A Jew, a Mormon, and a Weinerschnitzel.

Yep, we're the people with our dog in the family photo.

2011-10-18T14:02:00.009-06:00

Our friend Noelle took our pictures last week, and we're in love with them. (Just a little plug for her, she's very fairly priced, and super speedy with the turn around. Plus we LOVE her work. If you are in Utah/Salt Lake County, you should look her up.) As my subject line mentions, we had Peter be in a few of our pictures. Yes, I am aware he's not an actual child. Judge us all you want, he's adorable. For your viewing pleasure:

In other VERY exciting news, Joe got a new job. He's been very happy at IKEA, but is also very excited about his new position. He will be a senior accountant for Murray City starting next Tuesday. This will give him the opportunity to work with a CPA and get his required work hours to become one himself, which is something that he really wants. I'm so proud of him, and so grateful to have a husband that is constantly striving to do better things for our family. Plus, now he has a 5 minute drive to work every day. I think I see a Vespa in our future...

Want some candy?

2011-07-09T22:19:00.005-06:00

It's in the back of my van...

Easter and other things

2011-05-10T22:02:00.006-06:00

Well, it's been awhile. See, we don't have any children. Without children, blog posts are just about me and Joe (and probably our dog). Too many posts about just the two of us, and we become the Utah County couple (no offense) that shares every second of every day, explaining why the cereal we ate for breakfast tastes SOOOOO much better because we're SOOOOO in love. Nobody wants that, especially not me. However, a few things have happened in the last 6 months that I feel are worth mentioning.

Back in October I surprised Joe with a trip to Denver to watch his beloved Broncos play their rivals, the Oakland Raiders. When I say I surprised him, I mean I really surprised him. He had no idea where we were going until we got to our departure gate at the airport. Here are the highlights: The stars aligned and one of my favorite mission friends had her reception in Denver the weekend we were there, our hotel location was perfect, we ate at some fantastic restaurants (my favorite being Crepes and Crepes), our seats were fantastico, and the weather was perfect for watching football. The Broncos got KILLED by the Raiders (I don't love the Broncos, so it wasn't nearly as painful for me as it was Joe) but it was still so fun to be there and see our first NFL (regular season) game. Joe may or may not have choked up during the National Anthem, I'm just sayin.

On a completely unrelated note, last week I ate what I believe to be the best tasting orange I've had in my near 30 years of living. So delicious.

My main reason for writing is to post about Easter. Somehow I convinced Joe to pack up and head to Blanding so that we could see family and help brand calves. I spent a lot of Spring days branding so I wanted Joe to experience it at least once. Joe is straight "city", so this whole thing was completely new to him. I tried to explain exactly what would happen so that there wouldn't be any surprises (although I doubt one can ever be completely prepared to witness the poor boy cows losing their manhood in front of everyone). I was nervous for Joe, but had already talked to everyone in my family telling them that we were just going to watch, and that maybe I'd sit on a cow. I should have known that wouldn't fly with my brother Steve. He was very nice, but kept encouraging Joe to get in there and sit on a cow. Well friends, my sweet city boy was very brave and sat on a calf while it was attended to (to ease some of the concern, I held the calf's leg in case it flipped out and tried to get up). He did so good, and remained very calm even when that awful smell of singed hair and burning flesh was blowing straight in his face. In that moment as we sat there with that calf I think i witnessed Joe being completely and fully accepted into the Bennett clan. They were so proud of him for being willing to get dirty and try something they truly love.

He also got the privilege of actually branding a cow. I'll admit it, I had my doubts but he did a great job with that too and made a near perfect mark on the cow.

So so proud of Joe for being such a great sport, and so thankful he was willing to share something that's just a part of our country livin. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEENER!!!

2010-10-30T22:09:00.002-06:00

Love,
Mario, "your mom", and Peter the cow.

Oh that Marti Jo...

2010-10-13T14:07:00.004-06:00

I am a little disgusted with myself. My sister's birthday was a month ago and I am just doing her birthday post. I had very specific pictures I wanted to use for this and kept hoping they'd appear. BUT, a month later I still can't find them so I figure I'd better just move on with my life.

Marti is the oldest, and I'm the baby which means there's a 7 (I think) year gap between us but it's never stopped us from being great friends. Even when I was a little girl I wanted to go wherever she was going. Once I begged long enough for her to take me with her to the store that she caved and let me go, but for some reason didn't make me wear shoes...our car (and by car I mean the giant white cattle truck we drove) broke down and I remember walking home, groceries in hand, and barefoot. I kept telling her she had to carry me because it was her fault I wasn't wearing shoes. She never carried me, but I forgave her and we continued on as friends and have only gotten closer as we've gotten older. Marti Jo is a GOOD mama to her 4 kids, and I'm so proud of how hard she works to give her family a good home. She works so hard and sacrifices so much to make sure that all of her kids get all they need (even when they clearly don't understand or appreciate the sacrifices she's made.) She also has the softest heart, and is always making something, or cooking something for somebody. She's the first person to offer help to anyone that might need it.

Marti and I have been through a lot of happy and sad times together. She's one of the few people that I can call any time night or day (whether it's to share great news, or to cry my eyes out) and know that she'll always be there to listen to me. I'm so grateful to have her as a sister and a friend. Sure do love you Mardith Jo Bennett Winn!!! Happy (super late) Birthday!!!

Days of our lives...

2010-10-07T12:14:00.002-06:00

Some days are just meant to be. Yesterday started out perfectly with the sound of my husband screaming a high pitched scream when I poured ice cold water on him while he was in the shower. Work went smoothly with no major disasters, and mutual was a success with none of my young women arguing or making something into some sort of absurd competition. Best of all, for dinner I had macaroni with tomato juice that I bottled myself (with the help of my mom and dad)and for dessert had rainbow sherbet. Yes, yesterday was one of those days that was just meant to be. Today? Today I somehow convinced myself that it was possible to keep sleeping after my alarm went off and just wait for Joe's alarm to wake me up. Then when Joe's alarm did go off (a half hour before I should be at work) I was able to convince myself that I could sleep until his snooze went off. Once I was completely awake I remembered that I had a client coming into the office at 8:00 a.m. With the help of my husband, I miraculously made it into the office by 8:04 a.m. only to discover that instead of one client waiting to meet with my attorney, I had two. One client was supposed to be here to prepare for his arbitration that started at 9:00 a.m. but I couldn't figure out why the other client was here. Well, turns out that my sweet client and her husband drove up from PROVO because the letter I mailed her regarding her mediation on October 19th, told her that she should come to the office TODAY to prepare for it. Really? Really. She pulled out the letter and showed me. Directly underneath the wrong information was my signature. I begged for forgiveness, got that situation solved and moved on to continue my work day. Next I had to hand write a few things for one of our clients. First time, I wrote it wrong. No big deal, I just started over. FOUR TIMES LATER, after making the same mistake each time, I finally got it right. It's barely noon. Can I get a re-do?

Happy Birthday Joseph John!

2010-08-27T09:53:00.004-06:00

Today is Joe's 32nd birthday. I thought it would be so easy to write a quick little post about how great Joe is, but I can't find the words to express how great he really is. There are just so many things I love about him, the best thing to do is probably make a list. A few things I love about Joe are:
1. How he has to google every new thing he hears about, or sees on TV.
2. How he tolerates my madness, and is always game for my last minute plans.
3. He wears bow ties to church 98% of the time.
4. How he FOUGHT getting a dog, then turned into a bigger dog lover than I am.
5. How diligent he is about paying all of our bills on time.(This is very helpful for me, as I am the COMPLETE opposite. Automatic withdrawals are my best friend.)
6. The fact that he uses words or phrases that only 80 year olds use.
7. How much he loves me. Ahh...sweet.

I've been feeling a bit under the weather and wasn't quite up to planning a birthday extravaganza; when I apologized to Joe for having a lame birthday planned all he said was "You feeling better is the best present I could have." Oooh, so cute, right? That's my Joe, always the nice one. I should take lessons. He really is the best, and deserves the best birthday ever. (Even if I didn't plan one for him.)

Happy birth moment Joseph! Love you! (If you don't watch the office, you won't get it.)

Karma Mom's the birthday girl!

2010-08-10T21:02:00.005-06:00

My mom celebrated a rather important birthday last Saturday, but I had some struggles with my blog posting, and then became deathly ill (which is an exaggeration but a very tragic story all the same) so this post is a little late. (I'm awfully sorry Mom.)

I believe I've mentioned this before, but Karm is basically just amazing. I don't know anyone I'd rather be like than my mom. She's who I call for basically anything I need, or to share a funny story with, or to call and complain about work, etc. One time I asked Joe if he worried what I'd be like when we get older and he said no, because I'm already basically my mom. If only that were true...(For the record, just because your mom was incredibly disciplined about housework and staying physically fit doesn't mean you will be. True story.)

My mom is truly just the best mom there is. I'm sure plenty of people say that but I'm totally serious. It just doesn't get better than Karma Jo.
Sure do love you mama, happy **th birthday!!!

To Kristin, with love...

2010-07-27T17:11:00.002-06:00

This post is for my dear friend Kristin. It's basically a few random things about me that don't mean much to anybody.

I went on a first date with a boy that took me to Temple Square to make wishes in the fountain for each year of my life. (Making 25 wishes all together.) About an hour in to the date my only wish was to be home.

When I was 17 (and 40 pounds heavier) it was not uncommon for me to buy a box of donuts and eat the whole thing within an hour or so. I would then wash it down with 32 ounces of soda.

I have used the "Oh I must have bad reception" excuse to hang up on a boy, and never call back. (I know it sounds awful but a girl can only take so many awkward conversations before she snaps.)

I once threw buckets of rotten fruit at a neighbor girl that I didn't want to play with. (Ash knows who I'm talking about. J-j-j-junkson.)

One time I spent the afternoon telling my brand new mission companion awful scary stories about skin-walkers (wikipedia them if you're not familiar) and then waited until we had blown out our candles (no electricity at the time) and had gone to bed. I waited until I knew she was almost asleep, crawled silently across the floor, grabbed her shoulder and whispered her name. It worked, she was scared.

Every once in awhile I will rearrange things in an attorney's office at work. I've stacked chairs, moved books to different shelves, things like that. She is CONVINCED that they are hate crimes, and that someone is trying to "send her a message." I love it.

To Kristin, I love you, here's a post.

Stevie Boy's big day!

2010-07-01T20:33:00.005-06:00

Steven Kade Bennett has a birthday tomorrow, but I'll be on the road so I thought I'd better send some love tonight. My youngest memories with Steve aren't always the best (mostly I remember things like locking him downstairs when he would babysit me, or him chasing me with chairs and other heavy objects, or him giving me my one and only bloody nose) but as the years passed by and I was old enough to not be an embarrasment, we became good friends. I sure do love my Stevie Boy. He is so knowledgable about so many things and is my go to guy when it comes to purchasing anything that's used outdoors. He can always convince me to do ridiculous things like climbing multiple fences, and hiking dangerous hills with fishing poles in hand, only to go fly fishing in FREEZING COLD rivers with rushing water up to my waist. He's a good boy, that Sam. He's a great dad and has become quite a softie (which is a miracle of all miracles) with his babies and the rest of us too. Happy Birthday Viejito! You look more like dad every day! :)

Is honesty TRULY the best policy?

2010-05-19T15:51:00.002-06:00

I am not a naturally nice person. Those that know me well can tell you that it is a constant battle for me to keep myself from saying something that I proably won't, but should regret later. One thing that does come easily to me is telling the truth. Something I've learned is that sometimes nice and truth don't mix. I tried mixing them and this was the end result:

Coworker: I never feel a very warm welcome when I come downstairs to the lit (litigation) department.
Me: Oh that's too bad.
What I'm really thinking: Probably because you're an awful human being.

Coworker: No I'm serious. I don't feel like anybody really cares for me on this floor.
Me: Oh I'm sure that's not true.
What I'm really thinking: If you weren't such a bad person people might like you more.

Coworker: No really, I'm not kidding. Tell me Kacey, do you consider me a friend?
Me: (using what I consider to be superhuman levels of restraint at this point)Sure.
What I'm really thinking: NOOOO!

Coworker: I'm not joking around. If you were at home telling a story to your husband that involved me would you call me your friend?
Me: Probably not.
What I'm really thinking: No. Not only would I not call you my friend, I would probably use lots of descriptive and possibly inappropriate words to explain how awful I feel you truly are.

Coworker: See now that offends me. It hurts my feelings that you wouldn't consider me a friend and it bothers me even more because I don't think you're alone in the way you feel.
Me: Oh my opinion doesn't matter, and I'm sure I'm alone.
What I'm really thinking: I'm not alone. I checked.

Coworker: No, I don't think you are. I've noticed that I am just not well received by this department.
Me: I guess you probably don't want to come around much then.
What I'm really thinking: Please don't come back into my office ever again.

I really did try to be polite, but something inside of me HAS to tell the truth. Please take note that I while I'm willing to attempt kindness, honestly always wins out with me. If you remember this simple fact, you might help both of us avoid an awkward conversation.

Extended Family!

2010-04-26T22:02:00.006-06:00

Peter has a new family member to play with. My mom and dad got a new dog, and we decided to name him Uncle Charlie. Charlie is such a cute, loving boy. Peter loves Charlie and once he realized that Charlie wasn't going to share our house they got along famously. I picked him up from Salt Lake County Shelter and we drove him down to Nephi to meet my dad. I was very nervous about what kind of travler he would be (Joe isn't as patient as I am with our canine friends)but he was so great. He just wanted to be a part of the fun. Once he realized that Peter was allowed to sit up front on my lap (for anyone wanting to lecture me, I KNOW it's not safe. Don't judge me!) he of course wanted to sit there too. This is how we rode to Nephi.

Welcome to the family Charlie!!!

The m stands for mud.

2010-04-22T17:03:00.008-06:00

My dad had a birthday on Tuesday and I am just getting around to posting about it. Shame on me. I don't love him any less because of the delay I just couldn't find my photos. My dad's name is Nyle M. Bennett. The m doesn't stand for anything, it's just an initial. My dad always told me that it stood for mud. I still remember Mrs. Hurst telling me she highly doubted that my dad's middle name was mud and me telling her that she could think what she wanted, I was right. I think the stubborn gene was passed down from Mr. Mud himself. My dad can be quite stubborn and is very set in his ways but he is an incredibly great man. I learned the true meaning of giving service from my dad. He is always so willing to do anything for anybody without ever being asked. Just this last weekend he and my mom came up to stay with us and celebrate my dad's birthday and he spent a good chunk of his time helping (and by helping I mean Joe watched and handed my dad things) Joe fix all of our sprinklers. It's almost impossible to describe my dad to somebody who has never met him. I think the best I can do is by saying he's a little bit country, and a little bit rock 'n roll. He's also just the best. Sure do love you pops, happy birthday!!!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T15:15:00.007-06:00

We had a delightful weekend. We went to my mission reunion on Friday (which confirmed to me that sometimes the past should stay in the past) and did some Easter celebrating on Saturday. I guess the Easter Bunny remembered that he always delivered my baskets on Saturday (Sunday was always for the important part of Easter)because we woke up to find our baskets filled with goodies.

As you can see, the Easter Bunny was very good to us this year. I got a new bottle of my favorite perfume (I've been rationing what's left of my old bottle) and Joe received Season 1 of Arrested Development, and a subscription to Golf Digest. The Easter Bunny would like to ask all of you to refrain from judging the homemade gift certificate for Golf Digest. With all that the Bunny had to do this last week a trip to the store to buy the actual magazine just didn't happen.

We got to play with cute Krewser Bruiser for a couple of hour in the afternoon. Such a happy little baby, and as you'll see in the picture below he is already a big fan of General Conference. Whenever the choir would sing he'd go right next to the tv.

Next it was time to color eggs. I don't know how excited Joe was to do it but he was a good sport and played along. No matter how old I am I still love to do one egg in all of the colors. It never ends up pretty.

On Sunday we slept late, made waffles, and watched Conference. I don't have any pictures of this day because showering wasn't on my "to do" list until after the day was pretty much over. All in all our weekend was fairly quiet, and VERY enjoyable.

Basically nothing.

2010-03-29T13:13:00.002-06:00

I have a few things that I wanted to share that aren't important in any way. I'll just make my way down the list.
1. I think I might actually be growing up. I purchased Easter and Spring decorations for my house, and spent most of Saturday working in the yard. Don't those things make me some sort of an adult?
2. He went to Jared. It's true, Joe purchased my ring at Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry. Yes they have AWFUL commercials, but they do have beautiful jewelry. Judge all you want, I'm very happy with my ring.
3. God works in mysterious ways. I think that our friend Angie got called to be a Sunday School teacher to ensure that we were attending Sunday School at least every other week (which is how often she teaches) instead of at home eating cereal.
4. We are TRULY in the final countdown. Joe has 5 weeks of school left, FIVE!!! Are you serious? That is NOTHING! Last week was spring break and I got a taste of what it will be like to have him home every night. Pure Heaven.
5. I have no doubt in my mind that the people that rented our house before we bought it were great, loving, caring people. Unfortunately, it has also come to my attention after nearly six months of living in this house that they were also very (VERY) dirty people. Many things have made me a little sick to my stomach. I'm just thankful that my momma taught me better than that.
That is all.

Boys. (sigh)

2010-03-26T08:48:00.002-06:00

I am a migraine sufferer. They come out of nowhere and the only thing that brings relief is my prescription meds accompanied with complete silence in a dark room. Well this week I had a migraine but couldn't miss work so each morning I took my meds and headed to work. Wednesday was ROUGH. I didn't think I was going to make it through the day, and in fact I didn't. I left work early and went home to rest. Well one of my male friends had wanted to come by and see our house (namely Joe's big screen)but I let him know that it wasn't a good day for that because I had a migraine. Well my friend is a good friend and wanted to check up on me. It went something like this:
Friend: How are you feeling?
Me: Much better, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Friend: Oh good, is it weird that I'm talking to you about this?
Me: About what, my headache?
Friend: Well yeah, because it's a migraine.
Me: Are those secret kinds of headaches and I didn't know it?
Friend: Well you know, because migraines are from, you know...that time of the month.
Me: Are you serious right now? Or are you kidding?
Friend: What? I just don't know if you wanted to talk about that.
Me: Wait. You really think that a migraine comes from a girl having her period?"
Friend: Shh! Don't say that loud. I'm sorry I brought it up.
The rest of the story includes me explaining what a migraine is, and that men and women get them. Oh boys, quite clueless at times aren't they?

Two quick shout outs to my peeps

2010-03-19T10:15:00.002-06:00

Do you ever have days where you just realize how great someone/thing really is? Today is that day for me. I'm feelin the love and decided to share.
First: My parents. Oh my gosh I love my parents. I know everyone thinks that their parents are the best but I think that my parents probably really are. (Stacy's parents come in a close second.) I've never known two people that work harder than my parents. My boss calls me "Big Country" because he says I know how to work hard like a country girl. If any of that's true it's because I saw my parents work non-stop to make sure that our family was taken care of. It's such a great thing to see them be able to lounge and relax a bit now because heaven knows they didn't get a chance to do that when we were young. It's hard to explain how great my parents are, so you just have to trust me when I tell you they are amazing. Really, they are. A few weeks back Joe and I spent the weekend in Richfield and had such a great time. My parents never disappoint! My mom had great food waiting for us, we learned how to play the card game Pit (my dad and I spent most of our time laughing and passing the bad cards back and forth to each other) and of course my dad and Joe spent a good chunk of our stay playing Tiger Woods Golf on the Wii. Oh, and let me just throw this in there; we tried out Wii Fit with my mom and dad and they both killed us on the tests. Not our finest moment. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my folks and am so appreciative of all they've done and still do for me.
Second: Joseph John. We are in the final countdown folks. Six more weeks and Joe is officially done and will be a graduate of The MBA program at the U. What a giant accomplishment! I'm so proud of Joe for how hard he works and what he's been able to accomplish. This last week was AWFUL as far as his schooling goes, and he was such a trooper. There were late nights and early mornings to make sure he got all of his school work done without interfering with his job. He puts in a lot of hours for school and work and works so hard to make sure that there is a balance between his home, work, and school life. (I may have possibly had a hard time acknowledging that a time or two.) What a lucky person I am to have married such a delightful man with such high goals for himself and his family. Turns out I went from one great family just to be able to start another. As my friend Taylor would say, I'm truly blessed.

Did that really just happen?

2010-03-12T12:15:00.002-07:00

I was talking with my boss in his office today when one of our coworkers popped in and said "Is that your client in the lobby?" My boss politely responded letting her know that we weren't expecting anyone. She continued to tell us that the man was very handsome and looked like a movie star. I confirmed that we didn't have any movie stars waiting for us in the lobby and naively believed that our conversation was over. I was sadly mistaken. Two seconds later I heard the most ridiculous, offensive words I have heard in quite some time. "I thought I would ask you about him because he is African American." Wow, wow, and WOW. For those of you who may not know, my boss is African American. So somehow this completely ignorant woman assumed that these two men were connnected. I stood there in shock for a minute. Was I dreaming? Had I slipped into another realm where we were suddenly back in 1950? Had I truly just witnessed two human beings being tied together because of the color of their skin? Sadly, I had. As I sit and write this I still can't believe the level of ignorance it requires a person to have that makes them think it's ok to say something like that. People, it is 2010!!! What have the last 50+ years been for if not to make us all equally viewed as people, not colors? Wow. What a disappointing (and slightly even disgusting) experience.

Being ordinary.

2010-02-28T20:53:00.002-07:00

When I was younger I thought I'd get married when I was 20, maybe 21 (at the latest), have BEAUTIFUL children (which I still plan on having) and have a wonderful, smart, caring, loving, rich husband that would support me as I traveled and did motivational speeches for people all over the world. I had grand visions of how I would change the world. Life didn't exactly turn out that way. I'm 28, only been married a few months, and have no intention of speaking out to the world. (For the record, I did score on the husband.) My point is that my life is fairly ordinary and I couldn't be happier. I had conversations with friends that didn't want me to get married in the S.L. Temple because "everyone gets married there." So I was one of 20 brides that got married there that day, so what? My day was perfect for me, as I'm sure it was for all of the other lovely ladies marrying the love of their life. Not much about my life would stand out to people and that's ok. My life is much more quiet and "normal" than I ever thought it would be and it makes me happy. Today it hit me that it's ok to just be one of the crowd as long as you're in the right crowd. My name is Kacey, I'm ordinary, and I can embrace it. :)

Happy Valentinos

2010-02-14T22:42:00.003-07:00

Valentines Day has always been one of my favoriate holidays. I loved giving out valentines, and waiting for my grandma to doorbell ditch our valentine goodies. Valentines Day was also the beginning of my relationship with Joe 2 years ago which makes it even more of a special day for me. In honor of this day of love, here are a few things that make my life a lot more enjoyable.

1. I love chocolate milk, it makes my mornings at work a lot easier to deal with.
2. I love clean sheets, and underwear. It's so delightful to feel the freshness.
3. I love my friends, not very many people understand, or love me the way they do.
4. I love a lazy Saturday, where the only thing on my to do list is breakfast out.
5. I love how excited Peter is to see us when we get home.
6. I love a good tv show. Modern Family, and Big Bang Theory are personal favorites.
7. I love when your hair just works. All the girls know what I'm talking about.
8. I love a visit to my parents' place. It's always so fun with delicious food.
9. I love my friends at work. My boss, and two ladies in the corner keep me going.
10. I love (and I do mean love) a good apple crisp. Any time of any day.
11. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sweet husband. He takes very good care of me.

Happy VD everyone

Rood

2010-02-10T11:14:00.001-07:00

I doen't theenk its cuete wen moms preetend to bee there kidz and miss spel wurdz. Duz that mayke me offul?

Taterbug has a birthday!

2010-02-03T21:12:00.006-07:00

Well, tomorrow is my baby brother's (who is actually older than me) birthday. What can I even say about Tate? Tater is a lot of fun to be around, and has always had the gift of making me laugh at the most inappropriate things. He is also very loving, with a big heart. You might not guess it, because he is very successful at hiding his large heart when he's being the most STUBBORN a human being could possibly be. I've never seen anyone that will argue to the death to prove his point like Tater, but I'm sure that's what makes him such a great attorney. :) I'm very happy to have Taterbug as a brother, and love his cute little family too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BONZO!!!! I LOVE YOUR GUTS TO PIECES!!!

What's her name? Moron?

2010-01-29T16:36:00.005-07:00

Today is a sad, sad day that marks the end of an era. Stacy and I have been friends since Kindergarten (I think) and have pretty much done everything together that we possibly could. We had plenty of classes together throughout all of our school years, worked at the same places, lived together, we even managed to somehow start and finish our missions within a month of each other. (And thank heavens, or my stay in Bolivia would have been a LOT shorter. Knowing that she was "suffering" through the sames things I was is the only thing that kept me there my first 6 months or so.) When she got married to Taylor and moved out I thought our days of hanging out and talking, etc. were going to have to drop off considerably. False. We still talked on a regular basis, and Taylor probably wondered at times if he was married to both of us. Once I started dating Joe "seriously" Stacy and Taylor became our go-to couple to go on any sort of trip with. As time went on and Joe and I got closer to getting married I leaned even more on Stacy to help me make the transition into being a "responisble, married adult." We talk on the phone every day, send emails, and still get together on a fairly regular basis. UNTIL TODAY! Stacy and Taylor are leaving us and moving back home to Blanding. Somehow, Stacy and I have managed to live less than 20 minutes from each other 25 out of the 28 years we've been alive. I can't even comprehend such a loss! However, as sad as I am to lose them, I'm very excited for them to be able to achieve what they've always wanted (even if it means abandoning me.) So, since Stacy is one of the 5 people that read my blog: I love, and will miss your guts! Thank you for everything (and I do mean everything) you've done with, and for me. (Especially telling me that Tommy smelled like Mike's Hard Lemonade.)

Oh, you know...

2010-01-12T12:23:00.002-07:00

Just another day at the office.

How is it

2010-01-07T14:50:00.006-07:00

That these two boys can make my whole day?

I dunno; but they sure do.

A season of surprises (part two)

2009-12-29T21:34:00.005-07:00

Christmas was so great this year. We got together with my family the weekend before Christmas and had a great time. There was plenty of good food, good fun, and of course good company. Christmas eve Joe and I had dinner with his parents, and then came home and opened up our Christmas eve presents. I got Joe Denver Broncos, and 49ers ping pong paddles so our teams can battle each other each time we play. He got me the WHOLE set of Saturday's Warrior piano music, and probably regretted it the second I opened my present and began serenading him with each song I turned to. Saturday's Warrior is a BIG hit with me (and Stacy) and I was super excited about it. We visited for awhile and then I got our stockings taken care of while he "set up" my main present in our front room. He covered it with a blanket so I wouldn't be able to see it while I was setting his gift up. I was good, and didn't snoop. I set his present up, took care of our stockings and then it was off to bed. Joe got up to go potty at about 5:00 a.m. which woke me up. The longer we tried to go back to sleep the more excited we became about sharing our presents with each other. Finally at about 5:40 a.m. we got up and opened our presents. I had Joe look at his present first. It's a neat little Denver Broncos Mini-fridge that can also heat up food. It's meant for tailgating parties so you can even plug it into your car. I was very excited for him to see it and completely forgot about my covered up present behind me. Joe told me it was my turn to open my present so I pulled the blanket off of the gift and found two empty shoe boxes with a note telling me Santa had left my present downstairs in the big guest bedroom. I walked downstairs and couldn't believe my eyes.

There she is in all of her glory, my new Yahama P-155 digital piano!!!! DIGITAL PIANO!!! Even today it brings tears to my eyes. For years I have searched for, and priced digital and acoustic pianos. I never could justify the chunk of cash I'd have to pay for something I had no place to put. When I saw my piano all set up Christmas morning I was shocked. I just stared at it and cried, and then of course sat down and played the gorgeous thing. What an amazing husband I have to get such a special present for me. Afer a few songs we made our way upstairs and finished opening our presents and then headed back to bed. We eventually got back out of bed, and spent the rest of the day calling and visiting friends and family. We had a great day and were very happy to be able to have our first Christmas together as our own little family. (Although Peter wasn't very interested in opening presents, he mostly slept through the excitement until I gave him one of the dog treats my mom got him for Christmas.)

A season of surprises (part one)

2009-12-29T20:54:00.006-07:00

December was a great month for me. I started off with a great birthday. The day before my birthday we were able to get together with my Blanding friends and do our little "Holiday" party at Texas Roadhouse. Someone tipped the waiter off that it was my birthday and I had to sit on the "birthday saddle" while I got a birthday "yee haw" from the workers. I'd like to say there are no pictures, but I think Stacy and Joe both got some. My actual birthday was full of pleasant surprises. All I knew about my birthday plans was that I was supposed to leave work at 3:45 p.m. and that I needed to dress warm. I got home to presents (wrapped in already used wrapping paper) and flowers from my sweet husband. I opened the presents and found a pair of snow boots that I really needed (taking the dog out early in the morning gets very cold) and the newly remastered version of Snow White. I was already excited about my presents and would have been happy just staying home but Joe had other plans. I changed into warmer clothes, including my new boots and we were on our way. About half way through Parley's Canyon I guessed that we were going to the Heber Creeper Polar Express. THE POLAR EXPRESS!!! I've been wanting to do this ride for years.

It was so much fun. We were the only adults in our car that didn't have kids. I didn't care at all; I loved every second of the whole ride. They give you your cookies and hot chocolate from Mrs. Claus, read the story, Santa comes to visit, and you sing Christmas carols. I'm like a little kid so of course I loved the whole thing.

Next it was off to dinner at the restaurant Zoom in Park City. It was DELICIOUS! We had this amazing jalapeno crab dip appetizer and then I ordered a burger with a side of shrimp. (Don't judge me, it was my birthday.) I can say for sure it was the best shrimp I've ever had. Joe got delicious seared tuna, and then we topped the whole thing off with an apple and walnut pot pie. Wow. I was stuffed to the brim, but I couldn't have been happier about my day.

Hot Springs, Turkey, and the Jazz.

2009-12-09T20:50:00.008-07:00

Joe and I had the chance to go Lava Hot Springs for Thanksgiving. It was such a fun trip. All we did was eat, play monolopy, soak in the hot pools, and watch tons of t.v. We started our vacation the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and went to the Jazz game. We have season tickets, and it's always fun to watch the TINY little players from our seats up high.

We headed up to Lava on Wednesday, got to the cute house we rented, and started the relaxation. Thursday we slept in, ate some breakfast and started to prepare our Thanksgiving dinner. I must say that while I missed my mom's delicious rolls and stuffing I was very pleased with our own mini feast.

We even bought a special meal for Peter, I think he was pleased as well.

Sunday we made the trip in to Soda Springs so I could show Joe where my dad grew up, and the fun things he used to take us to see. We stopped to see the man made geyser Soda has. It was an incredibly ghetto set up, but the geyser was super neat. It goes off every hour on the hour.

I took Joe past my grandpa's house and showed him the train tracks we always smashed pennies on. Then I took him to Hooper Springs and made him try the weird "soda" water that we always drank when we were little. We would always take a gallon of it back home to Blanding and make grape kool aid for show and tell. What AWFUL tasting water. I had such a good day being able to show Joe the fun things my dad showed us each time we went to see my grandparents. Monday we had to come back to the real world, but had such a great time and were super grateful for the break. Oh, and just for the record: I am the Monopoly champ at my house. (And yes, I have the granny Lila gene and cheated once. I felt guilty and told Joe after.)

Feelings...

2009-11-26T21:01:00.006-07:00

I decided that I should probably do the right thing, and make a list of things that I am truly grateful for in an attempt to make up for being a bitter Betty in my last post.
1. My mom and dad. They have taken care of me for (almost) 28 years and I imagine they'll continue to do so for the rest of our lives. Nobody makes lasagna as good as my mom does (not everyone has to agree with me on this point) and nobody dances quite like my dad (the jury is still out on whether that's a good or bad thing.) They're just such good people it's amazing. I love them VERY VERY much.
2. Good siblings. We always have a good time when we're together. I can think of SO MANY awful things they did to me growing up (like my brothers telling me that hair turns into spiders 3 days after it's cut or falls out) but I love them (and their families) all the same.
3. Good friends. I hate to name names because I have so many great friends that have done so much for me, but I feel like 3 people specifically need to make the cut: Stacy, Tyrel, and Erin. These 3 girls have seen me at my best and my worst and are still my friends to talk about it. It's sort of a miracle.
4. My job. I love my boss, and truly enjoy my work. How many people can really say that?
5. My dog. I have officially become a dog person. I always liked my dogs growing up, but our dog Peter has totally won me over. I'm not happy to admit it, but I've become the proud mama that always tells stories about things he's done. (Erin and Stacy can tell you all about it.)
6. My cute husband. What, you thought I wasn't going to mention him? Please. I feel very lucky to have married my sweet Joseph John. He's a very lovable nerd, with a heart 8 times bigger than mine. I can't say much more without getting too "Today I marry my best friend" on this, so I'll just say that I love Joe, and feel like I won the lottery the day I finally convinced him to marry me.
I'm sure I could go on and on but I'll just say that I'm not oblvious to my blessings, and here's my post to prove it mom. :)

An Unthankful, Ungiving Thanksgiving.

2009-11-20T09:52:00.002-07:00

I know-I'm an awful person. I've read plenty of great posts about all of the things that people are so thankful for, and while my list of things to be grateful for is very long and continually growing I can't help but feel the need to write down a few things that don't make feel thankful even the tiniest little bit.
1. People. People on a whole REALLY bug me. I realize that it takes most people the majority of their lives to get to a point where they'd rather stay in than deal with the crowds but I think I reached that point at age 17. On a regular basis I find myself fighting the urge to shake someone and yell "USE YOUR WORDS FOOL!" Maybe it's hereditary. My dad has the same problem, an uncle on my mom's side suffers from the disease as well, so perhaps I was just destined to be this way. Whatever the reason, people drive me nuts.
2. Traffic. Seriously? The fact that there's an 8-10 foot space in between me, and the car in front of me makes you feel like you NEED to come over into my lane? Or just because you're chatting your life away on your cell phone makes you think it's ok to be driving 55 mph in the fast lane? No no my friend-think again! I am very lucky to live 3 blocks from my place of employment or I think I would have already gone "Towanda" on somebody. You know what I'm talking about: Fried Green Tomatoes, a store parking lot-very classic.
3. Gossiping. Don't get me wrong, nobody loves a juicy bit of info more than I do. I love hearing "don't tell anyone yet" baby news, or secret proposal stories with the rest of the world. I even enjoy hearing scandalous "she did what?" or "he's dating who?" stories. It doesn't stop there however; people turn mean and nasty so quickly. For the record, once you start telling me awful or vindictive things about people that I either a)care about and enjoy b)don't care about or enjoy or c) have never even heard of, I kind of just want to punch you in the face. I'm shocked at how comfortable people are sharing horrific things that they'd never want said about themselves. Suddenly I'm reminded of number one on my list.
4. Judgers. Now, for those of you that know me, know that I'm a self-admitted judger. I judge every person I deal with on a daily basis. I judge co-workers, friends, family, myself-you name em, I've judged em. I make quick judgments too, which usually always end up completely wrong. So who am I to hate the judgers you ask? Someone who judges, but doesn't discriminate. I'll judge your hair, your shirt, your shoes, your face-but it won't change the way I treat you. (Unless of course, I judged you to be awful and you proved me right.)What I really hate are people that judge, and act accordingly. I might judge the world, but I will at least TRY to keep my judgments to myself, or a few select inidividuals. :)
So there we have it. This is my unthankful, ungiving list for Thanksgiving. Like I said before, I know-I'm awful.

Lots of kids=lots of fun.

2009-11-17T15:33:00.009-07:00

A few weekends back we had the chance to go to Blanding for my niece Caitlyn's baptism. All but one of my nieces and nephews live in Blanding (on the Bennett side) so Joe and I (meaning I decided, and Joe supported)decided to rent a hotel room big enough for the two of us, and 6 kids. We found a killer deal, and made it happen! So, Saturday night around 6:00 we started rounding up kids and headed to dinner at The Homestead. Let me just tell you, my six darlings were on their best behavior. Apparently the threatening talks of being sent home due to bad bevahior paid off because our table of 8 was no louder than any other table in the restaurant. Next we moved on to our hotel room where we were prepared with glow sticks for the crowds. Who would have guessed that those things would bring hours of enjoyment. We were constantly changing from necklaces to bracelets, or counting to make sure that each kid still had their 9 glow sticks they started out with. Bed time also went better than anticipated. Of course we had to make a few minor adjustments as to who was sleeping where. Even I had to switch "hides" of the bed with Uncle Joe so I could sleep closer to Trace, but everyone eventually dozed off, and slept through the night. I had so much fun staying with the kids, and Joe was a good sport through it all too. I love my little munchkins and can't wait for the next giant slumber party.

Mothers Day Miracle!

2009-11-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

As my friend Erin said, it's a true Sunday miracle. I've finally started a blog. I'm guessing it will be boring to those of you who aren't my mom, but-here's too posting my life for the world to see! (and by world, I mean the 6 family members and friends that will read this.)