it's nothing special....it's just kriss

People say having a kid changes things. Well, I am not comparing my dog to your children, but getting a dog  definitely changes things too. Some things are dramatic - like the 'used to be office now turned puppy' room. Or the 'I left my puppy with my not-so-observant brother and now there is a crater' hole at the top of my stairs. Others are more subtle, like the 'I can't snooze my alarm because it's not fair to the puppy' feeling in the morning. Or the 'I just spent more money on dog toys than I did on food for me' moment of realization. Some changes are even more subtle. Like this weekend when my Mom and I went to Einstein Bagels for lunch. Who knew they have 'doggy bagels'? I didn't. But I do now. Why? Because I notice things like that now. And, if you ask if I bought one for my dog....sadly, I would have to say yes. Because of the subtle, almost subconcious, nagging thought of her tiny little face begging for a bagel. Afterall

I have a minor obsession with Corvette's. Check out the website and I think you'll agree that they are beautiful cars. I rode in one once. It cost as much as my house. It also went from 0 to 80 in 2.5 seconds. It just doesn't get any better than that. As part of this distracting obsession, I notice when there's a Corvette. And I offer it a moment of pause and reverence. Usually accompanied by a not-so-silent "Mmmm" or "Ooooh" or "Ah" or other covetous sound. Well, when I was in Arizona, I saw an awful lot of Corvette's. So my conversations with Merideth were frequently interrupted by 'ooh's and 'ah's. After water aerobics one day, we walked out into the parking lot and I let out an 'Mmmm'. To which Merideth bewilderedly responded, "Buick?" Looking over, I realized all she could see was a lot of empty parking stalls and a buick sitting all alone in the middle. Ha HA! Sorry Buick - but my "Mmm&q

This post was supposed to be posted a month ago. Pretend that's what happened, ok? As part of my 'take back', I flew to Arizona to visit Merideth! :) :) Best idea...EVER! Here are some of the highlights - not in any particular order.:) - Water aerobics (although sadly, not with the howling instructor) - Getting addicted to Drop Dead Diva - Learning that Utah is not really hot at all - Shopping at Charming Charlie's - Chatting oustside in the dark (the only time it is safe to be chatting outside in AZ) - Homemade Chocolate Lava cake with Strawberry Vanilla ice cream - Grasshopper pie - Kalua pork - Grilled corn - Fresh Wood Fired pizza And best of all, - HANGING OUT WITH MERIDETH!! :) :) :) Thanks my friend for a wonderful vacation!

So, this weekend my singles ward had a party on Friday night. Rumor has it there was dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Then, Saturday the stake had a hoe down - again, dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Several people even got dates out of these great dance parties. Where was I? Not at the party. Not at the hoe down. No, I was watching a movie with my Mom and Dad both nights. And suddenly it begins to make sense why I have no social life. Dear next awesome singles ward event, I promise to at least seriously consider coming, instead of being perfectly content to hang out with my parents watching movies. Love, Me

In light of my last post, here are a few life lessons I've learned from my cousin: - "15 minutes + dark alley = happy big brother" (posted on Facebook after his younger sister's boyfriend broke up with her) - "I will break both his thumbs. Have you ever seen a guy zip up his pants with broken thumbs? You can't do ANYTHING with broken thumbs." (again said after his sisters boyfriend broke up with her) - Family is everything. Without family, there isn't anything else. - Your Mother is someone you should adore, trust, confide in and seek council from. She is your greatest friend and biggest fan. - Bear your testimony to your children and siblings often - you never know when you'll run out of opportunities to do so. - Tell your spouse how much you adore them every day - because if it ends up being your last one, you will have no regrets and neither will they. - 'It takes a bigger man to change a diaper than it does to leave it for

Two weeks ago our family was reminded just how fragile life is. My cousin passed away very unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. He was only 34 years old and left behind his wife and their 5 young children. Not to mention leaving a grieving mother, father, sisters and countless family members and friends whose lives have been changed by the wonderful man that he was. It was very much a tragedy. As we attended his funeral and as I had conversations with family members, I was reminded of a few beautiful, simple truths for which I am extremely grateful. God lives. He is our loving Father in Heaven. He has a plan - a perfect plan. And though we may not understand it at times, it is still perfect. When He calls us to pass through trials such as this, we most certainly are not alone. Because of the Atonement of our Savior, families truly can be together forever. Death cannot rob us of the promised blessings of the saving ordinances of The Gospel - especially the bond of a temple sealing.

I like running ahead of the group - (figuratively of course. Those of you who may have had the misfortunate of being in PE with me will surely remember the chubby, out of shape, socially awkward teenager wheezing miles behind the last runner...). I seem to have been the youngest in a lot of things - most of my college classes, the sisters in my branch at the MTC, my department at work. I like being the youngest. I like having a false, unearned sense that I am doing something with my life sooner than the average person. But I have reached a horrible point in my life - that sense of accomplishment has completely crumbled. I am no longer the youngest. I have passed the mark of 'mid-20's'. I find myself telling people that I am 27 and calculating life as though I were 27 and only have 3 more years until I'm 30 and kicked out of my singles ward, because obviously once you pass the mark of 25, what's one more year? But I'm NOT 27 - I am barely 26! It's like Chri