirm that one. Looking back, I can't think of things that are concrete and definitely the top 5 things that "peeve" me off. So for that reason and the fact that my first pet peeve is:

1. I hate not knowing why.

I'm going to look up the etymology of Pet Peeve. Found Here

"The word peeve actually started out as peevish, meaning ornery or ill-tempered... the verbal form peeve meaning to annoy or irritate came about in the early 1900's. And it was not long after that the word pet was added to form the phrase pet peeve. As for pet, it is actually a shortened version of petty meaning trivial or minor. Hence, a pet peeve is a minor irritation."

One of the things that bugs me the most is not understanding why. I think this is why I believe everyone owes me an explanation for doing and saying things I don't understand. Also why it irritates me so much when people do things for reasons I can't see. This probably stems my lust for information on the inner workings of things. I like to know how things work. Especially magic tricks and the internet. And I really don't get why car wheels look like the are spinning backwards when they are going fast. - side note- I don't care enough to know how politics work, or what the new health care reform is all about... just too lazy I guess.

2. I hate heated debates

I don't know if there is actual heat involved but I "melt" into a pile of mush when people start arguing. I was not blessed with a quick tongue or cutting rhetoric so I usually loose in verbal quarrels. I'm the person saying "... yeah" or "... whatever" and coming up with something great I could have said hours later. And that is really why I hate these situations; it's not only because I look like a fool, it's because I brood about what I could have said for hours after the conversation ends.

3. I hate bodily functions

Please excuse the graphic nature of this pet peeve. Ok let's be honest here. I don't hate all bodily functions, everyone as to indulge their body from time to time. I get that. I, however, grew up in a family where it wasn't ok to burp or fart. EVER! Especially at the dinner table. I agree that those things are a necessary function, but I also agree with my family and feel like they should be a private thing. I get so grossed out when people burp in front of me- especially in public settings like school or a restaurant. YUCK. Worst of all. Worse than burping or farting: Clearing your throat. More like clearing your throat like you are coughing up a lung, or "hawking a lougie" That is just gross. Please don't do that around me. EVER.

4. I hate stress dreams

Stress dreams is the name I gave those dreams where you are half awake and can't distinguish from real life and dreams. Usually associated with some stressful situation, the sleeper can not relax and fall into a deep, restful sleep. I have these quite frequently. I had them more frequently when I worked at the bux and would stress about sleeping through my 4:00 AM alarm and being late. I would be half awake all night tossing and turning, and when I got fed up with it I would wake fully up; I would tell myself that I am just dreaming and that everything is fine, and then fall right back into worrying about whatever I was worried about.

5. I hate anticipating

I am the worst anticipater. When it comes to certain things I get so worked up anticipating them happening that I torture myself and make whatever it is seem worse than it really is. An example would be throwing up. I HATE it. I have not thrown up in 10+ years because I hate it so much. I don't think I have had any legitimate illness that would make me throw up in that time, but if I ever felt the urge I would fight it. I finally threw up this past week from some sort of bug and it wasn't that bad at all. Honestly. What was I so worried about? The second example is this particular ride. They have them everywhere- our local theme park, Lagoon, calls it The Rocket. I HATE this ride. The only reason why I will not ride it is because I can not stand the anticipation. You get all strapped in and after they say their safety schpeal you hear the hissing of the ride, you wait for it to shoot you into outer space and you feel the ride begin to move... only to bounce you ever so slightly. Then when you've finally realized that you aren't shooting for the moon, they blast you off. Once I'm in the air it's a very fun and enjoyable experience... it's just waiting for it that kills me.

These are some deep minor annoyances. I totally skipped over bad hair day, and locking my keys in the car. What a treat for you!!!

Day 2 Things you collect + things you would like to start collecting.

2010-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

hmm This one is hard. I don't think I collect anything these days. Growing up I received a Madame Alexander doll for every birthday and I think I have about 12 of them. I haven't seen them for a couple years now, but they are sure collected. I also used to collect snow globes from wherever I went. I think it is common to want a piece of someplace you loved. Some people collect spoons or shot glasses, I collected snow globes. I used to have a curio in which I displayed these along with my dolls, and that has also not been seen for a while. I don't think I had a particular love for snow globes, but it was the coolest (?) thing I could think of to collect.
I am a recovering pack rat. In getting married and then moving to the in-law's basement I have learned to let things go and down size. You would be proud to see my shoe and purse collection as it has taken a couple of serious hits, and I am ok with that. Knowing that I have pack rat-ish tendencies I try not to collect things or buy things I don't absolutely need (it helps to have a super tight budget too) But I am a sucker for birds. Last spring I went to Tai Pan when their Easter stuff was on sale and bought some birds that I couldn't resist. They did go straight into storage, for which I am sad, but I keep thinking about one day having my own house and decorating it with birds. So there you go. Like with snow globes, I don't have a crazy affinity for birds, or bird watching, but I like the vintage feel a bird and birdcage can give a room. So don't feel like you need to give me birds for birthdays- I don't need a crazy collection of them.

- I realize writing prompts are to provoke a more substantial answer than yes, no or sometimes. I'm giving my best effort to elaborate and bulk up my posts. With that I apologize in advance for having horrible spelling and grammar. These are not my strong points and I have a bad habit of using ... and - more than I should. Forgive me now or forever hold your peace.

Whit

Day 1 A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

2010-12-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

I know no explanation was required for this prompt... but I feel like it's needed.
This is a picture of me and my nephew Pierre the Lumberjack. Mustache courtesy of himself and his mother. ---> and check out my little friend growing on my chin.. I'm glad the pic had to be TODAY!!

1. I graudated from Cosmetology school and passed both of my tests!!!
2. I turned 24 and had a great birthday!
3. I got virtually all of my Christmas Shopping done!!!!!! WAHOO

Another Plug!

2010-12-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

The Premier is coming up fast! Come see the best worst movie ever made. It will be really fun so go buy your tickets now at Water Gardens theater in Pleasant Grove. Just right across from Maceys. Can't wait to see you there!

Here is the official trailer... it's probably too big for my blog, but enjoy anyway.

Prompt, prompt, prompt it up

2010-11-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to a blog near you.... This one, in fact.

I have been toying with the idea of doing daily writing prompts. I want to stretch my writing and try to write something, hopefully, every day or just have topics to write about when I get around to it.

So heads up everyone.

P.S. Dear, dear blank please blank

Thank you for giving me something else to waste my time with.

Sincerely, Whitney

Demon Chicken Trailer

2010-11-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for the movie I'm working on.

First click HERE to say you're attending on our facebook page.. because it's basically like swearing an oath that you'll be there, right?

And click HERE for the official website, that has more info, directions, etc.

ok, here's the vid already!

I'm 24!

2010-11-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

* Post Edit!
I went on a blogging rampage and wrote 3 posts at once!!! So make sure you scroll all the way down.
Loves!

Last Thursday was my 24th birthday, and I celebrated in style! I took my state board practical and PASSED! The Practical is a 4 hour test where you demonstrate how to do an acrylic nail, men's shave and h/c, facial, women's h/c, chemical waving and straightening, and hair coloring. It was pretty nerve wracking but once I got done I felt so relieved! All I have left of school is about 2 or 3 weeks and a written test. I am so the Timpanogos Temple with my Mom, Todd and Pete to do family sealings.
We also went to Texas Roadhouse with all the family . It was so fun to get together with (almost) everyone (we missed you Sam) and enjoy yummy food. They tried to get me in the saddle so everyone could "yeehaw" at me, but in my skirt and chubster condition I settled for leaning.

I also chopped my hair off! As you can see from my Halloween pictures below, and then I lightened it a bit. It's pretty fun to have different hair.

Side note:
I'm slowly becoming more comfortable in my "expanded" skin. I have, since before I got married, gained A LOT of weight. Maybe one day I will feel more comfortable talking about it, but I still feel like I'm in a "that would never happen to me" situation. I'm still in shock when I look at recent pictures of myself and realize that I'M that chubby girl not someone else. I haven't blogged a lot recently because it's hard to take pictures of myself and put them up on the internet, but I'm getting more comfortable being in pictures and posting them. I know this may sound vain, but it's been a genuine struggle for me. I'm not making any promises, because then I feel even worse if I don't live up, but I've been exercising lately and hope to see some results. My ultimate goal is to go back to school (I was a dance major) and be somewhat back in shape for it.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

This years Halloween was pretty fun. When Halloween is on Sunday I feel like we celebrate it all weekend, especially us Utahns. This year my school celebrated on Thursday, we had a family party on Friday, a friend party on Saturday, and then another family get together on Sunday. It was pretty crazy.

This year Peter dressed up as Hagrid from Harry Potter. His work goes all out decorating their departments in hopes to win a Pizza party. This year they did Hogwarts and everyone dressed up.

Here we have Professor Trelawney, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore

That night we went to our family party all dressed up. I was The Bride of Frankenstien if you can't tell. Nobody was dressed up so we went home real quick and came back in time to carve pumpkins.

Addie with Baby Miles

Grandma Clare with Chance, Ayden, Miles

Roman

It was a pretty fun weekend. It got us in the mood for watching Harry Potter and we've been watching it ever since. We're trying to get tickets to #7 for Thanksgiving weekend. We can't wait!!!

Demon Chicken

2010-11-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Some of you may already know that I am currently doing makeup for a movie! YAY. It's my second time around doing this and it's been really fun! I'm doing it "Pro Bono" to help out some friends and also to build up my experience. It has been a movie of firsts:
First Bald cap application
First home made prosthetic
First time paper mache-ing ( i don't have enough energy to look up how to spell it) someones face
First time using liquid latex to create a "2 face" look
First time painting someone BLUE!

It has been a blast and I can't wait to see the film. Here are a couple of sneak peek pictures and then you HAVE to come see the movie.

We are premiering it on December 9th at the Water Gardens Theater in Pleasant Grove. Tickets are $3 I believe.

What's going on?

2010-10-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

I guess it takes my MIL saying I need to update my blog to kick my but into blogging gear. I think about it almost every day when I read about everyone's life on their blog. I then remember that I have nothing note worthy and excuse myself once again. Not to say I have a publisher or a horde of followers breathing down my neck for another update- but because I am getting worse about writing in my journal I feel like I should be blogging. For me. So one day I can look back and remember how I felt and things that I did. I also feel like I should be taking more pictures! I think I'm slowly getting over the fact that when I look at pictures of myself I'm not going to be that skinny girl from highschool, and be ok with it. And even though I don't like it now- one day I'll be sad I didn't document my life with pictures just because I was afraid of looking SO FAT! (does anyone else feel me on this one?)

So here is the low down on our current situation.

I'm back at school and I love it! I'm really glad I took a break. I've come back with a lot more confidence and enjoy what I'm doing. It felt like I didn't even leave, and now when I graduate I will still have the "fresh start" attitude. I plan on taking my practical before the month is over. From there I will have about 200 hours left and my written test. I'm really loving school and I'm starting to finally feel like I know what I'm doing! I can't wait to graduate and get a job!

Peter is still at Pinnacle security. He is looking at starting school in the spring in the Pre Management program at BYU with a second degree in Japanese. He will probably set is focus on Finance and we'll see where that takes us. We've been looking into a few Grad schools that offer an MBA with a international business focus and hope things go smoothly for us in the next couple of years. We're both really excited that he has found something that he is interested in.

I'm currently working on a movie with some friends from school. Look forward to a post about that!

I will leave you with that, friends.

Adieu

We went to Disneyland!

2010-07-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

A vacation on someone else's dollar is a great vacation. And it did not disappoint. My Step Dad Todd Knowles of the Knowles Collection was speaking at a convention in Anaheim this week and was given passes for the whole family for 5 days to Disneyland! So my parent's seized what seems like the last opportunity all of us have to go on a family vacation together and took us to California.
We flew early Friday morning to the Long beach airport. (interesting place) and were picked up by our sweet ride. A giant RED stretch Hummer Limo. Complete with lasers, strobe lights, fireplace and jammin' tunes. (honestly it was cheaper than any shuttle service around) We weren't going to be caught dead in some hotel shuttle bus. No sir.

After arriving to our destination in style, we enjoyed 5 days in Disneyland and California adventure. It was a lot of fun, and reminicent of our previous stay one year earlier on our honeymoon.

For the sake of tradition, and not needing an excuse to celebrate, we went to dinner at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant overlooking Pirates of the Caribbean) since that was our fun little splurge dinner on our honeymoon. - pics of us on the honeymoon

We didn't remember much about the food, mostly the experience. The one thing I was looking forward to was this little diddy:

MINT JULEP:

Aaaaannnd apparently it's traditionally an alcoholic beverage, but since we were at Disneyland it's basically a minty lemonade. It is so delicious and I guess I'll have to wait till next time to enjoy one again.

While there we saw so many characters, more than we ever remember seeing before hand. We saw the World of Color show. It was Incredible. I teared up a couple times. If you go you have to see it. It is so worth the wait in line for the tickets (free) and the waiting for the show to start.

It was such a fun vacation but I was ready to come home by the last day. We all piled in the stretch hummer and went back to the airport.

The only souvenir we brought home were Anniversary Pins and I was able to bring home a cold. We can't wait till next year!

Anniversary Wrap up.

2010-07-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

As promised, and I'm sure it's been highly anticipated, here is my post about our anniversary.

We found ourselves without a TV since we sold our old skool TV and in our house, a TV is much needed. So we went out a bought a new one. (It was totally on clearance or I would have not gone for it) After buying the TV we found ourselves then BROKE!! There in the store we promptly deemed this our anniversary present - dinner - date....everything. We still decided to give each other something made of paper that we could find around the house- and even that fell through. We got SO busy with everything and never had alone time to come up with anything.
We were invited to go camping on Friday (the 25th) with the family at Utah lake and thought it would be an undesirable way to spend our anniversary. We both love camping but it was hot and dry and there was cotton blowing around everywhere. After some thought we realized that it would be more fun spending the day with our family than in our HOT apartment by ourselves. And it was.

Here is a picture of our wedding cake- cupcake tower. The top layer was made out of lime cake and coconut frosting. I remember trying a sample and it was delicious!!!

After about a week of talking about it, we finally got the top layer out of the freezer:

Other than looking like something out of a shrek movie, it survived the year of being frozen. Peter has felt really sick so we haven't busted it out of it's fondant shell quite yet- although I did sneak a taste and it was DELICIOUS!!!
*somewhat rough segue into a post about our new room. As you can see behind my hand we have an interesting pattern on our wall. Here's a closeup:

The person who lived here before the Algers was a specialist with wall textures and some other crazy stuff like that. ( I bet the real story is better)

Most of you know, we live in the family room downstairs and it is comfy! It is just the right size and it's nice and cool. We converted the children's play room into our closet. (picture includes a convenient view of our new Telly)

And we have a beautiful fireplace.

It's out of commission but it adds a nice appeal to the room. As you can see we are still trying to figure out where everything should go... including the stairs for the kids room.

So here we are! All we need is a door now to keep all the Peeping Toms out and we'll be set.

My couch

2010-07-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Somehow I inherited this beautiful couch!!! The previous tenants left it to us for taking over their contract. Are they nuts??

I love it and I'm so sad it's going into storage. While it's in there I need to figure out how to fix this problem

I know it's hard to see but check out the left corner. It's all broken down and saggy. I love this couch too much to let that be a reason to get rid of it- but it is kind of an eye sore.

Any ideas??????

Tomorrow I will be a basement dweller.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quick update on the progress

2010-07-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

I know this looks bad, but it's great! My biggest worry is now packed neatly into boxes. Goodbye icecream maker and salad spinner, you were good to me.

P.s. I know I promised to write about something else but this will have to do. You can get a sneak peek at my sweet couch if you have x-Ray vision. It's the one in the back.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moving!

2010-06-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

First things first. The maintenance man came over and realized that our AC is For Real broken and the last 3 times he "fixed" it- it didn't really do anything. So then he pulled out the big guns and really fixed it. It was so nice to come home and walk in to a nice blast of cool air. Now, on the down side, the one night we decide it's safe to turn the oven on and do some major packing- it seems to not be working so well... I guess we'll have to see how things go the rest of the week.

WE are so close to being packed up with 2 days to spare. I really don't mind packing but have a hard time with miscellaneous stuff that doesn't really go together. You know, all the random stuff you have but doesn't really have a place- like 2 empty binders- a scentsy- a file folder with important documents- a shoebox full of the MOST random things in it- a broken computer- those kind of things. Right now our built in counter desk thing is dedicated to the misfits and they are taking over. The other hard thing is packing up the kitchen. other than that it's going smoothly and come Saturday at 7:00am we will be in business.

Our other current activity (Peter says I'm obsessed) is figuring out where all of our stuff will go once it is in our room. I, being the spacially handicapped person I am, made a to scale model of our room and furniture and we've been moving it around on our little piece of paper- instead of in person when we just want it to be done. Here are a few of our ideas.

The couch really is a desk that we are hoping is about the same size. We really wanted the couch in our room but then realized we needed the desk and both will not fit.

As fun as this was for us me I'm sure it will be different once we get in the room. But at least we'll have a good idea of what we're dealing with.

Tune in next time to see a picture of my magnificent couch and the troubles it's giving me. Also our Anniversary wrap up.

Let me tell you!

2010-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

"You forget! We're in a volcano. We're surrounded by liquid hot magma."

We've tried 3 times in the last week- count with me: Monday, Tuesday Wednesday... to pack up our kitchen. We have failed 3 times - count Monday Tuesday AND Wednesday to do this.

We only have a week and a half to pack up the rest of our house and I feel like it isn't enough. We STARTED packing about 2 weeks ago hoping to slowly tackle our entire apartment. We are still on track but if it keeps feeling like the center of a Volcano in here I think we'll find ourselves on moving day with nothing in boxes.

Ex A:

picture provided by Peter Alger

I know this feels like dejavu from last summer- but for the love! I did NOT remember it being this bad.

So let's all pray for the snow to come back just one last time so I can get some stuff done!

And then we'll live in a heavenly cold dark basement.

A Year in the life.

2010-06-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Let me take you on a journey. One you may want to opt out of now, but may be interesting if you care to look at a lot of pictures. (my favorite)
As most of you may, or somehow may not, know- I am in hair school. A lot of you have an idea of what someone's hair goes through when they are a student. And a lot of you were lucky enough not to experience my personal hair ups and downs. But now I'm going to share them with you! *be excited*

I couldn't find my headshot that I submitted to Taylor Andrews upon applying in February. But I will give you the next best thing- pretty much the same hair style just 2 months later.

I apologize right now for not editing these pictures. I have neither the patience to do it, nor the desire to be the only person in all of these photos. It's about my hair- not really ME.

A month or so later I decided to go SUPER dark and add a couple of extensions (just for my bridals and wedding picture- I totally cheated- sorry)

Here we are waiting in line for Harry Potter a month later. I decided to get a weave. My first REAL weave ever. And then I let it grow out and fade SUPER BAD! First is in July, second in October

I will now admit to the biggest fiasco my hair has ever seen. Not sure how I got talked into this one- BUT- we were learning color melting, and I need something done with my hair, so we tried REVERSE colormelting- I don't suggest it- check this out! November. Side note: I hate Peter's transition lenses. I'm so glad he has new ones!

Granted, this is probably the worst photo I could find of me- while sporting this 'do. But the hair is still that bad. I was so sick of this look after 5 minutes so I waited until January to do this:

This picture cannot do justice to what is really going on here. My hair was about 4 or 5 different colors ranging from almost platinum blonde, to orange, to mousy blonde. It was only step 1 of a 2 step process, but I still had to deal with it for 15 hours before step 2 could be initiated.

step 2:

Excuse the hairstyle. I was working on a forties look for my website. I loved being red. I had loved being red in the past and, without going into all the technical hair talk, it was the most logical step from where I was at.

Red soon turned into ORANGE!!

which quickly went back to Not so orange:

.... but still orange.

Which much too quickly grew out and faded and became ugly AGAIN.

This is where my dilemma started. I was slowly trying to go blond-er because that was the final frontier, so to speak. I was so close and yet very far away. Then I saw this picture of me that was on a friends facebook page taken last May:

And I realized the undeniable truth. This was and probably always will be my go to hairstyle. It is a failsafe. So back by MY popular demand, I give you:

Sorry for the shady- myspace-esque pic. Lately my face has been ~~puffy~~ chubby

Here are some other goodies from the past. Not this past year, but while I have you looking at a million pictures of me, why not take a trip down memory lane with my favorites.

This was a treat of a haircut! I call it the ghost of grandma haircuts past. I can't find the picture that truely honors this HC but this will do.

And while this picture is VERY unflattering, we can't forget the grandma, Jedi braid combo. That was a REAL crowd pleaser. Yes it was real! Yes I had it for a good 4 or 5 months. Yes I was kind of crazy.

And for all of you that were worried for this haircut, it did mellow eventually into this. (I am aware that normality in photos is not my Forte)

And then I couldn't handle the short hair any longer and got extensions!

And here are the best examples of my favorite bangs (bangs seriously make or break it for you) and then the hairstyle I LOVED the most!

And there you have it. A fun, sad and interesting story- with pictures! (the best kind)

Anniversary

2010-06-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Peter and I are about to celebrate our 1st anniversary. I was asking a bunch of people what they do for their anniversaries each year and I either got: Dinner and a movie OR Cruise to the bahamas. Where is the middle ground? Must be dinner and a movie! My family is going to Disneyland in July so we might just ride that vacation as an anniversary celebration- (since we did go there on our honeymoon about the same time last year)

We were also wondering what we should get each other. I've been really intrigued by the romantic idea of traditional anniversary gifts. For the first anniversary they go as such:

Traditional US: Paper

Traditional UK: Cotton

Modern US: Clocks

I was looking around for ideas and I don't think a paper flower bouquet, or a love note written on scented paper is really my scene. We'll see what we come up with.

What did you guys do for your first anniversary? What did you give each other?

small post- bc it's been over a month

2010-06-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

I've been working at Pinnacle now for almost a month. I'm enjoying it, especially compared to the bux. No hard feelings

I'm sorry Summer lovers, but Peter and I are very welcoming of the cold weather. The small hot streak we had proved too much to handle and we're excited that we can, again, be fully clothed in the house and still be comfortable. Sorry for any mental image that may have inflicted. Wasn't my goal

We are a step closer to moving in with the Alger 'rents. We've started packing up boxes and trying to sell things/ give things away.

I'm playing with the idea of having a virtual Garage Sale so to speak on the blog here. I'm sure we'll make a killing with the 2 people that read this thing. Nobody wants our T.V. on Craigslist or KSL. We may have to have a good old fashioned garage- yard- rummage- moving sale some time this month. If anyone is interested in combining forces I think it would attract more people.

Nothing else is new. Carry On

Our new home...

2010-05-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

I got the job! Peter and I are officially employed at the same place! Dream come true? Nightmare? We'll soon find out. I'm leaning toward dream come true, though. We will work in different departments, get to enjoy lunch together, commute to and from together, etc. Mainly I'm just SO happy not to be working at Starbucks anymore, to have the same schedule everyday, and to not feel bad everyday for making Peter ride the bus to work.

We also have some news on the apartment. We found a place to live. I'll give you till the end of this sentence to conjure in your mind the kind of place it will be... Think small basement apartment, shared washer & dryer, dishwasher, newly carpeted, big back yard, shared meals, REALLY cheap rent.... can you think where we will be living? Did Parent's Basement come to mind? Well, then, you are right! After Peter and I were offered his parents basement to move in, we seriously considered it. It seems like a hard decision to make, but for us it was easy. We would really like to take a year or so to get our finances in order. We want to be debt free and be able to save up for college etc, and not be living paycheck to paycheck as much as we are now. We are really grateful to Peter's parents for offering and being so accomodating. I won't lie, it's probably going to be really hard at first. But we welcome the challenge and are excited to adjust to our new home.

Dress it up

2010-05-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I found these ADORABLE fabrics and picked up a 1/4 of a yard of each just for fun.

Then I decided to cut the green one out into a tie for my nephew's onesie. It was super easy and fun. There are a ton of ways to do this.

And here is adorable Roman in his snazzy onesie.

Change is good, yes?

2010-04-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

I wish I blogged more than once a month about what major new thing is going on in our lives, but alas... that is all I write about.

Peter did not get the job with Wavetronix, although, he was in the top 3 of 100 people who sent in resumes, so good job Pete! The person who beat him out had a 4 year degree and a technical background. We don't feel too horrible about it because this means Peter will be able to go back to school full time in January without any scheduling problems. He also is getting closer to deciding what he would like to major in. We're thinking around the business/japanese/international business side of things, hopefully finishing off with a MBA. We are in the process of shopping majors and schools right now, so nothing is set in stone.

I have taken a leave from school for a couple of months. I've just been way too stressed out, mainly because I do not like my job right now, which is making the rest of my life feel blah. I want to go back to being a wife who cleans the house and makes dinner everynight. I know it's a far reach, but I like the stretch. I also get to spend time on things I have neglected: Peter, excercize, eating right, laundry, family, creative outlets, etc. I recently interviewed at Pinnacle security (where Peter works) It would be a 9-5 job so Peter and I would be able to share the car and nobody would have to ride the bus.( and nobody would have to get up at 4 am to get to work!) I would be making more money at a less stressful job which makes me happy. It is only a seasonal job, so I would be able to go back to school full time when I'm done and get done with school in 12 weeks! I am excited. I had my second interview today so hopefully I will hear back from them in the next couple of days.

I am serious for REALS now that Peter and I are on the look for an apartment. We have our lease ending at the end of July so we decided this Saturday to go looking. I have 5 appointments set up this weekend to see apartments. If we like one enough we will probably put our apartment up on craigslist and see if we can't move in sooner. I know it is snowing now, but the thought of no air conditioning on a hot day is killing me already. In fact, we already had to go and buy a fan because it got too hot to sleep one week. Wish us well, and hopefully I won't have to say "I'm apartment hunting" again!!!

What's new?

2010-04-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

I guess it's about time I get the nasty pictures to go down a little on my blog- at least so I don't have to look at them anymore.

We went camping this weekend with the Alger Sr.s We took out their new trailer to test it out down in Fillmore. Everything went smoothly until we were trying to find a place to eat that night. There is nowhere to eat! We eventually ended up at " The Garden of Eat'n" It actually turned out to be pretty good, despite the questionable name. On Saturday we drove around Sanpete county to look at properties. The Alger Sr.s want to buy some property to go camping on, have family reunions, plant fruit trees, etc etc. We only looked at one, and even though it would be a lot of work to get up to par, it seemed like a cool little place.

Peter recently interviewed at my Dad's company, Wavetronix. We are anxiously waiting for a phone call sometime this week. We thing probably 10+ people interviewed for the job, but we are keeping our fingers crossed. This job would really help us out financially and also set Peter on a career path. We are prepared, however, to not get the job, but are praying we do!

I know I say this probably once every other month, but we are looking to move some time soon as well. If we get this job we know exactly where we will move, if we don't, we have some looking to do. It was already too hot in our house last night and it's only APRIL!! The prospect of staying here until August really doesn't sound so fun. We really want to get away from the "college town" feel Provo and Orem have. We don't want to be in a student married ward, or live close to any campus. Call us haters, we don't care. We've both done it for 4 years, we're ready to break free. I'm not in college anymore, and he may or may not be returning next spring depending on this job... so we feel ok not being supported by our college peers anymore.

Other than that we are enjoying spring minus the allergies we are both experiencing. We are looking forward to the possibly exciting things coming our way.

that is just SSSSICK!

2010-03-30T21:54:00.001-07:00

This is a blog about a couple of sick things. I'm warning you- there are pictures. None are really graphic, but still... I'm warning you.

A week and a half ago I burned my thumb at work! It was pretty epic because it was my right thumb and I apparently used my right thumb a lot without noticing... until I couldn't anymore. Yes I spilled hot coffee all over my hand, such are the hazards of a minimum wage paying job. Here is a picture after it blistered up:

And a picture after it all started to get crusty. Don't worry, I spared you the really bad ones. I've burned myself something fierce at work, actually it happens quite a bit, but never bad enough to have physical side effects. Just be glad that the camera on my phone isn't very detailed. SICK, sorry!

This is a picture of my work schedule next week. Notice how I don't work very often, but note the times: Sick!

Last but not least: This is a picture what I swept off of our kitchen floor. ~~Explanation:~~ Long explanation with background because that's how I roll:
We haven't had our heat on ONCE since winter hit because we are surrounded on 4 of the 6 sides of our apartment, and it has been warm enough without it. We've actually had the window in one or more rooms open to keep it cooler. Especially lately now that the weather is nicer and they haven't switched our system to air conditioning we have all the windows open all of the time. We came home from being gone for 4 hours today and this is what covered our floor: DIRT! it is so nasty outside, and now inside as well. SICK!

If you look carefully you can see DIRT settled on my CLEAN dish by the side of the sink waiting to be put away. So much for doing dishes. I can't wait for all of this yucky-ness to go away. I can't open my mouth when I'm outside because it collects dirt.

Spring cleaning

2010-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Peter and I must have caught some sort of bug because we BOTH wanted to CLEAN our house at the SAME time! And boy, did we go big! Not only did we clean up the clutter, did the dishes (yes we hate doing the dishes so they get a little out of hand, I'll admit it) Did laundry etc etc. WE went through a lot of stuff and gave it to D.I. I can't believe it. I have away BOXES AND BOXES of clothes I've been hanging on to for YEARS. Clothes I've had from Highschool. I even went through my ridiculous shoe and purse collection and probably cut them in half. I've gone through my stuff multiple times in the last year and always passed over those things, but I bit the bullet and finally realized that if I haven't worn/used it in the last 3 years it's time to let go. So we actually have a closet now. It's great! (Peter is pretty happy) one day I'll probably be sad about it, but for now I will relish in my apathy towards my possessions. YAY! Now Provo D.I. has a lot of almost brand new shirts, jackets, shoes, and purses- where usually it's pretty picked over and gross. I just keep thinking about how when we move again, I won't get so much crap for having so much crap. That almost makes it worth it by itself.

On to the random updates. There isn't much to update, I'm afraid. Peter is still at pinnacle. Looking forward to going to UVU next Winter. He's really starting to lean toward computer programming or some faction related. If you have any experience or knowledge of the field, let us know.

I'm still at Taylor Andrews. It's getting harder and harder to be excited to be there everyday. I've been there for a year and would have been 1 month away from graduating if I didn't have to switch to night school. I still love it, and our hair show is coming up so that is exciting, I just wish I was done and in a salon and coming home everynight... instead of kissing Peter on the cheek in passing as I head to school.

We love spring! We're excited for Camping and possibly Disney Land this summer. Our 1st anniversary is coming up pretty soon, according to my calendar we've been married 271 days! Maybe one day I'll get rid of it and start counting down to something else....

That is all about us. I hope everyone is enjoying the weather!!!! This and Fall are my favorites

Happy Birthday, Love

2010-03-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Peter is 25! Happy Birthday! Peter got his presents early, so here is an extra special present from me on his actual birthday. ( ... he won't see this until I've asked him to read it, let's be realistic)

Reasons I love Peter include but are not limited to:

1. He has let my little pet name for him, "BB", get out of hand and grow into Beebs and Beebers.

2. He is VERY patient with me. I guess I can thank his three older sisters for that.

3. He is super smart.

4. He doesn't make fun of me when I miss-say popular, cliche phrases.

5. He knows all of the words to One Week by The Bare Naked Ladies, and I mean EVERY SINGLE WORD.

6. He speaks Japanese, which isn't very useful, but a pretty language to listen to.

7. He has a good job and is an upstanding employee.

8. He does the dishes when they get out of hand.

9. He drives everywhere we go.

10. He likes to read.

11. He is a nerd of sorts, and it's endearing

12. He hates it when I say anything about him is endearing

13. He goes along with my crazy plans and then is there to pick up when they go wrong.

14. He has very good hygiene.

15. His favorite color is Orange

16. He is a kid at heart. One of the biggest things I love about him

17. He is humble (he never once mentioned his birthday coming up... who does that?)

18. He let's me down easy.

19. He is so easy to get along with. AKA he let's me boss him around.

20. He is very loving and has a big heart.

21. He is OCD about particular things and NOT about others. So some things in our house are VERY organized, and some things are VERY NOT organized.

22. He is so willing to learn about and grow in his new found role as Husband, and "honey do list, do-er"

23. He loves Transformers and isn't ashamed to let everyone know.

24. He served a mission even after he broke his leg in the field. After coming home to recoup, he was right back out serving the lord.

25. He doesn't make fun of me when I defend a fact that he knows is TOTALLY wrong.

26. He loves my family.

27. He loves his family.

28. He loves me, and tells me many times a day so I won't forget.

29. He tells me I'm his best friend, and that I'm his favorite.

30. He is my best friend and he is MY favorite.

31. We argue over who is who's most favorite. (don't try to make sense of it)

32. He loves the Lord.

33. He has GOOD intentions.

34. He is soooo good to ride the bus and let me have the car.

35. He "tucks me in" when I'm sleepy but he's not ready for bed yet.

36. He indulges me with "silly" things I want to do.

37. He agreed to by my bike riding buddy this summer.

38. He asked me out on our first date via TEXT the night BEFORE. Silly

39. He's just so dang CUTE!

40. He has 3 laughs, that all make me laugh!

41. He isn't afraid to dream big, or dream small... but dream nonetheless.

42. He is a beautiful singer. Or a loud singer sometimes. He isn't afraid to makeup words he doesn't know.

43. He makes up HILARIOUS lyrics on the spot for songs that he has a hard time remembering.

44. He goes out of his way to help people

45. He dotes on me.

46. He takes care of me, like my arms and legs are painted on.

47. He still opens my door when getting in the car.

48. He Practically made his own birthday cake when I was in over my head with the whole thing.
49. He is sooooo nice to me even when I am a super Grumpster.
50. He understands that when I am a super grumpster that I usually just need food or sleep.
51. He is just the best most caring and loving husband ever!

I love you, Peter! You are my most favorite in the whole world, and I don't know where I'd be without you. Thanks for reminding me everyday how to laugh, relax, and have fun. Thanks for being THUCH a good husband and BFF!

Love,

Valentines

2010-03-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Valentines day weekend we were house sitting for my parents (house sitting is a popular activity of ours as of late) We were also "babysitting" my 16yr old brother. We kept the festivities to a minimum by making pink heart shaped pancakes.

We aren't really the type to make a huge deal out of Valentines, but we were blessed to get our tax return right after so we decided to do something special. It has been a long time since we were able to go out on a nice date, so we went crazy.

That morning we got up at 5:30 to get ready for early work!

After work we went to the Melting Pot. It was a lot of fun, but SOOO long. We recommend it, but maybe just dessert or apetizers. We were there for 3 hours and were falling asleep! After dinner we went to a hotel The Liitle America and CRASHED!!! The next day we enjoyed shopping at the Gateway and went to a movie. It was the perfect weekend to connect and have fun, before we went back to reality! Thank you tax return. Hopefully we'll see you next year!

Confessions of a Gamer

2010-02-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

The couch is never close enough to the television. Best to have a light moveable couch, or be willing to sit on the floor.

Ex. A:

(this pic was taken in December, I'm proud to say my Christmas decorations are not still up)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Before and after

2010-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

I don't jave a picture of the full blown lumberjack Peter. But a lot of you have had the pleasure or displeasure of seeing him.

Sadly or gratefully Pete has now had a shave and haircut. Here is a semi before:

Notice the creepy stache.. And please ignore the partial nudity.

And after :

Where did this handsome creature come from? Luckily for me it was his idea.

My Valentine

2010-01-31T14:50:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day is coming up. So, naturally, I was curious as to who my Valentine was going to be. I knew that the Your Top Valentine App on Facebook was bound to satiate my curiousity, so I gave it a go. Luckily my number 1 was PETER!

Your Top Valentine

Peter Alger

(his profile picture on facebook)

Disturbingly the next 2 on my list were my younger brothers. Where do they get their information?

I Almost did it:

2010-01-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

Blog every day, that is. We were in the middle of a "situation" Thursday night, in which I was trying to blog from my phone because I knew the night was ending soon- but it was impossible. And since then it has been nearly impossible... Because I have no desire to type it all.

Our car battery has been trying to die on us for a while now. Finally it would not be coaxed anymore and quit. Wednesday night Peter came home from work, picked me up to take me to work, and our car didn't start. We called my dad who works 5 min away and he helped us patch it up. We filled it up with water and gave it a jump start and then drove it around for a while to get it charged up. The next morning it wouldn't start again, so Peter's boss came all the way out here to jump start it, he also had to get jumped that night coming home. My dad let us borrow a battery charger so we could plug the car into an outlet until we could afford a battery. This time we left the car running while he picked me up and took me to school. It wasn't until AFTER school at 10:30 that I put 2 and 2 together and realized that 1) we usually park on the street because we have refused to pay $25 so we can use our OWN parking spot with OUR # on it in the parking lot. So the cord wouldn't reach. and 2) the extension cord would probably reach if we parked in our stall, but what are the chances that we would get towed since we didn't have a sticker. and 3) I had to work the next day at 5AM so there was no way I could chance waking up at 4:00 and either not have the car start or not have a car at all. After much deliberation I decided to drive to my parents house so I could have a way to charge the car, and spent the night. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep. BLA! So there is the story of our car drama. I swear once we can afford to buy another car mine will be out of commission so we'll be down to one car again. (For those of you who don't know, Peter's truck full on broke beyond the point of repair right after we got married. Like WEEKS after we got married, so we've been having a grand time trying to work out our schedules with one.)

So there. I didn't quite make it blogging every day this month, but maybe I'll take the challenge again sometime.

I finished this book:

I liked it. I won't really talk much about it because it will give things away. All I can say it was worth the read. And it's one of the most unique ideas I've heard in a long time. It does have a lot of f-bombs and a few other choice words in it, but other than that I would recommend it!

Confessions of a Gamer

2010-01-27T01:07:00.000-08:00

Can you smell the nerd sweat? As most of you know, Peter is an avid gamer. I have to admire his dedication I guess- his passion for video games started at a very young age. I'll have to include some stories in future segments. To kick off this segment, though, I'll leave you with a quote by none other than my Peter:

"The only way to figure out where to go is to fly around in my freaky boat helicopter."

Can I just tell you?

2010-01-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

I'll be glad when January is over. I'm not quite sure why I took the challenge- issued by nobody but myself- to blog everyday. It's been rough, as I'm sure the few readers I have left after this month will attest to. I, admittedly, have a hard time doing things that people tell me or expect me to. Even if I know it's right, or I was going to do it anyway. Having someone tell me to (even if it is me doing the telling) makes me hate doing it. So I think that, coupled with the pressure to produce, made blogging everyday a chore sometimes. I should have just given up, but that would have hurt my pride too much. So instead of doing everyone- including myself- a favor, I tortured us through it. Fun.

I finished my book. I REALLY liked it. Again, I'm an easy pleaser- but this was very good. I've resolved not to tell you what it's about but I hightly reccomend it. Don't hate me if you didn't like it. I'm still learning to become an objective critique-er.

An Absolute Gentleman.

by: R.M. Kinder

Show some love for music!

2010-01-25T22:07:00.000-08:00

♥ I love Andrew Bird. I actually might be obsessed with him. I think you should be too. There aren't any good vids on youtube... but here is a performance on Letterman. Probably my 1st or 2nd favorite of his.

Just check out the way he plays his violin, or his whistling.

Watch this video. He is seriously soooo talented, and his music inspires me!

.... ok so he's a little weird. But I still love him

My Lame Post.

2010-01-24T22:49:00.001-08:00

I'll have to admit, even if it is just me, that I've done a pretty good job at blogging everyday in January. I've had to fudge some times on my postings by a couple of hours sometimes, but there is an entry for every day!

This post, however, is just to say that I don't have anything to blog about. Plus I'm tired and there are only 10 more minutes today to blog. I guess I'll tell you about our EXCITING day since I am not feeling a deep thought coming on.

Pete and I went up to Farmington to see my cousin Matt speak at his farewell. We got some help from the Rents on how to revamp our budget. I watched Bride Wars for the first time ever. Pete took a 2 hour nap. The two events were not related, though. Then we came back to our messy house. We still haven't taken the furniture down from when the carpet cleaners came. We just haven't been home long enough to need any furniture except our bed.

I hope you all had wonderful relaxing Sundays. Hopefully my next post will be worth the effort it takes to come over here and read it. :)

Love, us

More Books

2010-01-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really not trying to turn this into a "book blog" but this is the most exciting thing going on in my life.

I finished Jane Austin Ruined my Life. I really liked it. It provides a lot of insights into Jane Austin's life, that I didn't know, and presents a fictional side of her life as well. It describes a lot of different sights in England, mainly London. If you want an easy read; if you like Jane Austin, England, or a good G rated romantic story*, I would recommend it.

I went to the library to pick up Tallgrass, but I had to settle with the waiting list. So I picked up 3 other books while I'm waiting. The first one I'm reading is:

An Absolute Gentleman by R.M. Kinder

So far it is very intriguing. I'll be honest, it is hard for me to get used to different writing styles. I think I try to read to fast and breeze through things without really paying attention. That is the impatient side of me showing through. I like the writing though. It is first person, switching between past and present.

I won't talk about what it's about until I read it.

The next two on my list are:

Love in the time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I only picked this up because it was on display (I'm so bad at just picking up books I've never heard anything about, just because they have a catchy title or cover... but, on the other hand, I'm horrible at remember what books I want to read when I'm at the Library) I recognized the title as a title of a movie that I know nothing about... but it's a movie.... looking at the cover it says the writer won the Nobel Peace Prize, so that has got to mean something. So hopefully it's good. The back of the book pretty much gave away the WHOLE plot, including the ending- so I hope there are some twists. Let me know if you know anything about it- mainly if I should spend my time reading it or not

Also

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

The only reason I picked this up is because I have seen it everywhere, being read by everyone, but haven't heard anything about it. We'll see how it turns out.

* Post Edit 1/26 So the G rating is for the main story line. I'll admit there is an aspect that isn't that g rated. But still not too bad. But then again, I tend to let things slip because I don't focus on them or make them important. So I'm not the best person to be rating books content. Consider this my last time.

It was meant to be.

2010-01-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for going all nostalgic on everyone, but I've been going through pictures recently and can't help but share these.

This is me, 2 weeks after I had turned 16 in November of my Sophomore year in high school. My first dance, my first date, and my first date with Peter. My Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Susan and Vicky were all there to help me look my best. What a production.

I asked Peter because I WANTED to go to a dance so bad. All of my friends were asking all of Peter's friends, so that left me and Pete. I was a sophomore and he was a senior, so I was really intimidated, plus it was my first date- I can't believe I asked someone on my first date- He answered Yes and then didn't talk to me until the dance. I remember in the morning our group played "what if" Where you write down a what if statement and put it in a pile. Then you grab out a random what if statement, without looking at it, you write the answer to YOUR what if statement. Then we shuffle again and read them aloud. I can't remember the answer but someone wrote "what if your mom had to drive you to DTF"? (the dance we were going to) Since I was just barely 16 and hadn't completed drivers ed, my mom had to drive Peter and I to our meeting point across American Fork. I remember being really embarrassed when Peter leaned over and said, "So your mom IS driving you to DTF". I didn't understand his humor at the time, I guess. The only other interaction I remember having with him was when he referenced Harry Potter and compared it to real life. (classic Peter) And when he thanked me for dressing modestly. (classic Peter)

And now it's just happily ever after. AWW. I would never have guessed it!

(we were so obnoxious on our last day in the park. We wore every touristy Disneyland paraphernalia we could stand)

I am a wuss!

2010-01-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

This lovely picture was taken when I went to Lake Powell 5 or so years ago. I am attempting to knee board. Let me tell you, I was not blessed with upper body strength. I have never been able to do a push up- or a pull up in P.E. and water skiing or wake boarding has always been an embarrassment. The best part about this picture is 10 seconds later I lost my board and didn't let go of the rope, so basically I was dragged through the water face first for a good 4 seconds before I was smart enough to let go.

I hope everyone got a good laugh out of that.

Reading

2010-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

So far this January I am on a roll with reading! Here is my list:
The first one doesn't really count because I finished it New Years Eve.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (pt 2 to hunger games) by Suzanne Collins

I loved both of these books! If you haven't read them yet, DO! I'm not going to tell you anything about it. My sister in law, Julie, refused to tell me and I'm glad she did.

Return to Red Castle by Dorothy Keddington

All of the Keddington books are great. My friend recommended them to me and let me borrow her copies. They are teen romance-suspence (no sex, thankfully) books. Red castle was too mushy and rediculous for me, but it's a great easy read to keep you entertained.

Jayhawk by Dorothy Keddington

Jayhawk was my 2nd favorite. It wasn't as mushy as red castle.

Flower of the Wind by Dorothy Keddington

This was my favorite of the 3. It's a fun, easy, and fast read.

I'm currently reading Jane Austen Ruined my life by Beth Pattillo

I'm anticipating (even though I'm a little late for book club) starting Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas by the end of January.

Top 10

2010-01-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

Reasons why I want my own home.

10. Don't have to deal with Management
9. Can do home repairs
8. Can hang up paintings/ paint walls without fines
7. Can play rock band/ wii fit as loud as we want
6. More space to put stuff.
5. Nobody telling me what to do (I don't respond well to that in any situation)
4. In house laundry room. - non communal laundry room
3. My money will be going toward something to own- not rent
2. Don't have to listen to noisy neighbors
1. Won't have people in and out of my house whenever they want. I hate this!!! I hate cleaning inspections, random repairs, carpet cleanings. I hate the idea of people in my place when I'm not home- doing whatever they want. boo

Sleep

2010-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

I have gotten into the weirdest sleeping habits. I'm not sure if it's because I don't work as much, so I'm not as stressed out, or if I don't have to get up early as much- or a combination of both. I CAN'T, despite all of my efforts, fall asleep before 2:00 am. And then my body won't wake up until 10 am. I mean that's a good 8 hour sleep- but seriously annoying. I've been spending most of my time building my website and networking for photoshoots, etc. I know as soon as I am scheduled early again it will be a rude awakening. I've felt a lot happier during this weird-sleep week or two, though. And I can actually feel human past 8:00, whereas before I was tired and ready for bed by 8 and I got grumpy if I couldn't go to bed. Especially at school where I had to be there till 10.

We will see how long this lasts. For now, we're both happy and are enjoying life!

I am open for Business

2010-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

It's official!! My website is up and running! It still needs some tweaking, but I am really happy with the outcome. Feel free to go check it out, and leave your feedback.

www.theconceptofbeauty.com

I understand if you aren't into making your blogs busy with buttons and gadgets, but if you would like I would love if you added my button to your page so I can get the word out. You can get the code on my websites home page. Just copy the code and paste it into an HTML gadget in your side bar.

A big thanks to everyone who helped me out:
Megan Jensen
Danika Pope
and
Nick Stone- who pretty much did all of the work.

Big Loves!

Apology

2010-01-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Blog readers,
I'm sorry that my posts have been really lacking in substance as of late. I think the pressure of posting everyday is getting to me. Also, I am working really hard on building my website, which should be pretty bomb. Also, I have read 5 books already this January. That's pretty crazy, eh?

well, I love you

whitney

Dear Customer

2010-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Customer,

Thank you for throwing your money on the counter- out of my reach. Even after I had held out my hand, palm up, so nicely for you to just give it to me. No, bending clear over to grab it while you just stood there and watched was a fun little game, honest. I just can't decide if I want to know what you were thinking during that little exchange or not.

Love, me

Fun

2010-01-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've recieved a great response to my 10 free makeovers. Thank you for showing your interest (if you did) and if you have not, but wanted to... there are still a couple slots available!

Thank you for visiting the sight during pre launch. I hope to make some major improvements before I do a full launch.

I'm really excited and can see that it's really coming together! YAY.

I love you all. Have a happy Saturday.

Sneak Peek

2010-01-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

I am opening up my website for a Pre-Launch view. I'll have it open for 24 hours, so please come by and check it out! Let me know what your constructive critisicm is. I would love to hear it. (especially editing critiques!)

Love whitney

What to eat!?

2010-01-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

This post is in response to Julie's post about what to eat! ( I was supposed to post yesterday, but forgot, so this is it)

When I was first married I was awesome at planning a menu and buying the ingredients and sticking to it. Now I'm gone from the house M-Tr 5:00-10:00 so if Peter is going to eat, he has to do it himself. (which usually means he eats ramen or nothing at all)

Now I didn't really absorb any family recipes because we didn't cook a lot when I was older, AND, I had been living on my own off and on or 4 years and never cooked anything more high tech than mac and cheese. I did get some recepes from my Mother in law and a couple from my parents, but the majority of cooking I did came out of my own head or out of the cookbooks I got for my wedding.

Peter's favorite right now, is SO easy!
Chicken and Rice
(sorry it has cream of chicken in it)
Steam rice
Boil or crockpot how ever many chicken breasts you want
Put Cream of Chicken in crockpot with chicken
Add 1/2 can milk to every one can of cr of chicken you used
Add chicken bullion

You really can't go wrong- just put how ever much of it you want in

Here is a recipe from an earlier post. I LOVE IT!
Chicken Verde:

Kind of looks gross but here is the DELICIOUS recipe.

3C Green Salsa
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Coriander
3 10oz cans Green Enchilada Sauce
1 Corn Tortilla (broken up)
3lbs Chicken

Combine all ingredients into a crock pot. When chicken is cooked, take it out and shred it before adding it back into the mixture. Serve over rice. Or if you AREN'T lazy like me, put chicken in first then shred, then add all ingredients.

Also good with Cheddar Cheese over the top.

This is also from another post. It was so fun to make, and the posibilities are endless. ( I know you're sick of pizza, but this adds a different element)

Pizza Muffins

Chicken Alfredo Pizza Muffins. I sauted the chicken with some olive oil and garlic. Then poured some Alfredo sauce onto English muffins. Sprinkled some cheese, then the chicken, then the cheese again. The recipe I had was for a full on pizza, so I'm not sure how I cooked it, but I did until the cheese was melted. :) Viola! It was delicious!
You can also do it with traditional sauce and any toppings. It's fun to have a buffet and have everyone make their own.

Lastly this was a favorite of ours when we were first married, but fast became tired of, only because we made it so often and ALWAYS had leftover for days after!

Enchilada casserole
1lb ground beef
1 can (10oz) enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
In a skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and salsa; set aside.

Place 2 tortillas, overlappping as necessary, in the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Cover with one third of the meat mixture. Top with 1 cup corn. Sprinkle with 1-1/3 cups cheese. Repeat layers once, then top with remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Yield 6 to 8 servings.

coming soon

2010-01-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

I am working on a very special project! It is for an application to Beacon. Also it's to help boost my career as a makeup artist. I am making a blog about makeup ! YAY! I will need a lot of help with hype for my site at first. Also if you would like a FREE makeover (makeup mostly but we could do some fun hair things as well) let me know! I need Before and After shots so please say yes. E mail me at:
theconceptofbeauty@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. I'm free at random times, so tell me when you are free in the e mail and I will tell you when works for me. ( sorry, I wish my schedule was more open and accomodating)

I am really excited about this project. Even if I don't win Beacon, it will be a great way to help get my name out there!

Thanks friends and family.

love, me

Hey good looking

2010-01-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is me in my prime!! Check me out. This is what I would like to look like once I'm done kicking butt at biggest loser. See, I'm not rail thin, but healthy!

This picture was taken over 2 years ago when I worked in Minnesota at a canoe outfitters. I was cleaning bathrooms, hauling laundry around, and running up and down stairs all day. Life was good.

Lose it

2010-01-11T20:34:00.001-08:00

So for those of you who don't know, I'm participating in Biggest Loser Alger Edition. And I'm so excited. I've never been this motivated to eat right and exercise. I have the coolest app that counts my calories and tracks my calories burned. I wish there was a way to get this app for the computer because it is so easy to use and very detailed so it would be great for anyone wanting to be more health conscious. Here are some snap shots:

Now I love to run!! But it's hard when it's icy outside, and few work out programs keep my dedication so I was worried that I wouldn't stay motivated to work out.... But I happened upon something amazing in my parents basement:
Turbo Jam!!!!
It's amazing. Seriously, I get exited just thinking about doing it. I'm not sure what it costs, but I would highly recommend it! It integrates martial arts with some dancing and great music. It's made by beach body, so you can check it out at their website or maybe I'll let you borrow it....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

200!

2010-01-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of different Widgets on my computer. (widgets are little things like a calendar, dictionary, weather report. etc ) One particular widget was a count down calendar I started little less than a year ago. A count down for our wedding, that counts up after the day has passed. I accidentally brought up the widget page today and saw that Peter and I have been married for 200 days, today! Crazy. Our 6th month anniversary was on Christmas day, so naturally I know that we are over the halfway mark, but it's weird to think that only 165 days until our 1 year anniversary.

So what will the next 165 days hold for the Alger Jr. family? Here is what's in the works.
Peter is working full time at Pinnacle, saving up for school next fall.
I'm still working at the Bux, as Peter's sugar momma, and going to school at Taylor Andrews
We were planning on moving in December but decided that it wasn't the time. We are currently waiting for "our time" We definitely don't plan on staying past the end of spring. I can't even think about living in the 85 degree apt like last summer.
No children are in the works for the next 5 months.
We're going on a family trip to Yellowstone for some snowmobiling in February. We're super excited about that.
And that is really all I can think of. We don't have any crazy ambitions just the regular drudgery of school, work, paying bills, etc.. :)

Me and Pete

2010-01-09T20:48:00.001-08:00

I know it should be Pete and I, but which sounds better to you?

Me and Roman. He was crying the minute he walked in the door. Poor hungry guy.

Like our matching outfits? We totally planned it.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hello, and Dear Customer

2010-01-08T20:38:00.001-08:00

Hello from work everyone!!

I decided to start a segment called: Dear Customer,

It's inspired by all of the things that annoy me about customers, and that I've annoyed Peter about too many times. I've decided not to bring my actual place of work into it. If you don't know where I work already it will probably still make sense.
Today's segment:

Dear Customer,
Thank you for taking up the ENTIRE lobby with all of your foreign friends to play a game. I especially liked the part where you moved in chairs from everywhere (including the outside) but didn't have the courtesy to put them back. All of the straw wrappers were a nice touch as well.
Love, Me

The guessing game

2010-01-08T20:33:00.001-08:00

Can you guess what these are?

Or rather, what they're supposed to be...

Ok I'll give you a hint...

This was the product of having the husband make crescent rolls for dinner.

Proof that men don't read directions :)

p.s. I love you Peter!!!!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'll elaborate later

2010-01-07T22:25:00.001-08:00

Fig.1 multi-colored orange hair

Fig. 2 one color red hair!

Despite the face I'm pulling I love it!!! Yay one color hair

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Jammies

2010-01-06T21:53:00.001-08:00

Here is a tasty treat. Me John and Pete in our jams from Christmas. They were all video game related. We got Pac Man. John got x-box, Some sisters got Guitar Hero, some others got Call of duty. Don't worry, I don't look chubby- I am chubby.

Here's a cute pic of Peter with our nephew, Roman. SO CUTE!!! I know Pete will make a good dad someday! (don't tell him I said that)

Oh BTW my hair is FLAMING ORANGE!!! I should just have fabulous hair with no effort right? It should be like a magical transformation over night. Well, sadly hair doesn't play nicely. I'm not so sure I should talk about it. But I'll probably get over my hairstylist pride and post an awesome pic for you tomorrow.

If you can't laugh at yourself, others will. So might as well laugh at yourself.

So tune in for a great laugh tomorrow!

Home again home again Jiggity Jig

2010-01-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

In a last ditch effort to put together some sort of blog for the day, I realized how late it was, and how technically (as far as readers go) I will be a day behind, because people will be reading this the day after I post it... anyway- tangent-
After thinking that I realized I should apologize in advance, seeing as how this will be a common occurrence. I was gone from 8am to 10 pm today. Usuall it's worse ( 4:30-10) so my postings probably won't be in at the same time everyday. I could post using my handy dandy iPhone (which really does make my life easier-just an added bonus on top of being cool) BUT it's not as convenient.

Anywho. As I was thinking about all of this I realized that I never posted about our home. I took a lot of pictures to post, including our cool retro couch, with the dreams of letting the cyber world see them. But I wasn't satisfied with them. We weren't done decorating, unpacking, and arranging our rooms. Now that it is done, it's always messy so I just don't take pictures.
But oh does our apt have character!!!
The air conditioning didn't work in the summer (you probably already know this from my posts earlier) And now the heater doesn't work! joy.
At one point our facet, toilet, and tub (for the 2nd time) were all leaking copious amounts of water. I think I mean running.
Our thermostat has 5 settings: High, Low, Medium -for which there isn't a difference- and Summer and Winter-I'm glad it's that easy, how else are you supposed to judge where the temperature should be??
There is a constant flow of lint and gunk from our vents that collects on the surrounding walls. There is a constant ticking from the walls anytime water is turned on in the complex.
Our coat closet isn't deep enough to fit a hanger.
All of the blinds are duct taped at the top to keep them attached to the track.
Our pantry has a sliding slated curtain that you can close but keep the blinds open if you'd just like a peek inside. Anytime anyone below us cooks, we can smell it plain as day in our Bedroom. And the best part is, we can hear EVERYTHING that goes on directly above our bedroom. Without getting explicit you can probably guess what I'm talking about... I promise it's probably worse than what you're thinking.

So come over already and see it for yourselves!!!

I was trying to think of a reason to get all of our close friends and family to come over. something like an open-house of sorts. But isn't 6 months after the fact a little too late? The only people who come over is the maintenance man, and Peter's friends. (Not that anyone wants to come over now that I've posted this) We've been pretty happy despite all of the "character". Good thing is we'll have one of those "when your father and I were first married" stories. We are still looking to move, thought, just waiting on the timing.

*post edit- I found a picture of the pantry. Functional, No?

Sorry for the random post. I think this posting everyday business will be harder than I thought. I actually have to think about it now!

I made it

2010-01-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

I've put off posting about my new years resolutions, bit here's one real quick...

BIGGEST LOSER ALGER EDITION

Things are in motion! We have goals, weekly challenges, and a Blog. This is perfect because I've been really serious about getting back into shape.

So far so good! I kept track of everything I ate, and stayed under my "calorie budget" and excercized! I have a handy app for my phone that will keep track of my calorie intake, calories burned, and tracks my weight daily! So I'm ready to take my health seriously.

Resolutions

2010-01-03T23:42:00.000-08:00

In the past I have resolved to not procrastinate so much. I am a HUGE procrastinator. Usually I am in School so that worked for me: get homework assignments in on time, practice more, etc. This year is a unique case. I have procrastinated making my new years resolutions. Maybe because I feel like it deserves some huge ceremony where I write down a list of personal goals and then compare them with Peter and then make family goals, when we could really just do it in the car. Someday I will have my goals. Posted on a big paper on my cork board with some kind of decorative element to it. Something that will stare me in the face everyday. But for now I have ideas floating around in my head.

It feels really backwards to procrastinate making goals. :)

REcap

2010-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like I haven't done a very good job of ushering in the new year. I still haven't made my new years resolutions, I haven't had to write "2010" on anything, and I haven't assessed my success of 2009. What is wrong with me? I guess it is time for the reckoning.

Since I'm not yet ready to promise to do anything this next year I'll start with

2009: "The first year of the rest of my life".

This year was a year of Decisions. In January I decided to forsake conventional education and follow my dreams to become a hair dresser. In February I decided to become someone's wife. In March I decided to quit my job that made me feel inferior for the last 2 years. In April I decided to quit my passion: Colorguard. All summer I made decisions on how to run a house for 2. In September I decided to go back to work at Starbucks. In October I decided to put off having children for a couple of years.

I found out why your first year of marriage is the hardest. I always thought it was because you were acclimating to the other person, and fought, and hate/loved eachother. Really, it's because you're poor and can't pay rent AND buy groceries. And you're making decisions blindly hoping they will result somewhere in the positive.. All the while trying to stay positive and strong for the other person so they don't see your weaknesses... and trying to get to know them better... and trying to be the perfect spouse. That is some crazy stress I tell you. ok- so the only people who read this are already married- you already know.

I lost my Grandpa Quinn to his 4th battle with cancer.

I passed the halfway mark with school!

For the first time I planned AND ACTUALLY prepared a menu.

I planned a wedding.

I became an Aunt for the 3rd time.

I read more books in 1 year than I ever have.

I joined a book club

I went to Disneyland!!!

I feel like I had an eventful year, but this list just doesn't compare. I'm excited to say hello to my decade as an adult and say goodbye to my decade as a teenager. 2010 will be great. My outlook on the future to follow in another blog.

MISS

2010-01-02T15:47:00.001-08:00

So, if you'll recall, 2 of my sisters in law blogged everyday last month. I missed out on the fun so I decided to do it THIS month. And I've already FAILED!!! I can't blame it on being lazy, I blame it on stupidity. It's another one of my mental blunders. * Tomorrow is the first day of January, I've decided to blog everyday in January,- so I need to blog tomorrow.. the last part didn't quite compute. This happens to me ALL THE TIME! It's crazy.

Instead of waiting to start in February. Let's pretend I blogged yesterday! I'm sure, if not today, somewhere down the line I will blog more than once a day, and this will be forgiven, right?

So here is my official announcement:

Tune in Daily to see what's going on in my brain!

There you have it. Time to move on

SNOW!!!

2009-12-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

We are driving to the temple is this

We don't think we'll make our original session. It's kind of crazy how obstacles get in your way when you're trying to do the right thing. Or how people can't drive in the snow even though they've lived in Utah their whole lives!!! We're just happy to spend some time together. Enjoy the snow, BE SAFE!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Old friends

2009-12-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

Look what I found!! In my quest for warm socks, I dug up these sweet digs. You're jealous

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Short

2009-12-25T22:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas was good to us. We were not only spoiled in gifts but in time with family as well! We love you and hope your Christmas was full of the spirit of the Lord, yummy treats, and fun family time. Merry Christmas to ALL and to all a good night

My sister had her baby

2009-12-20T10:30:00.001-08:00

Roman Atticus Padilla

6lbs 10 oz

Monday, Dec 14th

He is such a cute bundle of joy! He looks just like Audrey and is such a sweet boy. He came out pretty up to date with his own BLOG and everything! (maintained by my step-dad Todd) Check it out. I am now the Aunt of 3 beautiful boys: Chancellor, Ayden, and now Roman

Sunday Thoughts

2009-12-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

...ok so I totally stole that title... from someone.
I'm just aspiring to be a super blogger like my sisters in law. If I can't blog everyday, maybe once a week will do.
-side note-
I'm totally supposed to be in bed right now-I work at 6am tomorrow- but once I get something in my head I can't get it out.
-end side note-

I've been thinking a lot about traditions lately. When I went to Snow College, a common get- to- know- you question was what kind of traditions did your family have, or what traditions have you started with your new family. I always hated that question because I felt like we never had any cool traditions like other families. The more I grow up the more I realize that isn't true. Growing up we traded off holidays with parents, and eventually merged our existing traditions with those from other families', so things were always changing. I came to the conclusion that even though I haven't been making gingerbread houses with my grandma for my whole life, I've always had family around and done something meaningful around the holidays. Here are some of the past Christmas traditions my family has participated in:
- New Christmas Pj's on Christmas Eve.
- For about 2 years we went on trips for Christmas, one year going to Hawaii in January, and the next to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC.
- My Dad used to make spiced nuts every Christmas and take it to neighbors and friends.
- Lately we have been watching Christmas Vacation as a family Christmas Eve. (great family time activity, right?)
- When we were younger we went to my Aunt and Uncles house and acted out the Nativity story. My most memorable year is when I was the angel and the white dress I found was actually a nursing gown with slits in the chest. I didn't realize until someone pointed it out in the middle of the scene. I was SO embarrassed. ( just to clarify... I was wearing clothes underneath)
- We always opened Christmas presents one by one, youngest to oldest. That eventually evolved into every round being different. First youngest to oldest, then opposite, then by birthday, then by alphabetic order. It was hard when we were young but I like being able to recognize what my siblings received.
- We go to Christmas BINGO every year (except, sadly, this year) and get awesome gifts. The most memorable one was the GIANT remote that we still own to this day.
- One of my favorites is cutting down our own Christmas Tree every year the day after Thanksgiving.

Although those have been fun, it is time to start creating my own Christmas Traditions. This will be Peter's and my first Christmas together, and it has been fun meshing our traditions. In Peter's family they have Christmas brunch every Christmas morning at 11. We also have adopted the tradition where we are in charge of stuffing each others' stockings. This year our Christmas is going to be really humble, but we have already decided that we are focusing on family and Christ this year. I'm really looking forward to spending time with family and not rushing around like crazy trying to find the perfect gift for EVERYONE I know, as it has been in the past.

I want to hear about YOUR family's traditions (past-present-favorites-ones you want to start) For married folks, you should write about your first Christmas together, and the traditions you started. (even though I used to hate this topic, I think it's fun to think about now)

I love Christmas! I love the spirit and hope it brings to everyone. I'm grateful for a time to think of others and Christ all of the time.

Updates from the Alger Jr Clan

2009-12-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

2 of my sisters in law are blogging EVERYDAY for the month of December. Reading their blogs everyday reminds me more and more that I don't EVER blog. I've missed the bandwagon for December, but I may try it in January as part of the new year-try to do everything better- tradition.

Peter and I started our Holiday Season pretty mildly. ( I believe the holiday season starts with Halloween because there is some holiday to obsess about until January)

We borrowed decorations from my mom (the ones that were on their way to the D. I.) to make our apartment festive for Halloween. Peter loves Halloween. It is kind of dear to both of our hearts because our first date (as adults) was the day before Halloween going to a haunted house. I also made some of my own at girls night
They were a lot of fun to make. I also found some scary creatures inhabiting our house.

Scary!

The scary thing is I bought those potatoes on my first grocery shopping trip as a married woman. You can do the math.

Thanksgiving was pretty low key this year as well. We went to my Grandma & Grandpa Sorenson's house. And then everyone went to see Planet 51. (the choice was that or new moon). on Black Friday we participated in one of my favorite Holiday traditions. Cutting down our Christmas tree for the Knowles family. (side note: I have never participated in Shopping on Black Friday. I've never had the desire, and probably won't) This time last year was the first time some of my family had met Peter, and the first time I introduced him as my BF. He drove all the way up to Layton to go cut down a tree with my family. What a sweetheart. This year was a record. Biggest tree, fastest time. Our tree was GIANT!! We cut off probably 5 feet and still couldn't fit it in the house. I love Christmas decorating!
We also borrowed decorations for Christmas until we can afford to buy our own, and I made some as well.

STOCKINGS
a girls night product as well.

One for me, and one for Peter. Yay.
I still haven't put up our meager decorations. I should be doing that instead of this...

Peter and I are doing well. We are finally seeing the fruits of our Labor, and it is rewarding!!! Good news is the semester is almost over, we both have a lot of days off together this month for Christmas, and we get to spend a lot of time with family soon! YAY.