Brett, Ang and Penny

Suggestions please?

2012-01-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

So i have a problem

Most of you know that I am not doing school at the moment.

I am currently halfway through a math degree and partially through an art degree.

And now I am thinking about going back

It will be hard with Penny, but i seriously think i can do it. Brett and I have been looking at online programs so that I can do all my work at home and do everything in my own time. There are a few online Math degree programs where I can finish what I started. I will only have 6 classes left in one of the programs! Amazing right?
My problem??

I found online ART DEGREES.

I am torn. My passion is the art, but I am good at the math and it makes me sound smart.

The art degree is in illustration....doesn't that sound dreamy? I would love it so much. Except that I essentially have a full 3-4 years of that degree, while the Math degree I would maybe have 2-3 semesters depending on how many credits I want to take per semester.

But I really love art and I want to get better. Way better.

Secret?

I want to write childrens books!

I want to become genuinely great at something. Something that i could be proud of. SOmething unique

I feel that with math, I am passably good, but not great. I don't think i would ever be remembered for being good at math.

But art kind of lives on.

So there is my problem

Practical math vs. Impractical lovely art

Helpme.givemeyoursuggestions.loveme

Garish?

2011-11-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

I have been in the mood for BOLD BRIGHT colors lately. Maybe its because the weather is starting to get drab. But seriously, i am bordering on being overly gaudy and garish. And I think I love it.

My mirrors.

I could wax poetic.

It is definitely not for everyone, but it is definitely for me.

I started by sanding down some gigantic mirrors from the DI.

Then I painted them with some leftover house paint that i found in my garage.

and completed it with an antique black glaze over the top.

Next is this old cracked painting that I found at the DI. I thought it was so drab. The flowers blended in with the background which blended in with the gold frame. The picture i took of it actually looks better than it does in real life.

So i spiced it up. I may have spiced it up TOO much with the purple background. I maybe will fix that. Basically i went over it in oil paints using some glazing techniques. Nothing difficult, but it for sure stands out like the old painting didn't

Anyways, feel free to give feedback.

The start of something good

2011-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

I should probably say the return to something good, but I feel like this is just the beginning. I have been painting again. Now, there are multiple paintings that are in the works and i can't put up yet, and there are a few that are christmas gifts that i can't reveal yet. But I have been doing everything from repurposing old paintings, to abstract, to portraits, and then to just messing around and experimenting with paints.

It feels good.

I don't know whether its feels so good because I am accomplishing things or if i am accomplishing things because I feel good. Either way, I am in a good place! I am being productive and I am getting better at my painting. Its become something that I love once again. A release.

Here are a couple of the ones I did today as I was just messing around. I think i like them quite a bit. I am not above selling them.

OCTOBER

2011-10-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Brett has taken penny out running a few times. Its getting cold!!We went to Thanksgiving point and got ice cream sundays with the Judds. Cute family picture. Penny is so excited to be sitting on this stool.We had a little halloween Party with some friends. Pumkin carving, Carmeled apples and lots of fun!!!

August

2011-09-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

In August, we went to St George with some friends! We had a fantastic time. We were able to go boating, play tennis, swim, and play many many games! We just love love love our friends.I went up to Bear Lake for Labor Day weekend. I painted my finger nails for the first time since 5th grade.

Brett finished painting the house! It was a lot more work than either of us anticipated. It took two days, and much frustration. But Brett perservered! That boy is amazing.

BEFORE

AFTER

Mairin

2011-08-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

I seriously love this girl.
A lifetime of friendship.
Going to Gap and Taking pictures with clothes and being told to cease.
Dressing up as Spice girls. Mairin always got to be Baby Spice.
Eating whole sheets of Eclaire Cake.
Making movies and comercials on her parents video camera.
Cheating at Scrabble with Allison.
Bear Lake.
Dressing up always.
Drinking multiple bottles of Martinelli's.
Laughing so hard we cried.
Painting toenails.
Watching movies.

Holding hands running down a lane of Aspen Trees. Twice.

Eating whole cartons of Ice Cream.

Taking bubble baths in my parents jacuzzi in our swimsuits.

I love spending time with Mairin. Always.

Now you are moving to NY Mairin. I will miss you. I wish I had made the most of these last few years. I love you! Here's to more memories! I AM coming to visit you.

July and Some of August

2011-08-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

My mom brought me back a whole FLAT of Bear Lake raspberries this last week. So i made jam! ( With lots of help!) I can't get over how beautiful the color is! And it tastes as good as it looks! Brie and April came over one day and the kids played (Cade and Mila are not shown, though they were there.)(April i think that Camden is checking out Penny...)
With Brett working from home, he comes up and has "Penny Time" every now and then. It is their favorite time of day!

We've been to the Harbies to swim a few times. The kids really had a good time, even though they look grumpy in this picture.

A few of us meat eaters went to Tucanos

We had some friends over for Brett's birthday. Man do those boys love each other.

Our darling Penny!

Cute Family Pictures

What I love

2011-08-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

I never write about my bad times. Mostly because they are the times that I least want to remember. What I do want to remember, however, are the shining moments during the bad times that give me hope. This is what got me through the day.

April. Letting me invite myself over when I needed a friend. Asking about how I'm doing like she cares, and not out of pity.

A friend who made me cookies because she knew something was wrong

My baby Penny. Her marathon kisses that last two minutes and leave me slimy from the eyes down. A full two minutes of kissing and gut rolling laughing from the both of us.
Holding her as she fell asleep tonight. It took 2 hours, but how can you get upset when you KNOW that your baby loves you and needs you.

Diet coke. Yes i know this is lame and seemingly out of place in this "I'm so grateful" page, but honestly it hit the spot.

Brett. Hugging me and kissing me on the temple when I was distraught. Losing hours of sleep helping me talk through everything. Letting me know that he loves me. Letting me know he understands. Holding my hand.

I just realized that I'm counting my blessings instead of sheep. Now i am picturing a White Christmas and am currently singing my blessings before i sleep. Its time to go to BED

Best of Penny

2011-07-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Brett and I have been looking at pictures of Penny's entire life!

We love this little girl!!

She is so happy and fun.

And has a little attitude.

Some pictures just capture her personality.

Here are a few of her best faces!

Fourth of Fun

2011-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than a Fourth of July? Its a day that I anticipate all year long.

Hot days and warm nights.

Playing Football on the golf course behind Granny's house.

Watermelon and Sparklers
*sigh*

The Harbie Barbie.
Steve and Brett in their pool shirts.
Unbuttoned.

Smiles and Stripes.

There is nothing better than looking forward to a holiday and then having it turn out EXACTLY how you would have wished it to go.

MEXICO!!!

2011-05-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Brett and I (sans Penny) went to lovely Mexico last week on a cruise! It was spectacular.

We ate ice cream cones...about 4 a day...YUMM

We hung out on deck, caught some sun and then would go to dinner everynight at 815( not by our choice!) and just ATE ATE ATE

It was an amazing time with just Brett and I. Oh how I love that boy!

On our first day in Cabo, we went to see the famous arch. We opted to just take a water taxi instead of payin $90 and going through the cruiseline. So we paid a man like $ 10 to take us to Lovers beach and to see the arch and to pick us up. We had a great time at the beach, but when it came time to leave...NO WATER TAXI MAN. I was getting pretty anxious as we had no ride back! So Brett went in search of another boat to take us back where we had to fork out extra moolah. Lame.

The next day in Cabo, we decided to only pay ONE WAY to get to the beach we wanted. So we went to Merano Beach where all the hotels are, only we walked farther down where there was hardly anybody. This was my favorite part of the vacation. Pristine beach. Beautiful water (which of course i refused to go into after Brett made me go in and I got dunked) and an amazing view. Oh it was Paradise...

Here is lonely Brett playing in the water all by himself.

And here is me, thoroughly enjoying my time on the beach.

One of the days in Cabo, we went to lunch at a cute restaurant where Brett had amazing fish tacos!

Our ship then went straight to Puerto Vallarta. THis is where we did our EXTREME CANOPY ADVENTURE!!!! SO first we took a boat for about 30 minutes and then we got to this little cove where we got in HUGE safari like jeeps and CRUISED up this mountain. terrifying. Then we got on mules and went up another mountain for half an hour. my mule fit me perfectly. It was just like me. It didn't want to wait in line and constantly was trying to pass everyone at the worst possible moments. my soul mate. Then we got to the top of the mountain and went on a 1,000 foot zipline! It was so scary the first time. We were like 300 feet in the air and just soaring over all this jungle. From there it was zipline after zipline and rapelling down waterfalls! One of the Ziplines, instead of slowing down, it dropped you into a huge pool of water! I reluctantly did a canonball and brett wholeheartedly splashed everyone. We then ended the 10 ziplines and 2 rapells with a double zipline so we could race! Brett beat me even though they gave me a 5 second head start.

HIGHLIGHTS of our trip:

BEACH BEACH BEACH

canopy adventure

shopping

lounging on deck

Brett buying me a day at the spa on deck for mothers day. INCREDIBLE!!!!!! THis is a whole seperate post.

Lowlights of the trip:

Staff on the boat walking in on Brett and I changing. Yeah thats right. I'm sure they got an eyefull.

Getting abandoned on the secluded beach

OVerall:

Best trip of my life!!!!!!

Penny Girls Birthday!

2011-04-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd quickly post a few pictures of Penny's Party! Dont worry there are more to come!!

Angela the Spy

2011-04-04T18:01:00.001-07:00

As we all know, the sneaky one in our family is Brett. But after our recent adventures in aiding in the capture of criminals, I think I have won back the crown. Brett was working and I was playing with Penny, when I heard a frantic knock and the doorbell ringing. I answered the door to two panicked girls who asked if they could come inside because some car has been following them since leaving Alta High. I yelled at Brett to get a look at the car so we could get a description and plate number.

I then tried to calm down the crying girls. I told them we needed to call the police and report the incident. But the girls were surprisingly reluctant.... They said they were on probation and didn't want to involve the cops. hmmm. I asked them if the people in the car maybe thought they were doing something wrong. Oh no, that couldn't be the case, because they were just walking along not doing anything. So I ask them if I called the police and kept their names out of the report if that would be okay. They hesitently agreed.

So I call the police and tell them what happened. I start describing the vehicle and then the operater starts asking me for a detailed description of the girls. Not of the car. hmmm.... A police car drives by. The girls FREAK and start trying to escape out the back door. It takes them a couple minutes to figure out that we have a large piece of wood blocking the door. heh heh. then they run out the back and jump over the fence.

As this is happening I am giving a play by play to the operator of where they are going. The run through the neighbors yard Then they are nabbed by the police and put out on the curb in handcuffs.

I later see a policeman going through our front yard, so I went out there and tell him where the girls went. He goes to where I directed him and finds cell phones and wallets that the girls had ditched.

Apparently the car following them had seen these girls stealing stuff from the girls locker room at Alta High and were following them taking pictures and my description to the police led them right to the culprits and the stolen property.

Brett thinks I should be a detective.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

2011-03-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Penny stole the cookies from the cookie jar.
"Who me?"
A little peekaboo...
And just plain cute!

GIVE ME YOUR BOOKS

2011-03-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

I don't REALLY want you to give me all your books.
I'm not a bully like that.
But I WOULD like you to tell me your favorite books that you have read recently. I have been borrowing my dad's Kindle and have been a voracious reader for the last week. Its a nice treat having extra time (SPRING BREAK YAHOO), and when I go to the gym I've been taking the kindle and reading my heart away. Therefore I have gone through like 3 books in the last two days.
#1 was the Lace reader which was awesome(thanks April!)
#2 and 3 were trashy novels that I MIGHT be embarrassed to list...
PLEASE add to my list! And don't bother with depressing novels that have a sucky ending. I want good books that i leave wanting to read again!
Don't be stingy. Give me your books.

I want to win like steve harbertson

2011-03-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

So i think these swimsuits are so cute and I'm trying to win one on mygiveaway.com
so here is the link- check out the swimsuits!

http://www.hapari.com

Fondue and more Fun

2011-03-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

I always forget to blog. I take pictures from most events and then they just sit on my computer or camera all lonely and such. I'm honestly just busy! I have school to go to, school work to do at home, and then take care of penny and try to stay sane! I've been going to bed at 9:00 every night( yay for me and haley!) and I swear Brett thinks I am so lame. BUT Penny is asleep right now, and its the friday before spring break, so instead of taking a nap or Spring cleaning(because i already did that today!) I am blogging. Sorry for keeping it pretty mellow- just a few pictures and some paragraphs...nothing too exciting!

Here are just a couple pictures from the epic BFFP. Cheeeeeese fondue and chocolate....oh my i don't think life can get any better! More can be seen from Haley's blog. But these two were keepers!

Its been a while since I posted pictures of penny, so i just snapped a few today!

She loooves this book. It has foam cutouts that she can pull out and chew on.

And these...these shoes are my favorite things that i have purchased this year! The bows on the back are the best part. They are a perfect summer wedding shoe. and just all around shoe. I am in love.

Bear Lake

2011-01-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

LOVE love this picture.

Happy Birth(weekend) to Haley!!

The gorgeous view from the cabin

Ryan and Steve playing spoons. (Steve won like he always does)

Allison and Nick! Allison- your eyes look very wide open in this picture!

Scum! I actually ended up as the King, yahoo!

Steve, previously "mu'ed", and now a zombie who has gotten his legs chopped off.

Our cute family!

The bag i FINALLY FOUND while shopping online at the cabin. Its my birthday present to meee, I'm so happy!

And me, holding the two cutest friends!!

Wisconsin Winners

2011-01-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Penny's first flight!!!

Three little cousins

Sisters...sisters...there were never such devoted sisters.

Reading took up about 80% of our time with Penny and Eliza

Bath time took up the other 20%

Shopping at the outlets in 0 degree weather!

Our lovely sister who let us come and visit!

And the lovely sister who helped me get penny there in one piece.

Cute Eliza!

Video Of Penny

2010-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

We just got a new camera and so here is our first video we've ever posted of penny!

Penny's first Whitewashing

2010-12-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

Penny Loved being out in the snow. She was patting the snow and staring up at the sky with WONDER and a big grin.Then she tried to eat it..... and got her first facefull of snow

She was NOT very happy to say the least.

The reason we don't have a dog.

2010-12-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

The reason we don't have a dog is because
1. You have to clean up their poop
2. You have to take them on walks
3.They mess up your house with their toys
4. THEY CHEW AND EAT OBJECTS THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO

Therefore...we don't have a dog.

We do however have a BABY in spite of the fact that
1. You have to clean up their poop
2. You have to take them on walks
3 They mess up your house with their toys
4. THEY CHEW AND EAT OBJECTS THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO

And yes...she loves books....she loves to eat them.

Before and After

2010-11-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Brett made some exterior improvements on our house with his own bare hands! Here are the rewards of his labor!

Beautiful! Thanks Brett!

creepy i know

2010-10-27T20:25:00.001-07:00

So i know it looks like I am staring out of my screen right at you... but I wanted opinions.

Every year around halloween time i decide to slather on some makeup and go really dramatic- i usually do it right around bed time and then just wash it all off. This time i took a picture and looked at my heavy make up on the screen. Surprised ! It didn't really look like I had that much makeup on... in fact it didn't look too bad. So my question is... Angela Natural?? or Angela Dramatic?

Banned from my car, Rodworks Treasure and Pumpkin Plinko!

2010-10-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

So currently, I can't drive...
Not because I got my license taken away or because my car is dead or because I am not a good driver(because i really am fantastic, I swear)...
But because I am falling asleep. WHILE.I.AM.DRIVING
I narrowly avoided an accident the other day because i fell asleep...
Don't really know WHY at this point, but the doc gave me meds that treat for narcolepsy...because drowsy driving is BAD driving.
Anyways, the doctor adjusted the meds and told me not to drive for like a week...
So i am bumming rides to school from my momma and my mother in law. They're pretty much the best.
So I didn't intend on talking about that, but I was thinking about it because the other day Misty picked me up to go to RodWorks and costco(I feel like a 15 year old getting rides everywhere). And we found some GEMS my friends GEMS. Number one in the lineup is this picture frame... TA DA!
Looks stunning on my red wall if i may say so.
Number two on the line up....I talked myself out of getting. Because "Misty made me get it" is not a valid excuse for purchasing a SOFT MINKY ZEBRA STRIPED COAT for penny! It was soo cute and i nearly got it... and i feel that brett should appreciate my restraint.

Pumpkin Plinko was on a cold rainy day. But let me tell you, it was so worth it! We play games to earn pumpkins in which we roll down a giant hill that is fashioned as a plinko board. Pumkins smash roll and fly down that hill. Its spectacular.

And here is penny in the little outfit that Allison got her.. Thanks AUNTEEEE!!

Tell me to stop

2010-10-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that I want to spend $40 on this coat for Penny, when really...she doesn't need it...

First Leaf

2010-10-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

FAIL

2010-10-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things don't go the way they are supposed to.

Failure.

Its something I can't handle. When something gets tough? WAY easier to give up early than to stick it out knowing you won't be 1st or best.

Half my paintings are thrown away or discarded halfway through.

Half my classes are dropped when I think I can't handle them anymore or get an A or a B even.

Want an exuse? Easy, don't try and then you can say "oh well I didn't go to class, so thats why I got the grade I got" or "I had a busy weekend so i tried to get it done but i didn't have much time"

But you know what?

I am not giving up anymore. Things may suck or be so hard that I feel like I'll die, but I'm done throwing my hands in the air.

Because giving up? It feels a whole lot like failing.

6 months

2010-10-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Penny had her 6 month appointment and she is still in the 90th percentile for height, and now she is 30th in head circumference and 50th for weight. She is the sweetest girl! We have loved having her in our house! Penny loves to roll around with her bottle.

Here is the baby cow!

School is hard, as always, but i did get an 85% on my last math test so i am really happy. Brett is doing good and has been a superhandyman at our house(post to come)!

Witches hat!

2010-09-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

The LION KING

2010-09-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

I think the Costumes are the best part. I cried in the opening scene.... but don't worry so did Allison

My dad didn't think that "Normal" people took pictures outside the theatre...

since when were we normal....?

Aaaaand a cute pic of penny thrown in here for good measure

Penny's 3 month pics

2010-09-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

I just got these pictures that we had taken of Penny (with Eliza- sorry none of eliza this post because it took too long to upload! Sorry!). They were taken obviously a few month ago..but they are so delicious... I just posted my two favorite!!!

Beaches, Peaches, and Pizza Envy

2010-09-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

Bear Lake was SPECTACULAR this weekend! Gorgeous weather and fantastic friends make for one heck of a trip!
Here is Stevie-beans with the Penny-girl...she is so proud to be sitting with him! Me and My daughter!!!

Those cheeks are so large, it looks like i'm looking through one of those large lenses that distorts everything...do you know what i mean??

Daddy and baby!!

Look at the color of the water!!

Okay soo our tree in our back yard was just WEIGHED down with peaches.... we had so many this year and they are beautiful tangy flavorful perfect peaches!!!

So Penny, my mother in law, came over and we make peach jam!!!

I honestly didn't realize how easy it would be...but they are this rich color and the jam tastes sooo good!! Thank you Grandma Penny!

Baby Penny has been loving eating her food lately...

until she saw Brett eating his Pizza...

Penny Penny

2010-09-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Penny is nearly 5 months old! At her 4 month, she was 14.5 lbs and was 90 percentile in her height! She is getting more rolypoly every day and we LOVE it.

If you look at the above picture, you can see her TWO teeth that have recently come in! She is slobbering everywhere. She is eating sweet potato baby food like crazy and loving it. Penny rolls from her back to her stomach and from her stomach to her back..

She loves taking baths. And eating her rubber ducky. So yummy.

Mary's Lake

2010-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

The hike was fun, and the wildflowers were beautiful! Too bad the lake was GONE. Apparently they drained it to fix something....
But we got a lovely family picture!

Get your hands off my ice cream

2010-08-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my loving dad and his protective instinct towards Ben and Jerry's.

Growing up, we always knew there was Ben and Jerry's in the freezer, hidden in some corner. Of course we could always find it. The thrill of digging in the back and on the top shelf was unlike any other, especially when you found Dads New York Super Fudge Chunk. I would dig out the white chocolate chunks and the chocolate covered nuts and leave the plain ice cream for my dad to find. He would be SO mad. It made for some exciting evenings at our house.

So imagine my surprise when i opened the fridge one day and found the New York Super Fudge Chunk just SITTING THERE. Out in plain site. For anyone to take. Calling my name!

I pulled out the ice cream and went to open it....

and to my shock found this

Thats right...

a lock...

on.the.ice.cream

I couldn't believe my dad would do this to me.

So i did what any teenager would do.

I got Allison, and we sat and tried every combination we could think of.

Then I realized that this lock had a loophole....

and i proceeded to saw the bottom off the icecream with a serated knife.

Then i ate half the icecream to reward my ingenuity.

When my dad got home that night and went to get his Ben and Jerry's, he laughed at his cleverness and how he had eluded our theivery. He opened his icecream and was furious to find a big hole at the bottom. He was enraged at how Ben and Jerry's had cheated him and how there was an air bubble in his pint. My pride was my downfall...I just couldn't help reveal my genius plot. And to this day, I have never seen my Dad so upset (And i imagine secretly amused perhaps?).

Now he hides his icecream in bags of vegetables...where we never think to look...

Love you dad!

Snowbird!

2010-08-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

So Brett went running the other day and afterwards he set his waterbottle at Penny's feet. When we looked over 3 minutes later...

We went to Snowbird last night with my parents and Richard and rode the tram! It was so beautiful up there and it was 60 degrees...cold! Everyone but Dad forgot to bring a jacket.

Can you see how much she looks like me in this pic!! The cheeks and the chin!!!

Penny is huge,Real Game,and the Rattlesnake BBQ

2010-08-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

So i first of all just have to post some pics and show you guys how BIG Penny is getting! She loves her bumbo

And she honestly smiles and smiles all day long. Anyone will walk by and she just starts BEAMING and smiling at them to try and get their attention.Here is the cute dress I made! Baby Nora watch out there is one coming your way! (as soon as i make it anyways)

We took her to the Real Game, where he saw fireworks for the very first time! She was so mad at first but then once she started to see what was going on..she couldn't take her eyes off the sky!

Beautiful Bear Lake Sunset!!! This is the night our manly men had their Bear Grillis experience

So we had a little fire going on in the backyard of the cabin and so i went yup to grab a chair. I jumped off the cement patio onto the grass and ran down to the fire pit where Richard crossed paths with me. Then he let out a holler! Don't come close! I had pretty much jumped over a rattle snake and by the time richard got back up there it was rattling away! So our brave men got pitchforks and garden tools and fought it to pin it down. Then justin got a knife...and you know...killed it. Then my dad proceeded to gut it, skin it and season it with montreal chicken seasoning. Then they all roasted it over the fire and ate it... i took a bite JUST to say that i did. and honestly...wasn't that bad! It was consistency of chicken...

Here is a pic of richard eating his
And here is penny watching the whole thing in her stroller that is wrapped up in mosquito netting...

Crazy Fourth of July

2010-07-05T16:30:00.001-07:00

We had an incredible LONG LOVELY fourth of July! Brett and I have decided that we are doing a race every month for the rest of the year. So this was our first one! We started with a 5k and are ending the year with a half marathon! Our 5k went so well! I beat my time by 5 minutes ( which is not saying much because i was SLLLLOOOOWW, but hey...still recovering from Penny!) and Brett came in 2nd in his age division!! YAY BRETT! Penny was so proud of us!

Some of our friends went with us as well! Stacy, me and Haley Jonny steve and Brett eating a banana after the race with suuuper creepy smiles

Here are some shots of the Penny girl!
Her new fave thing to do is flash me.

her in her bumbo

We went to the country club on sunday to see the fireworks...

Brett and I on the golf course waiting for fireworks to start

Here is Penny before she fell asleep for the fireworks!And Brett on his throne

We also went on a small hike up by alta! AMAZING VIEWS! Especially of Nick!

New Projects, hiking and walking!

2010-06-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

So i had all this leftover fabric from my previous projects and i decided to recycle them the best i could! and VOILA!

I went on a 4 mile walk with April yesterday and our babies SCREAMED for 2 of the miles!

Brett and Penny on our hike!

Farmers Market

2010-06-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

So I went to the farmers market for the first time! It was so fun! There were a ton of pastry booths, which i LOVED. My Dad got me an almond croissant! So amazing. I have also never seen so many dogs in one place in my life! So many interesting people with interesting clothes and interesting hair..

I'm so used to seeing the average "look." You know, clean cut, basic hair, nice clothes...

It was kind of refreshing to see people that didn't fit that mold!

It was like going to see an art exhibit for some reason.

Speaking of art, I saw a bunch of booths that INSPIRED my artistic side! I have so many ideas and i am EXCITED to get going and start painting again!

All in all, we had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures of our day.

Heh heh heh...

Penny's funniest picture so far.

Fresh fruit parfait...mmmmm

Penny and Me

Allison and Eliza!

Long armed Brett

2010-06-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

For Brett's work party this year, we went on a trip to the zoo!

Brett decided his arms came a little closer in size to the gorilla than he felt comfortable!

Here is Brie measuring up...

Not as close as Brett came for sure

Penny's very first trip to the zoo was a great one!

Cabin trip

2010-06-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Miss Eliza LOOVES to hold "baby Menny"

Penny loves Eliza!

My uncle Doug for some reason was in this wet suit. I think he went to shoot fish in the lake with a bow and arrow or something....yeah i don't know

There was a FREAK hail storm that had 2+ inches of hail on our porch in 5 minutes. My dad was on a hike with uncle Doug when this happened and they had to take shelter in an abandoned car that had a mouse in it and potentially many unseen spiders.

Is there anything better than a sunset at Bear Lake?!

Blessing Day

2010-06-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

Penny's blessing went so well today. Thank you EVERYONE for supporting us! It went so smoothly. We are so happy so many of our loved ones were able to make it. We missed all of you that weren't able to be there! Thank you again! Brett, Penny and I love you all!

Seriously?

2010-06-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here is Brett pretending to be happy for the camera...

Here is Brett climbing out of the attic...

And here are the buckets rapidly filling with the water that is coming out of our ceiling...

We are not happy campers.

Brett tried to get into the attic to stop the leak and the boards got stuck. Took him about 30 minutes to even access the attic.

Brett stood up in the attic and hit his back against some nails.

But Brett conquered all and stopped the leaking.

Best part in this whole ordeal is knowing that my husband is amazing.

I loooove you Brett!! Now he's on the roof trying to fix something else... seriously, can you say mr handyman?!

Sleeping

2010-06-03T07:21:00.001-07:00

Penny girl has slept ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT for the last two nights!!!!!!!

WAHOO!

How in the world do we keep this up...

Eliza and Penny Meet!

2010-06-02T13:13:00.001-07:00

Miss Eliza LOVES her little cousin Penny! She calls her "Menny", which most of the time sounds like she is saying "Money." Quite a clever play on Penny's name!

Check out the cute headband that my sister Allison made for Penny!!

SICK TICK

2010-06-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am so grossed out...
Brett
has
a tick

Or at least Brett had a tick...

Sick

Anniversary and more Penny!

2010-05-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, Brett and I took our first night away from Miss Penny for our 4 year anniversary. We went to Tucanos had AMAZING Brazilian food, got one of those rice crispy treats thats covered in carmel and chocolate and then we headed up to park city for the night. About a half the way to park city, we come to a complete stop...for 2 and a half hours! It was the night there was a terrible accident and they shut down the freeway. Not the fun night we were planning at the outlets, but we took a ton of pictures to entertain ourselves...and we ate our rice crispy treat

Here are some new Penny pictures!

She is giving me the best hug...

She doesn't quite understand "Tummy time" yet. she either tries to eat the blanket or she tries to fall asleep. She really likes being on her tummy!

Here is what she does when she doesn't want any more food... she sticks out her lip and pouts

and here is beautiful penny in the dress the summerhays got her!

Best look at her dad so far

and the darling girl!!!

First week home from the hospital!

2010-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Happy girl!

Taking a nap with daddy

Little Cowgirl

With uncle Rico

Cute Aunt Abby!

Now, the following pictures are her progression of faces from the moment she realizes she is hungry, until we give her the bottle...

A bit concerned

I want to eat

I'm getting angry

And at last, the angry pirate comes out

Our cutest girl!!

Allison's Best Picture of Penny

2010-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Allison got some AMAZING pictures of baby Penny!! This one was my favorite and here is a link to the rest of her pics!

nickandalbuckner.blogspot.com

A couple more pics!

2010-04-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how different she looks after just one day!

Pretty flowers Brett got me!

She was giving me a dirty look...

and here she is all wide awake!!

Sweetest baby girl!!

2010-04-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Penny Hazel Brown

Born at 1:54 PM

April 5, 2010

8 LBS 3 OZ 21 Inches long

The new love of our lives!!!

Positive Proof of my "Nesting"

2010-04-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

TA-DA!!!

Richard is so dramatic that I thought he should introduce my nesting results from the last two weeks...
(Sorry in advance, i couldn't get the pictures to rotate-i'm blogging at the library)

So first of all we have the bumper pads, bed skirt and painting(which is the "you are my sunshine" song). My mom did the bumper pad and i did most of the bed skirt.

And here is a close up of the fabric...love it!

Next we have the dresser that we refinished...

And the picture frames I made...

(and the binky clip that you can see in the bottom right corner of the above picture)

The Purses that I made...

And the paintings that I did yesterday...

I also did three other paintings yesterday, but one of them sucks and one of them I'm not finished with and the other i forgot to take a picture of!

I also organized every closet in the house,

Cleaned every bathroom every day,

did laundry every day,

organized the plethora of baby clothes that we have received,

vacuumed something every day,

cooked dinners,

and cleaned something random every day.

No wonder I am exhausted.

And YES, I was due on tuesday and still have not had a baby.

The big day is almost here!

2010-03-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you are now viewing the last picture I will have taken pregnant! Mostly because I have no desire to get ready anymore and therefore will be avoiding anyone I know who owns a camera. Also because I am CROSSING my fingers hoping that I go into labor before anybody has the chance to snap a picture!

My darling dad took a bunch of pictures of me this weekend and this one was my favorite!! Thanks dad!!!

Hopefully a post will be coming soon that has a baby in them!!

Friend Trip to Bear Lake!

2010-01-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

Every January or February, we try to make it up to Bear Lake with our friends for a little get-away. The girls usually read their books while the boys play ping pong and watch sports. We play games, eat a ton of food, watch movies and relax as much as possible!

The boys do try and spice up the trip a little bit.

This year they jumped in the icy lake....

...while some of the girls (Haley, April, and Stacy) watched, laughed, and took pictures...

...they also went shooting...

...and tried out some cheerleading moves!

Steve and Stacy love to snuggle!

Happy Birthday Haley!

This picture i LOVE, and I'm way bummed that it is kinda blurry, but I think its the cutest twin picture ever!

The weekend is not over yet though!! Possibly more pictures to come from our lovely bear lake trip!!!

Slowly getting there

2010-01-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a little progress report!!! I am growing!!!!

September

November

January

Baby girl Brown is bustin out. We have 10 weeks left... Seems like that is NO TIME at all. We still need...oh just about everything. But we did happen to clear out my art room/junk room this weekend! That will be the baby's room, so thats one small step.

Its a girl!!!

2009-11-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Brett and I are so excited that we're having a little baby girl!! This is a pic that we got from the ultrasound!!! YAY!!!

THE best halloween costume ever

2009-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I made this beauty two years ago and have yet to surpass its excellence. I'm still trying to get Brett's costume for this year up on this computer, but its not working. So, enjoy this amazing giraffe costume until i get brett's pumpkin costume up and running!!!

Cinnamon Challenge

2009-10-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, the other night we had some friends come over for soup and caramel apple making, and Jonny and Brett came up with the BRILLIANT idea to do the cinnamon challenge! The challenge is to get a tablespoon on cinnamon and try and swallow it in one gulp.

Brett thought, oh! no problem I LOOVE cinnamon...

But apparently it didn't work out like Brett thought it would. He thought people coughed it up because the cinnamon taste was too strong. But in reality, people start coughing up and vomiting because the cinnamon turns to paste and coats your throat and nasal passages...

I don't think he'll try it again.

Winter is here?!

2009-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

What happened?! Summer was so amazing, and now all of the sudden its winter?! What happened to fall?? It somehow got skipped altogether. Lame.
I did want to post my two FAVORITE pictures from the summer before i forget.

Brett's 25th birthday!! We are so cute in our matching green shirts. I threw him and Brie a surprise birthday party because they are so wonderful. It was a perfect night for an outdoor party!

This picture truly captures Brett's excitement with life! He is so balanced and yet he knows how to let loose and have fun!! Best picture ever. He's might not be happy that i posted it because he looks goofy, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!!

Great news!

2009-08-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the internet for AGES, so as you can see, i haven't posted anything for a few months. But i just had to do a quick post to let those of you know who haven't already heard the news! Brett and I are having our first baby!!! Yay!!!

TESTICLE FESTIVAL

2009-06-08T14:06:00.001-07:00

I MISSED IT AGAIN!!!!

For YEARS I have passed this sign in Randolf on the way to Bear Lake and I have always been curious about this festival. I wanted to go this year, but i was two weeks off! So i did a little research to see what i had to look forward to next year.

The Testicle Festival in Randolph features barbecued testicles and follows the castration and branding of livestock on area ranches each spring

The seattle times did an article about this particular festival and here is a little exerpt

For the first few years of the festival, the Downings would collect calf testicles from ranchers throughout the region.
"Our family would sit home at nights, cleaning them," remembered Kalon's mother, Linda Downing. "Some are pretty dirty."
But to feed one person requires the testicles of about 10 calves, so the year the Downings — expecting 400 — cleaned the fruits of 4,000 castrations was the last.
Now, Downing buys testicles harvested from bulls being slaughtered by a meat packer in Salt Lake City. They're not as tender, but they come clean and cut in one-inch chunks, like chicken ready for a stir-fry.
"They're good, but I like the fresh ones better," said Dustin Wasden of Randolph, a transplant from West Jordan.
Wasden's friends from the big city joined him and his wife, Danelle, a Rich County native, on Saturday night.
"It's just not natural," said Christopher Tye of Salt Lake City, who carefully avoided the deep-fried oysters on his plate as he ate the rest of his food first.
Last year, he sampled the oysters first and could eat nothing else. "I psyched myself out."
His cousin, Jeremy Tye, teased his wife, Lacie, as she took her first bite of Rocky Mountain oyster. "Remember," he said. "You're eating cows' balls."
We don't consider it gross. It's our way of life."

The festival also includes raffle tickets and novelty items like T-shirts (that says WHATS IN YOUR SAC LUNCH) that raises funds for children with medical problems. There is also LOTS of YUMMY FOOD(including not only COW BALLS but PEACH COBBLER!!!!) and country music.

I guess i have a lot to look forward to next year

BACHELORETTE

2009-06-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else been watching the Bachelorette!?!?! Jillian was my favorite from last seasons Bachelor and so i am loving watching her. She always has the cutest clothes.

My favorite contestant this year is ED! SO cute.

If anyone has seen the movie "PS I love you", Ed looks like the HOT Irish guy she meets in the movie. (He also plays Danny Duquette in Greys anatomy)

Public Bathrooms

2009-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing some websites and I came across this article about public restrooms. Since many people I am close to have EXTREME bathroom phobias and are terrified to let their children go into public restrooms, I thought that this article gave some good tips and clarified some myths. It also confirmed some scary facts that you should watch out for in bathrooms!!!!

What to Watch Out For in Public Bathrooms

New Healthy Me

2009-04-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other day about the people who have changed my life. I found this picture that was stored among all my emails and it really hit me how much i have changed physically and emotionally since high school.

I had so many friends that helped me be who i am today

And a wonderful husband who would do anything for me

And an amazing family (mine and the family that i married into) who is there for me no matter what. I found this smokin hot pic of my mom and i just had to put it on here!!

Anyways, everyone is pretty amazing in my life. Thanks...for everything

I am still working on being a healthy happy person and i think its working!

YAY NEW POST

2009-04-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

So I know i haven't blogged in FOREVER. SO i decided to catch you all up on what Brett and I have been doing over the last few months!!!

In February. we decided that we were going to refinish this trashy old table. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was teak! YAY! So we sanded it down (on the top is the table half sanded) and oiled it (!!! We have a lovely new picnic table. Brett also took out all the old screws and tighted it up so it wasn't all rickety anymore!

In march, I went to the BEAD SHOW with my mom!! It was amazing. I've never seen that many beads in one place

I worked for my mom cleaning her house for a few hours, so she kindly purchased me some beautiful jewelry!! The leaf on the left used to be a real leaf and somehow they dipped it in gold, so now i have some leaf earrings! I love them. THere were also some cool amber and resin rings. Super cheap but SUPER CUTE!

FOr conference, We went up to our cabin and Nikki my dear friend came with us! We all snuggled in the toasty warm cabin and watched Conference in the theatre room. It was wonderful with the soothing voices and warm blankets and dark lights and tickling arms..... Its no surprise some of us dozed off!!!

But then after conference we went out shooting Brett's gun. I have to say this because i am ENORMOUSLY proud of myself. In my first three shots, I hit both the cans down!!! Nikki whispered, "you would tell me if you were in the CIA wouldn't you?" We had a blast hitting the cans and the box. There is something incredibly powerful about shooting a gun and hitting your target!!

The beautiful Bear Lake

For easter, Brett and I gave a talk in church! It was a lot of pressure to speak in a new ward on Easter Sunday! But it went well and we both are glad its behind us! We then went to Brett's parents house and got to see the whole fam and then we went to my parents house. This giant cupcake is the CUTEST thing in the whole world. And my mom got these cool frosting dyes that are so vivid. Anyways we had a wonderful few months!! We still don't have the internet, so i'll be blogging anytime i can get to my parents and use their internet!!

Best of Brett 2008!!!

2009-01-20T09:48:00.001-08:00

Athletic Brett

Playful Brett

Handsome Brett

Sneaky Brett

Painted Brett

Reverent Brett

"Ethnic" Brett

Christmas Brett

Sleepy Brett

Hiking Brett

Lucky Angela!!!!!

ODE to Christmas

2008-12-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

We tried to make the car ride interesting by taking funny pictures... but apparently Brett got too bored because soon he was fast asleep on my shoulder

ODE TO JOY

We got the the Reeds up in Farmington after a crowded freeway ride, and after dinner and wassail, we sang songs!

Singing REALLY tuckered Dave and my Dad out

ODE TO CHRISTMAS SOCKS
We saw some definite winners this christmas season!!! Check out the stuffed animal attached to the back of this one

There is nothing better than a good TOE sock.

This next picture is to serve as a warning to all those who dare mess up a potentially cute picture with their cute wifey.

Baby Eliza comes to visit

2008-12-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

She is so cute i want to laugh and cry and squeeze her cheeks all at the same time.

White Elephant Pink Bra

2008-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

Because Brett and I had so many FUN FUN things happen at Christmas, we are seperating them into different entries.

Our first party of the season was the Brown Christmas Party. We eat an incredible dinner, do a white elephant exchange, then eat dessert.

I was assigned to do one of the desserts. An elaborate SCRUMPTIOUS cake was what i was told to make. So I went elaborate...

My Cake was a Chocolate carmel ganache cake with toasted almonds... It took a total of 4 hours to make.
Even the carmel for the layers was homemade...

My finished project was a masterpiece! I loved it!!

The white elephant party (which is where Brett and I are in the above picture), was a riot! There was a "SHave with me" Barbie complete with glued on hair, fruit cake, old christmas wreaths, the usual gift that somehow ends up making fun of Misty (this year was an unflattering picture blown up to life size almost), and a PINK LIGHT UP BRA among many other FUNNY FUNNY "gifts".

Activity: Tuachan nativity scene

2008-12-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

So first of all.. I got my hair done at the paul mitchell school. 8 bucks for the cut and 25 for the color! I think they did a pretty good job, especially for how much it cost!!!
Tiff and Wes, Some of our wonderful new friends in st george, hung out with us on friday night. Yes, thats right, just as soon as we decide that we are moving back to Salt Lake, we make new friends. AND they love to play hand and foot. We are going to miss them!

But anyway, we decided that we were going to go to cafe rio, they go to see the nativity scene at Tuachan, then play games after. So we got to Tuachan...

And sorry!!! No nativity!!

It was like a ghost town. Nobody was there except the employees. Haha we knew we were in the right place, because we could smell the animals that they use in the nativity. So we are a little baffled to why there was just nothing there that night! So we took the time to enjoy the Christmas lights!

We're going to miss this place!!

Princess Unicorn

2008-12-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Princess Unicorn

I hope everyone has seen last nights "Office."
This link is HILARIOUS.

Christmas socks!!

2008-12-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

If any of you know Brett, you know that he LOVES christmas socks. He was devastated last year when we had to retire all of them because they were held together by thin strings. So this year, i went on a mission.
FIND NEW CHRISTMAS SOCKS.
For the last month I have gone to every store possible to find christmas socks and there was NOTHING. I repeatedly went to target and walmart and old navy and through all the stores in the mall. And FINALLY my dedication paid off! I went to Walmart for the third time this week and TA- DA!! CHRISTMAS socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got about 5 pairs (although half of them are being saved for Christmas morning). These two stripey pairs were my favorite. The christmas trees flash lights every time Brett moves his legs.

Yes...My leg is the larger one on the right... At least Brett's leg is hairier than mine though

The best way to snuggle is with christmas socks and hot cocoa...I highly recommend it

WE'RE SO EXCITED

2008-12-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

Allison and I were PRETTY excited to put on my mom's old sweaters this last weekend.

This is me and Abby in line for the walmart opening on black friday. We were pretty much just killing time. We went in to try and get in a fight or something, but we got scared and didn't end up buying anything but candy... Brett and I miss her!

My sister in laws always have a pie night the day before thanksgiving! It was so fun. There were plenty of treats, like homemade symphony bar fudge!!!! I am so excited to be moving back because i'll have more time to spend with "the sisters"!!!

Brie is a master Kung Fu Fighter... Don't mess...

He is so handsome! This is C., my nephew! He likes the movie Cars and his favorite phrase is "Thats gross" or " i don't like it". For example, I say "C. give me a hug!" He says, "thats gross" or i say "C. I love you" and he says " I DON"T LIKE IT"

Its awesome.

These pictures are all from our thanksgiving break and are just a few of the reasons why we are SOOOO excited to be coming back!!!

WILDLIFE SIGHTING

2008-11-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

If anyone can identify this nasty bug... I will make them brownies. Seriously. This juicy guy was on our hike and was FAT and SLIMY was the size of a thumb, but looked like a bee, and had no wings... Any ideas??

Camping in Zions

2008-11-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

Brett and I, and Jennica and Josh, all went camping in Zions National Park this last weekend! We went on a hike up to Observation Point. It was way more difficult than Angel's Landing. It was an 8 miler and was WAY high up. I think 800 feet higher in elevation than Angels Landing. We all had such a blast though!

Here is the view from the top!

I don't know why i let anyone take a picture of me after i had been camping for two nights...

Here is our campsite

And this is what we woke up to in the morning!

Angela + Excercise= YAHOO

2008-11-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year in Moab

MINUS 20 POUNDS.

Check out the Belly on Both those pictures!! YAHOO!!!
Brett and I have been working out a ton! THANK GOODNESS. I feel so much more healthy and the pay off from working out is DEFINETLY worth it. Since we moved to st. george in may, I have lost 20 lbs! I make Brett analyze my muscle growth every night and tell me how much better i look than the day before...
Self Absorbed? Maybe, depends on who you ask
Self Confident? YES, completely!

Halloween and Angels Landing!

2008-11-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

There is no real story behind this picture other than the fact that i was a witchy witch along with one of the Young Women! Yay homemade rootbeer!!
Here is a Shot from the bottom up!The switchbacks were so hard. I had to take breaks for my calves and stretch out every now and then.Brett ran ahead to get a good view of them...They are so much more difficult than they look!
View from the TOP!!!On the way back we took pictures of the best part of the hike. We did about 3/4 of a mile on that skinny backbone. Most of it had sheer cliffs on one or both sides and so there were metal chains just in case..Here is another shot of the chains

Pretty soon we looked down and saw these three HUGE HUGE birds circling around chickens landing. Eagles? Vultures? Soon we started passing the hikers who identified them as California Condors! There are 156 of them in the wild and we saw THREE at the same time. They are one of the rarest birds in the world. They have a freaking NINE foot wingspan... Many hikers were just a little nervous with this breed of vulture circling the chained area...

One of them finally landed and we were able to get a shot. This was a very large tree. The Condor makes it look like a little twig. Oh Yeah and to top off our little wildlife sighting, Brett and I almost stepped on this lovely specimen. I screamed and ran away while brett stayed to take pictures of this palm sized beauty.

Afterwards we went to Springdale and had a lovely lunch at BLONDIES diner to top off the afternoon! We LOVE living so close to ZIONS

Great Visit

2008-10-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Brett's Parents came and visited us in St. George. It was 80 degrees out and we barbequed by the pool! Steak and coconut creme pie! YUM.

Its great to have visiters!!!

Save a Sister, Sabotage a Runner

2008-10-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Brett and I had the chance to volunteer at the Save A Sister 5k and 10k Run this weekend to support the fight against breast cancer. We set up at mile marker 4 and filled up an entire table with about 400 cups of gatorade and water that had been provided in large store bought bottles!

We were sitting there having a great time chasing after the runners to give them their drinks for about... oh 40 minutes?...When one of the runners was like, wow this gatorade is really strong, can i get some water?

Brett and I were surprised that he thought it was so strong because it was from a bottle and so its not like we mixed it up or anything. By this time, half of the racers had gone by. Brett decided that we had better taste the drink just to check. Brett just about choked. Then we looked at the bottle that we had poured from and realized we had missed the all important words CONCENTRATE...

Thats right, we gave about half the runners pure liquid concentrate gatorade. If it explains anything at all, i had one sip and my throat burned for 20 minutes...

I hope we didn't cost anyone the race...

OCTOBER FUN!

2008-10-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

My Family came and met Brett and I halfway between Salt lake and St George so that we could see Kaitlin and the baby before they went back to Milwaukee! We sat in a park in Fillmore and had a great time!

Bottoms up!

Me and Allison taking a nap

Little Baby Eliza!

Brett and Eliza are so CUTE

Brett and I went to salt Lake for the weekend a little bit ago!! We got to see our friends and family.

Bowling
SEXY ABBY

Sparky and Bubba came and visited us these last few days!! We had such a blast. Sparky and I got our toes done and we ate cupcakes. It was awesome.

Reading is Good!

2008-09-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

All the books I ordered from Amazon finally arrived! I couldn't decide which book to read first, so I started two, Ghost Soldiers and Escape. I don't think many people read our blog, but whoever does, feel free to suggest your favorite book. I feel like I need to catch up for all my anti-reading teenage years, so I like to hear about a good read.

Since I don't blog very often, I thought I would talk about another thing. As most of you know, I've been training for a triathlon with the YM in my ward. It is coming up in a few weeks and it's been much tougher than I anticipated. The swimming part is 30 lenghts of a 25 meter pool, and it has been the hardest of the three for me. Since I started training, I've nearly passed out half a dozen times in the pool and while biking, fallen off my bike twice (in front of strangers too, that's the worst!), sprained both my ankles, bruised the "tender" area (from biking on a woman's bike), and embarrassed myself by wearing nerdy spandex biker shorts and speedo shorts. Anyway, I'm obviously out of shape but have been enjoying the new sport with the YM!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

2008-09-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend Brett and I had the choice to go to the BYU football game, or to go up to bear lake... It was a tough decision but we went up to my family's cabin in bear lake! The sporting events were not lacking however! The boys had a plethora of Ping Pong tournaments. I dont know if Bocce counts as a sport...but we played that at the beach and i'm pretty sure that I had the most accurate and consistant throw. We also had a pretty intense Clay fight. But the best part was spending time with our family and friends! It was so good to see everyone! We miss you all!!

This is my cute little brother. I can still remember when he was born. He was the chunkiest baby.

All of our manly men who came to the beach!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!!

I am obsessed with this picture! Not just because its a picture of myself, but its just so charming!! I love Kites!

Stacy, Becky and Myself at the Beach!!!

Oh man do i love Bretty.

More bars in more places.

The Epic Beach Clay battle of 2008

2008-08-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Okay i found this on Buzzfeed. Some of these are kinda sad, but some are hilarious. Check it out http://www.truckspills.com/

20 Q's

2008-08-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well . . . you all know that blogging and responding to COOL questionaires are my favorite thing in the world!! And, I wasn't half-forced by my twin Brie or Angela to do this either. So. . . here goes.

1. What do you want right this minute? To be somewhere else. Anywhere. The beach, canyons, Bear Lake, etc.
2. If you were a boxer, what would your ring name be? Brett el matador Brown
3. Would you rather be perfect from the waist up or the waist down? Umm. . . that's obviously a girl question.
4. Would you rather meet Oprah or Ellen? Neither. Seriously.
5. Have you ever had Gonorrhea? Is that the same thing as giardia? If so. . . then yes!
6. What does your favorite pair of underwear look like? White and tight.
7. What’s one thing you’re afraid of? Losing weight.
8. If you could be reincarnated as someone/something, what would you pick? Probably a dinosaur.
9. Who is your least favorite actor? I agree with Ang on this one, we're both not fans of Keano Reeves.
10. Do you ever have recurring dreams? I used to have one where I jumped off a cliff with a parachute and it didn't deploy. I always woke up right before i hit the ground. (I've never died in my dreams, have you?)
12. Do you like reality TV? I guess I do cause I watch some Idol and dancing stuff with Angela.
13. Are you happy right now? Yes.
14. Would you rather have a salad or a burger? If it's from Cafe Rio. . . definately a pork salad! You can't go wrong with the sweet Pork, amazing green ranch, cilantro and beans and tortilla, etc.
15. What would you do if you were locked in a room with your worst enemy for 3 days? Probably get to know them better. (sorry I'm boring, but it's probably true)
16. Were you popular in high school? This might be the lamest question of all. Is "lamest" a word?
17. What did you want to be when you were little, and did you follow that dream? I wanted to be just like John Stockton. As you get older, you (unfortunately) realize that most dreams are not obtainable.
18. What’s one of your favorite quotes? I'm out!!! (I'll give someone a dollar if they can guess what that' from)
19. What is one of your weaknesses? Actually, my mom just told me one of my weaknesses last week . . . it's sort of complicated, but one aspect of it is that I can't expect perfection in everything I do. If i do, she thinks I will develop high blood pressure!!
20. Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? Who really wants to admit that the glass is half empty?

20 Qs

2008-08-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

So I don't think Brett and I have ever been tagged. This is an exciting new experience! I will do mine tonight and then i think Brett will do his Tomorrow. Because i am up all night long doing a graveyard! YAHOO.
1. What do you want right this minute? PLENTY of things. But mostly i want to go to sleep
2. If you were a boxer, what would your ring name be? ALAN THE TALON . and when they announce my name they have to make a hook with their finger (kinda like a pirate). i think thats already taken though.
3. Would you rather be perfect from the waist up or the waist down? .thats a toughy. can i change that to hips up or hips down?? I choose hips up
4. Would you rather meet Oprah or Ellen? Probably Ellen, oprah loves herself too much
5. Have you ever had Gonorrhea? Sure hope not.
6. What does your favorite pair of underwear look like? THey are white, cotton, and baggy and they go down to my knees... this is why Brett and I don't have a child yet.
7. What’s one thing you’re afraid of? E.T. (we had it when i was younger and the video itself terrified me with its green wheels that roll the video tape. I would always hide it so nobody could find it.) Also other weird things like the scary zombie guys from I AM Legend. I can't predict their behavior . And i am terrified anytime i see aliens or dinosaurs in movies (I still have never made it through Jurrasic Park)
8. If you could be reincarnated as someone/something, what would you pick? Probably a star or something. Like maybe the handle on the big dipper. I don't know. Just kinda sounds cool.
9. Who is your least favorite actor? Keano reeves. I just think he sucks
10. Do you ever have recurring dreams? I always dream about being able to speak other languages. Brett heard me one night talking in my sleep saying,
"How many languages can you speak? I can speak four. chinese, japanese, cantonese...........
and something like that."
.12. Do you like reality TV? I don't really care either way. I like Idol and So you think you can Dance though.
13. Are you happy right now? Besides wishing i had a toothbrush...i would say i am pretty satisfied
14. Would you rather have a salad or a burger? how about both?? A salad actually sounds really good right now though.
15. What would you do if you were locked in a room with your worst enemy for 3 days? Probably experiment with my flatulance
16. Were you popular in high school? HaHa no!... that probably had something to do with the fact that i would rather sit in bed and read than socialize ...
17. What did you want to be when you were little, and did you follow that dream? i wanted to be a lawyer like my Pappy. I guess painting is not very close to that dream... meh..
18. What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"You cheated on me?!? When I specifically asked you not to?!?" office
"Don't move or i'll fill you so full of lead you'll be using your dick for a pencil" 3 amigos
"this'll take her breaf away" little rascals
19. What is one of your weaknesses? Hmm... i don't tell the truth in order to get out of trouble... Its an addicting habit. Its terrible
20. Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? i'd say half full

I do realize that 11 is missing. I don't know where it is to be completely honest.

BEAR LAKE!

2008-08-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

We absolutely love Bear Lake. My parents have a cabin up there and man...do we love it! We play pingpong, rock climb, steam room it, and watch movies. The best though is the summer when we can go our and spend all day on the beach!

A picture in the middle of winter while I was snug in the cabin by the FIRE!

Bear Lake is a sanctuary for my family. Any time I get mad or upset, I fantasize about running away to the cabin away from everybody and everything. There seems to be something calming about it.

We drive up through Evanston and through Randolf and other small towns. My favorite was when we were surrounded in the car by a herd of cattle. Some of us thought it was a brilliant idea to roll down the windows. I'm pretty sure they tried to get in the car with us. The area is sometimes considered "PO- DUNK." This is most likely due to the rifles kept in the back window of their trucks. Personally I think its cool to shoot your own entree, but somehow I view the rifle in the back more of a threat than of dinner plans.
Somehow things are just different up there though.

For example, the "Rocky Mountain Oyster" festival every year in Randolf.

Or the Town of Dingle where there are more dogs than humans and the church smells like macaroni and cheese.

OR the little mermaid we found on the beach one year

I have to admit that it has become part of our lives. Our summers, our holidays, and church conferences all revolve around Bear Lake! And this labor day.... Yes this is an announcement to our family... we will be going to bear lake and taking the 7 hour + car drive to make it there!! We are so excited!!!

Friend Trip!

2008-08-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

This video is basically a summary of our trip. My sound wouldn't work, so hopefully the Summerhays can send me the one with volume!!

We all had so much fun this last week! The Judds, Summerhays, Harbertsons and Brett and I had a little vacation! We all went to the Summerhays' condo in St George. We had a few setbacks.. like the boat dying, our shooting range was closed down, and the spa treatments not working out, and April got a little sick, and our hike was interupted by a flash flood warning, and we came across a scary car accident (It was pretty impressive when Haley went running with the boys to help- She is (or almost is) a nurse). But i have to say that it was a blast!! We played hand and foot every day! And there was a huge debate on whether Joshua or Twitch deserved to win. Most of us were very pleased with the results. We just really wanted the finale to end with Joshua proposing to Katie. We were all sorely dissappointed when nothing of the sort happened. He did kiss her on the cheek a few times and got our hopes up.

Matching boys!! I think they may have even had matching stains.

We went to go shooting and the place Jon knew of was shut down, so we had to go way out to this obscure shooting area. I got the joint juice.
I don't think i know how to hold a gun. And isn't Stacy's face awesome!!

I love this picture of us

April, Stacy, me and Haley! We crushed the boys at bowling. Then the second round the Summerhays won due to a RALLY dance.

Haley and I had differing opinions on what Jonny looked like...

Stacy and I were UNSTOPPABLE.

First day on the boat!!

I wouldn't mess with stacy and Haley if i were you.

Look at how hot we are.

Our boys had to pull our boat to shore so that Jonny could run to go get a jump starter!

Here is a Toast

2008-08-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

Brett and I are so blessed to have great in laws. The Browns are so great, and I can attest that Brett is lucky to claim my family as relatives!! As the great Alfalfa once said, "Here is a toast, to the one I love most, in the whole world..." My family!

As i have previously posted pictures of my in laws, i thought it prudent to take a little time to show some pictures of my family. Sorry Dad and John! Most of my pictures are on my old laptop, so I haven't been able to recover all my pictures yet and have been unable to represent you two!! As soon as I get them, you will be featured in our blog and, as Brett Brown says, "GOOGLEable"

My favorite picture of me and my sisters and my mom! When we were young and tan...

This is me and my sisters a few weeks before little Eliza came!

Angela (me) Wight Brown, Allison Wight, Kaitlin Wight Merkeley

This little boy is no longer smaller than I am

My mama (to be known as Ninny by her future grandchildren) holding little Eliza

Sweetest Picture Ever

2008-08-02T20:56:00.001-07:00

Isn't this so cute! Brett's going to be such a good dad one day

Our new Scooter

2008-08-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

So i have to tell everyone how Brett and I got our new scooter! Brett's sisters were all in St George on the sister trip and Brandon (Brie's husband) and Cade(Her son) came and stayed with Brett. I was in the hotel room most of the time and not at home with them, but I came back to visit. Cade was just chattering away, and he got so excited all the sudden. He kept saying "ANgie ANgie ANgie." And finally he got out, "BETTS(brett) BIKE" and pointed out the window. Imagine my surprise when i looked to where he was pointed and saw a brand new red scooter!! Cade totally spilled the beans. Brett was saving it for a surprise, and i guess it ended up that way!!!

JULY IN ST GEORGE

2008-08-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

On our way to the temple in my new scooter

Cutest little boys ever. I lived with them for two years. They are my adopted little brothers. Brooke says they will be left for me in her will.

Most of the sisters who went on the St George trip

Brooke and Tawny

Jan, Amber, Misty, and Brooke

Brooke, Misty, Tawny, Penny

MAY and JUNE

2008-08-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Zions!

Brett was pretending to be Frankenstein. I think he was protesting my taking the picture

Here are some pictures of our life in St George! Brett's Sisters Brie and Brooke came to visit in May with my mother in Law Penny!

Brett and I in Moab

Fourth of July!

Our Move to St George

2008-08-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Brett and I moved to St george about three months ago! We are missing all of our friends and our family, but we are really enjoying this beautiful place! We got a year long pass to Zion's National Park and have gone there about three or four times since we have been here. Brett is working at Molina Healthcare as a Provider rep. I work at Green Valley Spa at the front desk. I work a few times a week and work the night shift more often than not. It has been about 108 degrees the past couple weeks...SUPER HOT. Our new favorite thing to do is go riding our scooter at night. When we pass by certain areas, like the river areas, the cool breeze is AMAZING.