Halloween Memories

Halloween is the greatest! I haven't been able to get into it as much as I would like during the past few years but that doesn't dismiss my love for it. Last night while I was in class I got to remembering the Halloween's of my childhood. (Who can pay attention to a four hour film class?) Being the youngest of six I was pretty much always taken care of in the costume department. The early years I had been a clown, a princess, a gumball machine (that was a stretch). Then getting into my own creative costume making... I was a Bob Dole (pen in the fake hand lol), Scarlett O'Hara, Mulan, etc. I can remember a time when we lived in NSL when we ran out of candy and my Dad started tossing doggy treats in bags. (Ew..) Another was when we lived in St. Louis. I had never heard the concept that you had to "check" your candy before diving in. I had been trick or treating with a friend who for the lack of a better term, lived in a neighborhood of manufactured homes. Checking candy was no new thing to them. Anything that looked suspect got tossed. You should have seen my face as skittles, butterfingers, and reeses got tossed aside. Better safe than sorry I guess but sacrificing the butterfingers was almost a sin! Fast forward to when Alvin and I first started dating. I guess some guys will do anything for the love of a girl. I dressed Alvin up like the chipmunk! The poor kid donned a plus size red turtle neck from Wal Mart with a yellow A on it. I don't think I'll ever get him to dress up again. (I post the pictures of this later lol) He asked me the other day, why do you like it so much? I guess I love being something or someone else just for one day out of the year. I want to hear your Halloween memories! So let's eat, drink, and be scary! Happy Halloween!

Can't Buy Me Love

Last night I got off work and ran to Smith's to pick up a few items for dinner. When I got home Alvin was no where to be found and couldn't be reached on his cell. This is very unlike him. We've been attached at the hip since we met. So, a little frustrated I sat and ate my turkey tacos alone. As I'm cleaning up he walks in the door with the excuse that he was at Sports Authority. You couldn't call or answer your phone to let me know? It wasn't that big of deal so I dropped it. After cleaning up, we were off to work on homework. When I got downstairs he handed me a box neatly wrapped with a gold bow. It's not my birthday, it's not our anniversary, he just got me something just because! (Ladies, when does this ever happen?) He bought me a watch! There's a picture of it to the left. Holy smokes! I was and still am blown away. Now, I say 'can't buy me love' because truely I don't need this beautiful new watch to know how much he loves me. He just wanted me to know of his appreciation for all I'm trying to help him with and accomplish at this time in our lives. I married a great guy!

Black Island Farms

My sister Rosie and her cute as a button son are up from Arizona for a week enjoying a Utah fall. On Saturday we ventured out to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. (It's the poor man's Bauman Farms.) Needless to say, it was a fun fall day with most of the kids activities free. You can't beat free. Also, their homemade kettle corn was very tasty - Jack couldn't keep his hands out of the bag, let alone the three adults with him!

www.yearbookyourself.com

Toss Me In!

Alvin and I are working on his essay for applying to grad school. This has been on going for several months now. I'm lying on the floor, ready to give my right arm instead of coming up with one more way to blow sunshine up another school's a**! This next few weeks is the long haul before the first school's deadline. I'm going to look like King Tut when this is all said and done. (See I can't even come up with something snappy... it's sucked me dry!)

Catch Me If You Can

I have a great job. I work for a company called Horizon Financial. I can honestly say I have never had a job that has fit me so well. For the last few months I've been assisting with the planning for Horizon Financial's 4th annual Client Retreat. I'm so excited for this event. Last year they brought in author David McCullough for the key note speaker. He is an incredible historian and orator. That evening was inspiring and one I'll probably never forget. This year is going to be equally as exciting. Horizon Financial has lined up Frank Abagnale as the key note speaker. Frank who ya say? Have you seen the movie Catch Me If You Can with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks? This is Frank Abagnale's story - they have brought in the real Frank Abagnale for this event. Here's a clip from the trailer:

Tagged!

My friend Vanessa tagged me so here goes:


Six of my quirks: (Just six...)


1. This may be cheating because Nessa had one about the grocery store... but I can't grocery shop when there is a lot of people around. I get all claustrophobic and anxiety ridden. I just want to pick up my loaf of bread, stick of butter, and quart of milk in peace! (not even the zoloft helps this!)


2. Cotton balls... eww. I'm not sure where I get this one from but the sound that a cotton ball makes when it's scrunched tight gives me the willies. Occasionally when swabbing my ears that sound will screech it's way out and I'll spend the rest of the day cringing.


3. Clocks... this one drives Alvin crazy. There are a few clocks that I intentionally set 5 to 10 minutes faster. This way when the alarm goes off I can comfortably hit the snooze button knowing I have just a few more minutes. Or if I'm running late, the clock in my truck reads 5 minutes fast, at first glance I'm screwed but at second glance I'm just fine!

4. This also sounds like another one of Nessa's. Like Nessa leaves just a little left in the glass and can't seem to finish it, I always leave the last bite of dessert on the plate. I'd like to think it's me being healthy but no it stems from my dad. All growing up there was a strict rule that had to be obeyed. When there were treats in the house (any kind) the last one had dad's name on it. If he got home and hadn't even a chance to get one oreo he was ticked. lol!

5. I'm a backseat driver and a bad one at that. Some of Alvin and I's worst arguements are held in the car. It's especially bad when I feel he should start breaking when my foot trys to hit the breaks, when he's been to our destination a bazillion times and yet I will tell him to when or where to turn (this has happened even when going home), or even when he's in the middle of turning and I'll say, "oh - turn here".

6. I'm a clicker. When I fall into a deep sleep I start to click. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. It's like my tongue hits the back of my throat and clicks... lol. My poor husband!


I tag: Melissa, Rosie, Kristen, Sarah & Tamra

Conference Weekend

I remember piling onto my mom and dad's bed at five years old to watch "comp'rense". Mom would go out the day before and buy hoards of candy to use as bribery. When my attention span as well as my parents patience with me had been exhausted they'd send me down stairs to play. The only condition was that a Book of Mormon cartoon had to be playing in the background. I think Barbie and My Little Pony enjoyed the story of the brother of Jared a lot.

I got a little older and we had moved to St. Louis. It was a sad day when my parents had to explain that we couldn't watch conference in our jammies at home and that we'd have to spend Saturday and Sunday out at the small branch in Warrenton. Because most of the members of the branch lived a half hour or longer away from the ward house it was a custom to have a pot luck between the morning and afternoon sessions. This was quickly termed the "Pot Unlucky" - you never knew what to expect.

Now I'm back to pj's and butterfingers! I can see the appeal of televangelists. That's pretty self revealing - what a lazy bum huh? Well it will be nice this weekend to not have to move a muscle and not to have to eat a "Pot Unlucky" (also self revealing - what a brat huh?). A happy "comp'rense" weekend to you!

Surgery Blahs

Tomorrow I’m going under the knife! It’d be nice if the procedure was some type of plastic surgery. Nip here, tuck there… KA Pow! It could be like extreme makeover as I enter the room full of family and friends looking completely changed! Oh man… if I had the chance I’d have Lasik, a nose job, a little lipo, you know… the works! I’ll pretend that is what is actually happening tomorrow. Unfortunately the extreme makeover won’t be on my exterior body. I’m going in to have a D&C. Coming to will be a bummer. But hey I could still leave the hospital in stilettos and lip stick!